by Reid, Stacy
She pressed a kiss over his heart. I love you.
“What is it?” her lover and mate murmured, his dark green eyes snapping open, instantly alert and calculating.
“I sense a force of darkness to the east. It is not the wraiths.”
He flashed from the bed, and within seconds he was clothed with his chained sword coiled around his forearm. With a single burst of darkness, she was similarly dressed and ready for battle.
“Is it a Darkan?”
“I cannot tell. This energy feels…unique. It holds a mystical force I have never sensed in another of my kind, but it is of my kind.”
Knowledge leaped in the dark green of his beautiful eyes. “Gavyn.”
She glanced through the windows of their chamber, toward the hills and mountains where his province of E'Bari resided. "I must go to him." She sauntered over to him and pressed a kiss against his mouth. "Do not say you will come with me. I know he is a beloved friend and you want to be there for him. But you must not leave the castle unprotected. The Phoenyx must be here in the City of Fire. I will protect your friend."
He framed her face between his hands and kissed her with such tenderness a lump formed in her throat. "Go," he murmured. "If you need me, I will feel it. I love you."
She nodded, and shiktred, moving with the shadows at unparallel speed to exit Adara toward the eastern provinces of Nurian. Using the taint of rage and darkness as her beacon, she arrived at the caves beneath his palace.
Acheron held his friend’s convulsing body, murmuring an incantation, and the air buzzed with powers.
She rushed over to them, and touched Gavyn’s brow, drawing back her hand as her flesh sizzled. It was then she noted the burn marks over Acheron’s body.
“I’ve used a spell to lessen the fire burning through him. I have never seen anything like it. It is as if his flames are eating him alive from the insides. Surely, he cannot survive it. Look at his back. It is a mangled mess. Wings ripped from his back, but the site is not healing. I must take him to the White Queen,” Acheron rasped. “Perhaps she will be able to help.”
Tehdra sent him a sharp glance. “She exists?”
He hesitated briefly. “She is my sister.”
“Ally or enemy of Nuria?”
“I know she has been helping Gavyn for some time now, but I never pried as to the nature of their relationship. It seemed he had been using her spells to keep the power of the demon beast and the cursed mark at bay. I have never seen him like this before.”
“What cursed mark?”
“Those.”
She stared at them, shock twisting through her. “I believe those are the marks of the Kagutsuchi dragon." She peered closer at the massive wings folded beneath Gavyn. "These swirling inks are the outline of its multi-hued wing…and a tail. But I have never seen a Cerja—the ink of our demon—manifested like this before. It is like it lies beneath his skin, instead of atop him like a tattoo that can be summoned.”
“Can you help him?”
She stared at Acheron. "I have never met a half-blood before. In our realm, only Darkans mate with Darkans, and there is always a fully inked tattoo of a beast on our body. At rare times, a Darkan might be born with two beasts, and he is considered an abomination by some and reviled. But I have never met anyone who only possesses half." She traced the outline of one of the most feared fire breathing dragons from her realm. "The beast inside of us is pure chakra, but our Cerja allows us to summon our beast to life when we have reached a certain age and unlocked most of our power.” She pointed at the swirls on Gavyn's arms and chest. "These are not manifesting into an actual shape or a beast. They are…just marks, but I sense the Kagutsuchi.”
"But they mean something," Acheron snapped, raking his hand through his hair. "We have been friends for centuries. Why would he not trust me with this? I could have hunted for the information years ago."
A blast of fire washed from him, the intensity of it, melting Tehdra's skin. Acheron grabbed her, spitting a spell with speed and covering them in a protective barrier. Gavyn snarled, shaking off the spell Acheron had tried to subdue him with and dragged himself up. The most beautiful wings of midnight darkness, with tips coated in blue sapphire and the purest of red, sprung from his back, stretched out and then flapped as if revelling in its freedom.
