Gysella tutted. “Imagine a conduit with no need to draw blood or perform rituals.”
“One with no sense of morality or the value of human life,” Octavia said. “He lives to serve and feed his mother and nothing else matters. He is worse than Seba ever was by a hundred fold.”
“Is it even possible to bind someone like that?” Gysella asked. “And how do we know he will even fall for such a trap? Is it not too obvious?”
“These are obvious creatures,” Octavia said. “They are primal at their core, and we can only hope he is distracted by the loss of both his mother, who guided his every step, and Nassore, who was his key to ascension. He was dominant over Nassore, but in every way, Pang was dominant over Zain. He will be scrambling to go on without her.”
Without warning, the door flew open again. Dula Merria entered without waiting for permission. She located Octavia and ran to her. “You must do something.”
“What do you need?” Octavia asked.
“It’s Zain. He’s declared himself emperor and he’s somehow convinced the three senators that came to confirm Nassore this morning to confirm him instead.”
Korbin furrowed his brow. “On what claim? He has no royal blood.”
The Dula shook her head. “He said Nassore was his mother’s vessel, and thus as her son, he is next in line, even over Jorek’s other children. He’s bewitched them all. You must help before it’s too late.”
Octavia stood and nodded, her thoughts grim. “Of course.” She looked to the other conduits. “You know what we must do?”
One by one, they agreed. She went to her desk and fetched a slim silver knife, then drew it across her palm, leaving a thin, red line of blood. She soaked a length of twine in her blood and then handed the knife and a clean piece of twine to Betram, who did the same, then Gysella and Treviia. All four smeared the remaining blood all over their left hands.
“What about me?” Korbin asked.
She gave him a tight smile. “No, not yet. You haven’t been trained for this. This is the strongest binding ritual we know and it should not be attempted by someone inexperienced.”
They followed the Dula out, and the four Kilovians spoke softly to one another, working out their plan until they arrived at a small altar room high on the fifth floor.
Merria stood aside, allowing them to enter first. “They’re in there,” she said.
Octavia nodded and the four Kilovians stepped inside, followed by Korbin.
Zain stood in front of the altar. The three senators knelt in front of him, looking at him with adoration. When he sensed the new arrivals’ presence, Zain looked up.
“You have saved me the trouble of coming to find you.” To Korbin he said, “You, I want to thank. You killed your father, the assassin who murdered Prince Nassore and drove away my mother.” To Octavia, “And you, you must be destroyed. I know what you are.”
With a nod to the other conduits, Octavia approached quietly. “That is not necessary. I come to offer myself. To worship.”
She removed the shawl that covered her ripped robe and let the covering drop to the ground. “I know I am not worthy.” With a signal to the others to follow, she added, “None of us are worthy.”
Zain stared at her torn robe, confused but excited. “You cannot persuade me,” he said quietly. With a twitch, he muttered, “Mother, what do I do?” so softly it was nearly inaudible.
“Can I not?” She smiled and knelt in front of him, between two of the senators. Reaching over, she touched one of the senators on the side of the face, smearing his skin with her blood. His eyes focused and he looked at her in horror as though just realizing she was there. “Back away slowly,” she said in a quiet sing-song tone. “It’s my turn to worship.”
“Yes,” Zain said quietly. “My mother said all would worship. It’s only right. That’s what she wanted.”
Betram followed her lead and smeared his blood on the skin of two of the other senators before leading them away. But Zain had his eyes fixed on Octavia.
She reached up a hand and ripped the rest of her robe completely open, baring her breasts. She closed her eyes and the other conduits knelt beside her. “We of the One know ways of pleasure you have not yet experienced.”
“You’d be surprised what I have experienced.” Zain’s eyes were dark but focused.
“Have you felt the pleasure of blood?”
Confusion passed over his face. “Blood? For what purpose?”
“Taste it?” Extending her tongue, she licked her palm seductively, then sighed with a shiver.
