Page 17 of Hexes & Heartstrings (Shifters of Bastion Keep #2)
"The humvees will be here soon for the wounded," Sergiy said to Lady Yi and his sister, putting his radio back in his side pouch. "I'll have to revise a couple of the weekend patrols, but today's circumstances seemed to have turned out alright."
"If I might make a suggestion, warlord," Yi began, clasping her hands behind her back primly. "In the future, perhaps the witches should refrain from wandering away from the anchor? That is, if their assigned protectors can't be bothered to properly clear the area, first."
"Hey, fuck that," Marka said. "It's not like shadowlings just sit around in the open. They wander, they move. This one weren't there when we started. And all the witches made it out alive, didn't they?"
"Yes, because they were rescued , thanks to our warlord sensing the nearby battle. They were woefully unprepared for actual conflict, from what I could see at the end."
As Marka and Yi bickered hot and cold, Sergiy took a moment to watch his two mates helping prepare the injured guardians for transport.
Russ was making sure that their belongings were gathered together, ready for quick loading, and Bruin was doing another pass among the wounded.
Right now he was tending to a werecrocodile's dislocated shoulder, one of Yi's pack that seemed oddly subdued as his mates helped him.
The other three witches were with Bruin, occasionally helping him with his charms, and looking none the worse for wear apart from fatigue. He noticed Rosemary constantly looking in his direction, and wondered if he should stop by and see if she needed anything.
Marka was raising her voice again, so Sergiy took a step to the side and closed his eyes, tuning her out as he took time to listen to his senses.
First his mate instincts, which had summoned him to Bruin's side.
He'd been explaining spirit kings to Yi's pack, but Bruin being in danger had torn through his thoughts like a stick through a cobweb, an icy dread settling on his shoulders like a heavy mantle.
Once he'd understood what was happening, he'd snapped into action, leading the way with an uncomplaining Lady Yi.
Now, those instincts were finally starting to settle down. Bruin was no longer in the Umbral, and thus no longer in danger. They sang, too, pleased with his efforts to protect his mate.
His drake senses were more of a mix. The Dawnbringers and Steel Fangs were feeling satisfaction and frustration in equal measure—probably pleased that there had been a strong foe to fight, but upset that they hadn't managed to slay it before it escaped.
The Steel Fangs were more exhausted and in need of rest, but still capable of action.
He could feel a locus of conflict brewing, however. It felt like two rocks being ground against one another, softly for now, but increasing in intensity. If he didn't head it off, other rocks would join in the discordance.
"Enough," he said, turning back to his sister and Lady Yi. He stared up at the foreign noble. "There was no fault in today's expedition."
Lady Yi's mouth thinned out, and Sergiy noticed several of her pack subtly move closer, backing her.
With effort, Sergiy kept his own emotions under control, refusing to view her as an opponent.
He didn't need Marka or her pack sensing his own displeasure.
Still, he raised his voice so that the others could hear.
"We had all precautions in place," he continued.
"Marka cleared the site before shifting our witches across to the Umbral.
The junior willworkers were under the command of our High Priest, not left to fend for themselves.
We conducted today's training in the lull between incursions.
No one could have scented or noticed a powerful deep spirit like what we encountered, but when we did, we had a second team of close to two packs ready to move in to assist, a solid contingency.
So what would you have done differently? "
"Maybe slain the spirit last week?"
"Three packs couldn't find it over two days, and there was no direct evidence it even existed."
"Then if you'd taken care of its food supply more quickly and decisively by slaying those crabs…"
"Slaying the ones that we had might ironically be what caused it to stay, out of hunger, and it sounds like you're still thinking short term," Sergiy said brusquely.
"This great spirit was here because it had been displaced by a moving demesne under the command of a unique spirit king.
My sights are set on him. Stop him, we stop this spirit, which stops other incursions. "
Lady Yi lifted her chin, which in Sergiy's opinion made her look silly considering the height difference. Could she even see him beneath her nose?
"Your witches need better training, if they are to be taken out into the field."
