"We're ordering ovens and ice-cream machines and setting things up to get the fruit, milk and other ingredients straight from the farms," Grant said. "I think we can open in three months."
"That sounds really good," I nodded at their assessment. "Get whatever you need from my personal account."
Winkler stayed with me while I signed papers, answered communications and did everything else that needed to be done. Garde, Aurelius and Aryn had taken over the Council meetings in my absence and they were still handling things. I only had a few things in front of me that had been tabled—they were waiting for me to get back to handle those things. Nothing urgent, actually, they just wanted my input.
"Do you feel like a field trip?" I asked Winkler after the last bit had been handled. I knew there was much more, but Heathe and Grant had been instructed not to tire me out.
"If you'll have lunch with me and take a nap afterward," Winkler agreed.
"Sounds good. Let's go visit the Green Fae." Winkler's black eyes looked at me carefully before he nodded. He was the one to fold us there, too. We stood on the edge of the Green Fae village, beneath a large tree that had been a sapling a month or two before and watched as the Green Fae went about their business. We caught sight of Redbird once; she was carrying a basket of fruit while little Toff trotted along behind her. I sighed.
"Raona." Corent walked over and stood beside us.
"How are you, Corent?" I asked.
"Very well, as are the others. Toff is growing, as you saw." I could only nod; I didn't trust my voice to answer.
"We are all watching over him—that is the way of our people. He is talking a bit, now, as you might imagine. And learning to eat with utensils."
"That's good," I managed to say without choking up. "Does he need anything? Clothing or something?"
"We are well supplied; trade is going very well with the comesuli," Corent informed me. "We appreciate the gift of tools you sent." I was back to nodding again. Corent's hair was changing color, from light to dark blue as the leaves shifted and swayed over our heads in the mid-day breeze. Winkler put his arms around me. I leaned into his warmth.
"This is one of your mates?" Corent looked up at Winkler, who had a good eight inches on Corent.
"Yes, this is my wolf mate," I said.
"Werewolf?"
"Yes."
"I have never seen one before."
Winkler changed, right on the spot. He didn't have to disrobe any longer—with the abilities bestowed by the Saa Thalarr, it was no longer necessary. I ruffled the fur around Winkler's ears as he stood with me. Corent was quite surprised.
"He hunts on the full moon?" Le-Ath Veronis had only one moon. Harifa Edus had six. That's where Winkler and the other wolves of the Saa Thalarr usually went when they wanted a run. I had a feeling they watched as the werewolves there hunted, brought down game and challenged one another. It was the way things happened with werewolves.
"He usually goes to Harifa Edus. Do you know about that?"
"No. What is it?"
"Harifa Edus was the original werewolf planet, and it was uninhabited for a very long time. We have been working to repopulate it. Winkler visits at least once a month, during one of the six full moons."
"You did this—repopulating that world. Didn't you?"
"That was one of my goals, yes," I nodded.
"We thought we were taking from a selfish Karathian," Corent sighed. "A being who might deserve to have his child taken away. If we had known that the child we took was nothing of the kind," Corent didn't finish his statement.
"What's done is done," I couldn't stop the tears this time. I was embarrassed when one dripped onto my blouse before I could wipe it away. Winkler was back to himself quickly.
"Please excuse us," he nodded to Corent and folded me back to the palace.
"What did the Queen have to say?" Tiearan walked over to Corent.
"She wanted to see Toff, even from a distance. She was crying there at the end, so her werewolf mate took her away."
Jenderlin, the newly elevated crown prince of Cloudsong, sat inside the crown prince's suite while his father paced incessantly. Jenderlin wanted to halt his father with a word, but he had no words. Nothing would assuage his father's guilt over sending his brother out to a waiting ambush. Nothing. Jenderlin had always known that his father doted on Brandelin, his older brother. Jenderlin had always been the weaker of the two, in his father's eyes. Not even good enough to train in the military, although Jenderlin had read all the historical accounts of battles won and lost and had studied strategy, in addition to his other lessons.
Now, instead of advising his brother as his father planned when Brandelin took the throne, Jenderlin would take the high seat instead and he was frightened at the prospect. He had no desire to plot the course of Cloudsong's future. A welcome knock came on the door.
"Come," King Kenderlin growled. Kenderlin's master of the guard entered, hauling a prisoner along, his fist gripping the back of the captive's collar.
