Temperance

by Ella Frank

  He knew that coming here was a risk. One he wasn’t sure would pay off. They needed as many men as they could get, and no one knew the Taise Forest better, or despised the Empress more, than Kai.

  When he’d mentioned his thoughts to Li’Am, he’d been wary at first. But the night Seraphine had come to her brother and told him that she’d succeeded in bringing the women back to their land, Li’Am had made a choice.

  “Go to your brother, Ry’Ker. I don’t care what it takes. Get him on board.”

  “I know, Kai. He won’t make this easy. He will expect…compensation.”

  “Whatever he wants. I’m sure we can come to some kind of arrangement. If we are to succeed, we have to have him on our side.”

  That was the only reason he was now standing in a place he’d sworn he would never come back to.

  When it was clear he could be there for hours, he reached for the handle of his sword, drew it from its sheath, and placed it across the piece of metal being pummeled. That got a reaction.

  Kai dropped the hammer with a resounding clang on the stone floor and finally spoke. “Want to remove your sword?”

  Being the younger of the two, he’d always looked up to Kai. Not only because he was one of the tallest men he’d ever met, but at the time, Ry’Ker had always believed him to be one of the greatest. That was until he’d betrayed him in the most monumental way of all.

  Eyes the same color as his own stared him down, but he wasn’t about to let his own brother intimidate him.

  “And if I don’t?”

  Kai narrowed his eyes and they turned to slits. “Do not test me.”

  “Or what? Are you going to kill me?”

  Kai’s mouth twisted into a cruel line, and before he could even blink, the piece of burning-hot metal was wielded to disarm him in one precise move. Somehow, Kai had gained the upper hand and was now holding the tip of the iron to his throat.

  “Do you doubt that I could, little brother?”

  Ry’Ker schooled his features to remain unaffected in the face of such detachment. “Never.”

  With a slight shake of his head, Kai shifted his black hair away from his face. “Why are you here?”

  Not daring to break their connection, he replied, “Li’Am sent me.”

  His brother’s hand remained steadfast as he continued to hold him rooted to the spot with nothing more than an unfinished sword. “Did he?”

  “Yes. He wants you to swear your allegiance once more.”

  The callous laugh that followed that statement proved to Ry’Ker that he’d been right all along. Kai would not make this easy.

  “Tell me, brother. Is the Commander ill?” The question was asked in a way that indicated he didn’t care one way or another, but he wanted an answer just the same.

  “No. Why do you ask?”

  With a slight nod of his head, Kai told him succinctly, “Because it’s the only way I can fathom such lunacy from both him and you. Now, get out before I forget my manners.”

  Kai lowered his arm and threw the metal back into the fire, no longer interested in finishing what he’d started. He turned his back on him, clearly not threatened in the least, and walked over to the hulking chair, which was facing the hearth, that held a black, hooded cape.

  “The Empress has succeeded. The legend—it is real. She has brought the women back to Arcania. They are here, Mala’Kai. They have come.”

  As his brother’s full name fell from his lips for the first time in years, Ry’Ker watched him pivot and slowly tilt his head to the side.

  “You still lack common sense when it comes to matters of the heart, I see.”

  Ry’Ker sheathed his sword and glared over at the beast of a man facing him. “And you still have an empty shell where yours is supposed to be. Tell me, Kai. Do you not wish to avenge those we have lost?”

  “The only person you wish to avenge I took from you. So tell me, brother. Why do you so blindly follow a man into a battle that is not your own? Why not bring the fight to the one you truly hold responsible?”

  Ry’Ker felt his blood boil at the reminder of why he’d not seen his home or his brother in decades. “I do not follow anyone blindly. Believe me, Kai. I know exactly what you have done. But is this not my battle when the land we live upon is dying? Is it not yours? Our women—they are no longer our women. They’ve all been banished to the borders of the land as to not infect the men. Don’t tell me that doesn’t bother you.”

