Shifter (10 page)

            Briony leapt down from Archer’s back, and she could see the way Sophie’s face changed as she saw the blood on her.

            “Briony, what have you been doing?”

            Briony shook her head. “That isn’t important. What’s important is that Fletcher just told me we might be attacked. There are apparently…”

            Vigor held up a hand. “We know about Xylyx.” He took something from his belt, and Briony realized that it was an old-fashioned brass telescope. He passed it to her, pointing. “We weren’t just up here waiting for you. Look there, Princess.”

            Briony looked in the direction he was indicating, but even so, it took her a moment or two to understand what she was seeing, because for a moment or two, it just looked black. Then she understood. It was darkness and shadow, roiling around like cloud. Briony thought that she could see glimpses of things in it, but they were gone almost as soon as she saw them.

            “This should not be happening,” Vigor said. “The legends say that as long as the first of us stands, even without the kings, the chasm will stay closed.”

            “Um…” Briony said. “There might be a problem there.”

            She explained what had happened with the unicorn. Vigor looked horrified.

            “How could you do something like that? Without the throne truly settled, every force in this land will rise to try to take it.”

            “Well, it’s not like you ever told me that,” Briony pointed out. “Besides, I thought I was the queen now. I thought it
was
settled.”

            Vigor smiled a ghost of a smile. “Things are never that easy. Look at the history of kings and queens in your own world. They would have the attributes to take a throne, but they would still have to take it and hold it. You have the scepter, and King Waltham’s blood, but you still have to win. The creatures of Xylyx are rising up now because they think there is no one to stop them, and if they win…”

            “If they win,” Sophie said, “they will destroy us. These aren’t Pietre’s vampires, who want to control people without being seen. They aren’t Marcus’, who wanted to enslave people. These will just kill, and kill, until there is nothing left in Palisor. Then they will turn to our world and start the slaughter again.”

            “Then we can’t let them win,” Briony said. “But I guess this time it isn’t just going to be about us.”

            Fletcher and Archer stepped forward. Fletcher spoke. “You are right, Your Majesty. Our best hope is for everyone in Palisor to fight. The Hugtandalfer and the dragons both.”

            “Not just them,” Sophie put in, looking over the edge of the parapet. “Palisor is full of creatures that have relied on the protection of the Hugtandalfer, but it is time for them to fight. They can’t just hide and hope that someone else will solve their problems.”

Josh hadn’t said anything until then, but Briony had been aware of him watching her. She couldn’t guess at what he was thinking.

“How big is your army, Vigor?” Josh asked.

“A few thousand now,” Vigor replied with a trace of pride. “There wasn’t much before, but since the old king’s death, I’ve been recruiting able bodied men and women and training them. We aren’t going to be helpless. We can choose not to be helpless.”

            Briony smiled at the prince. Under his gruff demeanor and his apparent disdain for her before, he was actually a smart, thoughtful man. Not to mention a handsome one. Josh looked from her to Vigor, obviously catching the look.

            He snorted. “A few thousand isn’t going to be enough. I know how bad Pietre’s vampires were, and how bad Marcus’ vampires were. If these are worse, then a rabble put together at short notice won’t be enough to stop them.”

            “The Hugtandalfer aren’t a rabble,” Vigor said in a dangerous tone. “If you doubt our ability to fight, I could show you.”

            “And could every member of your fighting force?” Josh asked. “You need more people.”

            Briony nodded. “You’re right, Josh, which is why I was wondering if there was a way to bring across more than just one werewolf. We all know how deadly they are to vampires here. There must be a way to reverse the rule that my father imposed on the gates. Can you look into it?”

            “I already have,” Sophie said. She looked slightly guilty about that, “for your sake.”

            Briony understood what she meant by that, and a wave of gratitude swept through her. Sophie had been looking for a way to let Kevin and Jake into Palisor? It was easy to forget now that the other woman was still her great aunt, and how much she loved her. Though as she was now, she would be an important weapon against the vampires too. Even back in Wicked, she had been the most dangerous vampire hunter there.

