“Don’t be.” Sari took a deep breath, deciding to trust her. “I think… It was different for me. I saw my mate, Shtamakarein Tersain… But I also felt him, heard him in my head. It was real. I’m sure of it. Not a vision.”
Eanera took hold of Sari’s hand and squeezed it hard. “What do you mean, Sari?” she asked, sounding concerned.
“I’m not crazy, Mother,” Sari assured her. “I’m telling the truth. For a few moments, it felt like my mind touched that of someone else—Karein’s. And it was real, in the now, not in a vision that may or may not have happened.”
For a few moments, Eanera didn’t speak, just scanning his face earnestly. What she saw there must have convinced here, because she released a soft gasp. “Oh, Sari… What does this mean?”
“I don’t know just yet,” Sari admitted. “I just feel that I need to be by this man’s side, like he’s waiting for me and I’m failing him by not being there.”
He almost thought his mother would tell him he was being ridiculous, but she didn’t. Instead, she smiled and said, “Get some sleep. Your burn still hasn’t healed, which I must admit has me gobsmacked. So, until you’re feeling better, don’t worry about anything. King Amarion seems fierce now, but he’ll come around. Just weather it out and be patient.”
Sari wanted to point out that he’d been patient for too long, and at this point, he was entitled to make his own choices. However, he held his tongue. He had a feeling it would be pointless to argue with her anyway.
Just as he closed his eyes, though, a strange voice sounded in his head. “Help me,” it said. “I need your help.”
Sari instantly shot off the bed. He glanced around the room, trying to figure out who’d spoken. “Sari?” his mother asked. “What is it?”
Sari had no idea what impression he’d make if he admitted he was hearing voices now. His mother would likely never believe him. But something was calling out to him, some sort of force that wouldn’t let him go. It didn’t feel like his mate either, but Sari couldn’t imagine who else would have such access to his mind.
So, he didn’t answer at all. Instead, he rushed out of the bedroom, praying his mother was right about the king being more bark than bite. Alas, there were always guards watching the quarters of the royal family, even Sari’s. Sari just had to think of a method to escape them.
“Help me,” the voice said again.
Sari ached to do just that. There was just so much pain and loss in that tone that he couldn’t have stopped himself if he’d wanted to. He reached for the doorknob, mentally coming up with excuses he could tell the guards. Perhaps he should enlist his mother in his escape. She might be able to give him a hand if he managed to persuade her he wasn’t losing his mind.
Even as he mused over this, Sari caught sight of something unexpected. Right there, on the table of his quarters, sat the box with the phoenix feather. As if hypnotized, Sari walked toward the table and picked it up. He had no idea how it could have gotten here, since his mother and the king had said they had no intentions on exposing Sari to it again. However, Sari couldn’t afford to waste time musing over that question.
The appearance of the box was a sign. Someone needed his help. Not only that, but Amarion’s insistence on keeping Sari from his mate was folly. Amarion might be Sari’s king, but right then and there, Sari knew what his path was, and no one but him could decide it.
He didn’t open the box again. He just picked it up and clutched it to his chest, holding it over the spot where the feather had burnt him earlier. As he did so, Eanera stepped into the room. “Where did you get that, Sari?” she asked.
“It just came to me,” Sari replied. “I think the time for waiting is over, Mother. We have to act.”
Fortunately, Eanera didn’t ask any questions. Still clutching the box, Sari stepped out of his quarters, with his mother trailing behind him. The guards showed no sign of having seen them. They remained in the exact same position they’d been, glancing past Sari like he wasn’t even there.
Holding his breath, Sari walked faster. The only reason why he’d managed to do that was because of the strange box, and he couldn’t be sure how long the peculiar enchantment would hold. He still had no idea what powers it had, so he had to move quickly if he wanted to find the source of the voice.
Truth be told, Sari had no idea where he was going. He just followed his instincts, practically running through the mazelike compound. “Where are we going, Sari?” his mother whispered at one point.
