by Raine Thomas
Kyr and Ty threw up their mental defenses as they left the tower. She followed at a run as Ty led them down the route they had planned in advance, the one along the private hallway leading to her bedchamber.
She was mildly surprised to find that the secret door leading into her closet had been repaired from when she kicked it in after escaping from the death box. That repair didn’t last long. Ty had to kick the door in again since neither of them had the key. Kyr winced at the noise that boomed through the hallway. Hopefully no one was anywhere near them.
Ty entered first, but Kyr scurried in after him. She closed the door and walked from the small room just inside the door out into the depths of her closet, hoping to find something with which to brace the door.
The closet was in a shambles. She took a second to process that. Ty joined her after leaving her father on the floor of the empty room.
What the hell happened here? he wondered.
She looked over and saw his dark frown. I don’t know, and right now, I don’t care. Please find something to brace the door. We have to get my father conscious.
He nodded. She felt what he didn’t express, and tried not to let panic take over.
They had no idea what was going on with her father and whether he would be on their side. They still had no idea where Sem or Caelys were being held.
And they had no idea whether or not Vycor knew they were there.
Chapter 36
Ty left Kyr with Brunyr in the small room behind the closet while he secured the rest of her chambers. It was the safest place for them right now because it had the separate door if they needed a quick escape. Of course, he couldn’t help but think that escape of any kind would be much harder with an unconscious male on their hands.
His search of Kyr’s bedchambers, lounging area, and bathing chamber was done methodically. He made sure it was quick, silent, and done in the dark to avoid alerting anyone of their presence.
Through their connection, Kyr saw everything he did…all of the things that once belonged to her now lying in ruins. Even the mirror in the bathing chamber had been shattered. Pieces of the glass crunched under his feet as he made his way through the room.
Surprisingly, he was more upset by the mistreatment of her things than she was. He knew it had been Vycor or Shaya personally who had done this, probably once they learned Kyr was still alive.
His thoughts narrowed it down to just Shaya as he returned to the closet and once again saw all of the beautiful clothes lying in tatters. It had been a petty, jealous, and—as much as he hated to think it—female thing to do. It had the Guardian’s mark all over it. Vycor would show his anger in other, less obvious ways.
Since he half-expected Kyr to argue about the whole female thing, he was surprised by her silence. Or he was until he reached the small room and spotted her. She was sitting beside her father with his hand in hers, sound asleep.
He couldn’t bear to wake her, despite his driving need to keep looking for Sem. They had been up for nearly a full day, and it had been a physically taxing one. She needed rest.
For a moment, he considered trying to breech Brunyr’s thoughts. A subtle scan revealed nothing. It was likely that the Guardian was under the influence of the V’larian drug. Since Ty had no idea how that might impact his own mind, he decided not to test things until Kyr was awake to help.
Instead, he reached out to Owyn. Status?
Clear. Zasha came through.
Great. Did she retire for the night?
Yes. No one should suspect anything. I can lay low here until you and Kyr give me the go-ahead.
Ty nodded, relieved. One less person they needed to worry about for the moment. He gave his uncle a quick update on where they were and who they had recovered.
Why the hell was Guardian Brunyr up in the tower? Owyn puzzled. That news never reached the Dane megai.
I don’t think many people know. Kyr and I will ask him the moment he’s awake.
All right. Keep me posted.
I will. Get some sleep.
Yeah. You, too.
Ty doubted either of them would get much sleep without knowing Sem’s fate, though. He tried not to let his uncle’s disappointment bring him down. He was feeling badly enough as it was.
To distract himself and because it was past time he did so, he reached out to Gren.
It’s about damn time, Gren thought in a gruff tone that reminded Ty of Owyn.
I’m sorry. We’ve been traveling. I never want to go near the Savyaan Sea again. We’re inside the palace.
He quickly brought Gren up to speed on their situation. Gren was glad to hear that they had confirmed Sem was alive, and was just as baffled by the imprisonment of Brunyr as everyone else. Unable to be much help, Gren presented his update.
The V’larians have arrived and they’ve made themselves known. From what I can tell, they’re gathering out here in the Dark Lands to keep the rest of Alametria unaware of their arrival.
Ty frowned. There was no way V’larian ships should have been able to get inside their planet’s orbit without setting off their security beacons. Of course, Vycor could have either influenced someone to disengage the beacons or ignore them if the V’larians set them off.
The V’larians are using mind control, Gren continued. I’ve heard stories of the drug you mentioned. Between both of these things, they’re overtaking Outcasts left and right. Malak and his Marauders are aiding them. Scarlyt and the Peace Keepers are doing their best to hide people away because they’re not trained to fight, but with the V’larians able to read most of their minds…
Most of?
So far, it seems those of us that you and Kyr protected before you left are immune to their mind control.
That’s something, Ty thought.
Yeah, but unfortunately not enough. Ty, we’re facing insurmountable odds out here. It’s bad.
For Gren to admit as much, it had to be beyond bad. Ty’s concern for his friend multiplied.
Don’t fear for me, Gren returned. Fear for the planet. These guys are going to take us down one megai at a time.
