The Living and the Dead (Tyler G Book 3) Read online

"Don't worry, I'm not saying that you aren't good enough, Ambassador. I'm just pretending that this is such a non-issue that me and your, Evan is what, your third in command here?" He looked at Felicia, who smiled and nodded.

  "It isn't official, but that's about right. It will be, if he can make it through the next weeks." There was a cryptic air about her then, and Ty rolled his eyes as he hopped after her, using his cane. It was practically flashing as he moved, the shiny dark wood looking refined. It would if he had on nicer shoes. Shoe. If he had on a nicer shoe.

  The thought got him to smile a bit. Felicia seemed to think that was about her cleverly not explaining to Evan what was coming. Tyler just followed, speaking softly.

  "It's a big opportunity, doing that. What did Ginger call it? Daylight training? I heard that it's kind of the fast track to promotion, if you can hack it. She suggested you first, so that means that she believes in you, which is a great sign." He looked back a bit, and then stopped, since doing that was starting to over balance him.

  Evan nodded, and moved along side of him keeping pace. Like they were the actual team.

  "Is that why I'm getting the honor of getting between a Dragon Shifter and an Elth High Lord? Hurrah. I'm thrilled, I'm sure."

  Tyler tried to shrug, but it didn't work, given the movements he was making. That was about the right level of enthusiasm for the job at hand, so he nodded.

  "Remember, if they won't listen to reason, we both just pull out. Morisy first, I guess?" He didn't know where they were headed, but Felicia, acting like her secret hadn't been spoiled, nodded and pointed at a set of doors near the end of the hallway.

  "Over here, I think. I don't know where everyone is yet, but I can hear the right voices." She kept walking, and spoke in a conversational tone. "Mr. Gartner is here. From the Coalition of Nations. For Morisy?"

  There was a bit of activity down the hall, and a small form in a brown skirt and blouse came out, her sensible shoes making slight patting sounds as she jogged down the hallway. Her rust red hair was still short, and the glasses made her look like a nerd, but the Bat woman was smiling in a way that made her whole face light up.

  "Ty! Over here! Things are..." She stopped in front of him, glanced down at his little leg, and shook her head. "Fucked up, comes to mind? I didn't know that my second in command was going to try and go over my head like this. There will be words about it, but later, once the storm has passed. What do you want to do first?"

  He was young enough that having sex came to mind, but smart enough to get that it wasn't happening until he fixed a few things. Instead he tried to pretend that he knew what the hell he was doing, making stuff up as he went along.

  "First, Evan and I should speak to Morisy? Then the Elth Ambassador Summerhold. Hopefully a few simple explanations will work there. If not... Well, let's not borrow trouble?"

  There was a grimace, one that made it clear that just quietly explaining things wasn't going to be enough this time. That was most likely the case, since no one sent people around to this kind of thing if they were hot headed morons.

  He didn't think.

  The hobble to the right office took longer for him than for Calley or the others. Felicia actually took several steps back at the door though, when the others looked up, and gestured at Evan. She didn't say anything though, being subtle that way it seemed.

  It wasn't too hard to find Morisy however, since the lady, and deep manly voice on the phone or not, she was a girl, was standing there naked, with scales, and breasts. Also wings on her back. She seemed to be about twelve feet tall in her current form too, and had a nicely fanged face. Her overall color was more or less yellow, but it was pretty being nearly a golden orange over the wings and tinged with green near her large three digit feet and hands. Over all it wasn't exactly sexy looking, being too different for that, but it was clear that she still had Human-like girl parts. As in they could have gotten it on, if he were a porn star, and she was willing.

  Over in the corner, on an office chair were the remnants of clothing. Stuff that would belong to a much smaller person, he bet. Shape shifting was neat that way, apparently.

  "Hi! I'm Tyler. You called for me?" He didn't mention the why of it, as the woman, giant as she was, stared at him openly. Her eyes were slit, but not like a cats. It was very different than that.

