Shelby sat in a plush green velvet chair before Nick's desk. He sat in a similar behind the great mahogany desk. Nickolas leaned back, completely at ease in his study. It was a big room similar to Michael's, only neater.

"So Michael explained that he gave you a quick over view of what exactly has been occurring when he came to get you."

Shelby nodded. "He was vague though. He only said a bit about Shane turning on the crown and Neonal's new king causing some issues." She thought about the Tishian's poor neighbor country. There was a new king every year it seemed, and they were always nipping at their big brother Tishian. The Tishians had kept the country at bay for many years but it seemed they had finally started to get their act together. They had moved up from simple raiding to full blown attacks on the border forts. That's where Shane came in. He had been spotted at several battles, helping the Neonites.

Nickolas nodded his head slowly as he thought. "Well, then I'll fill in the holes he left." Nick leaned forward onto the desk, resting his elbows on the hard wood. "Shane went missing sometime around June two summers ago. I had several messengers positioned on our borders in case he came that way. At first I thought he was just off roaming. When he hadn't been seen at Court or even sent a letter my way I started to worry.

"Around the New Year that's when the attacks started. They destroyed Fort Eagle before reinforcements could arrive." Both Shelby and Nick grimaced. "There were a few survivors. When we finaly got to talk to them they painted a gruesome picture. They said Shane had been apart of the attack on the fort. They said he raised beasts like giant wild boars out of the grand and set them to destroying the forts wall. That explains why a whole side of the fort had been collapsed.

"The next attack came surprisingly quick. A fort just a few leagues away from Eagle was attacked in the same manner. Black beasts that rose from the ground rammed the wall down, and then foot soldiers and cavalry took everyone inside. Once again we were too late. By then though we had gathered our army.

"We sent reinforcements to all the border forts. We also sent mages along with the soldiers. With the new reinforcements we've been able to hold them back. But they're finding ways to get their soldiers past the forts. They took over Fief Melden last spring. We got it back but they destroyed the town and the farmlands." Shelby looked worriedly at Nick. It must've been tough getting the fief back she guessed when Nick looked grim faced at a scrap of parchment on his desk.

"Our biggest problem is Shane." The king sighed, exhaustion showed plainly on his face. "His Gift, it's- More powerful than anything I've ever seen." Nick paused to wipe a hand over his wolfish face. "He didn't used to be this powerful He's getting help from someone. Or- He's being, for lack of a better word, used."

Shelby looked at Nick with confusion. "Used?" She asked skeptically.

Nickolas nodded. "Last I saw him he didn't look- Right. He looked almost sickly. At first I thought it was because we were battling and he was using so much of his Gift, but then I noticed his Gift wasn't its normal peach color. That's when I knew something was wrong."

Nick stood up and came to lean on the desk in front of Shelby.

"That's why I brought you here."

Shelby's brows were knit together as she looked at the king. She turned her head, looking at him side long. He brought her because he thought Shane was sick?

"Last time I checked I was no doctor." She said in her sarcastic way.

Nick shook his head. "No, that you are not. But you can cure him all the same."

Shelby stared at Nick. What was he playing at? "I don't get it Nick." She called him by his first name without even thinking.

"Your Gift." He said it like it was common knowledge. Shelby looked at him baffled.

"I don't have the Gift! No one in my world does!" She argued, despite the fact deep down she had always desperately wanted to be able to wield magic.

Nick leaned forward and looked her in the eyes. He was dead serious. "You have the Gift. And a lot of it. I could feel it the moment you stepped into our world. It jolted me awake. In fact, it woke everyone in the castle that has the Gift." Shelby blushed. She felt bad for waking everyone. But she still didn't believe she had the Gift.

"I don't have it. I would have shown signs by now! I'm sixteen for Gods sake! When I got angry or sad my Gift would have responded- Right?" She remembered what she had read in her books, but she wasn't entirely sure of herself.

Nick shook his head. "Not in your world. I studied it a bit before a told Michael about it. The Gift does exist where you come from, it's just been repressed. Your people forgot or feared the Gift, killing those who had it or those who knew they had it hid it. But it's there nonetheless."

Shelby stared at him in disbelief.

"It's true." He repeated. "Here I'll show you," He said as he got up. He walked behind the chair Shelby sat in. She fidgeted in her seat as he touched her temples. "Close your eyes." Shelby obeyed. "And relax; it's not going to hurt." Was that amusement in his voice? Shelby shrugged it off and focused on relaxing. A long moment stretched out before anything happened. Then Shelby started to feel something. She felt it with her mind. The thought made Shelby shiver. It was Nickolas's gift. She felt it behind her and on her temples.

