“As have I,” Khameel said and bowed.
Damiana cupped Martin’s cheek, still ignoring Khameel. “I have no doubt that you will redeem yourself when the time comes.”
Martin nodded. “Yes, my queen. I will never question your motives or directions again.”
Damiana smiled sinisterly, “Good. Very good.”
-o-
“I have induced a deep healing. Sofia and Liana should be well in two days if they are left alone,” Sarah said and looked directly at Ar’ch while she collected the breakfast plates.
“Thank you, Sarah,” Valerie said.
“It was my honor and privilege,” she said and then excused herself.
Valerie turned to the group. “What’s our next step?”
“We must inform the High Council that Drake is no longer at the Dimension of Redemption and that he is building an army,” Nolan said.
Rafe blanched. He hadn’t thought about what the ramifications might be for his father if he rescued Sofia. He did not want the High Council to put his father back in prison.
Angel put a hand on his shoulder. “I know this is hard for you, but we cannot let them kill innocent people.”
“What if I can convince my father to stop?” he asked.
“Even if you can convince him, Damiana is too far gone. I’ve seen her thoughts. She plans to kill us all and rule with or without Drake,” Ar’ch said.
“This is all my fault,” Valerie said quietly.
Nolan put his arms around his wife. “No, it is Drake’s fault. He never made peace with his past and that led to each and every bad moment in our lives.”
Rafe looked down at the table. “My father doesn’t want to kill all of you. He loves you,” he said to his mother.
Nolan shook his head. “He is obsessed with her. That is not love.”
“I can’t argue that. I only know that he has argued with Damiana about sparing the women and children. She said that all he has ever cared about is Valerie,” Rafe explained. His mother looked away from him and leaned into her husband’s comforting arms.
“Okay,” Ar’ch said, unsure of what to say without hurting someone. “So, we go to the High Council. Then what?”
“We prepare for war,” Nolan said.
Ar’ch smiled. “I was really hoping you would say that.”
-o-
It had been two days since Drake had learned of Rafe’s betrayal. He had spent that time meeting with the leaders of his various armies. He felt more torn than he had ever been. On one hand, he knew that his actions followed what Lucifer had always wanted him to do. He was leading the Raizyns to take their rightful place in the world.
On the other hand, he would now battle against his own children. Surely, Lucifer did not expect him to kill his own blood. Getting revenge on Nolan had been his sole reason for ever wanting this war. He should have killed Nolan when he had been just a baby in a crib. Had he done so, then he wouldn’t be in this situation right now. Then again, it was quite possible that he also wouldn’t have any children right now, and he would never regret having Sofia and Rafe. He shook his head. He couldn’t kill his own children; he just couldn’t.
Alexandra appeared in front of him and immediately began pacing. “What is going on? Valerie has called a High Council meeting to discuss you and your whereabouts.”
Drake sighed and sat on the fallen trunk, despair etched in his shoulders. “They have turned my son against me. Damiana had this insane plan to use him to infiltrate Valerie and her family, and it backfired.”
“What!” Alexandra yelled. “She’s such an idiot!”
He looked up at her. “They know I’ve escaped.”
She dropped down to sit beside him. “So, what do we do now?”
“My imposter is no longer in my cell. I’ve had him removed so that it can appear as if I just recently left.”
She sighed in relief. She put a hand on his leg. “You will be summoned to appear in front of the High Council.”
He nodded. “I will appear.”
Alexandra hugged him. “What if they seize you, Drake? I could not stand to see you sent back there. It nearly killed me the first time that they took you.”
He kissed her forehead. “I have committed no crime. I have served my time. They cannot hold me.”
She curled a little closer into his embrace. “I worry for you.”
“And I, for you. Do not defend me when I am called. You must stay neutral.”
She pulled away and sighed. “I will do my best, Drake. For you, I will try.”
Drake smiled, but it did not reach his eyes. He stood and pulled her into an embrace. “Then we will be fine. Now, go. I will see you soon.”
He waited for her to leave and then screamed at the top of his lungs. Everything was going so horribly wrong. He hated that Alexandra was caught up in the middle of all of this. He did not want to put her in harm’s way. If she defended him at the High Council meeting, they might accuse her of helping him escape and send her before the Elders. She did not deserve to die because of him. She deserved to be loved and taken care of, but those were things he could not offer her. Instead, he may have just condemned her to death.
He shook his head. He would not let that happen. Somehow, some way, he would take back control of his life and his war. Too many lives depended on it.
-o-
Valerie paced around the conference room, continuously looking at the comm port. “Why are they taking so long to call us in? Did they not receive our message about requesting an immediate meeting?”
“It is their right to make us wait, love,” Nolan said calmly. He sat at the head of the table and wanted desperately to calm his wife’s nerves. He almost suggested that she sit with him when she spoke.
“I need some air. Come find me when they are ready.” She kissed her husband and then left before anyone could object.
After she left, Angel turned to his father and said, “Will she be alright?”
Nolan nodded. “She will be fine, my son. She just needs a distraction from all this waiting around.”