"I have news, albeit unwilling news," the master of the guard's growl eclipsed that of the king. "News that will explain your son's death." Kenderlin nearly gaped at the two who'd entered his study, but recovered his composure swiftly.
"Perhaps you should explain, then," Kenderlin sat behind Jenderlin's desk and glared at the prisoner.
Chapter 4
"Melida, we are very pleased to have you here." Glendes nodded at the new arrival. "Marid, thank you for bringing her." Glendes gave another nod to Melida's father. Marid was Chief of the Belancour Wizards and quite powerful. "We have everything arranged," Glendes continued, "The union will take place tonight before dinner, with the celebrations afterward."
"I wish to meet your grandson's other mate." Melida, dark-haired and pretty, looked about her as if she were weighing the worth of Glendes' study. Glendes looked slightly uncomfortable at Melida's question.
"That is not an option—Lissa has released Shadow from his union with her. You may be his only mate from this point on, unless he can convince her to return, somehow."
"I heard she was highly placed." Marid commented dryly.
"We were not at liberty to reveal that before, due to her position. It would have been improper of us at the time. Since she has released Shadow and we are no longer obligated to her or she to us, then I feel we can provide that information," Glendes replied smoothly.
"Who was she? Have I destroyed anything important?" Melida's question sounded insincere. Glendes wanted to release a sigh. As Eldest of Grey House, he was a good judge of character, having lived so long. Melida had a mercenary streak about her and Glendes didn't like it.
"A queen," Glendes shoved his thoughts aside and replied as smoothly as he could. "The Queen of Le-Ath Veronis. I will not lie to you—Shadow is most upset over this. Perhaps you may find a way to divert him from his anger and obsession." Glendes hoped desperately that Melida's beauty and any charms she might possess would serve to distract Shadow. His work was off and he remained uncommunicative.
"You expect me to divert him?" Melida snorted. "That was never my intention and not what you led me to believe when we reviewed your offer. I was to provide heirs only. I have no desire to become close to anyone. Ever again."
"You say the union has been completely dissolved—between the Queen of Le-Ath Veronis and your grandson?" Marid's gaze was intent on Glendes' face. Glendes wondered why Marid seemed so interested in Shadow's union with Lissa.
"It was never bound by written contract—it was spoken only and the Queen severed the spoken contract when she returned Shadow's ring. There is no hold on her—by any of us. She was free to go if she chose and that is what she did." Glendes attempted to read Marid's expression, but Marid was quite old and had learned long ago to hide his true intentions and interests behind a mask when it was prudent to do so.
Raffian had stood at his father's shoulder the entire time, listening. He, too, wondered why Marid was so interested in Lissa's contract—or lack of one—with Grey House. Glendes was handling this, however, so Raffian didn't ask.
"Come, Shadow and his grandmother are waiting in my suite," Glendes urged Marid and Melida from his study. "I'd like you to meet them."
Garde and Erland had called a meeting of the Inner Circle, so I had to be there. It would be the first time we met without Shadow. Well, there were plenty of firsts ahead of me if I measured them in that way. We met in the library, as we usually did. Rigo, Thurlow and even Norian Keef grumbled when they discovered they weren't included. Norian Keef had moved into a suite at the palace and then proceeded to act as if he belonged there. Well, he was going to belong—for the next thirty years or so. I had to get used to that.
"We have a proposal." Erland was the one who spoke first. Garde sat beside him around the conference table. Even my two Larentii folded in at the last minute. Roff was resting his wings, allowing them to droop over the arms of his chair, the tips of soft brown leather touching the floor. Karzac was sitting on Erland's other side and it looked as if he were in on this, too—whatever it was.
"What's the proposal?" I leaned back in my chair to watch my mates. Kifirin was the only one absent, but that was the case much of the time.
"We want you to have children," Karzac said. "And there is a way to do this, if you consent."
Well, if anybody wanted to get my attention, that might be the way to do it. "What are you talking about?" I asked.
"Surrogate mothers," Gardevik chimed in. "The Larentii here tell us that they can manipulate a donor egg with your DNA, making it your egg. Erland and I have already secured willing surrogates and their fees will be paid if you consent. We can put them up at the beach house during their pregnancy. The children will be yours and ours, avilepha."