Resurrection Of The Fallen

by Jessamyn Kingley

  Drystan chuckled. “I didn’t kill anyone. I promise. But what I’m going to tell you is going to be a shock. I’m sorry this is over the phone.”

  “Dad, you’re freaking me out by building up the suspense.”

  “Fine. The reason I haven’t been at the training center is one of the newly fallen knights is my mate.”

  Trystan’s eyes widened so far it hurt. Blodwen gave him a questioning glance, but what the hell could he say? “Uh, what?”

  “I met my mate,” Drystan said. “Well, we haven’t met but I know who he is.”

  “He?”

  “Yes. My mate is male.”

  Trystan began choking on air, and Blodwen started pounding on his back. For a relatively small woman, she was doing a hell of a good job beating his spine into submission. Once he got some air into his lungs, he stepped slightly away and wrapped an arm around her so she’d stop. “I, um, I don’t know what to say. Congratulations?”

  “Trystan, I know this is a shock.”

  “It is and I’m being a shit. I am really thrilled for you. I, well…I’m kind of at a loss for words.”

  “I’m going to invite him to have dinner with us tomorrow night so you can meet him. You’re my son, and I want you involved in this from the start.”

  “I’m glad I get to meet him. I’m looking forward to it,” Trystan said. No matter how freaked out he was, he did want his dad to be happy. It was just going to take some time to get used to him being in a relationship, and he’d always assumed when his dad met his mate, it would be a woman. Obviously, the mental image he had needed some updating.

  “Me too, although I’m really nervous. I hope he accepts the invitation.”

  “Of course you’re nervous; this is a big deal.”

  “Says the kid who walked right up to Blodwen and introduced himself. How long was it? A month or so at best before your matebond ceremony?”

  “Dad, it’ll be good. You’ll see. You’ve waited a long time, and I know it’s something you’ve wanted. What’s his name?”

  He heard his dad make a sound like a groan. “Conley. Conley Gylde.”

  “You aren’t ever going to hear the end of those dragon rumors now.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know,” Drystan said. “Wait, disregard that. Your brain is full of all kinds of oddities, and I will be scarred for life.”

  Trystan laughed. “I’m a freak just like every other D’Vaire.”

  “You were a freak when you were a Kempe.”

  “I come by it honestly. You should meet my dad; he’s batshit crazy.”

  “The biggest regret I have in life is that I taught you to speak.”

  “Now I understand why everyone complains about your mean streak.”

  “Funny. I love you, kid. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Dad, don’t spend all night making yourself nuts. Things are going to work out great,” Trystan said. “I love you too.”

  After hanging up with his only parent, Trystan turned to Blodwen and filled her in on the phone call.

  Blodwen wrapped her arms around him. “Wow.”

  “Right?”

  “Tomorrow should be interesting.”

  “You’re not kidding,” Trystan said and gave her another kiss.

  “Let’s go tell everybody in the house.”

  “Yeah, and then we can laugh at their shocked faces,” Trystan replied and grabbed her hand so they could hunt down the rest of Court D’Vaire. Today’s revelation might have blown his mind, but at least he could amuse himself by stunning the crap out of his adopted family.

  * * *

  “VK Ruarc.”

  “Sorry to bother you, VK, but I just went over and picked up my dress uniform for tomorrow’s ceremony and I think there has been some mistake,” Conley said into the phone.

  “There shouldn’t be any issue with the size.”

  “No, they have my right size. It’s just…this doesn’t look like the uniforms the other recruits are wearing.”

  “Conley, you are fully aware you have tested well above your fellow recruits.”

  “I’ve seen the charts. I know it’s Venerable level.”

  “You have blown Venerable out the window. Roman and I still haven’t forgiven you for beating our asses in hand-to-hand combat training earlier this week.”

  “Sorry about that.”

  “Don’t be; you didn’t hold back. That means we’ve taught you the right way to approach your job.”

  “So, mine is more ornate because of my test results?”

