Court of the Shifter Chapter 5

“Get back here!” I called out with a breathy laugh as I raced after Zolas. Then I pivoted, turned on the ball of my foot, and dodged the fairy maid Lor as she flitted through the air with a woven basket full of linens in her hands.

When we made another corner, I knew where we were going: the office where I met the king and queen.

“Catch me if you can, shifter!” Zolas cackled, and he jumped into the air with a lightness I hadn’t ever seen before. It was as if there was no resistance from gravity, and before I knew it, the blond vampire ran above me as if he was on solid ground.

Incredible.

Then I dipped into a small hallway that cut across to the back of the wing, so I took a deep breath in and followed the queen’s scent. I cut through one of the male staffs’ quarters that was luckily empty, and my feet thudded against the finished wood beneath my feet. I emptied out on the opposite end of the hallway to the office, and I took off as fast as I could. There was no sign of Zolas, but his scent was closing in. As I neared the door, I tucked and rolled before I stood and leaned my back against the door frame.

The moment my back touched the wood, Zolas skirted around the corner, froze when he saw I’d beaten him, glanced over his shoulder in a double-take, and then turned back to me with a wild grin.

“I wondered if you were ever going to make it.” I smirked as I crossed my arms and focused on my breathing.

“Well, look at that!” the vampire laughed as he walked down an invisible staircase to the floor. “The shifter has tricks of his own. Well played.”

“Thank you,” I said with a nod.

Then Zolas pushed open the door, and I followed him inside.

Queen Seraphine was right where we’d left her sitting beside her husband, and her wardrobe was the same except the color of her dress was black as ink instead of crimson red. She held a cup of steaming tea in one hand and a saucer in the other, and the bottle of wine blood that was previously on the small side table was replaced with a beautiful porcelain teapot and a small glass jar filled with dark red sugar cubes. I could smell the mix of the strong and earthy blend of tea leaves, sugar, and a hint of something else I couldn’t quite place.

“Good morning, Your Majesties,” I said with a small bow.

“Great rising to you, my queen and king.” Zolas grinned, and then he meandered over to the loveseat to the left of the chairs.

“Good morning, gentlemen,” the queen said with a bright smile. “You both seem in rather high spirits.”

“Morning,” King Aliester said from behind the desk, and then he leaned back in his chair, folded his arms in his lap, and crossed his legs. “They seem almost as if they both decided to run around the halls like children or something.”

I froze in place.

Shit.

“Yes, that’s it!” Seraphine snickered, and she sipped at her tea before she set it down and gestured at the empty seat to her right. “Please, have a seat. I’m sure the race over here was more than necessary for whatever you’ve found. Would either of you like a cup? It’s honey jasmine.”

“How did you know what we were doing?” I asked with hesitation as I sat in the seat she offered. “And yes, please. Thank you.”

“Other than hearing your wild calls throughout the corridors?” Aliester chuckled, and then he stood, walked to his wife’s side, and relaxed in the other chair next to her.

“Eli actually outsmarted me getting here,” Zolas said with a smirk.

“That’s a hard feat!” Seraphine smiled over at me as she poured two small mugs full of tea and handed them to Zolas. “Very nice, young shifter.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” My cheeks heated up, and I sipped at the warm liquid. It tasted almost exactly how it smelled, and I watched as Zolas and Aliester both dropped a few red sugar cubes into their respective mugs.

That must have been the hint of fragrance I couldn’t place beforehand.

Were they blood-dried, or were they simply dyed? Or was it sugar at all? I decided to ask Zolas about it later, because I was more interested in knowing why we were with the king and queen in the first place.

“So, what news do you have for us?” the king asked with genuine curiosity in his red eyes.

“I actually wanted to ask you, Queen Seraphine, about your reading with the Circle.” The light-haired vampire cleared his throat, and a more calm demeanor washed over his features.

“I’m surprised, of all people, you are bringing it up, Zolas.” Seraphine raised an eyebrow of pure confusion at her mystic, and she shifted in her seat to get a better view of everyone around her.

“I know I have my feelings about the Circle in general, but there was a part of the prophecy that everyone struggled to grasp,” Zolas said.

