Chapter 7

Tade wasn't sure where his courage came from, but if he had to guess it was from hearing the new Ruler of the Mystic Realm speak about his changes for their world. It sounded too good to be true, but then, he himself was proof that the Ruler was telling the truth. Now, sitting in the room with the other rescued low-level magic users and listening to them discuss what they hoped their futures might be, a germ of an idea began to sprout in his mind.

Approaching one of the men who appeared to be in charge, Tade quickly blurted out his request, then held his breath, wondering if he'd misread the situation. He'd done so in the past and, just to ensure it wouldn't happen this time, he kept his fingers crossed. The man nodded his head and left the room. Tade drew in a deep breath—his luck had held, at least up to this point; now he would wait for the man to return. Sitting as close as possible to the door, Tade jumped a bit every time the door swung open only to be disheartened when it wasn't who he was waiting for. Just when he had given up, the man appeared.

"Hey," Cody said, heading over to Tade. "C'mon, I'll take you to Remy."

Tade's eyes grew comically wide as he stared at Cody. "Really? He wants to talk to me?"

Chuckling, Cody replied, "That's what you wanted, right? To speak with him."

Jumping up, Tade nodded vigorously while trying to rub the wrinkles out of his shirt. "I did…I mean, I do…want to speak to the Ruler…you're right…that's what I want."

Smiling in amusement, Cody murmured, "He's going to love you…are you ready?"

"Yes sir," Tade said. "Is there anything I should know? Like what to call him?"

"I'm not sure…he's my brother-in-law, so I call him Remy. But I have heard others call him ‘Your Majesty' so I would go with that unless he tells you otherwise."

"Right…good advice…very good advice," Tade murmured, trotting after Cody, his thoughts focusing on how to make his best impression. Looking down at his clothes, he grimaced at their condition, but after being locked in a room with only a toilet and a tiny sink for longer than he wanted to remember, there was nothing he could do other than hope the Ruler would understand. "He will, I'm sure of it," he muttered, tugging at one sleeve and then the other.

Cody stopped and quickly turned around, grabbing Tade by the shoulders to prevent them from colliding. He knew the magic user didn't think he'd heard his last remark, but thanks to his wolf's hearing, he had. Looking down into Tade's face, Cody found nervousness, a little fear, and a great deal of hope. And that was what he focused on. "Can I give you a piece of advice?" he asked, gently.

The compassion Tade saw in Cody's face began to calm the butterflies that had been fluttering in his stomach. He was so struck by its sincerity, he was incapable of saying anything, leaving him only the option of nodding in response to Cody's question.

"Trust me, Remy won't care about the way your clothes look, or that your hair isn't combed or anything regarding your appearance. What will be important is who you are inside. I don't know what you have in mind but remember this…right now Remy needs magic users he can trust…ones who can see his vision for a better mystic world, and believe it's possible. Are you one of those magic users? Do you believe in his vision?"

Tade stared at Cody for a moment before he grinned widely. "I do believe…that's why I want to see him…I have an idea…not that I've done it before…but I'm not dumb…I know my foster father thought so…but I'm not…really I'm not…I got all ‘A's' in school…I just thought…"

"Whoa…I got it. Now go in there and convince Remy that you are the man for the job…whatever it is," Cody replied, smiling. "Are you ready to see the Ruler now?"

Cody was right. He could—no—he would do it. Straightening his shoulders, Tade nodded.

~/~/~/~/~

Following Jackson's scent, Smokey finally located him, sitting in another office. Pausing at the open doorway, he knocked, then entered after receiving permission. "Do you have a moment?" he asked.

"I do," Jackson said smiling. "Have a seat."

Sitting down, Smokey studied the Alpha for a moment before blurting out, "Norm and I have claimed Theo."

"You mean with a bite, right?"

Smokey nodded. "And after talking last night, we decided to stay here…with the Blackwood Pack…if that's all right with you."

"Norm and Theo are already valued members of my pack and as I told you yesterday, you are welcome here also, especially since you have claimed Theo. But what about Norm? Do you intend to bite him too?"

"I do," Smokey replied, pausing a moment before adding, "but I need to talk to Dylon first. According to Theo, he's with Glenn right now. Do you know when he'll be back?"