  “You’ll find out your rank and assignment tomorrow just like everyone else.”

  “I know, I wanted to be sure I didn’t show up wearing the wrong uniform.”

  “Don’t sweat it, it’s always worth checking. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Sure, VK, thanks.”

  Conley hung up the phone and stared at the black, silver, and gray uniform hanging on the back of his door. The mandarin collar jacket was black, trimmed in smoky gray piping, and covered in silver embroidery. It snaked between two rows of matte pewter-like buttons down the front of the garment and wrapped around the neck. The epaulets were decorated as well. It was a far cry from the plainer ones given to the other graduates.

  They had the dark belt with the matte silver buckle that matched the buttons as well but none of the fancy stitch work. Their shiny shoes and pants were made of the same cloth as the jacket but with glossy charcoal stripes down the sides which were identical to Conley’s. The other similarity was the absence of a rank on the chest of the coat. They would all get those on the following day.

  He knew he’d worked hard, and all his scores reflected his efforts. Conley had exceeded everyone’s expectations including his own. All he’d wanted to do was make Venerable. As far as he knew, there was nothing higher. Other than the Reverent Knight and that wasn’t a title you could qualify for. So why was his uniform so ornate?

  Conley supposed there was no sense driving himself insane over it. He would find out soon enough. All he had to do was put it on and show up, then he’d get all the answers he wanted. He was pretty sure he was going to wind up in Las Vegas at the Order of the Fallen Knights Headquarters. It was the epitome of assignments. After all, it was the office which dealt directly with the Council leaders among other things.

  Over the past eight weeks, Conley had poured himself into working hard, and now it was paying off. He couldn’t help the grin that popped out. From the moment he’d woken up to find he’d been resurrected, he had been grateful to be alive. The last thing he’d wanted to do was not to live up to his potential. By surpassing every record ever held by a fallen knight in training, he knew he’d made his mark.

  He had excelled in every way possible. Well, that wasn’t entirely true, he thought ruefully. VK Calixtus didn’t think his driving was great. He claimed Conley didn’t understand how to operate at a safe speed. Conley saw no point in meandering down the street; he wanted to get to his destination as quickly as possible. Roman had claimed to have left impressions of his nails in the dash as he held on for dear life, but the man clearly exaggerated.

  Conley had learned one thing about life: he liked to go fast. When he was in the gym, the rapid movements of his body enabled him to take down opponents larger than he was. He was a couple of inches shorter than the other fallen knights, so he needed to move quickly—otherwise he could get overpowered. Once he’d figured that out, he dedicated his time when working out to increasing his pace.

  The strategy had allowed him to blow away all the records held by fallen knights when it came to dexterity and hustle. As for his academic pursuits, he’d found his memory was incredible. He could memorize books after just a single read-through. There was not a single test he didn’t get a perfect score on. Once he’d finished the assigned work, he’d taken all his extra time and read everything in the small library. Since he’d gotten through the material quickly, he was only halfway through his training when he’d run out.
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br />   He’d taken to surfing the Internet and gorging on every website related to fallen knights and the Council in general. Conley was fully prepared to tackle anything thrown his way. There was an exciting future laid out for him, and he was impatient to get started. A wry smile crossed his face. When wasn’t he impatient?

  One thing he was eager about at graduation—he’d finally get to meet the mysterious Reverent Knight. Due to his schedule, he’d never been able to make an appearance during their eight-week stay at the center. The instructors had commented more than once about how unusual that was; apparently the fallen knight leader was normally hands-on with new recruits.

  Conley wondered what in the world could have kept him so busy for eight weeks. It was his understanding that justice moved swiftly in their world. Was the workload that high? Or was it monumental in scale only for their leader? Giving a mental shrug, Conley didn’t know if he’d ever be able to answer those questions. He doubted he was going to wind up as the Reverent Knight’s buddy anytime soon, regardless of his stellar scores. The guy was a Council leader and could certainly look higher than Conley for a confidante.

