by Willa Hart
She grabs two dark brown jars and pulls them out of a drawer.
“We’ve spent centuries trying to convince humans that we don’t exist, and we did an excellent job of it until fairly recently.”
“Really?” I say. “Why?”
“Surely as a scientist you understand what would happen if a Wolveskin were caught by your kind?”
I look at the jars she holds, one in each hand. Inside them are two perfectly formed bugs with pincers, both captured and dead for the benefit of science.
“I do.”
“Preventing Wolveskin from becoming specimens in a Roya lab was the primary reason, with the second one being because humans are so violent.” She shivers.
“In comparison to wolves?” I ask.
“We do not war with other packs,” she says. “Nor do we make other packs our slaves. We understand that wolves are wolves no matter their ability to shift or communicate by mind.”
I have no response. I glance from Dr. Atta to Jix. She’s correct, of course, that the Eliterrati have utilized the Dregs for a millennia as slaves simply because they do not have the power of the mind.
“We were quite successful in keeping ourselves completely separate from human existence until recently,” Dr. Atta continues.
“What happened?” I ask.
“A small contingency within our pack wanted to mainstream with human society. As you can imagine, the majority of us were against it. I mean, you humans are quite erratic and terribly violent. We didn’t want to be involved with your kind in any way.” She gazes at Jix and me above the rim of her glasses. “No offense. It’s simply that we prefer a more peaceful existence with nature and the natural world. It’s one of our primary beliefs, and dictates how we govern and run our lives. Truly outside the realm of how the Eliterrati inhabit the world.”
I glance at Jix who lifts an eyebrow.
“Plus, it’s illegal for a Wolveskin to reveal themselves to a human without our Alpha’s permission. So when the small group split off from the pack, they were banished.”
“Banished?”
“They broke Wolveskin law. It was a small movement, an offshoot. I assumed they were killed or captured,” Dr. Atta says.
“Not captured to my knowledge,” I say.
Dr. Atta opens the specimen jar and removes the pincer bugs with a pair of tweezers.
“Jix, do either of these look familiar to you?”
One is dark brown with a giant red diamond in the center of its back, while the other is brown with yellow dots decorating its thorax.
“The one with the yellow is similar,” Jix says, “but it’s not exactly the same. There’s usually bright blue on the end of its pincers.”
“Oh,” Dr. Atta says, “I’ve never seen an ant or beetle with blue on the tips of its pincers.” She looks from Jix to me. “This isn’t good.”
My stomach slicks with fear. “No, it isn’t.”
“Meela is getting worse,” Dr. Atta says. “The infection is spreading, and her heartbeat is weakening. We have a decision to make.”
“Try to use the anti-toxin created by the pincer and see if it works or—”
“See if her body can fight off the poison invading her system.”
“We can’t do nothing, we have to try,” Jix says.
“The problem is, if we give her the incorrect anti-toxin without the toxin already in her blood stream she could—” Dr. Atta looks at me and grimaces.
“She could what?” Jix asks. “What could she do?”
I take a deep breath. “She could die.”
Chapter Eight
Sarkany
“The Counsel believes that the two of you are infected,” Lady Alana says. She has risked much by entering the dungeon and convincing the jailor to allow her to speak to us through our cell doors. It’s actually safer for her to come to us, now that The Counsel has been dismissed. She created a very strong block since the meeting. “Your Uncle, along with a majority of The Counsel, believe that you should be destroyed.”
“And by destroyed,” Leo says, “you mean…”
Lady Alana drops her gaze and presses her hands together. “Burned,” she whispers, “on the dais, in front of The Counsel, so that we might witness your death.”
“Burned!” I roar.
“Brother!” Leo hisses. “Too loud. You put us and Lady Alana in grave danger with your outburst.”
“That murderous bastard will pay,” I whisper. Heat barrels through my chest and belly. “Cuffed to this wall I can do little, but once free for even an instant, I will take every bastard I can to hell with me. If I must die, I’ll bring along as many as I can, including Uncle. I will rend his head from his body with my bare hands.”
