Big Bad Wolf Chapter 23

Big Bad Wolf Chapter 23

Getting Interesting

Fox

“So what do you need to know to make me the third man on the ruling council?”

Fox was in a rare open mood indeed. Artie soothed his soul beyond belief. The fear of losing her had receded. His plans were working as he’d hoped and were even better than he could have expected where Isabell was concerned.

It did not completely sell him on Artie’s belief that she wanted to serve Fox as his body servant. He still felt the magic was pushing it, but he felt relieved to know a part of the weight had disappeared. She knew he’d turned her into a shifter, and that produced no ill effects.

“That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

Fox asked when Javier and Luke looked at one another and didn’t answer immediately. He’d guessed correctly. They’d already discussed his situation and come to some obvious conclusions. Fox wanted to clear up any misconceptions the two might have.

He hadn’t lied when he first arrived. There was no place for secrets. It couldn’t work that way.

“We want to know what kind of game you’re playing before we decide if we want to be dealt in on a hand,” Luke spoke calmly.

Javier got quiet, studying both himself and Luke.

“No game. I assume you’ve put the puzzle together. It’s no secret I want to be Ruiri once again. I miss the power and magic.”

It was easy, but he told them the truth about why.

“I gave it up once, thinking I could live without it, but I couldn’t. The minute I found Artie, I used it again and have wielded it ever since. I’ve spent over four hundred years chasing answers and studying magic and shifters and other things.” Fox sighed.

“I’ve grown weary of running. I’m tired of hiding what I am from all but one. In effect, I wish to be who I am. I wish to live freely as a druid king with his servant queen, and I wish to run with my arctic fox in the moonlight.” Fox looked away, seeing a past he longed to recreate in a better form.

“I’m only half of what I could be. I wish to lead men, practice the sword and the horsemanship, and use my magic to defend my castle, my lands, and my people. What I’m asking, humbly, my old friend, is for you to consider becoming Ri ruirech. Will you place the crown upon my head once again? I’ll swear fealty to you. I’ll submit to the pack. There’s no one else I’d do it for.”

Fox spoke openly of his desire for the first time. It was a relief. He wasn’t lying or blowing smoke. Luke was the only man he ever met who had a chance of making Fox kneel again.

“Why would I do that? How would it even work?” Luke asked. The concept of a kingdom messed with the man. He wanted a pack, not a kingdom. Still, he hadn’t said no. The magic intrigued Luke as much as it always had. Fox had hope.

“If you accept my oath, the magic would recognize you as Ri ruirech. You have magic. It doesn’t need to be druid. You’re powerful and will be even more so after Saturday. You already have another in your service. I’m essentially asking for what you’ve already offered to Javier. He pledged his allegiance to you. His loyalty wasn’t in question long before you turned him, and he’s so obviously alpha that only his friendship with you could keep him as a beta,” Fox explained.

“What’s in it for the pack?” Javier finally spoke up.

Fox smiled. Javier knew the entirety of it then. He was a true beta. Fox liked his street smart mentality. The two men would be worth working with.

He wanted a seat at their council table. He longed to work with good men, protecting the realm again. It would be better. He wouldn’t have to leave what they built behind, as the magic forced him to do so long ago.

With Luke as the Ri ruirech, it would be an immortal kingdom. They would build a new piece of the Leaindeail. It would be different. It was time. Too many of the old immortal realms had crumbled into dust or become reclusive and stagnant.

“I’ll give you access to the magic I possess.”

He put his palm out and let an orb of purple light dance on top of his hand before sending it to obliterate the paperweight on his desk. Then he projected his thoughts into their minds.

I’ll follow Luke’s orders as Ri ruirech. If you command it, I’ll teach you how to use the Druid magic. If Javier becomes a bonded male, he can swear fealty to you, Luke, and I can help him learn to use the power of the direwolf and teach him the Druid magic as well. Together, we’d become nearly invincible.

“You can dream talk?!” Luke asked. Fox laughed.

“Not exactly. It’s different from what Eli can do. It’s more sinister. I can speak to your mind by altering the fabric of the Netherworld. I can twist the minds of weaker men, and force them to follow me.”

Fox grinned a wicked grin. It had been too long since he used his magic that way.

“It’s a powerful weapon turning the enemy upon himself. If I regain my magic in its entirety, I may free Artie and save her. Even if I can’t, I’d be myself as I haven’t been since I had to forsake my inheritance. Will you help me in exchange for the magic of the Druids?” Fox pleaded.

His usual mask was gone. He let Luke and Javier see his genuine desire. It would never work if they thought he was holding back or manipulating them in some underhanded fashion.

