Page 5 of Battle of Evyndral (Rebel Moon Shifters)

Yaricelan

“What in D?nthú’s name is that?” Yari asked for the hundredth time since stepping through the portal. The realm Queen Zarina sent them to was alien. The sun wasn’t pink. Instead, it glowed yellow, scorching her eyes if she tried to look at it. The village they came upon after walking several hours was larger than Summerland by five. The buildings were several levels high. The beings – because they weren’t fae or dragonfolk – bustled about in a hurry, not speaking as they passed others along the stone walkways. But the most fascinating things were the carriages they rode in. These were not pulled by horses. They were a type of metal box that made a loud noise when moving.

“I think we should head back toward the cliffs,” Cassi suggested.

Yari agreed. If they were encountered by these beings, would they be taken for being different? Their clothes and Yari’s armor would give them away well before Yari’s pointed ears, which she hid with a glamour. She also hid her sword. She saw no one else carrying a weapon unless you counted the spikes some of the females walked on. Females wore breaches the same as the males. A few had on skirts, but they were tight and showed more leg than was normal in the fae realm.

Cassi rubbed her arm where she’d been cut. “Why did the queen think we’d be safe here?”

Yari eyed the wound, then the princess. Queen Zarina assured her the poison wouldn’t spread, but Cassi wouldn’t stop rubbing it. “No idea. Has she even been here? Or did she miscalculate when she opened the portal? Did you hear the words these beings spoke? I’ll have to configure a translation spell just to understand them.”

“Maybe Queen Zarina intended for us to remain at the cliffs and not wander about. If she has been here, it’s possible she never ventured as far as we did.”

And ventured they had. As fit as they both were, the terrain was different than that of the fae realm. Yari wished they had their horses. Then again, the horses would stand out even more than she and Cassi did. They set out walking away from the town, back to where they came through the portal. They were almost back to the cliffs when Cassi stumbled. Yari gripped her elbow to help keep the princess upright.

“Do you think shifting would help?”

Cassi scanned the area. “It’s possible, but what if I’m seen?”

“Can you not invoke a cloaking spell?”

Brushing a loose tendril of hair behind her ear, Cassi shrugged. “I should be able to. I’m going to try because my dragon is restless. If I feel the poison receding, I’ll take to the sky and have a look around. See if there’s somewhere better for us to wait on the Queen’s summons.”

Yari wasn’t sure that was a good idea, but Cassi knew her dragon and what she was capable of.

“Don’t risk it if you feel off.”

Cassi nodded, then walked far enough away that she could take to her beast without her wings knocking Yari to the ground. Yari had watched the process hundreds of times, but it never ceased to amaze her. One second, her friend resembled Yari, sans pointed ears, and in the next, she was a massive red beast. Cassi was still a young dragon. As she aged, her scales would change into the shimmering kaleidoscope of her parents’ scales, indicating royalty. Rhoan’s scales were deep blue, and his, too, would change the older he got.

Cassi dug her front talons into the ground, her large head nodding once, then flapped her wings. The gust pushed at Yari, but she kept her feet planted as the princess lifted into the air. Okay, so she felt well enough to fly. That was good. Yari shielded her eyes from the sun as she kept them on her charge, waiting for Cassi to cloak herself. It happened briefly, her large body flickering in and out of view. Cassi did a few small loops before going farther out. Yari began walking the same direction, but when Cassi’s wings stuttered, Yari took off at full speed. “Cassi!” Yari cursed under her breath as she sprinted faster than she ever had. Her armor held her back, but she couldn’t stop to remove it. “No!” Her breath caught in her throat as Cassi’s dragon plummeted from the sky. She would never make it in time. Not that she could stop a full-sized dragon from falling. As she ran, Yari kept her eyes on the princess. Out of nowhere, four winged beings flew toward Cassi, and Yari pulled her sword. When she was closer, Yari saw these were shirtless males. Insanely attractive males. They somehow managed to stop Cassi’s descent, lowering her to the ground.

Yari closed the distance, her chest and legs burning with exertion, but she didn’t stop until she noticed a group of beings huddled close by. One young male was yelling, but Yari couldn’t understand his words. She pulled a small stone from her pocket and spelled it into a speech translator.

“Brenton McKenzie! Get away from her!” a female yelled. She ran toward the male, but he ignored her. When he reached Cassi’s downed form, he slid to his knees beside her massive head. A sharp fang was on the outside of her lower jaw, and her eyes were closed. Brenton reached out to touch Cassi’s head.

With tears in his eyes, he turned to the female. “It’s okay, Mom. She’s my mate.”

Oh, D?nthú. Cassi couldn’t be the mate to one of these beings. Her home was in the fae realm. When Yari approached, all eyes turned her way. All except Brenton’s. Yari sheathed her sword, then held her free hand up. Using the translator, she said, “My name is Yaricelan, and I am the guardian to Princess Cassiopa.” Yari gestured to Cassi’s body.

