Court of the Shifter 4 Chapter 1

My dreams were full of adventures and love making with my two beautiful women, but then the images were cut off when I opened my eyes.

I woke up before dawn the morning of Lord Sylvester’s trial and probably execution, and I stirred beside the two beautiful women who occupied my bed. The three of us had spent days making love, together and separately, but everything we’d worked for in Ordrya was coming to fruition. With Luxe’s help, we’d managed to catch Lord Sylvester and foil his plot to weaken the king, but King Frejit believed even the snakey bastard deserved a fair trial before his sentencing.

I slipped out from beneath limbs and locks of hair, and I crossed the room to the wardrobe. I hadn’t worn much of anything for days, and I did an experimental sniff of my armpits before deciding I needed to bathe first.

It didn’t take me long to run a tub of clean water, and soon the steam filled the air of the bathroom. Then I tiptoed into the nearly scalding hot liquid, and I sighed as I sank below the surface.

I loved my life.

In this magical fantasy world I’d been summoned to, I was the fabled Ulvant sent to save the realms before they both collapsed.

There was a prophecy and everything.

It was hard work to surpass everyone’s expectations, but I gave it my all. I wasn’t one to turn down a challenge, after all, so now I deserved a good soak in a hot tub.

Once I was clean and relaxed, I stepped out of the now tepid tub water, and I reached for the towel a servant had left on the rung. Then I pulled on one of the outfits provided to me, and I stepped in front of the mirror to inspect the look.

I wore a navy vest over a white cotton shirt, but it was overshadowed by the crisp navy blue jacket. The tail hung to the backs of my knees, and the shoulders were clad in fur so lush I resisted the urge to rub my face on it. I wondered what animal the fur had been made from, but the pure white hue pointed toward a winter creature. The jacket pulled in at the hips to accentuate my broad shoulders and narrow waist, and the knee high black leather boots completed the outfit.

I looked like a clean cut pirate.

Or a navy officer gone slightly rogue.

After I shoved back my hair and glanced over my reflection, I strapped on the belt for my sword scabbard, and I turned to wake up the two gorgeous women occupying my bed.

“Good morning,” I whispered as I tucked their stray hairs behind their ears. “Today is a big day. We will be standing in front of the whole city.”

“I haven’t forgotten,” Willow murmured, and she pushed herself into a sitting position and rubbed her eyes. “I’ll get ready.”

“It doesn’t matter what I wear,” Calantha grumbled as she buried her face further into her pillow. “All the shifters will still hate me.”

Tensions were still high between the races of shifter and vampire, but I hoped to change that soon.

“We are here to create peace,” I said in a reassuring voice. “Sometimes that means crossing a few boundaries. It may be outside some people’s comfort zones, but I promise everything will work out in the end.”

The two women were out of bed a moment later, and I enjoyed watching them pull on their very different outfits. Calantha wore a sleeveless gown of deep crimson that so closely resembled her eyes, it made her gaze seem to glow red. The skirt was slit up the side to reveal her pale legs, and to allow for freedom of movement.

Meanwhile, Willow asked for my help with the ties of the black corset over a lacey green dress, and she leaned on my arm as she pulled on thigh high black leather boots.

“We have to meet my father in the throne room before we walk outside together,” Willow reminded me.

“Then we should hurry so they aren’t waiting,” I said.

Calantha nodded her readiness, so we all linked arms and walked down the corridors of the palace. The decor of the Ordrya castle was a Viking’s wet dream, and I lost count of how many taxidermied animals graced every surface. The rugs beneath our feet were lush carpets, and our footsteps were muffled as we made our way to the throne room.

The king and queen of Shyfeterran were already present in the throne room when we arrived, and they were surrounded by a platoon of sharply dressed royal guards led by Sir Tyrion. The shifter knight nodded his head in greeting before he stepped to the side to give me access to the king, and I tilted my head in response. There was a sense of respect in the man’s expression that hadn’t been there when we first met, but my initial introduction to the man was abrupt and confusing.

