Chapter Three

 

“Order! Order, please!” A tall, lanky panther shifter was standing on the bar, trying to get the excited crowd to calm down. Axel rolled his eyes. This guy was being too nice. The way this was going, the meeting was never going to get started.

Axel jumped on the bar, cupped his hands around his mouth to make his voice louder, and yelled at the top of his lungs. “Everybody shut up!”

The crowd fell silent almost immediately, and Axel hopped off the bar. “You’re welcome,” he said to the panther shifter.

“Um, er, yeah. Thanks,” the panther replied. “So, all of you probably know me, but just in case, my name is Danny. I called this meeting, along with a bunch of the other shifters who were involved in that bar brawl with the Gilt Hollow soldiers last night, because enough is enough. We can’t keep living with these constant raids and arbitrary demands for taxes. Enough is enough. I’ve never exactly been the fighting type. Many of you are much better at standing up to bullies than I am. But the time has come for all of us to stand up. The oppression from Gilt Hollow has gotten to be too much.”

Loud murmurs started going through the crowd, and Axel could see that Danny was about to lose control of the crowd again.

“Everyone, listen up!” Axel yelled before things could get too out of hand. The noise settled down, and Danny gave Axel a grateful nod.

“As you all know, there’s a resistance force of shifters in Gilt Hollow. We’ve been helping them out whenever they ask us for anything, but it’s not enough to passively wait for their instructions anymore. We need to step up and take action ourselves. All of us shifters need to work together and take down Gilt Hollow. So that’s why I’ve called this meeting today. To ask who wants to be part of the resistance force here in Bear Hollow.”

Axel looked around the room, trying to gauge everyone’s reaction. Most of the Bear Hollow shifters had been content to remain in the background when the resistance force first started working over in Gilt Hollow. People had been too afraid of retaliation by the soldiers to want to risk being caught looking rebellious. But now, the soldiers had been retaliating anyway, with no real reason. Most of Bear Hollow had reached its breaking point.

Axel’s bar itself, where this meeting was taking place, was a testament to how out of control the Gilt Hollow problem was. Last night, the soldiers had trashed Bear Hollow Brews. Several of the tables were cracked, and at least ten chairs had been smashed to pieces. One of the taps had been completely destroyed, and a few kegs of beer had been poured out across the back area of the bar. Axel was angry, of course, but he took the damage in stride. He’d build new tables and chairs, and he’d fix the broken tap. He still had plenty of beer, and financially, he could take the hit of losing a few kegs. Hell, he gave away much more than that on a regular basis.

What angered him more were the injuries and lost lives. Two shifters had been killed last night. The bear shifter who had first stood up to the soldiers had died in the middle of the night from his severe injuries, and a second shifter had been shot. Dozens more had varying degrees of wounds. There were some broken bones, even more black eyes, and countless bruises and scrapes. Hardly any of the faces Axel was looking at right now didn’t have some sort of damage.

And then, there were the taxes: taxes that the shifters could not afford to pay.

“I want to be part of the resistance,” Axel said suddenly, jumping up onto the bar again. The silence in the room bothered him, and he worried that people were still too scared to stand up and fight, despite the horrible raids. “We’ve stood by long enough, and the current state of things is not sustainable. The soldiers demanded more taxes last night, but I know many of you have no cash left at all. Gilt Hollow is wiping out what little savings we have. They’re trying to starve us. They beat us up at least twice a week. We’ve endured a lot, because we thought that not rocking the boat would make things easier on us. We thought if we lay low, the soldiers would leave us alone. But that’s not the case anymore. We can lie as low as we want, and they’ll still come find us. So it’s time to stand tall. We are shifters, and we are strong. It’s time to fight for our families and our homes.”

For a moment after Axel finished speaking, the silence in the room hung heavy. Axel felt his heart sinking. Was everyone in here really going to let the Gilt Hollow soldiers get away with this? But then, the silence ended with a single clap. One of the wolf shifters in the back clapped, then clapped again. And within moments, a thunderous applause filled the room. Cheers and whoops rang out, and Axel let out the breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding. He looked down at the crowd and his eye caught Whisper’s. She gave him a thumbs up and a huge smile, and he felt a strange fluttering in his chest. He would never have admitted it to anyone, but it meant a lot to him that Whisper supported his little motivational speech. He respected her opinion on what to do about Gilt Hollow, and seeing that she agreed with him gave him a sense of relief—a sense that he was on the right track with all of this.

The crowd eventually quieted, and Axel turned the floor back over to Danny, who seemed even more nervous now than he had been before Axel had spoken up. Axel wasn’t sure that Danny was going to be the best leader for the Bear Hollow resistance, but he held his tongue. Danny might be a bit on the timid side, but Axel had heard people talking around town about how smart this guy was. Courage came in a lot of forms, and it was best not to judge someone just because their version of courage looked a bit different from yours. Perhaps Danny’s smarts would be enough to make up for his anxious tendencies.

