by M. K. Eidem
"Why would I not be serious?"
"Because I'm not looking my best right now, Cai."
"That is unimportant. You have proven you are strong, intelligent, and caring. I find that highly attractive."
Kirall couldn't control his growl.
"I... Oh... well... thank you, Cai. I'm not sure I can live up to all that." Kirall growled again until her sharp look cut him off. "But I do hope we can be friends."
"Friends?" Cai didn't even try to hide his shock.
"Well, yes. Is that going to be a problem?"
"A..." Cai's gaze shot to Kirall pleading for help.
"Autumn," Kirall began, "mated females don't talk with any male outside her or her mate's family. They aren't friends with them."
"Seriously?" she asked in disbelief.
"Yes."
"Well, that's not going to fly with me, Kirall. Especially since I have no family. I'm not going to spend the rest of my life only talking to you, your father, or your brothers." She looked back to Cai. "So, Cai, unless you have a problem with it, I'm going to consider you a 'friend' and plan on speaking to you whenever we meet."
Kirall sighed heavily then nodded to Cai.
"I would be honored, Lady Autumn." Cai bowed to her slightly. "Now if you will follow me."
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Entering the Elders’ area through a hidden doorway Cai had shown them, they found it in complete disarray. There were torn garments, many individuals with bumps and bruises, and while the Elders’ spread wings had protected those behind them from Tove's fire, smoke and ash still filtered through the area.
"Mother," Kirall moved to her side needing to check for himself that she was okay.
"I am fine, Kirall," she reassured him, her own gaze quickly traveling over him. "Are you? Is Autumn?"
"I'm fine, Niccele," Autumn said moving so she could see her.
“Thank Kur,” Niccele whispered.
“What happens now?” Kirall asked turning to his father.
“Now, Tove will be held by the Council Guard until such time he ‘remembers’ where, how, and from whom he obtained the crystal in question.” Kiran looked to Kirall. “Where is it, by the way?”
Kirall reached into the pocket, where he’d stuffed the jewel while tending to Autumn, and pulled it out. But instead of handing it to his father, he placed it where it belonged. Around Autumn’s neck.
Autumn bowed her head as her hand fisted around the crystal, holding it tightly against her chest. Jack would have loved it here on Mondu. He would have liked to know that Dragons were real and that he was one. The jewel warmed for a moment in her hand as if agreeing with her and she realized that at least a small part of her brother had made it to Mondu. For her, he would always live on with this crystal.
“May I see that, Autumn?” Kiran quietly asked, stepping toward her.
Raising tear-filled eyes to Kiran, she slowly lifted her hand, her fingers opening to reveal the smoky quartz resting in the palm of it.
Kiran didn’t try to take it from her, knowing not only would Autumn fight him, but so would his own mate who was sniffing back her own tears. “I have never seen Tove use this before.”
“But I thought you all had relay jewels?”
“We do, and I have seen the one Tove uses. We all have.” He gestured to the other Elders who had started to gather so they too could gaze upon what had caused such a commotion. “It too is a golden color, but it is a sphere that has been in his family for many millennia. If any of us had seen this, we would have questioned him about it.”
“It needs to remain here, in possession of the Council,” Lando declared. “Until it can be confirmed it is what she claims.”
Kirall’s threatening growl expressed his displeasure and had the Elder of the White Minors ducking behind one of the other Elders.
“That is not going to happen!” Kiran proclaimed. “There has been enough controversy here for one day. I propose, with the approval of the rest of the Council, that we adjourn until such time that Tove has healed enough to answer questions. It is going to be some time before that happens, Prime or not. Until then he shall remain in the custody of the Council Guards, and Lady Autumn will return with the crystal in question at that time.”
“You can’t be sure she or her mate won’t alter the information it holds to support their unfounded accusations against my father!” Maaike exclaimed pushing her way through the Elders to angrily glare at Autumn and the male she’d once hoped to make hers. “My father is a well-respected member of this Council. For you to turn on him like this! It's unconscionable.”
“You are distraught, Lady Maaike,” Kiran started.