Calantha, Willow, and I approached the royal couple. King Frejit and Queen Lunaverre greeted us with broad smiles, and Willow rushed forward to hug her parents.

“Prince Elijah,” the king said as he clasped my forearm. “Are you ready to put this matter to bed once and for all?”

“I’m prepared for whatever comes, Your Majesty,” I countered with a wink.

“I know you urged me to have a private trial and execution for Lord Sylvester.” The king sighed. “But I do believe the people have a right to know what he did.”

“As you wish,” I said with an incline of my head, but then I made a point to get in line behind him. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Calantha and Willow picked up on my body language, and they gathered at my sides. We walked through the palace corridors with the royal guards surrounding us, and I breathed deeply when the sky opened up before me. It was already a beautiful day, but I had a feeling it would soon have a solemn air.

There was a good chance Lord Sylvester would be sentenced to death today.

There was already a crowd gathered in the courtyard, and a platform had been erected in the biggest open space in the gardens. Guards lined the pathways to keep the residents of Ordrya from rushing toward the king, and I could sense the volatile energy the people radiated.

This was not a happy gathering.

Once the king and the rest of the procession had taken their seats on the platform, Sir Tyrion retrieved the suspected criminal from his cell in the palace dungeons. He was given a wooden chair in the center of the wooden dais, and guards lined up before the edge like bouncers at a rock concert.

Lord Sylvester wore a ragged gray tunic that hung to his knees, and a rough hewn rope wrapped around his waist in place of a belt. His long black hair was greasy as it drifted across his shoulders, and the sour look on his face turned into a sneer as we made eye contact.

“Your Majesty,” Lord Sylvester said in a low voice. “Allow me a defense, at least?”

“You may call upon someone to speak for you,” the king allowed while staring down his nose at the former Reptile Representative.

“I call upon Ardea Herodias,” Lord Sylvester said as his eyes scanned over the gathered crowd.

A spindly man with thin rimmed glasses and a light blue bowtie stepped out of the crowd, and he made his way to the steps of the platform. I took the opportunity to look him over, and it appeared he was some kind of bird shifter because he had a line of feathers circling his head and a long narrow beak instead of a nose. He stooped over as he walked, but I imagined he was actually pretty tall when he stood at full height. He reminded me of the blue herons catching fish from a lake I visited as a child.

“Your Majesties,” the bowtie-sporting man said before he cleared his throat.

Sir Tyrion stiffened and put a hand on the hilt of his sword, but the king sent him a subtle signal, and he relaxed slightly.

“What is your defense for the actions of Lord Sylvester?” King Frejit asked in a booming voice.

“He hasn’t even been read a formal list of his charges,” the man chirped. “What exactly is he accused of here? You put a man’s life on the line despite his obvious confusion and emotional distress.”

The king nodded to Sir Tyrion, and the shifter knight stepped forward. Tyrion cleared his throat and stroked his beard, and I caught him trying to catch my eye, so I gave him a subtle nod of encouragement.

“Lord Sylvester Simillion is charged with the kidnappings of the members of the Court of Representatives, assaulting said victims while holding them hostage, and using their blood to summon a powerful monster.” Sir Tyrion glanced at me. “For these reasons and more, he has been brought before the throne for royal judgment.”

The king made a gesture, and Sir Tyrion stepped back into his former place.

“Mr. Herodias,” the king said in a loud voice. “What arguments can you make against such accusations? This man is a traitor to the throne, and he has been caught by eyewitnesses.”

“Yes, but he was among the victims of one such attack,” the heron shifter said in a high-pitched voice, and he swung an accusatory finger around like he had just dropped a bombshell. “How do you explain that?”

“A cover for his involvement in the treason,” I interjected. “Dude, that’s a worse argument than O.J. Simpson’s lawyer made.”

“I do not understand,” the lawyer-bird-man said with a confused shake of his head.

“Whatever.” I smirked. “My point is that your argument is illogical. It’s basically a chewbacca defense.”

“One could also argue that my point is infallible.” The lawyer mirrored my smirk. “Lord Sylvester is a victim here, nothing more. You are letting the guilty person go free while an innocent man is behind bars.”

