“Katelle, what’s wrong?”
The grisly scene had its desired effect on the duke. The assassin silently moved behind him, snaking his arm around Rylee’s neck, choking off any sound. He slipped the stiletto effortlessly between the duke’s ribs and into his racing heart. He held Rylee close before slowly lowering him to the floor as his legs gave out. The assassin shifted around to face the duke, relishing his agony.
Rylee’s eyes widened when he saw the assassin’s face hovering above him. A spark of recognition entered his eyes.
“Nils,” he sputtered.
“My Lord Duke, I bring greetings to you from the Red Alliance. The Alliance has taken your suspicions regarding the Telkur scandal very seriously. You should have been more careful about whom you shared your opinions with. Goodbye, Duke Rylee.”
Rylee’s final thought was of his poor Katelle and how right she had been.
Excerpt from The Chronicles of Otharia during the reign of the First Vacancy:
Division II – The PSI Potential
Subsection II – Telepathy
Telepathy was considered to be the hardest of all the PSI powers to master. Reading another person’s thoughts was extremely difficult due to the physical nature of the brain and the abstract nature of thought. A telepath had to be in physical contact with a person to “read” that person’s thoughts. Upon contact, a telepath would merge his awareness with the other person’s and begin to listen to the subject’s surface thoughts. The fleeting nature of thought made it difficult for a telepath to grasp all the thoughts, and many were lost in the struggle to listen, comprehend and translate. No known telepath had ever had the power to go beyond the conscious and into the subconscious.
Chapter 9 - Graduation
Darius stood in the formation with his fellow telepathic students, waiting patiently for the signal to move out onto the parade grounds. This was it, finally: graduation. As he waited for the signal to move, he thought of the friends he had made here. They had all vowed to stay in touch, but their relationships would change through both distance and affairs of state. Royalty did come at a price and each royal had a duty to their own house. His time with Tyline was over, for as much as he enjoyed her company, royal alliances were brokered on need, not passion.
Darius scanned the crowd. He spotted Baron Avikar and Trinity in the Telkur royal box, and a frown creased his face. Avikar’s appointment as Regent was a constant thorn in his side. He tried to ignore him as much as possible, because Avikar’s reign would end soon; but that insufferable man continued to cause grief at every turn. Even today, at this auspicious event, he managed to turn a happy occasion sour by canceling the celebratory dinner normally given when a Telkur graduated from the Institute. He claimed the cost was too much for the treasury to bear.
“If our subjects want to celebrate your graduation,” Avikar had said to the twins, “then they’ll have to cook their own dinners.”
Darius raged against Avikar’s decree, but was powerless to do anything about it. If he had not reviewed the treasury data himself, he wouldn’t have believed Avikar. Unfortunately, the accounts backed up his claim; the treasury was in dire straits. To stop the outpouring of cash from the treasury, Avikar had ended the enlightened social programs, which was causing many problems throughout the realm.
Word had spread outside the borders of Telkur that the great duchy was in trouble. This, above all else, caused Darius untold stress. All the work his father had done to make the duchy a showcase of magnificence and fairness to its citizens was collapsing before his eyes.
The Grand Competition was his last and best hope for the survival of the duchy. It was a great risk and the odds were against them, but the winning purse from the competition would solve all of the duchy’s financial problems. Thankfully, Ty’s father had graciously paid the entrance fee for their team. Ty had questioned his father about paying off the entire debt of the Telkur House, but Rylee told the twins it was too great an amount for the Persing treasury to handle.
“I wish I could do more,” Rylee said when he handed them the entry fee, “but this is what I can manage. The rest is up to you. It’s your best chance; make the most of it.”
Yes, all that’s left to do is win, Darius thought.
The blaring of the horns interrupted his thoughts and signaled the time to move forward. The graduation ceremony was full of splendid pageantry, with the banners and flags of the family crests lining the grounds inside the amphitheatre. Three groups in colorful dress uniforms, representing the Schools for the Advanced Studies of Telepathy, Empathy and Telekinesis, marched through the archway and onto the parade grounds to a wild round of applause from family and friends.