He shook his head as though trying to clear his thoughts. “My mother said the blood of Eurmus was tainted, that I should never mix with your kind.”
Octavia smiled and licked her fingers. “That’s a shame.” She breathed in and threw her head back. “Did you know that practitioners can achieve ecstasy without even touching?”
He leaned forward. “How?”
“It’s in the blood,” she said. “We can manipulate it, send it rushing, coursing, pulsing through our bodies.”
Next to her, Gysella groaned deep in her throat, her breathing coming harder.
Zain appeared entranced with their display. “If all of you devote yourselves to my mother once she returns, you could feed her all at once. Constantly.”
“That’s right,” Treviia said. “And we can teach others. You too. If you want to taste.”
All four conduits writhed, their breathing quick and heavy. One by one, they each held their bloody palm up to him.
He stared like a predator who had caught the scent of frightened prey. “And you will come to my mother, once I call her back?”
“She is worthy of adoration, and we see how much power she has. We can feed her night and day,” Betram said. “There are hundreds of us throughout the empire. More even in Kilovia.”
Treviia began to whimper as though unable to contain her pleasure. She leaned back on her knees and pulled up her robe in the front.
As though powerless to resist, Zain knelt in front of her, sniffing the air, then groaned deep in his throat. He took her by the wrist and licked the palm of her hand where she had bled.
The other three conduits circled around the couple, each touching him with their bloody hand. When Octavia made contact with his skin, she was jolted by the power she felt within him. It threatened to overwhelm her as it coursed through her. She felt his growing excitement and she found herself eagerly waiting for him to take Treviia, thirsting like she hadn’t touched water for days.
“Your blood is powerful,” Zain whispered. He turned and met Octavia’s gaze. “But not more powerful than mine.” His presence slammed outward, and Treviia was thrown to the ground in front of him.
Octavia reached into her pocket and took out the bloody twine they had prepared. Moving behind him as he knelt over Treviia, she wrapped it twice around his neck. The jute was thin, but he clutched at it as though it choked him.
With the demi-god distracted and flailing, Betram wound one around his right wrist, and Gysella around his left.
Zain shouted as though in shackles, and the four conduits scrambled away from him.
Octavia turned to the senators and Dula Merria. “We have bound him. His power is held, but only as long as the twine holds.”
Dula Merria looked at the senators. “He will not stop until he and his mother rule all of Talmor.”
One of them glanced at her. “But is his mother not one of the Spirits? Is it not their right to rule us?”
“No,” said Dul Merria. “We do not need them anymore. I, for one, do not wish to be enslaved.” He looked to Octavia. “What do we do?”
Octavia shrugged. “He tried to usurp the throne. What would your laws have you do?”
“You wouldn’t dare!” Zain shouted. He reached up and tried to break the small woven threads at his neck, but they wouldn’t budge. His eyes bulged with hatred as he spat at Octavia, while the senators moved around him. “You and all your kind will die.
I will bring her back, and we will start with—”
His eyes widened. He’d been so entranced he hadn’t noticed the senator behind him, nor the knife in his hand. It wasn’t until the Dul pulled back the bloody blade that Zain understood he was dying. He fell in a heap where Treviia had been moments before.
The senator stood over him as the demi-god lay bound and dying on the floor. “I pronounce you guilty of treason and sentence you to die.” His voice quavered with emotion.
The other two senators and Dula Merria murmured their agreement.
They all stood in silence for a moment before one of them turned to Octavia. “We must thank you. We had been taken in.” He might have been one of the most powerful men in the empire, but at that moment he looked shaken and embarrassed.
He’d been more than taken in, he’d been completely bewitched, but she understood him not wanting to admit as much.
“What can we do for you?” Dula Merria cleared her throat. “We owe you so much.”