  "I did, Gartner of The Nations." The low voice boomed, and then there was a sigh from the woman, as she started to shrink. It was a fast process, and that she could do it at all probably meant it had been hours since her last change. She also seemed to think that him being there meant she, personally, wasn't going to have to fight. Otherwise she should have kept the bigger, more battle ready, form. They still had to wait for several minutes, but in the end, after shrinking and morphing like melted wax for a while a rather pleasant looking lady stood there.

  She was black, not yellow at all, and as naked as you could want. Unfortunately for Tyler, that meant locking his gaze onto her eyes, since she was of ample enough proportions to be distracting otherwise.

  "That Elth prick called me a slave. Then he ordered me to move his things for him. I tried not to let it get to me and just explained the situation, but the little bastard just kept at it. I was going to kill him, but I figured it would be better if I asked for help first. Though, if you don't mind waiting a few hours, I can change back and do that anyway?"

  She wasn't relaxed, but Calley didn't try to spank her verbally yet either, so there was that. Instead the Shifter Ambassador backed up what was being said.

  "I... it really seems like he wants to start something. I don't know why that is. Everyone was nice to him, but that seemed to just make him feel more entitled to boss us all around. Not everyone takes that very well here, so... It's an issue." She seemed embarrassed about it.

  Ty could get that one, but nodded, seeing something in her words.

  "I need to make a call. Then we should go and see Ambassador Summerhold."

  Chapter four

  Tyler was a bit nervous inside, as he banged on the door to the Elth offices. Their embassy complex, which was on the second floor of the big building. He used his cane, thumping it with the heavy silver round end.

  "Summerhold! Get your butt out here. Now!" He sounded pissed, but that was what he had to do, he thought. The Elth Ambassador at Westfield had suggested it.

  The Elth were very hierarchal it seemed, and the first meeting would set the tone for how they applied their own place in things. A timid person was always at a disadvantage, and a King wouldn't stay in power if they let an Elth walk all over them.

  "Now!"

  The man that came to the door was slight, youthful looking and attractive. A bit like Kent, the guy that made the hamburgers at the mall. The hair was a real copper, and his eyes multicolored green. He looked older than Tyler did, and looked at his leg, sneering.

  "A crippled? How dare you speak to me in that tone, you knave-"

  "Shut up, moron. I'm Tyler Gartner, from the Coalition of Nations. Tell me why you aren't packed yet?"

  That got the man to shut up for real, looking worried now. It probably wasn't the name, given his reaction.

  "Why would I be packed? I just got here..."

  "Why?" He roared the word, seeming more than a little insane to him. "I'll tell you why. You came in here and started barking at your betters, not even bothering to learn your place first. You have the same status as most of the people here, and no right to order their people around. The only one, the only being, that gets to order people around in this place is freaking me. Do you understand that? Now, either tell me you know your place and will fix what you've done, or leave. I don't want to hear anything else from you. If I do, I guarantee you that you'll end up a lot more crippled than I am."

  There were other people there, standing down the hall where he'd told them to stand, though Evan was behind him. Ready to fight for his honor no doubt. It wasn't needed, since Summerhold, Elth prince or not, suddenly changed in front of their ey
es.

  Starting with a humble looking low bow.

  "Forgive me, Lord. I wasn't aware of that. I meant no offense."

  This was the tricky part. Leif had told him that once the other man broke, if he did and there wasn't an actual fight over the right of place, Ty would need to change suddenly, accepting the new situation.

  "Good. I trust that you'll fix things? You worried the Shifter Assistant Ambassador earlier, to a level that you nearly didn't survive. You should consider sending her a gift."

  There was a nod, the bow being held still.

  "It will be done. I can't think of what I did that might have given pause, however." He really seemed baffled there, so Tyler explained.