Keep at it, Gren. You’re saving lives. Make sure you save your own and we’ll get help to you as soon as we can.
Thanks. Good luck.
Neither of them admitted that they feared Ty’s promise was unlikely to be fulfilled in time.
Overwhelmed by the terrible news, Ty braced himself against the door leading out to the private hallway and pulled Kyr onto his lap. He kissed the top of her head and tucked her against his chest. She sighed and snuggled closer. He felt the gentle beat of her heart against his arm as he cradled her.
A fierce sense of protectiveness swept through him. He would not fail his amanti and unborn child. He hadn’t come this far only to fall short.
They had to rescue Sem and Caelys. If they didn’t, Vycor could easily have them killed if he felt too threatened. The problem was, no one seemed to know where they were.
Kyr had connected with him, Ty mused. It had been just before dawn. She had been easing out of sleep, when her mind was most open. Maybe if he opened his mind and focused intently on Sem, he could connect with his cousin.
He decided to try it. He calmed his breathing and put himself into a meditative state that allowed him to be aware of what was happening around him while restoring his body’s energy. Then he opened his mind and thought about Sem.
He wasn’t sure how long he sat like that, but eventually, he succeeded. As Kyr had the day before, he felt the subtle touch of Sem’s mind on his.
Sem, try to focus, he thought.
Ty.
Yes. We made it to the palace. He paused, expecting a reaction. Sem?
Palace.
Sem was definitely more out of it this time. Ty had to see if his cousin could give him an idea of where he was being held.
Sem, focus. Where are you?
A pinch of pain alerted Ty to the fact that Sem had been dosed again…but not before Sem sent through an image of K
yr dressed in white, bleeding on an altar. When their connection severed, Ty opened his eyes.
And smiled.
He knew where his cousin was.
Chapter 37
Time to wake up, love.
Kyr followed Ty’s gentle pull until consciousness returned. She felt battered and achy, and nearly lashed out at him in irritation for waking her.
Then his thoughts ran through her mind like her own. Her eyes opened and she pushed herself off Ty’s lap so she could look at him. All thoughts of sleep vanished as she realized he had figured out where Sem was being held.
He was in the Ritual Chamber.
Her heart raced. They were so close now. They had to figure out how they could rescue him as quickly as possible.
Her gaze moved to her father. They couldn’t leave him unguarded, not while he was still unconscious. She almost suggested that Ty leave her behind to meet up with Owyn and rescue Sem, but neither of them was comfortable with the idea of separating even for a short while.
I can do a light scan of his mind to see if he’s nearing consciousness, she told Ty. As long as you help tether me and I don’t go too deep, I’ll be okay.
Kyr…
Please, Ty. We have to do something. Every passing minute matters.
Although still reluctant, Ty nodded.
Thank you.
Not wasting any more time, she took one of her father’s hands and one of Ty’s and cleared her mind so that all she heard was the thoughts she and Ty shared. She then eased into her father’s consciousness.
At first, everything seemed dark. For a brief moment, she wondered if he was brain dead. Eventually, though, she realized she hadn’t yet gotten deep enough to bypass the influence of the drug. Remembering the drug’s aftereffects, she hesitated to go further, but she knew she had to if they were going to make any progress.
With a little more digging, Kyr unearthed a flow of what she realized were memories. The first had him standing in front of Ty’s bedchamber doors. Vycor was looking into her father’s eyes and telling him that he had to incapacitate Ty because Ty would interrupt the Ruvex Rite and risk Kyr’s sanity. Her father believed every word.
The next memory showed Brunyr seeing the altar and torture devices in the Ritual Chamber before Kyr’s Rite. He was appalled that Vycor intended to use them. Then he became confused, thinking that the altar had to be used, though he wasn’t sure why.
From there, he stood watching Vycor tell Shaya that the influencing was necessary to keep their plan from falling apart. Neither of them knew he was there. He didn’t know what plan they were talking about.
Then he was grasping Ty’s arm in Kyr’s chambers after finding him in bed with her. Despite his outrage over what he felt was Ty’s betrayal, he knew that he shouldn’t be stripping the Dem-Shyr of his abilities until after an investigation, especially in light of how devastated Kyr was.
Next, he stared down at Kyr’s body in the death box with a strange, tortuous combination of grief and gray dispassion.
The last image showed him walking into his amanti’s bedchamber and finding her writhing in bed with Vycor.
Kyr realized that her father had been under the influence of either the V’larian ambassadors or Vycor since she returned to Alametria. Possibly even earlier than that. Shaya had probably known her amanti wouldn’t fall in line with her plans to wrest control of the planet from their daughter, so she had given Vycor some of Ty’s abilities to keep Brunyr in line and bring their plans to fruition.
But it hadn’t stopped there, Kyr knew. Vycor had grown greedy and bargained with the V’larians for more. Then he had started using his newfound abilities on anyone he felt necessary. Who knew how far he’d go to hold onto that power and keep his plans from unraveling?
Now wasn’t the time to dwell on that. Kyr used her abilities to calm Brunyr’s thoughts. She urged him to think of happier memories, knowing it would get his mind into a more controlled state. His brain responded.
