“I should go with him,” Sari said. “Maybe I can calm down the Isaiat a little.”
Hareem didn’t even bother to suppress his sigh. Sari really should be more careful. Hareem had no doubt that Karein was taking good care of his mate, but Sari still tended to put too much strain on himself in his zeal to help. “It would be better if you didn’t get too involved in this, Sari. It’s too dangerous.”
“I’ll be fine,” Sari promised. Much to Hareem’s surprise, the fae walked up to the throne and kissed Hareem’s cheek. It was a bold, affectionate gesture, which warmed Hareem’s broken heart. “Take care of yourself,” Sari whispered in Hareem’s ear.
With that enigmatic statement, Sari left, too. Now with only the two ancient princes, Hareem sobered and gestured them closer. “Now, tell me. What concerns you?”
“The vampire blamed Rachen, Kael, and me for this… Whatever this is,” Talrasar replied. “What’s going on, Emperor?”
Hareem didn’t like that. He didn’t like it at all. “I wish I knew,” he said. “One thing is certain. We have to get to the bottom of this, and fast.”
He had never been one to freak out because of some random words thrown his way, but this time, it was different. He could feel something gathering, looming ahead, like an ominous cloud. He could only hope that when it reached them, they’d be ready.
* * * *
“Are you serious about staying in Draechenburg, Camden?” Zaire crossed his arms over his chest and pinned Camden with a look. “You can’t mean that.”
Camden plopped down on the couch, exhausted. “Sage and I have discussed it. We’ve tried Patala, and it obviously didn’t work out. So we’ll try Draechenburg now.”
“But, Camden… You can’t leave us just like that.” Krysta gave him a pleading look. “What about Ender and Endra? You know how much they’ll miss you.”
Camden grimaced. “It doesn’t mean we won’t visit,” he said with a sigh. Sage sat down next to him, and Camden leaned against his shoulder, wishing more than ever that his family could have accepted him and Sage without getting into all this mess.
“As long as we’re welcome, that is,” Sage added.
“Of course you’re welcome,” Camden’s mother said, lifting a hand when Camden’s brother opened his mouth to say something. “Patala will always be your home, no matter what.”
“If I may,” Talbot intervened, “I was still hoping we could address our relationship. Now that we finally have you back…”
Camden really didn’t have the patience for this. “You don’t have me back, because you never had me in the first place. I’m sorry, Lord Talbot. We never should have involved you in this matter.” He squeezed Sage’s hand. “I already have a mate, and I don’t need anyone else. It was foolish to even try.”
Talbot clenched his jaw, his slitted eyes flashing almost alarmingly. A shiver coursed through Camden, and not for the first time, he wondered exactly how much he could truly trust Talbot. He might be an old friend of the family, but they hadn’t seen each other in ages. What was he even doing in Draechenburg? Could he have had something to do with the vampires’ plan?
He did note that his parents gave Talbot a surprised look, too, as if they hadn’t expected Talbot to approach Camden. That was a little worrisome, too.
“It is a little suspicious that he was there exactly at the time when the vampires attacked,” Sage said through their bond. “We have to keep an eye on him.”
“Agreed. If he’s here and we’re right, he can’t have good intentions.”
As they spoke, Nikhil finally arrived. He came directly to Camden’s side and hugged him and Sage without a word. Camden was honestly shocked. They’d done all the hugging when the plane had first landed, and now it was time for the automatic arguing. Nevertheless, Camden hugged Nikhil back. It was the first time one of his parents had actually included Sage in such a gesture, and Camden appreciated it a lot, especially since it came from Nikhil, who wasn’t usually very demonstrative.
“Everything all right, Father?” he asked when Nikhil finally pulled away.
Nikhil smiled tightly. “Fine. You two get some rest. You deserve it after everything we’ve been through. We can talk more later.”
It was very strange, much like the emperor’s attitude. “Something’s going on,” Camden told his mate, “something we haven’t been told.”
“Yes, and they’re trying to keep us out of it. I’ll look into it, beautiful. Once they’re gone, I’ll follow.”
“You mean, we’ll follow,” Camden amended.