“Vicious, isn’t he,” Leo says, pacing in his cell. “Our Uncle.”
Of course, Leo isn’t chained to the wall; why would they fear that Leo would kill a half-dozen guards? They wouldn’t. He’s always been more stealth, more likely to attack from behind, secretly and with surprise, than ever to mount a frontal assault. Sneaky and secretive, Leo’s ways are more cunning than mine.
“I do believe we were warned, were we not?” Leo says. “If he’s willing to burn us, his nephews, what must he have done to others to impose his will?”
“There are four of us on The Counsel that are working for a possible compromise, that instead of execution, you might go free and be banished,” Lady Alana says.
“Banished?” Leo says, his voice incredulous. “Uncle isn’t so stupid that he would allow us to be banished.”
While the machinations of court and counsel politics are wasted on me, even I know enough to realize that Leo is correct. “If any Kingdom warrior worth his oath got wind that the Roya Princes lived, they would throw down their arms and stand behind us. Their loyalty is sworn to us, not the Regent. He cannot let us live and remain in power for long.”
“Perhaps,” Lady Alana hesitates. “However, Sarkany, you have committed blood treason—”
“You too!” I roar.
“No,” Lady Alana interrupts, “not me. I was and remain fully behind your mother’s new laws and policies. Her movement toward inclusion and Dreg rights is exactly what the Kingdom must have to maintain peace.” She sighs. “But as you saw today, through my mind, there are many, many, who do not share my sentiment. Who, without a voice as strong and beloved as the Queen’s guiding them toward her new vision, have fallen back into the old ways of separation and discord.”
I press my head against the wall. My beloved, I think. Wishing that I could find my lost connection with Meela. My little bird, where are you? Nothing. No response. There is a warmth there though, she is alive, just…either blocked by another or…or…I close my eyes. So incredibly harmed that she is comatose.
“I must get free.” I yank on the chain that holds my wrist to the wall. “My mate is…” I can barely think it, much less say the words.
Brother, breathe, we will find a way, Leo thinks.
“There is little time,” Lady Alana says. “Should we be unsuccessful in our bid for banishment, Vlissimal and I are working on another way.”
“He has no empathy, no compassion, no better nature, Lady Alana. To think that he might allow us to be banished instead of executed is to underestimate both his viciousness and his desire to see himself upon the throne.”
“But he shan’t get the throne if he kills you. It is his daughter, Princess Katya, that will reign, and she will be required to mate with three Kings. I can’t imagine that Katya’s fated-mates will do as Vlissimal says.”
“That is only if his Princess Katya is crowned,” Leo says. “If she dies before the coronation, but after Uncle kills us, well, then it will be Uncle who wears the crown, will it not?’
“You imagine that he would kill his own daughter?” Lady Alanna says. “Princess Katya?
“He’d kill anyone to have power and wear the crown. He’s willing to kill a Dreg in the Counsel Chamber and manufacture a military coup and have
us burned alive, so, I have little problem envisioning Uncle killing Princess Katya and doing it in such a way that the Kingdom will feel quite sorry for his loss all while he prepares to wear the Roya crown.”
“My Goddess,” Lady Alana says, “we must get you free and we must do it now.”
I sit on the stone of my cell; I have little to say and nothing to live for. Since earlier in the day, when Meela saw what we witnessed in The Chamber, I have heard nothing from her, not a word.
“No use wasting any time on questions or medical inquiry,” Leo says, his tone dry. I hear him pace in his cell. Then his voice rings out, “You did as I asked regarding the Dreg girl?”
“Yes,” Lady Alana says, and I hear the hesitation in her voice. “Although it was quite odd what you requested I do.”
“It’s done, though? The task has been completed?” Leo asks.
“Yes.”
“You must go,” Leo says, his voice suddenly urgent. “I…I feel that Uncle is sending guards for us.”