The horns sounded again, silencing the crowd.
“Welcome Lords, Ladies, honored guests, and family members to the Vogdo Duchy and Otharian Institute of Paranormal Studies’ graduation ceremony,” the announcer said.
The events flew by in a whirlwind of announcements and applause. The final pass and review culminated in the declaration that the graduating class was dismissed. The cheers were deafening and Darius stepped out of formation in search of Dyla. He scanned the crowd of graduates trying to locate her. Striding across the parade field, he headed for the Empath group, and quickly found her. She turned at his approach and he scooped her up in a bear hug, lifting her effortlessly and spinning her in a circle.
“Dy, we did it!” Darius yelled gleefully.
“Darius put me down,” Dyla chastised him playfully.
As Darius set her down, he looked over her shoulder and saw Acaris and Aketis Dalcon, identical twins, heading towards them. They were notorious bullies who garnered great pleasure in terrorizing underclassmen. Tall, blond and muscular, they were a force with which to reckon. The fact that the brothers were his biggest competition with the girls at the Institute rankled Darius every time he saw them.
“Hey, Dyla, you’re looking particularly well today,” said Acaris, leering at her from head to toe.
Acaris, the bolder of the Dalcon brothers, had asked Dyla for a date numerous times during their years at the Institute, only to be rebuffed each time. It rankled him that the one girl he wanted to bed would have nothing to do with him.
“Darius, I see you’re still hiding behind your sister. You can’t hide forever. We’ll see how good you are when the competition begins.”
The Dalcon brothers were also entered in the Grand Competition, but they had a decided edge over the Telkur-Persing team. Their uncle, Bacara Dalcon, was the third member of their team and had years of competition experience under his belt. His part in the team made the Dalcons a favorite to win.
Darius stepped around his sister and closed the distance between himself and Acaris. Acaris stood his ground and stared at Darius, daring him to do something.
Dyla didn’t need to be an empath to know where this was heading. Neither of the young men would back down and lose face. She moved to step between them and head off the coming disaster. Aketis grabbed her by the forearm to restrain her.
“Hold on there, little lady,” Aketis mocked her. “Let the men have their fun.”
Dyla glared at Aketis. With her free hand, she grabbed the top of Aketis’ hand on her forearm. She twisted his hand, breaking it free from her forearm and applying a wristlock. His attempt to struggle free only succeeded in Dyla applying more pressure to his trapped hand, causing him to drop to his knees.
“Hey, take it easy. You’re breaking my wrist.”
Dyla snarled at the young man. “If you ever lay a hand on me again, I’ll break more than your wrist.”
Darius and Acaris stopped their own confrontation, and stared at Dyla and Aketis.
“Wow, she’s good,” Acaris said.
“You don’t know the half of it,” Darius replied.
Dyla released Aketis, who stood rubbing his wrist while looking at her sullenly. He was embarrassed that she had bested him in front of so many students.
“We’ll finish thi
s on the competition field,” he growled.
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
Dyla turned her back on the Dalcons and began to walk away.
Darius couldn’t resist a final smirk at Aketis, who was still rubbing his wrist.
“Well, well, put down by a girl. But then, I’d bet you’re used to that.”
Aketis stared at Darius with murder in his eyes.
Dyla stopped and looked back.
“Come on Darius. Let’s go find Ty. We’ve wasted enough time on these boys.”
Darius chuckled and joined Dyla. They set off through the crowd to find their cousin Ty. They accepted congratulations from fellow students and teachers as they made their way across the parade grounds toward the telekinetic group.
Halfway across the parade field, they spotted Eclasius Jortac standing with his parents. He had graduated as the top telekinetic in his class, a notably distinctive honor, though by the look he wore, he didn’t seem too pleased about it. His expression did not change as the Telkur twins walked towards him. He shifted nervously from one foot to the other.
