The Divine Unleashed (Book 3) (15 page)

“A shapeshifter,” Vell said with his eyes still on the ground.  The creature in his hands hung limp, no longer alive.  “I believe it was one of Morg’s spies.”  He raised his eyes and looked at it in disgust.  “But, I know this one personally,” he said as he squeezed the creature and crushed it.  His lips pulled back with the effort and his half rotted teeth shown for all to see.  If it was alive when Vell landed, it was definitely dead now.  “This is the one that caused me to be cast out,” he said as he opened his hand.

“One of Morg’s spies?” Darcienna asked in shock.

“Yes,” Vell said, disgust still in his voice.  For a moment, Kade thought the shapeshifter was going to squeeze the lizard again.  Kade took the shapeshifter spy into his hand and spun to face the crowd while throwing his hand high in the air for all to see.  The creature was still warm to the touch and even had a decent amount of weight to it.

“A spy,” Kade called out loudly for all to hear.  “A shapeshifter caught by our new ally,” he yelled as he pointed an open hand at Vell.  Kade’s chest was puffed out as he stood triumphantly.

The apprentice felt the small shape in his hands go soft as if it was starting to melt.  He looked up at the creature in his outstretched hand and watched as it shimmered and then faded from site.  He slowly dropped his hand to study the empty space that took the place of the shapeshifter.  The spiders watched Kade in stunned silence.  The apprentice turned and looked at Doren.  The master Chosen was scratching his chin thoughtfully as he pondered what had just happened.  Doren made eye contact with Kade and gave a slight smile of approval while nodding his head once.  Kade turned his attention on Vell.

“You did well,” Kade said, cautious not to put too much into his praise.  He did not want to let Vell off too easy, but the right praise at the right time should help cement Vell’s allegiance.  Kade waited for a response, but Vell was searching for the right words to convey what he wanted to say.  Finally, he spoke.

“Morg,” Vell said with disgust, as if the word tasted rotten in his mouth, “always had nothing but harsh words for me.  And you…have shown me mercy and now acceptance.”  There was more softness in his voice than Kade expected, but he brushed it off.

“Stand,” Kade commanded.

Vell slowly rose to his feet while glancing around at the spiders.  None moved as they studied him.  Darcienna attempted to take a step back, but Kade held her still by putting his hand behind her back.  She glanced at him for just a moment and then back to Vell.  Kade looked at his still open hand that had previously held the lizard and then back to Vell.  The shapeshifter shrugged easily and explained.

“It is what happens to my kind when we die.  The best I can say is we are made of energy.  It is why we can take on different shapes.  When we die, the energy is released back to where it came from,” Vell said as he studied Kade’s open hand.

“You have no basic shape that you return to?” Kade asked in surprise.

“We do have a basic shape that we can return to, but it’s not the same for every shapeshifter,” Vell said matter-of-factly.  Darcienna forgot all her fears as her curiosity took over.

“So, this is yours?” Darcienna asked as she looked Vell in the eyes.  The shapeshifter sighed and shook his head.

“No, I must concentrate to hold this form.  It is not my birth form,” Vell said.

“Birth form?” Kade asked.  “Then…what is your birth form?” he asked as he tilted his head while studying the shapeshifter. 

Vell’s shoulders slumped as he resigned to show them what they were asking.  He shimmered and shrank into a stunningly beautiful girl that appeared to be around the age of twenty.  She had gorgeous, curly, light-brown hair that hung down to her chest.  Her eyes were a deep, solid brown.  Her skin was smooth and the very image of health with just a hint of a color as if she were in the sun.  Her lips were not full but perfect for adding to her attraction.  She had a slight pout that made her even more attractive.  She stood approximately five feet six inches tall and weighed around one hundred and thirty pounds.  She was nicely proportioned with a perfect posture.  There was not a man that would not stop to stare at her if she was to walk down the middle of town.

