《Hell Hounds》


 Chapter One鈥擳he Mission

    Chapter One¡ªThe Mission


    Ynda spent much of her time with her new Luna heading up her security team. What pissed her off


    the most was that she should hate Aricka for taking Luna¡¯s position from her. She admired her far too


    much and respected her. They¡¯d be friends, and Ynda finally understood she made a better


    bodyguard and Arms Master. Then Luna, hands down.


    Ynda was here in response to several voicemail messages, an RCMP officer left which. He said he


    was looking into some local disturbances. They wish to speak to a family representative when Aricka


    asked her to talk to them for some odd reason.


    Ynda knew she was the wrong person for this job. She¡¯d been told many times why she was the


    worst. Her defects including her temper,ck patience, and smart-ass sense of humour. Never mind her


    tattoos, jet ck hair, leather jackets and her much-loved motorcycle.


    She parked her motorcycle in front of the Police Station as if it was normal for someone like her to do


    so.


    She entered the OPP Station. Many would think it was weird to meet an RCMP Officer in an Ontario


    Police Station. This far north, the RCMP borrowed an office when needed in the area. There was so


    little need for them.


    The gawking started with the desk sergeant. ¡°May I help you?¡± The older man behind the counter


    asked. She was sure that he looked like a harried elf. He looked like an old elf. His hair was only on the


    sides of his head and missing in ces.


    ¡°I should hope so, Officer. Gregory Wolversen sent me to talk to a Sargent Ian Bet. He wanted to


    talk to someone from the Wolversen family.¡± Ynda shifted her pack a bit, waiting for the Officer to


    hassle her. She was sure the pink hair extension she put in for shits and giggles was causing him to


    have a facial tick.


    ¡°They sent you? What is your name?¡±


    ¡°Ynda Redgrave.¡±


    ¡°You will not pretend to have the Wolversen name?¡±


    ¡°You have the samest name as your boss?¡± She took a chance in this region. He could easily have


    thest name of his boss. It wasn¡¯t unheard of for entire families doing the same job in these towns.


    ¡°No.¡± He acted like Ynda was insane. But again, that was nothing new.


    ¡°Me neither. Tell Sargent Be I am here? He knows I¡¯ming.¡± The officer grumbled a bit and then


    made a phone call while he was typing on hisputer.


    ¡°Yeah, Ian, I got some weirdo here iming Gregory Wolversen sent her to talk to you. Yeah, that¡¯s the


    name she gave. Alright, I¡¯ll get her to sign in.¡± He hung up the phone. ¡°Sign in here, and he¡¯ll be out in a


    couple of minutes.¡±


    ¡°Great, and if you¡¯re looking me up. You¡¯ll meet with disappointment. I paid that speeding ticket years


    ago, and they have not caught me doing anything wrong.¡±


    The desk sergeant gasped as it offended him. And yet, she was the one who was having her private


    information poked at just because of the way she looked.


    Ynda snorted at the same time as the sexiest man she¡¯d ever seen in her life walked into the front of


    the building, bringing the most incredible scent of cappino and sandalwood. The scent was


    distracting. However, not enough to distract Ynda from the fact she had made such an unfortunate


    and embarrassing sound to a police officer in front of this gorgeous male.


    The new officer raised a dark eyebrow in inquiry as he approached. ¡°Afternoon. Ms. Redgrave?¡± His


    eyes never left her face as he looked for an exnation.


    ¡°Oh, the officer here was getting acquainted with my wrap sheet, and it seems he has found it very


    Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    would hate for it to be gossip at the local Tim Horton¡¯s. I¡¯m not too fond of Horton¡¯s Heroes


    gossiping like a pack of old maids over my employer¡¯s business. It seems so unprofessional.¡±


    Horton¡¯s Heroes are a local reference for police officers. The legend behind it says that a small-town


    police station could contact none of their patrol calls. The dispatcher knew the officers could get free


    coffee and donuts at a new shop called Tim Horton¡¯s. So, she called the shop and ryed the message


    to the server. Who announced it to all the local police? Thementary was the only ce getting


    protection was Tim Horton¡¯s, and therefore they were Horton¡¯s Heroes. So, in this part of Canada, it¡¯s


    an insult inferring that the police aren¡¯t doing their job.


    ¡°Of course, follow me, please.¡± Ynda¡¯s average size for a wolf shifter, but this human dwarfed her in


    size. His shoulders were broad, and she was lucky to stand as tall as his nose. His scent held the notes


    of a human, so she knew she wasn¡¯t dealing with another supernatural creature. ¡°I hope it wasn¡¯t too


    hard to get here.¡±


    ¡°Leather helps keep the cold off during the ride.¡±


    ¡°You rode a motorcycle all the way here in this weather? What about the storm?¡±


    ¡°I like to live dangerously. Getting home will not be boring. We¡¯ll see if I need to get a room or not.¡±


    "Seems rather badly nned.¡±


    ¡°Only your repeated calls so close to the holidays. At this rate, I¡¯m going to miss Yule all together.¡±


    ¡°Yule?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the holiday that Christmas stole every tradition from. That Yule December twenty-first to January


    first. That Yule, we have familying in from all over this year. Some of them we¡¯ve never even met


    before. It¡¯s kind of important.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. So is this when you see what we¡¯re up against.¡± Ian opened the door to an interview room and


    allowed Ynda to enter first.


    Once seated, he set a file folder on the table and then sat there and looked at her. The look meant he


    wanted to see everything he could and then go deeper for more information. It was so much more than


    him just sizing her up. Ynda resisted the urge to shift in her seat.


    ¡°Shall we start? I sincerely hope you will fill me in more than your messages were far too vague for me


    to know what you would like to hear.¡±


    ¡°I want the truth about why rotting we have found human body parts locked within a cooler with your


    employer¡¯s business logo on it.¡±


    ¡°Okay, d I didn¡¯t eat beforeing here. Truthfully, those coolers are a dime a dozen. Someone


    could have stolen it. I could get someone to look at reports and see if one went missing recently. Where


    was it found? Who found it?¡±


    ¡°That I¡¯m not yet prepared to disclose. But the region the hunter found it in was not easily essible. A


    lost group of hunters on a hunting trip only found it identally.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess they will be second-guessing future trips and finding a physiatrist.¡± Ynda then made a


    face of disgust at the photos heid out. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± A frown appeared on her face. She spotted a


    series of markings behind the cooler in the photo. They painted another symbol on the inside of the


    cooler¡¯s lid. ¡°You can¡¯t believe this is something ourpany would condone.¡±


    ¡°So, you know what these symbols mean?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Ynda couldn¡¯t stop swearing at herself for this mistake. ¡°It¡¯s just I¡¯ve seen tv programmes with


    weird stuff made like that, and it¡¯s always weird stuff connected to it.¡±


    ¡°Really, and I won¡¯t go out to your motorcycle and find a symbol or two on it?¡±


    ¡°Seriously, just because my mother is superstitious and would not let me ride that bike when I first got it


    without a good luck symbol on it. You¡¯re going to use me of this? Do you think I can read this stuff?


    Sorry, I hate to tell you it¡¯s not that easy.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. So, you think it¡¯s a curse or a spell of some sort?¡±


    ¡°How the hell should I know? I don¡¯t deal with whatever magic or religion that is. Seriously, is this


    everything or are you going to spring something else on me?¡± Ynda was more than a little insulted,


    and he hadn¡¯t even eased into this breach. She took one look at the cooler and the disembodied limbs.


    ¡°Gods, that¡¯s disgusting. Why would anyone want to do that? It¡¯s so unnatural.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m here. This falls under my team¡¯s specialty. ult, supernatural, and unexined. We


    go in and try to find answers for it.¡±


    ¡°Good luck with that. You¡¯re going to have a devil of a time finding answers for that. Yuck.¡±


    ¡°We have identified these limbs as being from various people known kidnaped victims from months


    ago. Someone with medical knowledge removed these limbs from a corpse.¡±


    ¡°Are you iming my employer or someone working for us did this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying the evidence points to a connection. Either it¡¯s someone working without your employer¡¯s


    knowledge or with his knowledge.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we have a medical supplypany, and yes, we have a medical delivery service. But why would


    we mess up that by dealing with that? That¡¯s crazier than anything I could think of. No, apetitor or


    someone with a dislike for ourpany is more likely behind that. Or it¡¯s a bizarre and horrid


    coincidence.¡± Ynda leaned back in her chair and shook her head irritably.

 Chapter 42: Beings may not be as They Appear

    Chapter 42: Beings may not be as They Appear


    The office was quiet as the small group filed in and settled into business. ¡°Fine. Now what¡¯s so


    important that it¡¯ll change everything? What do you believe is true?¡± Gregory put his morning coffee on


    the desk. He reviewed the faces in the room.


    ¡°As asked. I started looking for supernatural creatures that exhibit the empathic traits. The list isn¡¯t long.


    I found that there are patterns to the empathic traits. There¡¯re records of Fae who could read and


    manipte emotions. Or experiences and memories. But other than that. Nothing. Then I looked for


    records on twins and abilities. Gregory, Alpha. Chances are both have some skill. So, if the twins are


    together their abilities are whole and stronger. This happens. There¡¯re records for it.¡±


    ¡°Wait. Fae? I don¡¯t see any Fae features in them.¡±


    ¡°Well, the amount of Fae blood in them may be small. A distant ancestor¡¯s all it takes. I¡¯m sure if they


    were full blood Fae, they would be much stronger. Jaxon reads emotions and people¡¯s intents through


    that. Hal, I suspect can influence emotions. He¡¯s a natural mediator. Finding information and data to


    settle conflict and control a person¡¯s viewpoint to further prevent that conflict. Hisputer skills


    developed to manipte the situation and emotions of people involved follow suit. It¡¯s how his power


    flows from him. We¡¯re just lucky they aren¡¯t liars and cheats. They would make perfect scam artists if


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    they weren¡¯t so honest.¡±


    ¡°But how does that benefit us? I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m not following you.¡±


    ¡°Fae magic doesn¡¯t work on other Fae. Meaning if the blood is potent enough in them. Not only will they


    live longer. They have a chance of being immune to charms and magical attacks from Fae.¡±


    Dead silence reigned for several minutes before Doctor Graves spoke up. ¡°That¡¯s why you wanted me


    here. If they agree. You want me to test them and find out if they disy Fae DNA. I¡¯m not sure I can.


    We don¡¯t have any records of their DNA.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well that¡¯sing. We¡¯ve kept a few preserved specimens. I just hope that the preservation


    hasn¡¯t destroyed the DNA.¡±


    ¡°That is the issue. Human preservation of living tissues in formaldehyde destroys the DNA. Things


    caught in amber have a chance of being viable. We¡¯ll see when it gets here. Whether the men will


    consent. When the specimens get here. We¡¯ll find out for sure whether they¡¯re useable.¡± Doctor Graves


    stood near a darkened window watching the others as he exined theplications that may ur.


    ¡°Once you find out. We can ask their permission. But you didn¡¯t wait to do that on my mate. Why can¡¯t


    you use a sample you took earlier?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t take any extra blood. I took enough to make sure they¡¯re healthy. We used all the samples.


    There¡¯s nothing left of them.¡± Various heads nodded. It made sense to them now.


    ¡°When will the samples get here?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve a portal arranged forter this morning. I¡¯ll have them take the samples directly to Doctor


    Graves. They can help with any research he may need if any questions crop up.¡±


    ¡°Good. That would change everything. But we need to confirm the DNA. Then find out if they¡¯re in fact


    immune to the magic. I won¡¯t let anyone go on a one-way mission. Do we have any information on their


    biological parentage?¡±


    ¡°Hal admitted that he¡¯s been looking for years for his biological parents. But the names they gave him


    amounted to nothing. No one with that name during that time-period. He¡¯s sent off his DNA to some


    sample was not viable.¡±


    ¡°Well, if it has Fae DNA in it of course it would not appear within normal parameters of eptable


    human DNA.¡±


    ¡°Fine verify that you can test. Then we¡¯ll talk to them about all this. It¡¯s unbelievable and I can¡¯t see


    them putting themselves in danger. There¡¯s no way of knowing until they¡¯re attacked whether they are


    immune or not. I¡¯m hesitant to bring any n foreword that would have them as a lynchpin.¡± Gregory


    watched drank his coffee and watched the sky lighten outside. ¡°I don¡¯t care I want people patrolling the


    local area. People on the phones. Dealing with email, and all types of media. We¡¯ll offer protection here


    for those that need the safety. Petrols of the dream realm. I don¡¯t want these creatures just popping in


    on us. Get me something to work with before these creatures stumble upon unsuspecting humans.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re on it.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s get this day started. Mother, you take overmunications. Have Ynda organize the


    dream realm patrols. The humans can continue to help. Send Ian with the patrols. I¡¯ll ept and read


    reports. I¡¯ll update everyone as needed. Jeff continues with what you are doing. Dean we may need


    your people to move people out of the area for their safety. Mom see if you can get a few vampires


    loaned to us. Just in case we need to fix a few human¡¯s memories. Doctor Graves you have a lot of


    prep work and verifying this theory. We¡¯ve done this before. Let¡¯s pull it off one more time.¡± The office


    cleared out with a lot of promises. Gregory directed the series of people he needed to see including


    Ynda and the humans.


    This will be a long day. He knew that because he¡¯d already finished this cup. His mate¡¯s scent


    proceeded her into the office along with coffee. She¡¯d that knack. The woman didn¡¯t drink coffee. So, he


    knew that it was for him and he could bless for it.


    ¡°Better already?¡±


    ¡°Good morning to you too. Yes, the medicine Doctor Graves gave me is beginning to work. I¡¯m fine.


    Now here¡¯s a refill. Give me your mug and I¡¯ll coordinate with Hilda and the general pack. Make sure


    everyone is onboard. Also, ready things for thoseing in. We¡¯ll get snacks and lunch in the main


    lobby. Conference rooms will be halved. With half for sleeping and the rest for team meetings. You get


    the reports together. Turn the ballroom into themunications room. We have this.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be stressed like this. The pups¡­¡±


    ¡°Are strong and if I am helping, I¡¯m not stressing over things I can¡¯t change. I¡¯ll see you at lunch. Love


    you.¡± She stretched up and dropped a kiss on his lips before nipping at his lower lip. He blinks and she


    was disappearing through the door she¡¯se through.


    Shaking his head, he looked down at his desk. Gregory waited for his next meeting.


    It didn¡¯t take long for Ynda, Jeff, and the humans entered. Ynda brought her breakfast with you.


    ¡°Thank you for being so prompt. I need to switch your responsibilities up a bit. We need to increase our


    patrols in both realms. There¡¯ll be an influx of people starting today. I need you to deal with it and needs


    change. Ynda it¡¯s your job to handle all patrols. I know Ian you can¡¯t follow Ynda into the Dream


    realm. But with your training. Your team. You can help with patrols in this realm. When the refugees


    start filing in, I¡¯ll need help with recording who they are, where they will stay, their needs, and if they¡¯re


    transported from here. Where were they transported, too? Be mindful please. When you record this.


    We can¡¯t let it fall into the Fae hands if they take over. You will oversee destroying those lists. Am I


    understood?¡± Nods all around. ¡°Now are you willing to patrol?¡± A series of yes sir rang in the quiet


    office. ¡°Ian make sure your paperwork gets updated with your superiors. I¡¯ll get to the staffing changes


    this afternoon when I get a chance. I¡¯m sorry but it won¡¯t be overnight. But I will get it into motion. My


    mother will have some excuse and reasonable report for you to hand in. She¡¯s an expert at lying like a


    rug for a living.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Alright and don¡¯t forget I need reports. Electronic otherwise I will drown in paper in here again. I¡¯ll need


    to know as soon as possible. Ynda outfit them with proper gear and phones that will work in this


    area.¡±


    ¡°Will do.¡±


    ¡°Now onest thing. Jaxon, Hal. They have brought it to my attention that the experts believe you are


    not fully human. Doctor Graves and Dean are looking into identifying what supernatural race. An


    ancestor of yours came from. If Doctor Graves can set up a testing method. He maybe able to figure


    out where you fit within this world.¡±


    ¡°I thought Dean was shitting me with all that talk.¡±


    ¡°Afraid not. Ian¡¯s the minority here it seems. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°No offense taken. So, I¡¯ve been running with monsters all this time? Did I miss something?¡±


    ¡°No, I think fate can be cruel. However, since you¡¯re mated to Ynda now. Well, by ourws you are


    under our protection and for all legal documents you are a wolf shifter of the ck River Pack. I have


    thing to do. And so do you. Off with you.¡± They all stood to leave when Jaxon piped up.


    ¡°Sir what aren¡¯t you telling us?¡±


    Gregory looked up to the ceiling. ¡°I will not spread rumors. Be careful around people that aren¡¯t wolf


    shifters of this pack.¡±

 Chapter 43: Do We Stay, or Do We Go?

    Chapter 43: Do We Stay, or Do We Go?


    Once the shocks were over. Ian and his men gathered. They whispered together in a corner.


    The others discussed different matters. ¡°We¡¯ve not talked to each other. They¡¯ve done a pretty good job


    of keeping us apart. Any issues I need to know about? What¡¯re your feelings?¡± Ian wasn¡¯tfortable


    talking, but he needed to know if they¡¯re in danger.


    ¡°It¡¯s been good for me. Aria has been catching me up to speed on everything going on. How


    can I believe they think we¡¯re fairies? I don¡¯t know about you, Jax, but I don¡¯t feel evil.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they are all evil to the core. So, I¡¯m to gather, certain types of fairies raise their


    young like that and they be twisted as they age. Either way. If we have an ancestor, that¡¯s a fairy.


    They didn¡¯t have the same mindset. If they just need a blood sample. They¡¯ll need blood from one of us


    only. We are twins, after all.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any abilities as they described. I mean influencing other¡¯s emotions for my


    benefit. It sounds creepy. How do I go about controlling it? If I have this ability.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t like I don¡¯t. You¡¯ll need to be careful of your intentions towards those


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    around you. Maybe?¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey. We can work this out. When and if we need to.¡± Ian didn¡¯t need them to go off


    track now. They must¡¯ve made some decisions. They could carry on with the others. Once they¡¯re


    aware of the other¡¯s interests. ¡°If they ask for a blood sample. Will either of you give them the sample


    they want?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve already taken blood once, and they didn¡¯t bewitch up or curse us. I don¡¯t see why


    another sample would matter. They want records destroyed before they fall into the hands of the fairies.


    I believe they would do the same with blood samples. If there¡¯s time. I guess, and they don¡¯t need to


    take much. I¡¯ll let them. It¡¯s something I¡¯m curious about. Aren¡¯t you, Jax? I mean, we don¡¯t know who


    or where wee from.¡±


    ¡°Good point. I agree. If they need blood. They can have some. If it doesn¡¯t, but either of us in


    a weakened state.¡± Jaxon shrugged his shoulders to show his indifference to the whole subject. He


    wanted to know, but for him, it could wait untilter. If it changed the ying field in their favour, then he


    was all for it. It¡¯d be nice being wanted for being different.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯m writing my report and send it in today. I¡¯m not sure. How many more we¡¯ll need to


    write until it¡¯s over. If you want anything included in it. Get it to me within the hour. Jaxon, how are you


    finding your time staying with Devine?¡±


    ¡°Other than she lives in a house full of people. It reminds me very much of living in a group


    home. The bathroom¡¯s always full, someone¡¯s drunk all the milk, and there¡¯s something sticky on the


    floor. The additional part is learning the new lessons in manners. Did you know it¡¯s rude to walk inside a


    building in wolf form? They value their hardwood floors. Sticky or not.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the old Alpha did that. Right before the cook within the lobby entrance. And I was


    there. She yelled at him. The whole dominant Alpha thing, I believe it¡¯s a myth. They are strong, but


    they aren¡¯t stupid. They respect other¡¯s authority. So no suspicions that there are ulterior motives


    beyond keeping their secret by making us feel like we fit in?¡±


    ¡°You noticed that? Yeah, but I feel as we move out into the rest of the pack it won¡¯t be so


    weing until we rify that we¡¯re here to stay.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the next thing. Are we here to stay?¡±


    ¡°If we keep our jobs and get help monster hunting. What else are we leaving behind? It¡¯s not


    like we have nts left behind that need watering.¡±


    Ian could give him that. They were tight between the three of them. But beyond that. Ian,


    himself wouldn¡¯t miss anyone and he doubted there was anyone that would miss him or his teammates.


    ¡°Then we try it here? See if we like it here?¡± The twins nodded to him in unison.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll get a report off today stating that we have vague information and are still pursuing


    the investigation.¡±


    ¡°Ian, don¡¯t forget to see Edith she¡¯s bound to have worked her magic and have something to


    help your smooth things out with the report. Then you can find me upstairs in Conference room three.¡±


    ¡°Threes switched to a bunk room. I¡¯d try Conference room four.¡± Jeff corrected Ynda. She


    nodded to him. ¡°Fine, four it is. Jeff sends the shifts up there. I¡¯ll stop in the armoury. Just make sure


    we have enough things. When I¡¯m done there, I¡¯ll drop off the requests for things I¡¯ll need restocking.


    Please make sure Lue gets it sent in. I don¡¯t have time to babysit him. Please make sure he doesn¡¯t


    forget to send it in. Must I deal with Fianna in the armoury? Again?¡±


    ¡°Soon, I¡¯d rmend you make sure Aricka has enough security with three of the Hell


    Hounds working in other areas. Don¡¯t want to mess it up with the pup¡¯s security either. He¡¯s very shifty


    these days since he¡¯s realized he¡¯s got his own mini pack.¡±


    Ynda rolled her eyes. ¡°You¡¯d have to remind me. I¡¯ll get a schedule together while I¡¯m


    working on the patrols. It¡¯s never as simple as you think it will be. Fine guys, I will see you upstairs as


    soon as I can. Then we¡¯ll introduce you to the others.¡± Ynda ducked out of the office.