“Hi Eclasius, Duke and Duchess Jortac,” Dyla said, bowing slightly.
“Nice to see you, Dyla, Darius,” Duke Lucas said. “Congratulations. I understand you’ve both graduated with high honors.”
“Yes, thank you for the kind words,” Dyla replied. “But your own son graduated number one, the top of his class. A truly great achievement.”
“Yes, indeed,” Duke Lucas replied curtly.
Darius noticed the shortness of the Duke’s reply and quickly intervened to change the subject.
“We’re thrilled that school is finally finished. Now we can concentrate on training full time for the Grand Competition.”
Duke Lucas looked intensely at Darius, mentally sizing him up.
“I’d heard that you two had entered the competition, along with the Persing boy. As I understand it, the events of the competition involve some particularly grueling obstacles this year. Good luck to you all.”
While Duke Lucas was talking with Darius, Dyla glanced at Eclasius. She was surprised to feel tension radiating from him. It was obvious that there had been something going on before they arrived and she wondered what could possibly overshadow such a joyous occasion. Duke Lucas showed no signs of the pride a father should feel for a son who graduated top in his class and Eclasius was radiating extreme anxiety.
Eclasius had a reputation at the Institute of being a loner, and had become a favorite target of the Dalcon brothers’ taunting. When Eclasius had first arrived at the Institute, Acaris Dalcon had given him the nickname of Eclair, the pastry boy, because of his fair skin and blonde hair and that name had stuck with him. The teasing and ridicule he endured from the other students throughout his years at the Institute had made him even more reclusive.
She turned back to the duke.
“Thank you, my lord. The competition will be tough and I think we’ll need all the luck we can get.”
“We’ll see you again at the reception,” Lucas said, abruptly ending the conversation. He turned and walked away with his wife, Janal, trailing behind him. There was no word or backward glance for his son.
“Damn, Eclair. What’s that about?” Darius teased. “Does your father always make a habit of ignoring you while you’re standing in front of him?”
Eclasius glared at Darius.
Dyla took a step closer to Eclasius. The waves of anger and hurt radiating from him seemed to be further agitated by Darius. She felt sorry for him and was annoyed at her brother’s insensitive remark.
“Eclasius, please forgive my brother. He doesn’t always think before he opens his mouth.”
Eclasius looked gratefully at Dyla and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could utter a word, Trinity Kantos walked up to the group.
Trinity was a pretty young woman with porcelain skin and long blonde hair that fell to her waist. She was short of stature like her older brother, Avikar, but unlike him, she had a pleasant countenance and was well liked by all. She was a distant cousin of the twins on their mother’s side of the family, but was too far removed from the royal bloodline to have a title. Even so, she had grown up with the twins from childhood, and they were all close friends.
She had graduated from the Institute the year before and was already working as a professional telekinetic at the main Telkur portal station. Ty had been courting Trinity for some time now and it was rumored that the two had begun to make plans for their combined future.
“There you are,” Trinity said excitedly. “I’ve been looking all over for the two of you.”
“Sorry, we were looking for Ty and ran into Eclasius.”
“Did you find Ty yet? I’ve been looking for him too. I didn’t see his parents in the Persing Royal box at the graduation ceremony.”
“Come to think of it, I didn’t notice them in their seats either,” Darius replied. “That’s a bit odd. Let’s go find them. Ty is probably with them by now.”
Eclasius, standing alone and feeling left out again, cleared his throat.
“Please excuse me, I have to go.”
Dyla felt his pain at the exclusion but didn’t know what she could do to lessen his hurt. The three of them watched him walk away.
“Is he always so shy?” Trinity asked when he was out of hearing range.
“Yes, but I think there’s something wrong between him and his father,” Dyla said. “When we ran into them earlier, I felt something strange between them both.”
Dyla watched Eclasius’ receding figure. There was something about him that intrigued her, but she didn’t quite understand him. She wasn’t convinced that the excitement of the day explained the raw emotions she had felt earlier between him and his father.