  Kai locked his jaw tight and gave a dismissive shrug of a massive shoulder. “Perhaps. It has been a long time since I’ve had a naked woman under me, but I’m not willing to be someone’s pawn to get it. Or maybe… What do these women look like?”

  Ry’Ker couldn’t listen to him anymore, so he turned on his heel and marched over to the table to collect his helmet. Without looking back, he picked it up and stated loud enough to be heard, “If you decide you value your life and those of your misguided men, you know where to find me.”

  It was unbelievable. Really, it was.

  But as Naeve sat there¸ she couldn’t ignore what she was seeing. The light she was watching had changed into shapes—and not just any shapes. One that looked like her…mother.

  “Do you see it?”

  She raised her eyes to the man opposite her, and when she didn’t answer, he gave a slight nod.

  “I see that you do.”

  As if hypnotized, she looked back into the bright orb and couldn't shake off the familiar feeling. She knew exactly who she was looking at, but she didn’t know how…

  “I don’t understand any of this, Lach’Lan. Why is she doing this?”

  “Maeve,” he whispered as he pulled her into his arms and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. “She’s not thinking as your sister. You said so yourself.”

  “But…this?” Maeve asked, her wavering words betraying how deeply she was hurt. “I can’t imagine her doing all that she is.”

  “We don’t know enough about her, Maeve. It’s been years since Arcania has witnessed her kind practice any type of magic. The day of Ascension was a shock to us all. We knew they still walked among us but not what they were capable of.”

  “But this is not her—not really. She’s just so consumed with her hurt, her anger…that all she sees is what she thinks I took—you. She knows that the best way to hurt me in return is to take all that I hold dear.” She paused and then looked up at him, touching his chin. “So, do I leave? Just run away and let her have what she wants?”

  Lach’Lan ran his palms down Maeve’s arms and entwined their fingers. “You’re hardly running, Maeve. You would be saving our babes, and if there were any way for me to go with you, I would. There is no shame in that. She can threaten and send us both to the ends of the world, but, Maeve? I will never feel for her as I do you. You know that. Nothing can change what has been fated.”

  Naeve stared at the figure she knew was her mother and felt her breath catch as she looked to the man—Lach’Lan. She didn’t really understand what she was seeing.

  Her mother was pregnant and dressed in some old-fashioned skirt of blue-and-white silk with a bodice that was held together by ribboned ties across her back. She looked like a princess from a fairytale, and she was talking like a woman from a period piece.

  This was not the mother she’d grown up with. This stranger wasn’t the gentle lady who had curled up in bed with the four of them as children to read bedtime stories. And she certainly wasn’t the woman who they’d been going to have dinner with. This person standing under an arbor of pink and white roses was a stranger—as was the man, who finally spoke...

  “What about the Hierophant?”

  “What of him?” Maeve asked. “Sera said he has grown weak. He is no longer strong enough to stop her.”

  “That may be so, but he may have an answer for us, some kind of direction. Some kind of hope…”

  Confused, Naeve watched as a tear slipped free from her mother's eye. Then she heard her whisper…


  “We can try.”

  Lach’Lan once again kissed her on the forehead and placed his cheek by the side of her hair, where he took a deep breath.

  “Yes, my ayon. We most certainly can.”

  Naeve shut her eyes tight, blocking out the image and effectively extinguishing the light. She felt nauseated. Oh, God. Is that my—

  “Father? Yes, Naeve. That is your mother and your father.”

  As the man across from her answered her thoughts, Naeve’s eyes snapped open, and she let her temper flare.

  “Stop doing that.”

  “Doing what?”

  If she'd felt ridiculous thinking it, having to say the words aloud made her feel crazy.

  “I don't know, exactly. Reading my mind?” She kept a close eye on him as he got to his feet, and suddenly, she wondered if taking her frustration out on him had been the smartest move.

