“Here,” Amalia crouched. “Let me carry you down, it will be a lot faster.” Rosalea sighed, but as she saw Bazil leap down the cliff face, decided that there was no use in arguing if that was the way that they were going to travel.

Miri was scooped up by Mere with some vines, and the creaky old wolf used vines to lower herself down. Nakai put out his wings and flew. Nekana and Amalia just jumped. Rosalea squeaked and put her arms around the wolf’s neck tightly as she hopped from one rocky outcropping to the next. This is so much worse without magic, she thought of how intimidating it had been to ride on Kaylar - or to fall from the red dragon’s grasp.

Her toes curled in her boots until they reached the bottom of the valley. From there, their path went northward, following the contour until they reached a large river. I bet this is the same one that flows by Miron. It looked completely different upriver than it did next to the town: here it was green and a bit clear. There, when she had crossed it with Nira, it had been black-brown and chemically smelling.

Amalia bobbed and weaved through trees and brush in a way that made Rosalea really have to hang onto her. The grass in the valley was pink, and it stood up proudly through the snow. Clinging to trees on thin, delicate little vines, there were blossoms that sparkled with a soft light. “It is really pretty here,” Rosalea could not help but observe as she looked at a particularly large, clearly cultivated, enclosed circle in its trunk. In the hollow space, vines and flowers curled together to make an intricate design.

Amalia tilted her head, “I do not think about it much, every here looks a little different. This valley is the home to a large number of squirrel mystics, so they have unique tastes compared to us.”

Rosalea just smiled. She supposed the wolf den was a lot more about comfort and practicality, and a lot of what she was seeing here was frivolous. They came to a bend in the river, and in the pale winter light, Rosalea saw an actually rather massive pack on the other side. There were seven wolves in Nekana’s pack. There looked to be at least twenty, counting puppies, on the other side of the river.

Raisa was sitting on Nekana’s side, as close to the river as she could get, with her ears in an annoyed position, but she had apparently made her choice for now.

Rosalea heard a little whispering and murmuring start on the pack on the other side as they saw her. No matter where I go, I do not fit in, she thought, looking at them. She put her hand in the air, “Hello, do not act like you have not all heard of me already! Connall is surely planning to make me the topic of discussion!”

She did not look at them but watched the big gray wolf sitting across from Raisa, trying to get a read on him.

“Rosalea,” Amalia said a little warningly.

But, Rosalea saw Connall’s ears flatten just very slightly, she saw annoyance on his face, and she knew he had not been expecting that. “I am not that exciting,” Rosalea continued loudly, slipping down off of Amalia’s back. “I am just a human that owes a debt for trespassing. Really not that exciting to have a meeting about, right?”

It caused a ripple of reaction in the pack, and she was gratified to see Connall’s ears flatten more, his lips actually curling with annoyance, as she derailed everything.

“Rosalea!” Amalia said more urgently, coming up behind her like she was going to have to do something to stop her.

Rosalea kept her antics going, catching Nekana’s eyes in a side glance. The wolf looked speculative, but not as ruffled as her daughter. Sometimes, a scene is what you have to do to make things go your way. We are outnumbered, and he is obviously hostile and possibly in league with the other dragon. She breathed out. She was grateful, suddenly, for all those lessons in how to speak to a group. She was grateful that those skills hadn’t been erased by Ulric and Nashota. But also, she did not really understand why she was acting so openly; she had never been this brave before.

***

Nekana watched Rosalea carefully; it was like the girl had become someone different as soon as the topic of politics and conflict had arisen. Kartowen told me that you would bring me peace. Is this what he meant?

She focused on the human girl with more magic, watching her. She had wanted to try and inspect her magic when she had gotten back to the den, but then she had come across trash instead. The magic in her core is dim, but I can see it. She got big eyes as she took it in - this one human girl had more access to magic than any mystic Nekana had met. You would be a match for the dragon if you had it. She looked at the way it was muted, dimmed, but not gone. If you had a liana, the liana’s magic would have empowered you. Your liana died… and then what happened? Why would it be dim… as if you were in a liana-shape and not as a human right now?

