4. One

One

Meeting With Humans

" A root hole is a terrible place to hide. What if a viper was in there? Or worse, a troll!" Bashton half-yelled, half-whispered to Haven, one of his best friends.

Asher watched his youngest brother from under a nearby bush.

Bashton, the youngest member of the royal family, had dragged him into this game of hide and seek. Haven was one of Trayden's twin brothers, and they'd been arguing the past thirteen seconds about whether or not to hide in the rabbit hole at the base of a tree.

Trayden's deep voice bellowed from a few trees over. "Fifteen . . . sixteen . . ."

"It's not a stupid place to hide. Hurry! I don't want to get caught." Haven, the larger of the twins, wasted no more time arguing with Bashton. He shoved past his hesitant friend and dove into the hole.

Bashton scowled.

"Nineteen . . . twenty. Ready or not, here I come!" Trayden announced.

"Oh, mothballs." Bashton turned on his heel and sprinted to one of the younger trees he knew he could climb. He jumped up to the lowest branch and, with a grunt or three, managed to climb up it and a couple of branches above before Trayden lazily walked into the clearing.

Trayden ran his fingers through his mop of black hair, his free hand shoved into his pocket, and his brown eyes scanned the familiar layout of the forest. "Hm. I wonder where everyone could be?" he said in a monotone. His eyes stopped on a rock under the base of an oak tree and he tilted his head. He walked over, placed his free hand on the top of it, and leaned over the top. "Jaden, I thought the rule was no animal forms?"

From where Asher crouched, he spotted a puff of black fur suddenly disappear as Jaden must have transformed back into his human form.

"How did you already find me?" he whined.

Trayden pointed at the claw marks in the dirt where Jaden, the second of the twins, had clearly scrambled his feet in an attempt to make himself smaller. "You have to follow the rules. I think I know where Haven is." He pushed himself off the rock to straighten.

Asher lazily dragged his finger through the moist dirt from where he hid under the bush. It wasn't a great hiding spot, but it was a hot summer day and the shade was much appreciated. He and Trayden had been spending their day patrolling the main road, a completely unnecessary activity in the peaceful land of Vasha. Though patrolling was boring, playing hide and seek with their seven-year-old brothers wasn't exactly how the teens wanted to spend their hot afternoon either. Still, it was much cooler lying in the dirt under a bush than out laboring in the forest or fields—which was probably what the next in line to the throne should have been doing instead of drawing pictures in the dirt.

Asher watched Trayden stretch, sucking in a deep breath as he neared the hole Haven had shoved himself into. But he suddenly paused and his nose twitched again. This time, Trayden turned his head upwind, due east. Asher recognized the way Trayden narrowed his eyes—it was the way they looked when they sensed danger. And it wasn't the kind of danger posed by obnoxious little brothers.

"What is it?" Asher asked, drawing himself out from his hiding spot.

Trayden shook his head, eyes still locked to the east. "I don't know," he answered in a low voice. "I don't recognize the smell."

Asher sniffed the air. The familiar scents of the forest greeted him—the pine trees, the warm leaves that had collected on the forest floor, the honeysuckle flowers basking in the sunlight, the green of the grasses and weeds.

But underneath it all was something . . . foreign.

The scent was definitely a being of some kind, smelling of campfire, old leather, and sweaty musk. It wasn't that their people didn't get sweaty working in their farms, chopping the trees, performing whatever daily tasks they had to in order to keep their city running. But it was the musk that was different.

There was no identifiable animal attached to it.

Trayden, being a bear, had a deep, earthy musk. Asher, being a tiger, had a sweeter musk. Any of the bird families had a far lighter scent to them, usually smelling a bit cold like winter air. But this wasn't anything he'd smelled before.

"We need to get back into town," Asher said quickly. "I'll notify the scouts and my father."

"I'll take care of them," Trayden said with a nod toward the boys. "Everyone out of your hiding spots! Haven, I know you're in that hole. Bashton, I can see you in the tree."

The two boys whined in defeat and frustration.

"Can we play again? I didn't get enough time to hide!" Bashton protested.

Trayden bent over to look him in the eye. "Sure. If you can beat me to my house." He grinned.

Bashton put on a determined grin, turned, and sprinted down the path.

Asher transformed quickly. His hands widened and fingers lengthened, the muscles in his arms and legs grew more taut, and white-and-black fur spread across his body. Using his tiger form, Asher was able to sprint much faster down the hillside and into the city. He leapt over the waterways, receiving strange looks from people he passed, and didn't stop until he bounded up the steps of the palace.

"Father!" he called while transforming into his human form.