  “Is that what I was doing?” he queried, taking a step closer and crouching down so they were eye to eye. “Reading your mind?”

  Naeve had no answers, just more questions as she stared at him.

  “Who are you, Naeve Brannigan? That’s all I’m trying to show you. My apologies if my methods…frightened you. Li’Am thought it to be the most effective way.”

  After swallowing past the lump in her throat, she tilted her chin up and stated as clearly as she could manage, “Maybe if you told me who you—”

  “Are? I can do that.”

  “And stop cutting me off. It's rude.”

  His mouth twitched at the side, and she could’ve sworn that his eyes twinkled.

  “Sorry,” he said. “I’m not used to the company, and some habits are harder to break than others.”

  Naeve closed her eyes and tried to regain her footing. She couldn't actually believe she was going along with any of this. But what other choice do I have?

  “We always have choices, Naeve.”

  “You did it again,” she muttered, opening her eyes.

  He shrugged his shoulders but didn’t look the least bit contrite as he offered another lame, “Sorry?”

  Letting out a huff, she asked something that seemed so simple she was surprised it hadn't occurred to her before. “What’s your name?”

  He sat down and wrapped his arms around his knees. “Si’Bastian. But I prefer Bastian.”

  Okay, Bastian was easy enough, and since he was in an answering kind of mood, she kept on with her questions.

  “You said that we are of the Imperial Family…”

  So what are you to me?

  When he just looked at her, Naeve realized she hadn’t asked anything. But he must have… What? Heard my thoughts?

  “Now you choose not to answer?”

  “You told me not to,” he pointed out calmly.

  Sighing in aggravation, she asked, “Well, what…are you to me?”

  “I am your cousin.”

  She narrowed her eyes on him and then disagreed with a quick shake of her head. “That's impossible. We don’t have any family other than our aunt.”

  “Your aunt?” he asked, one of his perfect eyebrows rising. “What is her name?”

  “If you know who I am and can get inside my head, wouldn’t you know that already?”

  Bastian gave a quick laugh. “No need to get defensive, cousin. You actually have two aunts. The reason I ask is one has been missing for a long time now. Along with your mother.” He was so certain as he sat there smiling at her that Naeve actually believed him.

  “I don’t understand any of this. We can’t be related. You’re…”

  “Yes, Naeve?”

  “You’re…well, different,” she ended with and winced at how ridiculous she sounded.

  The relaxed grin that had been stretched across his mouth disappeared and was replaced by a tight line of hostility, making Naeve regret her choice of words immediately.

  He pulled his knees in under himself and then shifted until he was kneeling on them. “That is definitely one of the more polite ways to describe my kind. But I prefer misunderstood.”

  This is crazy, she thought, looking down at her sisters. I’ve lost my mind. I’m sitting here with some guy who can do magic tricks and I feel bad because I might have hurt his feelings.

  Well, I will admit it’s nice to know you care.

  Naeve heard the words filter into her mind, and she immediately locked eyes with his.

  But you haven’t lost your mind, Naeve. To you, I suppose this would seem strange but—

  “Fine,” she said out loud, disconcerted by the fact that he could talk inside her head. “With all of these little tricks you can do, can you wake up my sisters?”

  As if she’d asked him to do the easiest thing in the world, he rolled his eyes, gave her a cocky grin, snapped his fingers, and did just that.

  * * *

  Kai watched his brother storm out of the armory and reminded himself that it was Ry’Ker’s choice to leave. It always had been.

  Once he’d picked up his cape, he threw it around his shoulders. He’d planned to go out hunting tonight. He’d been in the mood to track something down and kill it. But after this visit, he wanted a fight. Preferably with the man who’d just walked into his home and stirred up memories that were best left in the past.

  What the hell is Ry’Ker thinking to come back here?

  He barely bit back the growl he felt brewing inside as he marched across the room and out the door. He took the steps up to the main landing two at a time, determined to reach the top before his pompous brother left Claremont.

