Chapter Seventeen

Future

Making Plans

After what was surely only a few hours of sleep, Hope woke up, dressed, and reluctantly left Athair to start breakfast for her guests. She entered the kitchen to find that she had waited far too long to be considered a good hostess. Her guests were happily puttering away in the kitchen and had already started preparing the meal.

Ella sat at the table directing the group of young men in their domestic chores. If not for the fear of them burning down the house, it would have been really quite pleasant in a comic sort of way. Steve attempted to explain the workings of the microwave to Díon and Reultan, who were more interested in the way it worked than in cooking the sausage. Dàn seemed comfortable cooking scrambled eggs on the stove top, while Rath fixed tea for Ella and poured coffee for the others.

Since she wasn't needed as a cook, she sat down at the table with Ella to watch. "Good morning, my very mysterious Granny," she said.

"Morning to you too, dear." Ella said with a smile. She was obviously enjoying the pandemonium that reigned within the room. But then, she had always enjoyed having young people around. Apparently, she was more than comfortable around these particular four-hundred-year-old young people.

"Is Sgrios still here?" Hope asked Ella.

"He went for a walk," Rath said, waving his hand to indicate the room. "This is way too social for him. He left shortly after we woke up."

"He said he would be back for breakfast," Ella added.

"I see. Can I help with anything?" Hope asked, thinking she should have just stayed in bed. At least there she could think of something to do for entertainment.

"No dear. Why don't you go wake Athair?" Ella said.

Reultan chuckled, and Dàn smiled.

Rath laughed outright. "Let the old man sleep. He probably needs it after last night." At which point he blinked the kitchen light a couple of times with a boyish grin.

That sent the rest, including Steve, into gales of laughter. Hope's cheeks warmed.

Even Ella had a chuckle, but she stood and followed Hope as she fled the room. "Don't fret about their teasing, Hope. They mean nothing by it. They are all very happy for Athair." She patted her on the back and continued. "I imagine he will get the worst of it when he joins them."

"I don't mean to be prudish. I just wish they wouldn't talk about it. I had no idea it would be so public."

"I know. But they are very open and consider it natural. They'll joke and tease you two, but they don't mean to hurt you. I will talk to them about toning it down if you want me to, but it would probably be easier for you and Athair if you simply accept their ways."

"I don't know if I can." She knew she was being silly, but she had never had to deal with this situation before. "But I'll try."

"How serious are you about Athair?" Ella asked, taking Hope by surprise with her pensive tone.

She thought for a moment. "I like him very much. But don't know yet where our relationship will lead. I mean, do you know how old he is? How long could a relationship last with him?"

"Those questions are fair enough. Just be honest with Athair about your feelings and concerns. He may feel differently than you, yet I'm certain he'll have the answers you need."

Before Hope could question her, Ella switched gears again. "Steve called in to the clinic, said his car had trouble, and that neither of you would be in today."

"I'd forgotten all about work!" She clapped her hands to her mouth. "Will you thank him for me? Oh, never mind—I'll do it, when I get back from waking Athair."

She dropped her hands. She couldn't help but grin with her wicked thoughts of how she planned to wake Athair. She waved Ella back to the kitchen and went to her bedroom to carry out her plan.

Ella returned to the kitchen deep in thought. Uppermost in her mind was her concern about the growing relationship between Hope and Athair. She knew that if they chose to deepen their bond, both would have enormous adjustments to make before they could consider building a life together. Athair knew next to nothing about the twentieth century world. And Hope knew almost as little about the reality of his existence, his strengths and weaknesses, and what it meant to be Valàfrn.

With all this weighing on her mind, she rejoined the young men who were busy preparing breakfast. Rath had managed to burn the toast while she was gone, but Dàn had cooked the eggs to perfection. Although, to give Rath credit, he'd never used a toaster before and scrambling eggs was much the same in any time period, regardless of the heat source.

The other three had somehow succeeded in cooking the sausage and bacon without mishap and were still discussing the microwave. They now had the manual out to study. Even she didn't know where Hope kept that. Wherever they'd found it, they were deep in discussion about the machine's inner workings.

Dàn found the plates and started dishing out the food. As Ella sat down at the table next to where he worked, he said, "You need not worry for them. Athair and Hope will be happy." He paused with a distant look. "They will have four children, the first born within a year." Dàn's eyes still had a strange flicker in their depths, but she sensed he was trying hard to minimize their odd appearance. Otherwise, his health was greatly improved from the night before.