“Are you sure that our home is well-protected? What if Damiana tries to break in?” Ar’ch asked. “Maybe Mother shouldn’t be alone.”
“No one can attack us in our home. And your mother is perfectly capable of protecting herself. She will be fine. Just give her some space.”
“What is taking so long?” Ar’ch asked, feeling just as frustrated as his mother.
“You may go if you wish,” he said, knowing that his son would stay but wanting to give him the power over his circumstances.
Ar’ch leaned back in his chair and pressed his lips together. “I am where I should be.”
Nolan smiled. “Very well. Then, let us wait.”
Chapter Twenty
Valerie stood outside the High Council’s forum, leaning upon a tree. The High Council had finally called them in for a meeting, and her family waited inside for the doors to open. She had stepped outside to get some fresh air before the meeting started. She wanted to center herself and clear her mind before having to speak before the High Council members.
“Hello, Valerie.”
Panic shot through her core. She knew that voice anywhere; no amount of time could erase it from her memory. She immediately embraced her Goddess-given ability and threw a barrier around her while touching her chest and obtaining her bow and arrow. “You will not find me so easy to violate today,” she threatened.
Drake frowned. “I am no longer that man,” he said, shame lacing his words. “I have changed.”
“Two light years changes no one,” she said, keeping her guard sturdily in place.
“When they are spent in the Dimension of Redemption, they can change everything.”
“You should still be there. You escaped.”
He shook his head. “I did not escape. I was released.”
“You were never supposed to have been released.”
He sighed. “I expected as much, but I surre
ndered on my own accord, and I paid for the crime that I admitted to.”
Valerie laughed angrily. “To the crime that you admitted to, perhaps, but not for all the crimes that you have committed.”
Drake looked down. “That may be true, but plenty of people walk freely though they have committed crimes.” He took a step closer. “Valerie, please, hear me out.”
She aimed her bow at his chest. “Do not give me a reason to let go.”
“They are ready for us, love,” Nolan said.
Valerie jumped, and Drake put his arms up to show that he meant her no harm. Nolan calmly walked to her side and put his arms around her. She lowered her bow and arrow and called it back from where it had come.
“Are you alright?” he whispered in her ear while keeping his eyes on Drake.
She nodded. “Let’s go,” she said and took his hand to begin walking back inside.
“How’s my son?” Drake asked.
She stopped for a moment but did not turn around. “He’s fine.”
“I hope you have not brainwashed him to hate me.”
She turned to face him. She felt Nolan’s firm grip on her hand. “Brainwash him? We have not brainwashed him at all. He loves you dearly, despite all of your atrocities,” she said and then turned and kept walking until she was inside and away from Drake.
-o-
Drake stood there stunned. Rafe had not been brainwashed. That meant that he had deliberately betrayed Damiana and stolen Sofia away from her. He had to believe that Rafe did that to protect his sister, not to betray him. Valerie had said it herself; Rafe loved him. He could never let Damiana know that Rafe had betrayed her on purpose.
Valerie had not tried to turn Rafe against him, even though Damiana had tried to make him hate Valerie. Is it no wonder why he was so in love with Valerie? Even though she hated him, she still had the decency to allow their son to love his father. He only wished that he could prove to her that he was a changed man. Sadly, he doubted that would ever happen, especially with the upcoming war. He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders before entering the hall that would determine his fate.
-o-
When Valerie and Drake had taken their respective places, Lucas called the meeting to order. She noticed his look of surprise that Drake had shown up. She surrounded herself with Nolan, Ar’ch, and Angel while Drake stood alone. Valerie prayed that this meeting would end peacefully, but she knew that Lucas had special forces at attention in case they didn’t.
“Valerie, you asked for a meeting to discuss the whereabouts of Drake and the status of your child with him,” Lucas began. “We shall start with you.” Lucas looked at Drake. “Drake, if you would wait outside for a moment, please.” He bowed at the High Council and walked outside. When the door closed, Lucas said, “Proceed.”
“Thank you, your Highness,” she began and took a deep breath, calming the nerves that she felt. “About three weeks ago, Rafe came to us willingly and shared with us that Drake was out of the Dimension of Redemption. He also told us that Damiana had locked up Sofia and Liana in her dungeons.”
“This is the same Rafe who kidnapped Sofia from you and took her to Drake and Damiana’s house, correct?” Felyse asked. Her ebony, high cheekbones framed her intuitive, white-speckled, hazel eyes as she sat regally and listened attentively to every word.
“Yes, your Highness,” she replied. She hoped that they would not ask to speak to him. She was afraid that they might bring him up on charges for taking Sofia from them in the first place.
“You said he came to you three weeks ago,” Katarina, another High Council member said. “Why is it that you are only coming to us now?”
Valerie made sure to focus on looking only at Katarina’s eyes. She did not want to have her sister in her peripheral view when she said, “We believe there is a Raizyn sympathizer on the council and did not want to tip him or her off.”
Katarina pressed her lips together and turned to Lucas. Lucas nodded. “We will deal with that at a later time. Continue with your information, please.”
