SHADOW REIGN: VAN LAVEN CHRONICLES

by Tyler Chase

  His body bucked and coiled tightly and he roared his dark grief as he neared the edge.

  Vaush! Help me.

  In that moment, her mind had been so deeply intertwined with his seeking to relieve his pain that she hadn’t expected to instead feel the heady gush of his pleasure explode inside her. The impact of it shook her very soul, how different, how exquisite the feel of his seed pulsing out, how … how … the erotic thoughts triggered a powerful wave of arousal, cresting and swelling until it broke forth in a body-jolting orgasm. She heard Comron’s sharp inhalation at the feel of it, and she was reminded that their minds were melded as one. She loved the telepathic sharing, even as she felt his pleasure throb toward ecstasy again for both their pleasure. He clung to her as it passed back and forth between their bodies. She never wanted it to end, as the intensity of each new one surpassed the last. Locked in perpetual coitus, their hips writhed greedily in unison, moving as a single organism toward supreme ecstasy, for that elusive taste of heaven … just … once … more.

  Chapter 55

  Comron’s world exploded all around him. All that he knew melted away, all but Vaush. His heart swelled with the knowledge that they had made it back to the Chronicle Archives. Her hazel eyes were lit up with joy and apprehension.

  No time for regrets, my love. Before she could reply, he took her by the hand and sped through the halls of the Chronicle Archives to see the recent past, as close to the present as they could possibly go. All his instincts told him that there was one place they desperately needed to go view.

  General Grusonious. They found him in the heart of the Hegemony stronghold.

  “His name is Merik Hancet,” Anbelise Nostrom said to the panel group. They all stared at the holograph of the short, pudgy, middle-aged man stretched out on the bed, smiling with great anticipation. His brown hair, though rapidly receding from his forehead, seemed to cover the rest of his body with a thin layer of fur. “He’s one of the foremost minds in economic theory, holds a double Eruditus degree from Welsking Hall, and has served as deputy director to the Imperial Minister of Finance. He was dismissed over a decade ago for his heretical, outspoken, unconventional theories challenging the Hegemonic supremacy in the Sellusion Empire. He’s managed to make a respectable living for himself as a Private Economic Strategist although we suspect that he still extols his theories under an assumed name.”

  “And he is relevant to us because?” asked Braden Dredfort. Grusonius sat to his left, listening patiently to Anbelise. The other members including Rogueport, Lamberth, and Westfall all seemed to share Dredfort’s eagerness as they shifted in their seats wondering why they had been called out at such an ungodly hour to meet.

  “Several years ago, he was involved in a romantic relationship with this woman, Deliah Reyne,” Anbelise waved a finger and a holograph came up of a stunning, curvaceous blonde with large blue eyes and large breasts to match. There was a collective inhalation in the room, except from Grusonious who kept his eyes on Anbelise. “Also known as agent GEN. She’s one my operatives who happened to on sabbatical during the great Vlodostokian purge.”

  “So, you can send her back to Vlodostok to find out who’s behind the attack on the richya,” said Westfall, his beady eyes still glued to Deliah’s form.

  “We were considering such when conditions were right,” Anbelise replied, “but it seems we stumbled onto something better. When Deliah broke off with Hancet, it seems she made him believe it was because he wasn’t powerful and wealthy enough. It seems of late his circumstances have changed drastically, so he called on her in hopes of reigniting the flame. He believes her to be a native Vlodostokian, so he wooed her with news that great change was on the horizon and that he would be someone of great significance when the dust settled. That captured her attention, so she resumed their relationship.”

  “Does that rank ball of fur know anything?” Dredfort demanded growing more impatient for the payoff.

  “Oh yes, my dear Duke,” she replied with a rare smile. “He’s been working for the mastermind of the richya demise all along, one of his lieutenants if you will.”

  “Frithe’s gates, woman,” Dredfort exclaimed as he rose to his feet. “A name, give us a name!”

  “I’ll give you the name, but first we negotiate House Nostrom’s increased stake for solving the baffling riddle that nearly brought the Hegemony to its knees. Surely, you didn’t think this kind of information would come without a price?”

  “Don’t toy with me, Anbelise,” Dredfort warned. “If your information is any good, there is precious little I would deny you. But try my patience any further and you’ll have nothing!”

  She nodded. “Very well. The man you are looking for is Lord Comron Van Laven of Nethic.”

  The ensuing clamor was deafening.

  “VAN LAVEN!” Dredfort roared, his voice rising above the others. “Those pernicious upstarts are the masterminds behind this? Prepostorous!” he said, slamming his fist to the table.

  “No. They’re not that well-connected,” Rogueport said. “They’d have to have an extensive network and vast resources the likes of the Nostrom or Lamberth.” He shook his head. “No, I can’t believe this.”

  “He’s had access to the Imperial Treasury funds for months now posing as the empress’ Private Economic Strategist,” Grusonious offered. “She has to be in collusion with Van Laven.”

  “No, no,” Dredfort said waving his hand. “Leave the empress out of it. She’s sharp, but not smart enough to have known what Van Laven was all about. She probably doesn’t have a clue.”

  “Then you don’t know her very well,” Grusonious argued. “She’s in it up to her neck, I’d wager.”

  “Enough!” Anbelise shouted. They all turned to look at her. “My lords, stop bickering amongst yourself and start devising a plan. Richya is on the brink of losing its preeminence as imperial reserve currency. We need to start figuring out a way to unwind what Van Laven has done over this last year.” She looked at Grusonious, “We need to figure out how they managed to compromise the highest levels of security. So, first, we’ll need to confiscate all their records and correspondence. You can arrange for a seizure order can’t you?”