Octavia glanced down at Zain. Strangely, his unlined, pale face looked so innocent in death. “Pang is banished and her son is dead, but Braetin is the bigger threat to Talmor and to this world. I must go to Vol and find a way to confront her, too. She has begun making offspring of her own.” She pushed away the knowledge of who had borne the terrible creature those children. “And we must make sure the way is closed forever so they can’t simply hunker down and return in fifty or a hundred years.”
“Or tomorrow,” Betram said grimly.
Octavia nodded. “Please, by the power of the One, let it not be tomorrow.”
All in the room voiced their agreement to that.
∞
The Chamber of Days lay in perfect silence, the corpses of Nassore and Graiphen in drying pools of blood on the floor. In the corridor, guards blocked the door, awaiting the arrival of priests of Usher, Spirit of the dead.
Near Graiphen’s body, a thorn quaked. It searched once more for his heart, and in the eerie quiet, it scraped across the short distance and over the thickening pool.
Once it touched his skin, it dove like the spike on the end of a scorpion’s tail.
Graiphen’s cloudy eyes opened. He did not breathe, but breathing was not required of him.
With effort and many groans, he struggled to his feet and shambled through the garden door.
Chapter 33
Low, somber bells rung throughout the palace, announcing the death of Nassore.
“What will happen now?” Korbin asked Dula Merria once she had escorted him, Octavia, and the Sennestelle members back to Octavia’s chamber.
“I suspect the senate will confirm Jorek’s daughter Eya as empress, but she is young.” A look of worry crossed the Dula’s face.
“Are the children in danger?” Octavia asked.
Merria’s eyes flashed wide. “No, of course not.” But her response had been too quick, too defensive. After a moment, she said, “I will see to their safety myself.”
“I think it’s time for us to leave.” Octavia met Korbin’s eyes. “We must return to Vol and finish what we started.”
He nodded his agreement. “I will be glad to leave this place, but I fear we’re going home to something much worse.”
Octavia turned to Betram. “Will you return with us? I need your help.”
Betram hesitated. “Vol is not a place for conduits. I might go, but the women certainly should not if there’s any chance Braetin might use you to create more creatures like Zain.”
“I doubt gender matters,” Korbin said. “Pang used my father to create Zain, and she could do the same with you.”
Treviia’s hands shook. “I can’t leave my people here.”
Betram touched her shoulder lightly. “We all understand if you choose to stay.” He met Octavia’s eye. “I know what you’re facing, but how can we step into the nest of that creature, knowing she wants to possess us and use our kind to make children?”
“I don’t think she can possess us,” Korbin said.
Octavia turned and looked at him. “What?”
“Pang couldn’t enter my body after I killed my father.” He swallowed hard and took a moment to compose himself. “I felt her presence all around me, but she tried and failed to take over my mind. I’m not sure why, but maybe it’s that way for all of us.”
Octavia clutched the shawl around her. “Now is the time, Betram. The Sennestelle must act. We must rid this world of Braetin and her children, and if I can, I will make sure none of their kind can ever return.”
“How are you going to do that?” he asked.
She had no idea, and the question hung in the air.
“I will go,” Gysella said. “I cannot bear children anyway, so Braetin cannot use me to create her abominations.” She looked at Betram. “I agree with Senne Octavia. We all heard Trinity’s voice. We know the threat is real. We cannot leave those in Vol to be ravaged by this creature. Go to the Sennestelle. Enlist any who will help and follow us to Vol.”
Betram sighed. “Of course you’re right.” He looked at Octavia. “You must think me a coward.”
She shook her head. “May the power of the One ever guide you, Sen Betram.”
“And you, my sister,” he said.
Dula Merria watched the exchange and when it seemed all was settled, she said, “I can help you get out of the palace. Now is the best time. There will be questions, and I suspect you want to get moving before the hearings and trials begin.”
Korbin nodded. “Yes. If we don’t leave now, we could be stuck here for days, weeks, even longer.”
