by Reid, Stacy
“This is very beautiful.” She flashed up the steps, testing the energy of the waters. “Are we to explore any of these tunnels?”
“We can. Let’s go down this one. It is mine and Tehdra’s favorite. At the end of this tunnel, the three waterfalls converge into a great pool.”
They flashed into the tunnel and covered several miles before they came to a wide-open area. They put their torches into the holders on the cave wall, and Saieke flashed from point to point exploring this inner sanctum.
Water gushed from rocks in three separate places and gathered into an expansive pool. Saieke waved her hand and started to shape the water to Cullen’s squeals. She enveloped him in a bubble of water and lifted him high in the air, then dumped him into the water.
He jumped out and grinned at her widely.
“Now I am all wet.”
“Now, you’re not,” Saieke said as she waved her hands and drew all moisture from his clothes and body.
“Well, since you can do that…,” Chedra said as she launched herself into the pool.
Saieke laughed and jumped in with Cullen shrieking behind her as he followed.
* * *
They frolicked for at least an hour, and contentment filled Saieke, Drac’s coldness forgotten. The waterfalls were still as she had frozen them into great ice sculptures for Cullen and had left them so to calm the waters. She had dazzled him with her displays, especially when she had drawn heated water from several miles out to mix in the pool they were in to make it warmer. Now, they lazed in warm and gentle waters.
There was an ever-present worry whenever she thought of returning to her kingdom and never seeing him again. It blossomed to a keen kind of pain at the idea. I really, really like him. She had to admit that it was more than like. It was something intense and wonderful, and she no longer feared the thought of loving him.
She wished she could extend her stay, but she could not let her parents or her people suffer any longer. She had a lot to atone for and only hoped that her disappearance did not cause much pain. She was somewhat reassured she had not been missing long enough for banners to be posted.
Her worry over the fate of her Queen’s blades had been a constant backdrop to everything that was happening. They would never imagine she was here. If they were alive, they would be searching for her, not able to return home without her. Saieke contemplated the journey on the morrow. She would be returning home with a Darkan to present her king with an honor bargain. She would also have to face the Nurian King. Although, the worst thing was that she was going to leave Drac.
If only she could declare him her consort.
It was the purview of a princess to take a consort, but a Darkan consort would have her kingdom resounding in fear and disbelief. Even if negotiations were to open between them, it would be too much too soon, and he was important in his kingdom—a Mecca, an Archduke.
Traditionally, consorts lived at the castle and had their every whim catered for. It was hard to see Drac fulfilling the role of a Consort.
“What is it, mother?"
Saieke glanced at Chedra and froze at her expression. It was savage. She was standing still in the pool with her head cocked.
“I am unsure,” she whispered.
Chedra inhaled deeply and chakra roiled around her. Saieke flashed out of the water as Chedra shiktred out of the pool. Cullen followed and gripped her hand and looked at her with wide eyes.
“There are others in the cave with us.” Confusion marred her voice as she glanced at Saieke. “They are not Darkans.”
Saieke waved her hand and dried them.
“We have to leave now,” Chedra snapped. “Cullen travel to the castle as fast as you can and alert Tehdra and Drac.”
He shiktred away, and she realized Chedra had sent him away from possible danger.
“Come, Princess.”
Chedra gripped her hand. Before she could process that Chedra was moving with her, a hard force punched into Saieke. She rolled gracefully and came up in a crouch, wheezing.
Saieke’s heart faltered at the three Mevians that stood in front of her.
“It seems as if you were right, Ignac. We are, indeed, not alone.” The voice was pure and deadly.
Chedra flinched.
Ignac pelted them with a light and melodious laughter—one that could entrap and enthrall.
Saieke took a deep breath to steady her nerves. They would need to flee. She absolutely could not fight three Mevians and live. She did not know the extent of Chedra’s skills, but she was with babe and did not want to risk her.
The great torches danced, flickered and created an ominous atmosphere with the knife edge tension that gripped everyone.
“We have been saved from a tedious search, my friends. We seem to have located the missing Princess of Boreas.”
She struggled against the panic trying to engulf her and tried to reach through the connection she had formed with Drac. The stretch that she usually felt when he communicated with her was missing, and she frantically tried again to no avail.
“What is it that you want and why are you in the Darkage?” Chedra demanded.
Saieke took some comfort in her tone. It resonated with deadly intent.
“Kill the bitch and take the princess,” a cold order from one of the purest voices, Saieke had ever heard.
Saieke unsheathed her blades as rage and determination flowed through her body. Chedra would not die, and she would not be taken. She heard a vicious snarl, and then Chedra attacked. Saieke grasped the hand that slashed at her and flowed around her attacker as Drac had shown her. She stabbed with her blade at her opponent's kidney but was sharply deflected.
Pain exploded behind her eyes as a punch struck her face. Saieke flung out winds so sharp they sliced into his stomach deeply. He came at her, and she lunged and blocked the hand that thrust at her throat with the intent to smash her trachea. She came in with her knife under his extended arm and plunged deep into his armpits with her dagger.