Damn. He was good.

An unhappy murmur waved through the crowd, and we all turned to look at the guards struggling to keep the masses back. They had formed a wall with their shields, but they were having to brace them with shoulders in several places.

“They don’t seem too happy,” Calantha noted.

“Do you question the word of the eyewitnesses?” The king raised his voice, and the crowd hushed to hear his response.

“Bring them out here to recant the details of what they supposedly saw,” Mr. Herodias countered like he was expecting that very argument.

“Yeah!” shouted a voice from the crowd. “Prove it!”

Was the borderline angry mob in favor of the treasonous snake man?

How did that make any sense?

Through my investigations, I’d discovered the former Reptile Representative was the mastermind behind a nefarious plot to attack Ordrya, weaken the king, and seize power.

What if he’d already won the hearts of the people?

The king had been sick from the curse placed on him for a long time, so the Court of Representatives handled the day to day operations in his stead. It was worth questioning the victims of the kidnapping plot about what had happened during the king’s illness.

But that was an issue for another day, and right now I needed to stay focused on the trial taking place.

I was both an eyewitness and the reason the plan failed, so I didn’t expect Lord Sylvester’s defense to treat me kindly. The other witness was the Canine Representative and head of the city guards, Captain Casper Holt. He’d survived the kidnapping attack, and he’d noted key details throughout the entire process despite the substances he was poisoned with, so I didn’t foresee him being kind to the lawyer-like guy.

The rest of the victims hadn’t seen very much during their ordeal, and everyone except Lord Urman had holed up in their houses and refused visitors. Even General Jornei Hazelmoon, Willow’s cousin, wasn’t feeling up for making an appearance at a public trial, but I could hardly blame them. They’d all been caught unawares, and their blood was stolen while they were unconscious in order to summon an ancient monster.

It was a lot to process.

It wasn’t until I found the warehouse in the shipping district where the victims were being held that I could help them come to terms with their predicament. I had urged the king to give them space to heal, and I hoped that meant he wouldn’t call on them during the trial, but I was proven wrong a moment later.

Captain Holt and General Hazelmoon led the procession of the Court of Representatives, but the others filed in behind them according to their rank. The Bear Representative, Lord Urman, held up his elbow for Duchess Olivia Octavian, the Bird Representative, but Lord Gruxian walked with his chin held high behind them with Luxe at his side. All of their faces were pale and downcast, and none of them looked happy to be there.

Despite the circumstances, there was still a new opening as the Reptile Representative to think of, and I wondered if the others would keep their higher rankings when the newbie entered the mix.

The guards at the front of the platform pushed the crowd back enough for the Court of Representatives to line up before the dais.

“Your Majesty,” Captain Holt said as he bowed before the king, and the others followed suit.

“Tell us, Captain Holt,” the king said, “what transpired.”

“It was a dark night, and I was home alone,” the head of the city guard said as he turned to face the crowd. “I was attacked from behind, and I was poisoned with a numbing liquid. When I awoke, I was strapped to a chair with the other members of the court. Lord Sylvester was not tied up, in fact--”

“This is an outrage!” Mister Herodias interjected. “We cannot trust the testimony of anyone who was under the influence of poisons. Who knows what hallucinations he could have endured?”

Someone from the crowd yelled, and the grunts of the guards immediately followed. This crowd was on the breaking point, and I wasn’t confident in the line of shields in keeping the throng back for long.

I had to do something.

“I wasn’t drugged,” I pointed out in a loud voice. “Do you question my words?”

The crowd hushed to hear the new exchange, and I swept my gaze out over their faces as I stood at my full height. I know I looked regal from their perspective, and they had no reason to hate or doubt me. I was a new voice, and everyone quieted down to listen to my words.

“One cannot openly question royalty,” the lawyer-like man deflected. “But what exactly did you see with your own eyes?”

“I led the investigation, and I found several reptilian scales at the crime scene,” I said in a matter of fact tone. “I am also the one who killed the beast the gathering of reptile shifters summoned.”