“Of course I am!” She rounded on Kiran. “My father has been unjustly accused by one, not of Mondu, and you all just go along with it," her gaze traveled over the other Elders, "because a Black Prime says they should.”
“What would you then suggest, Lady Maaike?” Rad, the Elder for the White Primes, asked. “Because it is obvious that your father has something to hide.”
Maaike looked shocked for a moment. Apparently, she hadn't thought anyone would be interested in her opinion. She quickly recovered and said, “It should be someone totally impartial. Someone like Elder Lando.”
“Impartial my ass!” Autumn snorted.
“Autumn,” Kirall hissed.
“It is something to consider. Another Keeper until this is resolved,” Rad said, looking to Autumn with sympathetic eyes.
“Kirall...”
“I will not allow them to take it from you, Autumn.”
“But...”
“No.” He spun her around so she could see the determination in his eyes. “They are not taking it from you.”
Autumn reached up to cup his cheek. She knew he would take on the entire Council to make sure she kept the crystal if that was what she wanted. Did she? Could she really allow this to divide the Council the way it seemed to? She knew Tove had supporters that would never believe that he was involved in anything if she and Kirall left with the crystal. But there was no way Lando was getting his slimy claws on it. But then who would everyone in the Council trust as a Keeper?
“Kirall?” she asked remembering something.
“Yes?”
“Why was everyone so surprised when I stopped the Guards from obeying Tove?”
“Because it is part of what it means to be a Council Guard. While they must obey the orders of the Council, as long as they are within Dragoon Law, no Elder’s power is able to influence them as it does one of their own.”
“You mean as Lando used his on Dacke to force him to reveal who I was.”
“Yes. That you were able to...”
“So if one of the Council Guards were to become the temporary Keeper of this.” She held up the crystal. “Then there would be no way for anyone to tamper with it?”
“I...” Kirall looked to his father and found everyone was listening.
“She was able to influence the Guards!” Maaike reminded everyone.
“I only stopped them, I didn’t make them do anything.”
“But you could," Maaike accused.
“Then let’s find out. Elder Kiran, could you request one of the Guards to approach?”
“Commander of the Council Guard, present yourself to the Council.”
All heads turned to watch as the largest of all the Guards moved to the center of the arena as ordered.
“Elder Kiran,” Cai addressed him, bowing slightly at the waist.
“You’ve heard what is being discussed here.”
“Yes, Elder Kiran.”
“Can you explain how Kirall and Lady Autumn were both able to overpower you and the other Council Guards?”
“I would disagree with ‘overpowering’ us, Elder Kiran. But as Kirall is an Elder, we must within the Law follow his orders as we do all Elders.” Gasps of shock and surprise filled the air.
“Kirall is not an Elder!” Lando immediately denied.
“That every Guard here
followed his order would force me to disagree,” Cai told Lando. “As for Lady Autumn, it would seem she is also an Elder.” His first declaration had filled the arena with waves of shock and disbelief. This one left in its wake a stunned silence. “As such, if this Council makes one of us the Keeper of this crystal until the Council reconvenes and orders that no one, Elder or not, is allowed access to the relay codes within it, then not even a Supreme Elder would be able to force one of us.”
“Would that suffice?” Kiran asked looking at the Council who one by one nodded. “Lady Maaike?”
“Yes,” Maaike replied a speculative gleam in her eyes.
“Autumn?” Kirall asked before his father could. Looking down at her, telling her through their bond that if this wasn’t what she wanted he would support her.
“I have one condition. Well, two actually,” Autumn said turning back to face Kiran.
“And they are?”
“The first is that once this is resolved, the crystal is returned to me.”
Kiran looked at the other Elders who nodded. “Agreed. The second?”
“That the Commander of the Council Guard is named the Keeper.”
“But...” Maaike stuttered.
“I can see no reason why that wouldn’t be acceptable.” Kiran held out his hand for the crystal.
“No,” Autumn’s hand tightened around it. “I will place it on the Commander. After the Council orders that no one is allowed access to the information it holds. That way there can be no whispers that someone was able to alter it.”