One of the males whose wings fluttered behind him stepped forward. “The princess is a dragon.” It wasn’t a question.

“She is, and as such, I will need to return her to our realm.”

“No,” Brenton yelled.

“Brent—” the male began, but the young male shook his head.

“No, Uncle Banyan. She’s my mate.”

Banyan’s wings disappeared into his back. “I understand, but did you not hear what Yaricelan said? She isn’t from this realm.”

“And you’re too young to go with her,” the female Brenton called Mom added.

Brenton stroked Cassi’s jaw, tears streaming down his face.

“May I ask why you’re here? How are you here?” another male asked.

“There is a battle waging in our realm. My queen sent us through a portal to keep Cassiopa safe until the battle is over. She and her brother, Rhoan, are heirs to the throne of Evyndral. It is my—” A familiar roar sounded from above, and Yari turned her eyes toward the sky. “That would be Prince Rhoan. Please do not provoke him, lest you all be burnt to ashes.”

“Brynna, Nova, please take the kids inside,” the second male said.

“Nova can take them.” Brynna, Brenton’s mother, gestured to another female.

“But—”

“Urijah Aldobrand, I will not hide away while my son is in the presence of two dragons and a warrior, one of those who can snap my child’s neck with his massive jaws.”

“That’s Aldobrand Holgersen, thank you very much,” Urijah said harshly. Yari had no idea what that meant.

Banyan stepped up behind Urijah and wrapped his arms around his chest. Were they...? “Nova, take the little ones please.”

“You got it, Dad.” Nova held her hands out, and four younger children of various ages went with her, while several older kids looked on. A female who resembled Brenton greatly crept closer to his side as Rhoan landed with a thud.

Yari approached, getting between the prince and the other beings. He shifted immediately, his eyes intense as he took in the scene before him. “What in D?nthú’s name is going on? What’s wrong with her?”

“Cassi was cut by an Und?nthú sword when we were outnumbered. Queen Zarina healed the wound but had no time to remove the poison. Cassi thought if she shifted, it might help. She was flying overhead when she froze midair. These beings” — Yari gestured behind her — “saved her from falling to the ground. I do not know what they are, but four of the males have wings. Whatever they are, they were strong enough to keep a full-sized dragon from plummeting to the ground.”

Rhoan nodded once, then strode toward Cassi’s body. When he reached the group, he raised an eyebrow at Brenton, who had not stopped stroking Cassi’s jaw. “And him?”

Yari sighed. “He believes Cassi is his mate.”

A grumble came from Rhoan’s chest as he approached. “Step aside,” he insisted.

Brenton looked to Yari to translate. “The prince requests that you allow him to check on his sister,” she said instead.

“Come on, Brent,” a different male, one without wings, urged.

“But Dad—”

“Brent, don’t make me pull the King card,” Banyan stated.

King?

Brenton huffed but rose to his feet, remaining close. The female who resembled him gripped his hand and held it as they both kept their eyes on Rhoan. Brynna took Brenton’s other hand as Rhoan knelt beside Cassi’s head. “Come on, Cassiopa. You need to shift back.”

“What’s he saying?” Brenton asked.

“He’s encouraging Cassi to shift to her bipedal form,” Yari translated.

“Tell the creatures I am in their debt for saving the princess,” Rhoan instructed as he stroked Cassi’s red scales.

Yari did as Rhoan asked, then she asked Banyan, “May I ask what type of creatures you are?”

“We are Gargoyles. In our realm, we are a secret. If humans knew of our existence, there would be chaos.”

“Humans?”

“Humans are the people of our world. Non-paranormal creatures. They are the inhabitants of Earth, and Gargoyles, along with Gryphons and a few other types of paranormal beings, remain hidden. Well, we don’t hide from humans, only our true nature.”

“And this Earth, it is your realm?”

“Yes. What happened to the princess, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Like I said earlier, there is a battle for the royal dragon throne. The dark fae signed a treaty to live peacefully with the winged ones, but Melisandra, the dark queen, decided to break the treaty and sent her fae after the king and queen. It is the duty of the light fae to protect the dragons. Cassi and I were headed to a safe place away from Evyndral when we encountered a group of dark fae. One of them got close enough to Cassi to cut her with one of their poisoned swords. My queen, Zarina, arrived and dispatched the dark fae, healed Cassi’s arm, then sent us through a portal to your realm. She didn’t have time to completely remove the poison, but she assumed it wouldn’t spread. Cassi thought shifting to her dragon would take care of the poison, but it seems that caused it to spread. And here we are.”

“How did Prince Rhoan come to be here? Are there portals across Earth we are unaware of?” Urijah asked, seeming to have settled beneath Banyan’s hands.

“Rhoan? How did you get here?”