Nekana did not have answers. She left it alone at weird-chosen-god-prophecy reasons for now that she could investigate later. What she did see that made her pause was a visible red crown. Mind magic spell was activated by something we are doing?

She looked at Rosalea’s antics - at the way it was putting Connall off, and she decided to wait as things played out.

“The dragon is looking for you!” Liraza called from a safe distance back.

“Sure is,” Rosalea answered, looking right at the wolf, and taking a step toward her, and even though a river separated them, it unsettled the mystic enough that she leaned back. “But that should hardly matter; the dragon is the source of your problems, right? She puts pressure on the town, and the town puts pressure on the forest. So, unless you are allied with the dragon, there’s no reason for any of us to be concerned about what she is looking for, right?”

Nekana watched Connall stiffen up, clearly trying not to show anything about what they felt about that. There was murmuring in his pack that gave him away - that this dragon was more disrespectful than any dragon before. So you have had at least one conversation.

“Nekana, this is a meeting between our packs. Get your human under control. This should be a joyous occasion, we have not met as a big group for two decades. You have not even met most of our new little ones.”

Rosalea continued, dodging Amalia who did try to get her to stop and nudge her back. “I do not wish to speak of a dragon either; I agree she was pretty unpleasant to deal with in the town.”

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

More hackles came up. “Are you a spy?” Theron, an older male demanded.

“No, I eluded the dragon’s mark of ownership, and I look funny, so they did not care for me. However, I think we are focusing too much on me, and there is heavy news to share about the actions of the town that should make all of us wary.”

Nekana heard her cue. Rosalea permitted herself to get scooped by Amalia who was all flustered as she took her back behind the pack with Mere and Miri before the human could make more of a nuisance of herself. “I was with the Moryshin today. Setsy the badger was captured and killed just outside of Miron.” She was silent, letting the information sink in. Things had grown really quiet, the only sounds in the valley now was the wind in the trees and the river. Just as wolves started to talk, Nekana spoke again, “Attacking the town is not an option. Attacking the dragon is not wise.”

Connall cut in, trying to get the upper hand, “So what? You would propose we do nothing?”

Nekana smiled. “Your territory has the town with its boundaries. I would not propose to tell you anything about how you will handle it. I know how we will handle it on our side of the river. I cannot imagine a pack as strong as yours requires any of our assistance.”

“We do not,” he all but snarled. You deserve that, she thought.

“Very good. I am taking my pack and going; I have nothing else to share with you, privileged or otherwise.”

Her children all took her signal, and every one of them, even Raisa turned their backs to go home.

“Nekana, you are not the mother of the next Moryshin anymore,” Connall called.

Nekana paused, “Neither you nor I can know the will of the Gods. I hope you do not come to regret the things you say and do.”

The tone was so frosty that there was silence until Nekana began walking again. She did not hear the other pack begin speaking again until they could not longer see each other.

“Rosalea, what was that?” Amalia demanded.

“A diversion. I wanted Nekana to command the meeting, and I did not want to be a weapon for him.”

Amalia bristled.

“It was clever, calling them all out like that. I cannot believe they had a meeting with the dragon,” Nekana said with a wrinkled nose.

“What?” Bazil said.

Amalia got quiet, though she was still visibly frazzled.

“How else would they know the dragon was disrespectful?” Mere pointed out. “That all aside, Rosalea, who was using mind magic on you in your past? The Ieshans? How long ago would that have been?”

Rosalea stopped walking, which caused everyone else to stop. Mere turned and looked back at her. “You have been acting differently, since the mention of an emboldened enemy under a strong leader.”

Rosalea breathed out, clearly conscious of all the eyes on her, and she became withdrawn again, more like they were used to her acting. To Nekana’s eyes, the red spell faded. “Um. I have a few things, actually, I think I should tell, especially… if I am going to be influenced by things I cannot notice.”

“That is fair. Let us get home, yes?” Nekana urged.

So, there was silence. Despite Rosalea causing Amalia to be flustered, the wolf still pestered her to climb back up. “You are worse than a puppy, you know. Do not scare me like that again, if you can.”