“Ah, yes.” Seraphine nodded with a flicker of apprehension in her eyes. “What of it?”

What part of the prophecy were they talking about?

“Eli, I’d like you to tell the king and queen about your run-in with the princess,” Zolas offered.

“Is that part of the prophecy?” I cleared my throat.

The last thing I wanted to do was tell Cal’s parents I walked in on her naked and watched her as she bathed when I was supposed to be in my room and asleep.

“I promise I will explain in just a moment, but first, Seraphine and Aliester should know about the bathwater,” the blond vampire explained.

Fucking hell, man.

“Oh?” Seraphine perked up, and a small smirk that reminded me of Calantha’s tugged at the queen’s lips. “What happened to the bathwater?”

“Basically, I decided to wander around the castle because I couldn’t sleep,” I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. “I found Calantha’s room by accident, and she was getting in the bath. I told her I could leave, she told me I could stay, we talked, and the longer I was in there, the warmer the water seemed to get. I could tell by the amount of steam. The air itself, too, seemed to heat up, but I assumed that was because of a hot bath in the middle of the room.”

I felt like there was a lump in my throat, and for a moment I wondered if there was some weird custom about princesses that was going to get me locked up or killed.

“Incredible!” Aliester muttered under his breath as he sat up and looked me over.

“So, they were right.” Seraphine flashed a bright grin over to Zolas. “Like always, the Circle was right.”

“What do you mean?” I asked as my eyes glanced from Seraphine to Aliester. “What was the Circle right about?”

Just then, the door to the office opened, and we all turned to watch Calantha walk in. Her tendrils of wavy chocolate hair were loose and bounced with each step, and a frilled dress the color of her eyes hung off her shoulders. The bell sleeves of her gown flitted in the air as she walked, and her skirt swung with each step. A black leather corset sucked in her waist, and a simple gold chain necklace rested in the hollow of her neck.

There was such a simplicity to what these people wore, and yet they all looked elegant and ethereal in their own ways.

“I knew my ears were burning for a reason,” the princess scoffed, and then she made her way next to Zolas and took a seat.

“This’ll be good,” Zolas muttered into his cup of tea, and from the lack of eye contact, I knew no one was supposed to hear him.

“To answer your questions first, Elijah,” the king started, and then he shifted in his seat, cleared his throat, and turned toward me with full attention. “It’s customary for when a new king and queen are crowned that they have a visit with the Circle. They receive a reading, and then there is a blessing ritual done for the endurance and prosperity of their reign.”

“When we received our reading,” the queen continued, “we were told our daughter would be destined for greatness. ‘A princess of legends’ is what Lady Eleanor said. The matrons of the Circle have a habit of speaking in riddles and allusions. But we had our baby, and she was healthy and happy.”

“Progressed with her milestones and far exceeded expectations with her magical abilities,” the king added.

“But it wasn’t until we found the parallels in the prophecy to our story that it clicked, and then I had another reading with the Circle.” Seraphine sipped at her tea and shrugged. “That’s when we found out about the ties with Azurantha and Jarvald the prophecy had.”

“Wait, wait…” I shook my head. “You’re saying the prophecy is directly tied to Azurantha and Jarvald? What about them? I thought there was a curse on their children or something.”

“Can we not talk about this?” Calantha shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

“Ah, so Zolas did explain that bit to you,” Aliester said with a nod. “Good. And unfortunately, I think the time of putting it to the side has come to an end. Eli just informed us about last night’s events.”

“Fuck,” the brunette beauty sighed, and then she leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms. Her gaze flicked over to me, and there was a look in her eyes that told me she was about to endure a conversation she really didn’t want to.

“Can someone please give me a coherent explanation?” I asked as I glanced between the four vampires.

“Our current economic status is not healthy, Eli,” Seraphine explained, and her solemn eyes fell on me. “Since the time of the curse, our trade and alliances with several other nations have crumpled, our population has been on a steady decline, and the potency of our blood magic weakens with each generation. Our own people are being kidnapped and turned against each other, and blood is now used as a bargaining chip when considering our imports and exports.”