“This is my birth form,” she said in defeat.  “And, my name is Vendrall, but you may call me Ven,” she said with her eyes on the ground.

Kade was speechless.  He stood staring, stunned at what he was seeing.  Oddly, even though he could see how incredibly beautiful she was, he felt none of the attraction a normal man might feel.  Maybe it was that his heart belonged to Darcienna… who was driving her nails deep into his arm in an attempt to bring him out of his stunned state.  Maybe the knowledge of her being a shapeshifter was something he could not get past, but it did not matter.  He was smitten by another. 

As he watched, her eyes slowly moved along the ground and then up his body until they were locked with his.  His eyes widened slightly as he looked into the very soul of this being.  She was completely helpless and vulnerable.  She was putting herself out there for him to see and placing her life in his hands.  There was nothing of the fearsome creature that had previously stood before him.  She bared her soul to him completely and openly.  She was vulnerable in every sense of the word.  He was stunned by what he was seeing and any malice he felt toward this creature was gone forever.

“This is my birth form,” Ven said meekly in an innocent, sweet voice.

“Wow,” Kade said, amazed at the difference between Vell and Ven.  Darcienna’s nails dug in hard.  It was most definitely not the right thing for Kade to say, but he was a man and men did things without thinking.  Ten years of virtually no interaction with the opposite sex was, also, clearly a factor in this blunder.  He had a lot to learn. 

Kade was afraid Darcienna might actually draw blood if this kept up.  He grimaced and turned to look at her.  “Jealous?” he whispered, half teasing, half irritation as he flexed his arm to withstand the next squeeze that was sure to come.  “Oh, stop being foolish.  My heart is already taken,” he said with a reassuring smile.  Her nails retracted.

“Do all of your kind appear as you do?” Doren asked as he glided up to examine Ven.

“No.  Shapeshifters have no natural shape,” Ven responded hesitantly. 

Kade could see that she was uncomfortable with the questions, but there was no stopping now.  They were all curious and hung on every word she spoke.  Besides, the more information he had, the better he would be able to protect against another of her kind.  Knowledge is power, Zayle used to preach.  Kade agreed.

“No natural shape?” Darcienna asked, a bit more aggressive than was needed.  Ven sighed.  The secrets she was sharing were clearly not meant to be shared.  But, she knew she was committed so she continued.

“When we are birthed, we do not specifically have a form that is ours.  It is only when we take a shape using our abilities that we take our real birth form,” Ven said as she took in a deep breath and let it out.  Kade felt Darcienna tense as Ven’s chest rose and fell with her breath.  Although he did not feel the attraction, he could definitely see how other men would have forgotten their names at a breath like that. 

“Stop,” Kade growled with his teeth clenched, trying to not be too obvious.  Darcienna huffed and then relaxed.

“The first biological life form we touch is what will forever be our birth form.  We absorb a portion of the life force, and it is as simple as that,” Ven explained.

“How do you procreate?” Doren asked, ever the searcher of knowledge.  Kade shook his head at the bluntness, but nevertheless, listened curiously for the answer.

“We must find another of our kind with a basic form of the same species.”

“You appear to be every bit as human as we are.  Can you not…procreate with another human?” Doren asked.  Kade knew this talk should be saved for another time, but again, found himself listening intently.

“No.  It would form such defects that it would not survive,” Ven said.  Darcienna relaxed completely and even appeared very pleased with the answer.  “That is not to say we cannot be intimate with humans,” she said as she looked each of them in the eye.  “Just that we cannot allow off spring to develop,” she finished. 

Darcienna squeezed again with a vengeance. 
The perfect girl for the man who is scared witless of having children and committing to a relationship,
Darcienna thought scathingly.  She turned to look at Kade and froze as he glared at her.  Her grip softened….at least she tried to soften it.

“What prompted you to take the other form?” Doren asked.