  Setting aside his musings over the leader of the Order of the Fallen Knights, Conley concentrated on packing up the last of his clothing so he would be ready to take it all with him the next day. It didn’t take long to assemble everything; he only had what he’d been given. Conley stood there after zipping his duffel and was a little shocked to realize it was time to put his training behind him and embark on the real work of being one of the dedicated men and women who supplied defense and protection to every member of the Council of Sorcery and Shifters. He could not imagine a greater honor than the one given to him by Arch Lich Chander Daray on the day he’d called out for a worthy soul. Conley didn’t plan on ever giving him cause to regret that decision.

  Chapter 30

  Conley rocked from heel to toe as he waited for the Venerable Knights to tell them it was time for the graduation ceremony. Around him the other fallen knights chatted, their spirits high. Mostly the talk was about their assignments. Ramona had gotten Seattle, and it was rare for a newbie to get a major city to start. Conley had yet to receive his orders; he’d been told he would have to remain in the dark for a few minutes longer. It was a little irritating that everyone else knew where they were going and his life was still a mystery. He’d worked his ass off to finish with such terrific numbers; he figured he had been a shoo-in for Las Vegas as a Venerable, but now he didn’t know what the hell to think.

  Venerable Knight Vann Ruarc came into the anteroom where they were huddled, dressed similarly to Conley but to his surprise, Vann’s uniform wasn’t quite as ornate as the one he’d been given. “Hey guys, how ya doing?”

  “How much longer until we get out of here?” Melinda asked.

  “Not long, I promise,” Vann assured her before turning to Conley. “I just need to borrow Conley for a few minutes.”

  Conley was a little dumbfounded, but he was certain he was finally going to get his assignment. “Sure.”

  “Follow me,” Vann said and Conley followed him down the hall. The other fallen knight stopped at a closed door. “Just go in when you are ready.”

  After those rather cryptic words, Vann turned on his heel and went back in the direction they’d come from. With a mental shrug, Conley grabbed the knob and slid the door open…and his whole body went haywire. A rich, spicy scent filled his nostrils, and his dick roared to life. His head spun with a joyous feeling that left no space for anything else. For a few precious seconds, he had no idea what was going on, and then he scoped out the room ahead of him. Inside, he saw the back of a tall man with black hair. He was a fallen knight, and he was also Conley’s mate. Conley walked forward and closed them both in the chamber.

  The man turned. Conley smiled; he was gorgeous. Stern jaw, straight nose, and a penetrating pair of azure eyes. He was dressed in a uniform nearly identical to Conley’s, only over his left pec the letters RK were embroidered in thick silver.

  “You’re Reverent Knight Drystan Kempe,” Conley said into the stillness of the room.

  “I am,” the man replied. “And you are Reverent Knight Conley Gylde.”

  He couldn’t help but laugh; it was so ludicrous. “I guess I am.”

  Drystan lifted a brow. “That’s funny?”

  “I pushed really hard to make Venerable. I never imagined I would be Reverent.”

  “Your scores left Venerable in the dust.”

  “I guess that means I did get Vegas.”

  “You damn well earned it.”

  “I did,” Conley said. He saw no reason to downplay his results or how hard he had worked.

  Drystan crossed the space, lifted his hand, and carefully added a patch to his jacket with the same RK he wore on it. “This uses magic to adhere; you don’t have to worry about it falling off.” Then Drystan handed him a thick silver ring. It had the Order of the Fallen Knights coat of arms emblazed on the top surface of it. A shield split into four sections, the top left with the helmet and the bottom right with its skull had a matte gray background and the emblems were black. The other two areas of the crest were black. Normally they would be unadorned, but one had a shiny letter R and the other a K.

  Conley slid the heavy piece of jewelry on and flexed his fist. He wondered how long it would take him to get used to the feel of it. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” he replied before letting his hands drop and putting a step between them.