“But did you see the kidnappings with your own eyes?” The spindly man arched an eyebrow behind his glasses. “Did you see Lord Sylvester directly attack anyone?”

There were several shouts of agreement from the crowd, and a nervous energy began to fill the air.

“I guess we’ll just see who the king believes.” I shrugged. “I know the truth regardless of how you try to spin it. You’re nothing more than a Liar Liar knock off.”

“A what?” The lawyer-like heron shifter tilted his head to the side and blinked at me.

“Nevermind.” I smirked. “I think we’ve heard enough.”

“Indeed,” King Frejit agreed loudly. “It is time to continue.”

“Your Majesty,” Sir Tyrion said in a formal tone. “What is your ruling?”

“Guilty!” the king shouted, and all hell broke loose.

“Liar!”

“No!”

“He didn’t do it!”

The shouts competed to be heard and ended up drowning each other out, and the guards struggled more than ever before to hold back the press of bodies on the other side of their shields. Then the rotten vegetables went flying, and I traced the trajectory of a tomato like it was in slow motion until it crashed into the side of Luxe’s head.

Rage filled my chest, and I longed to press through the crowd to find the culprit, but logic took over. There was no one I could identify who had thrown the first tomato, but it was hard to think with the screams of the people making my ears ring. The royal guard stepped in front of us, but I wasn’t the kind to hide behind another person regardless of how many altercations that landed me in.

“You two need to get the king and queen out of here,” I said to Calantha and Willow. “Get them to safety. I’m going after Luxe and the Court of Representatives.”

“Be careful,” Cal whispered. “We are vastly outnumbered here.”

“I know,” I sighed. “But at least it doesn’t look like anyone is armed.”

“They’re shifters, Eli,” Willow pointed out. “Most of them don’t need a weapon since they already have claws and fangs built in.”

More rotten vegetables were lobbed through the air, and the sound of them splattering against the wooden platform reminded me of snowball fights I had as a kid. I began to shift into my big cat form almost instinctively, and I shoved my way through the line of royal guards.

Luxe and the Court of Representative huddled in front of the stage, but they’d all been struck by more than one vegetable if the colorful smears on their clothes was any indication. The guards in front of the stage had formed a protective circle around them, but they couldn’t prevent the projectiles from reaching them. The guards slid backward in the dirt as the sheer mass of bodies pressed against their boundary, and I could hear several of them grunting with the effort it took to hold off the crowd.

“Let’s get them out of here,” I suggested in a loud enough voice for all of the guards to hear. “I’ll clear a path.”

I grabbed Luxe and pulled her toward me, and her eyes widened as she was jerked into the circle of my arms.

“I’m here to save you,” I said into her ear.

Then I fully shifted into my liger form, and the crest of my back towered over her, so I had to kneel down to allow her to climb on. Once she was situated, I launched forward at full speed, and the line of guards parted to let me through. A flood of people immediately swarmed the opening, but they were soon met with a massive galloping liger.

The people at the front of the flood veered to the sides to avoid me, but the people behind them didn’t have enough warning to avoid a collision. I reared up on my hind legs to push two shifters in the chest before I jumped over them into the crowd.

In the corner of my eye, I could see Calantha and Willow guiding the king and queen to safety with the help of the royal guard. The vampiress was using her blood magic to summon a dome-like shield around the royal couple and herself, but Willow carved a path for them through the crowd with some impressive ninja skills.

We met up on the palace steps, and I let the rest of them enter ahead of me. I knelt down so Luxe could slide off my back, and then I jerked my liger head toward the entrance.

My work here was far from over.

There was still a crowd to calm down.

“But, Eli,” Luxe argued, but I didn’t even let her finish her sentence before I rushed back toward the courtyard.

The guards had given up all hope, and they were all backed against the platform. The people pressed into their shields to keep them locked there, and I realized I needed to do something fast.

It only took me a few moments to get through the crowd in my liger form, and I was soon climbing the steps to the platform. Once I arrived, I shifted back into my nulmancer form.

“Listen to me!” I shouted over the heads of the angry mob.