    ¡°An, will show the twins upstairs? I¡¯d do it myself. But it would take me forever.¡± Jeff


    pointed to his crutches. An grumbled and waved the men on to follow him.


    ¡°Ian,e with us so you know where you¡¯re going. I can walk back with you when I¡¯m


    done.¡± Ian nodded and followed. He wanted to get his hands on several pieces from the armoury. Then


    he thought about it. No other armoury would ever match the ck Rivers. Not after what they had


    down there. This put a smile on his face. As he followed the others up the stairs in the main entrance.


    The packhouse was farrger than he first thought. It looked like a simpleyout. But there


    were corridors behind doors. The corridors extended back further into the packhouse. An exined


    they put the doors in ce to make it difficult if they''re attacked. The enemy would have a hard time


    following everyone. The doors were metal encased in the wood. He pointed out that not only had they


    wired the entire building for Wi-Fi, but they had taken extra precautions against natural idents and


    magical attacks.


    The conference rooms appeared to take up most of the second floor. There were guest


    rooms and the Alpha¡¯s apartments on this floor. They were in the opposite wing. Jaxon asked where


    they stayed and An joked, they were in storage up in the attic on the third floor.


    The conference room wasn¡¯trge. Ian had seenrger. But it appeared kitted out for


    business. ¡°Just make yourselvesfortable. It¡¯ll be awhile before the people Jeff¡¯s summoned to get


    here. Remember, you are the invaders in this pack. Even though none are the girl¡¯s mates, they are


    protective of them. They¡¯ll need to see you in action. They need to know you can toe the line. Whether


    you can stand side by side with them in times of trouble. It¡¯s a pack thing and I can¡¯t help with it. It


    would weaken your position. Now you must find your ce here. They will ept those that prove they


    can help and work within the pack structure. Don¡¯t let them push you around. But don¡¯t push back too


    hard. Got it?¡±


    The men nodded. They wondered how the hazing would work for this group. Ian¡¯s mind


    wondered if it was worth it. Then he thought about Ynda, and he¡¯d try it.


    ¡°We understand. Thanks for the heads up. We¡¯ll work it out somehow.¡± Hal put hisptop


    down on the table and gave An a lopsided grin. ¡°See youter, Ian. Don¡¯t take too long.¡±


    Ian followed An out the door. Then back the way they¡¯de. ¡°So what can we expect?


    Some type of hazing ritual?¡±


    ¡°Oh, hells no. Learn to work with them. Earn their trust. You won¡¯t be knee-deep. Nope,


    you¡¯re going in neck-deep. You learn to doggie paddle with the wolves. Or die trying.¡±


    ¡°What a delightful image. I¡¯m thinking that¡¯s a lot of wet furs and there¡¯s nothing strong


    enough to get that smell out of the carpet.¡± That hit An¡¯s funny bone and had himughing as they


    went in search of Edith and the mysterious excuse of a report.

 Chapter 44: Everyone has a Place. Where鈥檚 yours?

    Chapter 44: Everyone has a ce. Where¡¯s yours?


    Ynda was up to her ears in weapons prep while she cursed herself for letting Ian getaway.


    He¡¯d have been an excellent help here. She handed packets or ready collections of weapons for the


    enforcers. One of her assistants would finish handing out the rest.


    She sent the revised list of things that they needed to Jeff, and she was on to the next thing.


    *                             *                             *


    Gregory got messages from all over. So his leading was as a mediator between the actual


    people that ran the thing. After a series of meetings, he sat there going through various messages and


    reports. Passing on information, deciding on other information. Setting other things into action. All the


    while, others researched around him.


    He¡¯d a coffee machine added to the corner of the office and it was getting well used.


    The men made headway on how to track down the renegade Fae. They¡¯re identifying what


    they summoned. The cave copse was a good thing. That closed the gateway by damaging the


    markings that gave it form and control. Or so Dean insisted.


    The day went on and Gregory felt it was now getting repetitive oddly. He¡¯d received word that


    three dragon representatives would fly in this evening. More mages and Fianna would be here this


    afternoon. He¡¯d need to track down his mother to find out whether there would be others.


    He¡¯d written to one of his contacts within the RCMP echelon and put in his suggestions about


    the changes that needed to happen. A quick phone call added what he could put in writing.


    Every time he¡¯d a moment to think, Gregory found himself overwhelmed by the sheer size of


    another mission like that. The thought that this was just the beginning and there¡¯d be more missions


    like this flitted through his mind, but his dread wouldn¡¯t let him think about that possibility.


    He¡¯d just got his first private coffee machine in his office and he turned around to see his


    pregnant mate making off with it. But before he could protest, Hilda bustled over and intercepted him.


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°We need it and it¡¯ll be in the lobby where you can visit it whenever you want. The one we


    usedst time gave up the ghost and I can¡¯t get another er.¡± Gregory wanted to protest. But what


    was he going to say? Soon there¡¯d be no cups to get a coffee. He¡¯d hide one in his desk to fix that.


    ¡°Fine. But why is my mate carrying it?¡±


    ¡°You want to tell her no? It¡¯s a full-time job, and you don¡¯t pay me enough.¡± Hilda followed


    Aricka out the door. Leaving him to sigh.


    *                             *                             *


    Ian and An were now in the sunroom office of Edith. Today it was humming and busy with


    peopleing in and out. Ian¡¯sptop was there. Someone brought hisptop from the cabin he was


    staying in.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we only charged it and left it for you. Nothing worse than working on a strange


    your report, just ask and we¡¯ll figure out something together.¡± Edith left the table with hisptop on it


    and returned to her desk and what she was currently working on. The table was his extra workspace,


    and he¡¯s expected to get to work.


    So, that¡¯s what he did. He discovered the woman was thorough. There appeared to be


    reasonable exnations for every question. If he didn¡¯t know it was full of lies, he¡¯d believe it. He found


    it impressive.


    An hourter, his report written and submitted. Time to get upstairs. Face the music of what


    living in a pack meant for him. That¡¯s when it hit him. He was the only human. His best friends weren¡¯t


    fully human. They''re rted to the enemy. An enemy they only knew through legends and lore. He


    believed them. There was a little doubt in the back of his mind.


    He got upstairs to the conference room. Ian found he was thest person to enter the


    conference room. It was like walking into any full conference area. All heads turned to him. The faces


    held a mix of expressions. Ranging from begging for the meeting to end. To the look of, ¡®Oh god


    again?¡¯


    ¡°Oh, well, you made it. Everyone the is Ian Be. The first assholement about him


    smelling like me gets the fun job. Of course, he smells like me, he¡¯s my mate, get over it.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m not the only one that gets the attitude. Here I thought I was special.¡± Ian didn¡¯t


    think twice about mentioning her attitude. Though it got a few half-heartedments from the group.


    ¡°Nice to see you again, dear. Hey everyone. Sorry, about beingte. I have to make it look like I¡¯m


    working in the human world.¡± He found a seat and caught a folder thrown at his head. He was d for


    the days of tossing a ball around.


    ¡°You missed little, I just got here. Now back to the folders. It¡¯s standard fare. Your orders and


    team selection are in there. Everyone in the dream realm is always to stay in contact. No one wanders


    about by themselves. Remember, these guys have the upper hand because they created this space.


    But it¡¯s been our hunting grounds for generations. They may not know that we still use that realm. For


    those that in our realm. We¡¯ve got three new members. They¡¯re Ian, Hal, and Jaxon. The twins will


    need to be watched. Not because we don¡¯t trust them. But because they are part Fae. What type of


    Fae? What their strengths and weaknesses? That¡¯s what we need to discover? Ian is a human mate


    who¡¯s still in transition. So fair warning. Those in his group, I am trusting you with his survival if he


    encountered any ill effects orplications. All three have military and police training. Deal with it. And


    not whining. We¡¯re wolf shifters now, coyotes. You have twenty minutes to consult your packages and


    form your groups. If you have picked up your weapons kits, then make it a stop before you go. This


    isn¡¯t a drill, and I don¡¯t want you t-footed. Okay, I¡¯m done. See you on the other side. I¡¯m going into


    the Dream Realm. Ian, I¡¯ll see youter tonight after shift.¡± With that. She just left the room. Leaving


    everyone to figure out what they were doing on their own.


    Ian then returned to looking at the room full of wolf shifter Enforcers. Many were looking at


    him. ¡°The first one to baby me gets bear maced. Is she always so clingy? Or because it¡¯s a new thing?¡±


    ¡°You need education about she-wolves. You poor man. Let¡¯s get you settled in your team and


    get you familiar with our routines. Don¡¯t expect any special treatment. You¡¯ll need to prove to us you


    aren¡¯t an idiot. So don¡¯t be a hero. You need a full exnation of your weapons kit on how to use


    everything and when to use it. So your group is over there. To discuss your shift route with them and


    then get your weapons kit.¡± An old man informed Ian and with a nod, he moves to them.


    The team had four members, including Ian. They looked like seasoned fighters. Each bore


    scars visible on their bodies. Clearly made by ws. ¡°You can call me Be. So, what do I call you


    guys?¡±


    ¡°John. Mario. Al.¡± John, a sandy-haired man with a scar across his forehead that broke up his


    left eyebrow, named the team for him. Marco was dark-haired and had dark eyes. His scar ran up his


    arm like someone took their time, creating them individually. Al wore his hair long, half hiding the w


    marks on his neck. His eyes were as icy as the mood he presented.


    ¡°Alright. We have the living quarters as our patrol spot.¡± John dropped a map on the table,


    showing the route they would take. ¡°It¡¯ll be easy as long as the Fae don¡¯t use the dream realm to


    surprise us. For the neer. We travel in spirit form only in that realm. So for us, we can¡¯t just pop in


    on them.¡±


    ¡°So know thend. Expect a quiet night, but prepared for trouble. Got it.¡±


    ¡°With other creatures entering ournds, think before you attack. Dragons travel simrly to


    the Fae. They arrive tonight. Be prepared to spot dragon form or human form. We don¡¯t have images of


    who ising. Don¡¯t be surprised if the Fianna. Send a few hunters too. They might try to horn in on


    our patrol.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget we¡¯re the ones who will watch the area where the bodies of those patrolling the


    dreaming are. If a Fae tracks them to their body. That Fae will show up in our patrol area.¡±


    ¡°Good point. I¡¯ve survived being shot at, blown up, and other things I¡¯d rather forget. I¡¯m not


    the type to act first and questionter. Anyway, one of you should be near. Just in case. I mean, I don¡¯t


    have ws.¡±


    ¡°Blown up?¡±


    ¡°Why do you think I got sent home from the military?¡± Ian lifted his right pant leg to reveal an


    old angry scar where still a chunk of muscle was missing. ¡°Well, most of me came home.¡±

 Chapter 45: Not so Hide and Seek

    Chapter 45: Not so Hide and Seek


    Ynday down on her bunk within the enforcer bunkhouse along with the others going into the


    Dream Realm for guard duty, etc. Tonight there would be more than normal. As there would be those


    hunting for the Fae.


    Sleep was slow ining for her, and that always annoyed her. She already missed having Ian


    around. How did she end up with the luck of having the only human for a mate? She needed to


    concentrate and get to work. She must get into the Dream Realm because she was the leader in this.


    Last time she was babysitting the Luna. Ynda believed that¡¯s where she should be now. But nope.


    She¡¯s here. Trying to sleep so that she can head up the search for the Fae. No pressure.


    What the hell? She wasn¡¯t a leader, she¡¯d said as much when Aricka made her head of the Hell


    Hounds. Ynda wanted to be in the armoury. Controlling the weapons. The gods only knew what the


    Fianna were messing with down there. She¡¯d seen them heading to the armoury on her way through to


    the Enforcers bunkhouse.


    It took a while, but she faded out of the physical realm and into the Dream Realm. Her body wasn¡¯t


    there, it¡¯s tucked away of course that in the Enforcers Bunkhouse. Now she must stay alert.


    The Dream Realm wasn¡¯t a cute and carefree ce, as many humans believed. This was the realm


    nightmares came from. The rules were different here. Hiding out from human society didn¡¯t matter here.


    Many creatures that weren¡¯t as ethical hunted within the Dream Realm, and humans weren¡¯t the only


    creatures on their menu.


    Mages could enter the Dream Realm as could Druids. Fianna existed with a rule that only a select few


    could be part of their fighting force. Ynda couldn¡¯t remember if it was 100 or 500 strong. But the


    number didn¡¯t matter beyond, there were never any more or less. Their fighting force somehow gained


    abilities that made them excellent hunters and weapons smiths. Their fighting force was the only


    Fianna that could enter the Dream Realm. When people spoke of the Fianna. They treated them like a


    species all their own. But they were a magical human family. Those not in their fighting force were as


    human as any other human. Ynda was a little jealous of them, though. If they survived to a ripe old


    age, they got to retire, and another family member took their ce.


    Now within the hazy, darkened version of the physical realm. Ynda watched the shadows for


    anything out of ce. There wasn¡¯t a day or night within this realm. It was always a hazy, twilight. She¡¯d


    always wondered if the Dream Realm influenced the atmosphere of many ck and white horror


    movies. With the barren trees, mists wafting about in the air without out the wind¡¯s benefit. It was gray


    and dingy. No moon hung in the air here. She suspected the Fae created this ce before the moon


    was in orbit in the physical realm. They¡¯d made it look like the physical realm. But they didn¡¯t quite get it


    right. Yes, things resembled the physical realm. But there were no birds, small animals, bugs, or wind.


    It was silent, bone chillingly silent.


    Shifting into her wolf form she started moving. Even movement didn¡¯t happen the same way. You could


    move an inch or a mile at a thought. No fears of exhaustion or fatigue. The fear was in what lurked in


    the darkness, and whether you could get back to your body faster than whatever was chasing you


    caught up.


    With no moon in the sky it one needed to see by the stars and the ethereal glow of everything within


    the realm. The packages contained the routes and regions to search or guard. So, it should be a little


    safer as others would never be that far away. With distance not being an issue. Geez where was her


    partner? Catherine should be near by now.


    Catherine was another Hell Hound and thest one she¡¯d pull off guarding the Luna. She added three


    new Hell Hounds so they would have enough guards for Aricka and Evan. The mini pack needed


    multiple guards just to protect themselves from themselves. ¡°Hey, Red. Where are you?¡± Another thing


    with the Dream Realm was the perk that packs could use telepathy between their members. It was a


    nice perk.


    Catherine Windsor was a transnt from across the pond. She was as British as you could get.


    ¡°Bloody Hell. You yell when you think too? How do you not give yourself a migraine?¡±


    Yndaughed through the link. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware that I was yelling. So, what have we got here?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a few shifters around, but no one¡¯s seen anything. I wish we knew what we were looking for.


    It¡¯s one thing to know what something looks like from a drawing. It¡¯s another knowing what they look


    like for real. How would I know if we meet up with some Fae that can change shape?¡±


    ¡°Doppel gangers are a form of demon, not a Fae. But that¡¯s now a fear I have now. Thanks.¡± Ynda


    fell into step with Catherine, and they continued their search through the gloom.


    ¡°I swear it¡¯s quieter than it is. I mean it¡¯s quiet but creepy. This is different. Startle you out of your skin


    creepy.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, think the realm itself is responding to the Fae returning?¡±


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°This ce is weird and if you look too, it just bes more peculiar. So, I¡¯m not surprised if it did.


    Now if that¡¯s the case. Is it weing the Fae or hiding from them?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the million-dor question.¡± They rounded the bend in a road that no longer existed in the


    physical realm for a long time. This is one of many slight differences that could make things creepy. At


    the end of this road was a graveyard. If they didn¡¯t see them within the Dream Realm, it would have


    stayed long forgotten. It like so many others was a family¡¯s graveyard from the early eighteen


    hundreds. Even within the Dream Realm time lost their names beyond theirst name, Colton.


    Catherine dodged into Ynda to stop her forward momentum and get her attention. Before them


    stood a monstrous doglike nightmare. It¡¯d not seen them, it was busy digging up a grave in the far


    corner of the graveyard.


    The two wolf shifters backed up and in unison. They¡¯d found a Fae minion. A member of the hunt. It


    was twice the size of the two shifters put together. They were not strong enough for a face-to-face


    confrontation.


    Without the wind scents wouldn¡¯t work within the realm, and with their bodies still in the physical realm


    they could make it out of there. If they yed it smart.


    The creature so enthralled in what it was doing. Ynda could only believe it looked for a spiritual


    version of a bone. A human bone¡­ Gag.


    Looking at Catherine, they nodded to each other and turned running back the way they had. As quietly


    as they could. Once far enough away


    Opening their link to as many pack as they could within the area. ¡°Barghest in the Colton¡¯s Graveyard! I


    repeat Barghest in the Colton¡¯s Graveyard. It¡¯s huge! We need back up! Now!¡± With their hearts


    pumping Ynda and Catherine kept watch around them. The Barghest wouldn¡¯t be alone. These were


    pets of more powerful Fae. A Shining One if they were unlucky owned it.


    Paranoia or survival instinct. ¡°Someone respond tell me you hear me.¡± They could hear the Barghest


    still digging but not see it.


    ¡°We¡¯re on our way. Be there in a few minutes. Just keep your heads down and stay quiet.¡± It was David


    the fighting instructor and Farah another enforcer. She was young and that¡¯s why Ynda grouped her


    with David.


    ¡°We¡¯re right behind them be there in a second.¡± It was Gus and his ¡®we¡¯ meant his partner wereing


    with him, Bill, and Franklin. They were the pack investigators and interrogators. They did most of the


    sleezy jobs.


    Time crawled to a snail¡¯s pace. Struggling to stay calm knowing other pack members were on the way.


    Eyes peeled for danger. Side to side with Catherine.


    Catherine opened themunication link again. ¡°Remind me if we get out of this to return your ck


    Levi¡¯s to you and buy my own.¡±


    ¡°Is that where they went? I wanted to take them with me. Why do you have them? Why didn¡¯t you ask


    first?¡±


    ¡°Because they make my butt look great and Peter is on my tail again. This time I want to keep it that


    way, and I knew if I asked you, you¡¯d say no.¡± If a wolf could pout Catherine would be doing it. She¡¯d


    been trying to get Peter to notice her for the longest time. It¡¯smon consensus that they were


    mates. But Catherine did something stupid and Peter had walked away. Now they were both suffering,


    and something had to give. But did it have to be her favourite jeans? Who brings things like this up at a


    time like this?


    The sound of many paws were nowing from over the rise. They¡¯re muted on the dry grasses as


    they approached. Backup was here and now they could track this Barghest back to the Host. Get the


    information they need, and slip away as quietly as they followed. That was the best-case scenario.

 Chapter 46: Ian鈥檚 Patrol, Bears, Bears, and Dragons

    Chapter 46: Ian¡¯s Patrol, Bears, Bears, and Dragons


    Ian was out in the cold. Night fell. He could see the shadowed forms of the three wolves just ahead of


    him. They¡¯re headed towards the front property. They¡¯d turn around at the main entrance and then


    circle around back towards the packhouse. The moon showed through the scattered winter clouds,


    giving him light. He doubted that he¡¯d catch sight of trouble before the wolves ahead of him within this


    lighting. The instructions he received were correct. He¡¯d be the ace in the hole if anything happened.


    The small group stopped and returned to human form before they approached the guardhouse. No one


    wanted to answer the hard questions about wolves. Never mind three of them. He did marvel at the


    ease they possessed concerning those backpacks. Everything contained and at the ready. It was a


    miracle there weren¡¯t photographs of wolves with these packs. Ian figured paranoia helped these


    shifters avoid messes like that.


    A quick check-in at the guardhouse told them. That several bear shifters arrived an hour before. It was


    a surprise to Ian, but he figured it wasn¡¯t for the wolves. Scents and all that. He needed to remember


    things like that.


    After getting warm, Ian and his team left the guardhouse and continued towards the packhouse.


    Thankfully, not epted yet, they ignored him. Meaning he could study the situation better. The wolves


    moved fast, but with his training and fitness level Ian kept up. Rounding the bend in the drive, they¡¯re


    greeted by several vehicles in front of the packhouse. The people milling around in the dark appeared


    toprise women and children.


    That¡¯s when it hit Ian. This wasn¡¯t another weird investigation. These people fled here for safety. If they


    were human. The world would consider it a humanitarian catastrophe. These people were seeking


    safety. Safety the RCMP or any other agency were unprepared for.


    He could hear kids crying and a soft grumble of adults talking. Ian wondered if that¡¯s how they spoke or


    if they feared their voices would attract the Faes attention. From everything he¡¯d learnt so far about


    these creatures. He¡¯d not put it past them to hear things they shouldn¡¯t. Or attracted by sound.


    His partners shifted again, with a few grunts and groans this time. Ian thought he heard Al¡¯s gravelly


    voicein about the cold.


    Mario stepped up beside Ian and gave him some sage advice. ¡°Ian, watch yourself around the visitors.


    Some older shifters don¡¯t ept humans in theirmunities. These are bears, not wolves. If


    someone gives you a hard time. Speak up and make it clear you are a pack member as a shifter mate.


    It¡¯s aw put into ce to protect mates. Mind what you do, though. You also make the pack


    responsible for your actions once you¡¯ve said that.¡±


    ¡°Good to know. Do I need to worry about getting mauled by a toddler? Dumb human here, remember?¡±


    Ian felt like a fool. He¡¯d not asked anything about wolf shifters. Their lifestyle, customs, or lifespan. He


    didn¡¯t remember seeing any wolf pups. But he¡¯d not been there long.


    ¡°Na. They look like human babies. They start shifting at about eight or nine years old. Then all hell


    breaks loose. So you see a ten-year-old or tween with an attitude. That¡¯s the one you will need to


    watch.¡± Even in the dark Ian could tell Mario wasn¡¯t joking. He¡¯d love to have a beer with Mario and


    hear the story behind his long-suffering expression.