Kiran nodded, surprised at how his son’s mate’s mind worked. She was going to make an extraordinary Elder because the Commander was correct. She was an Elder.
Epilogue
Kirall gazed down at his mate, sleeping so deeply and peacefully curled up in his arms after the exhausting day they'd just had. They'd barely made it passed their boundary before his Dragon had covered his mate. It had been fast and furious, an affirmation that she was still his, and safe, after all the stresses and threats they had faced that day.
It had nearly broken his heart to watch her take the crystal from around her neck and with trembling hands place it over Cai's head as he kneeled down before her. She had been so strong, but he could feel the anguish that filled her as once again it was being taken from her.
It wouldn't be for long he vowed. It had been decided that one week was more than enough time for Tove to heal and that the Council would then reconvene and settle this.
"I'm fine," she told him slowly opening her eyes to gaze up at him.
"You are so much more than fine," he growled which brought a sexy smile to her lips.
"So are you, Elder Kirall, but I know you're not happy that Cai has the crystal."
"It should be around your neck, not his."
"And it will be once this is resolved. Yes, it hurt giving it up, almost as much as when Terron took it." She covered his lips with her fingers, silencing his growl. "But this time I know it's not forever. That I will get a piece of my family back and it will always reside in our Lair."
"It will," he promised.
"Speaking of Lairs. What are we going to do with yours?"
"As both my Lair and my parents’ are in the same mountain range, I assume that Radko will claim it."
"Radko? He's the youngest, isn't he?"
"He is."
"So he's the only one that still lives in your parents’ Lair?"
"No, all three of my sisters still live there."
"So then why can't either Nixie, Ravannah, or Aisling claim your Lair? Or all three of them together for that matter?"
"Because they are female," Kirall told her.
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"What makes you think they are any less powerful than you before we mated? Besides age?"
"It's not about power. It's about protection."
"But a Lair protects its Keeper."
"It does."
"Then why wouldn't yours protect your sisters?"
"Because they’re female."
"Are you saying that Kruba wouldn't protect me if you weren't here?" She sat straight up to glare at him. "May I remind you that I claimed Kruba on my own."
"I... well... yes, you did, but females don't normally leave their parents’ protection until they've taken a mate."
"Are you telling me that your sisters go through their Heats in your parents’ Lair?"
"Where else would they go through it?"
"OMG, that is so wrong." Autumn couldn't imagine doing what she did with Kirall when he was in Heat knowing his parents were just down the hall. "At least one of them is moving into your old Lair. Radko can carve out his own."
"Autumn, as you saw in Kruba, it takes a large quantity of jewels to empower a Lair. I don't believe my sisters even combined have enough."
"Well, they can just add what they do have to what's already there, and if they think they need more, we can give them some from Kruba."
"I..." Kirall had absolutely no clue what to say to that.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Back in Dramman, Cai had just entered his rooms after making sure the Council Chambers were secure. It had been a long, eventful day. One that would be talked about for millennia to come. Reaching down, he lifted the crystal that now hung around his neck. There would be even more to talk about when it was proven one way or the other if Tove was in contact with the Varana.
Kur, what would happen if he was?
As he was about to let the crystal fall back onto his chest, it began to glow indicating an incoming transmission. Wrapping his fist around it, he answered.
About the Author
Michelle has always loved to read, and writing is just a natural extension of this for her. Growing up, she loved to extend the stories of books she'd read just to see where the characters went. Happily married for over twenty-five years, she is the proud mother of two grown children and a grandmother of one perfect little girl. You can reach her at [email protected] or her website at http://www.mkeidem.com. She'd love to hear your comments.
Additional Books
Cassandra's Challenge: The Imperial Series, Book 1
Victoria's Challenge: The Imperial Series, Book 2
Jacinda's Challenge: The Imperial Series, Book 3
Grim: Tornians Book 1
A Grim Holiday: Tornians Book 1.5
Wray: Tornians Book 2
Ynyr: Tornians Book 3
Oryon: Tornians Book 3.5
A Grim Pet: Tornians Book 4
Kirall's Kiss
Nikhil: Kaliszians Book 1
Treyvon: Kaliszians Book 2