“Ok, everyone,” Danny said, his voice growing a little louder and stronger as he dove into the rest of his speech. “Here’s the deal. We’ve heard from one of our spies in Gilt Hollow that a special Shifter Games match is planned for the end of September. That’s just a few weeks away, so we don’t have a whole lot of time to get organized. But if we focus and work hard, we can get a plan in place to help disrupt these games in a major way. As many of you know, the last several Shifter Games have met with serious problems, thanks to the efforts of the shifters over in Gilt Hollow. Now it’s our turn to step up and disrupt the Games. Otto Thorne, the leader of the resistance over there, said that public faith in the Games is at an all-time low. It will probably only take one more botched Games for the whole Games system to be abolished.”

“But security around the Games has been growing tighter. And security at these Games is going to be the heaviest we’ve ever seen it. Causing a disruption won’t be easy.”

The voice that had spoken up was Oskar Warden, Axel’s best friend and Whisper’s older brother. Oskar had briefly lived in Gilt Hollow and competed in the Shifter Games, so everyone here respected his opinion on anything to do with Gilt Hollow. Danny nodded respectfully in his direction.

“You’re right, Oskar. It won’t be easy. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. In fact, we should try harder than ever. There will be great risk, yes. But there is great risk to doing nothing. Every week, more of our people here are killed. How long before we are all wiped out? We must act boldly now. Axel is right. The time for lying low is over!”

Axel cheered, and the rest of the crowd joined in. Danny smiled at the sound, and looked a bit more confident. Oskar smiled, too.

“I agree,” Oskar said. “We must take action now. I just want to make sure that everyone is aware that this isn’t going to be easy. We’ll have to work hard, and work smart. And we still might not succeed. We still might see more of our own killed in the attempt to start the revolution. Anyone who joins this resistance should be aware of that. We are all risking our lives here, but I think the cause is worth it.”

“The cause is worth it,” Danny agreed. “And we have a plan that we hope we can pull off with great success. How many of you have heard of fairytassel sage?”

A few people across the room nodded and raised their hands, but most in the room had confused looks on their faces, Axel included. A glance over at Whisper told him that she was just as confused as he was.

“Fairytassel sage is a rare plant that only grows in the depths of Bear Hollow forest,” Danny continued. “Our ancestors discovered it a long time ago, and learned that it holds a powerful poison. The plant’s oils can be added to food or liquid and they don’t alter the taste or flavor of the food at all, but it only takes a very small amount to kill off a person. We have not searched for or used the poison in years, because we shifters don’t like killing off people if it can be avoided. Even Gilt Hollow citizens are still people, despite the way they treat us. We have tried to respect their lives, even though they don’t respect ours.”

“But now, it’s come down to our lives or theirs,” Axel spoke up.

Danny nodded. “Exactly. Most of us have realized by now that unless and until drastic action is taken against Gilt Hollow, the raids and shifter deaths will continue. We have to stop this. So here’s the plan: we’ll gather up fairytassel sage and make up a batch of the poison. That poison will be taken through the secret tunnel over to Gilt Hollow, where the shifters there will add it to the food of the Gilt Hollow soldiers during the next Games. They’ve assured me there’s a way for them to only target the soldiers.”

“That’s right,” Oskar said, suddenly sounding quite excited. “At the Games, there’s always a special ‘refreshments’ room special for the soldiers. It’s filled with food and drinks, and the soldiers can take turns taking a break from their guard shifts to eat and drink. It’s a perk for them for all the extra ‘hard work’ of protecting people at the Games.”

Across the room, eyes rolled.

“Really?” Whisper asked. “Hard work? Those fools don’t know the meaning of hard work.”

Oskar raised his hands to his sister in a gesture of surrender. “Hey, I agree. I’m just telling you that that’s what goes on at the Games. No one really goes in that room other than the soldiers, so it’s unlikely anyone besides them would be poisoned. And there are a lot of soldiers at the Games. There will probably be even more this time than normal, since the last few Games have been sabotaged so successfully. We could take out a big chunk of the army all at once.”

“And the resistance shifters in Gilt Hollow think they can get this poison into the food?” Axel asked.

“Yes. One of the cooks who helps prepare the food for the Games happens to be a shifter. She’s not very high up on the ladder, and she’ll have to be careful. But she thinks she can sneak the poison into the food or drink without anyone seeing her.”

“Well then, it sounds like we have a plan,” Axel said with a nod. “I’d like to be the first to volunteer to help.”

“I volunteer as well,” Whisper said. “I’m ready to bring these bastards down.”

Across the room, nearly every shifter raised their hand to say that they also wanted to be a part of the resistance. Axel’s smile stretched from ear to ear as he looked on. They were really doing this. The shifters of Bear Hollow were finally going to stand and fight.

Danny looked at Axel and grinned. “Well, Axel, since you volunteered first, I’ll give you first dibs on the fairytassel sage assignment. You want to be the one to collect the fairytassel sage and take it over to Gilt Hollow?”