Rosalea huffed and clearly could not come up with what to say, so she rubbed Amalia’s shoulders.

***

Rosalea’s heart pounded the whole way back to the den as she tried to brace herself for what she needed to say. They got home both slower than she could stand and slower. I felt like I remembered the teachings clearly, but now when I think back, I feel like they are all fuzzy. I thought I knew what I was doing, but actually, some Ieshan spell activated? What am I supposed to do about that? What if it makes me do something else?

Amalia let her down, everyone sat in a half-circle around her. Rosalea decided to just be blunt. “I belonged to Kaylar,” she held up the brand so they could all see. “I think you all knew, but if someone else in the town saw it and was able to tell the dragon, then I am sure that is why she is looking so hard for me. We can tell that Connall talked to her, and he came here looking for me, I think.”

Raisa was very quiet, “He did.”

Rosalea nodded, “And even if she does not know which dragon that I belonged to, she failed to put her own spell of ownership on me. She could likely believe me to be a spy for Myraduil’s dragon council.”

They all nodded. She had already told Amalia, so this was easy to share. Rosalea swallowed. “I grew up with Ieshans. I… have talked about it. I got away from them when I was a teenager for a while, but… My mother used a mind spell on me, to tell me to get away from them from a time I could not have remembered otherwise. I know that I recovered it at least once and lost it, because I remember realizing that if I told anyone what I remembered, I would lose it. I spent only a season or so with Uryans when… they… sent me away because I might have… Ieshan mind spells,” she found herself hesitating, struggling to get the words out. She was suddenly really afraid that the pack was going to send her away - rightfully so, for the same reason.

None of them hardly blinked, not even Raisa. They seemed completely unphased. “I was captured again when I was a teenager. I… do not remember a lot of things about my childhood because they… took… a lot… when I had my daughter.”

Miri tilted her head, “I knew you were a little like a mother!”

That sent a chuckle through everyone, and Rosalea smiled a little. Nekana looked sad though. There was silence, so Rosalea continued. “I… could have any number of mind spells on me. I had a teacher who tried to keep me in line, to teach me how to be a good Queen. I thought… I was just remembering what he taught me.” She took a deep breath, and then plowed ahead, “But, I cannot remember it, actually. I cannot remember reading books or learning it, and I… I really cannot say what came over me.”

“Your teacher was also an Ieshan?” Mere said, sitting, which caused her hips to pop.

“Yes. My cousin, actually, but his father betrayed the people and caused Castle Ninevah to fall. He… found me again when I was lost, looking for what the One of Iesha’s prophecy was supposed to be doing. But… he… died. I … had a dream about meeting a God who wore some chains? And he said, I would need to travel alone. He said gave me a gift, but I do not know what it was.”

Mere grumbled. “Easy, you are not traveling now, so you are fine. The Gods will make it known what your next step should be, but you are stopped here. As for your mind spells, it seems terribly obvious to this old one.”

That got everyone to stare at the old wolf, and she cackled, but then did not share what she knew.

“So… safe?” Amalia prompted the old one.

“Of course, she’s obviously a gift to help us through these damned politics.”

Rosalea was surprised to see Nekana smiling.

The conversation suddenly pivoted to talk about how to feed Mere and see if it would make her less smug.

“It is fine,” Nekana said as she saw Rosalea looking overwhelmed by the sudden shift of attention and the lack of care. “We have a connection with Gods, and they guide many of our decisions. I think… it will make you feel better to know that God guided me to you.”

Rosalea looked up at Nekana, hoping she would say more, but the wolf shook her head.

Still, Rosalea felt a little relief. She got out of the way of the family for a little, sitting at the front of her house while they tried to cajole old Mere into talking, but that just seemed to make the old one sassier with them.

I wonder if… Ulric wanted me to be able to react to bad political situations. She remembered Genya coming to her with the news that the Ieshans only wanted Lio, and how easily she understood what that meant, even though she remembered almost nothing and could barely think for herself.

She rested her head on her knees, and she felt sorry Ulric was gone. She felt guilty, like the loss of Fen had swallowed up her ability to properly grieve for him.