Although he was still weak, outwardly he seemed normal. Well, as normal as he was likely to be, discounting the strange mist, for which Ella had no explanation. All Dàn would say regarding its appearance was that the mist was now a part of him.

His prediction about Hope and Athair did reassure her. She understood how Dàn saw everything around him. They had talked the night before about the time before his birth. He'd asked about his mother, and who might be his father. She was unable to help him, but promised to look through the old texts in search of anything that might. They also had looked through medical records to see if there were any references to the drugs used on him, and their possible side effects. What they found was that his reaction was unique. Others experienced horrible initial pain, but very few after-effects. Nothing like what had happened to him. Thankfully, the meditation he had used seemed to help Dàn's unusual circumstances.

"Thank you, Dàn. I was concerned about them." And she was grateful. Hope was her closest family. More importantly, Hope would follow her as Keeper. A first. As far as Ella knew, no other Keeper had bonded with one of Vali's children. She wondered how it would affect Hope or their children, if the Council would even allow it. She didn't have any answers, but perhaps Dàn did. Would there really be a child within a year? She certainly hoped so. It would be wonderful to have children around again.

"Hey, Dàn, are you being freaky again?" Díon called while still facing the microwave.

"He can't help himself. Weird is his middle name," Reultan added.

Rath bristled protectively and started to interrupt their teasing when Sgrios entered from the porch.

"Yeah, he's the Prince of Weird," he said. Then he added in a self-mocking voice, "Don't think I don't hear what you all call me, either."

He was purposely taking the attention away from Dàn. The others stepped back in semi-fearful submission, their hands raised in joking defense. Ella wondered privately if they were feigning the fear, or maybe even the joking.

Ella noticed how relieved Dàn appeared when he was no longer the center of attention. He slipped past Sgrios to carry his breakfast to the quiet of the porch.

When Sgrios made a motion to follow, Ella said, "Go ahead. I will fix a plate for you."

He nodded his thanks and joined Dàn. Dàn didn't look up when he sat down next to him.

Thank you. Dàn said in a silent voice.

"Why'd you let them get to you this morning?" Sgrios asked quietly. "You were beginning to flicker again."

"I know they're only joking, but at times it's hard to appreciate. Especially when I know they do in truth fear me. Even more so, now."

"I understand."

"I suppose you would."

They sat together and enjoyed the morning air until Ella came out, followed by Rath with two plates of food. He handed one to Sgrios and the other to Ella, and then returned to the kitchen for his own breakfast.

Within ten minutes, everyone had congregated on the porch. Even Athair and Hope, who were forced to endure much ribbing. Athair was no longer dressed in Hope's cast off sweats and now wore the clothing she had bought for him.

Rath and Steve, in particular, thought the budding romance was a great joke. Rath welcomed them on the porch by acting like he had been shocked as he handed a glass to Athair. This brought a blush to Hope's cheeks and a glare from Athair.

"Did I miss the fireworks, Brother?" Sgrios asked.

"Something like that." Athair answered tersely.

"I did have to reset the breakers. Twice," Steve said, grinning at Hope's discomfort. Rath and Reultan laughed and added comments about helping to replace light bulbs.

"Steve!" Hope admonished.

"It's about time," Sgrios' said. His obvious restraint kept the others from teasing too much.

Ella redirected their teasing by bringing up the burnt toast. That, and their discussion about the wonders of technology, kept the conversation relaxed throughout the rest of the meal. As it turned out, Sgrios hadn't been as secluded as the rest of them. He knew quite a lot about the current world.

It was after everyone had finished eating that Athair said, "We need to make plans to deal with the traitors from the Bear Clan." The group quieted and gave him their complete attention.

"This morning, they moved their campsite further into the forest. Now they are on the other side of the road closer to the park. They must know where we are, but they have pulled back the ones watching us." Sgrios said.

"Why would they back off once they've found us?" Rath asked. "Why haven't they attacked?

"Because of Ella," Dàn said, No one seemed to understand his reasoning, and he continued, "They know she is the Keeper. She has maintained contact with the Bear Clan. She can offer protection and safe haven to any of our kind. They cannot hurt her or anyone she protects."

"How do we use that to our advantage?" Sgrios asked.