  "We don't have slavery here, and some of her people had been held that way about two hundred years ago, before winning their freedom. Calling her a slave was pretty much asking for her to kill you. Keep that in mind. No one here is your slave, Summerhold. No one. If I hear of you claiming or acting like that again, then we'll have to handle things in a slightly more... Active manner?" He looked down at his leg and then shook his head. "Crippled today, but I won't be tomorrow. Understand that?"

  There was a strange look and a nod.

  "Of course. I should have known that the one that ruled here would be powerful, Lord."

  Then he walked away, Evan following him. Hopefully his showing up and storming around would handle things. Calley and Felicia climbed into the elevator with him, along with Evan, no one saying anything about what had just happened. There was no smiling. Not even a smirk came from his girlfriend.

  They rode back to the fourth floor, and moved slowly to the Shifter offices. The carpet caused his movements to be muffled at least. When he got into the room Morisy had clothing on. Just a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt. It was a nice red color, though the bottoms were black and stretchy looking.

  Before he could speak, Calley moved in, and shook her head at her second in command.

  "I can't believe you called in the Coalition on this. Do that again without my permission and you're fired. I'll make sure you never work in our government again. Do you understand?"

  The black woman looked upset by the words, but after a bit crossed her arms over her chest and nodded.

  "I do. Sorry."

  "All right. I'll let it go this time. Now, Tyler just went and screamed at the Elth Ambassador and threatened to kick him out if he didn't shape up. You should be getting an apology soon. Just because you were right doesn't mean you aren't in trouble for other parts of this. You lost control, and while I do get it, Summerhold being a pain, we can't have that here. You shifted, in public, in anger. What, are you twelve?"

  "Yeah. Sorry." It seemed to be good enough for Calley, who nodded and looked at Tyler and then Evan.

  "Now, since you called the Coalition in, I expect you to pay for their services." She seemed a bit too smug about it, and the dark skinned lady swallowed, as if she thought they actually charged for what they did. It was nearly funny, but also a bit too mean.

  Tyler winked at her then, however.

  "You can help out Eve Benson when she gets here. She's coming in a few hours. Vampire, so make a connection there. She's going places. Do you need to sleep?" It was possible that she didn't, but the woman gave him a look that seemed to say that asking that was insane.

  "Of course. Don't you?"

  "Nope! You might want to get some rest then. Be back in the morning. I don't know what you'll be needed for. Do you have a car?" That was a bit more of an acceptable question it seemed.

  "Sure. We're in the middle of nowhere here. I kind of have to."

  "Be ready for errands then." Tyler turned and walked out. Hobbled quickly, before people could realize that he was basically not saying anything real.

  It wasn't, but he managed to leave then, Calley grabbing her bag and moving to follow along with him.

  "You're back! I'm so happy. I thought you were dead. You just vanished, and then the Demons were all saying that you'd been taken by one of them. We all kind of knew what that meant. What's with the leg?" She looked down at it, being blunt about the question, but then, she also wasn't seeing it the same way that the others had. It wasn't a gnawed and bloody stump now, and there was stuff in his pant leg.

  "Eaten by a little kid. We were trapped in a cave, but there was water. So, I took my head off with a sharp rock and told him that he'd need to eat me to survive. Zack made him forget that, thankfully. Poor little guy."

  Felicia who was on the other side of him just stopped dead.

  "You... Took your own head off? Why?"

  "Um, I'm dead. Right now, and most of the time I get energy from The Rotted to keep going. The Storm put me in a place where I couldn't get that energy, to force me to eat the living in order to keep going. I took a different option. That's all." He didn't go into how close it had been, even after only a few hours. He'd nearly killed the kid.

  It had been so close that it was still hard to believe that he'd managed to do it in a different fashion, even though he recalled having tried.

  The Vampire woman started walking again, looked at his leg and then took a large, fake seeming, breath.

  "I see. That's... Impressive. I don't think I could have done that. Either side. Not when I was a Human, I mean. That kid had to be tough as nails."

  Evan laughed.

  "That sounds right. Anyway, what's the plan now? I'm a bit surprised that Miss Harris didn't show up." He winced, but Felicia didn't glower at him for having said it.