* * *
Gavyn stood, feeling the unfathomable well of power at the center of his being. Blood ran down his back and dripped at his feet, and the massive wings rose over his head in an arch, its tips brushing against the wet, chilled stone floor. The sensation felt like a spear of ice through his gut, and he shifted and lifted the appendage from off the ground.
“I have wings,” he said hoarsely, peering down at the pool of blood forming at his feet. “I thought Darkans healed at a superior rate?”
“The half of you that is Darkan is fighting your other half. You need to accept it,” Tehdra murmured, her obsidian eyes watching him with malevolent cunning.
“Do you feel the beast talking to you?”
He frowned, searching himself. “No. I…I just know I am different…more powerful.” And hungry.
“The connection we have with our demon beast is psychic. It is pure mystical energy with its own cunning and intelligence. You should feel its powers calling to you…seducing you to reach for more of its dark offerings.”
“I do not feel as if there is something inside of me, Tehdra,” Gavyn said, taking a step forward.
She canted her head left. “Then what do you feel?”
"Hunger. Such hunger my mouth waters, and fire of need eats at my mind and dominates my soul."
She dealt him an arresting stare. “Do you know what you crave?”
“Xian.”
A perilous silence fell between them, and she glanced at Acheron.
"There is also knowledge inside of me…one that is dark and ugly."
“And what does that knowledge speak of?”
"If Prince Baku so much as touch her, I will kill him." The words fell cold and implacable from his lips. "My logical mind knows that Ajali needs an alliance with Avindar to combat the might of the empire…the warrior in me knows this…but my heart knows I will kill without impunity if he or any man touch her."
Tehdra lifted her chin. "Though you are half-blood there is still a demand inside of you to mate. Xian is your mate, Gavyn, and the supreme law of the Darkage says no one has the right to claim what is yours. We war for our mates and our king…our king will lend us his might and support."
“Ajali will not—”
“King Gidon Al Shar of the Darkage is my king,” she murmured. “Ajali is my lover and my mate.”
He stared at her. “Are you saying the dark king will accept me into his realm.”
“If you pledge your loyalty.”
Gavyn chuckled darkly. Before he could respond a whisper of warning burned through his veins.
Gavyn…
The voice was a faint caress in his mind, but he stiffened. "Xian?"
Driven by a terrible restlessness, and the disquieting fever burning through his body, he surged to his feet. “I must get to Xian.”
Acheron arched a sharp brow. “Now? I would urge you to heal first. They are days away from completing the ceremony, and this situation needs to be handled with the utmost delicacy. We do not want to offend Avindar when you go for her.”
“I…I…I need to be with her, I cannot explain it, but I must be with her.”
Gavyn stumbled and stepped into a black void. He shook his head, his thoughts disoriented, unable to see anything but the unrelenting darkness. Slowly his eyes adjusted, and he realized with a sense of bemusement he could see with perfect clarity, and everything seemed coated in a wash of moonlight. He could see Acheron looking around, but Tehdra stared straight at him.
“As a Nurian you control the ability to shape fire to your will.”
The darkness around him seem to contract, and she stepped into the shadowed dimension. "As a Darkan, sha
dows, and darkness will be yours to call. You'll be very powerful Gavyn Westk'arr, to be able to control both fire and shadows."
He moved toward her and suddenly found himself back inside the cavern.
“Where did you go?” Acheron demanded.
“In the shadow space,” Tehdra said. “It is our natural abilities. I do not know why it is just coming to you…but your Darkan half is no longer happy to remain dormant. I will teach you…how to shiktre.”
“What is that?” he rasped.
“To shiktre is to control the shadows and darkness, a power that is inherent to all Darkans, but is only mastered by those who train relentlessly. Once you have mastered it, you will be faster than all Amagarians except for a Darkan using the power of his beast.”
Acheron sent her a skeptical frown. "I doubt you'll be faster than the elders who have perfected the art of chakra control. They flash at the speed of light and—"
His words faltered as Tehdra simply appeared behind him and pinched his hips. With a low laugh, he spun to face her. “I am not certain Ajali would appreciate his lover’s hand on my arse, and you’ve made your point.”