    ¡°Teen hormones and shifting. The thought scares me, and I¡¯ve never encountered it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a mate, that means sooner orter, you will. Okay, let¡¯s get in there and make sure none get


    lost. After that, back to patrol. Jay¡¯s team is taking up where we left off for the time being.¡± Ian would


    admitter that Ynda thought of everything in that n. She¡¯d included extra patrol groups in case of


    injury or need for back up. Because they were here first it would be their job to get the Bears where


    they needed to be. Others would meet with them and help them settle into their temporary home.


    John stepped forwards and they followed him as he waded into the crowd. Standing on the stairs of the


    packhouse was Gregory and Aricka. Stories always speak of the aura an Alpha gave off. What Ian was


    expecting was a dominate man, who threw their weight around. He found before him two Alpha¡¯s sizing


    each other up. Therge stranger appeared taller than Gregory by several inches. He possessed a


    physique Ian would describe as bearish. A thick beard covered his face. Both men seemed in


    protective stances. Gregory, protecting hisnd and people. The Bear Alpha, struggling to ept help


    and protection for his people.


    ¡°Lnd, you made it. Any trouble?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve made do. No sightings of Fae within our area. I¡¯ve left people there to watch over things. With


    instructions to leave at the first sign things are going south.¡± Ian could only describe Lnd¡¯s voice as


    gravelly and bearish. How could any human not sense, or see the differences in shifters? Ian watched


    the confrontation.


    ¡°We¡¯ll keep a mage ready if they need a portal to hasten their evacuation.¡± Lnd nodded at Gregory¡¯s


    response.


    ¡°I¡¯ve brought our ambassadors here.¡± A knowing look passed between the two men.


    ¡°You mean your father insisted on stepping up? I¡¯m sure my mother would love the assistance. There¡¯s


    a lot on the to-do list right now. I¡¯m sure they know the way to her office. She¡¯s barricaded in there


    without enough hands. She¡¯ll be grateful for more hands. Aricka, you know Lnd. This is Emily, his


    mate. Their cubs, Marianne, and Quin. Why don¡¯t take them in and get them settled?


    Ian realized now Emily was pregnant with two cubs who must be twins by the looks of them. The faces


    now around Ian appeared drawn, and not from the upheaval caused by the Fae threat. He could feel


    sadness too. This was not a pleasant situation.


    As he stood there, watching a mane forwards request that he take what medical supplies they¡¯d to


    the medical centre and he would offer his support there. Ian figured this must be theirmunity¡¯s


    medical doctor.


    The light overhead flickered right then. Like something transparent crossed between the moon and Ian.


    He looked up in time to see the dragons¡¯ transformation from nothingness. He wasn¡¯t sure how to


    describe the sight of dragons in flight. But phasing into view one by one and then numbers. There must


    be twenty or morending. How they organized theirnding Ian would never understand. No in air


    crashes or bumps. Silent except for a slight whoosh as theynded. Each one dropped something


    before theynded. As their feet touched down their form shimmered like the wolf shifters. When they


    finished, there were men and women in the ce of the dragons. Now Ian knew why they didn¡¯t find


    dragon bones. Each dragon snatched up their package and ran off thending area for the next to


    ¡°I¡¯ll assume it¡¯s your first time seeing a dragone in for anding. Impressive, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Newly mated. I¡¯ve seen an eagle shifter once. But I only found out a few hours ago that dragons


    existed. I¡¯m a little overwhelmed trying to catch up on what¡¯s real and what¡¯s not.¡± The stranger beside


    himughed heartily. Even theirughter sounded bearish.


    ¡°Well, mind your manners around the dragons. Most of them are older than all our ages added


    together. So, bear with them as they can be a little formal. I¡¯m Berret, and this is Janine, my mate.


    We¡¯re Lnd¡¯s parents and the Bear Ambassadors. You are?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry. I¡¯m a little distracted. Ian. Ian Be. I¡¯m mate to Ynda Redgrave. I think it¡¯s time we help


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    your people find a safe ce to settle in for the time.¡± Ian became distracted by so many things. We¡¯re


    all these Alphas rich, powerful people? Was influence something they used to keep their existence


    hidden? Janine gave off the feel of a rich man¡¯s first wife.


    ¡°Hmm. You¡¯re the mate of the Luna¡¯s head bodyguard?¡±


    ¡°And head of the armoury. Don¡¯t worry once I¡¯m done catching up on the magic end of things. I¡¯ll work


    along side of her there. I¡¯ve got more than enough training and experience.¡± Ian wasn¡¯t sure if


    Ynda¡¯s positions impressed him or told him that Ian wasn¡¯t important.


    ¡°If all Bear shifters will follow my men here. We¡¯ll get you settled into your temporary location.¡± Gregory


    pointed to Ian¡¯s team including himself. ¡°Have a good evening everyone. If you need food the


    packhouse will have ready made food avable at all hours. When you get to your site there will be a


    team of people there to help you with anything you need.¡± Gregory didn¡¯t appear phased at his need to


    shift his attention from one group to another.


    The first dragons began to approach as Ian helped move the Bears on with the others. Ian nodded to


    Berret. ¡°Good evening then Sir. They¡¯ve given me my marching orders. I hope we¡¯ll see more of each


    otherter.¡± Berret nodded to him solemnly, and moved off into the packhouse.

 Chapter 47: The Dragons are Here

    Chapter 47: The Dragon''s are Here


    Ian saw enough of the first dragon shifter¡¯s appearance he understood they were old and formal. First,


    they wore a modern take on medieval clothing. They looked like they were part of a Viking


    documentary. Tunics, pants, and boots. The women wore simple dresses that ended just past the knee.


    In ce of winter jackets, they wore a heavy type of cloak. Ian realized the packages they carried were


    the cloaks wrapped around their clothing. He left the scene. Ian wondered how many generations of


    dragons flew that same way?


    Walking through the woods in the dark. It was his job to make sure that nonegged or


    became lost. Behind him there were vehicles, trucks, SUVs, trailers, and several campers. Ian


    overheard a child ahead of him asked his mother if they¡¯d stay here for a while or would they be moving


    again. They didn¡¯t have a stable home. This wasn¡¯t the first event they needed to run from. It broke his


    heart.


    Once they handed off themunity of bear shifters, Ian¡¯s team returned to their patrol. This


    time Mario stayed in human form. Ian whispered to them as they walked the tiny path through the trees.


    ¡°Is it that bad for the Bears? I heard a kid ask if they¡¯d need to move again.¡±


    ¡°We were lucky after the Lich. Wolves live in packs like this estate. Bears, though, live in


    family units like humans, but not in close-knitmunities. The Lich used that istion to prey on them


    for victims. No time to mourn any deaths. The Bears decided to start amunity like ours. The time to


    build buildings, security, and services wasn¡¯t there. Our Alpha has tried to help them. Lend them


    equipment and supplies. He offered services until they set their own up. He helped them connect them


    with vendors. Even offered our construction services. Time, however, wasn¡¯t on our side. Winter and


    then this happened. We can¡¯t leave them exposed. It¡¯s wrong, and a breach of the secrecy of our


    existence. In my opinion. It¡¯s an enormous mess. This started three months ago. We¡¯ve been working


    to fix it, and stop one disaster after another.¡±


    ¡°Yet, every human around is ignorant of the chaos your lives are. Your struggle to survive,


    and not force this on the human poption.¡±


    ¡°If history tells me one thing. We¡¯re forced to rely on humans the first time. But humans are


    the ones that changed. It¡¯s our ce to protect others this time. We aren¡¯t the ves this time.¡±


    ¡°Last time?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re taught that the Fae created us as ves and foot soldiers for their private armies. We


    were beasts to be ughtered for their whims and entertainment. Humans banished the Fae after a


    great battle thatsted ages. In doing so they broke our bond with the Fae, freeing us. Our ancestors


    pledged to protect those in need of protection from things beyond their control. In other words, the


    supernatural.¡±


    ¡°The Lich, and now the Fae.¡±


    ¡°Our rogue elements. Other mythological creatures wake from sometimes. Magical mishaps.


    The list goes on. Our reach and power aren¡¯t just to keep our secret. It enables us to do what we must


    do. Humans wouldn¡¯t react well to some of our rulings. Our punishments can be severe, but it matches


    the need for peace, and safety.¡±


    ¡°The ¡®yeah but.¡¯ When they use the saying, ¡®two wrongs don¡¯t make a right.¡¯¡±


    ¡°How do you imprison something that can¡¯t be imprisoned? How do you kill the unkible?


    You kill the ones that can¡¯t be imprisoned, you imprison the unkible and pray it never gets out.¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°The Lich?¡±


    ¡°Drain the magic from the thing he keeps his soul shard in. Then execute him. Otherwise, he


    lives forever. It¡¯s a when he gets out, not an if. It all starts again. That¡¯s why the mages were involved.


    It¡¯s not just their research skills and portals. They have some scary talents.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying if I see a bunny. Run.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t joke. The fae race called Pooka favour turning into bunnies. Those are not friendly


    creatures once they have you trapped.¡±


    ¡°I was joking, but I¡¯ll take that as a fair warning.¡± Ian realized with that information, he was out


    gunned, outnumbered, and uneducated. He¡¯s so far out of his element that he was endangering himself


    and others. The overwhelming urge to run and hide gued him for the rest of his shift. Nothing else


    happened except the sun came up on the gray world. Thankfully, no tinges of blood in sight.


    His team returned to the packhouse to find the area in chaos. A dragon shifter in Gregory¡¯s


    office demanding to know the why of something. He seemed panicked and angry. Ian stopped a shifter


    as she passed, ¡°You know what¡¯s going on?¡± It was one of Edith¡¯s assistants, he couldn¡¯t remember her


    name.


    ¡°Yeah, Fae spotted in the Dream Realm and the Dragons are taking exception to the fact


    they didn¡¯t receive an invite to participate. The Alpha is trying to exin to him he didn¡¯t n this. They


    stumbled upon one of the low-ranking ones.¡±


    Someone else stopped beside them. ¡°They found a monster called a Barghest. Think giant


    dog with nasty temper. Their teeth and ws rival that temper. Those found it are tracking it. Hopefully,


    they¡¯ll find them and not get killed in the process.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s they? Which group found it?¡±


    ¡°Not sure, actually. Sorry. We¡¯re all worried.¡±


    ¡°So it was bad timing. Their arrival after this finding?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know about you. But if I was in the Dream Realm, a Dragon could cover my


    back. I¡¯d be all over that.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to keep them in the background. Pretend the human belief ¡®dragons


    have gone extinct or never existed¡¯ is real and let the Fae hear it. Then, use abined force with


    dragons in the mix to attack? It¡¯s just the thought of a dumb human here. I don¡¯t know if you could fool


    the Fae like that.¡±


    ¡°It would be the perfect, if my darling mate didn¡¯t have a thirst for revenge like he does.¡± A


    raven-haired woman stood on the stairs looking down at the crowded entrance lobby. Food and people


    crowded the entrance way. The lobby now boasted a take-out counter of sorts. People from the kitchen


    could pass out food and keep drinks stocked there. The kitchen was blocked off from the rest of the


    house this way. Ian figured it made sense with all the extra people to keep the number people crowding


    it. The dining room was now arge briefing area. Ian discovered a set of doors open now, led to a


    ballroom that became amunications centre. Though he wasn¡¯t sure why the doors leading from the


    ballroom were blocked off. That was odd.


    ¡°Sherri ckstone, Representative of the Dragon Faction. Ian Bt, Ynda Redgrave¡¯s


    mate. Ian¡¯s been helping with patrols within this realm, and one of the members who found the


    evidence of thistest fiasco.¡±


    ¡°Well, thank you. I¡¯m d it was found so quickly. We now have a chance to prevail. You are


    newly mated? I am asking due to your tone earlier.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m still adjusting and am sadlycking in knowledge of the facts. We mated a day


    ago.¡±


    ¡°Congrattions are in order then. Time is a luxury we don¡¯t have sadly. You must act with


    little to no preparation. Ah, he¡¯s quiet. Gregory must have put him in his ce. I¡¯m sorry I need to go


    and keep him there before it bes a political incident. Shelley, dear, please inform Edith I will be in


    to see her once I¡¯ve wrangled my mate. She¡¯ll understand.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Ambassador. I¡¯ll do that right now.¡±


    ¡°Ian, get some food ande on. We have chaos to deal with. It seems our shift isn¡¯t over.


    Come on.¡± Mario called down the stairs over the noise in the lobby. It reverberated off the high ceiling.


    ¡°On it. Thanks for the information. See youter.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, take it easy, and don¡¯t do anything stupid.¡± Shelley disappeared down the corridor


    towards the Sunroom. He still thought that was the strangest office he¡¯d ever seen. It would make


    sense if she were a florist.


    Packages of food were stacked on the table with stickers saying what was inside of them and


    a polite remind to return the packages for reuse.


    That¡¯s when Ian realized he¡¯d not seen a single disposable item since he got here. Bottles, cups, and


    even the napkins were reusable. Yeah, so what came first werewolf ways or hippie lifestyle? He


    grabbed a box and a cup of coffee. Caffeine was going to be his friend it seemed. This would be a long


    night. At least they¡¯d got coffee. He¡¯d survive if he had that.


    With his food in his hands, Ian headed up the main stairs and followed his teammate towards the


    conference room they¡¯d started the day in. The waiting over the day for things to happen. Then the long


    trek through the snows. It¡¯s catching up on him, but if he had to prove himself. Then he would stifle it,


    and not say anything.

 Chapter 48: Briefing a Little Late

    Chapter 48: Briefing a Little Late


    Ian sat with the others, listening to the various groups of people talking about theircklustre patrols.


    Hal and Jaxon sat with him. They ate while making small talk. The twins¡¯ expression told him. They¡¯d


    something they needed to discuss with him in private. Though there was no space for that. More


    people entered the conference room. Dragons, by the clothing they wore, along with serious


    expressions.


    Gregory followed them in. He stepped to the table¡¯s head. The dragon leader to his left and the Fianna


    hunter to his right. ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention, please? Thank you. I know you


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    are all tired. We have news for you. It¡¯s not great. But it¡¯s news.¡±


    ¡°While you were out patrolling this realm. Others within the Dream Realm discovered a barguest. The


    Please try to get some proper sleep now. We don¡¯t know when or if we¡¯ll need of your services. Before


    anyone goes off and believes because they can¡¯t enter the Dream Realm, this precludes them, it


    doesn¡¯t. These creatures can exit the Dream Realm at will, anywhere. If you believe you are alone,


    don¡¯t. You¡¯re lying to yourself. That means. No one is alone from now on.¡±


    Faces looked about the room. Voices mingled in a low rumble. Everyone struggled to make sense of it


    all.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Especially to the newly mated. I have good news to report. Many factions have agreed to


    return. The merfolk have agreed to return to act as backup support for transporting supplies and


    providing medical support.¡±


    Mario leaned between Hal and Ian. His words quiet as he expanded this announcement. ¡°Think


    mermaids, sea going shifters. They make great scouts. All the water in the area. It acts like highways


    for them. Merfolk also have an affinity for making great medics. Or guards for the medics. Their faction


    has an aversion to attacking anyone. Though they will defend and protect.¡± Jaxon nodded


    appreciatively at the exnation.


    ¡°The Vampire and Druid Factions are also returning. This means we¡¯ll have a full house again. By now


    we¡¯re ustomed to it. I expect everyone to be on their best behaviour. We¡¯re the hosts. Talks will also


    begin on building a permanent n for future events, such as these. This means your reports must


    include all the issues you have with your involvement. Your ability to function. Improvements for future


    missions. We need your input.¡± Gregory took a breath. ¡°Thest reported location of the barguest was


    the old Colton graveyard. It headed northwest. The creature is the size of three to four shifter wolves. It


    also has magic that allows it to send its victim into a state of terror. It¡¯s always hungry, and its favourite


    meal is fresh meat. Preferably human or humanoid. Iron weapons will affect it. We¡¯re waiting now on


    our enforcer, who is tracking the creature to find their location. Best-case scenario they can return with


    rough numbers, too. Questions?¡± Gregory looked for raised hands.


    Ian put his hand up. ¡°Who¡¯s tracking the thing?¡±


    ¡°We have a group in there currently. Yes, before you ask, Ynda is leading them. Ragnar, the dragon


    ambassador, and leader, will speak now. After, Llewellyn will update about the evidence.


    Ian wasn¡¯t paying attention after that. Ynda¡¯s tracking the fae thing. He wanted to be there with her.


    By her side. He wanted to have her back. Ian couldn¡¯t believe this. Now, he understood how wives of


    terrorist teams and hostage negotiators felt. He sat here twiddling his thumbs. While Ynda was


    stalked monsters.


    The Dragon shifter leader stepped forward. Ragnar cleared his voice to ensure he¡¯d have everyone¡¯s


    attention. Ian¡¯s mind shed with images from the actors of the television show, Vikings. But he was


    listening. ¡°We will send teams into the Dream Realm to form re-enforcements in case they are needed.


    Time is of the essence. The re-enforcements will include dragon enforcers. We are at war now.


    Whether we want it. Or not. So, when from now on. Humans will space out throughout themunity


    once they are here.¡±


    Ian now assumed he meant the Fianna. So they were considered human. Mario leaned in again and


    gave hismentary. ¡°The Fae will expect only the supernatural creatures they created. When they


    were driven out, we avoided most humans. The Fianna were humans that hunted us. The magic they


    will use on the general poption of shifters won¡¯t affect humans. The twins too as they are human/fae


    Hal and Ian nodded d to know why and not wasting others time exining it to them. Ragnar


    continued to talk. Exining known Fae attacks. Creature strengths and weaknesses. As he spoke a


    woman wandered between the teams handing out documents. When Ian received his, it was what


    Ragnar was saying, along with images of the Fae detailed in the notes. Many were nightmarish in


    appearance. ws, teeth, fur mixed with scales. Then there were the delicately beautiful. There were


    warnings with every creature. The warnings were about their devious natures. Each creature appeared


    more dangerous then the next.


    ¡°Shifters will be expected to protect those in the physical realm. Fill in spaces in hunting parties. Mages


    will be our portal keepers. Remember there¡¯ll be a lot of traffic. It will be a target. The merfolk will again


    be our runners, protectors, and assistants to the medics. If one needs help you step in. If one of your


    people are charmed or enved. Try to contain them. Killing our people is ourst resort. If you think


    you saw horrors on the fields with the Lich in control. He was a beginnerpared to him. This is


    entertainment for them. Questions?¡±


    What was going on with Ynda? She¡¯d been in there for hours. Ian¡¯s education on Fae didn¡¯t ease his


    mind. She was in a dangerous position. He just wanted to be there. Keep her back protected. This was


    killing him a little inside. He raised his hands. ¡°Do we have any idea when we¡¯ll next hear from the


    current hunting party?¡±


    ¡°Right now we have people waiting and listening for the hunters news. There are Fae that can hear


    thoughtmunication within the Dream Realm. Since, we don¡¯t know whether they have one in their


    group. We are taking things carefully. The hunters know to keep a low key. You¡¯re one of the new


    human mates I was informed about?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m mostly in the dark about these things. However, I¡¯m trying my hardest to catch up.¡±


    Jaxon leaned closer to Ian. His hand on Ian¡¯s wrist under the table. His fingers making signs Ian knew


    to tell him something Jaxon learned. A finger trailing in circle. The dragon wasn¡¯t happy. Probably,


    being forced to interact with a dumb human.

 Chapter 49: Into the Dream Dragon Back Up

    Chapter 49: Into the Dream Dragon Back Up


    Ynda stalked through the bushes. Her pack mates spread out behind her. Movement was different


    within the Dream Realm. There was no sound, wind, or small animal movement to mask theirs. This


    was the reason not everyone worked in the Dream Realm. Danger lurked behind every corner and


    bush. Sounds betrayed you to those harmful things.


    They stalked through the dark mirror realm after one of the worst things in existence. Death here meant


    true death. They followed a Barguest through the bush hoping it didn¡¯t catch their scent and chomping


    down on their bones. Their mission was to find where the Fae holed up. So, they could attack them first


    and catch them unprepared. They wanted to catch the Fae unaware before they revealed the


    supernatural poption to the humans and save lives of the Fae¡¯s human victims.


    Ynda and Catherine were in their wolf-form, tracking the beast as. David and Farah followed a


    distance away, still on two feet. Their weapons at the ready. A person could fall asleep wearing


    something or carrying something. It would appear in the realm with them. After so long, mages who


    studied this realm couldn¡¯t exin. Why or what were the rules. The rules appeared to beplex and


    inconsistent.


    They¡¯d been stalking for close to an hour. How loud was the horn this creature responded to? It must


    be one of those twisted rules again. They were nearing a local pic area. Of course, they set up here.


    This season people wouldn¡¯t encounter them here. There¡¯s a town close to here. But no snow mobile or


    ski trails.


    The barguest stopped and let loose the most mournful howl; it sent shivers through everyone who


    heard it. Everyone held their breath and stopped dead in their tracks. The barguest acted like a dog.


    Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    Here, within the Dream Realm, it looked like a nightmare dog. It possessed ragged ck confusion of


    fur, glowing, ssy red eyes, and a slobbering mouth. Three times the size of a wolf shifter. A shifter in


    wolf form couldn¡¯t pass as a normal wolf. This monster wouldn¡¯t pass for anything but a nightmare.


    Ynda struggled not to let her heart to beat out of her chest. What summoned the creature? Where


    was the creature¡¯s master?


    ¡®I don¡¯t like this. Keep your eyes open. We don¡¯t know where they¡¯lle from.¡¯ Ynda heard this


    voice in her head. It was David, the eldest of them, and the main fighting instructor with the ck River


    Pack. ¡®Remember. Theye and go at will.¡¯ She could hear the notes of caution in David¡¯s voice.