Valerie nodded and told the council how Rafe and Ar’ch visited Damiana and how they found Sofia trapped in a cell made of crystal to drain her of her energies and transfer them to Damiana. She wanted to show that Rafe was not a Raizyn, that he truly was on their side. She explained how Drake knew everything that had taken place but had done nothing to stop it. She then told of how Ar’ch, Rafe, Nolan, and Angel infiltrated Damiana and Drake’s home with Rafe’s help and rescued Sofia and Liana.
“Our savior is now safe, but it is more important than ever that every Diasodz is called upon for this war. Furthermore, Drake should never have been released from his prison. We request that he be apprehended for escaping and violating his probation.”
Lucas looked at Felyse, Katarina, and Alexandra. “Thank you for sharing with us all that has taken place. We will now bring Drake forth.”
Drake reentered the room and took his place again. Ar’ch and Angel took defensive stances around their mother. They were not taking any chances with Drake. Valerie’s heart filled with love for her sons for their desire to protect her, but she felt perfectly safe.
“Everyone is protected here at the High Council. I hope I do not have to remind any of you of that,” Lucas said, the threat clear in his tone. After everyone nodded, Lucas focused on Drake. “What have you to say for your escape from the Dimension of Redemption?”
“Your Highness, I did not escape, sir. My sentence was until the death day of the child that I created with Valerie. On his death day, my bonds were broken, and I was free to leave.”
“How long have you been free, Drake?” Felyse asked.
“From our son’s death day, Your Highness. It’s been maybe three months. I have not kept track of the days.”
“It’s been 104 days, your Highness,” Valerie interjected. Once she knew that Rafe was her son, she understood the sensation that she had felt when Sofia had come to them. She had thought her child had died, but then Ar’ch and Angel had appeared with Sofia, so she dismissed the feeling. That day was etched in her soul because she remembered seeing Sofia’s eyes and feeling so disconnected to her. Now, she understood that disconnection because Sofia was not actually her child. Not that it mattered anymore; Valerie had come to love her anyway.
“You were seen in your cell just last week. How is that possible?” Katarina asked Drake.
“I do not know, your Highness. I have no idea who could have been impersonating me at the Dimension of Redemption.”
“You were to have come before the court to be released, Drake. Who released you?” Lucas asked. Valerie used all her willpower not to look at her sister.
Drake shook his head. “I was simply told that I was released. My only thought was to go home to my family.”
“There will be an investigation into how this could have occurred,” Lucas said.
“Your Highness,” Nolan interjected. “Drake has not been home. He has been meeting with his allies to prepare for war.”
“What have you to say about this?” Lucas asked him.
“It is true that I have been visiting with friends, but I have committed no crime,” Drake replied.
“Locking up your daughter and torturing her is not a crime?” Ar’ch accused.
“There will be no outbursts in our court,” Alexandra said. She had been silent up until that point, but Valerie knew that she would not stay silent much longer. Valerie finally looked at her sister and saw nothing but anger simmering in her eyes.
“Is this true?” Lucas asked Drake.
He looked away before looking at them with sadness in his eyes. “I had no part in that. It took place in my absence, and I was in the process of removing her when they abducted her. Is that not a crime? I want my daughter returned to me.”
A sound proof wall appeared between the High Council and everyone else. The High Council discussed the information that they had received. Valerie couldn’t believe that Drake might just walk o
ut a free man, even though the proper procedures weren’t followed. She hadn’t forgotten that his sentencing ended with their child’s death day; she just kept thinking of Sofia as their child, and Sofia hadn’t had her death day yet. Rafe had, and that meant Drake was truly free.
The sound proof barrier disappeared, and Lucas looked at Valerie. “Is Sofia your daughter with Drake?”
She took a deep breath; she had prepared for this question. “No, your Highness, she is not. Damiana had convinced Liana to switch babies once they were born in order to conceal their identities. Therefore, when Angel and Ar’ch went to Earth, they believed Sofia to be my child. She is actually the daughter of Drake and Damiana.”
Shock filled the High Council members’ faces. She thought she also saw fear in Felyse’s eyes, but she didn’t have much time to think about it because Alexandra then leaned forward.
“So, how do we trust anything you’ve said now if you lied to us about that information? She is not your kin, and you kidnapped her from her rightful parents. She should be given back to her family,” she said.
The other three High Council members looked questioningly at Alexandra. Then Valerie said, “She is our savior. The Elders confirmed that. She was tortured at her own parents’ hands. She cannot and should not be returned to them.”
“And she left you willingly to go to them, did she not?” Alexandra asked.
“She did not leave willingly,” she said and then immediately regretted it.
Alexandra smiled. “Then, where is her kidnapper so that we may apprehend him?”
Valerie looked to Nolan for help. She would not turn Rafe over to them. Nolan looked at Lucas and shook his head.
“Unless a crime is reported, it is not in our jurisdiction to apprehend anyone, Alexandra. You know this,” Lucas said and then turned to her. “Are you reporting a crime?”
Both Valerie and Drake said in unison, “No, your Highness.” Valerie looked over to him before quickly looking away.
“Drake, we have received reports that the Raizyns are preparing for war. You are the leader of this group, are you not?”
The One Awakened Page 13
