“She died because of something he did.”
Riordan placed his hand gently on Drake’s shoulder. “You’ve got magic now. Finding him won’t be a problem.”
Drake nodded. A strange tone sounded in his mind. He wasn’t the only one that heard it. Riordan and the others stiffened, their gazes clashing. “What is that?”
“The Sentinels are calling us for help,” Red said.
“We’ve got to go to their temple immediately,” Riordan said. “Have you ever been there before?”
“No.”
“I’ll port you there. Hold onto my shoulder.”
He did, and in seconds they stood in an octagon-shaped room constructed out of what looked like opaque glass. A command center, but instead of computer terminals, their techs stared into thin crystal slabs that resembled mirrors. It appeared that only the five of them and Kedar were called from the Executioner compound. The only other person he recognized was Jelena’s grandfather.
A thin, harried, white-haired man dressed in red robes motioned them to the large clear crystal ball resting on the pedestal in the center of the room. “There’s at least a dozen of them and they’re headed right for the gateway.”
“A dozen what?” Drake asked.
The Sentinel looked at him as if he were stupid. “Outsiders.”
“The gateway is a stone archway that leads through the protection spell into the city,” Riordan said. “It’s bespelled against outsiders. The only way they can find it is if they know it’s there.”
“Exactly. So what do we do about them? If they search hard enough, they are sure to stumble onto it.” The Sentinel pointed at the crystal ball.
It clouded over then transformed into a visual of the approaching outsiders, distorted around the edges, but in the center as clear as any vid-com Drake had ever seen.
His gaze focused on the man leading the procession and his blood pressure rose. Drek! “Show me what the gateway looks like.”
The Sentinel darted an annoyed look at him, but did what he asked. The visual changed to an ancient stone archway carved with symbols similar to the ones he’d seen in Jelena’s cottage.
Drake turned and strode toward the door.
“Wait a minute!” Riordan caught up to him. “You know them?”
“Yeah. I’ll take care of it.” If they knew what was good for them, they’d be gone before he got there.
Chapter Sixteen
“DAMN, IT’S cold out here. Are you sure this is the right place?”
“It’s here somewhere. Keep looking.”
Morgan looked from his shivering brother to his father and released a frustrated sigh. They shouldn’t be here. Drake needed time to adjust. Hell, they all did. But his father wouldn’t listen. He was afraid that if he didn’t make things right immediately, he’d lose Drake forever. Busting in on these people and demanding to speak to him wasn’t the best way to make things right, and Morgan told his father that.
Tremaine told him to shut up and look for the gateway. He’d never actually seen it. Drake’s mother had told him where to find it if he ever needed her—a wooded glade with a waterfall at the base of the tallest mountain in the hazard zone.
This looked like the right place but thus far they hadn’t found frak. Galen and his men were drenched, searching that damned waterfall for an entrance. Tremaine and his men were poking and prodding the trees and bushes on their side of the glade, while he and his three men searched for a passageway through the mountain.
Morgan smacked his stick hard against the rock face. He swore and shook his stinging hand. If they didn’t find the gateway in the next five minutes, they were going home whether his father liked it or not.
Thunder rumbled above him, echoing his mood.
He jabbed at the rock between two large bushes and the stick passed through it. The gateway? Or had he managed to find the entrance to a small cave. He moved closer and parted the bushes.
“Did you find something, Your Highness?”
He glanced at the guardsman a few meters to his left. “Maybe.”
Something grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him into the rock. He closed his eyes against the sight of rock rushing toward his face. He didn’t hit anything.
His lids flew open as Drake released his hold and stepped back. “Gods, Drake, you scared the frak out of me.”
“Your Highness!”
Morgan whirled toward the voice.
The guardsman ran along a waist-high stone wall, frantically searching the bushes for where Morgan had disappeared. The wall butted against a four-meter high stone archway, at least a half-meter thick, and continued on the other side of it.
“Amazing. How did they make this look like the mountain?” Which was a good two kilometers west of them.