“You altered the fabric of Hell?” Javier asked incredulously.

“Not Hell, the Netherworld. There are three planes of existence inside the dream. Below the Leaindeail, where we are now, is the Netherworld. Above is the Ainglean. The magic I wield is from the Netherworld.”

“Will you teach the women?” Luke asked.

Fox lowered his head.

“I can’t. They cannot wield it. Only men can wield the magic of the Druids on this plane. Women are vessels of life. They can’t wield the magic of death. Even old women who could no longer bear children died when they tried to wield the magic of the Druids. I won’t try it even if you commanded me. The danger to them is too great. Contrary to what you may think of me, I abhor the thought of harming a woman or a child.”

Luke looked at Javier, who nodded.

“I willingly swear fealty now. You know I’m your loyal friend. If you choose this route to protect the pack, I’ll back your play. I’ve thrown in my lot on the same side as Fox. Let’s protect what we build here with all the magic we can use.” Javier nodded.

“It’s a heavyweight you ask me to bear.”

Luke was acutely uncomfortable with the power Fox sought to grant him.

“I can’t cut off anyone’s head simply because they want to leave my service, or God forbid…” Luke trailed off.

Javier smirked. Fox laughed.

“If someone wants out, they simply don’t renew their oath on the Winter Solstice. They’re free, and you no longer owe them protection. They reserved beheading for those who would endanger others by breaking their oath. I knew I’d die if I released Artie, so the magic saw that as endangering her king, treason.” Fox whispered the last.

The pain was so clear in his words, Fox wondered if he’d actually spoken or simply felt them. He hadn’t lied to Luke and Javier.

Arturista Jonsdottir was everything. It was because of her he sought to be a Druid king once more.

“Think about it. You need to build your castle first. Javier needs to bond with Isabell. Only bonded men and royalty born to it have the ability to wield Druid magic beyond the fealty bond. The bond between a man and a woman is his link to the world of the living, the Leaindeail. The Winter Solstice isn’t until December twenty-second. We could swear before that, but it would have to be redone at that point.”

Fox didn’t want Luke to make a poor choice. His friend was the right man for Ri ruirech. Fox hadn’t met a better candidate in four centuries. Still, it wasn’t a position to force on someone. Luke and Javier grew silent. Luke stood thinking.

“Take all the pressure off. Finish the retreat. Speak with your mate. Let us see if Javier can win the heart of a phoenix. I’ll submit to you as alpha and join the pack even so. I can hope for nothing. The offer remains.” Fox released a long breath.

“I accepted my life long ago. If I can never be truly Ruiri again, I’ll have more than I’ve had in over four hundred and fifty years as head of intelligence for the pack. That alone has me excited.”

“I thought to build a pack and offer sanctuary to those who needed it, a refuge for those who sought to rebuild a life or reinvent themselves. I sought to offer shifters a place where they could vacation as themselves without fear. If I accepted your offer, would you use your magic to further those ends?”

“I spoke the truth to you. I’ve pledged my resources. Your goals would be my goals, your enemies would be my enemies. I’d use all of my considerable talents to help you be the Ri ruirech. Javier would become Ruiri with me. It would honor me to be a brother in arms with him. We’d rule the pack as a council. Your word is the law. If in the future you deemed it necessary, you could add other Ruiri. Together, we protect the pack and the innocent.”

They might be slightly old-fashioned notions. Fox was certain that Javier agreed with him. Luke was just as noble and likely a bit more straight-laced than either himself or Javier.

Eli was an alpha in her own right. As a tiger, she would defer to Luke. Isabell was powerful. The phoenix, like the tiger, was a solitary huntress. She’d always defer to Javier.

Artie was a submissive. They all needed to have a place and power of their own. They wouldn’t choose to rule a pack. The alpha male dogs would rule.

“All right. We’ll accept new pack mates and swear fealty oaths in ceremonies on the hill above the lake. Only men swear, except for Fox and Artie. The three of us will be in the Inner Circle. Our mates are council members.”

Luke was nodding and thinking out loud.

“We’ll re-evaluate how many others get added. Many will be part of the pack, few will be council members, and only the elite will become Ruiri. Perhaps it might also be best if we alone know the whole truth about Fox and Artie. That could be a weakness. We don’t want to be exploited.” Luke spoke, and the law existed.

“Is there any other business we need to discuss?” Luke asked.

“How do you feel about vampires in the pack?” Fox asked in all seriousness.

Javier laughed. Luke grinned. Things were getting interesting.

Thank you for your support! Welcome to the dream… Sincerely, -OK

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