"Yes?" Kind Mardai replied from the throne room.

Asher flung the door open, and the four men inside turned to him quizzically. "Trayden and I were playing with the kids on the eastern hill when Trayden caught a scent. It is not one either of us are familiar with. You need to send out scouts." As he spoke, Asher noticed the men glancing from one to another and realized he'd mistaken their looks when he entered the room. They weren't giving him questioning looks but rather looks of frustration from being interrupted, which had shifted to concern when he spoke.

Asher's father stood and walked over to him. "How far up the eastern hill were you?"

"It took me less than ten minutes to run here. What is it you're not telling me?"

His father held his gaze and finally nodded. "Humans entered our land yesterday." He turned and gestured toward the other men in the room. "Our scouts have been keeping an eye on them."

Asher blanched. "Humans entered Vasha yesterday and you didn't tell me?"

"With all due respect, your king isn't obligated to share that information with you," Henry, the eldest of the scouts, cut in.

Asher raised his eyebrows. "When I turn eighteen, I will begin to take over more of the royal duties. Should I truly not be informed when our kingdom is in danger before then? By humans , no less? We all know what they did the last time they entered our land."

Henry's jaw tightened and he glanced at the others for support, but received none.

Mardai cleared his throat to draw their attention back to him. "Son, you are correct. I should have informed you. The humans were spread throughout the forest on the eastern side, but we did not have any indication they were coming westward until you told us. It is not uncommon to see a human now and again. Some travelers get lost or scouts look around, but they never travel any further than the edge of the forest."

"How many humans are there this time?" Asher folded his arms.

He tried to relax his tight shoulders, but...humans? The last time humans had been in Vasha, they'd murdered, burned down homes, destroyed farms, and ruined the life of their beloved protector, Khalil, by murdering his wife and either murdering or stealing his daughter. The infant's body had never been found, and Khalil had hardly been home since, convinced that meant the humans had taken her.

If that number of humans had managed to get in again, it couldn't have been an accident.

"So far, we've counted no more than twenty," Vaer answered.

Asher's father placed his hand on his son's shoulder. "I do not want to cause alarm. You have every right to be concerned, but we cannot cause panic amongst our people yet. I need to speak with the humans and find out their purpose before they get into the city."

"Then I shall come with you." Asher finally let out a breath and reached a hand up to place it on his father's. "Please. I want to know what is happening. I need to be here to help. It is my duty."

"Yes. Sometimes I forget you've grown so much." Mardai gave a weary smile and patted his son's cheek before he moved his hand to Asher's head and messed up his hair.

Asher chuckled and rolled his eyes. "I'm taller than you now."

"You are not. I still have at least an inch on you." His father smiled and turned to his men. "Go out and see how close they are. If you encounter a human, request they meet us at the Fossil Boulder by noon."

The three scouts left the room.

"I will go too," Asher said.

Before he could turn away, his father caught him by the arm. "Asher, I don't want you visible to them."

Asher turned back to his father with a confused look. "Why not?"

"I don't know what their intentions are. You're correct—the last time humans visited us, death followed. Just in case that is why they are here again, I need you hidden and ready to warn others."

Asher suddenly felt the weight of the situation and swallowed hard. "You're genuinely concerned about these men."

His father nodded once. "The scouts have been following them. The humans are searching for something."

Asher's brows drew downward. "What could they possibly want from us?"

"Rose's tree is all I can imagine."

"To...free that elven sorceress? What could they possibly gain from that now?" Asher stared at nothing in particular.

Shortly after he had been born, the humans had joined forces with the elves and attacked Vasha because they believed Rose had murdered their people with a blood curse. Khalil's wife had sacrificed her own life to trap the elven sorceress, Merete, and stop her from killing more of their people. The elven king, Sraylin, was banished in the same spell, and the human king, Barith, had almost been killed by the shockwave. It didn't make sense that King Barith should want to free Merete. Unless...he still wanted revenge. Again. But after fifteen years, could he still be clinging to revenge?

These questions festered at the back of Asher's mind like a fever as he made his way to the designated location—a boulder that had crashed down from the mountains so long ago the vegetation had almost healed the residual scar it had left behind.

He snuck nearby in his tiger form, knowing his large paws muffled sound far better than his boots. Although he didn't know what the outcome of this meeting with the humans would be, based on his father's concern, he needed to treat it like the worst could happen. The humans could have their own scouts spread out, searching the forest for the best hiding spots to shoot arrows from or leap into action. So he needed to be close enough to hear, but far enough away to run if needed.

Asher decided a tree would be the best place to hide. He could lie against a branch and watch below, then assess the situation and leap down to escape when he knew the best route.