Tremaine grabbed the guardsman’s shoulder. “What happened?”
“Prince Morgan vanished. He…”
Realizing that Drake hadn’t answered, Morgan tuned his father and the guardsman out and turned to him.
Drake stared at Tremaine, his fists clenched. “Get him out of here, Morgan. Get him out of here before I strangle him.”
“I’ll hold him for you.”
Drake froze, his furious gaze flicking to Morgan. “What?”
“You think we’re happy about what he did to you? Galen and I thought about beating his head against the wall, but he’s so thick-headed I doubt it would leave a bruise.”
“What the hell does he want from me?”
“To explain.”
Drake shook his head. “I don’t want it. Just take him home.”
“If I do that, he’ll come back on his own. He’s afraid you’ll disappear again, for good this time.”
Not a bad idea. Drake rubbed his hand over his face. “Fine. I’ll hear him out.” Apparently, he wouldn’t have any peace until he did.
They strode through the gateway side-by-side. The nine guardsmen were poking and prodding the bushes along the stone wall they thought was a mountain, while Galen trembled beside their father.
Morgan shivered and rubbed his hands on his arms. “Damn, I didn’t realize how warm it was in there.”
Tremaine whirled at the sound of Morgan’s voice and immediately started toward them. Galen stayed him with a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t rush him.”
Drake nodded toward the guardsmen who watched him warily. “Bringing them here puts these people at risk.”
“They’ve sworn an oath of silence,” Morgan said. “If one word gets out about this place or anything they see here, the whole lot of them will be banished for treason.”
Then they’re mine.
“I’ll get a fire started. If Dad brings Galen home ill, Mother just may string him up by his balls after all.” Morgan strode toward the woods and gestured for Galen and the others to follow.
Drake leaned against a boulder near the gateway and sent a hot gust of wind swirling around Galen and the three damp guardsmen, drying them off. Ignoring their startled exclamations, he turned his gaze to his father.
“You’ve learned a lot, I see.”
Drake nodded. “Say what you need to say. I have things to do.”
Tremaine’s face darkened. “Watch it, son. You may be angry with me, but I’m still your elder. You speak to me with respect.”
{Dad, don’t drek things up worse than you already have.} Morgan could send his thoughts to everyone or a few. In this case, Drake figured he used his telepathy so the men didn’t hear him reprimand his father.
Tremaine jerked his gaze to Morgan and sighed. “You’re right. I have drekked things up.”
If the man expected an argument from him, he wasn’t getting it. Drake stared and waited.
Tremaine rubbed his eyes and drew in a deep shuddering breath. The anguish in his eyes almost made him forget he was angry. Almost. “Gods, Drake, giving you up was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.”
Why? Why did you do it? Did I deserve a life of hell even then? Drake clamped his jaw s
hut. He’d be damned if he’d let the man know just how deep he hurt.
“Hastin, Shay and I accompanied my father and his archeologists here. He was certain the ruins of the ancient Nar’galira city lay somewhere within the danger zone, and he was determined to find it. His life’s mission was to prove that the Nar’galira existed. We searched for weeks, but didn’t so much as find a shard of pottery.”
Drake knew this part of the story but kept his silence.
“One night, our camp was attacked. Miranda called them razagidor—demon cats. They were unlike anything I’ve ever seen. So quick and silent. They were on us before we ever knew they were there.” Tremaine shuddered, his eyes reflecting the horror of the memory.
“There was no scaring them off. They kept coming, kept attacking. We killed every last one of them, but not before they killed two of our men and injured more than half. I took a slash across the ribs, but I wasn’t too bad. My father wasn’t as lucky. I didn’t expect him to last the night.”
But he did. Drake met him once when he’d first been fostered.
“We did the best we could with our field packs, but we knew it wasn’t enough. Hastin and Shay hiked out of the danger zone then ported to the ship to get help in the spaceport. Somehow, they were separated. That’s when the Jotnar grabbed Shay.”
