“Three noble princes sent to request my presence?” The man laughed. “It sounds a little suspicious, don’t you think? Why not send a missive to my home?”
“We tried that,” Quinn said. “There was no response.”
“Ah, so it wasn’t a request, but an order,” Lord Myrddin answered, waving his hand in the air. “How interesting. The new king thinks to order me, an elder. I’ve been in power longer than he’s drawn breath.”
“He is your king,” Quinn stated in warning.
“Things have a way of changing, my prince,” Lord Myrddin answered.
“Quinn?” Tori’s voice shook as she touched his arm.
“Your father was a king. Now there was a man who knew how to rule. He was bold, courageous. He knew what had to be done and he did it, without second thoughts and without remorse. The Var people have waited for him to act, and yet Kirill has not.” A large Var stepped onto the shore behind Myrddin.
“Quinn,” Tori whispered again, edging closer. Again, he didn’t answer, didn’t turn to look at her.
“Instead,” Lord Myrddin continued, ignoring her as well, “he takes a queen, weakening the Var throne and the Var future. Does he avenge his father by taking arms against the Draig? No, he makes friends with our ancient enemies, invites them into his home, makes them welcome, and talks peace in Attor’s hall! He leads them onto my land, shows them our secrets.”
“The king has his reasons for what he does.” Quinn took another step toward shore and Tori stayed right behind him, touching his side lightly. “As for your land, this is the king’s land by birthright and he can go where he pleases with whom he pleases. It was necessary, for the safety of our people as well as the Draig, to....”
“Take our weapon? Ruin our plans?” Lord Myrddin asked, smirking. “We can get another weapon and will. All you did was delay the inevitable. Mark my words, with or without your brother, the Draig race will be annihilated.”
“To use that weapon would be to kill the Var as well as the Draig,” Tori shot, moving forward. Quinn grunted in anger. His hand shot forward to stop her.
“Acceptable losses in the battle we face, my dear,” Lord Myrddin answered. His cool green eyes shifted, darkening with rage and hate. Bitterly, he spat, “Tell me, my prince, are you life mate as well to this creature? It’s hard to believe King Attor’s line would’ve turned out so weak. It’s a blessing he’s not here to see it. Although, if he was here, Kirill would’ve never have married and the Draig would already be dead.”
Another Var stepped out of the forest, and then another. Soon the shoreline was filled with them. In the back, Tori saw Vitto and Grant. They were bound and gagged. Their limp bodies didn’t move and they were draped over the sides of a hideous looking creature. The beast had a center horn protruding from its skull, the eyes of a reptile, the face and hooves of a beast of burden, and the body comparable to that of a small elephant.
“Three princes all delivered up to me,” Lord Myrddin laughed, prompting his men to do the same. “What a fortunate day this is ... for me.”
Tori stared at her brother and Grant, feeling ill. She wanted to go to them, but her path was blocked by several burly Var soldiers. She glanced at Quinn. His darkened eyes met hers briefly. He was trying to tell her something, but she couldn’t understand. She wasn’t trained for these situations.
“Lord Myrddin,” Tori said, trying to reason with him. “Please, let us go. You don’t want this. We are scientists for the Human Intelligence Agency. If we disappear, they’ll send an army after us to find out what happened. They already know about the cave and I’ve reported the black moss situation. Do you really want all those foreigners here, invading your planet, finding your secret laboratory within the cave? Please, I can help you. Tell us what happened in the lab, what you were trying to do, and we can try to fix it. If we don’t this whole planet could be dead within a decade.”
Everyone was quiet for a long time, staring at her. Tori swallowed, hoping they were considering her offer. Suddenly, Lord Myrddin burst out laughing. “My sweet lady, thank you for your offer to help. As it turns out, I planned on you helping me--along with those two there.” He jerked his thumb at Vitto and Grant. “You’re one of the reasons I’m here.”
Tori paled.
“You’re not going to disappear, Dr. Elliot, you’re going to work for me.” Lord Myrddin lifted his hand and motioned. Quinn growled, partly shifted as he jumped up from the pool to the shore. His claws brandished like knives, he swung for Lord Myrddin’s throat. Someone anticipated the move and shot Quinn in the side with a dart. He fell over, instantly weakened, barely drawing blood on Lord Myrddin’s cheek. The elder didn’t move from his place.