“And the prophecy states that a royal vampiress and a prophetic shifter will reunite the races and bring balance to the nations of Vosreterra and beyond.” Zolas cleared his throat as he threw in the last bit.

“Including populations,” Aliester added and folded his hands in his lap. He was very matter of fact and stoic, and I wondered how he could be talking about his daughter repopulating the lands with the prophe--

“Oh, shit,” I said, and I leaned back in my seat as the weight of his words dawned on me. “What? A-Are you sure? There has to be-- I mean, I’m just a normal dude, I can’t--”

“You’re the one who told them.” Cal groaned. “You couldn’t just let me tease you.”

“I didn’t really have a choice, to be honest.” I cleared the lump in my throat and sighed.

“You are the shifter destined to help our daughter save both of our peoples,” the king said. “You both are reincarnations of Azurantha and Jarvald, respectively.”

“Wow, uh…” I glanced at Cal, and she didn’t look amused anymore. There was a vulnerability in her eyes that lasted only a moment, because then her gaze turned into a dark glare.

“The warming of the bath water only further confirms it is you,” Zolas said. “That’s why I wanted you to come see the queen and king as soon as possible.”

“Calantha has met many shifters in her lifetime in an effort to find the one she would connect and be compatible with,” Seraphine said.

“I said I don’t like shifters,” the beautiful princess scoffed. “They were all—”

“But none had a reaction,” Seraphine continued over her daughter, “which is what is incredible about you, Eli.”

“I see,” I said, mostly to myself. I realized then and there that had to be part of the reason why she acted so put off by me. She probably felt like she didn’t have a choice in the matter.

“We need your help, Eli,” Aliester added. “But we have no interest in making you feel like you are our hostage. That is not part of how we operate. So, if you wish to return to your world, we could perhaps--”

“No, I’m staying,” I interrupted, and for a moment my words surprised even me. But the more I thought about it, the more I felt like this was what I needed to do. Something drew me into that cave back on Earth, and something was continuing to draw me to Calantha, so I had to see it through. Besides, these powerful vampires seemed certain I alone could save them, and I had to admit, being an awesome hero of legend who could shift into a fierce beast was way cooler than being a park ranger. So, I straightened myself up, and then my eyes fell on Calantha’s. “I want to help. I don’t feel like I’m supposed to be anywhere else. Marbrooke has already felt more like home than Idaho did, and I’d lived there my entire life.”

“Bitterroot is the place you are from, yes?” Seraphine asked.

“Yes.” I nodded. “So please don’t worry about whether I feel like a hostage or not. I don’t, and my gut tells me I’m in this room with you all for a reason.”

“Well, the rogues would have gotten you by now if you hadn’t listened and came with us, so…” Calantha said.

“You’re right, they probably would have.” I shook my head and laughed. “Speaking of the rogues, how and when did that even start?”

“Roughly six months ago,” Zolas answered, and then he finished off his tea and used his hand to float the cup and saucer onto the table between Seraphine and Aliester.

“It started shortly after the campaigns for council members started.” Aliester refilled his tea and added three more of the mysterious red cubes. “But during that time, there was also an increase in the blood tax as well as a massive tragedy at one of our mines, so we can’t definitively identify the catalyst.”

“But in the six months we have known of their existence, we have had over two-hundred sighting reports, forty-six attacks, and nine casualties in Marbrooke alone,” the blond vampire explained.

“And the numbers vary drastically town to town, so we haven’t been able to find a pattern in their attacks or where they could even be centralized,” Calantha sighed. “It’s incredibly frustrating.”

“Do you have anyone receiving intel?” I asked. “Do you know what they want or their motivations?”

“Hendrik, one of our best investigators, is out on the field right now gathering more information about the rogue vampires and their behavior and patterns,” Aliester said. “He left shortly before your arrival, and he isn’t due to be back for another month or so. You are absolutely welcome to talk to him when he returns.”

“Or you could go join him,” Cal muttered as she picked at her nails.

“You know what? I think that would be a good idea,” I said with a bright smile. “How long is the journey to him?”

I may be new to this world, and I was definitely new to this whole prophetic savior thing, but I couldn’t just sit on my ass and wait for people to spoon-feed me answers. I’d always been the proactive type, the one to go check the dangerous wolf dens when no one else wanted to, and that hadn’t changed, even if I wasn’t technically even human anymore.