  “Consider it done,” he said with a curt nod. “I’ll have Comron arrested as well.”

  “Arrested?” Dredfort scoffed. “Put them before a firing squad and have their damned heads blown off. Their treason has cost me billions over this last year.”

  “We can’t kill them until we find out all they’ve done,” Anbelise reminded him. “Vlodostok and Shinzhao are going to be watching closely and covering their asses. In fact, we have to move slowly. If Van Laven suspects that we’re coming after them, they’ll purge their records and burn all links to the Hinter World to protect them.”

  “You hear that, Dredfort,” Westfall said, “We can’t go in with canons blazing. We all want to recover our losses, and we’ll take it out on Van Laven’s hide if we have to. They’ve been amassing wealth this whole time like they’re the lords of this empire.”

  “I still want to know how they did it,” Rogueport said. “How does a no-acount, second tier house rise out of nowhere like that and suddenly have us all by the balls? How did he learn all those secrets and turn old allies against each other?” He shook his head. “Something’s not right about all of this. There’s still a pivotal piece missing.”

  “Then let’s just stick with what does make sense, shall we?” Anbelise struggled to be the voice of reason. “General, we’ll have to set up surveillance immediately and start pulling everything we can before they figure out what’s coming their way.”

  Grusonious Hrollaugr stifled a grin as he turned to Dredfort. “Those stupid bastards thought they could bring an entire economic system to its knees and establish their own with the Hinter Worlds as partners. Ach! Since they’ve so stubbornly refused to learn the lesson Sellusion tried to teach them long ago, I’ll teach them a new lesson that will make the Unification Campaign look lik
e a day at the park.”

  “Van Laven’s been a thorn in my side for far too long,” Dredfort said in a gruff tone. “Let’s talk armament. How many destroyers will you need, General?”

  Grusonious grinned. “All of them.”

  Chapter 56

  Comron and Vaush emerged from the telepathic voyage, stunned and horrified as they sat on the cold stone floor. When Vaush looked at Comron, his face was cast in shadow, but she could feel the storm roiling forth, threatening to eclipse all sanity now that their worst nightmare had unfolded before their eyes.

  “I-I’m going to recall General Erlacher and send the full imperial fleet to Nethic to protect her,” she tried to keep her voice steady, though her stomach turned flips inside. “Grusonius is the one who will meet his destruction.”

  “Yes, send for Erlacher.” Comron’s tone was distant and unaffected as if he diverted the storm within to allow something more fearful and calculating to emerge. “But it won’t be to command Hrollaugr imperial ships.” He rose to his feet and helped Vaush to hers. “He’ll command the naval fleet I have stationed at Fort Extremis.”

  Vaush closed her eyes and shivered in fear. “The ships meant to battle the Murkudahl.”

  He wrapped his robe around her naked body. But his stare was cold, utterly void of feeling. “I won’t trust the defense of Nethic to Hrollaugr ships. I will defend my world with my ships. And before I am done, Grusonius and the others are going to kneel before Nethic.”

  The singular determination in his voice made her shiver again. She drew his robe closer around her. “I’m so dreadfully sorry this has happened, but you swore to me that those weapons would never be used against our own. You don’t know what you might unleash.”

  “Sellusion started this war over two centuries ago,” he said with gritted teeth. “But I’m going to be the one to finish it.”

  “Then go ahead,” the anger bolstered her voice. “Only use conventional weaponry, leave the Murkudahl technology alone. You gave me your word, Comron.”

  “And you gave me yours that you would stand by Van Laven and protect Nethic. Now has come the hour when you must prove your loyalty, this is the moment when you cross over enemy lines and join me as you swore you would.” He held out his hand to her. “Come with me or stand against me with Hrollaugr.”

  Her heart wrenched with the cruel unfairness of the demand. “Comron ….”

  “Decide now!” he barked and the green of his eyes faded to a duller shade just as the Murkudahl’s did before battle.

  A terrifyingly enraged, genetically enhanced Van Laven was the last thing she wanted loosed on the Empire. She bridged the gulf, taking his hand. “I’m with you, Comron. Always.”

  He exhaled a tremulous breath and his irises darkened to the rich green hue once more. Observing this, she reasoned that as long as she stayed close, she could temper his rage the way she had just then and, in doing so, prevent him from doing irreparable harm to the system. At least that’s what she hoped.

  As if sensing great victory, he closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

  “Sweet angel,” he said and looked intently at her. She felt the deep currents of love flowing from him, but there was something more, something frightening lurking at the edge, waiting to strike. We can no longer see him. He is an unnatural thing … the product of essence and madness. She was suddenly paralyzed under his daunting gaze. “It is time for House Van Laven to stop reigning from the shadows. Soon we’ll shake the very foundations of this system and make our indelible mark on the empire.” He tightened his grip on her hand. “Let us go prepare for the war that was ages in the making.”

  As he led her out the door, her thought was one, Dear God! How do I stop him?

  The End

  About the Author

  Tyler Chase’s true passion is writing and studying geopolitics. She has spent the last twenty years working in the Global Investment Banking field as a CPA, and she holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Tyler Chase was born in Delaware and currently lives in the southeast United States with her husband, an engineer, and their two children. This particular novel is the second in the series of three.

  You’re invited to contact the author at VLChronicles@yahoo.com.

  Other books by Tyler Chase

  Book 1, Van Laven Chronicles, Throne of Novoxos

  Coming soon

  Book 3, Van Laven Chronicles, The Rise

  ###

  Thank you for reading my book. If you enjoyed it, won’t you please take a moment to leave me a review at your favorite retailer?

  Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/@CVCVanlaven

  ###