Slowly an image formed on the inside of her eye lids. It was blurry and faint at first but it grew clearer and brighter as she got closer. Finally it came into full view. A ball of blue fire encased in a glass like wall. She could see her Gift beating against the wall. It pulsed and made attacks at it's container without success. Under the blue ball of light she could see something lighter. It was very faint, hardly noticeable unless you were looking for it. Beyond that there was one more layer. This one was more obvious. It was a white globe. It pulsed calmly to the beat of Shelby's heart. Shelby assumed this was her life force. It didn't make attempts at the wall. It just floated calmly in the mass of blue magic.

Suddenly she started to drift away from the scene. Once again the image grew blurry and faded till it was completely gone. She felt Nick removes his fingers from her temples. Shelby turned to look at him with a broad grin as he rubbed his hands.

"I have the Gift!" She whispered, amazed. Nick smiled and nodded. Amusement played in his eyes. He returned to lean on the desk in front of Shelby once more.

"Now I have a- Notion that you could cure Shane and bring him back to us with a bit of training." He walked back behind his desk and opened a drawer. "And I know just the man to teach you."

Shelby sat and waited patiently as Nickolas pulled at a piece of parchment, ink, and a quill. He began writing. Without looking up he spoke.

"Your teacher will be Lucas Naimo. He's our most powerful sorcerer." He stopped to smile at Shelby. He frowned when he noticed the confused look on her face. Shelby noted he talked like she should know him. She didn't. Which was odd. She thought Michael was the most powerful. She had written it that way.

Nick scratched his head. "You know, Lucas? Luke? Luke Naimo?" He was baffled she didn't know him. "He's not one of yours, is he?" Shelby slowly shook her head. Nick slowly nodded. "That would explain why you don't know him. Well, I'll tell you he is a good man, and a great teacher."

Shelby nodded then asked: "If he's so powerful why didn't you send him to get me?"

Nick didn't pause as he continued writing. "He was busy defending a fort against an attack. It's that attack that made me decide it was time you came over. But I didn't have the patience to wait for him to get back." The king finished writing and folded the letter closed. He sealed it with blood red wax and his personal seal. He let it cool as he stood motioning for Shelby to do the same. She did and faced him.

The much taller man placed warm hands on her shoulders, looking at her with a strange mixture of pride and worry.

"Shelby, I can't tell you how grateful I am for you helping me. The fate of Tishian depends on your curing Shane." He said. Shelby didn't realize how much her eyes had widened. Pride and worry were replaced with amusement.

"Now shall I return you to your knight?"

- - -

Michael was waiting outside the study with Sarene. Shelby was glad to see the girl was now platter-less and in dry clothes. Sarene, already small at a mere four feet, was dwarfed even more by Michael's towering six feet three inches. Shelby smiled at the pair who had been talking when Nick escorted her outside. Nick spotted the young girl and beckoned her over.

"Page Sarene, would you please run this to Master Lucas for me?" He asked a lovely smile on his wolf lips.

"Anything for you, your Majesty." Sarene said with a low bow. She took the letter and placed it in her tunic front. Shelby looked after the girl. She turned to Michael.

"She's a page?" She asked the big knight.

He nodded. "Yessum. Why?" He asked.

"She's so small!" She whispered. "She doesn't look old enough to be a way from her nanny."

Michael chuckled. "Well, she's a page, and a good one. She's the only girl though." Michael made a face. "I wish more women would try for their shield. But Annalyshia is giving us all a bad name."

Shelby looked at Michael. She knew that name. "How so?"

Michael shrugged. "I'd rather not say. Just hope you don't have to face that witch."

Shelby tapped a finger on her lips then changed the subject. "So where to next?"

Michael grinned. "To get you properly fitted. And then I have a surprise for you."

Shelby laughed. "Alright, sir knight." She turned to Sarene who looked apprehensively at the distant hallway. "Would you like to join us?"

Sarene beamed at Shelby. "Yes! Just let me run this to Master Naimo."

Shelby nodded and watched the small girl scurry off. Shelby chuckled and turned to Michael who led her down to the back of the castle. This was the side the faced the leagues of fields and forest behind the castle. Here were all the shops and services, located conveniently on the ground, second, and first under ground floors. Michael walked over to a wide door. It was split in two, with a lower and upper half. The upper half was opened wide. The lower half on the other hand was closed. It had a desk like attachment on the top of it to low for an older woman to write in a note pad on top of it. The woman, looking to be in her late forties had auburn hair with streaks of gray in it. She wore it pulled back in a bun at the back of her head. She had on men's gear as she took her notes down. Michael leaned on the desk platform next to the woman.

She looked up at Michael with sharp, piercing green eyes. "What d'you need Salvani? I thought when you got your shield we were rid of you for good." She sneered at the knight who faced her.

Michael chuckled. He was all good nature. "Ah, Joline my dear, doust thou not miss me?" He was joking. Shelby had to giggle at his humor.

Joline rolled her eyes. "Tell me what you need before I cut that tongue of yours out."