  "I asked her not to. She already knows Mr. Gartner. It made sense to spread the love around there."

  Calley grinned.

  "If I wasn't so tired right now I'd call for an orgy so we could do that. I'm about to crash. We can plan that out for a later date?"

  Instead of asking if she was serious, or laughing at the obvious joke, Felicia smiled warmly and gave a nod.

  "That could be fun, Ambassador Hale. Say next week? Wednesday night?"

  Ty sighed and shook his head with mock sadness.

  "Damn. I have to work that night. Are you sure you can't free up Friday?" He was kidding, but the Vampire lady just nodded.

  "Also a good one for me. I look forward to it. Is Evan invited as well? Or..." She seemed nervous, but Calley glanced over at the male Vamp, as if considering it.

  "Naturally. We can have a whole party, if you want? That's exciting. I should have thought of that earlier, but I was worried, you know?" Moving to Tyler's left side, she took his free hand.

  It was a companionable thing. Closer in many ways than what she was saying, which while inclusive of him, was also about almost everyone else in the world, too. That was her way. The Bat way, to be honest about it. They all seemed to love sex. On a level that even a Human teenage boy would think of as advanced. Extra horny on a level that was rare, and probably special in its own way, if not exactly perfect for making any one person feel loved.

  That one might have just been him however.

  That he was being internally whiny about things was kind of clear to him. In part it was the leg thing, and the cave. Another portion of it had a lot to do with the idea that he hadn't really picked his life.

  That revelation came as a shock to him. Other people, mainly Greater Demons, had chosen it for him. Even ones that he wasn't connected with and didn't know. Zack had set up the Coalition, not him. Keeley had pushed him into moving, and even starting the new embassy complex.

  The only Greater Demon that hadn't really tried to control him overtly was The Technician. She'd just suggested he start a notebook. That reminded him that he probably needed to keep that one up. It was a good idea. That wasn't a huge thing though, and she'd never shown up to call him on it, or insist he do anything for her in return. Honestly, he kind of wondered if it had just been advice.

  Like what a person would give some kid that was going off alone into the world like he had been. All those weeks and months ago. If so, he should probably heed the idea. There was a
lot of data collected in that hand written book.

  Right now though, there was a warm and small hand in his, which was nicer than not having one there, even if the woman was kind of friendly with everyone. The relationship seemed a bit forced now, even though Ty couldn't see where it had really come from. Maybe that was just how things like that worked? You woke up one day, met a person, and started dating her and another girl all at once. That sounded pretty normal to him.

  The thing there was that he'd been raised not to judge others that way, which meant that he was pretty accepting of what anyone else wanted to do. Given that he'd had a Greater Demon as a mother, that made more sense now. Growing up, he just hadn't thought about it. Of course two men could marry, or six people could have sex after smearing themselves with butter and sounded kind of fun. That was just normal. That it really wasn't for most people suddenly hit him again.

  Worse, he couldn't recall why he felt that way. There was no memory of him sitting in front of the television while his mom instructed him on right and wrong. It had just been a thing that he'd always known. Searching his mind didn't bring anything up either, so Ty let himself forget that for the moment. After all, there was other stuff to get done. Like riding home.

  For the first time in a while, he actually felt a bit tired. That was probably due to his leg coming back in. Except that hadn't been a problem for him yet. For a moment he wondered if something were really wrong, but then he worked it out. He had some kind of programming still, that kept him from thinking about things too hard. Certain things.

  Like how he'd been brought up.

  Tyler thought for a moment and really did remember it all. There seemed to be real, daily, thoughts, and concerns that way. It was only on the topic of certain issues that things kind of went away. Like how he thought about sex. Or where his work ethic had come from. When he tried to think about those things, or his love of music, he got really sleepy.

  Only, he didn't sleep, and knew that now. He never had. He'd just laid there in bed all night, not even rolling over.