Page 115 of Kingdom of Aramis

The car doors open, and the guys in the middle row get out, allowing Liam and I to follow them. After the heat of the car, the cold air makes me shiver as I look around. We are at some kind of military outpost with a huge wall that seems to stretch as far as the eye can see in either direction.

“Wow, I knew the human and shifter zones were divided, but I had no idea that was literal.”

“Shifters are very territorial, and while they generally don’t have a beef with humans, it is best not to test them. The wallruns the length of Aramis, and only the section with the neutral zone doesn’t have it. The goddess herself erected it at the end of the war when tensions were still high.” A voice I don’t recognize has me spinning to see a male shifter in military fatigues approaching us.

“Major Payne.” Micah salutes the man, and Hunter does as well, which surprises me.

“At ease, captains,” he says, and my eyebrows jump. I hadn’t realized Hunter had a rank. I thought he was just a part of Watch Team One. Maybe that’s why Gryffin deferred to him. “Prince Gryffin.” The man bows his head slightly, and it’s Gryffin’s turn to acknowledge him. “What are you all doing here? I had no reports from the general or the king saying you were coming through.” His tone is neutral, but there is suspicion in his eyes, and his gaze lingers on me too long.

“Queen Colbie is on a diplomatic mission to Zalfari. She is extending an invitation to the equine shifters to nominate a member of their ranks for a council position.” Gryffin gestures to me, and the major snaps to attention, kneeling and bowing his head with respect.

“My queen, it is an honor to meet you,” he says and waits for me to give him the command to rise. I don’t know if I like all this genuflecting, but I guess it must be a shifter custom, because most of them have done it when meeting me.

“Please rise, and it’s a pleasure to meet you too, Major Payne,” I say, and he gets to his feet.

“Zalfari you say? What do you need from us? An armed escort?” he asks, but Micah shakes his head.

“No, that won’t be necessary. I just wanted to grab a few weapons as backup.”

“But you can conjure yours out of thin air,” the major says. “Why would you need more? Are you expecting trouble? If so, we could accompany you.”

“You can conjure your weapon?” Liam looks impressed, and Brodie looks like he’s dying to ask Micah to show him his sword. Micah rolls his eyes and holds out his hand.

In a burst of magic, a three pronged trident appears in his hand. It’s silver with markings on it, and there is a gorgeous, large, white pearl in the center of it. “I can, but it’s not very practical. A gun is quicker and cleaner than me stabbing everyone with this,” he explains as it disappears again.

“That’s so cool!” Brodie is giving off that golden retriever vibe, and I bet if he was in wolf form, his tail would be wagging.

“Yes, but slightly impractical. I’ll head to the armory and get what I need, if that’s okay with you, Major?” Micah asks, and the major gives his approval.

“We aren’t expecting any trouble, but I like to be prepared for any occasion. I won’t take risks with the queen and prince’s safety,” Hunter explains, and the major seems to accept his reasoning.

“Do you have a restroom I can use please?” I ask the major, my bladder becoming very insistent all of a sudden.

“Of course, follow me.” He starts back toward the large building that Micah disappeared into, and I follow him, flanked by Brodie and Liam, with Hunter bringing up the rear.

“Are you coming?” I ask Gem and Gryffin, but the phoenix shakes his head, gesturing between himself and the prince.

“We’re going to take the car and fill it up at the gas station, then grab us some food for the rest of the journey. We will have to shift in about an hour, and we are going to need all the energy we can get.”

“Okay.” I wave and follow the others inside, happy to be out of the cold.

“Have there been any problems in Zalfari recently? Any reports on an increase in feral numbers?” Hunter asks the major as he leads us through the command post. I look around, tryingto take everything in, but it’s mostly just cubicles with a few uniformed men and women sitting in them.

The major frowns. “Not that I know of. I haven’t had any reports come across my desk, but why don’t we ask Staff Sergeant Jamison. He mans the switchboard that takes reports of any feral sightings, and he has family in the village, from what I understand.” We stop by a desk that has a large blond shifter sitting at it. He looks up with surprise, but his eyes narrow ever so slightly as he takes in the major.

“Can I help you, sir?” he asks politely, his gaze shifting to the rest of us before resting back on his commanding officer.

“Yes. Have there been any reports of feral shifters coming out of the Aramis Rift recently? Specifically in Zalfari?” the major asks, and although he tries to hide his reaction, I see him stiffen at the question.

He shakes his head. “No, sir, not recently.”

“See?” The major turns his attention to Hunter who frowns.

“That’s strange. Prince Gryffin was there recently and said they had a curfew in place due to the rise in ferals.”

The major’s eyes widen with surprise. “A curfew? Really? I mean, it makes sense if there has been a rise in sightings. The residents of that village are mainly equines, which would make a tasty snack for the ferals, so a curfew is a sensible thing to put into place. We know they are more active at night. I’m surprised they haven’t reported it though.” He turns back to the sergeant who is listening closely to the conversation. “You have family in the village, don’t you?”

The sergeant nods. “Yes. My uncle is the alpha shifter there. He takes the safety of his village seriously.”