He screamed a harsh sound of pain that reverberated through her body and had her vibrating like a bowstring. The sound compressed the air around her, and pain exploded in her head. Saieke whipped her wind and dropped the temperature so low that frost blew from her breath. The cold that permeated the air was so thick and harsh that the Mevian’s voice trailed off as he labored to breathe.
She flung herself back and observed her opponent. Blood trickled from his stomach wound and poured from under his arms. Saieke smiled at him as a savageness she did not know she possessed uncurled inside of her. She exhaled frost and heard crackling from the waterfalls and pools freezing due to her Shenkiri.
Saieke let its iciness flow into her veins. She was hurt but not defeated. Her ribs had cracked from the sounds that had emitted from his mouth, and her nose bled freely. Half of her face had swollen, and one eye almost shut. She did not know how Chedra fared. Saieke did not dare take her attention away from the Mevian in front of her balanced so deadly on his feet.
She heard vicious fighting and wished she could assist her. Chedra was contending with two of the Mevians while she fought the third. A harsh pain-filled scream erupted from Chedra, and Saieke spun to see her being flung into the wall. Saieke lashed out her wind to brace her fall. The loud thud of her body hitting the wall made her flinch inwardly. She flashed to her side, but Chedra was already recovered and crouched, observing the Mevians with death in her eyes.
She had trails of chakra swirling around her and Saieke could feel the rage and resolve that floated from it. Chedra had vicious claws on her hands, and her eyes flickered and had a serpentine cast. She looked deadly but very hurt. Blood flowed freely down her face from a deep cut above her eye, her caftan had rips in several places, and her right shoulder looked dislocated.
Saieke looked at the Mevians while she searched for an opening to flee. One was very hurt. He looked torn and savaged, and blood pooled at his feet on the cave floor. Saieke glanced quickly at the blood dripping from Chedr
a claws. They had a chance, and they just had to hold out until Cullen returned with help.
She slashed out rapid movements of her wind that sliced at the Mevians in ferocious succession as they attacked. She whipped her elements, punched through the ice and drew upon the water. She doused the torches and flashed with speed towards the entrance, hoping that Chedra would see her strategy and follow. She did immediately, and they both moved with speed out of the cave. Saieke looked back. The Mevians were following them. It made no sense as absolute darkness enveloped them.
Chedra gasped, and Saieke turned to see her holding her side. Bright red blood soaked the legs of Chedra’s caftan.
“The baby is coming,” she groaned, and fear rolled off her in waves.
Saieke looked back at the assassins; they were virtually at their heels. She called the wind and felled trees behind her to slow their movements. Saieke was relieved to know that they were not screaming power at them. They wanted her alive for some reason, and it was once again saving her from facing the full force of their strength.
She grabbed Chedra and came to a sudden stop and held herself still. Chedra did the same. Saieke frowned as the Mevians came to an abrupt halt. It was as if they knew exactly when she and Chedra stopped fleeing. Saieke’s heart lurched. They had done the same when they had pursued her into the dark forest. It made no sense as she knew they could not see her. She looked at them keenly. She frowned when one of them made a click with his teeth, and she saw sound waves undulating gently into the air and shimmering all around her.
She strained, and it was only because of her newly enhanced hearing that she could pick up a low hum and frequency that vibrated in the air. Saieke’s eyes widened in disbelief, because through the vibrations and their distortion she could identify movement.
Saieke squeezed Chedra’s hand. Pain and question glowed in her eyes. Saieke could also understand that even though the Mevians could not see in the dark, they used sound waves with finely tuned frequencies to see and travel. They were listening for the echo that bounced back when the sound they emitted hit an object.
Her heart pounded as she realized that to move would make them pounce. Chedra held her hand tightly. The flow of her blood had checked. Her gaze was also less pain-filled. Chedra frowned and made a motion with her hands to indicate that she would attack the enemy on the left. Saieke nodded and gripped her blades and assessed her opponent for weakness.
Before either could move, two Darkans appeared to stand near the Mevians. Saieke expelled a breath of relief and Chedra also relaxed her stance. Chedra stepped forward and halted when one of the Darkans spoke.
“Why are they alive?”
Saieke’s throat burned at the sudden fear that wafted from Chedra. It was profound and visceral.
“Elder Macklin,” Chedra said with uncertainty ringing in her voice.
“Let me repeat, why are they alive when they could report your presence?”
“The female is mated, so our presence has already been communicated,” the other Darkan snarled.
“It matters not,” the Darkan Chedra referred to as ‘elder’ said. “Her mate is the only one she could have alerted. We will kill him on his arrival and any other that is with him. Everything must be revealed in due time. We will take this opportunity to inflict damage and use the distraction of their loss. For they will grieve to lose Chedra Al Sur and her mate.”
“The Princess of Boreas has been located,” a voice meant to enthrall said.
“The surest way to keep her from the Nurian king is death. No need for a kidnapping,” the elder said.
“Yes, my lord,” melodious voices said in unison. “A boy left a few minutes ago to alert the Keep. We did not pursue.”