“Not really.”
And with a blink, she held up a plate with stewed fruits. “Taken from the kitchen and you had not realized I left.” She tsked. “And I pinched your hip.”
“I felt it on my arse, and it is my perception that matters.”
Tehdra rolled her eyes, and Gavyn flashed from the caves to the turret high atop his palace. He could feel Xian miles away, sensed her sadness, and the tears in her heart as she wished for his hands to be around her.
A seething burn seared Gavyn’s belly and flared with a dark heat that threatened to consume him. It was a visceral need to be with her, to touch her, kiss her. Enslaved by the primal call beating through his blood, he fell into the shadow space, understanding it was an unseen world within their dimension that no one else could see or hear unless they were a Darkan.
Xian.
Her mind eagerly connected to his.
Gavyn, how is this possible?
The joy in her voice soothed the ravaging craving, and peace stole into him. You are my mate.
Fear wafted to him. "Ajali…what will he say?"
"By the laws of the Darkage, you are forever mine. By the call of the beast, I am but a servant. My life, my love, my sword, and my darkness belong to you. No one shall separate us, Xian. No one."
And something dark and painful twisted through his heart, for he knew the vow extended to a man he had called king, friend, and brother for more than two centuries.
“I am coming for you.”
Chapter 9
A garbled whimpering sound of distress roused Xian from an uneasy slumber, so she pushed herself into a sitting position.
I am coming for you.
The dark promise of Gavyn lingered in her heart, and she pressed shaky fingers to her lips. Her response had been met with silence. And then a raging fire had swept along the link they had formed, and his mind had pulled away from hers.
Grabbing her knee-high boots, she tugged them over her silk stockings. Each booth had a sheath, and she slipped her swords inside them. She stood and grabbed her golden light armor and slipped it on over her dark caftan. The armor molded to her frame like a lover holding her in his protective arms. She quickly caught her locks into a tight chignon. Her stomach rumbled, but she ignored the silver platter on the table bolted to the floor of the wide, spacious carriage.
The convoy crawled through the wasteland with careful speed, and she parted the curtains of the carriage and glanced at the night sky. It was late, and the dawn would soon break. Above her, she detected the shadowy form of Azriel as it flew overhead. She lowered the curtains and glanced around the conveyance, issuing a slight sigh of relief. At first glance, it did not seem Prince Baku had slept in her carriage, and she was glad he had not been present while she slept.
Another snarl, then a whimper of pain sounded, to be met with laughter. Opening the carriage door, she hopped down, scanning the dozens of carriages which travelled in single line procession. There was one carriage toward the back that dragged a large cage behind it. Several Avindites and Nurian warriors rode behind that cage, and they thrust spears and sometimes swords toward whatever creature was confined there.
She padded over with stealth and faltered at the female in the cage. The tormented creature appeared young, her skin was pale, her dark hair long matted strands. There were bruises all over her body, and with some surprise, Xian noted a man sitting on a ledge abutting the cage. He had symbols carved over his entire face and body, he formed a pattern with his thumb and forefingers, and he muttered beneath his breath. A spell. Xian could feel the taint of it in the air. The man was a warlord and whatever he whispered hurt the caged girl. More garbled whimpers fell from her busted mouth.
“What is the meaning of this atrocity?” she snapped low and hard.
The girl swung wild eyes towards her, and Xian could taste the rage that burned in her eyes.
“Why is this girl in the cage and being hurt by you?” She glared at the Nurian warriors. “When did your duties extended to brutalizing the innocent.”
"Your Highness," one of her warriors said on a bow. "It is a Darkan. And it is in the cage on orders of Prince Baku. We understand it is a gift."
An awful feeling lodged in the pit of her stomach. “A gift for whom?”