It’s too bad, Dyla thought; he’s a likeable sort.
“I’m so proud of you both and I’m sure that Ty’s parents feel the same about him,” Trinity said. “Let’s go to the reception hall and find them.”
“I’m ready, let’s go,” Darius said.
Crossing the parade grounds, the twins accepted more congratulations on their graduation and best wishes in the upcoming competition. The news that the Telkur twins had even entered the competition aroused much speculation. As a young and untested team, there were many that thought they didn’t have a chance at winning. The odds were high against them and the smart money was on the teams with experience, like the Dalcons’. The competition would be an event closely watched by all the royal houses, including those that had no stake in the competition.
Halfway across the grounds, Dyla looked up and noticed a lone, dark cloud on the horizon. A chill of premonition coursed through her and she shivered.
Trinity noticed her shiver.
“Dyla, you OK?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Come on, let’s find your beau.”
“Sounds good to me.”
As they neared the reception hall, they heard shouting and a child sobbing uncontrollably. Darius rushed forward, pushing his way through the small crowd that had gathered. He stopped so suddenly that Dyla bumped into his back. She looked around her brother’s shoulder and what greeted her was horrifying.
In the middle of the crowd stood Ty, his uniform covered in blood, trying to hold onto his younger sister, Kiara. The young girl was crying hysterically and fighting to get away from him. Ty’s face was drained of color and streaked with tears.
Darius went to him and scooped Kiara’s small frame into his arms. All of the fight went out of the little girl when he cradled her against his chest. He looked at Ty, shocked at the sight of him.
Ty collapsed to his knees.
“They’re dead. They’ve been murdered.”
“What? Who’s dead? Ty, what are you talking about?”
Before Ty could answer, a contingent of Persing Royal Guards pushed through the crowd and surrounded Ty and Darius. Two guardsmen were quickly by Ty’s side, helping him to his feet. Another guardsman took Kiara from Dari
us and started moving away through the crowd.
“Wait! What’s going on?” Darius shouted.
Dyla quickly stepped up to block the guardsman’s path.
“I’m Lady Dyla Telkur,” she said commandingly. “Duchess Katelle Persing is my aunt. What’s happening here? Why is Ty covered in blood, and who has been murdered?”
The Captain of the Royal Persing Guard faced her, a grimace passing over his face.
“My Lady, my condolences. The Duke and Duchess of Persing were found dead in their suite moments ago.”
Dyla faltered.
The guard’s announcement had silenced the crowd.
“No, that’s not possible.”
“I’m sorry, but it’s true. Their bodies were discovered by the young lord and his sister moments ago. I must escort them to the safety of the Persing Duchy immediately. It’s no longer safe for them here,” the Captain said.
Darius tried to go to Ty, but the nearest guardsman blocked his path.
“Ty, I’m so sorry. I’ll come with you.”
“There’ll be no visitors allowed until we can be sure of the safety of the family,” the Captain said. “Lord Tyrian is now the ruling Duke of Persing and we must see to his safety. Everyone, move aside so we may pass.”
The astonished crowd parted and watched the royal Persing guardsmen escort Ty and Kiara away from the reception hall.
An anguished scream erupted from Trinity’s throat. The shock of seeing Ty in such a state was more than she could bear and she collapsed to the ground. In less than two years she had lost her beloved brother Roland, her Uncle Levon and Aunt Lilliana, and now her future in-laws.
“No, no, no. It cannot be true.”
Dyla tried to pull Trinity to her feet, but the young woman’s hysteria was spiraling out of control.
“Darius,” Dyla said, heroically trying to control her own emotions. “Get the guards. We need to get her back to the manor and have the doctor calm her down.”
Darius pushed his way through the crowd and found the Telkur Royal Guard on the outskirts of the gathering. Never far from the twins, they waited for Darius’s instructions.
The Quest for Nobility Page 6
