Page 18 of Bosse
Krol hid his excitement beneath a layer of relaxed indifference. This was a negotiation. He had yet to find out what the mage wanted in exchange for Krol’s request.
Zuzani stopped fifteen feet away. “Your presence can mean many things, but I will take you at your word until you give me a reason to not.”
Wasn’t that understood? Krol kept his arms relaxed at his sides, leaving it up to the mage to make the next move.
“You asked for a creature capable of capturing and carrying a grown man while not leaving a scent trail. Correct?”
Did Zuzani think he had forgotten? Krol could make capturing shifters and other unusual beings so much easier with no way to be tracked afterward. He nodded. “That is correct.”
“I will present my creation. Do not move until I tell you.”
Krol couldn’t stop the twitch of his fingers, ready for the unveiling.
Zuzani swept his right arm away from his body and pointed at a spot on the ground. He whispered words Krol could not discern even with his sensitive shifter hearing.
A circle of light appeared, and then a huge bird stood in the center. It had the head of an eagle but the wrong coloration. Low on its chest, the body blended into a four-legged animal with a long tail.
Krol’s lion snarled inside of him and battered his sides. Krol silently ordered,Cease now or pay the price later.
Smells bad, his lion replied, but his agitation slowed.
Yes, the creature carried an odor of magic, but Krol could accept that. He kept his voice even with a touch of interest. “What is it?”
Smiling slyly, Zuzani said, “I call it a Lammogo. I took the upper body of a lammergeier, a great vulture from the mountains of central Asia, and merged it with a Mapogo lion.”
Shock hit Krol before he could hide his reaction. “Mapogos were said to be extinct in 2013.” He knew this because he’d scoured South Africa searching for one.
Zuzani shrugged. “I have my resources. One was rewarded handsomely when he informed me of a Mapogo lioness heavy with cubs. She gave birth to a pair, which I took before the homicidal males destroyed their own pride. I raised the twin cubs to maturity.”
Krol dipped his head in respect for that move. He could barely take his eyes off the Lammogo. It had black markings along the vicious hooked beak, iron-red colored head feathers along the neck, and then black across its body. Bright yellow eyes ringed in red could not be any more natural than the rest of it.
“How much can it carry when flying?” Krol asked, concerned about the weight of the creature alone.
“The natural lammergeier has a ten-foot-wide wingspan, but this one’s wings spread to fourteen feet and are far more powerful. It can carry a full-grown man as requested. It is also capable of capture only when killing is not required.”
Krol shook his head in awe. “I will be honest. I am without words. This is impressive, to say the least.” The mage had been brilliant to use a Mapogo lion. Its body was covered in a dark brown coat with powerful golden legs. Razor-sharp claws curved from paws the size of a man’s head. Mapogo lions had been a pack of related males who stayed together instead of creating individual prides. They were responsible for the deaths of over forty lions and cubs in one single year.
Vicious killers.
Krol salivated to have this creation. He could admire the creature back at his castle. Right now, he had to find out what the mage wanted in payment, which would not be money. “I am ready to hear what my part of this deal will be.”
Zuzani took a moment and said, “I want something from Austria. I can’t go as I have enemies watching for me there.”
Krol saw no issue traveling to Austria. “Go on.”
“I will send the Lammogo with you to train, which will only take one day once I give it a command. For now, it will not kill, only transport a person or follow any other non-attack orders. You will travel with it to Austria by whatever means you deem workable. Once there, you’ll go to a location I’ll provide and extract the mate of a bear shifter. She is pregnant. I want her unharmed.”
So far, nothing Krol could not manage. “I see no problem with that task.”
“Excellent. As of this minute, you have seven days from the moment you leave here to capture the female and deliver her to this spot.”
Krol did not reply yet. He would like to have some leeway on the deadline in case he ran into some unexpected trouble.
Zuzani was quick to pick up on his hesitation. “Have you changed your mind on our exchange?”
“No, of course not. I am only concerned that I might need more time to ensure the female is not harmed while traveling. I wouldn’t want to rush and her deliver the cub too soon.”
“That would be a mistake if you allowed such to happen. She has another month to go.”
