OF WARLOCKS AND TYGERS

26 FEBRUARY, FRIDAY, WARLOCK TIME

"Tell me the story of the difference between Warlocks and Tygers."

Despite it not really being a fairy tale title, and that Bell looked extremely put out by my little spell, he did explain:

Warlocks were Formlings, a people who were once part human and part magic. By taking the blue fire, they give up their humanity to become a pure entity of magic. Warlocks lived forever, renewing their lifespan every hundred years or so by renewing themselves in their fire.

I guess if they were separated from their stone, they wouldn't be able to. Case in point, Fount. Poor Fount. I wondered if he knew he would die just like that?

Tygers were Lycan, a people who were once part human and part wolf (just like me and almost everyone else in my pack). By taking the blue fire, they also give up their humanity to become part magic and part wolf.

Wait, so Bell was no longer human? I looked carefully at his cold expression, not that there was anything particularly out of the ordinary for Bell to sport such an expression. But now that he mentioned it, his usual features had taken an inhuman edge now, just around his mouth and eyes...

I walked up to Bell to examine the effect of his loss of humanity more closely. If I had to describe it, I would put it down to the lack of fine lines of any kind at all.

Like a liquid mask... I poked his cheek. Eh, no, it was solid. Ah! I've probably just made him mad again... He never liked it when I stared too hard at him.

But unlike before, he didn't seemed to be fazed by my inspection. He only produced a cold smile. Hm, I'm not sure I liked the idea of Bell losing his humanity. I'm not exactly sure what humanity was for, but it seemed kinda important. And it did seem to have changed my soul mate somewhat.

I retracted my poking finger to consider this.

{Mine.} Boo informed me.

Yes, I know. But that was because our wolves were still bonded.

The only good thing I could see from this entire exchange was that Bell's cursed arm was no longer black.

"Your arm is fixed." I pointed out. Bell raised it and released dark fumes from it, then he flexed and a blue fire rippled along his arm, burning off the cursed fumes.

"Somewhat, yes." Bell agreed mildly, he looked a little satisfied at his new found powers, "But my wolf is still missing his leg."

Oh.

Bell shrugged like it didn't matter.

"What else?" Ben asked now, "What else is different between you and a warlock?"

"Warlocks have power over space and time." Bell answered, looking pointedly at River and the stone in his hands, "Tygers have the power to grant wishes."

"Like a genie?" River asked now.

Bell cast him a disdainful look, "Yes, but evey wish would cost you something of equal value."

Ohhhh...

"Me! I wanna make a wish!" I raised my hand as if I were back in elementary school, "Pick me!"

"Sam, never make deals with a Tyger, remember?" Ben warned.

"But I'm making a wish." I said. Wouldn't that be essentially a different thing?

Bell smirked, "My first customer. Tell me, princess, what is your wish?"

The moment Bell asked, something in the air stirred. A magic quite different from the ones I've smelled before, and my mind went blank. What should I wish for?

I had meant to wish for Bell's arm to be healed, but now I wondered if there was something better. Maybe for Bell to stop terrorising the world? I remembered what Mimi said about revenge being a cruel master, so she had not wanted Jude to follow that path. So I should wish for Bell to stop seeking revenge?

Would that make him happy? Even though Bell was my mate, I really didn't know what would make him happy. What if taking revenge made him happy? How was I to know what was best?

"I just..." I searched my heart for something good to wish for, "I just wish that you'll live happily."

Yeah, that was a good one. If my soul mate was alive and happy, it would mean the world to me.

Bell smirked, "Just for that?"

"Yeah." I nodded.

"So simple minded." Bell mused to himself, but this was his usual dumbbell self too, nothing to do with his loss of humanity.

"Fine." Bell agreed, "And what would you pay?"

I realized I had no idea. I really should've thought this through, "What do you want?"

Bell took from Ki a long black chain with the blood red stone affixed to it, "Come here, princess."

I walked over. He dropped it over my head, "The cost would be your lifelong service. Take care of my stone."

That's it?

"If I take care of this, you'll live happily?" I asked.

"For as long as you do." Bell's smile was unreadable.

I clutched the stone in my hand, it was surprisingly cold. And then I realized what I was holding was Bell's heart stone.

"I'll guard it with my life." I promised him.

Bell smirked, "As it would yours."

And then the magical weight in the air aruptly vanished.

Bell took the other stone from Ki. By now, Ki had finished setting it into a earring piece. Without even consulting a mirror, Bell pierced the earring into his left ear lobe. It sealed automatically with his healing powers.

And then Bell smiled, he looked rather satisfied at how things turned out.

"Wait, did you plan all this?" It suddenly struck me, how Bell had been focused on the black furnace from the beginning, how he had dealt with Fount without hesitation, how he had the black chain and earring attachment prepared all this while.

"I didn't plan for you to be here." Bell admitted.

"But...but...but... You planned to kill Fount?" I pressed, "You knew about his fire and that he was weakened without his stone and..."

Bell smirked, "Only a fool would rush in without any plan or knowledge."

Touche.

River frowned but said nothing.