            Briony almost didn’t dare to ask. “Did you find a way?”

            Sophie looked uncomfortable. “I’m sorry, Briony, but there is only one way, and we kind of already know it. A werewolf has to ascend to the throne of Palisor.”

            So it was the same as before. She’d have to marry Josh.

            “So how does that help me?” she asked.

            Sophie shook her head. “I’m sorry. All I know is that, until the strongest werewolf in the kingdom sits on the throne by force or marriage, you won’t be able to open the gates.”

            And Josh was the only werewolf in Palisor, making him automatically the strongest. Which meant that there was only one way to control the gates and get help.

            Josh wasn’t the kind of person who gloated. Instead, he just nodded. “We don’t have much time, but you’re right. We need the strength of my werewolves if we’re to have a chance of defeating these vampires. We’re their natural enemy. You know that. You know the powers we have against them. So, Briony, what are you going to choose? Will you marry me?”

            Briony looked around. She could see the way Fallon tensed, his expression blank in the way that meant he was trying to stop her seeing what he felt. Even Vigor seemed to be angry, his hands clenching into fists.

            Josh obviously saw that reaction. “Don’t you agree,” he demanded, “that this is a time when we need unity? When our personal desires count for very little? Unlike you, I have never sought to have Briony for my own. This is simply a matter of what is best for everyone. Or don’t you want to be able to fight off this threat?”

            “Perhaps we can fight them ourselves,” Vigor suggested.

            “Really? You didn’t do such a good job against Marcus’ vampires.” Josh looked back to Briony. “You have to choose, Briony. Do you want the werewolves here that you’ll need, or not?”

            “You know I don’t have a choice,” Briony said.

            “Even though it will trigger the Vampire Apocalypse?” Fallon asked from the side. He was obviously struggling to control himself, but at the same time, he’d managed to make an important point.

            Josh shrugged. “If it means saving the world…”

            It seemed like an impossible position. If she didn’t marry Josh, then Vigor’s army would be overwhelmed, no matter how confident he was about their abilities. If she did, then she might be condemning Fallon, her brother, and every other good vampire to death.

            “Is there no way around it?” Briony asked, turning to Sophie. If anyone knew, she would.

            Her great aunt shook her head. Vigor seemed more optimistic though. “The marriage is only one of the conditions of the destruction of the vampires. There are others.”

            “So if I marry Josh it won’t automatically mean them dying?” Briony asked. Even so, marrying
Josh
…

            “I’m not a fate worse than death, Briony,” Josh said, stepping close to her and taking her hand. This close, she could feel the sheer presence of him next to her, smell the masculine scent of him, and that scent fired something within her. She could feel attraction sweeping through her, and need. She shouldn’t feel it, she knew that. She loved Kevin, not him, so Josh shouldn’t be making her respond in exactly the same way. Yet even as she felt it, Briony knew what it was. Josh was an alpha wolf, and that meant that there would always be some part of her that would respond to him.

            Archer interrupted. “Guys, do you want to hurry up, maybe? These monsters are fast. I don’t need the telescope to see them now, which means we’re going to need to get our troops together in a hurry if we don’t want to end up being killed.”

            Briony looked in the direction where she’d seen the dark cloud through the telescope. She could make it out too now, swirling on the edge of what was visible from up in the palace. For a moment, the sheer speed of that frightened her, but she pushed that feeling aside. Her father had been able to force these creatures into the chasm. She had the same power. He had been the champion of Palisor, protecting it with his magic, but so was she now. She wasn’t going to fail.

T
hey went down into the palace, rushing off about the tasks they needed to perform before the creatures from Xylyx got there. The dragons had to fly out messages, Vigor had to start to get his army together… pretty soon, it seemed that everyone except Briony had some kind of job to do. She, meanwhile found herself left alone in the room she’d woken up in earlier, where another dress was laid out by a silk screen patterned with images of battle.