    No one believed for a minute they¡¯d find themselves fighting the Fae. Wild magic, and ancient battle


    tactics. Evil indifference to the wellbeing of others. Icy and emotionless one minute. Selfish and blood


    thirsty the next. Generous when it benefits them. Murderous when they imagine someone has slighted


    them.


    Ynda knew everyone else struggled with the fear. They were in an unknown situation. With enough


    facts to know fear was a sensible reaction. But not enough to feel confident they¡¯d survive the


    encounter.


    Within the perpetual twilight¡¯s grey hues, several forms materialized from the bushes around the


    barguest. Two beings glowed with an inner light. Beauty dripped for their every move. Taller than a


    human, these creatures would dwarf any shifter. These must be Shining Ones. Now Ynda


    understood why they¡¯re believed to be aliens or extra dimensional creatures. There was nothing natural


    about their beauty. No one could mistake them for humans.


    Seeing these creatures and what they¡¯re capable of. Ynda couldn¡¯t ept them in the same realm


    as Ian. Her mate wouldn¡¯t be a toy for these creatures. She felt a rush of protectiveness that shocked


    her. The urge to do something stupid. Was overwhelming.


    They had what they needed now. Here is where the monsters¡¯ setup shop. But they wouldn¡¯t open for


    business. ¡®We know the area now. Let¡¯s get out of here. We¡¯ll report back to the others.¡¯ Ynda turned


    from the scene ofughter and frolicking.


    ¡®Wait. We need to know how many there. More appear with every passing minute. They need to know


    how many are there. I know I taught you better than that. Know thy enemy.¡¯ David was correct. Ynda


    returned to her crouch and tried to remember the names of all the smaller creatures and nightmares


    rampaging through the open space.


    Minutes ticked by and it appeared all that would appear was visible within the field. She huffed for just a


    moment. The Fae made so much noise, Ynda believed it wouldn¡¯t be a problem. The Fae yed


    music,ughed, and sang. Dancing around the field like it was New Year¡¯s Eve of thest year of all


    existence.


    ¡®I think we have enough for now. Let¡¯s get out of here., Before one trips over us.¡¯ This time Ynda


    heard the grunt of agreement from David. Catherine bobbed her snout up and down in consent. Farah


    followed their mentor as they left the space.


    One of the odd things about travel within the Dream Realm. Many could learn to do traveling. Traveling


    was an odd thing. If one knew where they¡¯re going. One could travel at greater distances than one


    could within reality. One step by someone skilled in this could move them miles from their body. This


    caused problems, as you must be close to your body or risk leaving the realm and not finding your


    body to return to. No one¡¯s sure what happened to those souls. On their way back. They received a


    message from another shifter guard.


    ¡®Dragons have appeared within the Dream realm. Warning. Dragons are here, but in human form.¡¯


    ¡®Crap, they shouldn¡¯t be here. They¡¯re our secret back up.¡¯ Dragons were a thing, all their own. No


    one¡¯s sure whether they¡¯re a creature as old as the Fae. Or their first creation. But Dragons could cast


    a form of wild magic. Which made them perfect as a secret weapon. If any Fae asked a human about


    dragons, they¡¯d learn humans didn¡¯t believe they existed. Fae would assume this belief was because


    they were extinct.


    There, by the building where their bodiesy, were five dragons surrounded by other shifters. ¡°What¡¯s


    going on here? Sir?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here to assist should any need it.¡±


    ¡°Very good. We¡¯re about to return to the other realm and pass on the information we¡¯ve gained while it¡¯s


    still fresh in our minds. Please be careful near the town of Ashton. The Fae are crawling through a


    pic area there. It¡¯s a small hunt with two shining ones hosting the hunt.¡± A hunt was a group of Fae.


    Out to amuse themselves by hunting anything that amuses them. The smarter the creature is, higher


    the chances of being their next victim. The numbers within a hunt could be as little as a hand full to


    thousands. A host or the leader of the hunt. Here, there¡¯re two leaders and as any army knows.


    Nothing gets done with too many leaders.


    ¡°Two, are you sure?¡± The spokesperson for the Dragons inquired.


    ¡°Yes, why?¡±


    ¡°Two of them? They¡¯ll work each other into open war. Once one does something, the second dislikes.


    They¡¯ll split up and start a war. Each will look for people and creatures. To erge their hunt. Then turn


    it on the other.¡± He spoke without emotion, as if he were reading it off a menu in a restaurant.


    Ynda stepped back, turned away, and ran her hand through her long, dark hair. ¡°Seriously? I just


    want to kill them. Get it over with. Fine, if you wish to rece us while we report in and get some proper


    rest.¡± This dragon was a cold one. Know wonder people thought they were lizards. ¡°That¡¯s it. I thank


    you for doing this. But I caution you to be careful, please. We¡¯ll head out now.¡±


    ¡°The three of you go and do what needs to be done. I¡¯ll stay here and assist the Dragons on finding


    their footing.¡± David stopped by the door to the barracks. ¡°I¡¯ll stay long enough to show them where not


    to go and the locations that must be watched.¡±


    ¡°Good. We¡¯ll see youter then.¡± Once in the building it was a matter of closing one¡¯s eyes and willing


    yourself to awaken.


    Ynda opened her eyes and looked around. Catherine and Farah were both awakening too. Bleary


    eyed, they¡¯d sat up and looked around. Going into the Dream Realm for an extended time wasn¡¯t restful


    at all. It sapped the energy from your body. Like it needed that energy to keep you within the Dream


    Realm. Therefore, one never spends long within the Dream Realm. It could kill you if you weren¡¯t


    careful.


    ¡°Okay, guys you head in and get some rest. I¡¯ll report to the Alpha with this news. Don¡¯t show your


    faces until after you¡¯ve had some sleep.¡± Ynda dragged herself from her bunk and headed for the


    packhouse.

 Chapter 50: Returning and Reporting

    Chapter 50: Returning and Reporting


    Ynda stood at the door to the Alpha¡¯s office. Waiting after she knocked. She could hear many


    people moving in inside. No one responded to her repeated knock. So, she took a risk entering. It was


    chaos in it. Alpha Gregory was trying to work with people everywhere, doing their own work. With the


    door open, she understood why no one responded to her knock. No one could hear it. Where these


    peoplee from? When did they get here? At least they¡¯d have help.


    She dodged a few people to get to her leader¡¯s desk. He looked like he needed a holiday. In


    the minute it took Ynda to get to his desk, he¡¯d consulted on five different issues, answered his own


    phone, and was attempting to do something on hisputer.


    When Gregory noticed Ynda, he stopped what he was doing. ¡°Tell me you have


    Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    something.¡±


    ¡°Yes, good and bad. We found the Fae. Yes, they are close. However, there are many more


    than expected.¡±


    ¡°Stop right there. Lue, Dean,e here we have an eyewitness report finally.¡±


    The Mage and Fianna crossed the room listened. ¡°Okay, start from the top, Ynda.¡±


    Much of the work slowed or stopped outright so they could hear the report.


    Now, Ynda felt ufortable and very watched. ¡°While on patrol, we found a barguest. It


    ripped into a grave at the old Colton farmstead. Catherine and I backed off and called for backup.¡±


    Dean was taking notes as she spoke. He at least was polite enough not to ask questions. ¡°David and


    Farrah responded. I think the barguest¡¯s fully grown. It appeared to be the size of all of usbined.¡±


    ¡°Yes, some Fae use them as attack dogs or mounts. Go on.¡±


    ¡°The beast¡¯s summoned by what sounded like a horn. We followed at a distance as it


    followed the sound. It took a long time, but we tracked it to the pic location near the town of


    Danbury.¡±


    ¡°Crap, there¡¯s fifteen kilometres from the town. If they move through the dream realm, they¡¯ll


    instantly be in the middle of town.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not finished. There are at least two confirmed shining ones. A male and female. We didn¡¯t


    get close enough to hear their names. The hunt¡¯s numbers range from 75 or more confirmed. But we¡¯re


    forced to pull back by the sheer numbers of Fae in the meadow. I¡¯m sure there¡¯re more.¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯ve confirmed there¡¯s at least one hunt as we speak.¡± Lue was mumbling to himself.


    Ynda could almost hear the gears of his old mind clicking as he processed this information.


    ¡°They appeared to be partying and waiting for something. We saw weapons, but no prisoners


    or ves. Yet.¡±


    ¡°That may be good. But we can¡¯t expect this to be their only gathering area. Another night


    holds their darker actions.¡± Dean mentioned over the top of his notebook. Lue¡¯s head nodded in


    agreement.


    Ynda couldn¡¯t believe howplex this hade. From a severed arm to a fairy invasion.


    ¡°I left the dragons in there with orders not to reveal themselves. However, I mentioned the known areas


    to them. I hope they take the advice. Have the twins tried to enter the Dream Realm?¡±


    ¡°No. We¡¯ll try that as ast resort. I don¡¯t want them questioning what their loyalties and


    morals are. You know how persuasive Fae can be.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and they wouldn¡¯t hesitate to use them to get to us and entertain themselves,¡± Dean


    mumbled over his now malfunctioning pen. He tossed it into the trash can by the desk and pulled


    another from one of his many secreted pockets.


    ¡°This is a mess. What if they change their target and use the Dream Realm to go after


    another town?¡±


    ¡°David worried the shining ones might insult one another. Then seek revenge on each other


    through a personal war.¡±


    ¡°Another valid possibility. The Fianna will arrive in a matter of hours. The mages are present.


    They¡¯re setting up portals to move people out of here. That will start in a few hours. Only the bears will


    stay here. They¡¯ve declined temporary relocation. So it¡¯ll be them and those who agree to fight.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go find my mate, then. We¡¯ll look in on the armoury.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t panic, there¡¯s Fianna down there. So, it won¡¯t be as bad as you might believe.¡± Seeing


    as most armouries like this one, the Fianna set up, equip, and supply them. The worst thing would be


    theyin about how she¡¯s running it. That wouldn¡¯t be unheard of. Or unreasonable. Many of the


    weapons were dangerous if they¡¯re used or stored incorrectly. They made these weapons, and she


    believed they felt responsible towards them.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine for now. I still want to know. What¡¯s down there and its state. It is my armoury.¡±


    Sometimes Lue forgot his people weren¡¯t the only ones that respected the items created to protect


    them. ¡°Before I go. Is there anything else? Questions I need to answer?¡±


    Gregory looked at the other two men. They both shook their heads no. ¡°For now. No. Though


    go check on the armoury. Then get some sleep. I saw your mate pass here an hour ago, and he looked


    ready to drop.¡±


    ¡°Great. Just what I need. My mate getting scared off by overworking him. Please try not to kill


    him. He¡¯s growing on me.¡±


    ¡°Rx he¡¯sported himself so well with the Bears that Lnd mentioned him by name.¡±


    ¡°What? Why was he near the Bears? He¡¯s supposed to be patrolling.¡± Ynda looked at her


    leader for understanding.


    ¡°He¡¯s part of the closest patrol that escorted the Bears to where they¡¯ll be staying. The


    dragonsnded as the Bears arrived. So, your mate helped with the interrtions between our factions.


    Thest thing we needed was a protocol issue. So please understand, I recognize he¡¯s trying to fit in,


    and he¡¯s doing a good job of it. The man didn¡¯t blink an eye when the Dragon factionnded.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m d to hear that. I didn¡¯t know what I¡¯d if it didn¡¯t work out.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯d do what we always do. Try to make it work out. You know we wouldn¡¯t abandon you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you. I¡¯ll go find him. We¡¯ll be in the armoury for the foreseeable future. If not there,


    then message us at our cottage.¡± With a nod of dismissal from her leader and his consultants?


    Friends? Business associates? Those names all fit but didn¡¯t quite fit. The Englishnguage didn¡¯t


    seem to have a word for this. Or Ynda never learnt it. Which could be possible?¡±


    A few simple queries about the packhouse told Ynda. Her mate¡¯s sleeping in a make-shift


    bunk room. She needed to tip-toe into the room and hunt by his scent. Not an easy feat when you¡¯re


    surrounded by shifters. These weren¡¯t only wolves. There were now bears and dragons intermixed.


    She suspected a few Fianna were there. It would make sense why they ept Ian into the mix. He


    wouldn¡¯t set off anyone''s instinctive rm bells because the shifter was aware of the Fianna. Also, he


    smelt like her.


    *             *             *


    Gregory looked at the Mage and Fianna after Ynda left. ¡°Everyone leave the room. Wait to


    be told when to return. We won¡¯t belong.¡± That wasn¡¯t the truth, and everyone knew it. If he were calling


    the council together. No one could predict the time wasted.


    As the others filed out. Gregory sent out a mass text. ¡°I¡¯ll summon everyone that needs to


    know. Then we might have a chance at making a n.¡±


    Both men agreed with his decision. Transparency and inclusion would allow this to go


    smoothly. If they could keep the politics to a minimum, they just might survive this.


    Responses started almost instantly. The Ragnar, the Dragon faction¡¯s ambassador, entered


    almost immediately upon receiving his text. Gregory¡¯s father replied that they¡¯d be right along. Others


    would filter in.


    It wouldn¡¯t take long for all representatives to arrive. It¡¯s thest time they¡¯d hold a meeting


    here. At this rate, they¡¯d need to build a smaller version of the council chambers. Just to hold the


    peace.


    ¡°A viable n would make everyone rest easier, and I feel in nothing else it will set


    everyone¡¯s mindset towards victory.¡±


    ¡°If only that was all we needed. This group worked wellst time. Let¡¯s hope we can repeat


    that. The council couldn¡¯t pass anything in the time allotted. Let alone about forming a unified force. So


    we can¡¯t be sure whether everyone will be on board with it.¡±


    ¡°True, but nothing else does it. This will prove the need for it.¡± The men sat down once they¡¯d


    greeted Ragnar.


    ¡°You have information then of where the Fae are hiding?¡±


    ¡°We have one location. Now it¡¯s time to n our move. Once everyone is here, we¡¯ll give all


    the details and then brainstorm.

 Chapter 51: Armoury Changes

    Chapter 51: Armoury Changes


    Trying to sneak into a room full of shifters that are ready for war was not as fun as it sounded.


    The image of a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs came to mind. In this case, the rocking


    chairs were half of her armoury and she was the cat.


    So here she was, looking for her mate in a dark room full of armed shifters. The only thing she


    could think of was the word crazy. It kept ringing through her head.


    Finally, Ynda found him in a lower bunk by the far corner of the entrance. She stood there,


    looking at him. Ynda so wanted to climb in beside him. But wouldn¡¯t look good from any angle. If she


    shook him, he¡¯d make noise in a panic.


    Okay, going in for a sleeping beauty with a role reversal. Why did her brain go to great efforts


    to make herugh at moments like this? Gods, she hoped Ian found it funny. She leaned in and nted


    a kiss on his lips, praying she wouldn¡¯t get attacked by him or someone else.


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Sure enough, his eyes shot open, and the kiss ended with him crab-walking backwards on the


    bed. Giggling, Ynda whispered, ¡°It¡¯s me. We need to check in on things in the armoury.¡±


    ¡°What? Why? You¡¯re the arms master. Why can¡¯t I sleep?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve heard of a fox in a henhouse?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°We have Fianna in the armoury and as my new assistant your ass is by my side so when it


    ¡°Wait, when did I be your assistant?¡±


    ¡°Shh¡­ ande on. I¡¯m assuming you slept with your boots on.¡±


    ¡°Teleporting fairies damn right I kept my boots on.¡± They tried unsessfully to whisper talk to


    each other, but as it goes three others woke up and there were a fewints about the noise they


    were making.


    ¡°Fine,e on, we can talk outside.¡± Ian grabbed his gear and followed Ynda out of the


    room. Outside, he dropped his gear and grabbed her. He nted a far more attentive and insistent kiss


    this time.


    He leaned back from the kiss. ¡°That¡¯s better, okay, now what is this crap about being your


    assistant?¡± He frowned down at her, waiting for a response.


    ¡°Simply, they are erging the armoury as we speak, and I needed an assistant before. Now I


    need one even more. You have the skill and training for standard weapons and the ability to learn


    quickly. Being my mate is a factor. It also helps that you need a job here beyond being our fixer within


    the RCMP. Now we need to get down there before they change everything so we can¡¯t find anything.¡±


    ¡°Fine, let¡¯s go.¡± Ian waved Ynda ahead of him while he picked up what he dropped and


    followed.


    Once in the lower basement and past the heavy door. The armoury was abuzz with people.


    Hear was everywhere. Items were being examined, others were being tested, and there were clear


    signs of new gearing in and fresh symbols around the space.


    Ynda stopped someone passing by her. ¡°Who¡¯s heading this up and where are they right


    now?¡±


    ¡°Armoury¡¯s run by a Ynda Redgrave, but she¡¯s not here. Something about a mission


    keeping her busy.¡± Ynda rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Either you¡¯re new or you think you are aedian. I am Ynda and I am looking for the


    Fianna in charge of this upgrade.¡±


    ¡°Oh, geez. I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t realize. They didn¡¯t show us a picture of you. It¡¯s been lost from


    your pack¡¯s file.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I will get that rectified. Now who and where, please.¡± Ian watched her with


    amusement. She could be such a hardass.


    The young guy gave her directions, and she set off in that direction. The young Fianna turned


    to Ian. ¡°Wow. How do you would with that?¡±


    ¡°I kiss her. It a perk about being mated.¡± That brought forth a few snickers.


    ¡°It¡¯s not my day, is it?¡±


    ¡°No kid, it¡¯s not.¡± With that, he followed Ynda further into the armoury. The lighting within the


    armoury now shone at a blinding level in one ce and almost non-existent in other spaces. But there


    were people everywhere. ¡°Okay, now I see why you needed me down here. Wow, I didn¡¯t expect to see


    so many people this deep within here.¡± He said, stepping up behind Ynda.


    ¡°Yeah, we take things like this seriously. You know why. This affects us all, it¡¯s just humans


    don¡¯t know about it yet.¡±


    ¡°This one does.¡±


    ¡°Ha! If you im mated status, your status changes to whatever your mate is, and that species


    rules andws are yours now.¡±


    ¡°Wait. What?¡± Ian meant this as a joke and now he¡¯s learning a lot of things he wasn¡¯t aware of.


    ¡°Brian, you must be Ian, Ynda¡¯s partner. Sorry for the surprise. Yeah, mates and life partners


    take on the identity species of the partner or partners for simplification. For you, that means you are a


    ck River Pack member, and you are under the rule of Gregory Wolversen. Your NARC


    Ambassadors are his parents, so that means you have insider influence.¡±


    Ynda snorted. ¡°What Brian isn¡¯t saying is every Fianna is rted to the next, and they can


    give rabbit shifters a run for their money on mass reproduction. It¡¯s a long hard story that¡¯s messy and


    bloody at the same time. But they came around eventually, and it just might give us the edge we need.


    It¡¯s another change the Fae don¡¯t know about. Back then Fianna numbered only a handful of


    empowered monster hunters. They annoyed the Fae, and now with technology and research into how


    the magic works¡­ Well, we have a small army of weaponsmiths and hunters with a bone to pick with


    the Fae.¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­ okay so now I¡¯m a wolf shifter even though I can¡¯t shift.¡±


    ¡°The term you are looking for is a ck River Pack Member. It means you belong lumped with


    them and no one will expect you to go all furry or ruin any hardwood floors if you get pissed off.¡±


    ¡°Enough. It¡¯s good to see you and your lovely crew, but what in all the hells are you doing to my


    armoury. I don¡¯t recognize it. Now tell me what new toys do I have and what improvements.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll stop scaring your mate. Though you should update him on how his life is changing.¡±


    ¡°What do you have for me? Come on. I need to know and I¡¯m dying to know. It¡¯s like a birthday


    waiting for all the presents to be unwrapped.¡± Brian gave her a tablet with a document open.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time to ramble on about everything, but it¡¯s all in there along with a briefing video.


    I need to get back before someone over there blows us up.¡± Brian jogged off, yelling at a group of


    people unpacking something in the dark.


    ¡°I guess we¡¯re stuck reading for god knows how long? The lighting, I assume, is because of


    certain weapons?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and I rmend we make a note of the lighting configuration just in case of a


    screwup.¡±


    ¡°Okay, you read I¡¯ll get a photo of the lighting panel. I¡¯ll leave a message for the guys they


    teamed me up with, so they know where to find me as well. If they need me.¡±


    ¡°Good idea. You do that, and when I¡¯m finished with this. I¡¯ll pass this to you, so you can study


    up on this.¡± Ian jogged off and snapped a few photos. He¡¯d add notes if he found any reference within


    the notes when it was his turn to read it. Damn, he¡¯d just fallen right into this. The part that freaked him


    out the most was how easy it was. How did all this supernatural stuff be normal, and why wasn¡¯t


    he questioning everything? From Fianna to Dragons, different realms, and fairies. What were unicorns?


    Shifters? He¡¯d never be able to eat another rabbit again. If there were so many types of shifters, how


    did they tell each other apart when they were in shifter form? Ian felt like his brain was going to


    explode.


    Ian trudged up the ramp to the ground floor. His phone wasn¡¯t working down there. Which


    wasn¡¯t surprising at all. All this technology and magic and a cellphone still can¡¯t work in a basement.


    His cellphone rang as soon as he got to the top of the ramp. epting the call.


    ¡°Ian Be.¡±


    ¡°Ian, where are you and your team? All hell has broken loose here at the office.¡± Gregory, true


    to his word, was shaking things up there.


    ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m not in a secure location to talk.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do the talking. The boss is now on leave pending an investigation. What the


    investigation is, no one knows. They¡¯ve also ordered the office to move into the middle of nowhere,


    Ontario. You¡¯re the only one in Ontario, and it¡¯s the region they are moving us to. You¡¯ve got to know


    what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t know. Keep me updated, I really can¡¯t talk here. This is insane. I guess I¡¯ll see


    you here when you show up then.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s bullshit, Ian. You know something, why can¡¯t you say? What are you working on that¡¯s


    so big?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean. I¡¯m just investigating the case I received. It¡¯s all in the report I just


    sent in. Read it.¡± With that, Ian hung up. Served Paul right after the crap he shovelled onto Ian and his


    group over the years.


    He sent out texts to the others in his patrol group, so they knew he couldn¡¯t respond to texts.


    Someone would need to find him. Ian may have woken up to do something, but if they didn¡¯t need to


    wake up, then he wasn¡¯t waking them for this.


    Back in the armoury, Ynda was looking over things and catching him up to speed, before


    giving him the tablet to read. Ian quickly realized why she wasn¡¯t sitting down to read it. He, too found it


    easier to look at the items and weapons within the documentation. Complications abounded with each


    special item, but Ian made notes to rify much of it and questions to askter. After all, he¡¯s the dumb


    human around here.


    ¡°How are you doing? Do you understand why I woke you up?¡±


    ¡°Time, or theck of it, is boggling my mind. This is insane. If we need any of this within a fight,


    that fight will be of the darker fairy tale nightmare variety and my exhausted brain can¡¯t wrap itself


    around the whole thing.¡± Ian looked straight into Ynda¡¯s eyes and saw the same thing there.


    ¡°Yeah, this will be here in a few hours, and I promised the Alpha we¡¯d get some shuteye at our


    ce. I¡¯ll tell Brian how to contact us if something needs our attention, then we can go get some


    shuteye.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be here waiting for you.¡± Ian hauled his butt out of the one chair he¡¯d finally found. Ynda


    returned the tablet to Brian with the instructions to download the files into the mainputer so they


    could reference itter. With that done, the pair made their way back up to the surface. They took the


    most direct path through the kitchens after suiting up. Ian snagged some snacks and drinks, knowing


    that he would not have the strength or coordination to cook anything for himself or Ynda.


    Once inside their cottage, they went about getting ready for bed and eating while cuddled


    together in the bed. It wasn¡¯t long, and they didn¡¯tmunicate much at all. It was more like stuffing


    their faces and then passing out.


    He¡¯d not once asked her what she encountered or how she felt about it. There wasn¡¯t a


    question there, really. Ynda responded to whatever she saw within the Dream Realm with extreme


    prejudice. He wouldn¡¯t question that at all. But he wanted to know what happened to her while she was


    within it.

 Chapter 52: Breakfast Meet

    Chapter 52: Breakfast Meet


    Ynda and Ian finally got out of their cottage. They returned to the packhouse and promptly found


    breakfast tters in their hands, thanks to a rather perky Hilda.


    ¡°The dining room is still avable for those eating up here, but the buffet won¡¯t be until lunch, and you¡¯ll


    find that served in the main lobby to go only. We¡¯ve more soldiers than we have spaces for. At least the


    Bears and Vampires are feeding themselves. Everyone else is in the dining room, so mind the crowd,


    and no, the sitting rooms are off limits to food. I¡¯m not clean sofas and carpets again.¡± Hilda puttered


    about the kitchen serving area, adjusting various containers.


    She¡¯d clearly organized the various meals by dietary needs of the now various supernatural creatures


    eating here. Hilda even disyed little cards stating. The woman was far too organized. Yes, it was


    her job, but¡­ She made it her mission to make Martha Stewart look disorganized.


    ¡°Have they have informed the new troops of the packhouse rules? Would you like me to find someone


    to address that?¡±


    ¡°Not that I know of. It would be nice if you did. I don¡¯t have the time to hunt down everyone and tell


    them about it.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m on it.¡± Ynda didn¡¯t mind helping Hilda. The woman saved her butt often enough in the


    past. Ynda couldn¡¯t count how many times she¡¯d found a delivered meal on her desk in the armory


    over the years. To her, the weapons were just like meal preparations to Hilda. ¡°I¡¯ll see if one of the Hell


    Hounds can spread the word for you. Let¡¯s try to hedge off any idents or broken rules. Nothing like


    an international incident over a food stain.¡± Hilda, at least, saw the humor in that.


    Historically, there¡¯d been a few over far more insignificant issues over the years. The craziest incident,


    to Ynda¡¯s knowledge, was the wine ss set down without a napkin under it. Okay, the table was


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    over eight hundred years old, but it¡¯s a vampire thing. They get attached to the strangest things.


    ¡°Ian, I¡¯ll be just a moment. I¡¯ll just leave a message for Catherine and get her or another to make the


    rounds.¡± Ian nodded as he fixed their coffees.


    As she set up that job, Hal and Aria entered. They received the same treatment as Ynda and Ian


    regarding breakfast. ¡°Morning everyone. You¡¯re here for the meeting too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, just waiting on Ynda before heading in to eat in the dining room. I hear it¡¯s busy and the


    sitting rooms are off limits to eating in.¡±


    ¡°Good to know.¡± Hal saw the morning humor in that extra bit of information. That¡¯s Ian¡¯s way to tell his


    buddies that he¡¯d already received an earful. ¡°Oh, and if you see a shifter in their animal form inside the


    packhouse. Warn them Hilda will find them and give them an earful.¡± He remembered Hilda and her


    tirade about the Alpha¡¯s father for doing just that.


    ¡°You better believe that. I just finished having all the floors in this building refinished and you don¡¯t want


    to see the bill from that. Or how long it took to get it done properly.¡± Wolf shifter hearing. It¡¯s a thing


    most definitely. Thank heavens he didn¡¯tment on what he thought of it. But that exnation made


    sense. Who would want all that work and expense to go to waste right away?


    ¡°Okay, morning Aria, Hal. Now, Aria, if Catherine contacts you to tell anyone about house rules, you get


    to say no. So, does Devine. I should text her about that. We¡¯ve enough to do. They can man the home


    fires for a bit.¡± Ynda tapped at her phone a few times, then smiled. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s done. I also told


    them to meet us in the dining room. They¡¯re just a few steps behind us, it seems.¡±


    ¡°Great! Let¡¯s go eat. I¡¯m hungry. Thank you, Hilda.¡± With a series of simr acknowledgements for the


    hard-working Den Mother, they left the kitchens and moved on to the dining room.


    Hilda wasn¡¯t joking about the number of people in the dining room. The dining room appeared crowded,


    and utter chaos seemed to reign.


    ¡°She wasn¡¯t joking. I think some pups coulde in and help keep this ce clean in the meantime.¡±


    Aria mumbled to Ynda, as they looked around for a table they could use.


    ¡°No, kidding. These are adults, right?¡± Ynda couldn¡¯t believe how many things were just abandoned.


    ¡°No wonder Hilda is staying out of here with a buffet. I¡¯ll text a message to Catherine to add the job of


    finding some older pups to deal with this.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat and get to the meeting. Last thing we need is to bete because there¡¯s no ce to eat.¡±


    The group eventually found a ce they could eat. Ian felt like he¡¯d found himself back in a high school


    cafeteria. How could these people believe this was, okay? He¡¯d never understand these different


    supernatural creatures. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was cultural or actual disrespect and contempt for other


    races. Right now, it wasn¡¯t his problem.


    ¡°So, what have you been doing? You were missed in guard rotation.¡±


    ¡°Ynda and I were downstairs supervising the upgrades to the armory. Looks like it¡¯s getting a huge


    upgrade and they want me to work with her to maintain it.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s about as good as it gets. When we aren¡¯t on guard duty, we¡¯re in helping with the


    research.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s that going, anyway?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s rough. From what I can tell, a lot of the documents are in long deadnguages, others are


    encoded, and yet some others are in both. Let me tell you it¡¯s hard to trante when you¡¯re randomly


    trying to trante something into anothernguage which you don¡¯t understand. Lue often stands over


    me and tells me if the trantion is a hit or miss. It¡¯s insane. The we have the incredible disappearing


    mage. Dean keeps disappearing for one reason or another. Right now, we¡¯re waiting for him to return


    with news on another portal that they¡¯ve found. This one¡¯s different in some way. I didn¡¯t understand it


    at all.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid his distraction didn¡¯t allow him to go into much detail about anything.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll see what happens. Maybe we¡¯ll hear something at the meeting? Oh, there¡¯s Devine and


    Jaxon.¡± Ian stood up and waved them over.


    It didn¡¯t take long for everyone to greet the neers and return to eating. ¡°So how goes the search


    for refugees?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a slow slog. A few havee forward, but groups need to go out and look in on these packs that


    don¡¯t check it. This isn¡¯t just for shifters either, so we¡¯re working with other people from other factions.


    We¡¯re found several hundred now, but it¡¯s slow going. Part of the reason is because of their self-


    istion or unwillingness tomunicate with their own kind.¡±


    ¡°Have you been a part of those groups going out to check up with them?¡±


    ¡°No, we¡¯re here helping out because Edith and An must travel for a few days. It¡¯s pretty busy


    because of that.¡±


    ¡°Well, it looks like we aren¡¯t doing much of what we thought we¡¯d be doing. Who¡¯s ready to get this


    meeting with the Alpha over and get back to all of this again?¡±


    A series of groans and acquiescing went around the table. ¡°Hey, remember we camete, can we get a


    couple of more minutes to eat before you throw us all to the dogs?¡± This was Devine¡¯s words and the


    non-wolf shifters stared at her because of her words in shocked dismay.


    ¡°Really? Can you get more insulting and insensitive?¡±


    It took her a few moments to understand what she¡¯d said. ¡°Oh,e on. I wasn¡¯t calling anyone


    directly dogs. I know better than that.¡±


    ¡°Just eat up quickly please, because it¡¯s arguable that you may have referred to the Alpha like that.


    Either intentionally or not.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Devine looked at Ynda, and she returned a shrug to Devine.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. That¡¯s something I might have said at one time.¡±


    They fell silent as those with food struggled to finish it at record speed. They at least to their dishes


    back to where they could be found to clean them.


    It didn¡¯t take long to find out where they needed to go for the meeting. Another meeting room, because


    the number of in the know people expanded again.

 Chapter 53: Update Meeting

    Chapter 53: Update Meeting


    The group left the dining room quickly once they¡¯d finished their breakfast. Once they found


    their meeting¡¯s conference room, inside, they found only the back of the room avable. Ynda


    looked at the people already there. Ambassadors and staff, military, and someone from almost every


    branch of the pack¡¯smand structure.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? I don¡¯t see Edith or Allen. That mage dude isn¡¯t here either.¡± Ian leaned over


    and quietly asked Ynda.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but the Dragon ambassador isn¡¯t here either. The bears are. Maybe they¡¯re just


    cast several images there. Images of several people, including those they¡¯d just discussed. Gregory


    stepped forward and appeared to be taking a mental note in attendance of who should be here. ¡°Not


    ¡°Hm¡­ it¡¯s still weird how mages do that. Why don¡¯t they just portal people where they¡¯re


    needed?¡±


    ¡°Power consumption. It¡¯s traceable and portals are power hogs. They¡¯re afraid the Fae will


    track that consumption to us.¡±


    ¡°Well, that makes a weird form of sense. Portals are emergency only.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a time limit to how long portals can be open and who can open them.


    Seriously, I don¡¯t understand magic, but the Fae change the entire ying field, and power structure.


    The less the Fae know about us, the better if you ask me.¡± Someone sitting ahead of them grunted in


    agreement with her words.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why don¡¯t they use technology tomunicate, then? Facetime and Zoom


    and such?¡±


    ¡°Simple. The reverse may alert humans to us. We¡¯ll try to keep things like this to a minimum.


    They dropped unnecessary things. They will monitor allmunications and possibly record them


    when possible. It¡¯s just one of those things most people don¡¯t think about. Maybe, if we have enough


    heads put together, they will take enough things into consideration.¡±


    ¡°You sound so cynical.¡±


    ¡°No, realistic. Oh, I think they are starting.¡± Ynda pointed towards Gregory.


    ¡°Good morning, everyone. As many have noticed, we¡¯ve sent out our first teams to a non-


    disclosed location. I¡¯m sorry, but we need to keep information like this quiet. A discovery of something


    came to us recently. It took several days to verify the information. After that, a physical discovery of


    something else within the area came to our attention. Because of the nature of these discoveries, we


    felt the need for secrecy and a need to move on to secure them. We didn¡¯t want to lose the chance to


    im the information or endanger anyone because we hesitated. Now that we¡¯ve investigated both


    situations, we decided it is time to inform you. As you can see, we have ambassadors from all factions


    represented here or linked to us for this. I¡¯ll pass this briefing over to the Mage and Wolf Shifter


    Ambassadors, they will exin further.¡± Gregory stepped back away from the screen, where several


    images of strangers Ian didn¡¯t know appeared.


    ¡°Thank you, Gregory. Good morning, everyone and thank you for giving us your time. I¡¯ll start


    for everyone and exin my part in the investigation and then I will let the Mage Ambassador exin


    his findings and their nned actions pertaining to these discoveries.¡± An stood in the foreground,


    with Edith in the background on part of the screen. ¡°We apologize about not involving everyone in the


    beginning, but once we¡¯ve exined, you can understand that we did not see this as something


    important until we could confirm and gather all the information. I don¡¯t bring this news forward easily


    and it¡¯s far fromplete. We are still open to further investigation by other factions.¡± An paused and


    took a sip of water before he continued to speak.


    ¡°A wolf shifter pack, Alpha contacted us with a twin experience with his mate. Actually, they


    appear to have experienced two different visions that have parallel information. Information that holds a


    darker meaning than anyone else could anticipate. I¡¯ll exin the information we gleaned from the pair


    before I exin the discoveries the wolf shifter, dragon, druid, and mage ambassadors made when


    they looked further at the information willingly offered to them by the pair.¡± Another sip of water.


    Ynda watched the man and knew he wasn¡¯t thirsty. He drank to let people keep up and react. ¡°Now,


    we could discount the first vision as a dream. Because we couldn¡¯t pinpoint it to a location or time of a


    real-time event, even with the extreme detail of it. But if you consider the vision of his mate, changes


    this assumption. They experienced these visions at the same time. Now, she believes a being who is


    the Goddess, or a being pretending to be the Goddess, forced her into the Dream Realm to speak with


    her.¡± That received a loud response from most of the group.


    ¡°We have not verified who or why this person did this. But the power of the person is not in


    question. The mate was not asleep at the time she found herself pulled into the Dream Realm. She


    doesn¡¯t believe her body went there, but she felt pulled into unconsciousness and drawn to where this


    being spoke to her. The concerning part is this person referenced abstractly the Alpha¡¯s vision. The


    being also mentioned that she wasn¡¯t ¡®allowed to speak about certain things directly. However, she


    didn¡¯t refer to who restricted them. As you can see, there are many holes still within this investigation.


    This being also imed all creatures created by the Fae as hers. The Fae created them because of her


    influence. She inferred it wasn¡¯t her intention that the new races continue enved to the Fae. She


    imed she offered to help with her ability. The Alpha¡¯s vision was her help.¡± He paused again so that


    those listening and recording notes could catch up.


    ¡°Now, the vision the Alpha reported to us was like a rtively unknown incident that gave the


    Fae the ability to return. However, the actual incident and the vision appear very different in many


    aspects. This leads us to the belief that if it¡¯s real, it¡¯s a vision of a second location. We don¡¯t know


    whether this second incident is in the past, present, or future. The location is search for now. This


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    report isn¡¯t over at this point. Please bear with me for a little more. This pack recently absorbed the


    failing pack of the Luna¡¯s, which included thends. On thosends is a mine, while surveying it for the


    possibility to reopen it. They found a sealed chamber containing the third portal. A portal oozing wild


    magic, not something we want anywhere near anyone. For now, I will hand over this presentation to my


    esteemed Mage Ambassador, followed by my esteemed Dragon Ambassador, and finally my esteemed


    Druid Ambassador. Dean, if you would like to take over.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Now we¡¯ve ced several on examining the possible information received through


    these visions, with the express purpose of locating the third portal. We¡¯ve also sent the information to


    all other councils worldwide to ensure they look for any portals within their territory. This is an invasion


    by the Fae. This is not spective. We have visual sightings now within the Dream Realm and on this


    ne.¡±


    ¡°Within thest packet of information distributed is a list of locations where they¡¯ve attacked.


    One of the more interesting features of these attacks, they were all once ces of power. Meaning


    ces where they could tap into wild magic. Wells, or batteries they can pull wild magic from. Sadly,


    when they left this realm thest time, those wells dried up and the native poption has abandoned


    those locations. No one ever found a way to activate them, and apparently, neither has the Fae.¡± Dean


    paused here as An did before him for dramatic effect.


    ¡°We know they are hiding within this very region, and we know their estimated numbers.


    However, the search is still finding out whether there are more locations they are hiding within. The Fae


    are attacking ces within Europe currently with random attacks here. The current belief is they will


    continue to attack old ces of power while they search for a source of wild magic. This is where the


    portal we¡¯ve acquired will help attract them into a trap once we figure out what that will look like.


    Currently, the pack who discovered the portal has learnt about their protective detail, just in case the


    Faee after them looking for the portal. The Fae haven¡¯t looked closely at the human poption,


    yet, and the few incidents have reliable cover stories.¡± Ian couldn¡¯t believe how these people appeared


    topete on who could ramble more within their speeches.


    ¡°The packets within the most current briefing report should help exin our ns from now on


    with these issues. That includes, but is not limited to, sneak attacks on locations they linger in, and


    using the portal to attract them away from human and supernatural poptions. We ask that any race


    or creature that can cast any type of magic restrict their use of it currently, as this will send out a


    beacon to the Fae. Starving them out is currently the only way to make the other side of these portals


    more attractive to them, and this portal tells us that there is another ce where they are better off.¡±


    Now Ian knew these people desperately needed a speechwriter, or at least an editor for their speeches.


    ¡°We are researching other options currently, but they are not ready for discussion. I¡¯ll turn this


    over to my esteemed colleague, the Ambassador for the Druids, so that they can share their insights.¡±


    ¡°They really need to find a different word for esteemed,¡± Ian whispered to Ynda.


    ¡°Yeah, and the worst part is this is them being informal. Now, shh.¡± She smiled even as her


    eyes stayed on the images of people on the screen.


    A woman took the main section of the screen next. Ynda knew Aricka, her Luna, and


    Gregory¡¯s mate was a rtion of this woman. Though she couldn¡¯t remember if it was Grandmother,


    Aunt, or Great Aunt. She only knew they''re rted. Because there¡¯d been quite a fuss before


    Christmas about them visiting, and Ynda sessfully missed it.


    ¡°Thank you. We''re quite concerned with the Luna¡¯s experience. This is not something


    historically the Goddess does to people. Forcing people to meet with her. Informing them of vague


    threats, and inferring that she¡¯s not in control, or being controlled by another entity she can¡¯t mention.


    Lore does point to one or two gods that may have some control over her, but they¡¯ve not heard from


    them in a long time. The concept that she influenced our creation by the Fae, lends credence to the


    concept that she herself may be a Fae of some sort. This said, we can¡¯t assume that everything she


    ims is the truth. We know the Fae are extremely high strung and confrontational among themselves.


    So, that alone calls her loyalty to us into question. As a Fae, she may have the backstabbing trait. I


    care to differ on one thing with my esteemed colleague of the Mage Faction. I don¡¯t believe she ever


    imed explicitly that she took one side over another, or that she is loyal to us. What I read into this is


    that she finds their return inconvenient, and that she sees us as her pets.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t speak on the portal, but after looking at the effects the portal has on the local area, I am


    d the mage¡¯s removed it. That portal would attract magic starved Fae. I believe one attack urred


    there already before they moved the portal. That means at least one Fae group is aware of the area


    and the presence of this portal battery. They must keep it from them at all costs. I implore you to


    provide assistance on this in defence and research as we look for a n that will deal with this mess.


    Thank you.¡±


    The screen switched rather rudely to the Dragon Ambassador¡¯s face as the focal point. ¡°Thank


    you, Ambassador, I¡¯m sorry to interrupt you, but this isgging, and I would like to get back to some


    pressing business here before I return to themand center. As someone who has conferred with


    several people who have memories of these things, I¡¯vee across several concerning mentions of


    these portals that admit wild magic. I¡¯ve added much of this information into thetest pack of


    information that will be delivered to everyone once it¡¯s fully assembled. We thought at the time that


    we¡¯d destroyed these portals. I am currently attempting to find out two things. How we missed this one,


    and how to destroy it. The brief exnation for their existence is created by someone to attract


    straggler Fae for ughter. However, the Fae can use that magic. I hope my Mage counterpart has


    dampened the power emanating from the portal for now to give some more time.¡± Dean nodded from


    the corner of the screen his face was on. That made Ynda sigh in relief.


    ¡°This is a trap, and we can only hope they aren¡¯t aware of that ahead of time and avoid it.¡± This


    sent a rumble through the crowded room. ¡°I doubt a magic starved Fae will avoid it in their desperate


    state. But we don¡¯t know if it¡¯s the only one left or whether there¡¯s more out there. We need more clear


    information. I am searching now to find out who created these portals, to begin with. I also remind


    everyone we must find the group of humans opening these portals and stop them once and for all.


    Thank you for your time and patience.¡± If nothing else, the Dragon Ambassador was short and to the


    point. This meeting appeared to begging, and it might be just the intermission.


    Gregory stepped forward then. He thanked the Ambassadors and wished them luck and a safe


    journey back to them. ¡°We¡¯ll take a break now and return to hear more updates. Then we¡¯ll cover the


    next steps we will take.¡±

 Chapter 54: The Never-Ending Meeting

    Chapter 54: The Never-Ending Meeting


    Most of the people left the room. In the entrance lobby of the packhouse, several tablesy set


    up. One filled with various snack foods, another with an array of hot and cold drinks. Thest two had


    nothing disyed yet. Ynda assumed those were for the meals toe. The line formed up the


    stairs as people picked up their drinks and snacks, then moved on. It took a few minutes to get there,


    and they all grabbed a drink.