"I don't have time to dally longer." Bell kicked opened the furnace and tossed in a small blue flame from his hand, then he dragged the cursed and stinky bodybag over and threw it in. The furnace door shut on its own.

"I still need to hunt down Ruby." He gritted.

"Ruby's dead." I said.

Bell stopped in his tracks.

"It wasn't me!" I quickly reassured him, "Anyway, Stephan and Gamma Harry had her body taken back to Night Leaf."

(In three bodybags, and possible a Tupperware by now if Gamma Harry had his way.)

Stephan's name seemed to reassure Bell, he nodded, "Then we should head back. Ki, have the paperwork to begin motion for the warlock's territory to fall under Moon Bell's jurisdiction."

"Yes, Luna." Ki nodded a bow.

"Also go confirm Ruby's body - do this personally, before bringing it here to burn with my uncle's." Bell ordered.

"Yes, Luna." Ki obliged with a gentle smile.

"I want a consolidated report of everything that has happened in the last 24 hours..." Bell continued.

We made our way down whatever was left of the stairs. Upon seeing the treasure room, Bell added, "Have a clean sweep of this place, and divide all the treasure you find as spoils among all the parties who entered with us."

"Yes, Luna." Ki smiled.

Ki had been smiling and saying, "Yes, Luna" for a while now. The rest of us simply followed behind Bell and Ki like lost sheep. Even River and Wilhelm followed meekly with us.

We won, right? So why weren't any of us happy about it?

When we passed the library, I stopped to pick up Fount's handwritten book of prophecies. Bell paused his steps and waited as did the others.

"Tell me the story of Fount." I whispered to the book.

I knew he was the enemy, but it didn't seem fair that it ended this way. Did he know?

The book flipped opened in front of me to the last written page of the book, and then it turned the page once more revealing a blank page. WTH was that supposed to mean?

I clenched both my fists. I hated this feeling.

"We weren't supposed to kill Fount." It was River who spoke.

"Didn't you hate him?" Bell answered without turning back to look at us.

"I did! But that didn't mean I wanted him dead!" River yelled at Bell's back.

"So naive." Bell murmured, "Am I doomed to be surrounded by simpletons?"

(I felt quite sure Bell had included me in his count of simpletons.)

But before any of us could retort, Bell turned to face us, "All's fair in love and war, brother."

"Why do you keep calling me that?" River cried out, "I am not your brother!"

"Aren't you taking my mate's sister as your mate?" Bell demurred, "And even if you didn't, haven't I taken your fire? If you were not my brother, do you think I would deign to answer your childish angst?"

My mate, had always been arrogant and slappable, but wow, he had leveled up in this regard.

"I will make it simple for you." Bell took two steps closer to River. Wilhelm stepped forward, his hand on his hilt, but Bell only looked mildly amuse, "I'm not your enemy."

"Why?" River was anguished, "Why did you kill him?"

"Because he was in my way." Bell answered coldly.

"That doesn't even make sense!" River yelled.

"Yeah!" I joined in the protest, "If someone's in your way, you say 'excuse me'!"

Bell chuckled at that, {Cute.}

Oh!

{Mindlinks!} I immediately flared, {Our mindlinks are working!}

Suddenly the mindlinks around me flared alive again. I quickly blocked my mind from the overwhelming noise.

Bell turned back to River unpreturbed, "Whoever is not for me, is against me. But no, you would not understand. Then perhaps this would help, I killed Fount because he was going to kill my princess. If it were a choice between saving him or my princess, is that fine now? Would that satisfy your hero existence to not provoke me further?"

{He sounds like a bad guy no matter how he puts it.} I mindlinked Ben.

I was rewarded with a chuckle, {Well, at least we know the loss of humanity hadn't altered his personality.}

Hahahaha.

Oh wait, why was I laughing? This was bad, right?

{Aren't you even a little dissatisfied with things like this?} I pressed Ben.

Ben shrugged, {What does it matter how I feel? It's over. But on all counts, our mission is a success. You're safe. River's lost his one chance to break his mating bond with Savy. Your luna saved himself from his curse. The warlock threat is neautralized. We helped River meet Fount as promised. And now Moon Bell is set to extend its territory. Even if you don't agree with your Luna's methods, you have to admit, they work.}

Yeah, but... even though the results were good...

It was Ki who broke the silence by reporting, "The special team are waiting for us on the warlock's lawn. Keanu is safe with them. The other Snow Moon wolves are with Harvey, they are on the way to meet us."

"Oh!" River and I brightened immediately.

"Hn," Bell huffed and turned to walk, "Let's go then."

I flared at that, "Don't tell me what to do! I'm the alpha here."

{Cute.} Bell stopped and gestured for me to step up to the front, "After you, princess."

I put down Fount's book carefully. I guess I'll take whatever petty victory I can, "Let's go. Our friends are waiting."

I can't control how things work out - not with Jude and his pack, or what happened to Fount, or even the things my dumbbell soul mate got himself into. But I was the alpha who had my friends and family with me, friends who were alive and well. I should really count my blessings. Maybe one day, I'll be the alpha that made brilliant plans with my insightful knowledge and defeat my enemies like Bell did. But today, I'm just really lucky we all got out alive, and I was thankful for that.