"I guess I've given you enough grief for one day Mistress Joline. What I came here for is what we discussed last night." There was a mischievous look in his eyes that Shelby did not trust. Joline looked sharply at Shelby.

"I'm guessin' the stuffs for her." She said. Every word was cold and sharp.

Michael nodded. 'Yes my dear." Joline's eyes darted at Michael again. She glared at him before mumbling and turning to dig inside the storage rooms behind the half door.

"Don't worry about Mistress Joline. Years of dealing with silly boys like me has turned her heart to ice." He said it while smiling softly at her. She looked down. There was something powerful in his gaze that unsettled her. She only looked up when Sarene trotted to them. She smiled up at knight and girl.

"Master Lucas wanted me to tell you he'd find you when he was ready." Sarene read Shelby's question on her face. "He says he saw you in a scrying crystal. Plus he said you have a- Look about you." Sarene grinned at this. She was obviously amused by the red color that flared across Shelby's cheeks.

Finally Joline returned. Shelby preferred the cold woman to Michael's stare and Sarene's amusement. The tall woman brought with her three bundles. One was a stack of shirts; another was tunics and similar things to wear over her shirts, and a variety of pants. Michael knew she liked variety. Smart man, she thought to herself.

Next Joline asked for Shelby's shoe size. After Shelby gave it to her she rushed away once more. Joline returned with three pairs of boots. Each was a different height. Shelby tried to pile the all the stacks in her arms without success. Michael chuckled and took two of them; Sarene took the other, leaving Shelby to carry the boots. She glared at her two companions who ignored her obvious signs of indignation.

Together the three walked back to Michael's rooms. There Shelby found Prada curled up by the fire. The dog snored happily, sound asleep. Shelby unlocked the chest. She placed the bundles inside neatly and placed her boots next to the chest.

She was kneeling on the floor looking at the contents in her chest while Michael and Sarene lounged on her bed. Shelby scratched her head. It was time she started dressing the part, and got into the clothes of the time.

"Um, I need to change." She spoke sheepishly. Michael and Sarene had been discussing the battle at Fort Eagle when she interrupted. Michael smiled.

"Well leave you be." With a wince he got up off the bed. "I swear, my body is twice as old as me. Let's let Shelby alone Sarene. Here, I have a map of Fort Eagle in my study."

"Really? Could you show me what wall they brought down?" The page asked hopefully.

"Of course." Michael responded. He opened the door for Sarene and then closed it behind him. But not before looking at Shelby. Once again that unsettling look was in his eyes. Shelby looked away first. He closed the door so quietly she didn't even realized it was closed until she risked a glance at it.

Undoing the bundles Shelby began surveying its contents. From the piles of new clothes she selected an outfit. She changed quickly into the fresh garments. She had selected a white shirt, black tunic, red hose, and a pair of gray boots that went half way up her calf. Pulling out a belt they had picked up on the way back she wrapped and secured it around her waist.

Shelby cursed when she realized there was no mirror in her room. She hated not being able to inspect the clothes with her own eyes.

Sucking it up she went into the main room where Michael was placing colored stones in a half circle on a map of Fort Eagle. Sarene gasped when he placed the last one down.

"You must be kidding! All those soldiers just for a little border fort?" She looked up at Michael, disbelief in her eyes.

Michael nodded gravely. "Small fort it may be, but it showed that the Neonites are becoming a force not to be reckoned with." He said.

"Unbelievable," Sarene whispered.

Shelby leaned against her door. It was- Cute, to see Michael educating the page. She was enjoying the sight when he finally noticed her. The look he gave her sent chills up her arms. When He didn't respond to Sarene, the page followed his gaze. A broad smile spread across the girl's face.

"What?" Shelby snapped. She was unprepared, knowing nothing about how she looked.

Michael covered his mouth with a big hand. His eyes twinkled as they looked at him. She glared at him.

Sarene was struggling against fits of laughter when Michael finally spoke.

"You look wonderful," He said. He walked over to her and brushed away the bangs that had fallen into her face. She just glared up at him. When he only smiled at her she looked at the floor. He cupped her chin and lifted her face to look at him. His eyes looked deep into hers. It seemed like forever had passed when he finally released her.

"You look like you belong here." Sarene said as she came over to the pair. "Only your hair gives you away that you're from over the Roof of the World."

Shelby cursed and searched for a mirror. Finally she found a small one hanging on a wall. She gathered her hair in a pony tail to see if that covered up her leopard prints. It did but it merely exposed more of the black. She'd rather have the black than have Michael call her kitten again. She rushed back to her room for a hair tie. When her locks were in place she returned to the study. Michael was waiting there with a cloak Shelby didn't remember picking up. It was black and hooded. She looked at Michael curiously.

"Remember that surprise I told you about?" He asked.

Shelby nodded and quickly placed the cloak on her shoulders.

"Well, it's waiting for us. And it's not being patient."