    ¡°Did I miss how long before we reconvene, or was it not mentioned?¡± Jaxon frowned over a hot


    mocha chocte coffee.


    ¡°Normally, these ambassadors like a half an hour break. This lets them get their asses


    together. I swear if you listen to Edith talk sometimes, they make it their missing to screw up everyone


    else¡¯s ns and send them into a tailspin, trying to recover gracefully from it. We should get back there


    in about ten minutes because I think that game just went out the window. As we were leaving, I heard


    one mage say they¡¯d patched in the Vampire Ambassador and staff from the storage bunk that they are


    using while they are here.¡± Aria kicked off the conversation with this.


    ¡°Good. She might have information from some of their elders about this. Between the Dragons


    and Vampires, there are a few old enough to remember the Fae leaving this realm. Maybe, they can


    shed some light on this better.¡±


    Desire snorted in agreement with Ynda¡¯s words. ¡°Really? Do you believe any of those elders


    will change their story from the party line they¡¯ve fed us for all these years? I highly doubt that. This


    makes them look terrible in the eyes of everyone. People will start asking questions like, howe you


    didn¡¯t hunt for these portals and such and destroy them before this?¡±


    Desire was right, and Ynda angled her head and nodded, acquiescing to her point. ¡°That


    would be an interesting question to hear the answer to.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about any of you, but it¡¯s clear to me that someone dropped the ball, or at the


    very least didn¡¯t do their due diligence in the cleanup. Asking questions is the least of their worries. I


    still want to know who the humans are, and how they got the power and knowledge of the ritual to


    perform it. If they¡¯ve opened over one portal, that would mean they¡¯re organized, and that spells out in


    the end that they are a greater threat than anyone believed before this.¡± Hal pointed out, effectively


    changing the subject.


    ¡°Agreed, that¡¯s another problem. I think we might want to make a list of questions like that to


    see how they want us to proceed. Someone must look into these, and if there¡¯s no one, then they need


    to assign someone.¡± Aria mentioned, pulling arge phone from her ever-present bag. She tapped


    away at it. ¡°I think I¡¯ll Edith and Dean with this, so it doesn¡¯t take them by surprise. Thest thing we


    need is them balking at the question because they¡¯re not prepared. It wouldn¡¯t make them look good to


    anyone. Just too unprofessional.¡±


    ¡°Good point. Also, Ian came up with an idea. We aren¡¯t sure it can happen by maybe one of the


    other factions can put their heads together and remember something, or create something that can do


    it. He posed the question, what can we do to limit the Fae¡¯s use of the Dream realm? What about


    limiting their magical use? Force them to use hand-to-hand fighting styles. We have superior weapons


    in this day and age. It can¡¯t hurt to level the ying field or at least attempt to.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll add it. But I think that they¡¯ll shoot down as putting too many people in harm¡¯s way. But it¡¯s


    a logical thing to do too. However, I don¡¯t see how we can¡¯t do that to some extent. It would protect


    some if it weren¡¯t the only thing we relied on.¡±


    ¡°Best to say something like that with the question so that we can skip the lecture on why it


    would be foolhardy and just rack up the unnecessary deaths.¡± Aria nodded absently as she continued


    to type.


    ¡°What about the protection of the people near the location they removed the portal from? If the


    Fae can¡¯t find it, won¡¯t they go after the people in the area to find out where it went?¡±


    ¡°God, this is insane how is anyone supposed to keep track of all of this?¡± Ian wanted to know


    as he saw the extent of all of this.


    ¡°Then we have the people that live and work in or near the old ces of power. Some locations


    are tourist destinations. You can¡¯t tell me that most tourists can handle angry Fae.¡±


    ¡°Ian, you¡¯re correct. If we don¡¯t put our heads together and anticipate this. We¡¯ll be responding


    to and not heading anything off. Aria. Add it to the list and I¡¯ll contact Edith now and warn her about it. I


    haven¡¯t even looked in on the Armory yet this morning.¡± Ynda distractedly muttered this while she


    looked longing at the door that would take her down to the Armory where she could hide from all of this.


    Why couldn¡¯t she have time with her new mate like every other shifter in the history of the world?


    ¡°Good idea. We should get back to the conference room and do this.¡±


    A cacophony of movement came from the Alpha¡¯s office behind them, and the door burst open.


    Gregory came out and stopped in his tracks. ¡°Good, you¡¯re here. Yo-Yo get down to the Armory and get


    them into gear we need to send out several of the new teams. Jeff¡¯s sending you the specs of each


    team.¡± He stopped and waited for a response. ¡°What are you waiting for? Get moving they need to get


    out there now. The Fae just walked into several popted locations.¡±


    ¡°On it. Come on, Ian, time to do our job.¡± It didn¡¯t take long for the others to follow her. Once


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    downstairs, they found a few Fianna still down there, finishing up a few things. At their noisy entrance,


    the Fianna went silent and looked at Ynda instantly. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to be


    invaded by enforcers about to be deployed we need to have kits ready for them now. The Fae are now


    in popted locations. I¡¯m going to assume that these locations are human poptions, so pack the


    kits ordingly. I don¡¯t have numbers of those deployed.¡±


    Because of the organization of the Armory, the Fianna could selectponents for armour and


    weapons to bundle together. Many bundles already existed and were ready to go, but they needed


    immediate recement and that¡¯s what the Fianna did now. It didn¡¯t matter how many enforcers left


    today, all would have a full kit, and more kits took their ce for the next. They registered everything as


    the items left the Armory. Inventory right down to the smallest piece of ammunition''s kept, who and


    when. The system worked smoothly all because of the Fianna and their honour. These people made


    and monitored all their weapons. Ynda fully believed they possessed the names of those that died


    somewhere to their weapons, but she¡¯d never know for sure.


    When the first enforcers came down to pick up their kits, they were more than ready for a


    speedy check-out. One Fianna stood at the entrance and gave a simple lecture on what to expect in


    the kits and the safe practices with the truly dangerous weapons. Ynda never felt so grateful for now


    needing to repeat like that. But she knew that was needed. The number of stressed enforcers entering


    the Armory arguing with each other concerned her, though. She prayed that didn¡¯t affect their


    performance in the field. These mixed-species teams weren¡¯t ready for this, in her opinion. But it wasn¡¯t


    her ce to say anything right now.


    Several hourster, they¡¯d missed the rest of the meeting. Aria sent off the message and Edith


    got it. Now, their duties in the Armory took over, and they¡¯d need to catch upter.


    Edith promised to speak with them when she returned with Gregory to ensure everything would


    appear clear to them.


    Gregory informed Ynda in a distracted aside that Catherine would take over the primary


    protection for the time being of his Mate, and their pup. That things were too grave to have her


    attention pulled in multiple directions. This gave Ynda mixed feelings, she¡¯d felt the stress of being


    pulled in too many directions, and she¡¯d bonded with her Luna. Even the pup, Evan, became endearing


    in his own way. So, it became difficult to take, but he was her leader, and his decision to make. He¡¯d


    promise it would change again once the conflict with the Fae ended. Now they were to focus on the


    Armory and keeping it moving like a functional system.

 Chapter 55: Never-Ending Catch-Up Game

    Chapter 55: Never-Ending Catch-Up Game


    After the organized confusion of several teams leaving, the small group sat down to discover


    everything they¡¯d missed.


    ¡°Where does the time go? How can it take so long to get everything done?¡± Aria stared at her


    phone in wonder.


    ¡°Because we are the least magical creatures of the supernatural world. A one-trick pony, if you


    will. We got the party trick of turning into a critter. What do we have here, anyway?¡± Ynda pulled a


    yellow envelope from a pile Gregory tossed their way before storming into his office. He wasn¡¯t angry


    with him. No, that anger¡¯s reserved for the mother of his future pups. He¡¯d found out she¡¯d made a


    break from their apartment without Catherine or another Hell Hound beside her. He¡¯d informed Ynda


    she wasn¡¯t to worry about it. Her instructions were in the envelope in front of her. There¡¯d be no


    screwing around since this was now an all-out war.


    With the Fae now boldly entering human towns, a video began showing up on various websites


    and news outlets. They needed tobat this before it got out of hand. The mages imed they


    possessed various solutions for that, and tonight, the Vampires would send out their people to fix


    things.


    There was something frightening Ynda felt at the thought of an army of vampires would go


    about changing humans¡¯ memories. But what else could they do? The mages could alter technology


    and make things disappear. But they couldn¡¯t alter a poption¡¯s belief in monsters as a vampire could.


    But between a mage and a vampire, now that was truly frightening. Suddenly, no one saw anything and


    there¡¯s no video to prove it ever urred. Murdered people became ident victims and victims of


    muggings by assants that never existed. It was far from perfect, but it¡¯s easier to ept than the


    truth. Far safer for everyone, too. How many rtives of these victims would seek justice on the Fae?


    How many police with heroplexes would make it their life¡¯s mission to deal with administrating


    justice to the Fae? How many of those woulde home in the end? Ynda knew the total of


    survivors to return would be zero. They couldn¡¯t let that happen.


    ¡°They have me fielding a campaign of disbelief in the video with a group of mages. Not sure


    what I can do that they can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Find the crap hiding in the dark recesses of the? You¡¯re very good at that.¡± Jaxon stated as


    Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    he looked down at the papers before him. ¡°They have me working with our old division once they are


    up and running here to field this away from conspiracy theory territory.¡±


    ¡°Now I¡¯m questioning all the conspiracies we¡¯ve dug into. How much did we miss the first time


    around?¡±


    ¡°I know it¡¯s weird with an insider¡¯s perspective now. It¡¯s a simr job but with a whole new


    outlook and mandate. Keep them dumb, not find the truth.¡±


    ¡°Well, not quite. We find the truth; we just don¡¯t advertise it to the public. Look at it this way. We


    find out the truth, fix it, and it¡¯s a need-to-know basis. You encountered what happens when the public


    sees what¡¯s real. Your division made you the brunt of their jokes. You¡¯re not taken seriously, passed


    over for promotion too, I bet.¡±


    Ian looked at Desire. ¡°I¡¯m hoping you¡¯re assuming a few things.¡±


    ¡°It happens far too often, not to be true. Just remember now we¡¯ll respect you in the morning.¡±


    She tried to joke, but Ynda growled at Desire. ¡°Sorry, poor joke. Okay, too early for that.¡± Desire held


    her hands up to disy her acquiescence to Ynda.


    ¡°What about you Aria what do they have you doing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m with Hal in searching the and media sources.¡±


    ¡°Ynda? What about you and Ian?¡±


    ¡°As expected, we¡¯re in the basement, keeping the weapons flowing with the Fianna down


    there. I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be disappearing anytime soon.¡±


    *           *           *


    Shah watched through the Bogart¡¯s eyes at the hunt as they searched for even a tiny shred


    of magic. What happened to this ce after they left? This realm should brim again with magic.


    Everywhere they¡¯ve gone so far, the magic elusively evaded them. The humans appeared to know


    nothing about magic or where to get it. The few wells they¡¯d visited didn¡¯t even possess a spark of


    magic. It¡¯s like when they left, they took magic with them. How could that be? The elders always


    imed magic flowed like water here. They¡¯d lied to everyone. This was an insult that she couldn¡¯t


    tolerate. The hunt found no reference to the existence of their serfs. No wolves or witches. No


    vampires, or any annoying druids. This wasn¡¯t the world of gold and honey. It stank, humans ruled


    everywhere, and the wilds weren¡¯t wild. This world bored her already.


    The humans were pathetic. They didn¡¯t believe what they saw standing before them. Many


    used Shah of being a human in a costume, and her disys of magic were slights of hand. She


    removed them from her path with an irritated flick of her hand.


    *           *           *


    The Council of Ambassadors met formally now for an evening session. The session possessed


    all the high drama of a reality television program, and somewhere the formality disappeared. For a


    moment, Edith pondered whether the addition of the zoom calls contributed to theck of formality.


    Either way, for Edith, it was a wee respite from it all.


    ¡°I say we need to clear this blight from the Earth and let the chips fall where they may


    regarding the humans finding out about our presence. It¡¯ll be easier to change their minds if they see


    we are looking after more than just our interests.¡±


    ¡°Have you forgotten about the mass panic of the witch trials? There are still locations where it¡¯s


    epted practice to this day to hunt for vampires.¡±


    ¡°They hunt vampires in regions we left centuries ago, and we would prefer they continue


    hunting there and not here. I don¡¯t believe it would be helpful to out ourselves right now. I don¡¯t believe


    anyone would benefit from it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s happening now. The Fae don¡¯t care. They believe they can walk in and take over. With the


    use of their magic, they will take over in no time. If this happens, there¡¯s a benefit for anyone, and no


    saving the humans or us from huge losses.¡±


    The nging of a gong reverberated from theputer¡¯s speakers. She¡¯d need to rmend


    they change to something not so disruptive for their next meeting. With a series of wincing expressions


    and a few hisses, silence finally reigned again.


    ¡°Thank you. I believe we¡¯ve established the need to control this narrative rather than let the


    Fae do that. Currently, we have one of the few sources of wild magic hidden from them. However, with


    that said, we now have magic-starved Fae monsters roaming the world, exposing our presence to


    those who know nothing of us. We don¡¯t know their numbers, how long they¡¯ve been magic starved,


    how desperate they are to get magic, or what skills they have to locate such magic. We have records


    that some can change the life force of other supernatural creatures into wild magic. This may or may


    not work with a human¡¯s life force. We can¡¯t allow that to happen, period, end of the story. Now,


    currently, there are only a few incidents right now. I rmend we continue along those lines for now.


    They have brought it to my attention that we can truly hit the Fae where it hurts by cutting them off from


    the dream realm. If we cut them off from that realm, it will hamper their travel and ability to hide or use it


    to spy. I implore all with records or research in this line of inquiry to find out whether your faction may


    have any record of this being done in the past, or theory of how we can do it now, toe forward as


    soon as you can with this information.¡±


    Edith watched the speaker of the council reign, everyone, in and redirected the session into a


    far more productive direction. Gaining the attention of the speaker. ¡°Remember, we have the Fianna on


    our side this time. We are currently not fighting two wars, as we did in the past. If the human poption


    reacts badly to us, then we would again fight two wars at once. Are we strong enough to risk that?


    Please, everyone, think before doing anything that willplicate this for everyone. Many of our


    numbers have mated, married, or bound to humans. We would force them to pick a side between their


    life partner and their family if the human poption reacts badly. There are young caught in the middle


    of that war if ites to be. It¡¯s logical to weaken them by removing what little wild magic is within this


    world from them and deny them the advantage of the dream realm. Weakened with only their weapons


    and fighting skills, will be hard enough, but with modern technological weapons being blended with


    magic by the Fianna. I believe we can remove these Fae from this realm. I believe we must work


    together as a show of strength. Turn them back so that there¡¯s nothing but strife awaiting them within


    this realm. Send them back and block them again. The ambassador of the Mages believes he¡¯s located


    the human group that opened the portals. A group¡¯s gone to find out more about these humans. We


    aren¡¯t sure what they believed they were opening or what they¡¯d obtain for doing so, either. The rituals


    used obtained their magic from blood and magical items imbued before the Fae left this realm. I¡¯m


    curious how these humans obtained the magical items and knowledge of these rituals. I¡¯ve been told


    we kept them well hidden from the humans.¡±


    That sent a titter through the group while Edith waited to speak again. To Edith, this wasn¡¯t


    something she often did. Speaking to the assembly wasn¡¯t something she did well. It took her off her A-


    game. An spoke while she sat back and read the crowd. He spoke her words, announced their


    intents, and debated like a champion.


    ¡°Please have any information you wish to impart ready by tonight. We willpile and


    disseminated it to everyone by morning. As always, please submit it to the speaker¡¯s office before


    midnight tonight. Thank you.¡±


    The meeting broke up shortly after that. They¡¯d found a human cult connected to these rituals


    and sent a group to investigate the leader of the cult. As far as Edith knew, they found no supernatural


    ties to this cult, and it was a rather new cult.


    An popped his head in once the silence took over. ¡°You finished? I think everything¡¯s packed


    and ready to go. I just want you to do a once over to make sure I got everything.¡± After all these years,


    her mate still didn¡¯t know where all her hiding ces were. It made birthdays and yule presents a


    surprise.


    ¡°I¡¯m just making a couple of notes right now, and I¡¯ll be there in a couple of minutes. Is our


    portal still green-lit?¡±


    ¡°As of an hour ago, yes. I¡¯ll check again in the next twenty minutes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be good to be home. I feel exposed here.¡±


    ¡°I get it and feel the same way. Home is safe. But what ce is truly safe these days? It¡¯s not


    the old days where it took weeks or months for news to spread. Now it¡¯s minutes. You know that better


    than I do. The Fae won¡¯t be able to keep up. They don¡¯t have anyprehension of what technology is


    or how it works. They won¡¯t have any way tobat it or block it without help from the humans. The


    Fae has nothing to offer a human, really. I can¡¯t wait for the first one to find out about a gun. Bet that¡¯ll


    hurt.¡±


    ¡°I knew I mated you for a reason. You, sir, are vicious.¡±

 Chapter 56: Consequences

    Chapter 56: Consequences


    Ynda watched thest of the enforcers leave. Two came in carrying a third¡¯s gear. That third


    enforcery in the Medical Center and her people prayed she¡¯d pull through. Other groupsined


    about barely getting away with their hides intact. They¡¯d pushed the Fae back away from the humans,


    but the toll on the secret of their existence was high. The Mages and Fianna struggled now covering up


    the mess. From finding video and eyewitnesses, toing up with reasonable excuses. It became a


    grim task.


    Ian offered to go into the field and head off some reports by creating unbelievable conspiracy


    theories. After all, his old job was to investigate these things and find the truth behind it. What better


    way to stop people from hunting a monster than to say the police are on its tail?


    Hal and Aria took to the inte to help with that. Days blended into each other as they headed


    off the Fae with different means before they harmed anyone else. The excuses used ranged from toxic


    chemical spills causing hallucinations,rge car idents, and Ynda¡¯s favouriteme excuse.


    Someone reported Fairies while on a bad acid trip. The Mages kept a record of the excuses used and


    when they used them, one mage mumbled something in passing to Ynda about needing to keep


    them fresh to be believable. Beside Hal, a young mage sat with a book open, flipping through the next


    rationalization they¡¯d just in the most recent case.


    ¡°I am so happy I don¡¯t need to lie like this. Tried it once, failed miserably at it, and now I have a


    mate.¡±


    The young mage looked up suddenly at Ynda. ¡°Then you did something wrong there.


    Probably, your unconscious brain knew he¡¯s your mate and made sure you didn¡¯t screw it up.¡±


    Ynda rolled her eyes and grumbled before she left. ¡°Never mind, somehow you lost the joke


    in trantion.¡± It felt like their heads were more in their books than in life itself. Many mages appeared


    to not understand humour. If they¡¯d have a basic understanding of a joke, it appeared in conversation at


    the wrong time. Which was funny in and of itself. However, their effort could ruffle a few political


    feathers too. It¡¯s yet another reason Ynda preferred to hide within the Armory. She avoided it all, but


    she¡¯d want her mate back.


    Back in the armoury, Ynda worked with a staff she¡¯d never needed before this. It took


    several days for her to understand everyone¡¯s specialties and set up training sessions for the enforcers


    in the safe operation of the new and updated weapons. She found her life turning away from tinkering


    with weapons, to scheduling, and delegating. Meetings with Gregory and other leaders. She became a


    resource expert and advisor. What happened to her life? Ian often stood beside her during these


    meetings as an expert on the reaction of humans and how to circumvent disasters.


    When he wasn¡¯t helping keep secrets, Ian would immediately return to her side, and the world


    felt a little closer to normal. Though she missed the ability to run or ride on a whim.


    It did not limit this to Ynda either. As the days and weeks went by, others felt the strain, too.


    The Bears¡¯ encampment caused enough issues of space and territory. The Bears weren¡¯t used to living


    so closely with each other, let alone anyone else. Other spaces weren¡¯t an option as great cats took up


    there, while other spaces housed dragons, vampires, and merfolk. Representatives roamed the halls of


    the packhouse, making therge space feel small. Cubs and pups shed for dominance. Poor


    Catherine and Juliette, the female Beta, found themselves entrusted with dealing with these conflicts.


    Schooling for all the young became an issue, along with the training of adults in defensive and


    offensive tactics.


    She needed to admit it all grewplicated. Where and when this would end always felt


    elusive to her. It became precious the hours she and Ian could grab for themselves. Their cottage


    became their haven until they lost that to enforcer training. They moved into a space in the packhouse


    for safety and expedience. Now she saw even less of the outdoors. The snows turned to a gray sludge.


    They trekked soggy leaves and pine needles into the packhouse. Making them a slipping hazard and


    an almost full-time job to remove them.


    Now weeks into this war, and an army milling about on the sprawlingnd. With thend


    thawing, ns to build an underground bunker for the enforcers to train together, live and work. They¡¯d


    never leave thisnd now if their world survived this.


    The mages sent groups to scour far-flung areas for methods to block the Fae from or within the


    Dream Realm. Many people thought imprisoning the Fae within the Dream Realm was justified. They


    wanted the Fae to learn what it felt like to be hunted, as they¡¯d done with countless generations of


    supernatural and mundane creatures. Others argued it made us monsters no better than the Fae. That


    faction wanted to imprison them within the Dream Realm until they devised a way to return them to


    their prison realm, and this time, seal it permanently.