Sage nodded, although when he spoke, he addressed Nikhil, not Camden. “Thank you, Majesty. I think we’ll take you up on that offer. Camden and I need a little quality time together.”
Talbot twitched satisfyingly but couldn’t do anything about Nikhil’s decision. Camden’s family hugged him once again, then left the room. For a few moments, Camden and Sage didn’t move, waiting on the couch. “Are they gone?” Camden asked, feeling a little silly with all this cloak-and-dagger stuff.
“Yeah,” Sage replied. “Come on, beautiful. If you’re up for this, it’s time to go.”
* * * *
Fallon lay bound in the dark dungeons, glaring at the two draechen in front of him. Perhaps he should be cooperating with them, since they were directly connected to this entire mess. But he didn’t trust them, not one bit. For all he knew, they’d join forces with his foe, and then things would be even worse for Fallon’s people.
“Why don’t you make things easier for yourself and tell us the truth?” Prince Shtamakarein asked. “We know you’re hiding something.”
“You don’t say.” Fallon chuckled. “Forget it, Dog-Catcher. I’m not telling you shit.”
Shtamakarein’s clone—twin, or whatever the hell he was—took another step forward. “I think I can make you change your mind.”
Fallon just faced him without flinching, even when Rachen, as the man called himself, summoned a fire spell. His powers were very strange, as they didn’t seem oriented to that element in particular. Rachen didn’t launch the magic at him, just getting so close that Fallon could feel the heat threatening to scorch his eyebrows. “What do you say?” Rachen inquired. “Ready to play nice?”
“Fuck you,” Fallon replied, wishing he could have come up with a better comeback.
Rachen’s eyes flashed threateningly, but Shtamakarein pressed a hand to his shoulder, holding him back. “Come on, vampire,” the black dragon said. “Stop resisting. You know you’ll tell us eventually.”
Fallon snorted. “What can you possibly do to me? This good-cop-bad-cop routine won’t work. I know where my loyalties lie, and I won’t betray them.”
“Fair enough,” Rachen replied, the fire in his hands dying. “We can understand that. But maybe you’ll change your mind once you haven’t been fed for a couple of days.”
Fallon had actually expected them to be much crueler. He shrugged, since he very much doubted he’d survive that long in Draechenburg anyway. Thankfully, the draechen gave up on him, at least for the moment. Shaking his head, Shtamakarein turned on his heel and abandoned the cell. With another ugly look thrown Fallon’s way, his brother followed.
Silence fell over the cell. Fallon closed his eyes and waited. It wouldn’t be long now. He was sure of it. Clenching his fists around his chains, Fallon sent a mental apology to his father. He had failed in his task, and now, he was going to pay the price. The chains kept him from shifting, and his bat shape wouldn’t help him get out of here in the first place. Draechen were always prepared to stifle the chances their prisoners had to use their abilities. If only he’d gotten the chance to reach an exit back at the hideout. He could have flown off and tried again a different time. But it was too late for that, much too late.
He didn’t know how long he lingered there, dwelling on his guilt and regret, but at last, he heard some strange noises outside. Draechen guards called out “Hold it,” before their voice died, silenced by whoever was appr
oaching.
A key was inserted into the lock, and Talbot Stervos stepped into the cell. “Hello there, Fallon Hanover,” he greeted Fallon.
Fallon didn’t even blink. “Well, you certainly took your time,” he told the naga.
Talbot just smirked at him. “I was busy with the little prince you let escape. Don’t worry. I won’t make the same mistake.”
“Is that right?” Fallon sneered back. “Well, good luck with that. At this point, the draechen and the naga know to be wary. If nothing else, this whole thing earned us that.”
Talbot’s expression darkened. “Do you really think that will help them? Or rather, do you think that will help you?”
“I’m just a speck of dust in this battle,” Fallon answered. “You can do whatever you want to me, but it’ll hardly influence its outcome.”
Slowly, the naga approached, scanning Fallon from head to toe. “You could have,” Talbot said. “You could have changed how this will all end.” He passed a clawed finger over Fallon’s cheek, drawing blood. “If you’d told the terrific twins the truth, they’d have believed you. It would have been very bad for me.”