No one seemed to notice my presence, and I wondered what I would have to do to get their attention. Set off fireworks? That would work on Earth, but the closest thing I had in this magical fantasy world was my elemental fire magic. I lifted my hands in the air and shot flames into the sky, and I watched with satisfaction as the crowd hushed to watch the display.

“There.” I dusted my hands together before placing them on my hips. “That’s much better.”

The multitude of faces blinking back at me was a little intimidating at first, and my mind suddenly blanked of what I had planned to say. I would just have to wing it.

“Listen to me,” I urged. “I understand that you’re angry, but we can work this out.”

“What do you mean?”

I couldn’t identify the source of the voice, but I kept scanning over the many faces turned toward me. I would just have to address the entire crowd as one.

“What do you want here?” I asked. “To save a criminal from justice?”

“Lord Sylvester is innocent!”

“He doesn’t deserve to die!”

“Alright, that’s your perspective.” I paced back and forth across the stage. “You do realize he was caught red handed, right?”

Silence greeted my words for a long moment, but then I heard a quiet voice from the back of the crowd and a murmur of agreement.

“What was that?” I pressed.

“They said it doesn’t matter,” one of the people closer to the front said.

It took me a moment to process that since to me the facts spoke for themselves, but it seemed the mob had no logic.

“You want Lord Sylvester?” I arched an eyebrow.

The crowd roared their approval.

The man himself had sat tied to his chair during the entire volatile situation, but now he made no effort to hide the pleased smirk on his face. The slimy vibes I got from him made my skin crawl, and to me, there was no doubt about his guilt.

This crowd saw it differently, though, and I had to wonder why.

What had Lord Sylvester done to earn their favor?

Freeing him was out of the question, but maybe I could destroy his reputation before I finally killed him.

I held up my hand to silence the gathered spectators, and they descended into a tense murmur.

“I will not free Sylvester,” I declared and barreled onward as the crowd began to grow louder, “but if you disperse peacefully, I won’t kill him at this time. He will remain a prisoner of the crown, but he will keep his life.”

For now. But once I found out how the sleazy snake bastard grew so favorable with the people of Ordrya, I would be sure to knock him down several pegs.

Before I separated his head from his shoulders.

I grabbed the tied up former representative, and I dragged him across the platform to the front as the crowd began to shout their disagreements and grow aggressive once again. The guards looked at me like I’d gone mad, but I ignored them as I gave the mob a pointed look.

“Calm down, go home, or he will lose his life today regardless of the king’s judgment,” I growled in a resounding voice.

I pulled out my sword to hold it against Lord Sylvester’s neck, and then I shoved him toward the edge of the platform. The guards stepped to the side, and the former reptile representative tumbled over into the mud.

The crowd gasped and stepped back as I towered over the lizard-man on his knees in front of me.

“I am Prince Elijah, the fabled Ulvant and Hero of Vosreterra and Ordrya.” I lifted my chin, and I made sure my voice carried to the entire crowd. “I have done more to prove myself to you than anyone else, so I am telling you now what is going to happen. Now, return to your homes.”

Sylvester hissed up at me, and part of me just wanted to kill him here and now, but I’d already put in too much effort toward finding him and gathering evidence, so I would find the necessary smoking gun to prove his wickedness to the people of Ordrya and bring peace to the shifters.

Just as they’d promised, the crowd began to disperse, but a few stubborn people headed toward the palace. Without the support of the herd mentality, though, the guards were able to easily redirect them into the city streets.

I let out a deep breath before I turned back to the palace myself, but shoved Lord Sylvester ahead of me as I crossed the distance to the doors. He didn’t struggle against me, but the sneer had left his face.

Good.

I was met with a small crowd of nobles just inside the entrance, and I shoved Syvlester to the ground at my feet. The king crossed the distance to me and grabbed me by the shoulders, and he looked into my eyes for a long, almost uncomfortable moment before he embraced me firmly.

“You saved us,” the king said. “That crowd would have eaten us alive.”

“I calmed them down,” I said. “Everyone is going back to their homes.”

“How did you manage that one?” Calantha crossed her arms, and the vampiress fixed me with a questioning look. “How many people did you have to kill?”

