Wolf Who Rules

There was noise of something coming through the woods toward them. Jewel Tears triggered her sonar spell again and the forest was alive with sekasha moving toward them, and at least two other domana. Tinker was going to have to learn that spell.

"True Flame is coming. We'll see what he has to say."

A wave of red washed around them as Wyverns surrounded them, and then, comfortingly, a tight knot of blue as True Flame and Windwolf entered the clearing. Jewel Tears dropped her shields, so Tinker followed suit.

True Flame glanced at the kappa all but forgotten on the ground, and then to Tinker and Jewel Tears. "What is going on here? Where did that kappa come from?"

"I pulled that out of the Ghostlands." Tinker stepped forward and gave it a slight kick to demonstrate it was frozen solid. "The Ghostlands must have instantly sucked the body heat out of it."

"She was talking with a tengu." Jewel Tears indicated the empty treetops.

"Yes, I was." Tinker saw no point to deny it. "We have history together. He betrayed me to the oni and I beat the snot out of him for it. He found me and started the conversation."

"What did you speak about?" True Flame asked.

"I'm not sure what he wanted - they nearly killed me shooting at him."

Windwolf had moved between Jewel Tears and Tinker just as a sekasha would, his shields still up so he seemed to shimmer with anger. With Tinker's explanation, he took a step toward Jewel Tears. "How dare you?"

Jewel Tears jerked up her chin. "That was an unfortunate and unforeseeable accident. Forgiveness, Tinker ze domi."

Tinker nodded but Windwolf shook his head.

"If you harm my domi," Windwolf growled. "It will not be to the Fire Clan that you'll be answering to."

"Wolf Who Rules." True Flame snapped.

"I will not suffer future 'unfortunate' accidents. There will no forgiveness."

True Flame studied Windwolf for a moment and then nodded. "That is your right."

Windwolf caught Tinker's hand. "Come." And he pulled her out of the clearing.

"Wait, my stuff."

"Leave it."

"No!" She jerked her hand free. "I'm not done here."

"You are for right now."

"No, no, no. I'm sick of this. Come here, go there, do this. My grandfather died five years ago, thank you, and I was happy making my own decisions for myself."

"This is royal holdings now." Windwolf swept a hand to take in the whole valley. "I can not make her leave."

"So you're making me?" Tinker cried.

"Yes."

"No."

"Beloved. I do not trust her. I can not stay here and watch over you now and I can not make her leave."

As always, he seemed to cover all the options - leaving her no good choice but to do what he wanted.

This time she shook her head. "No. Again and again, you don't tell me enough to form my own options. All I know are your options and I'm not playing that anymore."

"Be reasonable."

"Reasonable? What is reasonable about taking the smartest person in this city and making them deaf and blind? I'm supposed to walk away from my work, leaving behind my currently irreplaceable equipment, because some female from the other side of the world is not playing nice in my backyard?"

"I told you that I can not stay and I can not make her leave."

"And those are the only options because they're the only ones you have thought of? You know, if I had a level playing field I could come up with options of my own."

"I do not have time to explain it all."

"Of course not. You never have time."

"Beloved…"

"Don't 'Beloved' me. Did you know-until Pony told me it-I didn't know the name of your mother? That I didn't know that you - and I-could use Fire Clan Spell Stones? I don't even know when I'm going to have a period! I'm stuck in this stranger's body and no one tells me diddly. And when did I agree to be called Beloved Tinker? I think I should at least be able to pick out my own name."

Windwolf looked stunned at her outburst and after a moment, said quietly, "Your name is… short."

"Tinker isn't my real name. My real name is Alexander Graham Bell."

"It is? I did not know that."

"Score one for me."

"Beloved - Tinker-Alexan..der?" He floundered for a moment. "Isn't that considered a male name?"

"I can hold my own with Jewel Tears. I'm not done here, and I'm not leaving my stuff."

"No, you can not hold your own." Windwolf caught her by her shoulders. "Do not ever think that you can. Only you can sense her magic - so it possible for her to attack you without your sekasha knowing it. She could make a tree fall, the ground give way, dozens of little ways that you do not know."

"You really think she would try to kill me?"

"Yes."

"Any one of us," Stormsong added in English, "Can make a bullet ricochet and hit a target. The tengu was a convenient excuse."

Tinker turned to her and saw in her eyes that none of her sekasha took the event as an accident. They hadn't relaxed until Windwolf and True Flame appeared.

"But why?" she asked.

"Because the Stone Clan stands to gain much if you are dead and I'm distracted. Because she is a self-centered, ambitious bitch."