Destiny

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was barely past noon, and Korrin Gitan, King of the Shifters, was already exhausted. He’d been sitting in the Council building since sunup, listening to those in the room with him talk about the logistics of running an entire Kingdom. Mercifully, the meeting was almost concluded. He took a deep breath, laced his fingers together, and leaned back in his wooden chair. A warm breeze blew in through the open window bringing with it the smell of campfires, Shifters, and livestock.

Despite everything, he smiled.

“We’re looking to train another company of guards,” Gunari was saying. He was leaning forward, halfway across the large round table where the rest of the Shifters sat, his intense expression sweeping in the rest of the Council. His golden eyes fell on Korrin, who looked deep into them.

Korrin hesitated a few moments before answering. “If you think it’s necessary, Gunari.”

Gunari gave a grimace, which was as close to a smile as Korrin had ever seen on his hard face. Gunari was a Council man through and through. He’d been the leader of the Council guard long ago, when the Council had ruled the Kingdom and tried to kill Korrin. Korrin had decided to keep him on as the leader of the guards, and then he’d decided to promote him when he’d rebuilt the Council from the ground up. Korrin didn’t like the man. After all, Gunari had followed the Council’s orders and tried to have Korrin killed, but at least Korrin knew he could trust to man to follow orders and do what he was told.

Korrin looked around at the rest of the Shifters seated around the table. To his direct left sat Stochelo, the only remaining member of the original Council. Korrin didn’t completely trust him either. Stochelo only cared about one person, and that person was himself. Still, his knowledge was invaluable, and he was Korrin’s adviser.

Next to Stochelo sat the twins, Manfri and Jin. They were Korrin’s closest allies, having been by his side in the worst of times. He nodded at them and listened to their reports.

Jin went first. “Well, to begin with, there’s no bad news as far as the humans are concerned.” A few of the Shifters around the table sighed with relief. “We’re well within our established territory, even if some of our settlements are too close to the border for my comfort.”

“How close are we talking?” Korrin asked, leaning forward in his chair.

“Within a mile, Korrin,” Jin answered. Like most of the other Council members, Jin called Korrin by his first name instead of title; it was something Korrin insisted on. He didn’t want to alienate himself from those who served under him, especially not those closest to him.

Korrin rubbed his hand along the weeks’ worth of growth on his chin, thinking.

“What families are out there?”

“The Odams, Burdons, and Harts,” Jin replied.

“Good people,” Korrin said. He was silent a few moments then said, “Just let them know they have to take extra care to stay on our territory. If they’re found trespassing on human lands, we could be in for a disaster.”

“Okay. Our next shipment will be here in two weeks. Medicine, mostly.”

“Good,” Korrin said, and he gave Jin a nod. Most Shifters had been wary when Korrin had agreed to trade with the human population, but it had worked flawlessly in the last few months. They supplied essentials that Korrin and his people had no access to. Korrin had agreed to let some researchers study—from a distance—just what Shifters and their lifestyle were really like. They’d also agreed on clear boundaries, which eliminated the threat of human hunters coming after their Kingdom. There was a truce between the two species, and for once, Korrin felt that the Kingdom was safe from humans. “What about our relations with other tribes?”

“Those… are not so good,” Manfri answered. While Jin dealt with the humans, his brother focused exclusively on keeping their relations with the other Kingdoms, tribes, and Clans in good standing.

“Explain.”

“There’s… some misgivings,” Manfri began. He hesitated, looking as if he was unsure if he wanted to continue. But Korrin shot him a hard look, and Manfri continued, “They say we’re weak for working with humans, for letting them control our territory, and for abandoning our nomadic lifestyle.”

“It’s a way to ensure our safety!” Korrin yelled. “And that’s temporary! How do they not see that?”

“They’re ignorant,” Tem suddenly spoke. “But they do have a point.”

Korrin turned to his right where Tem sat. He was the youngest member of the Council, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t qualified. Right now, though, Korrin glared at him.

“Explain,” he rumbled. His voice was like ice.

“Look at our history, Korrin,” Tem said. For all intents and purposes, he didn’t look intimated by Korrin’s glare. “We’ve fought with each other, fought against humans, for our entire existence. I’m not saying I want to go back to those ways—I would prefer not to, in fact—but look at the big picture. If we stop fighting, what happens to us when someone does want to fight against us? What happens if we’re attacked? Are we to simply roll over and let them walk all over us?”

“We’ll fight, if it comes to it,” Korrin said. “But we don’t fight unless we have to.”

“Maybe we should be more prepared though.”

“Gunari runs the Council guard, and you run the peacekeepers.”

“We should build an army, a way to keep us safe, Korrin. A way to kill anyone who disagrees with us.”

“That’s not what your father would have wanted, Tem, and you know it.”

“Nack’s dead, Korrin,” Tem said, shooting a glare back at Korrin. “And if we’d had an army or anyone who listened to the King, he would still be alive today.”

Korrin didn’t answer that. Nack had been one of Korrin’s father’s best men, and he had been important to Korrin’s rule, as well. But he’d been killed, and there was nothing Korrin could have done to prevent it. An army wouldn’t have stopped the old Council from doing what it did.

Where Nack had been wise and always looked toward the future, Tem was hot headed, but Nack had passed down a lot of his ideas, information, and knowledge to Tem, and he was useful to ruling the Kingdom. Again, Korrin was wary about having Tem on the Council, but it was necessary.