            Briony went behind it to get changed, and she was halfway into her new dress when she heard footsteps on the other side of it.

            “Briony?”

            It was Josh. Briony wasn’t sure that there was much left to say to him. He’d manipulated her, using what he knew about Palisor to push her into a position that would give him more power.

            “What do you want, Josh?” And more to the point, what did he want while she was still trying to lace up a dress that fastened at the back, meaning that no one without a servant at hand would ever be able to get into it? Who had these dresses been designed for? Princesses, probably.

            “Actually, I wanted to apologize,” Josh said. “I know that I’ve put you in a difficult position, and that you still aren’t certain about marrying me. I know I’m not what you want.”

            “You could say that,” Briony said. He wasn’t
who
she wanted, at least.

            “That’s how fate works sometimes though,” Josh said. “You’ll have to make a decision soon, Briony. There isn’t any time to waste.” He came up behind Briony and began helping her with the lacing, his skilled fingers quickly figuring out how it worked.  He leaned in behind her, his warm breath tickling her ear, “We’d make quite a team when we’re married, wouldn’t we?” His hands found its way to her waist and he slipped his arms around her, bringing her to his chest where he held her against his lean taunt body. Brioy could feel the heat and desire radiating from him. “You smell so good, Briony,” he whispered. “So beautiful and dignified.  You’re born to be my queen.”

            So he wasn’t just there to apologize. Or maybe he was, but even while he did something like that, Josh couldn’t stop himself from trying to manipulate things. That thought made something flick over in Briony, and she made a decision. The decision she suspected she’d always known she’d make.

            “I’m not marrying you, Josh.”

            “What?” Josh sounded genuinely surprised by that, like he really couldn’t believe that she would do anything other than marry him. “But you have to…”

            “No, I don’t,” Briony said, cutting him off. “The monsters from Xylyx don’t change anything. The gates don’t change anything. My father pushed the monsters back into the chasm before, without your werewolves. If he did it, then I can do it.”

            “I think you’ll regret that,” Josh said.

            Briony sighed. “Get out, Josh.”

            She heard Josh go, but she wasn’t thinking of him by then. He wasn’t important enough to think about. Instead, she turned her attention back to the dress, though it still wouldn’t lace right at the top. Maybe if she took the head of the scepter off for a moment? Briony unhooked it from around her neck, picking up the golden horn as well and putting them both down on the bed together. They touched, just barely, as she did it.

            A shimmer of power ran along her skin, and Briony looked down just in time to see the horn and the scepter starting to glow. They glowed with golden light, the chain of the scepter stretched out by it so that it and the horn formed two sides of a triangle, with Briony on the third side. Light leapt around that triangle, bouncing from it in a complex web, then arcing into her in what felt like a shock of electricity.

            Briony had felt this kind of power before, when she’d acquired the magic that had let her destroy Marcus, and when she’d transformed into the Hugtandalfer that she was now. So what was this? Was it her coming into her full power as a Hugtandalfer? As the queen of this land? Briony didn’t know, and she didn’t have the time to think about it, because in that moment the power of it overwhelmed her.

            It poured through her, flashing along every nerve, making her muscles spasm as it flowed along her synapses. Briony let out a gasp as the power moved through her, hot and cold, pleasant and painful all at once. The unicorn had told her that with the horn, she would be the ultimate slayer. Briony had assumed that it was because the horn would be some kind of weapon for her, but what if it was more than that? What if it was actually
transforming
her? It certainly
felt
like it was transforming her then, because Briony imagined that she could feel the cells of her body dissolving, changing, shifting as the power from the horn and the scepter touched them.

            Suddenly, Briony found herself looking out from a spot that seemed to be far above Palisor, staring down at the land below where the darkness of the creatures from the chasm flowed. Briony could see them now, or some of them at least, because it was like they wrapped darkness around themselves, doing automatically the kind of thing that Pietre did with shadows. Only here, the goal didn’t seem to be stealth. They simply hated the light so much that they carried literal darkness with them.