He'd played this game his entire life.

But when he jumped into the tree and settled into his spot, heaviness surrounded him.

This was no game. This wasn't a time of play with his annoying little brothers. This was real. Real danger that had crept into their land.

He sucked in a slow breath.

Voices and footsteps echoed through the air before the humans stepped into the area. Oddly, the humans looked very much like the people of Vasha, except the humans had completely rounded ears while the people of Vasha's ears were slightly pointed.

"Think this is going to be faster than what we were doing?" one of the men grumbled.

"I hope so," someone answered.

Asher couldn't quite see them all through the leaves.

"To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?" Asher immediately recognized the warm voice as that of his father, even if he couldn't see him. But he did notice his mother standing through a gap in the leaves. Why was his mother there?

A human standing at the front of the group replied, "We come here peacefully. We seek only the location of the tree, to pay our respects as our king requested."

Asher resisted the urge to snort. Why would the humans pay tribute to a dead elf and an enchantress of Vasha?

His father extended his hands out to the sides. "I am afraid you must be a bit more specific about the tree."

Asher felt the hair on the back of his neck prickle in warning. His senses picked up on the human's anger. When he looked down, he noticed his mother glance up at him only long enough to meet his eyes in a silent warning not to react.

Asher retracted his claws, which he hadn't noticed were out.

The human's lip curled in a sneer. "Do not take me for a fool, animal . If you won't tell us the location of the tree, we shall continue to look for it ourselves."

"You are trespassing in my kingdom." Asher had never seen his father so serious. His normally happy brown eyes were narrowed and his shoulders squared. "You will tell me or you will leave."

The human scoffed. "I already told you, we only want the location of the tree. And unfortunately for you, we will do whatever it takes to find it. Men!" the captain shouted.

The humans drew their swords.

"Go!" Asher's mother shouted.

He knew she yelled at him and leapt from the tree and looked over his shoulder long enough to see at least fifty human men with weapons drawn charging toward his father and mother. As he turned, he heard the twang of a bow and watched as an arrow flew past him and slammed into its target.

His mother.

Asher skidded to a halt.

"Talia!" his father cried out.

He was supposed to warn the people, give them a head start to flee to safety, protect the young and old. But he couldn't bring himself to move as he watched his mother's body fall into his father's arms.

The arrow had lodged in her chest.

The humans ran forward.

"Asher . . . run," his mother pleaded, blood on her lips.

Asher looked to his father.

Mardai lifted tear-filled eyes to meet Asher's. "Go."

And Asher ran.

Black and white flashed between the gaps of trees as he sprinted through the forest, back to the capital of Vasha in his white tiger form. He shouted orders to everyone he passed along the way to go into hiding in the mountain pass near Khalil's perch. Using his fear to drive him, Asher made it back to the palace, where Trayden waited with Bashton and his own family.

"Take them to Khalil's perch," Asher ordered. "Warn everyone you can along the way and then get help."

Trayden caught him by the arm. "What happened?"

"The humans—" Asher's voice caught and tears stung his eyes. From the corner of his eye, he saw Bashton watching him intently. He looked away and swallowed hard. "They've attacked."

"Who?"

Asher felt his entire body tremble and his throat welled.

Trayden stepped in front of Asher, blocking Bashton's view of him. "Your father?" he asked in a low voice.

Asher shook his head and his knees gave out. He caught himself on a wooden statue.

Savarian, Trayden's father, was at his side in an instant. "Trayden, get the boys to the pass. Asher, where are the humans?"

"By the boulder." He steadied himself. This wasn't a time for weeping. He was no longer a child. He ran his hand over his face and cleared his throat. "Tara, Zeb, and Falu! If you can hear me, go to Khalil's perch!" He looked at the bear family. "I'll take Bashton. I'm going to continue to warn our people and then...we will figure out what to do from there once everyone is safe." When he returned to his tiger form, he repeated the orders telepathically to his siblings that they needed to hide.

Trayden lifted Bashton up and placed him on Asher's back without instruction.

Bashton was the youngest of the royal family, but he had also not yet discovered his animal. Most people in Vasha discovered their animal when they were toddlers. A handful later. But no one had been as old as Bashton and had their first transformation. Bashton constantly worried he would never be able to shapeshift into an animal.

Bashton lay down and wrapped his arms around Asher's neck, as he had dozens of times before. "Mom...she's dead?"

"I...I don't know," Asher admitted. "But they shot her with an arrow. Father is with her though. He'll keep her safe." He had to believe it. Because facing the reality that his mother was likely dead was too much for him to face.