Savage King: New Worlds - Milly Taiden Page 0,35
“Thank you. We would prefer to be guests. We need help.”
The short woman nodded. “I thought as much. You are not from our dimension.”
“What gave that away?” Lilah snorted. Wren elbowed her again. “What? I was just making a point.”
Iridia gestured for them to join the elders next to the fire. Before they sat, the woman reached toward the ground with her fingers splayed, and a flat pile of dirt rose and formed into a seat. All three girls’ mouths dangled open. They’d seen magic when with Chelsea and her half-sister, but still it was shocking to see.
Iridia sat on her dirt seat and smiled at them. “Welcome to Gecire,” she said with a slight bow of her head. “We live in the forest of Banleth.” Her arms lifted out to the side, palms up. “We are Gnoleon fae. Forest ground dwellers. People of the land. Our magic speaks to the dirt and plants that we use to survive.”
“Ah, got it,” Lilah said. “That’s how you were able to do the dirt pile thing we’re sitting on.”
Iridia tilted her head to the right. “Yes. I am Iridia, alpha and leader of the fae tribe. You are welcome among us as friends.”
“Thank you so much,” Wren replied. “We have so many questions and need help getting back home.”
“Where is your home?” an elder asked.
Wren blew out a breath and looked at her companions. “I guess we should tell them our story.”
Chapter Fifteen
Wren and her cousins told the elders about their epic failed adventure to get back to Grandmom’s. The listeners took everything in stride, not interrupting to ask questions or giving them looks that called out bullshit. Wren left out the part about the tiger and Zee. She didn’t feel he needed to be a part of it. What did he matter?
“So, here we are,” Wren wrapped up, “needing to find a way to make the stones work to open a portal or some other means to get back to Earth or the Crystal Kingdom.”
The older Gnoleons got up and formed a circle, whispered to each other. Haml brought them another cup of water.
He said, “The three of you are like nothing we have seen in our dimension.”
“You don’t get many visitors?” Wren asked with a smile.
He chuckled. “No, not from off our planet.”
“What’s your position in the hierarchy?” Lilah asked him, batting her lashes.
Wren rolled her eyes and cupped a hand over her mouth. Leaning toward her cousin, she whispered behind her palm, “Stop hitting on him already.”
Her cousin frowned. “I’m not—”
Daphne leaned closer to their eternal flirt. “You are to. You just don’t know it.”
“Fine,” Lilah grumped. “I won’t say anything until we’re home.”
Wren and Daph shared a look. They knew that wasn’t going to happen.
Haml smiled. Wren thought his cheeks may have been a little pink under the dark skin. “I’m the alpha’s second. We work together with the elders to make decisions and run the village.”
Wren glanced at Iridia listening to the group of elders. “I’m surprised that your alpha is a woman. Not that I’m complaining. But in most shifter books on Earth, a male is always the alpha with another male beta.”
A shadow crossed Haml’s face. Wren remained quiet to see if he would explain. Instead, he glanced out to the village. “Being male or female matters little to us except for reproduction and work requiring physical strength that magic cannot do.”
“That’s awesome,” Wren said. “I doubt humans will ever get there unless there are changes that aren’t possible in society right now.”
The elders adjourned their impromptu meeting and walked back to their seats by the bonfire. The woman who put magic catnip in her ear stood several feet in front of the older group and lifted the gnarled staff in her hand then slammed it onto the ground.
A vibration rose from Wren’s feet, up through her legs and torso. She felt an incredible urge to get as close to the woman as possible. Glancing at her friends, she knew they felt it too by their wide eyes and bodies leaning forward as if to jump up and run the few yards to the woman.
A low roar behind her turned her around on her seat. It seemed all the children and several adults were stampeding toward them. As she watched, children of all ages crammed in around Wren and her cousins, forming a ring around the elder with the staff.
Wren felt her shirt move and looked back to see a little girl was feeling the