  The wheels in Conley’s head were starting to turn. “Is this why you never came to the training center? All the instructors seemed to think it was odd you weren’t there.”

  “It is. I discovered we were mates the same day you were resurrected.”

  The memory of the weird-ass feeling he’d gotten when he had gone into the cafeteria on his first day as a fallen knight came to mind. “The office above, you saw me at breakfast. Am I right?”

  “Your senses were likely still muted, but I knew you felt at least a little something. I’m sorry about all the mystery. I thought it was only fair you were allowed to make it through training without you and everyone else knowing you were a Reverent Knight,” Drystan said. “No one treated you any differently, and there was no pressure on you to perform.”

  “Did the Venerable Knights know?”

  “Yes.…Do you feel their behavior singled you out in any way?”

  “Not at all. I was handled as the other recruits were.”

  “Good.”

  Conley’s head had yet to stop spinning. Not only was he standing here having a strangely calm conversation with his mate, but he was a freaking Reverent Knight. At least the heavily embroidered uniform made sense now. They stood there staring at one another for several minutes while Conley tried to figure out how to break the silence. “Well, this is awkward.”

  Drystan grinned. “I’ve had eight weeks to plan what to say, and yet I’m at a loss for words. All I can think about is how rare your eye color must be.”

  “Weird, right? Whoever heard of yellow-orange eyes?”

  “I like them. I would, however, describe them as amber.”

  “Aren’t those the stones with the bugs in them?”

  Laughing, Drystan said, “I’m not sure the bugs are a requirement, but I do believe they can sometimes have animal or fossils captured in them.”

  Things got quiet again, and Conley wondered how long it would take them to get comfortable around each other. “I guess everyone is waiting for us.”

  “I’m sure they are,” Drystan agreed. “I have a favor to ask of you before we go.”

  “Okay, what is it?”

  “Tonight, I’ve arranged to have dinner with my son and his mate. I’d like you to join us.”

  As if finding his other half wasn’t enough, Conley had to contend with meeting the man’s family. “Do they know about me?”

  “They do.”

  “Okay, sure. I’ll go.”

  “Great,
thank you,” Drystan replied. “Now how about we go get your graduation started?”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  “Sit on the stage as you planned. I’ll call you up last and announce your rank. Our Venerables are the only ones aware we are mates. The rest of the fallen knights in attendance are still in the dark.”

  Conley was glad he wasn’t the last person to learn his fate. “All right.”

  Following Drystan out of the room, Conley just concentrated on moving one foot and then the other. This day was not going as planned and while he was thrilled Fate had been so good to him, he wasn’t going to pretend his future wouldn’t be complex. Not only did he have a mate, but he had the stress of being a Council leader. No wonder his head wouldn’t stop spinning.

  * * *

  Conley dropped his bag into the apartment the fallen knights had arranged for him. It was, he’d been told, in the same building as Drystan. He didn’t have much time to check it out, so he took a cursory walk through the one-bedroom unit and found it pleasant if not a little boring. There was nothing to complain about, and he’d been told it was on a month-to-month lease since he had a mate and wouldn’t be staying there long-term. He wondered just how long it would take to get used to Drystan and everything that came with him.

  Graduation had been nice. The other recruits had all worn looks of shock when he’d arrived on stage. Drystan started the commencement and brought each one of them up to get their rank, and cities of placement were shared with the crowd. When it was Conley’s turn, the room erupted into riotous applause and every fallen knight had jumped to their feet in a nearly two-minute ovation.

  It meant a great deal to him they were all so happy for them. He knew it said a lot about their feelings for their first Reverent Knight. Conley had already guessed Drystan was well-liked, but it never hurt to get reassurance. Hopefully, he would be as good of a mate as he was a leader.

  He heard a knock, and he squared his shoulders. It was time to dine with Drystan and his family. As Conley had expected, it was Drystan at the door.

  “Trystan and Blodwen are going to meet us at the restaurant,” he said by way of a greeting. “It’s close enough to walk.”