“We were also attacked by Und?nthú. Queen Zarina arrived with the rest of your guards shortly after she left you. She dispatched the Und?nthú, then requested that Thran and I travel here to wait with you and Cassi until it was safe to return. I demanded Thran return to Evyndral and protect my parents.”

Yari relayed Rhoan’s words to the Gargoyles. “Are all of you Gargoyles?”

“No,” Banyan responded. “Let me introduce you to my family.” Banyan went around calling out names and whether they were Gargoyle, human, or half of each.

“I don’t understand. If you and Urijah are mates, how do you have children together? Is biology different on Earth?”

“It takes a male and female to produce offspring, but a good friend of the family offered to carry our seed so that we could have biological children. Tor, Bodi, Bellamy, and Sienna are biologically ours. Nova and Levi, who are biological siblings, along with Fin and Skylar, are humans Uri and I adopted, meaning we went through proper channels to make them our family. They know what we are and understand it is imperative to keep our secret.”

“Fascinating.” Yari lowered her voice. “Brenton believes Cassi is his mate. How would he know?”

Urijah rubbed his stomach. “For Gargoyles, it’s a feeling here, and here.” He moved his hand over his heart. “If Brent says she’s his mate, then he isn’t wrong.”

Yari glanced at the young halfling. “How old is he? He seems rather young.”

“In human years, he is fifteen.”

“Years?”

“I believe you call them sun cycles. Three hundred sixty-five days comprise a year. Gargoyles age faster than humans, so he’s closer to the age of maturity than his human counterparts.” At least he was almost of age. In the fae realm, he would be considered a child.

“Cassi!” Rhoan called out. Everyone turned to find the princess in her bipedal form, lying on her side.

“What happened?” she mumbled.

“You don’t remember?” her brother asked.

“I was flying, then nothing.” It was then Cassi noticed the others. “Oh, D?nthú. I dreamed of you,” she whispered Brenton’s way.

Rhoan ignored that and explained everything to her succinctly in their tongue. When he mentioned Brenton, Cassi snapped her eyes to the young man’s. Brent took a step toward her, and Cassi held out a hand.

“Cassiopa—”

“Hush, Rhoan. I need to speak with him.”

“You cannot have a mate who is not a dragon,” he countered. “Especially one who is just a child.”

“What did she say?” Brent asked Yari.

“Hang on. They’re arguing.”

“I am not the heir, Rhoan, you are. And I dreamt of him. Why would I dream of someone I’ve never met, someone in another realm, if he wasn’t important?”

Rhoan cursed, but he stepped out of Brenton’s way. The young halfling closed the distance and knelt at her side. Cassi pushed herself to sitting. “Hello, Brenton. I am Cassiopa, Princess of Evyndral.”

“Yari?” Brent called out.

“I really need to make more translations stones.”

“Will any rock do?” Brynna asked.

“Yes, but preferably something this size.” She held out the one in her hand.

“On it.” Brynna searched the ground, then came back with two stones of similar size.

“Thank you.” Yari spelled them both, then handed one to each of the siblings. “Now you don’t need me to translate.”

Cassi repeated her introduction, then added, “Brenton, it is unheard of for a dragon to have a mate who isn’t another dragon. Especially a royal.”

“No.” He shook his head, turning to Banyan instead of his parents, pleading. “Please, Uncle Banyan. Explain to them I am right.” Then he angled his head toward Rhoan. “You said you are in our debt for saving Cassi. Please repay that debt by allowing her to remain on Earth.”

Cassi grabbed Brent’s hand. “I said it was unheard of, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Please help me stand.” Brent pulled Cassi to her feet. She brushed the dirt from her riding breaches, then clasped her hands behind her back. “My duty is to my family, Brenton. I must return to my realm once the battle is over. If my parents haven’t been slain, I will explain the situation to them. Since I am second in line to the throne, they may allow me to return. If so, I will do so as soon as possible so that you and I can get to know one another. I will not promise to be your mate merely because it is the way things are done with Gargoyles. If I return, you will court me properly, then after the formal courtship has ended, I will make my decision. That is the most I can offer.”

Brent’s smile was quick. “I understand. And I accept your proposal. Are you hungry? Thirsty? We were getting ready to have a celebration, and we have plenty of food and drinks.”

Cassi’s return smile was bright, and her cheeks flushed. “I could eat.”

Brent’s family offered them sanctuary while waiting on the crystals to shine indicating it was safe to return. Staying with this large family was much better than sleeping in a cave among the cliffs. She, Cassi, and Rhoan accepted their hospitality and learned much about Gargoyles and humans, including their strange foods while waiting for the battle to be over. Yari could easily see how Cassi and Brent were mates. Despite their difference and his young age, the two were never far from the other, and their gazes were already filled with something akin to love. Yari prayed the King and Queen lived through the battle so Cassi could come back to Earth. Yari would be with her, and the thought of exploring a new world thrilled her.