Chapter Six

Holden

I still didn't understand how Banir had been appointed leader of the council. And what leader needed a minotaur as a chaperone? That should have been a big indicator he wasn't suited for the position. If he treated every outer-worlder as a breeder instead of as a being, none of them would want to stay.

"Nelson, come." I cringed at my own words, shamed I had spoken to the outer-worlder as if he were lesser. "If you want to come with me, I will give you a tour of village."

He rushed to my side before placing his hand on my shoulder. "Let's go. Get me away from him."

Nelson seemed to want to get away from Banir as much as me, but what did that indicate about his prospect of staying in the Enchanted Forest? I needed to introduce him to other members of the council and make the village appealing to convince Nelson to remain in our world. I needed to show him what I loved about it. Though that would be difficult in some areas considering his size and the fact he couldn't shift into a smaller creature.

I took him to the community garden first. "This is where we grow the majority of the food to feed our village." We walked among the fruit trees to start with, the apple blossoms having recently opened, promising a new batch of the sweet, red goodness. "There is a total of four large plots of land we work on, but not all at the same time. That way, we constantly have a supply of food. Ahmed has told us about the different weather seasons you have in the outer-world, but we don't have them the same as you do, so we have a continuous growing period."

I paused for Nelson to ask questions or simply to take in the information. But instead of looking around or wanting to learn more about our world, he stared at the ground a few feet in front of himself with his fists clenched, as if struggling in his own mind. That didn't bode well for him to become someone's mate. The notion made my stomach roll, as I really wanted him to stay.

"Nelson, this is Lee. He is a satyr, and one of the council members. He does all the planning for the gardens to ensure we always have food, and coordinates the villagers to work the fields."

The outer-worlder snapped from his trance and held out his hand to Lee. And while I understood the gesture as a greeting from Nelson's culture from my encounters with Walter, the original outer-worlder who stayed, Lee did not.

I straightened my hand and moved it up and down to demonstrate to the satyr the expected response, but instead he shrugged, and Nelson returned his arm to his side with a heavy sigh. Miffs, I didn't know why Ahmed had thought of me to fill the position of security officer. Before that designation, I'd been a worker under Lee's supervision, harvesting one field or another. I would likely not get a chance to do that again if Nelson refused to stay. Nope, compost duty waited for me.

Throughout the rest of the afternoon, I took the outer-worlder to many parts of the village, introducing him to as many other council members and villagers as possible. Anyone and everyone to show not all the villagers acted the same as Banir. But, like when he'd met Lee, Nelson either seemed lost in his thoughts, or cultural differences got in the way of a smooth greeting.

With one last place to visit before I took him back to Banir's hut, I hoped the community builders fascinated Nelson enough to keep him in our world a little longer. We came upon their current project, the beaver shifters busy constructing a larger hut for the community healer to see patients.

"Wait." Nelson stuck his arm in front of me, as if I was somehow in danger in my own village. "They are shifting as they work."

"Yes." I guided his arm away from me and down to his side, amused by his fascination with the idea of shifting forms. "If they need their teeth or tail, they'll be in beaver form. But if they need strength or height, they'll look like you."

His mouth hung open, and his eyes were wide with wonder as he watched them work. It was the most focused he'd been all day. Until he started to yawn.

"I guess we should return now." Though I didn't know if I'd convinced him to stay, I had nothing else to show him. Taking him to the pond with me wasn't an option any longer since everyone knew he'd arrived. "Banir will have food and a bed prepared for you. In the morning, it will be decided whose mate you will become."

His face wrinkled as he rubbed his forehead. "I still don't understand how I can be someone's mate. My anatomy doesn't make it possible for me to bear children. Where I come from, we have females for that."

"Right." I sighed, having forgotten I'd yet to explain that part. "Remember that card you used to wish your way here?"

"Yep." He nodded.

"Did you happen to read the fine print on the back?"

He shook his head. "I need glasses to see print that tiny, and I left them at my apartment."

I had no idea what glasses or an apartment was, but that meant I had some explaining to do, a chance to keep Nelson from Banir a little longer.

"If you haven't figured it out already, there is a lot of magical energy flowing through the Enchanted Forest. It helps us to shift, helps our crops to grow, and so much more, like traveling between worlds."

He bobbed his head up and down. Hopefully that meant he understood the information I'd presented him with up to that point.

"But each being here is only allowed to use one type of magic. All the shifters use theirs to transform. Lee uses his to grow our food. And it can be used for more depending on the being. When outer-worlders arrive, they are somehow able to bear our children." Walter could explain everything to him better, but I had to get Nelson to Banir first. That was my task.

He scrunched his face. "Wait, so I am able to become pregnant now?"

I chuckled. "No, it takes time, and there's usually a ceremony involved. At least, that's what I've been told. It's been a long time since an outer-worlder appeared here."

"But why not bring a human female here?" He leaned against the tree. "They already have the anatomy for that."

I dug my toes into the ground, preparing to give him the full explanation. It was best he knew how desperate we were. "We tried. They became infertile in our land. It was an accident that we learned your males can grow wombs here. Everyone talks about it in the village. When Ahmed unintentionally sent the wrong person here, Conall, our leader at the time, found him in the meadow. His name was Sam. All Conall's previous female mates were sent back to your world, but he and Sam fell in love. It wasn't about procreation. And then, by some miracle, Sam became pregnant. That's when Ahmed changed who he looked for in a mate for our kind. Yet, we haven't had much luck in convincing outer-worlders to stay. Though, without them, we have no way to continue our lineage, and all the shifters will disappear from the Enchanted Forest once those of us left perish."

"Oh." He fumbled with his hands. "So, you really want me to stay?"

He had no idea how much, but my wants didn't matter. I chewed on the side of my cheek, contemplating how to answer him. I needed him to understand the severity of our situation, but still wanted to assure Nelson he had a choice. "I hope there will be others who wish their way here, but you are the first outer-worlder to arrive since I was a child."

His face drained of color and his eyes went glassy before he collapsed to the ground. Miffs, I wasn't good at my job at all. I scooped Nelson up in my arms and rushed him to the healer.