    There¡¯s the rub. They could send them back one by one as time goes on. But would the portals


    stay closed? That¡¯s where the human cult members came into the picture. The group that went to


    investigate them found that even though they¡¯d opened the portals, lost their members to the Fae. The


    Fae did notmunicate with them at all. In the small town, where the cult has based itself. The


    members openlyined that they felt used and neglected. But what they believed they failed to


    gain was still an unknown element.


    Dinner brought Ynda out of her small workshop. The Fianna nned to erge that and


    find a ce to hide a forge for their use. The shifting and moving of Ynda¡¯s territory just rubbed her


    the wrong way. Seeing Ian and spending time with him felt like a relief.


    Picking up her dinner from the lobby, she made her way into the dining room to find it almost


    barren. Frowning, she moved among the tables, weaving to their traditional table. ¡°Where is everyone?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we aren¡¯t missing anything. It¡¯s the calm before the storm. Here¡¯s some more


    wallpaper for your pile. It appears they¡¯re nning on taking the fight to the Fae near here.¡± Ian sat


    back in his chair beside Hal and Aria.


    ¡°About time, though I thought we¡¯d wait until we found out where the others are hiding.¡±


    Ynda dropped her food on the table and picked up the file folder full of the notes she needed to


    know. ¡°Gah, it¡¯s a big mission. Are they ready for this?¡±


    ¡°Gregory believes we don¡¯t have a choice. We need to get them on the defensive at some


    point. He wants them to understand the humans are a waste of time. That they won¡¯t find an army or


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    pool of ves. The only way to do that is to turn their attention away from the humans and onto us.¡±


    ¡°Dang. That¡¯s insane, this early in the fight? I don¡¯t know about this. Then again, I just make


    sure the weapons work.¡±


    ¡°He wants to talk to you after dinner. But we have time to eat dinner, at least. Look, if they can


    take out one encampment of them. That¡¯s one army down.¡±


    ¡°One army down and only the gods know how many others there are.¡±


    Ian stood up, moved around the table, and embraced Ynda. ¡°Hey, if there¡¯s something I


    found out about your Alpha. He rolls with what happens, but he does nothing on a whim. He gets the


    information he needs and makes educated decisions. That¡¯s a sign of an outstanding leader.¡±


    ¡°First off, he¡¯s now your leader, too. But you are correct in that estimation. I guess you¡¯ve been


    seeing more of him while working with Aria and Hal.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been picking my brain about my division and consulting me on how we might use them to


    get the cult to open up and reveal things to us. We may use my office to break the cult up. It¡¯s


    something that they do. The office would have knowledge about the cult¡¯s ult practices. I¡¯ve got one


    guy looking into any information they have on them.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the name of this cult? I don¡¯t think anyone¡¯s mentioned it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s one of those weird names. Breacadh An Lae Dearg.¡±


    ¡°Red Dawn? That doesn¡¯t sound menacing at all. Oh, no, I expect they have a bloody sickle as


    their brand symbol. I can just see their merch now. A bloody sickle on a baseball cap and t-shirt.¡±


    ¡°So, I pronounced it correctly?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him. He made me type the name into google to search up how to pronounce it


    properly.¡±


    ¡°Well, thank you. At least, he respected me enough to try. It¡¯s like buying flowers when I¡¯d love


    a new muffler.¡± Ian frowned at her.


    ¡°My bike. It¡¯s rude to give cut flowers to us. It¡¯s believed that you cut short the life to the flowers


    and you¡¯re wishing that on the person you¡¯re giving them to. Always give the whole nt, or a new part


    for my bike.¡± Ynda couldn¡¯t help but smile at his confusion. Aria just shook her head wryly at her.


    ¡°Guys, sit down and eat. Or Gregory will call you in to talk to him, while your food gets stone


    cold.¡±

 Chapter 57: Stepping into the Belly of a Cult

    Chapter 57: Stepping into the Belly of a Cult


    ¡°One day to do all this. How are we going to ensure that¡¯s what happens?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a group there right now that¡¯s recorded routines and potential informants. We¡¯ll walk in with


    targets selected for us. Arianna will get to pick which person she speaks with. It¡¯s our just to ensure that


    she stays safe. You are a backup if we need a cover story. Think about it. If there¡¯s any media


    coverage. You¡¯re investigating and have noment. Not only will it cover up what we¡¯re doing, but


    any smart investigative reporter will target the cult. In investigating them, it puts the cult into the public


    eye and makes it harder for them to continue doing whatever it is they¡¯re trying to do.¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily.¡±


    Ynda raised an eyebrow at that. ¡°What am I missing?¡±


    ¡°The reporter may look too closely at what¡¯s going on and notice us and our interference.¡± Ian tried not


    to look like the cat that got the cream.


    ¡°We¡¯ll discuss it with Arianna. Now remember, they are vampires. If gods forbid it from happening. If


    one of them gets injured, you are to stay far, far away from them. I don¡¯t want the fallout of that.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to lose me?¡±


    ¡°If I survive losing you. I don¡¯t want them dealing with the emotional baggage. If I don¡¯t survive, I don¡¯t


    want anyone else dealing with that emotional mess. Smaller things have created inter-faction incidents.


    It¡¯s things like that which break treaties and bonds of trust.¡±


    ¡°So the concept of a vampirecking the ability to empathize is a myth.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Most of the time. They consider those vampires their version of the criminally insane, and they


    deal with them inside their faction.¡±


    ¡°Ah, good to know. So, where is this exactly that we¡¯re meeting, and what is porting?¡±


    ¡°Gods, it¡¯s your first time porting. Its¡­ Uh¡­ I guess the best way to describe it is we¡¯re using magic to


    move from one ce to another by skimming along the doorway between realms, or dimensions. I¡¯ve


    seen both words used in this definition.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s oddly specific. I would have epted we¡¯re taking a magical portal to we need to go.¡±


    ¡°Remind me to get someone to exin the do¡¯s and don¡¯ts of portal transportation.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think I want to show up on the other side with all my pieces.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    * * *


    Time went by and the sunset. Arianna entered the packhouse with an equally intimidating man beside


    her.


    First impression for Ian was he could see the man as a vampire, but Arianna was anything but a


    vampire. She was loud, happy, and friendly with the military punk style of dress she wore. It didn¡¯t help


    that Ian looked at her eye-to-eye.


    Again, Ian could see her inhuman nature in her smile. It must be some instinct he had and now he¡¯s


    aware of the nature of these people. He understood what that instinct was telling him.


    ¡°Yo-Yo, how are you, dear? I hear you get the horrid job of keeping me in one piece.¡±


    ¡°Like that¡¯s hard. We¡¯ll have fun.¡±


    Dear God, was all Ian could think of watching these two greet each other. They acted like this was an


    arranged outing to the local shops. One look at Arianna¡¯s partner told him everything he needed to


    know. They were in trouble. These two would not follow protocol.


    ¡°Okay, have you seen where and what we¡¯re up against?¡±


    ¡°Afraid not. We¡¯ve been told there are others there that¡¯s have scouted, pinpointed targets, and set it up


    for us to spend the least amount of time there. It must be important as they¡¯re risking using portal magic


    to do this.¡±


    ¡°Yes, which worries me. That means they feel normal travel isn¡¯t safe in that area. Meaning it¡¯s a


    danger zone. We didn¡¯t receive any information why they believed it wasn¡¯t safe to travel in.¡±


    ¡°I can only assume that this cult is aware of our existence. Why else would they send in raptors and


    non-predatory shifters to spy on them.¡±


    ¡°Because they know enough that Fae exist, werewolves, sorry, I know better, and vampires.¡±


    ¡°I feel we aren¡¯t as wee as we usually are.¡±


    ¡°Great, the witch trials again. Lovely, let¡¯s attempt to avoid that. They made a right, proper mess of it.


    They honestly didn¡¯t find any witches. Perhaps a few druids, maybe a mage or two. We all know that


    witches are a modern convention.¡± Arianna must have noticed Ian¡¯s confused state and rolled her eyes.


    ¡°I am a little older that you think. Remember, dead and magically returned to the living. I¡¯ve been


    through a lot over my existence. I¡¯m enough to have seen the start of the Spanish Inquisition by several


    decades.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll take your word for it. They harmed no witches.¡±


    ¡°Of course, they didn¡¯t harm any witches. There¡¯s no species of supernatural creature truly connected


    to witches. The church made up the whole witch thing and then tried to fit every person into that


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    category that didn¡¯t fit their narrowminded views or got in their way. Others just ran with it for their


    benefit. The closest creatures that exist are Druids, Mages, and, of course, Shifters. That whole


    changing into bats and cats is probably from someone witnessing a shifter changing form. Druids are


    natural healers and close to nature. Mages, they¡¯re educated, they work their magic through study, and


    a connection to the stars.¡±


    ¡°Got it. I won¡¯t question anything you say from now on.¡±


    Arianna turned to Ynda and said with a smile, ¡°Okay, he¡¯s a keeper. Now you¡¯re sure you¡¯ll keep


    him?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯d be too much effort otherwise, and he¡¯s a fast learner.¡± Both womenughed as the men


    watched them like they¡¯d just drunk one too many beers.


    * * *


    They gathered at a small cabin-like structure where an open doorway stood under a roof, but without a


    door. This is where most of the portal magics be form. It¡¯s close to the packhouse but far enough away


    to give them time to prepare for an attack.


    ¡°Before we send you through the portal, I believe we have one that¡¯s new to this type of travel?¡± The


    chubby mage in his wrinkled clothes didn¡¯t wait for an answer, and just ran roughshod over everyone


    with a quick exnation. ¡°Don¡¯t wander and step quickly. Chase, nothing you see. In fact, close your


    eyes and hold someone¡¯s hand. Let them lead you. Yeah, that will speed this up. We don¡¯t have time to


    exin all the how¡¯s and why¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I guess. I don¡¯t n on travelling like this often, anyway.¡±


    The mage snorted at these words. ¡°You say this now. But another name for a mage is Portal Jockey.


    Yeah, I won¡¯t hold you to those famousst words.¡±


    ¡°Enough! We need to go now. Please start your hocus pocus now please. The faster we get there and


    get finished. The faster we can return here.¡±


    After a very physical reaction to the ruffling of his preverbal feathers, the mage got down to why they


    were here and created a swirling blue portal. This time, the portal wasrge enough for all to enter it.


    Ynda grabbed Ian¡¯s hand roughly and pulled him through before Arianna and her bodyguard,


    George. Ynda didn¡¯t know George¡¯sst name. He rarely spoke to anyone beyond his own people.


    She¡¯d not truly found the time to talk to him, and names were such a trickly subject for practitioners of


    magic. A real name could be the foci needed to ensnare you in some curse. Vampire¡¯s were extremely


    careful with their names. Existing as long as they did, they were hesitant to let their names be known.


    Dragons did the same thing, too.

 Chapter 58: Interrogations

    Chapter 58: Interrogations


    Ian felt himself roughly pulled through the portal. Of course, he couldn¡¯t keep his eyes closed,


    and it was extremely difficult to keep his bnce. With his bnce, off and his mind couldn¡¯t find a


    ce to lock his eyes on. There wasn¡¯t a horizon to stare at, and everything moved about him in an


    unsettling way. Thankfully, it ended as abruptly as it started, and he didn¡¯t embarrass himself by puking.


    Once heposed himself enough. Ian took in his surroundings. They were all in what looked


    like was an unused storage warehouse. This wasn¡¯t the same ce they started in.


    ¡°Looks like we all survived in one piece. Now, where are the others?¡±


    Arge ck bird settled on a table not far. It came from the rafters. Ian found server also


    more birds in the rafters. They¡¯d sent shifters to spy on this cult. A cult against shifters, but not smart


    enough to understand shifters came in different creatures. Not just wolves and bears.


    ¡°Well met there. Sorry to ask this, but could you mind shifting so that we canmunicate


    better please? It¡¯s just the time limit that has me a little anxious.¡± Arianna said this directly to the bird.


    Who squawked in response and flew into the darkness of therge space? The group waited


    patiently, and their reward was a slender woman in a short dress and barefoot returned to the like.


    ¡°Evenin¡¯ Ambassador. I¡¯m Pippa Wilson. We have everything ready for you, but first, we¡¯ve got news for


    you.¡±


    ¡°Good evening. Excellent, please lead the way and tell me what you know of these people.¡±


    Arianna fell into step with Pippa, expecting them to follow her. ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy, but we¡¯re able to


    capture one of the cult¡¯s lieutenants just moments ago. I¡¯m afraid he is rather resistant, and it will take a


    little longer to bring him in. Once he¡¯s here, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to handle him. I¡¯ve encountered him


    before and let me tell you, he¡¯s not the brightest lightbulb in the pack. I suspected he doesn¡¯t fully


    believe everything he¡¯s told and stays with the cult because it¡¯s a ce he can bully others and get


    away with it.¡±


    ¡°Delightful. Misogynistic monster. I wonder what he¡¯ll experience when he meets an actual


    monster of his nightmares.¡± Ynda happily followed, d that she was on the same side as Arianna.


    Arianna¡¯s heavy boots thumped on the concrete floor. Which was a feat since her boots must have


    three-inch heels on them. Arianna made Ynda look like a shrinking violet. With her military-style


    jacket and pants, a shock of violent red bangs paired with straight ck hair. She often changed her


    hair colour on a whim. But she would not apologize for her six-foot height and dressed how she felt


    victim of a vampire attack. Arianna didn¡¯t have a tragic love story, as books and movies often portrayed.


    Well, at least, not that anyone was aware of.


    ¡°Just remember we only need information and not a body count.¡± Ynda piped up with this


    reminder.


    ¡°Oh, by that won¡¯t be necessary. However, I may use your ability to shift to scare him. Mind


    you, when I¡¯m done with him, he won¡¯t remember anything beyond. Dogs and wolves are scary and to


    be avoided at all costs. That and he¡¯ll have found respect for women from now on.¡±


    ¡°Hey, if it works, why the hell not. I don¡¯t get to y.¡± The three women smiled at each other as


    they conspired about what they would do to this poor human.


    Ian and George looked at each other. They didn¡¯t need any words. They both could see how


    this would go south. ¡°Ari, please just stay on the n? Please. Just get the information, make him


    forget his time here, and we can all leave here. We don¡¯t want the Fae to notice this ce and


    ¡°That¡¯s what I n to do. Now you don¡¯t need to worry about any of this at all. We have it all in


    hand.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m afraid of. I know how you handle things.¡±


    Arianna turned on him lightning-fast and hissed at him. Her eyes shing with violent warning.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. Your words are noted and not important. Just drop it.¡±


    George backed off immediately. Ian could see he didn¡¯t want to back down, but he did.


    Whatever their rtionship was, it wasn¡¯t a smooth one.


    ¡°Let¡¯s all stop this right now and get this job done with no one friend or foe getting injured or


    worse.¡± After a moment of silence between everyone, Pippa brought their attention back to the matter


    at hand.


    ¡°The guy¡¯s name is Laurence Jarvis or Larry. He¡¯s a beer-swilling mouth breather. But within


    the local area, he¡¯s respected mostly, and if he¡¯s not respected, then he¡¯s feared.¡±


    ¡°What is with these men and their course names? It¡¯s like a g that he¡¯s a course uncouth


    barbarian.¡±


    ¡°No idea. But you are right. This guy is a walking stereotype. Good luck.¡± Pippa flitted about


    while gesturing to the door.


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no luck involved. How much has he seen?¡±


    ¡°Not much. He got rip-roaring drunk at a bar and followed a decoy out into the parking lot.


    Passed out before he could get too handsy.¡±


    ¡°Lovely. He¡¯ll be hungover. I can work with that. Let¡¯s get to it.¡± Ynda knew the type. The


    bikermunity had those types. That meant they¡¯d have to deal with a sweaty guy that smelled of


    stale alcohol.


    ¡°You are going to owe me for this. It¡¯s so not going to be pleasant.¡±


    ¡°What do you want the two of us to do?¡± Ian asked as he looked around. He thought they


    needed to pull in the people they needed to interrogate. Now everything looked safe.


    ¡°You get to watch what we are doing as witnesses so that we don¡¯t get questions. You¡¯re here


    to represent the human race and act as a voice. We¡¯ll try to prevent anyone from forcing you to speak


    or answer for them too.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yippie. I feel so much better. Well, when you¡¯re ready.¡± They entered the room, leaving


    Pippa outside. A man with stringy hair sat handcuffed to a chair. His chiny on his chest and his


    stringy hair hung over his face. Ian could smell the alcohol fumesing off the man from the doorway.


    Everyone stayed silent. ¡°So, this is the big, dangerous second-inmand? What a sad state


    they¡¯vee to then.¡± His head whipped up and blood-shot eyes red at Arianna. ¡°This should


    disappoint indeed.¡±


    He said something in an angry growl that waspletely unintelligible. ¡°I hope you can speak


    drunk. Because I think it¡¯ll be a while before he sobers up and even longer before we get a respectful or


    civil word from him.¡± Ynda said dryly. She wasn¡¯t off the mark in Ian¡¯s opinion. But he saw where the


    women were headed with this line of interrogation. Bad cops. If he didn¡¯t break, they could switch to the


    men ying good cop. Or at least that¡¯s what they had in mind, he assumed.


    Arianna moved with lightning speed to Larry¡¯s side. Her hand was in his greasy hair to ensure she


    had his attention. ¡°Are you listening to me, Larry? Are you?¡±


    The human struggled to nod in response. His eyes were now wide, and it surprised Ian. He didn¡¯t


    wet himself.


    ¡°Now, you will look me in the eye. You will get lost in the depths of my eyes. You will listen to


    everything I say.¡± Arianna droned like that for several minutes like this, before she started talking to the


    man. When Arianna started talking to him, the change in Larry was astounding. Hisbativeness way


    gone, and a calmness settled into ce. But it wasn¡¯t quite a trancelike state.


    ¡°Let¡¯s started. We know the cult has been performing some very sketchy rituals. We know where


    you¡¯ve performed them. You need to confirm all the sites for us. What we also want to know is why you


    performed them. What is your agenda? We need to know what your goal is.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t hard to get him to speak now. Larry spewed out five locations. Everyone was underground.


    Natural caves or abandoned mining tunnels. The problem came when he tried to exin why they


    performed the rituals. He couldn¡¯t get the words out. It took Arianna a long time to pull even a fraction


    of what they needed from him.


    George, at one time, pulled Ynda and Ian aside. ¡°This is aplication. Someone got to him


    already and has messed with him mind. I¡¯ve seen this before. That means someone knows we exist


    and that we can do this. I¡¯m d we blocked off time for this. We may have to pop in on the leader of


    this cult. I¡¯m pretty convinced he¡¯s a puppet or another supernatural creature.¡±


    ¡°How would we do that? I thought the leader was impossible to reach.¡± Ian wasn¡¯t sure what he was


    missing. Though, he was sure he¡¯s missing something.


    ¡°If Arianna can¡¯t get more from him. Then we¡¯ll use him to get a meeting with the leader. That and if


    we must, we¡¯ll use your position as a police officer. Cross your fingers that she can get past the blocks


    put into his mind.¡±


    ¡°So, she really is controlling his mind?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s influencing him to want to give her what she wants. It may take hours. Her skills are far better


    than most. So, let¡¯s pray that the person who did this to Larry waszy and didn¡¯t do a through


    job.¡±Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 59: Taking Further Action

    Chapter 59: Taking Further Action


    They got back to packnds before sunrise with the news. Arianna took it straight to a meeting of the


    NARC ambassadors. For Ynda and Ian, their night didn¡¯t end either. The pack house appeared in


    chaos. Enforcers from all factions moved quickly through the building in various states of battle


    readiness.


    They readied to take on the first Host of Fae. They have numbers. The mages working with the druids


    to force the Fae from the dream realm and keep them out. Now they must take action against them.


    The Host was too close to Ottawa now. They¡¯d create too much chaos there to not get noticed. The


    web of protective secrets would unravel.


    So Ynda and Ian now oversaw the distribution of weapons to those trained to use them. Ynda


    struggled because she¡¯d lost control of her armoury. Not personally doing everything. Not being there


    every minute of the day. She just didn¡¯t have time to cry about it. Or take it up with her superior. He¡¯s


    trapped in the Ambassadors¡¯ meeting as the head of the new forces belonging to the council.


    ¡°Do you think the council is moving too fast? It won¡¯t be good if the Fae realizes everything we have.


    How can the mages be sure they got everything correct? They barely started researching things.¡±


    ¡°Ironically, that¡¯s far from the truth. The mages have worked on many things rted to just this


    situation. I think they developed workarounds and such a long time ago, but just needed time to be


    sure it worked. Mages are all about studying. They set their culture and society up around studying and


    researching. So, I think it¡¯s more confirming what they already knew and the best way to go about it.


    Remember, we¡¯ve known this would happen since the Fae left thousands of years ago.¡±


    ¡°It all sounds so weird because we have nothing in our history that might remotely match up to this.¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yes, but humans saw it as fiction and lore rather than a historical retelling. King Arthur and all those


    stories. Of course, they changed the names. No one wanted a Fae to identally be summoned


    to this ne, or summon a spirit of a powerful mage. Just what we could need. To give a dead mage a


    chance to be a Lich.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Oh, the mages can exist after death and still perform magic. But it¡¯s difficult they don¡¯t stay sane, and


    it¡¯s ouwed because of the mess these beings create with theirck of empathy and humanity.¡±


    ¡°Why not be a vampire?¡±


    ¡°Oh, they can be a vampire. But they lose the ability to use magic.¡± Ian looked a little surprised at


    this information. ¡°What? You think we don¡¯t have to live by rules? Magic doesn¡¯t make things happen


    without consequences. So yes, if a child is born to mixed species parents, then it usually takes after


    one or the other parent. The survival of a child that is a true blend of both parents rarely survives long.


    Some species can¡¯t produce children with other species. Like merfolk, they can¡¯t breed with other


    groups. There are love stories and all that, but the cold hard fact is merfolk are just too different.