“What a wonderful idea, Calantha,” Seraphine said with a grin. “And with our railroad system, it would take about a full day’s worth.”

“Railroad system?” I blinked. I hadn’t heard or seen anything relating to a train.

“Generations ago, the dwarves built an underground railway system that branches into every part of Vosreterra,” Zolas said. “Many of the royal cities were connected as a way for travel and commerce, but since the fall of Azurnatha and Jarvald, the nations decided to close off the tracks to those who were not their allies any longer.”

“There are multiple stops on the way, too,” Seraphine said. “It’s not just the major cities that are connected. All throughout the strong rock beneath our feets, there are miles and miles of tracks and over three hundred different stations to stop off at. Many of them are no longer in service, but it’s truly an incredible network.”

“How does it work?” I couldn’t contain my curiosity.

A subway system built by dwarves for vampires? How fucking awesome was that?

“Each race has a different way of enabling their railways,” the king said. “We use our blood magic and sigils, the shifters use their necklaces infused with magic, and the Fae use a potion made of strong herbs and other things.”

“Was it built underground for a reason?” I asked. I had no idea the ideology behind this world’s vampires.

“Partially, the dwarves insisted on the system being underground for their own reasons, but there are other factors, too.” Aliester said. “Some of it is to allow for sovereigns to travel without worry of outsiders such as rogues, bandits, and extremists.”

“The system in its prime was heavily guarded,” Zolas added.

“And part of it is due to the sun having different effects on each of the races,” Seraphine explained. “We vampires, for instance, can go out in the sun, but it drains us. The train system allowed our people to travel all over without the added sun exhaustion, much like it allowed for the Fae to travel during eclipses.”

“Very cool.” I grinned. “Would it be possible for me to leave soon, then?”

“I think we could arrange something.” The queen smiled, and then she turned to Zolas and Calantha. “In fact, I think you both should go with him.”

“You’re joking, right?” Cal raised an eyebrow at her mother. “I still haven’t forgiven Hendrik for setting my bookshelf on fire.”

“You know he didn’t mean to do that,” Zolas chuckled. “How was he supposed to know the incantation he was reading was directly tied to a book you forgot you owned?”

“Shut it, Zolas, because you’re going, too,” Calantha sighed. “And you hate the outside.”

“Ah, but I get to watch Hendrik annoy the absolute piss out of you, and that makes it all worth it,” the blond vampire snickered, and he leaned back in his seat.

“Might get to watch a murder, too,” Cal muttered, and she sucked in a deep breath before she sighed.

“Oh, come now, Calantha,” Aliester raised his eyebrows at his daughter. “Hendrik isn’t all bad. Besides, he is one of our most revered guards in our infantry as well as one of our most talented trackers.”

“He might be amazing at his job,” the princess started, “but that doesn’t outweigh the fact he doesn’t ever shut the hell up. He’s like Zolas on an elimpra high.”

“You have no idea what I’m like on elimpra.” Zolas cocked an eyebrow up, and he rested his ankle on his knee as he rested his arms on the back of the loveseat and on the arm rest. “So that isn’t a fair statement.”

“Do you not remember the night I had to let you in through my window because you thought it was the only way to get into the castle?” Calantha crossed her arms again in a challenge to her foster brother.

“Alright, alright, you didn’t have to go there,” the mystic sighed in defeat.

Calantha had already said too much, and Zolas was clearly not about to let her continue.

“He acts as if we didn’t already know about that, too.” Seraphine leaned over and whispered to her husband, and I avoided making eye contact so she wouldn’t know I heard her.

I stifled a small laugh at their bickering, and I wondered what elimpra was.

“That’s what I thought.” The brunette grinned wildly.

“Well, then it’s settled.” Seraphine straightened up and laid her arms on the arm rests. “The day after tomorrow, you all will set out to meet up with Hendrik. I’ll send word to him so he knows to expect the three of you.”

I wanted to know more about the rogues. Something in my gut told me there were layers to the story that even the king and queen didn’t know yet, and I felt like solving that mystery would alleviate some of their stress.

