King's Throne (6 page)

Mitch had only walked a few feet into the forest before the white tigress joined him. Gina. She was so beautiful he had to blink a few times to clear his vision. She sparkled in the sun, the crisp winter light reflecting off her white fur and dark stripes as it reflected off the snow and ice melting and dripping all around them.

The trees sparkled too. The earth was alive with the dance of sunlight on frozen water, melting, changing, ever transforming. The Goddess in her guise as the Crone. The not-so-barren Lady Winter. The Snow Queen.

And Gina was the princess.

Mitch felt the tug of magic leading him on. He moved off into the woods, following a trail that existed only in the magical energy swirling around and through him. An energy he’d only felt fleeting bits of before now.

He followed where it led, trusting his instincts and the call of the Goddess. He could hear her rhythms in the earth under his paws, in the rivulets of water melting off the trees, the ice chiming as wind blew frozen branches into one another. It was a symphony of light and sound of the most magical variety. A blessing from the Earth Mother. A call to Her service.

Mitch could no more deny Her than he could deny his true nature. The nature that had led him into service to the Royals rather than to found his own Pride. He was Alpha enough that he could have easily done so, but he’d felt the need to serve and protect even stronger. It was who he was. Who he was born to be.

He felt Gina pacing along beside him as he followed his senses through the unfamiliar woods. He’d never prowled here before, but something about this place spoke to him. It was completely foreign
, yet at the same time welcoming and familiar. He liked the pines and the bare trees that had lost their coat of leaves for winter. He enjoyed the scent of damp earth under the melting snow and the crisp bite of the cool air ruffling his fur like a caress.

He didn’t know how he knew where to go, but when he arrived at his destination, it was completely obvious. He broke through the dense forest into…a sacred circle of standing stones.

Of course. He should have known.

There was a joyous hum in the air as he stepped into the circle of stones on the top of a small hill. The cabin was far behind and below him and he had the sense of the surrounding area. He somehow knew there was a bigger house on the other side of the hill they were on. The main house where the Tig’Ra and his queen lived.

Gina’s parents. Gina herself stepped into the circle behind him and came to sit on her haunches at his side. For a moment, they just sat there, facing the direction of the main house until finally, he realized why he’d been drawn here.

Two people stepped
into the circle. A man and a woman, both in their human forms, but Mitch knew who they were. Their magic spoke for itself. As did their commanding presence. These were Gina’s parents.

He’d met her dad before, of course, but he’d never even seen her mother. Gina had her mother’s kind eyes and gentle smile, but she’d inherited her father’s stubborn chin and determined jaw, it seemed.

The tiger king looked Mitch over and sighed heavily as Mitch bowed his head. Mitch kept his eyes raised to the king in a show of respect. It was their way to not dismiss a warrior’s power. Averting the eyes meant disrespect in the shifter world.

“I should have known this would happen when Gina talked about your fur sprouting white. In fact, I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time but was almost afraid to hope it was near. Be welcome to the
tigre blanche
, Mitch Thorburn, formerly of the
tigre d’or
.”

As the words were spoken, a shaft of bright sun broke through a momentary cloud, illuminating the circle and all within. For a moment, the light almost blinded Mitch, making him wince, but then something happened. The sun felt like it was focusing on him, bathing him in its warmth.

And then he realized it wasn’t really sun. It was magic. A sparkling, magical beam carried on the sunlight, sent by the Goddess.

In that moment, his heart opened and his soul became one with the cat whose nature had changed, just a little. The change had been enough to make him feel odd when he first shifted, but now, with the Lady’s intervention, the oddness had gone. It was replaced by a surety that he had never experienced. Mitch finally knew his purpose in this world—to serve and protect as before—but his duties had been expanded to include not just the royalty, but every tiger everywhere.

Starting here and now. Mitch basked in the magical beam of sunlight a moment more, and then it was gone, dissipating in a shower of rainbow-colored motes of light. Dazzling and enchanting. By far the most magical thing Mitch had ever experienced. He was left standing in front of the Tig’Ra and his lady, who were both still in human form, and Gina wearing her fur at his side.

“Go back to the cabin for now,” the king of all tigers said in a kind, yet gruff voice. “You’re still on the mend and we have a lot to discuss. I’ll be down shortly.”

Mitch bowed his head in respect and then, conscious of the fatigue now weighing him down, he made his way out of the stone circle with Gina still at his side. She had stuck by him through all of it, a silent witness to the life-changing events of the past few minutes. He wondered if she’d sensed what had happened, or was it something only Mitch had have been aware of? He wasn’t entirely sure.

They loped
down the small hill and made their way through the icy trees and snow cover to the backdoor that led to the secret passageway that wrapped around one corner of the cabin. He allowed Gina to work the hidden mechanism with her dainty white paws and followed her inside.

She shifted and went straight into the cabin, opening the door so he had some light. Not that he really needed it. He had excellent night vision. Still, it was a considerate gesture.

He allowed the change to take him while she watched over him from just outside the passageway. It was easier this time. Felt less odd. More natural.

He picked up the clothes he’d discarded before and put them back on, enjoying the stretch of his muscles. He’d had too many days of inactivity. He’d need to really get some exercise tomorrow or the next day. As soon as Gina gave him the go-ahead. She was still his doctor, after all. And his princess. He’d do whatever it took to make her happy.

Ducking his head to fit through the small door, he reentered the cabin and shut the passageway’s secret entrance behind him. Gina had moved into the room to sit at the table. They’d left coffee on the warmer and she’d already poured herself a cup. He went and did the same. He could use the caffeine at the moment to give him a little boost of energy. He didn’t want to admit how much that small journey had taken out of him. He was still weak but getting better all the time. He had to be happy with that.

