Finally, he got the number entered right and hit call, hoping for a person on the other end this time because he was really tiring of leaving cryptic fucking messages. One ring, three, five, just went he expected another goddamn recorded message, an out of breath voice picked up on the other end.
“You calling me for a change?” Zaiden snarked, sounding surprised. “Has hell frozen over?”
Arlo chuckled despite the reason for the call. “Not yet, but there’s no telling what the future will bring. I’m sure you’ve kept up to date?”
“No shit, and of course! There’s been a lot of upheaval lately. Is that why you're calling?”
“Yes,” Arlo muttered, getting a sense something was off by Zaiden’s answer. “Has something happened in your world?”
“Members of our community have returned from the surface world seeking refuge in the caverns among the families they’d left behind. Some tales they’ve told have been downright chilling, forcing the king to make the decision to close our tunnels to all but members of our own kind.”
Now he was getting somewhere. Should have called the serpents first, Arlo thought as he settled against the cushions to listen to what his long time associate chose to share. One of their first encounters with Zaiden had come when Zaiden wassearching for his missing brother amid whispered rumors of threats to his people’s monarchy.
Arlo, at the same time, had gotten tasked with ferreting out a traitor and a bounty-hunter they believed someone had hired to take out the previous leader of a crash across state. Their investigation had led them to the same man Zaiden was looking for only for Arlo to learn that he’d refused the contract and sent the traitor to someone far less scrupulous, who’d ended their life before Arlo had the opportunity to do it himself for his actions.
The three weeks he and Zaiden had spent unraveling a maze of web-filled lies had bonded them as protectors of their people, though it was typically Zaiden who sought Arlo’s aid, as these days he rarely left his underground community since being elevated to hold one of the seven sacred positions as advisors to the king.
“Attempts have been made to expose and even capture several Serphenmatas, through ruses and tricks to try to force them to expose their true selves. Fortunately for them, the shifters who have hunted for them have been unable to see through their glamor, much as you were unable to see through mine.”
“Yeah, no shit, talk about a shock when you finally revealed your true form to me, though I can see why your illusions were necessary.”
“The influx of our people who have returned not just to ours, but other communities, has been almost staggering. We’ve been forced to create temporary dwellings until permanent ones can be constructed. I cannot even begin to describe the drain on food and resources that has come from allowing them all to return.”
“All?” Arlo questioned.
“Every last one, even the banished, though they are now held in the dungeon until we can determine whether or not their presence is still a threat to our way of life,” Zaiden explained edgily. “How could we not offer them sanctuary when we’vehad no way of determining why they were being targeted? If the world were to learn of our existence, it would be disastrous, when so many of our kind would be considered mutants and even monstrous to them?”
“Yeah, I get that, and I might be able to help you sort out some of what’s going on,” Arlo explained before detailing what the shifter council had been engaged in and the creatures they’d been creating in order to gain control over all the vast variety of shifters that existed in their world.
Several times Zaiden cursed bitterly in a mix of his language, English and several others he’d picked up in his travels, but never once did he interrupt. When Arlo finished, he could hear the serpent softly hissing on the other end, the sounds punctuated by heavy, weary sighs. Arlo could almost picture him rubbing the worry lines in the center of his scaled forehead as he marshaled his thoughts into words.
“It seems that we were right in welcoming them and encouraging our allies to do the same when they reported an influx of ex-members of their community,” Zaiden said at last. “We’ve questioned each returnee extensively and created a detailed database of the encounters they’ve recounted. I can make no promises now, but I will speak to the king to see if he will allow me to share some of the details with you. Names will have to be withheld for the protection of our society, but I believe there is information in their tales that will benefit you in your quest to discover who is behind this mess. As soon as I have received an answer, I’ll get in touch.”
“Thank you,” Arlo replied, feeling his friend would indeed add his weight to the request.
“Don’t thank me yet,” Zaiden answered warily. “You know this will be viewed as a favor that will need to be repaid somewhere down the line.”
“I’m aware.”
“Then we’ll speak soon,” Zaiden said before ending the call.
Groaning, Arlo pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on as he leaned back against the couch cushions. Illusive and secretive as all hell, the snakes weren’t ones to get involved with the council, nor did they acknowledge them as having any rulership over them. They preferred to handle things in-house, not that any knew where they dwelled. Which made it even more concerning that efforts had been made to trace or trap them. Everything pointed to a grander plan than what had been revealed so far. If he were right, it wouldn’t bode well for shifters anywhere.
Chapter Nineteen
Taggart
There it was, something so innocuous he’d not noticed to start with, two days of searching and he’d almost skimmed over it. Then his brain had noticed the pattern and everything else had fallen into place.
He sat back in his seat making it creak as he stared at the screens. The call Arlo had with Zaiden, his friend, had brought with it extra information. Taggart got why Arlo had not enlightened them when he’d initially contacted—what Taggartdiscovered was more myth than reality, or so he’d thought because he’d never met a serpent—his serpent friend. A friend who was…
Taggart shook off the thought of what Zaiden was, that was for another time when he had more brain capacity to take the time to work through the thousand questions his brain could conjure for such a species. He focused his tired eyes on the screen. His mates had not asked him any questions, understanding his need to seek answers, and he was grateful for that, except now it was time, because he was damn sure of what he’d discovered.
Daddy. Soren. I need to speak to you both in my office.
Coming.Arlo sounded distracted.
On my way.Soren’s reply came with a dose of worry. He’d been working away on a list, Taggart had caught sight of it, but Soren had refused to share it until he’d finished. Finished what—Taggart hadn’t pried. He wouldn’t do that to his mate when he wouldn’t like it.