Chedra let out a sound of raw dread when one of the Darkans simply disappeared. She made to follow in his direction and was stopped with a brutal slam in her chest from the remaining elder. Saieke heard Chedra’s clavicle crack, and the harsh sound of pain that she screamed was heart-wrenching. Chedra was flung back by the force of the blow, and she crumpled. Pain lined her features. It was more than pain. It was dread. Saieke spun to where she was looking and saw that the Darkan had appeared with Cullen dangling from his hand.
A wail of torment slipped from Chedra’s lips when the Darkan slashed his claws across Cullen's throat and casually tossed his body aside. Disbelief and grief ripped through Saieke, and she drew wind with strength and rage that whipped a deadly cyclone. The Darkan appeared in front of her. Saieke looked at him weakly as she felt a cold fire inside. Her wind crumpled as if it never was, and she looked down to see his claws buried deep inside her stomach up to his fingertips.
Drac. The dark abyss opened in her mind. She slid into the inky blackness of emotions that pulsed inside her mind. Darkness stretched and tunneled in her mind. And in the abyss of her mind, serpentine eyes sprang open and ensnared her.
Too late. The thought drifted through her mind to him as blackness hovered and death crept slowly to claim her.
17
The roar was one that screamed retribution. Tehdra flowed beside Tzar as they moved with unparalleled speed towards his mate and her sister. They had been nearing the king’s castle when he had stumbled, enraged. His mate had reached out to him and let him know that she was in danger.
They were thousands of miles away, but they would reach them in mere minutes. Tehdra knew they would still not be there in time. Grief gripped her heart. Today she would lose a beloved sister and nephew. She had to keep calm and focus as Tzar had ascended beyond rage.
Based on what she had gleaned from his garbled growls, Chedra was surrounded by two Mevians and two Darkans. One of the Darkans was elder Macklin, who sat on the warrior council. He was fully bonded, and Tehdra and Tzar together could not hope to defeat him. Macklin had access to all his beast's rage and power, and he wielded it with total control.
He was an elder she trusted and had worked with to develop strategies to protect their king. The elder must know that her sister would reach out to her mate and reveal his identity. Chedra and the princess would die once their betrayer deemed it so. The loss that Tzar faced losing his mate was infinitely more significant than the loss she faced losing her sister and nephew. She swallowed the grief that stung so acridly at the back of her throat.
Please live Chedra, Cullen. She even hoped for the princess, for she had felt her brother’s desire for her.
Chakra roiled black and menacing around Tzar, and he unleashed all his beast’s power in an instant. His speed climbed, and he outdistanced Tehdra. His hair had grown to a length that stopped at his waist, and his claws had fully extended and curved wickedly. Fangs, sharp and vicious, were out and his eyes had a deep glow of swirling amber and madness. The speed at which he lunged and traveled through the darkness was becoming hard for Tehdra to keep up.
She had to alert Drac alone. She would never have imagined that the elder Macklin was part of the plot to overthrow Gidon. She did not know which warrior she could now trust.
Fangs punched from her mouth as she lowered the psychic leash under which she had her beast. Rage and bloodlust unfurled and rushed through her like a potion. Chakra swirled around her and evil battered at her mind as her beast lunged for more freedom. She would divert to the castle and alert Drac. She drew on her strength and ran beside Tzar in their race to save those they loved.
* * *
Drac hunched over the stone table, thumbing through one of their books in the archive room with his most trusted elder. The archive had over three floors of books, scrolls, and tablets of their history and beast origins. They were looking at their lexicon—the great book that had hundreds of traces origins of their beasts and how they mated.
“You are very sure that the princess is your mate?” the elder queried for the third time, as they both leaned over the pages.
He could not stop thinking about Saieke, and his beast had tried continuously reaching out to her to find her mind closed.
He had forced h
imself to reign in his beast and prevent himself from continually seeking the connection between them. His lips twisted in slight disdain, never would he think that he would have been so distracted by a female, mate or not. “I am sure,” he stated empathically.
“There is nothing recorded in our archives of a Darkan mating with a non-Darkan. Where is the beast’s companion? How would the beast be soothed?” Eldrud murmured.
“My beast is content whenever we connect with her psychically.”
“How is it possible that you do so, and she is without a beast?” the elder asked.
Drac thought on how much to reveal. “I have fed from her several times, and I have also had her consume my blood.”
Eldrud arched his brows sharply and frowned in deep contemplation. “Mated Darkans do not consume each other’s blood. They feed on the beast chakra present in each other.”
“I am aware of that.”
"The records of our kind on Earth and Serange speak of converting humans and Serangites through ingesting our blood. We do not understand the full of it or how accurate the records are. Much of it is stories made up of truths and half-truths with the intention of distorting knowledge about us.”
Drac teeth snapped together. “She is not turning into a Darkan.”
The elder prowled around the room, his flowing robes swishing at the ground with each movement.
“Have you claimed her?” he queried
“Yes…No.” Fuck.
“I mean have you bedded her?”
Drac grunted. “I know what you meant by claim.”
“Did you harm her in any way? Was she afraid?”
“No,” he said as the memory of her heat shivered through him.
The elder frowned. “Even without a beast, she was able to withstand how you took her? Did you have to restrain yourself?”
