General of Draconis (Winged Beast Book 3) Read online

  “I believe Dori might have two that do carpentry and such. She knows all the guys and their talents well.”

  Why did jealousy roll over him when Niku said such and innocent thing? Maybe it was because she’d rather spend time with criminals than with him. She was his, but she refused to acknowledge it and he was helpless to enforce his claim. Now it seemed he would have to deal with her to get the help he needed. If he didn’t approach her, Niku and the other males would wonder why.

  If it weren’t for that simple fact, he would leave and run as far and as fast as he could. It was a human saying that applied here perfectly. He continued to sit with the males, but he was quiet and only half listening as his mind had a pity party. Another weird Earth saying that fit the situation.

  The ladies called them into lunch and Dori was setting food on the table. When their eyes met, she looked stunned. So much so, in fact, that Betty grabbed the bowl she was holding so she wouldn’t drop it. At least Dori hadn’t forgotten him. He might deny it, but it gave him hope.

  They sat down to eat and the meal was wonderful. He knew Dori was an exceptional cook and all her daughters had learned from her. This was part of what he had lost. This family gathering that was great not just because of the food, but also the company.

  There was a lot of talk and he listened, but he didn’t have much to contribute. He felt more like an observer than a participant. This would probably be the only such invitation he’d accept because he felt like he didn’t truly belong here. This was Dori’s family and her world. He no longer belonged in it. She avoided looking in his direction telling him she felt uncomfortable around him.

  That hurt because he still loved her and probably always would. It was a relief in many ways when the meal was done and the males moved to the living room to discuss matters that had to be kept confidential.

  “So how goes the hunt for those recruiting at the school?” Romo asked.

  “We believe we have them all. Our attempts have even traced back to some of the outside influencers who turned them into recruiters. The tracing also went the other way to find any students unduly influenced that had taken subversive actions.” Garulto observed.

  “It’s a shame we can’t get you to help us. That evil creature had managed to evade us at every turn.” Niku said.

  “You speak of Dannia?” Garulto asked.

  “Yes, I hate to even speak the dreadful beings name.” Niku admitted.

  “I’d help you if I could. I’ve been told I have an investigative flare.” Garulto admitted.

  “I think we would appreciate your emotional distance from this case and your fresh view of things. Maybe the king and the emperor would allow you to take a shot at things.” Niku wondered.

  “If you need me, let me know.” Garulto offered.

  “Thank you, Friend. I will.” Niku said. “Now, you need to talk to Dori about your workers.”

  “Where is she?” Garulto asked even though he knew she was in the kitchen.

  “I’ll get her and the two of you can take a walk outside and discuss it.” Niku suggested. He was gone for a few minutes and he escorted Dori to him. “Why don’t you two go outside and talk?”

  “Of course. After you, Dori.” He said as he held the door open for her.

  Once they were outside, Dori stopped and turned to him. “What is this about, Garulto?”

  “Did Niku not tell you? It’s not personal.”

  “What is it?”

  “I need some of your workers. I had no idea you were in charge of them.” The words, or I never would have ask for them, went unsaid.

  “What jobs do you need them for?” Dori asked.

  “I need males who can do construction related work.”

  “I only have two males that have a talent in that. Is that enough?”

  “Yes, when are they available?”

  “When do you need them?”

  “Tomorrow would be good.”

  “Where do you want them to report?”

  “At the cottage we used to go to.”

  “Eight o’clock alright?”

  “That’s fine. Will they work okay on their own?”

  “Once you get them started, they’ll be fine.” Dori advised.

  “Thank you. I look forward to getting started in the morning. Give everyone my goodbyes.” He walked away and got in his minibus. As he drove off, he watched her as she walked back to the house. That female was everything good that he’d wanted in his life and now he would just have to rebuild his life from scratch.

  He made it back to the school and turned in for the night. He had a nice suite of rooms big enough for a family, but there was no family here for him. Garulto had come so close he could taste the happiness she would have brought him before she’d changed her mind and ran away. All he felt was shell shocked and confused. The thought that he could reason it out later had entered his mind. It was now later and he still couldn’t fathom her reasoning.

  It was said males and females thought differently and now he had to admit it must be true. The male humans he’d met thought much like he did, it was the females that messed with his mind. It seemed thought processes were more different based on sex than on world of origin.

  Stripping naked, he made use of the shower than slipped on some underwear to sleep in. Since he slept only a few hours a night, when he finally laid down, he went to sleep quickly. His alarm went off early and he was barely dressed before he began getting calls. He worked through his early morning requests quickly then headed out to the cottage to wait for Dori and his new workers.

  A few minutes before eight, she dropped the two males and took off. He watched, surprised, as she drove off without a word.

  The two males made their way to the cottage door and he stepped away from the window to let them in. “Dori said to tell you she had other workers to drop off.” One of the males said.

  “Okay. I’m Garulto. Who are you?”