A few days ago, he’d thought he would die for sure. Now, he had a new lease on life
, and it was all thanks to the delicate woman sitting here with both of her hands wrapped around a steaming stoneware mug. She looked worried.

Mitch got his own coffee
and sat down across from her at the table. She looked up, meeting his eyes with a troubled gaze.

“What just happened?” she whispered.

Something wondrous. Something magical. Something almost inexplicable. But he had to try.

“I…changed.” It was the best he could come up with.

“I don’t think that was temporary. Dad said it might be, when I told him about how some of your fur sprouted white when you were convulsing and your hands shifted. But it was only a little. You were still golden too. But now…” Her voice trailed off as her hand shook, but she took a deep breath and regrouped. “I felt something in the circle. The presence of the Goddess. I’ve felt it before a few times, when Dad’s been doing something up there. But this was you, Mitch. She came for you this time.”

“You really think so?” He was still flabbergasted by the idea. “I mean, I thought I felt what you’re describing, but it seems so unreal.”

Her gaze met his and held, but they didn’t say anything more, the enormity of what had just happened lying between them…until the exiled king’s pounding sounded on the heavy wooden door.

Gina rose to let her father in. The big man swept into the cabin, his coat dusted with fine specks of snow that soon melted. It was flurrying again outside.

Mitch rose as the tiger king came over to the table, shrugged out of his coat and put a leather pouch that looked very old on the table. Gina took the coat and spread it out to dry before rejoining them at the table. They sat in silence, the weight of the day’s events laying heavily on them all, it seemed.

Finally, King
Frederick reached forward and opened the leather pouch to pull out an antique-looking leather-bound book from within. He passed it to Mitch with great ceremony.

The language was arcane, but even as he looked at it, the ancient characters resolved into something he could read. More magic.

“
The Rule of Fire and Ice
,” Mitch read the golden title inscribed in the worn leather of the book. His gaze rose to meet the other man’s.

“Well, that answers that question. If you were not meant to be
tigre blanche
, you could not read the ancient script. Only those of our line, or those blessed to become part of our number have the magic to read the ancient words of the Lady, handed down through fire and ice.” King Frederick replied.

Mitch was across the small table from the king, Gina at the side, between them. She watched them both with equal parts worry and confusion on her beautiful face. Mitch wished he could reach out to her and tell her everything was going to be all right, but he just didn’t know if this bizarre situation would turn out good or bad. The only thing he knew for a certainty was that from now on, things would be…different. Very different, indeed.

“You must study the Rule, Mitch. Learn the words, passed down from the Lady Herself. Only after you have mastered the Rule, will you be knowledgeable enough to challenge my brother, Gisli.”

“Challenge?” Gina’s voice rose in alarm, but her father sat back, seeming utterly weary.

“It is the only way I see this situation resolving. Mitch’s change was blessed by the Mother of All. You witnessed what happened in Her sacred circle. You cannot deny he is Goddess-touched. I can only believe that the stalemate we have lived with for so many painful years is at last to be challenged.”

“I always heard that you chose exile, your majesty,” Mitch said respectfully. There was more going on here than he knew and it seemed imperative that he understood all facets of what might be asked of him now that the Lady had taken a startlingly personal interest in his existence.

The Tig’Ra sighed heavily. “It was the only choice that made any sense at the time. It was the only way I could safeguard my family while avoiding killing my own brother.” He seemed so defeated, Gina worried for her dad. “To understand, you must know how this all started. I was born to a family of golden tigers. When I got old enough to shift for the first time, everything changed. I was
blanche
. Immediately, my family went from being merely related to the royal line to having the heir apparent. The old king’s family had all been killed in human wars and shifter conflicts and he was despondent until I came along. We moved to the stronghold and he took me under his wing. He was my father’s uncle and I’d known him growing up, but after I shifted white, he took an even stronger interest in my life, teaching me about the Rule and all that a good king should know. Eventually though, he passed on to the next realm and I took the throne. My parents were still young enough to have cubs and the Goddess blessed them with my baby brother, Gisli.”

Silence reigned while the king contemplated his next words. Finally, he continued.
“I don’t know when it started to go wrong for Gisli. Maybe it was the mages we had to bring into the stronghold to magically hide it from human discovery. Gisli was always so fascinated by the magic users. He befriended them and learned from them. He learned things our parents would not have taught him. He learned how to lie and how to steal. Or maybe some children are just born selfish. I really don’t know, and I’ve had a lot of time to ponder it over the years. So much happened so fast and only in hindsight do I really understand how those events unfolded so long ago. Gisli came of age and he was as golden as our parents. He was so upset about it. He’d thought for certain he would be like me and his first shift would prove him to be royalty. When it didn’t happen, his bitterness began to overcome his goodness. Over the years that followed, he changed. I didn’t see it. Not for many years. During that time I married and had children. Gina and her older brother, Fridrik junior.”

Her father looked so upset by the retelling of the tale
that Gina reached out to put one hand on his arm, offering what comfort she could. He covered her hand with one of his, meeting her gaze for a short moment before going on with his story.

“Little
accidents
started happening. As a toddler, Gina fell down a flight of stairs. She was okay, but I think Gisli or one of his cronies pushed my little girl with the intent to harm her. My wife’s car had its brake lines cut and she wrecked it on the road. She was injured but made a full recovery. Then they killed Fridrik.” His voice broke and Gina clutched his hand, gripping tight. Tears were in her eyes as she remembered.