“What do the rest of you think about a standing army?” Korrin asked, taking in the table. He had the final say in all decisions—he was the King, after all—but the Council’s decision was just as important as his own, in his mind.

“It would show others we are not to be trifled with,” Gunari said, leaning forward onto the wooden table again, slapping a hand on Tem’s back.

“You’re always one to show force,” Stochelo said from Korrin’s left. “It would be unwise to bring an army to fruition. The other Clans and even Kingdoms might see it as a declaration of war. Your father taught you what happened in our last war, did he not?” Stochelo asked, turning to Tem.

“He did,” Tem answered, though Korrin could tell he didn’t like admitting it.

Jin answered, “No army,” and Manfri said, “I agree.”

Korrin nodded then turned to the last member of the Council, who was seated directly across from him. The open door was directly behind the other Shifter, obscuring her facial expression, though Korrin already knew what it would reveal. She would have her face fixed into frown, unhappy that she was here.

“And what do you think, Tawni?” Korrin asked.

“It’s not in our traditions to have a standing army,” she whispered, and Korrin could tell by the tone in her voice that she hated saying that. She hated agreeing with Korrin.

Tawni had been the last member on the new Council, and for good reason. She was untrustworthy, had helped plot Korrin’s downfall, and worse. She had vehemently fought against Korrin’s dismantling of the caste system, though now she kept quiet about it once she saw how much life had improved with it gone. She was a stickler for the old customs and laws, and those that she didn’t already know before being appointed to the Council, she had quickly learned. They didn’t like each other, but Korrin knew he didn’t have to like her. She was good at what she did.

“Then it’s settled for this meeting,” Korrin said. “There will be no standing army.”

Tem looked unhappy, and even Gunari looked disappointed, but the rest of the Council nodded. Korrin had been trying to lead the Kingdom out of warfare, fighting, and death, and creating an army would bring them right back down. He’d even wanted to disband the Council guard, though Stochelo had talked him out of it.

“The last item on our list is our living conditions,” Korrin said, looking down at a piece of paper with topics on it. Most had been crossed out, but this one remained. Korrin glanced down at it for what felt like the hundredth time today: food stockpiles, medicine reserves, livestock numbers, living conditions, jobs, rival Clans, Kingdom expansion, wagon repairs. Those were just the topics for the morning.

Topics they’d covered in the afternoon were even worse. They’d talked about timber pockets, water quality, new laws, whether they should stay at the lake or if they should move the Clan, relationships with the humans and with other Clans, guard duties—the list went on and on.

At least these meetings are only once a month, Korrin thought to himself. Korrin trusted each member of the Council to make the best judgments on a daily basis and come to him if needed, but it was important to sit down and touch base over everything in the Kingdom, even if it was mind-numbing and tiring business that seemed to last all day.

Their food stockpiles were running low, as to be expected from the harsh winter. But they were being replenished by those Shifters out fishing at the lake, trapping small game, or hunting in the woods. In the past, Shifter society was a free for all. Each did what they saw fit for survival—whatever would benefit their family most. Korrin had changed that quickly. Now, some Shifters who were great hunters hunted for their Kingdom, while others trapped or fished. Those not good at those skills did other jobs: farming, building, cutting down lumber. It wasn’t perfect, but the Kingdom was growing.

The other rival Clans were concerning, though they’d always been there and always would be.

Life was hard, maybe harder than it ever had been, but it was working. The Clan and the entire Kingdom was thriving under Korrin’s rule.

Korrin looked up at Tawni, waiting for her to continue. “Most of the Kingdom are still living in their wagons, though more are moving into our houses as we speak. That won’t be permanent, of course, if we decide to move,” she answered. Korrin nodded; they’d yet to decide what to do in the spring.

We still have a few days to make a decision. Should we stay here, farm the land, and make a life for ourselves? Or should we revert to our old ways, traveling the land, day after day? It was a heated discussion, not only in the Council chambers, but across the entire Kingdom as well.

They’d set up at the edge of the gigantic lake that was the center of all the Shifter lands for the winter. They’d stayed on the lake during the brutal snowstorms after being driven out of the caves that they’d used each winter. It had been rough. Without the natural shelter of the caves, they’d lost some of the older members of the Kingdom to the elements. They’d even lost a few trappers in a freak blizzard. But they’d had plenty of fresh water, fish, and the game was plentiful in the woods.

And, most importantly of all, they had created a life here. Korrin had ordered houses constructed—nothing fancy, a little more than a roof and four walls, but they had provided shelter. Even the Council chamber was constructed of wood. Gone were the days when the Council held meetings in a massive tent. After all, that was impossible now. Korrin had burned the damn thing.

Land had been cleared off, ready for planting and farming. If the Kingdom decided to stay, they would have an actual life here.

An actual life with my future wife and son.

Kris.

He missed her so when he thought about her and felt an almost real pain in his chest. Korrin grinned to himself. He’d last seen her this morning, curled up under the blankets, trying to stay warm in their bed.

But she was nine months pregnant—due any day now—and Korrin could hardly bear to be away from her.

“Is there anything else?” he asked. When no one else had anything important to say, Korrin got up and said, “Until next month,” and strode to the door.

Korrin Gitan, King of the Shifters, leader of the Kingdom, had more important matters to attend to. The Kingdom could wait, but Kris couldn’t, and he missed her more than he could say.

He stepped out into the warm sunlight, leaving the Council and all the problems of being a leader behind, and instead, he focused on the most important task of all: preparing to be a father.