Fallon’s heart fell. He knew Talbot was only saying all of this to torment him, to make him feel even more useless than he already did. But if it was true, if he’d discarded the one chance his people had left because of distrust… Gods, he’d never forgive himself.
To a certain extent, it made sense. If his foe had wanted to join forces with Ornoz, he’d have done so already. He could approach the draechen and give them the knowledge of his existence without Fallon having to reveal anything. Shit, he’d been so stupid. If he hadn’t allowed his own disdain toward the draechen to blind him, things might have been very different now.
“That’s right, little bat.” Talbot laughed at him. “You’ve wasted your final opportunity to save your world.”
“It’s not over yet,” Fallon replied weakly. “You haven’t won.”
“Oh, but I have. Your people can’t stand against me. You’ve alienated any possible allies you might have had. The shifters are divided, and I will tear them apart, one by one.”
Without giving Fallon a chance to answer, Talbot crushed their mouths together. Fallon struggled, hating every moment of it, unwilling to give this man the satisfaction of destroying his dignity, too. He bit down on Talbot’s lower lip, and both of them hissed at Talbot’s blood invaded his mouth.
Talbot pulled away, all merriment gone from his expression. Fallon spat the polluted blood out of his mouth. “I can taste him in you,” he said. He didn’t even know who he was addressing, Talbot Stervos or the shadow surrounding him, consuming him and threatening to do the same with the entire world.
“There is no him anymore,” Talbot answered, a wicked grin on his lips. “Just me.”
Fallon couldn’t say that truly surprised him. When he’d first met Talbot Stervos, the man had been just another naga. But the moment he’d seen him waiting in the throne room, he’d known things had seriously changed.
A wave of power swept over Fallon, trying to drain him of energy. It hurt like nothing Fallon had experienced before, but their experiments with naga blood paid off, and he managed to resist it.
Talbot frowned. “Oh well. It looks like I’m going to have to do this the old-fashioned way and get my hands dirty.”
Sharp claws raked over Fallon’s chest and neck. Fallon released a gurgled cry as his life’s essence started to drain out of him. Talbot just watched him bleed, and then, he tried again. This time, Fallon couldn’t resist the power that dragged him toward the darkness. As he surrendered to the void, he could only hope that his father and the rest of his people would be stronger.
* * * *
Even before he smelled the blood, Sage knew he and Camden had guessed correctly in doubting Talbot. This low down in the Draechenburg dungeons, only officers of the highest rank were allowed. Sage was lucky enough to have that permission, since he’d been reinstated in his role as a Wyvern. However, the guards would have normally stopped him anyway, if only because Camden was with him, and his own integrity had been, in the eyes of many of them, tainted by the naga.
No one stopped them now, and the reason became apparent when he and Camden started running into felled draechen. “Varuna…” Camden gasped out. “What happened here?”
“Go back, beautiful,” Sage told his mate. “Get help.”
Camden opened his mouth to protest, but Sage shook his head. “Whoever did this is very powerful. I can still feel the magic in the air.” He was beginning to doubt if it had been Talbot at all, even if he and Camden had followed Talbot’s scent here. “Find your family. If I’m guessing right, they should be close by. I suspect King Nikhil realized something isn’t right.”
His mate hesitated for a few moments, then turned to go back the way they’d come. It was the shortest path from the palace into the dungeons, one that Sage only knew because of his extended stay in the palace. It wasn’t exactly common knowledge, but somehow, Talbot, or whoever had burst in here, had been aware of it.
His heart heavy, Sage went deeper into the mountain. He had already guessed that Talbot was heading toward the vampire, probably intending to free him. Fortunately, Sage had recovered from his shooting and he could fight, although at this point, he truly didn’t know what he was up against.
He found Fallon’s cell with ease, and he got there just in time to witness an unlikely sight. The door was cracked open, but two people were still inside. Sage’s eyes fell on Fallon dangling against his chains, his chest and neck practically ripped apart. His broken body spasmed, as if he was in the throes of a seizure. Talbot loomed over him, and the air around him seemed to vibrate.