Separated my ass. Hastin ran off and left Shay in a bind. Drake refused to believe anything else. Because of him, Shay ended up slave to Kendra Zoltan, Morgan’s mother-in-law, a heartless bitch who sold her own son into slavery to advance her daughter’s career.
“The healers came just before dawn. That’s when I met your mother. She healed my father and took care of my ribs. Gods, Drake, she was such a beautiful woman. And so kind. She made sure everyone was taken care of, fed, made comfortable.”
Damn. Drake swallowed past the lump in his throat. Damn Threaden to hell for what he did. He swore he’d see him there personally if it was the last thing he ever did.
“It was a few days before everyone was well enough to leave. Miranda spent most of it by my side. She knew that I’d be leaving soon and that I was engaged to Ramana, but she didn’t seem to care. I saw the way that she looked at me. I knew she was falling in love.”
Tremaine sighed and leaned against the boulder next to Drake. “I tried to discourage her but, damn, I couldn’t hurt her. She saved my father’s life. I was so damned grateful to her, for that and everything she’d done. I owed her so much… I got caught up in the magic of the place and in her.
“When she asked me to make love to her, I couldn’t refuse. We made love only once. I cared deeply for her, but I loved Ramana. Your mother understood. She said Destiny had a reason for everything, and asked only that I remember her with fondness.”
Until it came back and bit you in the ass. You owed her, but not enough to take care of her son, not enough to claim him as your blood. That price was too high. Drake folded his arms, covering his clenched fists, and turned his stare on the fire.
It flared high. The men around it swore and scrambled back.
Tremaine’s voice lowered. “I didn’t know about you until your grandmother summoned me to take you home. I’m sorry about your mother, son, more sorry than I can say.”
Drake saw her in the flames. She caressed his babyish cheek and kissed the top of his head. His throat tightened so bad he couldn’t swallow. Were the gods torturing him again, or was this a memory he’d forgotten? Drek, he didn’t want this. He didn’t want this pain.
He wanted Jelena in his arms. He wanted her to make him forget everything the way she had last night. Gods, it seemed a lifetime since he’d held her, touched her.
He had to let her go. He had to let them all go. Love hurt too drekking much. He couldn’t do it anymore.
Tremaine touched his shoulder.
He jerked away from him and the boulder. “I’ve heard enough,” he whispered, and headed for the gateway.
“Drake?” Morgan called after him.
Tremaine grabbed his arm. “I’m not finished.”
As Drake met Tremaine’s gaze, he kept his pain, his anger, under tight control, kept his face expressionless. “You gave me to Hastin. I lived the rest.”
Tremaine flinched, releasing his arm.
Gods, he remembered everything. He remembered strong arms holding him and the voice that kept telling him everything would be all right, that Dad would take care of him. But it hadn’t been all right. He woke up in another strange bed with cold faces staring down at him, speaking angry words he didn’t understand. When he’d seen Tremaine again, years later, he’d forgotten all about him and his other life.
“I didn’t want to give you up, but I didn’t know what else to do. How could I come home to my wife with a son only a few months older than our marriage? I couldn’t hurt her like that. I thought that by placing you with Hastin, I’d be able keep you near, watch you grow. I knew Hastin still smarted over losing Ramana to me, but I never believed he would harm you because of it. I had to see the truth with my own eyes.”
The night Hastin had nearly killed him. When he’d stomped off to get drunk, Drake had twisted a cloth around his bleeding arm and disappeared into the night. By the time Morgan found him in the garden, the whole left side of his face had swelled and he couldn’t see out of that eye. Morgan had sworn then that Hastin would never hurt him again. Sabina must have sensed her twin’s distress, because only a few minutes later, she led Tremaine to them. He’d taken one glance and looked ready to commit murder. He’d settled him into a room, called for the physician and then disappeared. When he returned, he had Drake’s things with him.
“After all you’d suffered, I knew you’d hate me if you knew the truth, and I didn’t want to lose you again. So, I fostered you.”