Another “I don’t know” wouldn’t have gone over too well, so Sari ignored the question. Thankfully, he found his way through the compound pretty quickly, and his mother didn’t get the chance to press the issue. Soon, Sari found himself in front of a door very much like the one he’d passed to reach the room where he’d first seen the feather. There was another one of those keypads that obviously demanded a particular pass code. Of course, there were also dozens of guards, but they didn’t see Sari and Eanera. Not that it would matter if they couldn’t get past the door.
Sari might have known that the strange voice was directing him this way, but from this point on, he was stumped. Since he didn’t have any other options, he brought the box close to the keypad. A few buttons flashed green, and then, the door opened.
“Well, this is certainly handy,” he mused as he walked forward.
He didn’t know what he’d expected, but it certainly wasn’t the sight of a large tank filled with greenish liquid. Well, technically speaking, that wasn’t what surprised him. Rather, it was the fact that a tall, slender man floated in the substance. Sari gaped, unable to believe his eyes. The man looked exactly like him.
By his side, his mother gasped. “Sweet Jenarra… Sari, I think that’s Prince Talrasar.”
Talrasar? King Amarion’s first son? Sari had thought the man had been killed centuries ago, during the war. Apparently, he’d been mistaken. The machines hooked to the tank clearly showed Talrasar’s stable life signs. And yet, Sari was convinced this was the person who’d contacted him.
As if in a daze, he walked to the tank and pressed his hand to the thick glass. He wanted to free Talrasar, but he couldn’t be rash. For all he knew, Talrasar was seriously injured. He couldn’t come up with any other reason why the older fae would be in such a place.
As he touched the tank, however, Talrasar’s eyes shot open. The voice sounded in his mind again, stronger than before. “Help me. Get me out of this place.”
Sari was torn. He wanted to get Talrasar out of the tank, but he didn’t have enough information on why he was there in the first place. Would it truly be safe for Sari to act according to Talrasar’s wishes?
“Please, Sari,” the voice insisted. “I have been waiting forever for someone to hear me. You feel it, too, don’t you? The wrongness. My mate has been taken from me, and I have to get him back. You’re the only one who can help me.”
A flash of a tall, dark-haired man coursed through Sari’s mind. He looked a lot like Sari’s mate, but Sari realized that wasn’t the case. This was a former draechen general who’d fought by Talrasar side, Karein’s ancestor, Kaelezrin Tersain.
When he was faced with that, Sari couldn’t refuse what in his heart he felt was true. He backed away from the tank, reeling from what he’d experienced and with the powerful realization that he needed to destroy the tank and the machine. This man in front of him also craved what Sari did and mourned the separation from his mate. Perhaps they could help each other.
Jenarra’s power spoke to Sari, telling him that the captive was physically all right. He could do this. He could free Talrasar without risking the other fae’s health. Decision made, Sari found the computer that seemed to be running the machines. Currently, another fae was monitoring it, but like the guards, he didn’t notice Sari’s presence.
He walked to the computer and for a few moments, watched what the fae guard was doing. Fortunately, the man in question was looking over some reports of Talrasar’s condition. Sari wasn�
��t an expert in computers, but he understood medicine not only through magic, but through science, too.
From the report, he gathered that Talrasar’s physical condition was exemplary, just like Sari’s magic had told him. His muscles were being artificially stimulated so that they wouldn’t atrophy. With his original assessment confirmed, Sari could free Talrasar.
When the guard turned away from the computer, Sari started on with his plan. His fingers flew on the keys as he began to shut down the system. The guard cursed, but it was too late.
The tank started to empty of the greenish liquid. Inside it, Talrasar stirred. The wires that had been holding him up retreated, and he collapsed on the tank platform. As the glass lifted, though, he got up with striking ease.
At this point, alarms were blaring all around them. Sari’s mother grabbed his arm and started to pull him away. “Come on, dear child,” she said. “We can’t afford to get caught here.”
Before they could make their escape, though, Talrasar got in their way. “Thank you for freeing me,” he said. “Now, give me the box.”
He was completely naked, but he didn’t seem to care. If anything, his focus appeared to be completely on the box. Suddenly, Sari got the feeling that he was missing something very important. He hadn’t expected tremendous gratitude, but Talrasar’s tone was downright hostile.