Leaning back in his chair, Jackson studied Smokey, trying to discover the reason behind the question. Other than a faint blush on the shifter's cheeks, there wasn't anything that raised a red flag with him. "They should be back tomorrow. Is there something I can help you with in the meantime?"

Smokey's blush deepened at the thought of having that discussion with the Alpha. Shaking his head, he murmured, "Thanks, but it can wait." Rising, he had started for the door when he heard Jackson's voice asking him to stop. Turning, he looked at the Alpha, hoping he wasn't going to use his power to force him to explain his need for Dylon.

"I just wanted to offer my congratulations on your mating and also welcome you to the Blackwood Pack," Jackson said, smiling at the relief on Smokey's face.

"Uhm…thanks?" Smokey muttered, then seeing Jackson's eyebrow shoot up, he added, "I mean, thanks…for both."

Chuckling, Jackson said, "You're welcome. Also, since you have decided to join my pack, there are things you should know about us, so let me know what's a good time to have that discussion."

"Is this stuff my mates already know?"

"About the pack? Yes, they do," replied Jackson.

"Then they can tell me, can't they?" Smokey asked, his brow furrowed.

Nodding slowly, Jackson agreed. "They can…however, I have some questions that only you can answer for me."

"Like what? I've already told you I'm gonna bite Norm." Smokey suddenly realized he was sounding confrontational; he'd have to dial that back.

"I know, but this has to do with the safety of the Blackwood Pack," Jackson responded. "If you'd like to, you can bring Theo and Norm to the meeting."

"Yeah…that'd be good," Smokey said, with a smile, before leaving the room. The need to see his mates pushed him to hurry out. He wasn't sure what Jackson wanted to tell him, but at least his mates could give him a heads up so he wouldn't be walking into the meeting blind—something both he and his bear hated.

~/~/~/~/~

"Ready?" Cody asked, smiling down at the young magic user.

Nervously running his hands down the front of his shirt, Tade nodded, staring at the door in front of him, his eyes tracing the carvings on it. Everything depended on him convincing the Ruler that he would be perfect for the job because he didn't have a Plan B.

Pushing open the door, Cody whispered, "Remember what I told you."

"Yes sir," Tade murmured, slowly entering the Witches Council chambers. Never in all his life had he ever seen, or even imagined there could be such a place like it. He was astonished by its opulence. Everywhere he looked, all his eyes were dazzled by gold, gold, and more gold. It was then Tade realized how foolish his idea was. He didn't belong in this world. He was nothing but a low-level magic user who, according to the previous laws, was only good for a life of service. His stomach became queasy and bile began to rise in his throat. Desperately trying to swallow it before it splattered onto the golden floor, Tade had only one thought in his mind and that was to flee. Turning quickly, he rushed towards the door, only to find it closed.

"Tade?" called Remy, trying to stop the young man from leaving. "You wanted to see me?"

Sighing, Tade looked down at the floor, wishing it would open up and swallow him, but he wasn't lucky enough for that to happen. There was no other choice than to turn around and answer the Ruler. Gulping, Tade slowly spun on his heels, until he was facing the owner of the voice—the Ruler of the Mystic Realm. He'd forgotten to ask Cody what the protocol was in regard to greeting him, so he just fell to his knees, lowering his head until his forehead was nearly touching the floor. "Your Majesty," he murmured.

Glancing at Carson for a moment, Remy caught his raised eyebrow, then nodded. They were on the same page regarding Tade. Turning back to the kneeling young man, he said softly, "Tade, please get up…tell me why you wanted to see me."

Rising slowly, Tade looked at the Ruler before flicking his gaze over to the man next to him, realizing he was the Mystic Guardian—a wolf shifter. Swallowing several times, he then opened his mouth, only to find his voice had left him. Chagrined, he cleared his throat and tried again, but other than a croak that sounded more like a frog, he was once more unsuccessful in answering the Ruler.

Keeping his smile to himself, Remy rose, stepped down off the dais and walked over to Tade. "Hey, you okay?" he asked, his eyes searching the young man's red face.

Embarrassed, Tade tried again. "Uhm…yeah…okay…I'm okay," he managed to squeak out.

"I'm glad to hear that," Remy replied, then pointing to the chairs in the corner, added, "C'mon, let's sit so you can tell me about yourself."