“Hell yeah,” Axel said. “I’m raring to go.”

Danny nodded, his head bobbing up and down enthusiastically. “That’s the spirit. But I think you should have a partner to help you. It’s better not work alone.”

“I agree,” Axel said, then glanced over at where Whisper was standing. “What about Whisper? She was the second one to volunteer.”

“I’m in,” Whisper said without hesitation. “I’d love to help out Axel.”

“Then it’s settled,” Danny said. “I’ll get you two detailed information on where fairytassel sage is most likely to be found, and what it looks like. The rest of you, don’t worry. There’s going to be plenty of work to do over the next weeks and months. We’re going to stop the Gilt Hollow regime or die trying.”

“Hurrah!” yelled everyone in the audience. Axel felt his chest swelling with pride as he joined in their cheers. These were his people. Finally, after far too many decades of mistreatment, the shifters were rising. They would bring an end to the horrible oppression that had hung over them. They would stop the inhumanity of Gilt Hollow.

Axel was proud to be alive in this moment. He was proud to be a part of this movement. And he couldn’t be happier that Whisper would serve as his partner for his first mission. Whisper was making her way toward him now. The crowd was devolving into excited, individual conversations, and it seemed that the official meeting was over for now.

“Hey, Partner,” Whisper said with a grin as she approached him. “Looks like you and I are gonna be working together in more ways than one now.”

Axel grinned. “Looks like it. Just don’t forget that I’m the boss.”

Whisper let out a roar of laughter. “Yeah, right. You’re the boss at the bar, but that doesn’t automatically make you the boss of this fairytassel sage mission.”

Axel shrugged. “Why not? Looks like I’m the most qualified one for the job, since I’m the only one of us with boss experience.”

Whisper rolled her eyes, and Axel found himself overcome with the strange desire to reach out and pull her into his arms. She looked so good this morning, her hair pulled up into a mess of a bun with wavy tendrils falling everywhere. She had no makeup on, but he actually liked her better that way. Her natural skin was covered with faint freckles, and her summer tan hadn’t faded yet. She was simply gorgeous. Who could blame him for flirting with her all the time?

“Anyway, boss,” Whisper said, seemingly putting as much sarcasm into the word “boss” as she could muster. “I was wondering if you want to come by my place and grab a cup of coffee? We could start making plans for how we’re going to complete this mission.”

Axel started to say yes, ready to jump at any opportunity to spend alone time with Whisper. But then he remembered with a pang of frustration that he already had plans for the rest of the morning.

“I’d love to, but I can’t,” he said reluctantly. “I already promised Violet I’d go have breakfast with her.”

A flash of emotion crossed Whisper’s face. If Axel didn’t know better, he almost would have said she looked jealous. But that couldn’t be right. After all, Whisper and he were just friends, and it’s not like breakfast with Violet meant anything. Okay, maybe Violet wanted it to mean something, but Axel had made it clear to Violet that he wasn’t interested in a relationship. Or had he? Girls were so confusing sometimes. Even Whisper, who definitely looked jealous right now. Why the hell would she be jealous of Violet?

“Oh. Okay. Hot date, eh?” Whisper tried and failed to make the question sound like a teasing jab.

Wow. She’s definitely not happy about my spending time with Violet for some reason. Weird.

“It’s not a date,” Axel said firmly. “She just asked me if I’d come over for breakfast as a thank you for the fact that I saved her life last night. Well, she says I saved her life anyway. I’m not sure that she was actually going to die. Some of the other shifter guys would have protected her if she’d been left in the bar. I just thought it was better not to leave an unconscious woman in the middle of a bar brawl.”

Whisper’s face relaxed slightly. “Right. Of course. Well, let me know when you’re free. We should get on the search for those the fairytassle sage as soon as possible.”

“Of course. Maybe tomorrow morning? We can go early to give ourselves plenty of time to search. Danny promised to get us the info on fairytassle sage right away. I’ll look it over tonight after the bar closes, and if you do the same I think we both should be ready to search in the morning.”

“Sounds good. I’ll see you later at the bar, then.” Whisper gave him a bright smile and then headed off through the crowd toward the door.

Axel let out a long sigh and ran his hands through his hair. Why did he feel like something wasn’t quite right between Whisper and him? She had seemed to leave on happy terms, but something about her tone of voice had bugged him. She had sounded happy but almost too happy. Like she was trying too hard to convince him that nothing was wrong.

Axel frowned slightly and shook his head, as if trying to shake away his worries. He was probably reading too far into things. Whisper probably just had a lot on her mind, as they all did right now. And besides, Axel didn’t have time to think about it at the moment. He needed to get over to Violet’s place if he was going to make it there at a time that could reasonably be considered “breakfast.” He’d warned her he might run a little late because of the meeting, but he was running even later than he’d thought. Surely, she’d understand, though. The resistance was important. Everyone in Bear Hollow knew that.

With one more frustrated sigh, Axel left the bar behind and headed for Violet’s house as quickly as his feet would carry him.