"You don't. I can't offer you more than a temporary reprieve of whatever comes," Ella answered. "It is my duty to protect them as well as you."

"Can we at least choose our battle field?" Rath asked.

"Yes. I can think of a few places that would work well," Sgrios said. "If we start back toward home, there is a particularly nasty wooded valley only about a day away. We can lead them to that place."

"What do you mean by nasty?" Athair asked.

"It has lots of ravines and areas of thick woods."

"Those would be even better if we could set traps and ambush the traitors." Díon said.

"We won't have much time before they catch us." Reultan said as he gathered plates.

"Although, you will need to leave my protection soon, you can take some time to heal more completely," Ella said with regret.

"We need to have this settled." Sgrios added.

"How many of them are there?" Steve asked. "I take it they have powers like you do?"

"There are about half as many as before." Rath said, with a very respectful nod to Sgrios. "Seven or eight now, I think. And a few of them may have lost interest in the fight."

"The pack chasing me will have rejoined them," Athair said. "I'm not sure of their numbers."

"Can you tell us anything?" Rath turned to Dàn, who had been listening.

Dàn closed his eyes and looked anxious. "This is not our battle." Red mist curled against his throat, clearly showing his distress. "But it will eventually come to war. The end will be either wolf against wolf, or wolf against man."

"The traitors are few," Athair said.

"Those few traitors of the Bear clan have ties to other clans. They may not be dangerous now, but they will have many supporters," Dàn continued.

"Why?" Hope asked. "What do they want?"

"For many years, they have been in turmoil. There are some who feel they should be leading the clan instead of Sandulfr," Sgrios said.

"The Shaman is the son of the leader who originally brought the Bear Clan to America," added Dàn.

"So, they haven't been here long?" Steve asked, still not comprehending their longevity.

In total seriousness, Sgrios answered, "Only about a thousand years. But the Bear Clan is the eldest clan in this country."

The thought of three generations in a thousand years left Steve gasping in shock.

Sgrios ignored him. "Many think Belquavir should be leader. If not him, then Bequlf. But certainly not Sandulfr, who has a human mother. Sandulfr is a man of honor and has led them well for nearly a century. He and his mate are the right alphas for leadership."

"They came across the ocean with the Norsemen," Dàn said. "Belquavir is a direct descendant of one of the eldest lines within any of the clans. His is a pure blood, with no known human mates. Many feel this is proof of his strength, and that he should lead because of it."

"Belquavir is greedy, not evil. But Bequlf has a cruel streak and enjoys abusing the power he has over others," Sgrios continued. "Belquavir will never see that in him, regardless of how many people he hurts or kills."

"Bequlf has gone that bad?" Ella asked.

"Without a doubt," Dàn said, surprising everyone with his vehemence.

Ella looked at him, "I would rather this dispute not become an outright battle. Do you think we can work a truce between Belquavir and Sandulfr?"

"Not one that will hold," Dàn said. "But we can give Sandulfr time to organize his own defense and perhaps prevent Bequlf from claiming the role of Alpha."

"Even buying time with a truce would be worthwhile," Ella said,

‘This will put the Eagle Clan against the traitors. We will be forced into the battle if we aid with the truce. We shouldn't be alone in a decision that will affect everyone's future," Athair said. "One of us should contact the rest of the clan. Although I think Acair will agree to help stop Belquavir and Bequlf, after what was done to Rath and Dàn."

"Díon is particularly good at stealth. He can sneak past the traitors and travel back to the clan," said Reultan.

"It took us several weeks to get here. We do not have that much time," Athair said. "Someone should also go speak with Sandulfr to be sure he will accept our plans."

"He is hunting for Bequlf and the others now," Dàn said with his eyes still closed.

Sgrios volunteered, "I'll go to the Bear Clan to speak with Sandulfr." When Athair started to argue, he continued, "I am the only option. Sandulfr will not listen to the young ones, and you are not going. That leaves me. I can make him listen."

Athair looked doubtful. "Brother, you will need to be diplomatic."

Rath chuckled. "Can you convince him of our support and assistance in gaining a truce without killing any more of them?"

"Yes," Sgrios growled. Then he added, "Or I could just force him back here and let you play diplomat."

"Well, that is a thought," Athair said with a grin. "But only as a last resort."

"Kidnapping an Alpha is not going to help this situation," Ella said sternly.