“No one.” I laughed before I gestured to the squirming bastard. “In fact, we didn’t even kill Lord Sylvester.”

“Speaking of.” Sir Tyrion stepped forward and peered over my shoulder at the entrance. “I will take our prisoner to the dungeons, but what are we to do with him after that?”

“I saved his life, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t guilty.” I shrugged. “I’ll just need to find more damning evidence to convince the people and soothe their discontent.”

“But the crowd just dispersed?” The king’s eyes widened.

“I talked to them.” I smirked. “It’s no big deal. Worst case scenario, I can always kill him later.”

Sir Tyrion grabbed Lord Sylvester by the bindings wrapped around his wrists, and a platoon of palace guards swarmed around him to escort him to the dungeons.

“No big deal? No big deal?” The king shook his head in confusion. “Won’t this make me appear even more weak in the eyes of the people? Execution was his intended sentence, and everyone in the crowd knew it.”

“Not at all.” I grinned. “I didn’t pardon him, just said he wouldn’t die at this time. You show that you’re not afraid of one man. Lord Sylvester can’t hurt you. Not as long as I’m around. This action shows confidence in your own power.”

“I didn’t think about it that way,” the king said as he scratched his furry beard. “I suppose you have a point…”

“Besides,” I said. “It wasn’t like there were a lot of options. The crowd was going nuts, and they only wanted one thing: Lord Sylvester alive. I don’t know how he managed to win the heart of the city, but that’s something we need to fix as soon as possible.”

“As long as you’re sure you can get to him if we need to kill him later,” King Frejit sighed. “I trust you, Prince Elijah. You have yet to steer us wrong.”

“Damn straight.” I grinned even wider, but then I turned to the women. “Are you all okay? Did anyone get hurt from the riot?”

Luxe still had some tomato remnants clinging to the side of her head, but the other two women looked none the worse for wear.

“I’m fine,” Willow said. “I was just worried about my parents.”

“Nothing I couldn’t handle.” Calantha smirked.

“It wasn’t fun, but I’ll live.” Luxe shrugged as she tried to get the tomato remnants out of her white hair.

“I could go for a drink after that,” I sighed. “Anyone want to hit up the tavern to decompress?”

“I’ll go anywhere with you,” Willow said. “But I shouldn’t drink in my… condition.”

My pregnant wife was right, but just because she couldn’t have any alcohol didn’t mean she couldn’t spend time with us. It wouldn’t be the same without her.

“I could drink,” Cal said.

“Me, too,” Luxe added.

“Let’s do it,” I said, and I clasped the king’s forearm in farewell before we headed toward the entrance of the palace.

It wasn’t long before we arrived at the same tavern Calantha and I had been to on our date, and the four of us found an unoccupied table in the back. We ordered some appetizers and drinks, but Willow opted for the fruit juice they offered her instead.

“Do you think the riot is a sign of worse to come?” Luxe asked as we sipped our beverages.

“Could be,” Calantha said with a shrug of one shoulder. “Or they could be appeased enough by the saving of Lord Sylvester’s life.”

“In any case, things are pretty dire in Ordrya,” Willow said. “It will take all of us to save my kingdom.”

“We will fix it,” I promised.

“What can we do?” Luxe asked in a hopeless tone.

“Hey, there’s a lot of ways to turn things around,” I said in a reassuring voice. “The people are counting on us as the next generation of leaders to lead the way forward.”

“Do you really think the people will listen to us?” Willow asked.

“The shifters definitely won’t listen to me.” Cal snorted as she crossed her arms. “They take one sniff of me and wrinkle their furry noses.”

The vampiress had a point, but part of our mission was to rejoin the two realms currently at odds with one another.

“Of course they will listen to us.” I flashed the three women a confident smile.

“Prince Elijah?” a familiar sounding voice said from behind me. “May I have a word with you?”

I spun around in my chair to find Ravvi, the priest from the bear zone of Ordrya standing before me. He wrung his hands anxiously as his eyes flicked in all directions, and something about his attitude had me instantly on edge.

What was it now?