“I need to keep from drawing attention to myself.  I only take on my birth form when I need a more persuasive approach,” Ven said with a glint in her eye.  “As Vell, people don’t see me or they try to avoid me.  In this form, everyone sees me.  We are shapeshifters.  We deceive by nature.  It is more important to not be seen than to be seen so I show people an old, unremarkable, but still formidable man,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Now,” Doren said as he put his thumb and first finger on his chin as he pondered his next query.  “How did you know there was another shapeshifter here?” he asked casually but Kade could sense the depth of the question and watched Ven closely.  He had to give Doren credit for this one.

“I…knew he was there,” Ven said nervously.  “I knew he followed me in.  Some of our kind can sense when other shapeshifters are around.  It is one of the reasons I was chosen to lead.  I could find others of our species.  He, on the other hand, could not.  He always believed that since he could not, others were just as blind as he,” Ven said with her very feminine voice.  It was not seductive but it was definitely very female.

“So, you were waiting to see how we reacted to you?  If things went bad, you would have done what?” Doren asked casually, but again, there was nothing casual about his probing.

“I would have fled.  Surviving is a very useful skill that I have developed,” Ven said quietly.

“Leaving us to be spied on by the shapeshifter, who would have reported back to Morg,” Doren said as he cocked an eyebrow.  Ven’s nervousness grew.

“I was hoping Kade would accept me, and then I could prove my loyalties by showing him I could be useful,” Ven said.  “I did catch the spy, and I have sworn to give my life to keep him safe,” she said pleadingly.  Kade had had enough of watching her squirm.  He was satisfied with her loyalties.  As much as he did not like how things would have turned out had Ven fled, it did not work out that way, and that had to be enough.

“I believe you,” Kade said firmly with a nod of his head. 
Was I swayed because she was in female form?
he asked himself. 
Would I have gone this easy if I were looking at Vell?
He gave Doren a look that said enough.  Doren turned that same cocked eyebrow on him but Kade brushed it off.  He went to turn toward the king when Darcienna spoke.

“Well, I think that you should change back to Vell,” Darcienna said frostily.  In seconds, Vell was, once again, standing there.  Kade turned and looked at Darcienna while shaking his head.  “What?” she asked challengingly.

“Forget it.  Just, forget it,” Kade said, exasperated.

If this kept up, he was going to have to do something to put a stop to it.  A little jealously was a good thing, but this level was just too much.  To keep the peace, Ven changing might be for the best, for now.  It would not bode well for him if others were to suspect a more intimate relationship.  And, her being in her female form would definitely give people reason to talk.  That did not mean Darcienna had to act like he was going to run off with her at the first chance he got.  Of course, having others believing he was with Ven would be a valid reason for her frustrations.  He sighed aloud, dreading that he was going to have to deal with this for a long time.  Setting the issue aside for the time being, he turned to face the royal couple.

“We need to have a meeting with the other kings and queens.  We should see if the shapeshifter knows anything that will be of use,” Kade said.

“We will meet at the great table shortly,” Crayken said.

The king has a high level of respect for you, Kade, second king to our people
, Rakna said in his mind.  “He was very impressed with how you handled that,” she hissed.

“Thank you,” Kade said as he turned to face the queen.  “The support from you and Crayken was critical.  I may not have been able to get the spiders to listen to reason if it were not for you,” he said as he smiled fondly at Rakna.  The way her snow white fur swayed with her movements caught his attention, and again, he appreciated the beauty of her.  Seeing her made it difficult for him to recall a time when he did not like spiders.

“It is only proper,” the queen responded.  “They need many reminders,” Rakna said and let it go at that.

“Nevertheless, I do appreciate it,” Kade said as he turned to face Vell.

“So, you can warn us if any other shapeshifters are near?” Kade asked.

“If they are close, and I am not distracted, then I should be able to.  It is not a complete certainty,” Vell said.  Kade pictured the shapeshifter in her female form and then looked at this ugly man.  He was amazed at how he felt toward each one, as if they were two separate people.  Yes, he had to be sure that he used sound judgment no matter which form she took.