"Could someone drive Díon back to talk with the rest of the family?" Steve asked.

"None of us can drive, yet." Athair gave him a look.

"Actually, I can," corrected Sgrios. "I have borrowed a few vehicles over the years. Although, I prefer motorcycles myself, but it seems I will be busy practicing diplomacy."

"Look, I don't want to be in the middle of a war. But I can drive," Steve offered.

They all stared at him in surprise. Here was a human they didn't know well, offering to help with a problem that might not affect him. After all, the war might not start in his lifetime.

"Steve, that's an excellent idea," Ella said. "Why don't you get the road map from your car so we can plan the trip?"

Steve stood, smiling at her praise, and went to get the map.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Ella said, "You all know I would never place you in harm's way. If you don't believe that, ask Dàn. Steve is trustworthy. Yes, even to know where your family lives. Steve will not break your trust or endanger your clan."

"Hope has already vouched for him," Athair said. "I think it is a good idea."

"Who knows, he may suit Lasair. She has odd tastes," Reultan said with a laugh.

"Perhaps we should warn him off of Allaidh," Rath said. "She would eat him alive."

"He might just enjoy being eaten!" Hope grinned.

"He most likely would not survive it," Rath growled in irritation.

"But I can think of no better way to go. Can you?" Reultan slapped his brother's back.

"Certainly, no better way," Rath agreed with a laugh.

"Díon and Reultan will be with Steve to protect him from any unwanted attention," Athair said. "Hope, do you have a wagon?"

"Yes. A Volkswagen."

"So, you can teach us to drive while we wait for the others to return?" Athair knew this would be hard for her. He could easily feel her fear of driving, but they needed to get past it. This was only one more step in her healing.

"Athair, I don't drive."

"But you can, if the need arises." He laid his hand on her thigh. She was tense, like prey that had caught the scent of danger. He channeled his strength into her, letting her feel his confidence in her abilities.

"Yes. I know how to drive."

Good. I need you to teach me. He sensed her immediate withdrawal, as if she thought he was the threat. Yet he wouldn't allow her to run from this fear any longer.

"Please. I don't drive."

"Then why keep a wagon?"He heard the defeat in her tone. She would do this for him, but she resented being asked. The thought that healing her might hurt their future together made him hesitate. But he pushed her for her own good.

"For Granny, and for emergencies."

"This is an emergency. What if we need to run from here? I need to know how to drive. I do understand how difficult this will be for you, but it's important. It may save our lives."Athair sighed as he felt her thigh relax under his palm. Hope was ready to face her fear. She was finally ready to heal.

"All right."

Steve returned with the map, and Sgrios showed him the general location of the teaghlach. Steve furrowed his brow as he searched for the best route to get there. He chose Route 80, because they would make better time on a larger highway. It would only take three to four hours to get there, depending on the traffic.

Athair frowned. It had taken them almost three weeks to travel that distance on foot. He needed to learn how to drive. It would have to be a priority. And maybe they could see about a phone as well. He would like a way to stay in touch with family that was out of range of his telepathic abilities. He had been wondering how the trips to local towns had gone, but he had no way of finding out. Because Sgrios had brought Reultan and Díon east as back up, he hadn't gone back to the teaghlach yet, either.

Some of his worry must have been caught by Hope, because she turned to Steve. "You should stop and call us from the first town on the way home."

"I can do that. How soon should we leave?"

"How soon can you?" Sgrios asked bluntly.

"Now, I guess. We can be back by late tonight," Steve answered. "Especially if someone can spell me for some of the driving."

"If you'll teach us, we can both help you drive." Reultan said. He motioned toward Díon, who continued to be silent.

"I can teach you. Let's go." Steve picked up the map, and the three of them headed for the car. Reultan and Díon followed Steve without comment.

Athair watched them go. A few minutes later, he heard the car start and pull down the driveway. At least that part of the plan was in action. If there was no other benefit, at least the boys would learn the basics of driving a car.

Sgrios was obviously ready to start his task as well. He stood and started toward the woods, then turned back. "Dàn, do you know where Sandulfr is now? It could save me some tracking time."

Dàn looked thoughtful for a long minute, and then said, "South of here, about four miles."

"Thanks."

"He's heading west with five others," Dàn added.

With a nod, Sgrios shifted into wolf form and shot off toward the South at a steady lope.