“I will return.” Lady Alana says. “We will find a way to save you. You have my word.”
The scrabble of slippers across stone. My heart hurts and I have little will to live.
You must not give up, Leo thinks. It’s what Uncle wants us to do. You must remember that Meela is on the other side of this. She is waiting for you.
She does not wait, I think. She hates me. We have caused the death of her sister. She shall never forgive me for this. I feel her pain in my bones. Oh to be fated and to disappoint your mate? There is no pain such as this.
As to Huali, things aren’t always as they seem, Leo thinks.
The sound of boots on stone and the jangle of keys. The door to my cell slides open, and with it light pours in. I cover my eyes and look up into the faces of the jailor and two guards.
“On your feet, traitor.” A guard grabs me while the jailor enters and uncuffs my wrist. For a moment, I am free and could take the three of them and crush their skulls into the stone wall
Not yet, Leo thinks. I have a different idea.
Leo stands in the hallway beside his cell with two more guards flanking him. Dirt stains his cheeks, and his right eye is purple and red and so bruised it is nearly swollen shut.
“Nice to see you, brother,” Leo says, shooting me a wicked grin.
“Goddess, what happened?” I ask.
“Quiet, both of ya’. Regent Roya said no talking and none of that funny mind business between the two of you.”
Who hit you? I think as I walk behind Leo with a guard on either side.
When we were captured, Leo thinks, they hit you hard enough with a mind-blast to knock you out, but not me, I fought on for a while.
Shall we fight on again today, brother? I think.
We shall, Leo thinks. But first, let us see what Uncle has to tell us.
The guards and jailor lead us down the dark hall to the stairs where neither one of us knows if we will see our Uncle or meet our demise, or quite possibly both.
Chapter Nine
Taraz
Gently, I pull the bandage from Meela’s leg. The scent of rotting flesh curls up from her wound. The gash that is in the center of her left thigh is worse…much worse. The edges have blackened, and the space where the wound should be knitting together is raw and red.
“It’s not getting better,” I say. I glance at Meela’s face. She sleeps, but the color has drained away; she is pale and a light film of sweat decorates her skin. I fear that if we do nothing, there will be nothing that we can do.
“I’ll return with the antidote soon,” Dr. Atta says. “Within the hour.”
“I’m going to stay here.” I press the bandage back against Meela’s wound. Dr. Atta leaves, and I sit in the chair beside Meela’s bed. I clasp her hand. She’s alive, but her life energy is weak. I sense her fighting for her life.
Meela? Meela?
No response. No voice, no sound, nothing. The emptiness of not being able to connect with anyone—Meela, Sarkany, Leo, or any other Eliterrati—weighs on me. I’ve never been without a mind connection for this long in my life. I want to know what is happening in the Palace and if my brothers are alive.
“She still fights to remain alive,” Rex says from the doorway.
“She does,” I say. “She’s very special.
“For a Dreg?” Rex asks.
I stiffen with his words. “No for…for a human…for a living creature… She simply is special.”
“I’ve never seen a human like her,” he says. “I never had a human connect with a Wolveskin mind.”
“She hears animals,” I say.
“Do other humans have this gift?” he asks.
“Not to my knowledge,” I say. “But she was raised in Ninaku, and if it had been discovered that she had any mental capability she would’ve been—” My words drift off; I hate to admit the atrocities that Dregs have suffered at the hands of the Eliterrati simply because they have gifts that we’ve believed to be only ours. “Slayed. She would’ve been mindslayed, so I’m certain that any Ninaku Dreg that communicates with animals hasn’t told anyone of their gift,” I say. “For fear that they’d lose their life.”
“Much like how we Wolveskin have worked hard to keep you and your kind ignorant of our existence,” Rex says.
“Much like,” I say. My gaze wanders over Meela’s face. Her skin grows paler with every passing minute.
“I have news for you,” Rex says. “Of your brothers.”