No sovereign should have to worry about their people going missing, let alone attacking their own kind.

“Thank you, Your Majesties,” I said as I flattened my free hand on my thigh and lowered my shoulders in another bow of appreciation. “I hope we get closer to rooting out the problem soon, and I aim to help in whatever way I can.”

Shortly after the decision was made, Queen Seraphine and King Aliester excused me and kept Zolas and Calantha in the room. I assumed it was to deal with specifics of the royal life or the prophecy I wasn’t privy to yet, but I was already trying to wrap my head around everything they’d told me so far, so I made my way out of the office.

Then I stood in the hallway for a moment and considered my options. It was still relatively early in the day, and I didn’t know where to go first. Part of me wanted to go back to my room and take a nap, another part of me wanted food, but a large part of me wanted to go back to the library.

“Grab a snack, and then go to the library,” I whispered to myself, and I hung a right and headed toward the kitchen on the first floor. Then, with the help of my nose as well as my memory, I soon reached my destination.

The hardwood floors continued into the kitchen, and they worked well with the color scheme of the room. The space was mostly built out of stone and plaster, and dark hand-hewn beams lined the vaulted ceiling and were stained in the same color the cabinets were. Metalwork was abundant in the room, too, and I took in the ornate cabinet hardware and a beautiful chandelier that hung from one of the beams. Pots and pans dangled from hanging organizers throughout the space, and spices and baskets of fresh produce filled the open shelves. There was an island as well as a wooden table in the room, and plants dotted the area as well as little trinkets and drying herb and flower bundles. Most of the back wall was dedicated to two large wood stove and oven combinations as well as a cauldron. The room smelled of spiced meat, and I could also smell the wood burning as it crackled inside one of the stoves.

I walked over and opened the oven door to see two pies that had recently been put in. I quickly closed the door so I wouldn’t ruin them, and then I glanced around the room to see if there was anything I could snack on in the meantime.

On the island in a basket there was a loaf of French bread and what appeared to be fresh cheddar cheese, and I decided to cut myself off a piece of each. Then I grabbed an apple from another basket on the table, and once I collected my snack, I made my way to the library with my goods in tow.

I took a bite of the bread, and it was still warm from this morning. Then I took a bite of the cheese, and though it wasn’t cheddar, it was still phenomenal. By the time I made it to the library, my snack of cheese and bread was gone, and I pushed open the door to the massive room as I took a bite of the fresh fruit.

“Let’s see here,” I muttered to myself as I closed the door behind me. I didn’t really know what I was looking for, but the tightness in my chest and the feeling in my gut solidified that I was getting closer to whatever I needed to find.

I went up the same set of stairs Zolas had taken me up, and I wandered over to the same section we’d been at before. I took another bite of my apple as I scanned the shelves, and I wondered what the titles of the tomes would be in English.

I made it to the end of the aisle with nothing catching my attention, so I turned left and walked down the back of the room for a little bit. Then I watched the upper floor flicker in and out of view between the rows of shelving, and I felt like I wasn’t really alone even though I couldn’t see or smell anyone.

By the time I caught sight of a trash bin, it was next to a spiral staircase that led to the next floor, so I tossed the remnants of my snacks in the trash and dusted my hands off with my pants before I made my way upstairs. I walked slowly along the edge of the landing despite their being the banister in place, but there was something about the library. The further I got up in levels, the more I felt like I wasn’t alone. I wasn’t really one to believe in the paranormal, but then again, I just found out I was a shifter.

When in Marbrooke…

As I leaned on the banister and looked over the edge, I took in the beauty of the library and tried to forget about the eerie vibe the place gave me. I knew part of it probably had to do with the whole antique Gothic aesthetic, not to mention I had no idea how old the building was either, but I shrugged off the feeling and stood in the silence for a moment.

But all the while, questions kept tumbling through my mind.

How was I supposed to save all of Vosreterra with Calantha? Was she even okay with it? I knew it would take some time to earn the princess’ trust, and it would even take more effort to even become her friend let alone her lover.