The Avindites stared at her, and one urged his kun forward. “We did not mean to disturb your rest, Princess Xian. As to whom this thing is intended for, that is a question for Prince Baku." Then he pressed his forearm across his chest in a sign of respect.
“She is chained in five shackles of valnetium iron, there is no reason to torture her. I order you to cease, immediately.”
The warriors considered her, before glancing at each other uneasily. “We have orders, Princess and—”
“I do not care what your orders are,” she snarled, a wash of red fire burning along her hair and the tip of her fingers.
The kuns snorted, reared and a few shied away from her. The Avindites stiffened at the display. However, the Nurian warriors, who were more used to the erratic display of the Phoenyx, only held still. Reigning in the anger pouring through her veins, Xian said, "I will speak to your prince. Where might I find him?"
“He headed toward the ravines of the east,” one of the Avindite murmured, his eyes flat and watchful.
"Until I speak with your prince, please control the urge to attack someone unable to defend themselves. It is a cowardly act," she spat, uncaring that she caused any wounds to their pride.
She leveled her gaze to the warlord. "You will cease hurting her."
A smile tipped his lips, but his eyes remained closed. "I can feel the power and the volatility of the Phoenyx inside you, princess. Quite impressive I must admit. As much as I wish to obey your commands, if I release the incantation which suppressed the demon beast inside of this Darkan, the entire force here will be slaughtered. Once the sun rises…I will release it from my spell."
She stared at him for several seconds then back to the female who had gripped the bars of the cage, staring at her with desperation. Darkans were unable to use their beast powers under the force of the sun. The warlord spoke the truth, for in the Darkans eyes glowed a promise of retribution. Xian turned away and headed toward the ravines. She crept through the procession of warriors and carriages, a mix of anger and curiosity dodging her steps. She flashed, blurring with speed and stealth away from her convoy until she was in the deep cragged land of Taryllion.
She spied the prince, standing with his hands behind him, staring up at the celestial stars. His shoulders tensed, and she allowed the leaves to crunch beneath her boots as she made her way over to him. "There is a female Darkan who is caged…and being tortured at your command," she said softly. "Why do you perpetuate this cruelty?”
“Sympathetic to those vile beings, are you? I see I erroneously believed the dark ones we
re a common enemy.”
“King Ajali’s consort is a Darkan. I daresay it is impossible to brand all dark ones as enemies, only those who work against our kingdom.”
The prince scoff, but he did not refute her claim.
“Your warriors say that she is a gift. For whom?”
“For Emperor Jadon Khan, the emperor of Mevia.”
Everything inside of her stilled. “And what is her crime against the empire?”
The prince chuckled, the sound resounding with soft menace. “That thing is simply a gift.”
Of the seven kingdoms of Amagarie, the Darkage—the realm of beasts, shadows, and darkness—was the most feared and reviled. A wash of shame burned through her to think only a few days ago her heart had held a similar enmity. Yet she'd had just cause in the cowardly act of assassinating her pregnant mother. What did Prince Baku have other than revulsion for their reputation? "Darkans are people like us. With heart and emotions and families."
He tsked. “Surely you are not so naïve, Princess Xian?”
“And surely you are not so despicable as to hand over an innocent woman to an empire known for its dark proclivities and dungeons of torture.”
"That thing has a demon beast inside. I doubt it understands innocence. You do know they feed on our emotions like devouring vultures? And the Emperor has made it known he will pay handsomely for Darkans. A million-gold crown for each one over one hundred years but under two centuries."
“And what did he promise for a Tenzu?” she snapped, disgusted with the ease at which he spoke of consigning the Darkan female to hell.
The prince faced her. A shadow seemed to cross his face, and dark eyes watched her. “He promised me I would be the crown prince of Avindar. As it stands, I am fifth in line for the throne.”
Shock surged through her at his bald confession.
“But I told him no.” He reached up and gently cupped her face. “I want this alliance to work…and despite that your heart belongs to another now, I wish to win it one day,” he said with astonishing sincerity.