"Which is exactly what today's training was for, " Sergiy pointed out. "To acclimate Bastion's newest willworkers to the Umbral and other spirit realms."
"They reacted like scared kittens. Perhaps if you—"
Sergiy stepped up inside her personal space, putting his face up to hers and stopped holding back his emotions.
"Three months ago, Bastion was attacked by shadows," he said flatly.
"Three months ago, these three scared kittens, as you put it, put their lives on the line to defend a home that wasn't even theirs.
They performed exemplary , and had these three not been there, we'd have had about fifty dead civilians and as many as a dozen dead guardians.
Your pack doesn't have a monopoly on glory.
I would enlighten you to their heroism by telling you the tale now, but their feats deserve to be retold during a feast, not summarized for a visitor.
Had you spoken to a single castle staff member or guardian, you would know the story already, Lady Yi of House Rhindon.
Now, do you have any actual constructive criticism, or are you just mewling your displeasure that even with your efforts, we couldn't slay the spirit? "
She hesitated, then added, "The witches need to be trained for battle."
"The U.S. doesn't want us to use them in that manner. Only Free Glades willworkers are authorized."
"Then you should have more Free Glades willworkers than just your one High Priest!"
Sergiy spread out his hands. "Finally something that we can agree on! But House Usenko has been arguing for additional aid from the mythic council for twenty years, and up until now, neither House Rhindon nor your former House Monosoke has. Ever. Once. Voted their support."
Lady Yi closed her mouth, steel in her eyes… then averted her gaze.
Sergiy nodded. "But they've finally sent you, and know that I recognize it is due to your own direct efforts, and for that you have my thanks.
Your suggestions for improvement during this after action review will be taken under advisement.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to check over the injured before they go. "
But between the witches and Russ, there wasn't anything left to be done.
Instead, he listened to a few retellings of the battle, grinned along with the many self-deprecating jokes over being foolish enough to get hurt, and accepted a couple of thank you's for having returned, and they'd surely crack that shadow nut next time.
After the humvees arrived and the injured were either loaded up or limped their way into the back, he waved farewell to Bruin, who was going with them.
As they drove off back to the keep with Lady Yi and most of the rest of the guardians, he saw Bruin wagging a finger with mock sternness at a smugly grinning Toby, an ape shifter that now sported a broken wrist. In the end, it was just himself, Russ, Roland, and the three witches.
"Let's head back," he said.
There were sounds of agreement, and after a few words of discussion, the shifters adopted their larger forms. Lux climbed onto Roland, Rosemary gave his Russ some playful pats before sitting astride him, which left Lady Yi's witch for himself.
The man was an experienced hand at riding shifters, it seemed.
Despite his bulk, he didn't even need Sergiy to kneel down in order to mount him, hoisting himself up readily and without the ungainly—but generally cute—struggles his own mate made.
Surprisingly, he even knew to sit further forward than one usually imagined for a drake, closer to the base of Sergiy's neck and almost directly above his front paws; perhaps he'd ridden one before.
"Ready?" he asked, looking over his shoulder just in time to see the witch shake off a wistful expression.
"By your own leave, m'lord!"
"So you're Lady Yi's witch," Sergiy said as he began walking down the trail, only a scare decline.
He hesitated, realizing that he couldn't recall the man's name since Lady Yi only ever referred to him by his role.
"I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting.
I'm Lord Sergiy Usenko, warlord for Bastion Keep. "
"Ooh, everyone knows who you are, m'lord." Sergiy heard a giggle. "The handsome, oh pray pardon, the adorable and heroic lord of combat! I'm Arthur McCorvin, at your delighted service."
Arthur, that was it. He knew he'd heard Bruin mention it, but Sergiy had been up late each of the last few nights, and he'd crashed into slumber nearly as soon as his head hit the pillow, Bruin's enthusiastic chatter barely registering.
But adorable ? Damn it, he'd hoped that moniker had finally been on the ebb.
"I don't know about heroic, I'm just doing my job," Sergiy said. "But thank you all the same. And I heard my mate gushing about your own contributions. A few timely charms, and I also hear you helped him avoid walking headfirst into a tentacle?"