  “I’m Havos and this is Frex. We both have training in carpentry and stonework.”

  “That’s good. Let me show you what I need you to do.”

  All the materials were purchased and delivered. They toured the cottage and he showed them everything he wanted done. After they talked about everything, he felt confident they could do what was needed. Now it was time to get back to work. Once he was back in his office, he tackled his messages first and was surprised to find one from Niku. After he answered, Niku extended the king’s invitation to a working lunch. Of course he accepted immediately.

  After an hour of hard work, he told his assistant he would be in charge because he had a meeting with the king. Don’t disturb me was understood. Now he hopped in his minibus and headed to the castle feeling a great deal of excitement. His king wanted to see him and maybe he could be useful. It never hurt to get a chance to impress the king.

  Once he arrived at the lower door, he made his way in the castle and up to the highest floor where meetings of this importance were held. He was escorted in by the king’s assistant to find everyone waiting for him even though he was a few minutes early.

  “Hello everyone. My king, my emperor. It is my privilege to present myself for your service.”

  It was the proper greeting under the circumstances. Dori would call it politically correct. He didn’t understand why, but he couldn’t stop thinking about the female even though she rejected him. Everyone answered back appropriately and now it was time to find out exactly what he was called upon to do.

  “Grab yourself a plate and we will explain while you fill it.” Niku suggested. “As you know, we have had some odd behavior since the rogue movement appeared that is unusual. I’m not sure how much you knew about it?”

  Garulto seated himself with a plate of tempting food, but ignored it to answer Niku. “I was aware Kelsey gathered a small force of rogues that were robbing the poor. I knew he had a female with him that those dealing with the rogues considered heinous, but not exactly why. I also know from my personal experi
ence that some rogues infiltrated organizations such as my school in order to recruit and cause mayhem.” Now he could take a bite while he listened to Niku speak.

  “What you know is the basics, but this is what she ordered males to do to her sister. I feel you must see these so you realize the importance of catching this woman. You should also know that she told them to abuse her, rape her, and make sure she was dead.” He laid the pictures down in front of him instantly killing his appetite.

  Pushing his plate away, he looked at Niku. “She died?”

  “No, Betty was able to save her by taking immediate action and using all her talent.” Niku explained.

  “She must have incredible healing abilities. I see why you feel this woman must be caught. This is terrible in itself, but if she doesn’t value her own family, no one is safe. The picture, is it Cretia?”

  “Yes. She was pursuing me because she was ordered to by her sister. When she refused to continue, this was her punishment. Dannia fled before we managed to track down the rogues and she was in a ship. The ship was later found, but she and whoever was with her disappeared into the air. We’ve tracked more rogues and captured them, but no one admits to seeing her. Any suggestions on how to find her and those who gave her shelter?”

  “Actually, I do. I have some investigators I send out. They use unusual methods. I will admit to have adapted some of Earth’s methods for our use.”

  “Can that actually work?” The king wondered.

  “We’ve not had such horrible crimes in hundreds of years. That means we are fairly new at this and in completely unfamiliar territory when dealing with liars like this Dannia. Humans have hundreds of heinous crimes daily. There are billions of people on their planet so it is even harder to track one among so many. They have developed methods to find these people that succeeds more often than not. The processes they use are truly amazing and they make vids of their investigations and call them detective or law dramas. They are shown to all their people who are interested in them.”

  “That’s incredible.” The emperor observed.

  “They have many vids which they show on their TVs including all events their leaders attend.”

  “I’d like to see those.” The king admitted.

  “So what would your people do?” Niku asked.

  “Dannia has no doubt told some terrible lies. It probably made people cry for her. We’ll tell bigger lies and make them feel sorrier for us.”

  “What would possibly do that?” Romo asked.

  “Perhaps she said she had an abuse mate or a politician mistreated her and she escaped.”

  “I can see that would make anyone feel bad. What would be better than that?” Niku questioned.

  “I’ll have one of my younger and handsome males say he’s looking for his mate, the mother of his little children. She had an accident and hit her head. Now she thinks everyone is after her. We’ll have a note from the royal healer and pictures of three lovely children. The females will melt and even males feel for children. Whatever she told them, she had no proof, we’ll back up what we say and they’ll believe it.”

  “But to lie to our people?” The emperor questioned.

  “Our people are lying to us, at least some are. The female stands out but no one has seen her? That can’t be true.”

  “You are right. I vote to have Garulto’s investigator do this.” The emperor said.

  “Me too.” The king said. No one else said anything and since the pictures were put up now, all their appetites had returned. They all ate and drank with little conversation until they were all done. “Niku, get Garulto whatever he needs and keep the emperor and I up to date.”

  “I’ll see it done.”

  Now that everything was decided, the first stop was the healer’s area. Demos was easy to find and he was in charge. The previous healer had retired due to old age. Garulto wasn’t sure what that meant, but he was too busy to worry about it now. The healer was happy to give him anything he needed to catch that wicked female. He’d seen Cretia shortly after she’d received her injuries and been amazed she’d survived. They all wished Cretia well, but that sister of hers needed to be locked away from good people.