Frowning, he held the item tighter to his chest. It had allowed him to rescue Talrasar, but Sari wasn’t willing to place its power into the hands of a stranger. True enough, he’d felt a sense of kinship with the other fae because of their similar goals. However, Sari now realized that it might not have been enough to make a truly informed decision.
“I don’t think I will,” he told Talrasar. “I helped you and I want to continue doing so, but not like this.”
“You don’t have a choice, Sareltae Myrthylar.” Talrasar glared at him. “You acted as my replacement for years. My father left me here, forgotten, and showered affection on you. And now, you want a mate, when I have been denied exactly that.”
Sari couldn’t believe his ears. How had things turned to this? He’d only wanted to help, but apparently, he’d fucked up big time. Talrasar practically looked ready to attack Sari, and that was a huge problem in his book.
Before that could happen, several guards entered the room, led by King Amarion himself. “Son, stop this,” he told Talrasar. “You know we only want what’s best for you.”
“What’s best for me?” Talrasar repeated, scoffing. “How long have I been trapped in this place, Father? One hundred years? Two hundred? You kept me separated from my mate, turned me into a vegetable. And you think that’s the best thing for me?”
“You need help,” Amarion answered. “I’m trying to find a cure for you.”
“What I need is to get to my mate, and no one will stop me.”
A wave of power exploded from Talrasar’s direction. Talrasar’s shields struck Sari, but he managed to hold his ground and his grip on the box. His mother threw an enchantment of her own around the two of them and grabbed Sari’s hand.
Thankfully, the rest of the fae—oddly, with the exception of Talrasar—still couldn’t see the two of them. Therefore, Sari and Eanera used the distraction provided by Amarion and slipped out of the room. Sari felt guilty for leaving the king to handle the mess he’d caused. He’d have liked to stay to help straighten things out. It just seemed so cowardly to flee like this.
When they were at a safe distance, he handed the box to his mother. “Go,” he told her. “Find Father. Start a communication line with the emperor. I can’t leave.”
“Sari, you have to. That man will track you down, just for some sort of imagined slight against him.”
“Well, then, I’ll just have to make him see the error of his ways.” Taking a deep breath, Sari kissed his mother’s cheek. He then turned on his heel and headed back the way he’d come. His palm burned as he approached his destination, and he hoped he wasn’t making yet another serious mistake.
As it turned out, by the time he’d returned to the room, the entire area had exploded into a fully fledged war zone. Talrasar looked even angrier than before, standing alone against his father’s forces. He had no weapons except his magic, and yet, he held his own, taking out the fae who dared to oppose him one by one. Granted, they could have been instructed to pull their punches because of who Talrasar was, but Sari didn’t think so.
Even the king was fighting, obviously convinced that Talrasar was beyond aid. Sari couldn’t bear it. All of his life, he’d been in the middle of conflict zones, but he’d always hated it, and now even more so. There had to be another way, another solution, a method to reach out to Talrasar. He couldn’t believe that what he had felt, those emotions that had brought him here had been all a lie.
Praying he was right, Sari threw himself right in the middle of the battle. “Stop this,” he cried out. “Please stop.”
Talrasar’s gaze snapped toward him. He pushed away from the fae he was currently fighting and directed his attention toward Sari. This time, he didn’t even try to start up a conversation. Instead, his magic angrily snapped toward Sari, more powerful than Sari had expected.
Sari wrapped himself tightly into his shields and insisted, “The two of us are together in this. We understand each other. I can feel your pain, and I don’t want to keep you from your mate.”
A struggle seemed to be going on within Talrasar. He stepped back, clenching his fists, anger, confusion, and need swirling in his eyes. Sari gestured for everyone to back off. The illusion keeping Sari cloaked seemed to have fallen, because the guards glanced at their king uneasily.
As if on cue, Amarion pressed his hand to Sari’s shoulder. “Don’t. You have no idea what you’re doing. He isn’t the man you think he is.”
Anger swelled through Sari, hot and bright. Even if Amarion was his king, Sari shook himself free and snapped back, “He’s your son. What could he have done that would warrant such treatment?”
