Free Xander vol.1 Transmutation by Jaz Johnson

and said,
    “ Don’t worry. I do not see
death in my future. I am fairly capable,” he gushed proudly. Nora
gave half a smile.
    “ I hope so. I’ve never
been in a war, but I’ve learned about them.”
    “ Oh? Have there been wars
here as well?” Xander asked curiously. Nora scoffed,
nodding.
    “ Plenty. Even now, this
very minute,” she said solemnly. She thought of the wars going on
in her own mind, which would soon enough manifest themselves in the
world. Xander’s brows rose in shock, hearing of ongoing wars so
casually.
    “ And we sit here idly? Why
do you not fight if you know of them?” he asked, obviously
perplexed.
    “ There are militaries –
soldiers that go out to fight. While we stay here, awaiting the
outcome.”
    “ Waiting – That’s
ridiculous. Everyone fights on Athena. At least in our kingdoms. Most
everyone is trained in some level of combat.”
    “ Really?”
    Xander nodded.
    “ And how can you just sit
when you know that there is war around the corner?”
    “ No,” Nora corrected.
“They’re not actually here . Our troops go to other
countries. Other nations and fight. We haven’t had a foreign war on
our soil in some time.”
    “ Hm,” Xander thought
aloud, considering the tactic. “I see.” he said, rubbing his chin
with the palm of his hand.
    He was juggling a handful
of questions, from which he was trying to choose. But Nora beat him
to it.
    “ So Saphora is going to
fight, too?”
    “ Of course,” he answered.
“She is their secret weapon.”
    “ What do you
mean?”
    “ Her power, once fully
tapped, will be unmatched by any living Athenian. And quite
possibly Guardian.”
    “ Why? Why is she so
powerful?”
    “ She is an Ekechi,” he
pointed out, his index finger raised theatrically. “A cross between
an Athenian and a Guardian. The first of her kind, and quite
possibly the only.”
    “ A cross between …” Nora
trailed off, thinking of Loni.
    The lioness. Her brain
struggled to process the explanation, before the fitting term of
bestiality struck her. Her face scrunched in disgust and she
instinctively leaned back, physically rejecting the
conversation.
    “ Ew!” she
exclaimed.
    Xander’s brows rose in
wonder, before furrowing at the exclamation. His head shook just
slightly, his expression demanding an explanation.
    “ You people mate
with animals ?!”
she squawked. “And reproduce!”
    Xander stared blankly at
her, his mind registering the comment as idiotic. Of course they
didn’t. That wasn’t how it worked. And then he realized, possibly
for the first time, that looking in on the outside that they in
fact did. His hands shot up, eager to explain the
misunderstanding.
    “ No, no,” he rushed. “Not
in their born form! As Guardians – when they can change their
physical anatomy to match ours.”
    “ But you –“
    “ It’s not a common
practice, mind you. In fact, it’s forbidden,” Xander made note.
“All before Saphora’s mother have died either during pregnancy or
childbirth. And the offspring have never survived before Saphora.
She is the only exception.” Nora’s face was still a mess of twists
and frowns. “And they’re not just animals, as you’ve clearly seen.
They are people. They are Guardians. With emotions and compassions
and thoughts of their own. Capable of providing and receiving love.
Just as you and I.”
    “ But they’re still
–“
    “ It is forbidden for that
reason,” Xander noted, more to himself than to her. “Saphora is the
only exception. We do not know why her, or Vida
survived.
    Nora fell silent, her
opinion of the subject a little less clear as she took his
explanation into consideration. If she had not seen Loni as a lion
before she came barging into the house, she would have never known.
She would have thought she was a person. Part of her still
did.
    And thinking about it,
until she saw her as a lion again, she would most likely continue
thinking of her as a person. She could only imagine that