  With the paper he needed in hand, he said his goodbyes and headed back to his school where he had his assistant round up those he used to investigate the rogues that had infiltrated his school. Most of them were last year students hungry to be put to work and happy with the recognition he was giving them.

  “I have a new job for you. But first, I need some vids of some kids saying they miss their mother. There is also information that each of you will get that may not be the same. First I need Puhl and Fein to stay and the rest of you go outside to wait.”

  Everyone quickly did what was asked of them. “I chose you two for this part of the case because you both did this kind of work before. I need you to o got separate places but both pretend to be a mate whose wife was injured and lost her memory.” He went into great detail and they both seemed to understand what he wanted. “This job was one assigned to us by both the king and the emperor. They’ve taken a special interest in this. I don’t have to tell you the potential for everyone on this case if we yield positive results. Now let me tell you about this woman and what she has done to get everyone’s attention.”

  Once again he explained quickly but thoroughly and he saw they were shocked. “I must warn you that she uses drugs or something to exert influence on people especially males so be careful.”

  Garulto sent them on their way and told them to get whatever they needed from his assistant. He called the next group in and Heathre was sent to talk to Dannia’s parents. She was to say that she had disappeared and her future mate was beside himself, record the conversations, and ask any questions she could think of. Another investigator was assigned to hang out on the meteor and find out anything he could about rogues or Dannia. The last member he sent to speak to all the rogues in custody to ask only about Dannia. They all knew she was a cruel and crazy bitch. Maybe now that they were away from her for a while they would be more willing to offer up information for better treatment.

  Once they were all on their way to their assignments, he felt a sense of relief roll over him. This was a chance to serve and he lived for that. But it was also a chance to improve his position and the position of those helping him. His assistant was wanting more responsibility and he was only a lieutenant. Possibly the only one in the king’s military. It might just be time to make him a Captain and give him more to do so he would have some free time. If he’d done this sooner, maybe Dori would still be his.

  It was possible he was beginning to understand her position a bit better. If he’d truly been thinking of her and the future they had together, maybe he would have let go of some of his duties before. Then he could have spent more time with her to woo her into accepting him. Maybe it was true that males had to be pounded over the head before they woke up to reality. If only she had pounded on him instead of dumping him.

  No matter how much he tried to push her from his mind, she was always there. It seemed her memory was just something he was going to have to live with. Maybe someday he would look back on the time they’d spent together as a happy time and it wouldn’t make him so sad. Yeah right.

  Meanwhile the day was ending and he needed to get back to the cottage to get a good look at the work that was done. First he needed to call his assistant in. Janor was a great guy. He’d only been his assistant a short time, but he’d picked up things well and seemed to know what he wanted sometimes before Garulto knew himself. He loved intuitive people, especially when they worked for him.

  “I need you to dictate a letter for the king.”

  “Okay, start whenever you’re ready.”

  “I have decided to follow your advice and raise my assistant to a Captain as soon as you approve it. He will be taking on more responsibilities and I feel he is more than capable. I look forward to hearing back from you. Just sign it in the usual way.”
/>   “Are you talking about me, Sir?”

  “I only have one assistant.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’ve done a good job. I know some might say it’s early, but I need you to take over more duties and you will be dealing with Captain level decisions and responsibilities. There is a small chance it won’t go through. We’ll wait and see.”

  “I’ll send it right away,”

  “I’ll trust that you do.”

  Now he was ready to leave and check on the cottage project. He had a great deal of hope that progress would be made, but he tried to reign it in, just in case. When he arrived, both males were still at work. There was no way to deny he was impressed with the work they’d accomplished. They were working hard and fast. These two males would be easy to recommend and if he needed more work once the house was empty which should be soon, he wouldn’t hesitate to hire them.

  The work would be done in a week at the rate they were working if they didn’t run into trouble. They were putting in long hours too. Since they were being paid by the hour that worked well for everyone concerned.

  “Do you need a ride back to where you’re staying or will you be picked up?” He asked.

  “Dori transports us if it’s not near the castle.” Havos explained. He was the talker because Frex rarely said two words.

  “Where do you stay?”

  “We stay in the barracks. We pay the crown a small weekly fee. We’ll be in this program until our sentence is worked off.” Havos explained.

  “I wasn’t sure exactly how the program worked.”

  “We work and pay restitution for anyone harmed by our action and some fines to the crown for the trouble we caused. Dori gets a percent for handling us and we get the rest to pay our living expenses and we are encouraged to save some for our future. I’ll admit, I’m doing better than I ever have. Dori keeps us all working and I was never able to save money before. I might be able to buy a house and attract a mate someday.” Havos seemed content with his lot.

  “It sounds fair to everyone.” Garulto said and he meant it. Had they been punished more harshly, they probably wouldn’t have reformed.