Dula Merria said, “I’m afraid you can’t take much with you, or you risk drawing unwanted attention. I’ll give you a few moments to change and prepare yourselves. Meet me outside.”
The three other conduits left with her, and Korbin and Octavia were alone. “Are you ready for all this?” Korbin asked.
“No, of course not. But we have no choice. Someone has to stand against them. Pang is gone, as well as her son. It’s a start, but I’m afraid it’s only truly the beginning. Are you ready?”
“You’re right. This isn’t over, but we should remember that we did something. We made a difference and probably saved this city from Pang. She would have seen so many killed and enslaved. It’s a good thing.”
“Yes,” Octavia said and squeezed Korbin’s hand. She tried to smile, but she couldn’t celebrate the victory for the losses they’d endured: Jorek, Graiphen, and even Nassore. Who knew how many others would fall victim to Braetin in the future? She had to be stopped, but Octavia didn’t know where to begin. She certainly couldn’t succeed alone.
“Yes,” she said again. “It’s a good thing.” She looked around. “It’s time. Let’s go.”
A Note from the Author
Thank you so much for reading Born of Fire and Darkness, the second book in the Gods of Talmor series. If you enjoyed it, please take a moment to leave a review at your favourite online retailer.
I welcome contact from readers. At my website http://www.indiadrummond.com you can contact me, sign up for my newsletter to be notified of new releases, read my blog, and find me on social networking. Follow my Facebook page to hear about upcoming releases and giveaways.
—India Drummond
The Gods of Talmor
Book 1: Spirits of Light and Shadow
Dark magic spreads throughout Talmor’s second largest city, threatening to disrupt the balance of power between the temples and the senate. Soon, the most powerful man in the city is cursed, and only his estranged son Korbin can help. With the assistance of Octavia, a Kilovian conduit schooled in the magic of the One, Korbin seeks to help his father—and find redemption. When an ancient Spirit of Shadow sets the pair in her sights, however, their hope of redemption and restoration fade, and they seek only to survive.
Download Spirits of Light and Shadow from Amazon
Book 2: Born of Fire and Darkness
The Spirit of Shadow is on the move, gathering fo
llowers and gaining strength, and a Spirit of Light enters the world to stake her claim. The emperor summons Korbin and Octavia to the capitol as he tries to balance the spiritual needs of the people with the survival of the nation. Opposed at every turn by priests, politicians, fanatics, and even demi-gods, the pair must conquer their fears and unravel the past if they want to save themselves and everyone they care about from certain destruction.
Book 3: Coming 2016
The Dragons of Kudare
Co-authored with KC May.
Book 1: The Lies Dragons Tell
A mysterious illness strikes down a young woman pledged to the god of the Blessed Empire. Two brothers, as helpless as the healers who say there's nothing more they can do, watch while their sister fades away.
Determined to save her, they approach a dragonborn alchemist who promises help but leads them along a path of hardship, darkness, sacrilege, and death. Impossible choices divide the brothers as their love and loyalty are tested. What price is too high to save someone you love?
Download The Lies Dragons Tell from Amazon
Book 2: The Secrets Dragons Keep: Coming Autumn 2015
Caledonia Fae
Book 1: Blood Faerie
Unjustly sentenced to death, Eilidh ran—away from faerie lands, to the streets of Perth, Scotland. Just as she has grown accustomed to exile, local police discover a mutilated body outside the abandoned church where she lives. Recognising the murder as the work of one of her own kind, Eilidh must choose: flee, or learn to tap into the forbidden magic that cost her everything.
Download Blood Faerie from Amazon
Book 2: Azuri Fae
A faerie prince disappears in the borderlands, and his father enlists the help of outcast Eilidh and her bonded druid, Quinton Munro. Tantalised with hints of a lost and ancient magic, they learn that time is working against them every step of the way. Is the prince’s disappearance related to the vanishing of an entire Scottish village?
Born Of Fire And Darkness (Book 2) Page 26