To her surprise, all of those happy memories were of her…her birth, her first steps, her first words, her first training lesson. Memory after memory of her father watching her grow ran through both their minds. It was another kind of revelation.
Dad, she thought, it’s Kyr. I need you.
Kyr?
Yes. Follow the sound of my voice.
She eased him from unconsciousness, working them free of the darkness caused by the drug. The moment she knew he was clear, she dove back into his mind.
Ty cursed. He tightened his hold over her, keeping her tethered as she sought the areas of her father’s mind that had been influenced and used her abilities to obliterate that influence. She worked on erasing every essence of Vycor, even though it made her feel dirty and used. When she was done, she put blocks in place to keep it from happening again.
Ty helped her back out when she was done. It took her a minute to return to full awareness. She realized she was in Ty’s arms. Her father was stirring, pushing himself into a sitting position.
“Where am I?” he asked groggily.
Kyr remembered that they were still sitting in the dark. “Dad, it’s me, Kyr.”
“Kyr?” His hand fumbled towards her, so she reached out and took it. “But…you were…”
“I’m afraid I’ve got some news to share, Dad, and it isn’t all good. Let’s start with the fact that I’m still alive.”
She explained everything, holding her father’s hand and sending him comforting thoughts the entire time. He was so happy to learn that she was still alive that he had to blink back tears. That happiness turned to anger as he dealt with the terrible duplicity wrought by Vycor and Shaya. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the luxury of time to dwell on it.
“We’ve figured out where Sem is,” she said as she wrapped up her explanation. “Now we just have to find Caelys.”
“I want to be of assistance,” Brunyr said. “You’ve helped me remember myself. I remember what it felt like to be under Vycor’s influence. My mind rebelled against it.” He looked down at his hands, barely visible in the light coming in from under the door. “I didn’t remove all of your abilities, TaeDane. I didn’t feel it was right, even while I was being influenced.”
Kyr felt through Ty that this was how he had retained his healing abilities after he had been stripped of his power and sent to the Dark Lands. Her chest ached when the image of Ty lying down to die in the Dark Lands entered her mind. She knew he had lived through it thanks to those healing abilities. The significance of that couldn’t be overstated.
Brunyr caught her attention as he said, “Look in my mind and see if I saw anything to help you find Caelys. Heard anything.”
“I did,” she admitted. “I’m afraid you didn’t.”
“Then let me return your abilities to you,” he said, turning in Ty’s direction. “I’m sorry for any part I played in what happened. I’ll do anything I can to make it up to you.”
Ty rubbed Kyr’s back as he replied, “Thanks. But I’m far stronger now as Kyr’s amanti than I was as the Dem-Shyr.”
Kyr felt Brunyr’s pang of sadness that he hadn’t been present at her pairing ceremony. For the first time, she wished they had waited. But she couldn’t have known, and there was nothing to be done about it now.
“I’m happy for you both,” Brunyr murmured. “And I give you my blessing, though I know you don’t need it. But what do you want me to do with the abilities I’m harnessing? They don’t do me any good.”
“Thank you for your blessing, Dad,” Kyr said, taking his hand. “We might not have needed it to pair, but it does my heart good to have it now.” Thinking of their unborn baby and the protector they would identify for him or her, she added, “Save those abilities for another worthy individual.”
Brunyr smiled. “Fair enough. Now, you’ve wasted enough time talking to me. Why don’t you tell me the plan?
Kyr returned his smile, grateful for his willingness to help. It was time to rescue Sem and Caelys.
The dream that Kyr had banished from his mind returned to Ty in full force as he and Kyr met up with Owyn in a corridor not too far from the Ritual Chamber. It had been in this room that Vycor had stood over the altar while Ty was bound. It had been in this room that Sem’s head was dumped at his feet. Where Vycor had reduced him to a mindless animal as he—
No more, Kyr thought, interrupting his stream of consciousness. I’m with you, Ty. Vycor won’t defeat us.
I’m sorry, he thought, shaking his head at himself. The last thing he wanted was to put her through even the memory of that dream.
He returned his attention to helping her keep them all masked from sight with their abilities. In truth, they probably could have just covered themselves with their cloaks and blended in with the numerous other people milling the hallways at this time of the morning. It wasn’t worth the risk of being caught, though.
Fear and despair ran rampant among the people they passed. The same emotions had pervaded the courtyard the night before. Both he and Kyr were relieved to discover that most of the people were at least within their own minds rather than under Vycor’s influence.
They tried not to think about the V’larians who could even then be sweeping across the Dark Lands and claiming Alametrian minds.
Okay, Kyr thought as they neared the door to the rarely-used back entrance to the Ritual Chamber. Here I go.
Ty and Owyn stood slightly behind her as she allowed the illusion surrounding her to dissolve. Both guards frowned and stood at attention when they noticed her. Her cloak covered her head and most of her face, but she flipped it back over her shoulders as she strode towards them to reveal the low-cut blouse she wore beneath it. As predicted, the guards immediately focused on her breasts nearly spilling from the top.