Sage didn’t even hesitate. He burst into the room and shot an ice spell at the naga. Sage’s magic seemed to shatter, as if it had struck an invisible shield. However, the bolt of ice did have an effect. Talbot went rigid, and Fallon’s body stopped moving. At the very least, Sage had caused a distraction.
Talbot turned toward him, and Sage gaped when he realized the naga’s previously slitted eyes had gone completely dark, so much so that they didn’t even have pupils anymore. There was only that black, like Sage was looking into a void. Talbot hissed at him, the sound so completely animalistic that it took Sage aback. When he spoke, the voice no longer even sounded like Talbot at all. Or it did, but not really. “You again,” the naga said. His lips twisted into a smirk. “Well, it’s actually quite perfect. You’ve been a thorn in my side for too long.”
Sage sensed the power building up in the room. He saw it in Talbot’s eyes, and he knew this was no normal naga. He’d also been around Karein and Rachen long enough to be able to identify energy-draining magic. He had no idea how Talbot had come to wield such power, but he wasn’t about to sit around and find out.
His ice spell had distracted Talbot, but if Sage was right about the type of magic Talbot used, he could truly do very little about it. Black dragons absorbed normal elemental spells like Sage used. It made no sense for Talbot to be able to wield a power similar to Karein’s, but Sage’s gut told him to stay the hell out of Talbot’s reach. Still, that didn’t mean Sage was going to turn tail and run. No, Lieutenant Sagenamadeen Zager was no coward, and this man had to pay for his crimes.
The first thing he had to do was to get Talbot away from his victim. Hopefully, Fallon would still be alive by the time they defeated Talbot and would respond favorably to the attentions of a healer. Of course, before that could happen, Sage had to actually beat Talbot, or at the very least stall him until reinforcements arrived.
At the corner of his mind, Sage registered his mate’s panic as Camden ran through the palace, seeking help. “Be careful, Sage,” he said through their bond. “That’s not the Talbot Stervos I knew.”
Yeah, Sage had pretty much gathered that, because he couldn’t fathom the Isaiat trying to marry their beloved son off to a traitor with dubious magic. But that was something to be explored another time.
For the moment, Sage retreated out into the hallway, dodging a bolt of magic just in time. “Come on,” he taunted. “Is that really the best you can do?”
Talbot roared, and Sage seriously wondered where everyone else had gone. Surely, the entire palace had heard that sound. He supposed that, in a way, he was making progress, since he’d at least diverted Talbot’s attention from Fallon. But really, Sage had his own issues with Talbot. The man had not only tried to get between him and Camden, but also killed several draechen. He would not get away with it.
With a growl of his own, Sage shot a bolt of ice at Talbot. Talbot laughed, Sage’s spell dissipating into thin air. “Is that really the best you can do?” he echoed mockingly. “Pathetic, Lieutenant Zager. I really don’t know what Camden sees in you.”
“We’re in love,” Sage replied calmly. “But I suppose such a bond isn’t easy for you to comprehend.”
“Love.” Talbot repeated the word, as if tasting it in his mouth. “I’d have actually expected the draechen to get over such naive, childish concepts by now. You do realize that the bond you praise so thoroughly is nothing more than sexual chemistry and pheromones?”
As the naga spoke, tendrils of darkness seemed to extend from him to Sage. Sage moved back, creating ice with every step he took. Oddly enough, he didn’t even do so consciously. His power seemed to be reacting to Talbot’s proximity, like it was trying to repel the dark magic.
“And how exactly would you know that?” he countered. “You don’t have a mate, and I’m guessing you never will. Fate would never be so cruel so as to bind someone to you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Talbot said. “I can take whoever the hell I want. In fact, I fully plan to claim Camden. He won’t be able to fight me, once you’re out of the picture.”
That was the only warning Sage got before Talbot directed another wave of power at Sage. Sage tried to dodge again and cast a spell of his own, and while his enchantment did hit Talbot, the naga’s struck him as well. He felt Talbot’s power sapping him of strength, threatening to send him to his knees.
Naga's Concubine [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 4] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove) Page 20