Following the Ruler, Tade's butterflies began to multiply as he thought about what he wanted to say, but remembering Cody's advice he kept his nervousness at a manageable level—at least he hoped so. Claiming one chair, Tade sat down on the very edge, worried about getting the seat dirty.

Immediately grasping the reason behind Tade's behavior, Remy said nothing to him about it, but made a mental note of what he needed to do for all the rescued low-level magic users. Sitting down opposite the young man, Remy watched him chew on his bottom lip. Seeing Tade's nervousness, he decided on an approach he hoped would help relax him. "Why don't we begin by me asking you a question first?"

"Uhm…okay," Tade murmured. "What do you want to know?"

"How old are you?"

"Eighteen and a half."

Surprised, Remy asked, "How long have you been kept here?"

"Only about three weeks, I think…maybe four. I lost count of the days," Tade replied. "I should've reported here when I turned eighteen but my foster parents refused to send me until I finished school."

"Foster parents?"

"Well…yeah…that's what they always told everyone…but according to my parents' lawyer, they were distant relatives of my mother."

Frowning slightly, Remy asked cautiously, "Did they mistreat you?"

It took Tade a moment to understand Remy's question, but then, vigorously shaking his head, he said, "No…no…not ever…beat me…that's what you meant, right?"

"Yes," Remy said.

"No, I was lucky…well not really lucky because my real parents died…but the lawyer told me I was lucky because I didn't have to go to an orphanage."

"I agree with your lawyer. That's the reason I took custody of my younger brothers. Do you have any siblings?"

Shaking his head, Tade said, "Nope, only me."

Remy paused for a moment, then asked, "Why did your relatives call themselves your foster parents instead of disclosing their relationship to you?"

"I think because I was a low-level magic user," Tade said softly. It wasn't something he was ashamed of, at least not until he went to live with them, but their constant reminders of how fortunate he was that first-level magic users took him in, left scars that undermined his self-confidence.

Anger shot through Remy at the discrimination that Tade had been subjected to simply for who he was. If he ever needed proof he was on the right path regarding the Mystic Realm, here it was right in front of him. Tade's life might be the first sad tale, but Remy knew it wasn't going to be the last. And that's what he had to keep in his mind at all times. As much as he wanted to, he sensed that asking more questions about Tade's ‘foster parents' would only upset the young magic user more—something he did not want to do. Moving on, Remy asked, "Did you like school?"

A wide grin filled Tade's face. "Oh yes…very much. My grades were all ‘A's,' and my advisor thought I should go to the university…but I couldn't…well, you know because I had to report here…but my dream is to go someday."

"I loved school, too," Remy said, smiling at the joy on Tade's face. "Is that what you wanted to talk to me about? Going back to school?"

"I can't do that right now because I need a job first…that's what I wanted to ask you…about me working for you…maybe helping the rescued magic users…you know, figure out what they want to do. I'm a really good listener and I got top marks in my computer class so I could do a report on every rescued magic user and you'd then know who they were, what they want to do, and what they need. Do you think that would be valuable to you?" Tade asked, eagerly.

Impressed by Tade's initiative, Remy replied, "It would…in fact, I think you are the perfect person for that job."

"You do?" asked Tade, astonished it had been so easy. Then just to make sure, he added, "This isn't a joke, is it?"

Chuckling, Remy shook his head. "Not at all. I really do need some help to get all the low-level magic users sorted out, and frankly I wasn't sure where to start but your report idea sounds like an excellent place to begin."

"I have lots of ideas!" exclaimed Tade. "Do you want me to send you a list or should I tell them to you now?"

"We'll get to that in a minute," Remy replied. "But first, you will need an office…hmmm…and since it would be easier if you stayed here, an apartment you can call your own. Oh, and definitely you'll need a salary."

"Oh wow! That's good…really good," Tade said, "but can I make one tiny suggestion first?"

Smiling, Remy said, "Sure."

"I think the rescued magic users need a few things first…I know we all ate…and thank you for the food…trust me, it was very much appreciated…but they could use new clothes…and maybe a place they can call their own, at least until everything is sorted out."

Remy's smile grew wider and wider as he listened to Tade. When the young magic user was finished, he said, "This is why I knew you would be perfect. We think alike."