“You stupid...” Lord Myrddin cursed, touching his cheek. Seeing the blood, he kicked the fallen prince in the gut, hard.
Quinn grunted. Tori screamed. His eyes darted to her. She took a step back. Var men leapt into the pool, surrounding her. She tried to step away from them and only succeeded in walking straight back into one of them, getting herself caught.
“Let me go!” Tori demanded, kicking and struggling. “Quinn!”
Quinn grunted, but she couldn’t see him. Tori fought harder. Lord Myrddin sighed and stepped over the shore to the strange mount. He gripped Vitto’s head by the hair and lifted it up. Taking a blade from his belt, he whistled for attention. Tori saw the blade glint with sunlight and instantly went still with panic.
“Cooperate, Dr. Elliot,” Lord Myrddin warned, not even needing to lay voice to the rest of the threat.
Tori shook violently, terrified beyond anything she’d ever felt. But, knowing Quinn was near brought her comfort. She turned to look for him. The shoreline was empty. He was gone.
Lord Myrddin dropped Vitto’s head and stormed to the shore once more. He growled in outrage and, turning to the man closest to where Quinn had been, threw the knife into the man’s heart. The Var soldier gasped and fell to his feet. No one moved to help him as he died almost instantly.
Pointing at the guards in the pool, he ordered, “Go! Find him. He’s drugged so he couldn’t have gotten too far.”
The men who held her let go. She was too numb to move as they all ran off into the forest. The remaining guard stood on the shore, not moving to capture her.
Lord Myrddin’s red face turned, as he pointed to the dead soldier and said, “Someone, get rid of him.”
Tori shook, feeling faint. Her eyes watered as she stared at the shore. He’d left her. Quinn had left her.
“Come,” Lord Myrddin said, his voice softening. “Don’t let all this scare you, my lady. So long as you behave, you’re to be a guest in my home. You’ll be treated with kindness, given food, shelter.”
“B-be-behave?” she stuttered, feeling very cold and wet. As he waved her forward again, she took a shaking step toward him. Better to use her legs than to be dragged.
“All in due time, Dr. Elliot,” he soothed. “All in good time. Come, let us warm you first.”
* * * *
Quinn pressed his body to the tree, gripping the trunk as he tried not to pass out. He was high off the ground, hidden in the branches. The drug they’d given him was potent, but at the moment his will was stronger. It took everything he had to keep from falling and thus getting himself caught.
Tori’s pale, frightened face wouldn’t leave him. She’d looked so fragile, so confused as she stared at him from the shallow pool. But, he thought with pride, she bravely tried to negotiate with Lord Myrddin and didn’t let herself get captured without a fight. Quinn chuckled grimly and it was her memory alone that kept him holding on.
Chapter Eleven
Tori glared at Lord Myrddin, hating him with her entire being. He was an evil man. If she doubted it before, she knew so now. Slowly, she shook her head in firm denial. There was no way she could do what he asked of her. “Kill me if you will, but I can’t do this for you. There is no way I’m going to have a hand in genocide.”
“Yeah, you s
ee, I’m not exactly sure what the word genocide means, Dr. Elliot,” Lord Myrddin answered, waving his hand. His long purple cloak whirled around his feet as he walked. He was dressed similar to Quinn and his brothers, but his clothing was tight and had no laces that showed peeks of skin. Rings adorned his fingers and a silver clasp kept the long locks of his hair back from his face. From what she knew of him he had to be several hundred years old, perhaps one of the oldest Var she had yet to meet. By human estimation, he didn’t look a day over forty. He was a handsome man--in a completely demented, went insane three hundred years ago, sort of way. He chuckled softly, and added, “And, honestly, I really don’t care.”
Tori’s eyes narrowed in on him. They were in Lord Myrddin’s castle home, in his dark study. Firelight glinted over them, giving the only light. The fireplace was huge, dominating the room with its presence. The dark stone reflected the mood of the man before her quite well. She’d seen similar castles before in earth history books. She felt small under the intimidating, high ceilings. No doubt that was the elder’s intent when he designed it.