My eyebrows pull tight. “How do you know of my brother and my family?”
“We keep a close eyes on your family and your people’s activities. How else to protect my pack from an aggressive tribe that lives near us?”
“Spies? You keep spies in the Palace? Are they Wolveskin?”
“Spies is such a harsh term.” Rex crosses his arm. “We have individuals who are sympathetic to our mission to remain separate from humans. They’ve been helpful to me and my pack for many years.”
I have no time to get into an argument over the semantics and morality of Rex’s choices with regards to monitoring Eliterrati and the Roya family. “What have you heard?” I ask.
Rex takes a long breath and his gaze goes from Meela to me. “Both Prince Sarkany and Prince Leo are being kept in the cells beneath the Palace.”
“But they’re alive,” I say. “That is good news. The Counsel will see what Uncle has done and release them. Now if we can get word to them of where we are, or perhaps you can return us to the hunting lodge, and that way you and your den can remain secret, and we will—”
“While I greatly appreciate your understanding with regard to Wolveskin security, I don’t think that is the primary thing we have to fear,” Rex says. “There is more.”
“More?” I ask.
He gives me a grim nod. “While my last communique indicates that Prince Sarkany and Prince Leo were alive at the time…”
My heart sinks to my feet.
“…it also indicated that both Princes were scheduled for execution,” he finishes.
“No!” I say, bolting to my feet. “That can’t be true, it’s impossible! The Counsel would never allow my uncle to execute my brothers! I must return, I must tell The Counsel of Uncle’s deceit. I must free my brothers, I must—”
“You and what army, Prince Taraz?”
“Army? Do you ignore the facts, do you—”
“Facts?” Rex tilts his head to the side. “Do you think that facts and reason will convince a madman like your uncle to relinquish the power he has? You wouldn’t get within ten miles of the castle before you were captured or slaughtered.” Rex looks from me to Meela. “And with what he has planned for your brothers, slaughter might be the easier of the two.”
I swallow. I reach out with my mind, Leo! Sarkany! Answer me…I must know if you are alive.
A deep chasm of aloneness permeates my soul.
“I’m sorry, Prince Taraz,” Rex says. “I wish I had better news.” Rex turns and lea
ves.
I close my eyes and drop my head. My gaze turns to Meela. She’s the only semblance of family that remains for me now. I must do everything in my power to make her well. I must protect her. I must be her family. We must be a family for each other and for the future of the Kingdom and the Roya line. There is nothing left but the two of us, and I know in this moment that Sarkany was correct: I am meant to be Meela’s fated-mate.
Chapter Ten
Meela
I break through the surface of the water and gasp for air. In the distance, lights flicker on the shore. How am I in the ocean? The saltwater slides over my skin. I flip onto my back and float in the blackness of the water. Stars dot the black velvet sky above me, but there is no moon—only stars. The gentle rocking of the waves beneath my body soothes me. There is no fear within me as I float in this nothingness. Only the sense that I’m one with this world. That I am this world.
Meela…
A voice calls my name, but it is not a yell; it is a tendril that flickers through my mind. A voice that I’m familiar with and yet cannot make out.
Who is it? I ask.
Meela… The voice reaches out to me again, trying, trying, trying to reach me.
Can’t you hear me? I send another thought out into the void hoping, hoping, hoping that they can hear me, wanting them to hear me, and yet it is as if they do not know of my response. I flip over onto my belly and start swimming for shore. In the distance, as the shore grows closer, I see that a fire is built high and raging on the beach. The waves roll around me and pull me close to land. I press onward, letting my body glide with the surf. I keep my head above water.
Lord Vlissimal the Mindslayer stands on the beach between two bonfires. He is death. He is death to me and my kind. For the first time since I broke the surface of the water, fear rushes through me.
I don’t want Lord Vlissimal to see me, but the waves have me now. They carry me forward toward the shore, and I have no energy or strength to fight the inevitable. The waves dump me, wet and choking, upon the beach.