Suddenly, I caught the glint of gold in the sunlight from across the atrium. It was on the same level as me, but I couldn’t make out exactly what it was, and it hovered in the air for a moment before it faded way.

I straightened myself up and narrowed my eyes in hopes to get a better view.

Or maybe I was losing my mind. Either way, I needed to make sure.

Then there was another golden sparkle, and I knew it wasn’t from passing clouds overhead or something moved by a breeze.

“What the hell?” I said, and I took curious but alert steps around the walkway to make it to the other side before whatever or whoever the hell it was disappeared.

The light seemed to move into the bookshelves as the distance between us decreased, but once I was about twenty feet away, the light disappeared altogether.

“Come on…” I sighed under my breath, and then I took a step back and glanced over the books near where the light was.

I traced my fingers over the spines of the books, and some of them matrixed into more mountain ranges, more snakes with suns above them, and more splintered branches. I sighed, unsure what the hell lit up or why it seemed to lead me over here.

Then I caught sight of one book with completely different lettering. The letters resembled Latin, and I had a short flashback to sitting in the front row of Dr. Lewinski's class for all four years of high school.

I took the book in my hands and flipped through the pages. It wasn’t quite Latin, since some lines that should be straight were curved or vice-versa, or some of the letters were upside down. I knew I had to ask Zolas about them, and then I took another step back and glanced over the bookshelf.

In the span of about three minutes, I found four more books in the same language, and I decided to track down Zolas before I picked up any more.

I carried the heavy leather-bound books in my arms, and as I walked, I kept my eyes peeled for that walking encyclopedia. I came to an intersection of three hallways and a staircase, and I filled my lungs with a deep breath to locate Zolas’ scent.

“Downstairs.” I nodded to myself, and then I followed the vampire’s aroma that was much different than the royal family’s.

The mystic smelled of patchouli and iron, much like many other vampires, but there was something else. It was the strangest thing to me, and I knew it was a weird mixture, but Zolas’ scent reminded me of my summers in Idaho: hot asphalt, tall grass, and fresh earth. It was very natural, and I felt it suited him well.

Once I was on the floor below me, I followed his scent down a few corridors before I found him in a sitting room with floor-to-ceiling windows. He was laid out on a chaise, and he had a book in one hand and held his head in the other.

“Eli, my friend, how can I help you?” he asked as he sat up in his seat and grinned in greeting.

I plopped the stack of books next to him and picked up the one on top. If I followed the pattern and translated it correctly based on my Latin theory, the title of the book translated into English should be “Sons of Jarvald.”

“Can you tell me the name of this book?” I asked the vampire as I held it up to him.

“‘Children of Jarvald.’ Why?” Zolas asked as he closed his own book over his finger and raised an eyebrow.

I glanced over the title once more, and I nodded as I corrected myself mentally with the alphabet.

But I was fucking right.

“Uh, hellooo?” A pale hand waved in front of my eyes, and when I looked up again, the blond mystic was standing with his arms crossed. “Did you eat Fae food or something?”

“No.” I exhaled a laugh and shook my head. “I can read this.”

“What?” Zolas’ jaw dropped as his eyes widened. “There’s no way. I haven’t met anyone who is able to read Ulvanian since my master died.”

“Seriously?” I asked as I picked up another one of the tomes. “Okay, what about this one?”

“What do you think it is?” he asked.

“‘The Shifter’s Way.’” I said.

“Great goddess…” Zolas took a step back and covered his mouth with his free hand as he laughed. “You continue to baffle me. This is amazing. And it looks like you’ve found a couple I haven’t even read.”

“I saw this, like… gold light in the library.” I blinked a few times as I tried to remember. “It almost led me to them.”

“That library is nearly a being unto its own, really,” he chuckled. “There is such a potent energy in there from the artifacts to the literature itself. Not to mention how many powerful beings have died in it, let alone spent copious amounts of time in it. It wouldn’t surprise me if you saw a spirit that led you to what you needed.”

“Interesting…” I smirked before I gathered the books in my hands, turned on my heel, and headed toward my room to spend the rest of the day reading these. “Thanks, Zolas!”

“Good luck, my friend!” the blond vampire called out with a light laugh.

Latin was finally paying off.