Page 77 of Kingdom of Aramis

“No, I don’t think so. They know that if we choose to invade, their odds aren’t good,” Lucas replies, but he rubs his chin thoughtfully. “I could probably reach out to my contact and ask him to check it out though.”

“By contact, do you mean…” Before Layla can finish her question, there’s a knock at the door, and one of the palace staff members wheels in a cart filled with coffee, tea, and a variety of snacks. Although breakfast wasn’t all that long ago, my stomach rumbles at the sight of the pastry-laden gift from the kitchen. I must take a moment to pop in and talk to the kitchen staff and ask them if I can use it occasionally. Baking has always been a stress reliever for me, and I don’t see my stress levels reducing anytime soon.

Chapter

Six

Colbie

Once we’ve all partaken in the tasty offerings, I get the conversation back on track. As interesting as supernatural procreation is, I have more pressing issues at the moment.

“Okay, let’s get back to the topic of the council. If you two don’t want the roles, then would you care to make a suggestion?” I inquire, sure Lucas will let me know if he has any luck with the outcast kingdom.

“I think Sable would be a good addition. She is from high shifter society and would be a good asset. She has her hand in everything that is going on, not to mention she’s the chief archivist for our kingdom, and she is a respected doctor as well,” Gracelin suggests, and her parents agree.

“And I recommend you open up the final position for application, allowing anyone to apply. You never know, you might find an overlooked gem who will be a real asset.” Layla smiles at Violet, who blushes prettily, looking down at her hands. She’s right. Having her here with me has madeeverything a lot easier. It’s like we’ve been friends forever, even though it’s only been just over a week.

“Okay, that’s settled. I can’t wait to see their faces when we tell them their services are no longer needed. That means they will have to move out of the palace too, thank God.” Gracelin is gleeful, like I told her that all her dreams are about to come true.

“You will advise them at the meeting on Friday, and we can send an announcement for applications at that time too,” Layla says, and I murmur my agreement as I think about what I want to talk about next. “Soften the blow by offering them a generous severance package. Gracelin can draw something up for them.”

Gracelin wrinkles her nose but murmurs her agreement. “I’m not sure they are going to be happy with anything we offer them, but I can try. There are a number of royal owned properties available to be gifted to them, and the best thing is, they aren’t in the city. The farther away they are, the better, because they can’t cause too much trouble from a distance.” She makes a few notes, and I change the subject to something I overheard at breakfast.

“What did they mean about feral shifters and missing children?” The mood in the room instantly changes, and all five of them look troubled. “Archie wasn’t the only one taken?”

Lucas shakes his head. “No, there are three other shifter children who disappeared without a trace. We’ve had watch teams search the shifter zone without any luck. As for the ferals, you know it’s illegal to change a human without permission from the crown, right?”

“Yes. If a shifter happens to fall in love with a human, they need to petition the royal family to ask them if they can change the human,” I reply. It’s one of the things that you are taught early on in life.

“Yes. The monarch’s magic will help the transition. Without it, the human will become feral. I think it’s a way to create balance. Neither humans nor shifters want to risk someonebecoming feral, so it really discourages random biting. It still happens, but it’s way less frequent than it would be. Up until recently, it was never a problem, but in the recent months, there has been an increase in feral sightings, like someone is going around biting humans for fun. We have had to send the military or one of the watch teams in to deal with them.”

“So is there nothing you can do about the ferals? Aren’t you able to fix the ferals with the same magic you use when someone asks permission?”

There’s a loaded silence as the four rulers exchange a glance, then Mia sighs. “The law says that a feral must be put out of their misery, and the shifter who bites them must be punished. If we rewarded people for going against the law, then there’s nothing to discourage unsolicited changing.”

“So are you saying that ferals can be rehabilitated, but you choose not to?” I ask, slightly horrified by the fact that they are punishing the victims.

Evie’s eyes glisten with tears. “We don’t know. We haven’t actually tried. As far as we know, though, the royal magic has to be bestowed before the changing bite. Usually it happens when a shifter chooses a human to spend the rest of their life with. There are a lot of background checks and mental health assessments that need to be passed before we will even consider granting permission, and then there is a small private ceremony where Lucas bestows his blessing to the couple before they retire privately to complete the mating ceremony.”

“His blessing?” I look at the man in question.

“There’s a ritual that you recite, and then you place your hand on the human’s head and infuse them with your magic. It is instinctual, but the words are a spell of sorts. It turns them into a shifter, giving them an animal. The book is kept in the vault, and nobody can access it except for the royal in power. A drop of your blood will open the book.”

“So nobody else can do this kind of magic or even tried after the shifter has already been changed without permission?” I push, leaning forward in interest. The four of them exchange a glance.

“I don’t know. I don’t know if anyone else has ever tried either. There is no record of it. We could ask Emmett and Audrey, they may know. They have been around a lot longer than we have,” Lucas admits before scrubbing a hand over his face. When his gaze meets mine, I can see he’s conflicted. “We think there is someone out there who is using the children who were kidnapped in an attempt to make it work. Once a child has shifted to their animal, they can’t shift back without help from an adult. We think the stolen children are being used to change humans for some reason. Those poor children would be frightened and wouldn’t hesitate to bite in self-defense if cornered, but it isn’t going to work without the spell.”

“Holy crap…” I sag back in my chair, reeling from that announcement. “But why?”

“That’s the big question, isn’t it? I would guess that someone was trying to build an army of shifters from the human population, but what’s the point if they can’t control them?” Mia’s eyes blaze with anger.

“And we know the spell book is still in the vault?” Gracelin asks her father, who nods.

“Yes. It was the first thing I checked when Bryson suggested the theory.”

“And you think that’s why they took Archie? He has royal blood, so they thought maybe his bite might be more effective than the other children’s.”

“Yes, but thankfully they never got to test the theory. I’m almost certain they are wrong, since only the current ruler can wield that power. Archie and our children wouldn’t have the power, but who knows what they would have done to him toforce it.” Lucas looks green, and tears well in Gracelin’s eyes at the thought of her child being in so much danger.