And the rest is history. “I wouldn’t have said anything,” Drake whispered. “You didn’t have to tell them.”
“Yes I did. It was long past time. I don’t expect you to forgive me, and I’m not asking you to, but don’t turn your back on the others. This is my mistake. Your brothers, your sister, Ramana, they love you. Don’t make them suffer because of what I’ve done.”
“Is that it?”
“Yes.”
Drake had every intention of porting out of there the moment the word was out of Tremaine’s mouth, but the sad resignation on the man’s face kept him where he stood. He rubbed his hands over his face and sighed. “I need time to deal with this.”
“I understand.” Tears glistened in Tremaine’s eyes. “I couldn’t let you walk out of my life without at least trying to explain.”
Drake looked away. He couldn’t forgive the man. Not yet. His decision had made Drake’s life hell. But, he wouldn’t have been in that position if Threaden hadn’t done what he did.
Threaden was ultimately responsible for everything—his mother’s death, Tremaine’s deceit, Morgan’s pain, and countless other offenses. He deserved to die.
Drake’s brothers had obviously waited as long as they were going to. Brothers. Gods, who would have thought? He sure as hell hadn’t. He turned and faced them.
For the first time in all the years he’d known them Galen didn’t seem to find humor in a situation. “You being his son doesn’t change anything.”
Drake froze. He didn’t expect this from Galen.
“I’ve had two brothers for as long as I can remember.”
“Sabina and I feel the same,” Morgan said. “You know that.”
“If it’s all right with you, I’d like to return to Trakis now.” Galen paled, as if a thought just came to him. “Unless you don’t want us for brothers.”
This was the opening he needed to walk away and never look back.
When he didn’t respond, Galen’s shoulders slumped. He glanced at his father and Morgan. “I guess I can’t blame you. I’d probably feel the same.”
Drake couldn’t do it. He swore silently. “I’m sure Mayori will be grateful for the help,” he said, his voice low. “She’s been on her
own for a week already, and there’s no telling when I’ll return.”
“You’re not staying here?” Morgan asked. “When Jelena came to see me, I thought maybe you two—”
She went to see him? When? Why? It didn’t matter. Not any more. “It didn’t work out.” Drake looked away and rubbed his chest. “I’m going back to Trakis when I’m finished here.”
“Did Jelena discover who’s trying to get you?” Galen asked.
He nodded. “Zanera. She’s using Threaden as bait.”
“Drek! And I expected you to… That would have put you right into her hands. I’m sorry. I wanted him so bad—”
“I know. I’ll get him, just not that way.”
“No.” Morgan grabbed his shoulder. “I want you two to forget about him. If he’s mixed up in something so bad that the Guardians are involved, I don’t want you anywhere near him.”
“Morgan’s right,” Tremaine said. “He’s not worth dying for.”
Drake shook his head. “I can’t do that. This isn’t just about what he did to you. Judgment’s been rendered on him, and I gave my word that I’d see it carried out.”
“Judgment?” Galen whispered. “You mean like gods and Executioners. That kind of thing?”
“Yeah, that kind of thing.”
“Why you?” Tremaine asked.
“Why not?” Drake released a humorless chuckle. “I’ve definitely got the background for it.”
Tremaine flinched then shook his head. “There has to be more to it than that. The gods have Executioners they could have assigned.”
“They say they have,” Drake whispered and watched for their reactions. Surprise, shock, but not horror. Morgan simply nodded.
“Holy stars! You’re an Executioner?”
Drake glanced at the Guardsmen, who jerked their gazes toward them, and shook his head. “I agreed to take out Threaden. That’s it.”
“Holy stars,” Galen whispered.
Drake sighed, and rubbed his chest. “Look, it’s getting kind of late for me. If I’m going to track down Threaden tomorrow, I’m going to need a few hours of sleep.”
“I’ll get the men packed up. You take care.” Tremaine squeezed his shoulder, his gaze searching for something Drake wasn’t ready to give. “Take care.” He dropped his hand and strode toward the fire.
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