Forged by Greed (12 page)

An enormous antique chandelier hung down by thick chains. A solid
ring, covered in intricate patterns, encircled a massive hand-painted globe.
The pale colors of the land and surrounding oceans looked subdued as if the map
was an antique. Twenty-four sweeping, rounded arms reached out from the metal
ring and curved up and out, ending in elongated candle-shaped electric lights.
The sphere rotated lazily, as if imitating the real Earth. Jatred gazed
transfixed at it, wishing it was dark and the whole thing would light up as it
always did in the evenings.

Jasmira slid up next to him.

“Hey, where did you come from?” He laughed. He wanted to kiss her,
but they wouldn’t dare to show their feelings for each other at school, among
so many Shifters of both Races.

“Algebra. We had a test and the touch-screen on my tablet didn’t
work. Luckily, there was a spare one. I gotta remember to check the school
intranet at home for results. I’m not sure how I did today.”

“Something didn’t work in
this
school?” Jatred raised his eyebrows in a mocking horror. “Inconceivable.”

“Really, Vizzini, it didn’t work. What did you have today?”

“STEM and Calculus. Now I’m going to PE. Hey, you’re taking the
filmmaking class again, right?” He turned to look at her.

“Yep. We started to work on a stop-motion animation.”

“Cool. What do you use for the figures? Clay?”

“No, just a regular Play-Doh. I love it. It’s like a preschool all
over again.” Jasmira giggled.

“That’s awesome. What movie are you guys working on this time?”

“Coraline. I created her parents. So far, they’ve already got six to
eight faces each, with different expressions.” She beamed, her face lit. “And
get this—this year we’re hosting a real gala, like the Oscar’s night. We’ll
even have nominations for various categories.”

“That’s so cool,” Jatred said with a lopsided smile.

“When will you guys start building that new robot in STEM class?”

“When the parts get here. Mr. Krauss wants us to enter the national
competition this year. Everything is set up for the class on Ning. He thinks we
have a good chance to compete on the national level now, since we built that
cool remote-controlled golf ball launcher robot last year.” Jatred gave a
breathy laugh. “Man, that was a fun project.”

Jasmira watched him with a smile. Forming a mental shield, she said,
“I missed you. I want you to hold me. But not here.” And out loud she added in
casual voice, “What are you doing after school?”

“I missed you too, J,” he whispered, and then added louder, “I asked
Erik to come over to play basketball.”

“You mean to goof around. Can I come too?”

“Sure. Ask Penelope to come, so you won’t be bored.”

“But she doesn’t know Erik or any of your friends. Speaking of Pen,
I need to run to the library before the third period starts. She’s been waiting
for me.” Jasmira got up and dusted off her red Celine skirt. She looked
intently at him for a quick moment, fighting an urge to kiss him right there,
in front of everyone, despite the consequences. But, instead, she blinked and
said, “I’ll call you later.”

Smiling, he watched her run down the stairs. She disappeared behind
the double doors to the school library. Jatred frowned, his jaw working. He
thought about the Winter Goddess and his last summons to the Winter Realm.
She’s gonna kill me when she finds out I’m still
with Jasmira. Oh, screw that. What can she do? I’m the last of the Royal family.

CHAPTER 13

Winter Realm.

When Jatred stood to walk down the stairs, he immediately felt as if
invisible, gigantic arms closed around his shoulders and pulled him forward.
For a moment he saw the stairs below him and, to the side, the cast-iron
railing topped with dark-brown polished wood.

Next, he lay on the snow-covered ground. Although the exposed skin
on his arm and legs prickled some from the frost, the cold did not affect him
as the heat did, because he was a Winter Shifter.

Jatred had snow in his mouth and eyes. He spat, lifting his head and
pushing himself up. The air around him pulsed and shivered in thin visible
waves when he shifted.

“Prince Jatred!” The Winter Goddess’s voice sounded angry. She marched
fast toward him. A deep frown settled between her brows.

Watching her, the wolf lowered his head between his shoulder blades,
his tail between his hind legs. A quiet growl rumbled in the back of his
throat. Freezing gusts whipped at her hair and clothes. The Goddess’s long
black dress trailed behind her, loose sleeves flapping in the wind. Her nails
were painted black and matched the series of complex black tattoos covering her
face. She appeared as the
Celtic
goddess Morrigan.

“You know why you’re here.” Crystal’s
voice reverberated in the wolf’s head. Her lips were pressed together.

He didn’t answer but kept his eyes on her.
The Goddess stood in front of him, glowering, her hands on her hips. Her body
stretched and grew until she was over ten feet tall, muscular and commanding.
The wolf crouched down, baring his teeth.

“You are going to leave her today!” The
Goddess’s voice boomed in the air. It echoed several times, bouncing off the
mountains. Her face contorted in anger. She waved her hand, and a wave of
freezing air hit him like a tornado. He tumbled uncontrollably, clawing at the
snow. Crystal moved her hand again, and Jatred stopped rolling. He tried to
stand up but he felt too dizzy. His body ached as if it was bruised all over.

“Prince Jatred,” the Goddess hissed. Her eyes
were furious.

Jatred got up and stood, panting, his legs
wobbly. He took an unsure step forward, testing the ground. A low snarl escaped
him, his ears flat.

“No,” he said with his mind, growling
louder.

Crystal flicked her wrist once more, and
the wolf flew back several feet, as if hit by a truck going at full-speed. He
yelped and fell, sliding in the snow on his side. Gasping, Jatred snapped his
eyes open and
bared his teeth. He growled and wrinkled
his muzzle. The Goddess walked up to him. She stopped and folded her arms over
her chest.

“Stop resisting. I don’t really want to hurt you.”

“We have a different understanding of the word ‘hurt’,” he wheezed
with his mind.

 
“You will obey me this time,
my Prince. Don’t make me summon you here again to remind you of your duty. Or
it will be more than physical pain that I will inflict on you. Think of those
you love that are my Shifters.” The Goddess’s voice was calm, barely above a
whisper. “Now go back to the Human World.”

Crystal stretched her arms, palms flat over Jatred. Shimmering dust
rained from her hands down to his fur. The pain in his body subsided, and
calmness enveloped him. He squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself to shift
into his human form, before she let him return to the Human World.

***

Human World. September 7, early
afternoon.