Lord Myrddin had several wives, many of whom had waited on her since her arrival. They walked around him on tiptoes, their eyes always on the floor as they simpered and bowed. They refused to speak to her, refused to help her. The pitiful creatures looked more like they were beaten into submission than respectful.
Tori shivered. He wanted to finish some experiment he’d started nearly a century ago. Only too willingly, did he tell her about how the original scientists had defied him, trapping their guard in the cage at the cave laboratory, next to the Draig man they’d been forced to use for experiments. Obviously, by the bones they’d discovered, the men hadn’t been let out, but locked up and left to starve to death. The defiant scientists were captured and slowly tortured, before finally meeting their end.
Tori got the distinct impression that Lord Myrddin told her the story, in gruesome detail, to scare her. It worked. She was terrified. But how could she agree to murder a race of people? It went against everything she’d ever done as a scientist.
“Oh, all right,” Lord Myrddin said, waving a nonchalant hand like he was giving in. Tori blinked, wondering what he was up to. “I tired to ask nicely, I even said please. However, if you insist on doing this the fun way, then I’ll just have to play along.”
“What do you mean?” Tori gulped. She felt the blood draining from her face. She could only imagine what this man would consider fun.
“Guards!”
Tori jolted as the door opened. She whirled around, panting in fear. Battered and bruised, Vitto, Grant, and Prince Reid were dragged into the room by several guards. Tori felt sick to her stomach. It was obvious they’d been through hell. Their hands were bound behind their backs and they looked as if they hadn’t eaten for the three days they’d been at the castle. At least she’d been locked into a room with a bed and food. She waited for Falke, but he was missing. Terror struck her. Where was Prince Falke?
“Oh, tsk, tsk, why such the worried face, Dr. Elliot. Aren’t you enjoying yourself? You wanted to play tough, so we’re playing tough.” Lord Myrddin walked past her, his hand gliding over her shoulder, making her jerk away from him. He merely chuckled, pleased, as he moved over to the men. He studied them for a moment, letting silence fall over the chamber, marred by heavy breathing and crackling fire. Finally, he glanced over his shoulder at her. “Isn’t this what you wanted? What did you think would happen when you denied my simple request?”
“Killing is not a simple request,” she whispered hoarsely.
“Oh, that’s where you’re wrong.” Lord Myrddin’s brow rose in challenge. He smiled and walked again across the room, not touching her this time as he passed near. Tori closed her eyes and shivered. She heard him behind her and moved to watch him draw a sword from the wall. He studied the sharp blade, letting the orange fire reflect off its shiny surface. “Killing is perhaps one of the simplest of acts, so easy to do, so impossible to reverse.”
“You’re a monster,” Tori spat, glaring at him. She was too afraid to do much else, especially when he twisted the sword in his hand, leisurely showing that he knew how to use it.
“Yes, but that’s beside the point, isn’t it doctor?” Again he chuckled.
“Leave her alone, Myrddin,” Reid growled, lurching forward against his restraints. “You have no quarrel with the humans.”
The elder frowned and motioned to the guards. One guard grabbed Reid’s head and the other kneed him in the stomach. The prince fell to the ground, moaning.
“So, Dr. Elliot,” Lord Myrddin continued as if there had been no interruption. He lifted his sword and slowly pointed at each man in turn. “Which one of them will it be? Would you like to decide or shall I?”
Tori panted erratically, turning to look at the three prisoners. Her whole body shook. She couldn’t take much more of this. The men’s eyes met hers. Grant’s were nearly swollen shut. Reid shook his head, telling her no, pleading with her not to give in. Vitto’s lips parted, but she couldn’t tell what he mouthed to her. She had no choice. She couldn’t push Lord Myrddin any further, for she had not doubt he’d make good on his threats. Weak, her voice a breathless whisper, she said, “Put your blade back, my lord.”
“Excuse me, doctor?” Lord Myrddin’s voice boomed. “I couldn’t hear.”
“I said,” she gritted, turning to glare at him though still shaking violently, “put back your blade.”
“You’ll do it?” he asked, swinging the sword back and forth lightly. Tori quickly nodded. A side of his lip curled up. “Very good, Dr. Elliot.”