  If Li’Am wanted him to be a part of this asinine mission, maybe, just maybe, he could turn it in his favor. Yes—if he was going to do this, he wanted something in return.

  As his heavy, black boots hit the final stair and he saw Marcus opening the door for his brother, Kai called out his name. Ry’Ker stopped where he was and then faced him.

  “I’ll go. On one condition.”

  Ry’Ker’s eyes tracked him as he stood with his helmet tucked under his iron-covered arm. “We knew there’d be conditions. I have to admit I’m surprised to hear it’s only the one.”

  Kai strode forward, his black cape swirling behind him as he stopped before his younger brother and sneered, “Oh, but it will be a good one.”

  Fearless and obstinate, as he’d been trained to be, Ry’Ker looked up and inquired, “Do you plan to enlighten me?”

  “Yes,” he answered before stepping back and turning away. “When I am good and ready.”

  * * *

  Naeve ran over to where her sisters were waking up and knelt down beside them. Siobhan was the first to come around, gripping her forehead the same way she had.

  “Naeve?”

  “Yeah, Siobhan, it’s me.”

  “What the hell happened?” she asked.

  As Naeve looked over her shoulder, she saw Bastian standing with his arms and legs crossed. Where to even begin, when really… I have no idea myself.

  Could she really expect Siobhan to believe that this man, the one who could show her images in a ball of light, was their cousin? And that they had been brought here by an Empress?

  She settled on, “I’m not sure.” There. That isn't a complete lie.

  “Then where are we? Did you find out?”

  This was the time to either deny everything she’d seen or…what? Believe this man?

  Those options didn’t exactly instill much confidence in her own sanity, but as Siobhan continued to stare her down, Naeve decided that maybe now was a good opportunity to offer her sisters a bit of hope. Something that would maybe make what she was about to say easier to swallow.

  “Naeve?”

  “I don’t think we were drugged.”

  Siobhan sat up further and brushed her hands along her pants. “Okay. But where are we?”

  It was now or never. She just had to spit it out, like ripping off a Band-Aid.

  “Arcania.”

  Siobhan’s amber eyes peered back at her, and then she fr
owned. “What?”

  “Arcania,” she repeated again and watched her sister rub her temple as she continued to look at her.

  “Did you hit your head as hard as me? Because it sounds like you just said, ‘Arcania.’”

  Naeve nodded as she saw Audra and Fiona begin to move. “I did say that.”

  “I don't get it, then. What is Arcania?”

  “Actually, you should really be asking her where it is. It’s a place, not a thing.”

  As Bastian’s voice echoed throughout the cave, Siobhan’s eyes scanned the area and she began to scoot back. Naeve reached out and touched her knee, hoping to calm her.

  “It’s okay, Siobhan.”

  “Like hell it is. Who the fuck is that?”

  There was a low whistle in the darkness and then a chuckle. “Well, she has a mouth on her, doesn't she?”

  Naeve whipped her head to the side and glared over in the direction she knew the smug man was standing. “You’re not helping. Give us a minute, would you?”

  “Just one?” he inquired.

  Naeve decided that, if he could read her mind, then he’d get, How about you disappear until I’m ready?

  “Just making sure. With me, you’d best learn to be specific, cousin.”

  “Or what?” she snapped out loud this time.

  “Or,” he drawled, “you never know what could happen.”

  Before she could question him or stand up to yell, he disappeared. Literally faded into nothing.

  Holy shit. Where did he—

  “Who was that, Naeve? And where the fuck did he go?” Siobhan’s questions were delivered like accusations.

  “Ah…” Naeve hedged, trying to find the right words to explain Bastian—and any words to explain what she didn’t know.

  “Naeve?”

  Saving her from actually having to speak was the sound of feet moving across the ground. Fiona took a seat beside Siobhan, and Audra knelt down next to her. They each looked at one another and then reached out to hold hands, forming a small circle of four.