    Vampires are another group that doesn¡¯t produce children the same way. They do the whole bite thing.


    Before you ask, they have rules to control their poption, and they are harsh. But they are


    necessary.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Are we just haunting the armoury then?¡±


    ¡°For now, I think. If they need us for anything they can find us. Don¡¯t we have enough to do already?


    Though that cult is bothering me. If a supernatural creature runs the group. What are they? Definitely


    something that can alter memory and intention. That¡¯s no easy feat. I¡¯m thinking a vampire or a Fae of


    some kind. Which I know doesn¡¯t bode well for our sess. Though, the Fae avoiding the group that


    made it possible for them toe through? That¡¯s insane. It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it can work in our favor. Think about it. Divide and conquer. If they don¡¯tbine forces


    because the groups don¡¯t trust each other. Then they¡¯ll be weakened before our people get involved.


    With their inability to go into the dream realm. They¡¯ll not be able to hide so well. By now they must


    know humans are a force just by the sheer numbers.¡±


    ¡°Great now when can we get time alone and sleep?¡± Ian looked around as the crowds of people slowed


    for the night.


    ¡°The rush is over. We can go to the apartment here to rest so we¡¯re close but alone. We¡¯ll be close


    enough if we¡¯re needed. Give me a few minutes.¡± Ynda kissed Ian¡¯s shoulder before going to make


    sure people could find them.


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll get the desk cleaned up and log out. While you do that.¡± Ian busied himself with that while


    Ynda notified the people who would stay.


    Walking back up to the main building they were stopped in the lobby by Gregory. ¡°You both need to get


    some sleep, but I will need to see you after lunch. We have some things that need to be done and


    you¡¯re the perfect couple. Now if you excuse me. I need to go have breakfast with my mate.¡±


    ¡°We n to. So what three this afternoon? It¡¯s seven now.¡±


    ¡°Good enough. Don¡¯t forget to eat either. You must be starving.¡± With that he left the pack house


    leaving the couple to stare at themselves.


    ¡°Okay, remind me. Where is she again?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a medical center under ground and the Luna is there. She¡¯s newly changed, pregnant, and


    newly mated. Which boils down to everyone is taking precautions with this war on. She can be guarded


    there by more than just her bodyguards. Which used to include me. Now I¡¯m being pulled in too many


    directions.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and I¡¯m right there with you.¡± Ian wrapped his arm around her waste and guided her along


    towards the tables within the lobby where the food wasid out. ¡°Let¡¯s get something and go find our


    apartment to eat and sleep in some quiet.


    ¡°That sounds like a wee change. After all the noise and chaos this evening. I thought it would


    never end. Now the Alpha has me wondering what mission they have us going on. It¡¯s going to bug me


    until we know.¡±


    ¡°Well maybe we can find a way to distract you for now.¡±


    Ynda¡¯s eyebrow raised flirtatiously. She smiled, and nodded toward the main stairs. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    They entered a small apartment in the east wing over top of the ballroom. With the door finally shut.


    ¡°Finally, alone. Now for some us time.¡± He couldn¡¯t believe it, but in all this it felt right to be wanting time


    with her. ¡°Now where do we start?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I can think of a few ideas.¡±

 Chapter 60: Another Mission

    Chapter 60: Another Mission


    Ynda woke up lying beside Ian in bed. Her brain to a moment to catch up to the fact they


    used an apartment in the packhouse. Rather than going back to their cottage. Once her heart slowed a


    little, Ian finally got to the rm and turned it off. ¡°Why do I feel like I haven¡¯t slept yet?¡± She mumbled


    to herself as much as to Ian.


    ¡°Because I think we¡¯re running on about five, maybe six hours of sleep. Let¡¯s get this show on


    the road. I feel we¡¯re in for a rough patch if he¡¯s asking for us.¡± Ian climbed out of bed and hit the


    bathroom for a fast shower. ¡°I¡¯ll head down for food. What do you want me to bring up?¡±


    ¡°Whatever going is fine. Thanks, I¡¯ll be quick.¡± She rushed through her routine and met Ian in


    the main room. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯m really curious about what he wants us to do.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t know until he tells us now eat so we can head out. Sorry, but all they had were a few


    lunch specials left.¡± They ate, knowing if the mission took ce immediately, that eating would take a


    backseat for a while.


    ¡°You won¡¯t hear mein about eating a grilled bacon/cheddar with tomatoes sandwich.


    Now we¡¯ll need to make sure everything is up-to-date with armoury. Because who knows how long this


    mission will take.¡± Ynda sighed and bit into the crunchy sandwich.


    ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± She looked at the other half of her sandwich like it¡¯s the saddest thing she¡¯d ever seen.


    ¡°Okay, I can¡¯t eat another bite without knowing what he wants. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll just finish my coffee and I¡¯ll follow you.¡± Ynda wrapped the leftover sandwich up


    and slipped it into her jacket pocket. If she couldn¡¯t eat it now, then probablyter. After the boom came


    down on what Gregory wanted.


    They left the apartment and moved through the packhouse back to the main lobby. The smells


    of brewed coffee and toasted bready heavy in the air. The main door frequently opened these days,


    so the lobby¡¯s temperature was several degrees lower than the rest of the house.


    ¡°We really need to figure out something better if this goes on too long. The heating bill will be


    insane for this ce.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not as if you can just whip up a building in no time. Using magic to do that would


    cause questions about permits and where did ite from.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ but it would be nice if ournd returned to us soon.¡±


    ¡°This is the most protected location in the world from the Fae. Think about it. Thesends have


    the best chance ofing through this unscathed.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it still doesn¡¯t invalidate my feelings. I can appreciate their presence and resent


    them too.¡± Ynda tried to lighten the conversation by uttering this outrageous statement with a flourish


    of her hair. ¡°If I don¡¯t, I might try to kill something.¡±


    ¡°Good to know. I sincerely hope I¡¯m not the thing you want to kill.¡± Ian hadn¡¯t seen her like this


    before. It¡¯s not like he¡¯d known her for long. ¡°You¡¯re fine. Come on, his office door is open. Let¡¯s get this


    done and over, shall we?¡± Ian¡¯s hand waved toward the door and offering to let her enter first.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡± They entered the office to find several people working in there along with their


    Alpha. ¡°Gregory? You wanted to talk to us?¡±


    ¡°Good, you¡¯re on time. Find a seat and I¡¯ll fill you in on everything that¡¯s going on. I need the


    two of you to do something.¡± Gregory waved them to the sofas to sit. A pile of filesy on the coffee


    table between them. Mages studied documents and papers in the corner at desks, quietly ignoring the


    small group.


    ¡°That sounds intriguing and mysterious at the same time. However, it sounds like you want us


    to go to Ikea for you.¡± Ynda leaned back on the sofa, her armid across the back of the sofa behind


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    Ian¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°When I¡¯m done, you¡¯ll wish it was a trip to Ikea. No, it¡¯s more than a mere shopping trip.¡±


    Gregory didn¡¯t pick up the joke, or he ignored it. That was a toss-up of which he did.


    ¡°But why us?¡± Aria asked from where she perched on the edge of a sofa.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s the makeup of your group, actually. The others should be here soon, then we¡¯ll get


    down to the brass tacks of it.¡±


    They settled in to wait, but it didn¡¯t take long. For the others to arrive. ¡°So, we¡¯re considered a


    group. What does this mission hold for us?¡± Asked Ynda as everyone sat down.


    Gregory paced at one end of the sofas as he spoke to the group. ¡°Good, now that everyone is


    here. I¡¯ll exin what we¡¯re doing. We¡¯ve been studying the situation. We need you to get into the midst


    of the Fae. ce a trap and get out in time. The thing is, you must ce the object in this realm and


    the dream realm.¡±


    ¡°How are we going to do that? I have so many questions. What does it do?¡± Desire blurted out


    in her need to know what would be their next challenge.


    ¡°It¡¯ll cause the Fae to be trapped in this reality without ess to the Dream Realm. We


    have troops that will go in and draw them out of the dream realm. Once they are within this realm, we¡¯ll


    activate the device, effectively cutting them off from the Dream Realm. Then we will go in after them


    seriously. That means thedies will enter the Dream Realm while the men will work to get the device


    to the correct location here. We must do this, or we won¡¯t block their ess to the Dream Realm, and


    they¡¯ll be able to escape.¡±


    ¡°If it must be done, then let¡¯s get it done. Howrge is this thing? How¡¯s it activated?¡± Jaxon


    said from his end of the sofa.


    ¡°It works like a bomb. It¡¯s temporary and it won¡¯t destroy the Dream Realm as it is. But you will


    need to get out of the Dream Realm before it goes off or risks being trapped within the Dream Realm


    for an unknown amount of time.¡±


    ¡°I gather you want us to drop the bloody device into the middle of the Fae horde?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a hunt, but close enough. I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s what we need you to do. As if the device isn¡¯t


    dangerous enough. Both groups must move through enemy lines. Therefore, I¡¯m using this group. You


    are all highly trained and most likely have the best skill set for this. Dean left folders for each of you.


    We¡¯ve chosen your teams. Before you ask. We¡¯re keeping the groups small to attract less attention


    from the Fae. Timing, maps, exnations are all within the files. Please look at them and we¡¯ll meet


    your teams within the hour. Questions?¡±


    ¡°Why did you choose humans for this?¡±


    ¡°Simply put. Your friends are part Fae. They won¡¯t immediately attract attention with their


    magic. You, as a human, don¡¯t carry magic and they¡¯ll assume you are the servant or ve of your


    friends. With their attention on our attack, find a way into their midst and out before the device goes off.


    Please, we have little time left. Try to study quickly and we¡¯ll return to this in an hour.¡±

 Chapter 61: Research and Mobilization

    Chapter 61: Research and Mobilization


    ¡°This is going to be risky. We¡¯re relying on Jaxon and Hal¡¯s small amount of Fae blood to keep us safe.


    I thought these creatures fought among themselves. Wouldn¡¯t they attack an unknown Fae in their


    midst?¡± Ian looked among the small group searching for something he wasn¡¯t sure of.


    ¡°Hunts are an odd thing. There are hundreds of Fae within them. It¡¯s not unusual for the Fae not to


    know each other because of their number and they have levels of status. I doubt they¡¯d talk to them


    because they¡¯ll believe they¡¯re of a different rank. The worst thing that can happen is they¡¯re called


    upon to give orders or they¡¯re given orders to do something. I mean, we don¡¯t know what type of Fae


    contributed their DNA to their bloodline.¡± Desire struggled to find the words to exin what they knew


    asmon knowledge to the supernaturalmunity.


    ¡°Are you saying the type of Fae denotes status level?¡± Hal attempted to grasp the information for


    himself. Understanding the enemy was half the battle.


    ¡°I¡¯m not kidding when I say they are extremely bigoted. You will never see a bogan at a status level


    about an elf of any kind. Pixies are only annoyances and are kept at pets to pick on and torture for


    amusement. Bogarts are kept like animals and are used as such. We¡¯re creatures were treated as


    animalistic weapons. Disposable armies.¡± Desire continued exining with difficulty. Many supernatural


    creatures felt the bite of how disposable they were in their creation.


    ¡°What about vampires what were they created for?¡± Jaxon could feel the feelings of everyone within the


    room and it affected him in a simr way.


    ¡°Vampires were created to be jailers and torturers. Prue and simple.¡±


    ¡°Mages? Druids? Dragons?¡±


    ¡°Dragons were the nukes of the armies or hunts. You know how the nuclear arms race went here.


    Mages were humans that naturally could use magic. They¡¯re a threat to Fae and the Fae tried to control


    them. Druids? They handle spirit and nature in a way that¡¯s simr but out of reach of the Fae. Again,


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    they are a threat to the Fae. The Fae at first tried to friend them, but soon enough that ended and the


    Fae tried to irradicate them.¡±


    ¡°How have they not experienced a revolt yet from all these creatures?¡±


    ¡°Because the nasty creatures at the top of the Fae food chain are the personification of nobility and the


    magic itself bends to their will. Like a hot knife encountering butter. They manipte the magic itself as


    easily as breathing. It¡¯s believed that they don¡¯t know any better, it¡¯s second nature to them.¡± Desire¡¯s


    serious face watched the human men around her. Assessing how they responded to this information.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t helping me feel more confident about this mission.¡± Ian¡¯s raised his hands and dropped them


    to his sides in exasperated defeat.


    ¡°There nothing that¡¯ll make you feel more confident. Well except we have twenty odd dragons at our


    disposal, and they don¡¯t have any. They have a lot of infighting within their ranks in and out of war.


    However, they do have many Fae who are nightmarish in their natures and abilities. Whatever you do.


    Don¡¯t underestimate them. Stay on your toes and do what needs to be done to survive. In and out as


    quickly as possible. No screwing around, avoid as much contact as possible. Remember everything is


    dangerous in the least likely of ways.¡±


    ¡°So, we¡¯re basically going in there. Try not to engage. Get this thing nted and get out of there. But if


    we¡¯re engaged, we must adlib whatever gets us out of there, because there¡¯s probably no one that can


    get us out of there. I don¡¯t understand why we can¡¯t just portal in there and out again.¡±


    ¡°Portals in highly popted areas like that often end up in horrible idents. You¡¯ll port in close but not


    that close. When you are done, return to the portal location and we¡¯ll get you out. That¡¯s about it.


    Truthfully, we can¡¯t n for everything. There¡¯s just too many variables involved.¡±


    ¡°I get it. I guess this is where undercover work wille in handy.¡± Ian again gestured helplessly with


    his hands.


    ¡°Well, I guess we should get to the meeting. Table your questions for the meeting. We¡¯re going to head


    in.¡± Ynda stood up as she said this. She¡¯d already made it clear that she didn¡¯t like her mate, or his


    friends being put into danger with so little training or knowledge. Even though Ian argued that this was


    war and things like this happened.


    The group entered the meeting room to be graced with the devices on the table. The dragons believed


    they could use their magic to get the device into the Dream Realm. It wasn¡¯t something wolf shifters


    could do. But a dragon carrying something like this might make raise the suspicions of Fae. It would


    just put a mark on their hides and reveal far too much to the Fae.


    ¡°Alright, everyone. You have your teams. We¡¯re doing this in a matter of hours. Team A and B are going


    into the Dream Realm. A will deliver the device and turn it on. B you are only there as back up to help


    them get out if it¡¯s needed. You will also guard their exit point. Team C are the dragons who are getting


    the device into the Dream Realm and will exit as soon as the device is handed off to Team A. Team C


    will take the device within this realm to the necessary location. Team D will guard their exit point where


    a portal will form and both Team A and D will leave by. Team D if Team A needs assistance you will


    give it to them. Under no circumstances will anyone do a suicide run. This is the first volley in this war,


    not the final battle. We need everyone to return. Do I make myself clear?¡±


    ¡°Yes, how are wemunicating with each team? I mean between the Dream Realm Teams and the


    teams here in this reality.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s going to be harder. However, we will need to stick to a strict schedule, and we can¡¯t deviate


    from that schedule. If someone gets stopped, you¡¯ll need to carry on and go back for them or trust the


    backup team can rescue them. We need to block as many Fae from using the Dream Realm as


    possible. Even if we can¡¯t use it ourselves. It¡¯s a better option than what we have now.¡±


    Gregory paused to wait for questions, but when none came, he continued. ¡°We must set up a


    distraction close to the site within this realm to pull as many from the Dream Realm as possible. Once


    the devices are set and the teams are safely out of there, we¡¯ll draw the Fae towards the area in hopes


    they¡¯ll be caught up in the st radius. We¡¯ll use a trick with projections of our people rather than


    risk our people. So, everything must be time precisely.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Everyone has their jobs. I expect you to keep as closely as possible to the details. You¡¯re all


    highly skilled in one way or another. We don¡¯t want to lose any of you. Good luck, this n goes into


    action within the next three hours. Prepare yourselves.¡±


    After these words he left the conference room and the room erupted into conversation. No one wanted


    to leave before the I¡¯s were dotted and the T¡¯s crossed. Everyone felt the need to protect themselves


    and the people standing with them. This mission was the game changer.

 Chapter 62: Into the Thick of It

    Chapter 62: Into the Thick of It


    Ynda settled into the bunkhouse with the others going on the mission with her. The dragons went on


    ahead of them just moments before. For safety, they would rest in a different location. If the Fae


    located them within the Dream Realm, the Fae could shift realms and find their bodies. She found it


    difficult to settle down to shift her consciousness into the Dream Realm because her mind kept going to


    Ian and his safety.


    Eventually, she faded into the Dream Realm with her team around her. It took them only a few minutes


    to locate the location where they¡¯d meet the Dragons to receive the device.


    ¡°Thank you, Gorm. We¡¯ll take it from here.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t understand why they areplicating this so much. We are acting like cowards.¡±


    ¡°No, actually, you aren¡¯t acting like cowards. You¡¯re part of a team and you are, as the humans say, the


    get out of jail free card. That means when we exhaust all avenues, you¡¯lle in and save us from


    certain destruction. You don¡¯t understand how much I appreciate you, and knowing I have you as my


    back up eases my mind greatly.¡± This was the problem with the Dragons. They lived in an old world


    mentality, where they only saw battle as the only honourable way. They saw survival as an after


    thought. Ynda believed this probably led to their small poption. Times changed and they didn¡¯t


    change with it. They weren¡¯t stupid. Just set in their ways.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. It feels underhanded and not honourable.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯rebating the Fae. Very few can be considered honourable, and many of those honourable


    ones have a list of rules that are flexible. You will not lose any honour in anyone¡¯s eyes. My respect for


    you and yours will never falter.¡±


    Gorm looked choked up and only nodded to Ynda before the three dragons moved off to find shelter.


    They would stay far away from the radius of the bomb¡¯s explosion. Ynda and her team shifted into


    their wolves. Then with the device¡¯s harness in Ynda¡¯s mouth they made their way carefully through


    the greyndscape. It¡¯s colours muted and shadowy in the creepy lighting.


    Ynda could never get past theck of a moon within the sky and the fact that it appeared to always


    be a spooky night. The confusion of buildings from now and then appearing within thendscape threw


    so many off that they avoided entering the Dream Realm unless there¡¯s need for them there. Ynda


    was one of them. Graves, destroyed buildings, trees were that were chopped down decades ago still


    dotted thisndscape. That in and of itself made it difficult to maneuver through space. If one didn¡¯t


    know the local history that person could be lost.


    They ran through thendscape toward the ce the Fae congregated in. The need to avoid three


    groups of roving nightmare creatures hunting for their next victim, added anxiety to the pressing nature


    of the mission.


    It began to get harder to move unseen into their midst. They must wait for the distraction to ur and


    draw the Fae into the other realm. She wondered how long it would take the distraction to happen,


    because the longer they were there the greater the chance they¡¯d be spotted by a Fae or attacked by


    one of the shadowy creatures of the Dream Realm.


    * * *


    Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    Ian pondered the device while they moved the group and their gear to the spot where they would set


    out from. Everyone could feel the static in the air from the anxiety everyone carried. He¡¯d avoided


    talking about his feelings about this mission to Ynda. His fear of dying during this mission hung


    around his neck like a noose. But this must happen, and everything revolved around them getting it


    done in a timely manner. They at least would know when the attack would start to distract the Fae.


    Everyone prayed it would go well and not end up in a ughter. NARC possessed superior numbers


    currently, but with active wild magic, the Fae out gunned them.


    Even thought he dealt before in investigating supernatural or alien reports, he now walked into the


    event itself with full knowledge this was real. These creatures were real and a threat to everyone who


    encountered them.


    With it being impossible to kill them, they needed to take away their advantages one-by-one. Then


    NARC forces could return them brutally to the realm they came from. This was but one mission within a


    multi-pronged attack. There¡¯d be no great single battle. It¡¯d be a long drawn out process, with many


    skirmishes over a long time. The Fae acted like an aggressive infestation. However, that infestation


    battled itself.


    NARC had many people researching options, others actively hunted for clusters of Fae like this one,


    and more hunted for the portals to lock them down. Some of the Mages took it upon themselves to find


    out why the historymonly taught to them was riddled with lies. The dragons, vampires, and even


    the Fianna offered up ess to their historical records. Ian thought thisst part was a moot point, and


    a point that could wait. But it felt like water washing over Ian when they exined that Dragons or


    Vampires may be old enough to be guilty of this lie, and expected to exin why they recorded it as


    such. They¡¯d technically be responsible for all the deaths that urred from this war.


    The portal closed behind them leaving them with their equipment and the portal guards. They now


    faced the Fae in the distance gathered within an open wooded area. The group waited to hear the


    horns the Fae used to summon their forces together for an attack. But right now therge group


    frolicked about mindless of the pending danger waiting for the sign to attack.


    The portal would active again closer to the time they would take it. This way if a Fae with the ability to


    sense magic were nearby, they¡¯d not sense the portal¡¯s magic. Ian found out that where were some


    Fae that devoured magic for pleasure. Since most Fae didn¡¯t experience feelings like most other races,


    to feel pleasure often elicited an addiction reaction. That pleasure became their drug of choice.


    Devouring the magic often went overboard and the magical being would be injured or die.


    Now they stood there watching and waiting for the elusive horns. Time felt drawn out and that electric


    feeling vibrated through each group member. Finally, the horns began to sound.


    Fae stopped what they were doing and then ran toward the sound of the horns. Others appeared out of


    nowhere, these Fae came from the Dream Realm. It worked. Somehow, the Fae could summon their


    own from the Dream Realm.


    Finally, the mass of grotesque bodies slowed to nothing within the field, and the team could move


    forward. Ian prayed that their luck would hold. Though God felt like the wrong god to him because of


    the Fae before them. He blocked that train of thought from his mind. He needed his mind focused on


    getting into that space and setting it up in the correct area.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!