“You can’t possibly understand,” Amarion said, “and I have no time for this. Sari, you’ll stay out of it. Talrasar, you will comply with my commands.”
“I think not, Father,” Talrasar replied. “I’ve had enough, and I know the truth you’re trying to hide. You won’t keep me from Kael any longer. He needs my help.”
“When will you learn that the draechen is bad for you? He’s the reason why you’re in this situation in the first place.”
Sari was completely shocked and confused. Was it only Amarion’s prejudice regarding his son mating a dragon that had urged him to treat Talrasar that way? It couldn’t be. Could it?
As he looked between the two men, Sari allowed his power to flow over both of them. Jenarra’s magic was meant to heal, and had sensed Talrasar’s physical condition earlier. However, he hadn’t assessed Talrasar’s mental state, which, in hindsight, had been a huge mistake.
Talrasar snarled at him when he felt what Sari was doing. “Don’t you dare,” he said. “I don’t want to be healed or soothed. I just need you to get out of my way.”
Somehow, Sari knew this wasn’t Talrasar’s typical behavior. The separation from his mate must have affected him deeply. At this point, there was only one thing that could cure what ailed Talrasar, and Sari would go through with it, no matter what his king said.
“Yes, you do need soothing,” he countered, “but from someone else. Come. My father will likely be sending a message to Draechenburg. We’ll request a meeting with the dragons on your behalf.”
“Sari, you can’t make that kind of decision,” Amarion answered. “I am king here, and you’re forgetting your place.”
“Perhaps he is,” Eanera said from behind the king, “or perhaps he’s doing what we all should have done a long time ago. Please, Your Majesty. Surely you must realize that you can’t stop this any longer.”
“I disagree,” Amarion answered. “Guards, get them all.”
More fae flooded the room, ready to trap Sari, his moth
er, and Talrasar. They never got the chance. The box with the phoenix feather glowed briefly. Just like that, Sari found himself outside the compound, free, with Eanera and Talrasar by his side.
“That thing… It’s far more powerful than I even expected,” Talrasar said. “It can help me reach my mate. I just know it.”
“One thing at a time,” Sari said softly. “For now, let’s hope the draechen cooperate and allow us a visit.”
Sari prayed to Jenarra that what he’d felt and seen was true. He’d gambled his entire future on it and burned the bridges to his old life. Oddly, he didn’t think that he would regret standing up to the king if it turned out that he’d been mistaken. He’d likely be too crushed to worry about anything else.
His mother took his arm and guided him to a car hidden under the cover of vegetation. As they entered the vehicle, Sari noticed the burn on his hand was gone. He wanted to take that as a good sign, but still couldn’t help but wonder exactly where the path he’d chosen today would lead them.
* * * *
“So we’ve decided then. We’ll send a message to Draechenburg demanding a complete ceasefire against shifters and magical creatures in exchange for Princess Akarawem’s life.”
Everyone around the table nodded, except Selbrian Norrenddare. Sage watched the fae with a measure of apprehension. The man had been tense and distracted ever since he’d returned from Florenz. Similarly, the two shifters present—Philip Strange and Raleigh Connors—kept fidgeting and shooting Selbrian looks of discomfort. Sage couldn’t help but wonder if there was something the Ivenians, and maybe even the felines, had kept from them.
“Like what?” his mate asked him through their bond. “What could they be hiding?”
“Any number of things,” Sage replied. “In the end, the fae could easily be as treacherous as the sprites. Besides, our gathering isn’t exactly the most unified one.”
It was true. Theirs was an unlikely alliance, between all sorts of shifters and magical creatures who were struggling against draechen rule. The original idea had come from the fae themselves. They’d given Raleigh Connors and his adoptive cousin, Caroline, the resources to finish the research his parents had once started and to avenge their families. The naga had soon joined in, bringing Sage in with them. Sage hoped that, eventually, others would come. The problem was that most species were too wary of what happened to people who resisted Ornoz, so it would take a lot of convincing to bring more people to the table.
Hyacinth, Scarlet - From the Ashes [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 7] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove) Page 12