“I need Dr. Grant’s and Dr. Vitto’s help,” Tori said, trying to sound calm as she lied. She could probably do it on her own, but she wouldn’t let him know that. “Dr. Grant specializes in DNA research and Dr. Vitto is the only one who’s been trained to run some of our equipment. We’re a team and can work a lot faster if there are three of us. Otherwise, it could take me months, perhaps a year or more to do what you ask.”
“Done,” he said, motioning to the guards. They cut the two scientists free. Vitto and Grant landed on their hands and knees, moaning in unison. Tori rushed over to them, trying to examine their wounds without hurting them. Glancing up at Reid, she whispered, “And I want you to release Prince Reid and Prince Falke. They’ll give you their word that nothing will happen to you for this.”
“Ah, no.” Lord Myrddin placed the sword back on the wall, laughing. “But, I do applaud your audacity in trying. I admire a woman with guts.”
“Then I want you to let me tend their wounds and I want them fed. Either this, or you make your own damned weapon! Those are my terms.” Tori stood, knowing there wasn’t much she could do for Grant and her brother at the moment. She needed a medical laser, first aide kit, something.
“Very well, I’ll humor you for now, Dr. Elliot. You may tend to them. But, if you don’t make reasonable progress, I will be forced to renegotiate our deal.” His voice lowered, as he stepped forward. His face drew close to hers and he looked at her lips, eyeing them as if he would kiss her. Softly, his mouth a hairsbreadth away from hers, he said, “I don’t relish hurting you, Dr. Elliot, for you’re a very lovely woman and I abhor scarring beautiful things.” His mouth moved to her ear. “But you don’t need your legs to be able to do your work. Are we understood?”
Tori nodded, unable to look at him directly when he stood so close.
“Good.” Lord Myrddin turned to the guards and ordered, “Take her and the two scientists to the lab so that they may get started. Show Prince Reid to his ... room.”
“But you said...” Tori began in protest as Reid was roughly dragged off. He looked so battered, so defeated.
“I said you could tend them, Dr. Elliot. I didn’t say when. You’ll have your chance, just as soon as you give me what I want. It lies on your head now. If they die, it will be your fault. So I suggest you work fast.” Lord Myrddin turned his back on them and walked to his desk. The guar
ds gripped her arm and jerked her forward when she didn’t move fast enough.
“Men like you always get what’s coming to them!” she screamed, glaring hotly at him. She wished with all her heart Quinn was with her. She wasn’t sure what he’d be able to do, but his nearness would bring her comfort. No, that was selfish. If he was here, he’d be as battered as the others. It was a good thing he ran when he did.
Lord Myrddin laughed. His dark words followed her as she was forced down a narrow hall. “Sorry my dear, but in reality they really don’t.”
* * * *
Tori looked over her shoulder at the Var guard. He was standing on the other side of the bars to their giant cell, watching her through the iron strips. He stared at her, had been staring at her since they came to the “laboratory.” She knew well the hunger in his eyes. He wanted her and that terrified her. Slowly, he licked his lips, causing her to shiver in fear and repulsion. She thought of Quinn. When she closed her eyes, she could almost feel him near her. Her heart called out to him, wanted him. Her brain feared for him and silently begged that he stay away--far from harm.
“Ignore him, Tori,” Vitto said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She turned her wide eyes to him and nodded, before moving to where Grant sat. They were still pretty banged up, but after being fed and cleaned up, they looked better--if not a little weak.
The laboratory was in the dungeon of Lord Myrddin’s castle. She had no doubt that he’d placed them there on purpose. The stone was dusty and smelled bad, hardly an ideal scientific environment, but they could make due.
They’d walked past Reid in his cell to get to theirs. The man’s eyes pleaded with them not to do it. But, how could she not? She couldn’t condemn them to death. But, if she did, she’d be condemning a whole race to death. Could she live with herself if she let Vitto, Grant and the two princes die? Could she live with herself if she let a whole race of innocent people die? All she could do was pray for a miracle, pray that Quinn had gotten away. Thinking of it, she wanted to cry. Her eyes watered and there was an ache deep in her chest. Quinn might already be dead.
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