Betrayal (The Two Moons of Rehnor, Book 14)

by J. Naomi Ay

  “I’m not in the mood for cold.”

  Katie held her breath as Gabe maneuvered into the traffic lanes. After narrowly avoiding an enormous double-trailered semi-truck by mere inches, she suggested that she should drive.

  “We’ll take turns.” Gabe waved at the trucker who was blasting his horn, but upon seeing Gabe’s smile, immediately smiled back. “Communications,” Gabe chortled. “The best skill of all. East it is, Miss Katie with a t.”

  Tucked away in the mountains, only a few hours into their travel, Gabe decided Bear Lake would be their first destination.

  “It’s getting a little late,” he told Katie, while yawning and stretching his arms above his head, an action which sent the motorhome veering into oncoming traffic.

  “Gabe, a bus!” Katie screamed.

  “Oops, sorry.” Gabe smiled, swerving around a near disastrous head-on collision.

  “Pull over. Anywhere. I don’t care if we have to spend the night on the side of the road. Tomorrow, I’ll be the one to drive.”

  Luckily for them, Bear Lake was a lovely oasis of turquoise waters lined by white, sandy beaches. The RV park was located right next to the lake’s shore with a dock for water sports, as well as clean, modern facilities. Not that Katie was looking for a vacation destination. Frankly, she had no idea what she was looking for, or why she was here. She hadn’t a clue where she would go next, or how Gabe came to be assigned as her caretaker.

  "Let's make a campfire," Gabe suggested, while gathering some wood. “We could roast wieners, open a bottle of chardonnay, and kick back to enjoy the star-filled sky.”

  "I hate camping," Katie grumbled.

  "Really? I thought you liked it. Do you have any matches on you, or one those long, clicky lighters?"

  "Can't you do that finger thing? Don't you have fire in your fingers too?"

  "Communications," Gabe shrugged, "Sorry, but that's all I've got."

  Despite her earlier reluctance, Katie forced herself to relax on the blanket which Gabe had spread on a patch of grass right beside the lake. The evening weather was lovely, and the wieners weren’t that bad. The Chardonnay was so nice, they finished two bottles.

  “I used to love camping,” Katie said, sighing whimsically while swirling the dregs around in her glass, the alcohol having gone straight to her head.

  “Tell me about it,” Gabe replied, lying back on the blanket, his head on his hands, the stars reflecting like diamonds in his eyes. “Tell me a story, Cassie. Tell me about all the things you have done.”

  Katie glanced surreptitiously at Gabe, at his long legs and strong body, at the way he lay there so unselfconsciously beautiful. Just like his brother, she realized, if in fact, his brother was who she thought he was. Of course, all of this might be some weird psychotic dream. Maybe Katie was actually in jail back in the unpronounceable town, but subjected to hallucinatory drugs.

  “I don’t know any good stories,” she announced as a chill swept through the air.

  The fire crackled and sparked while an owl called from a tree, somewhere behind the camper. If this was a hallucination, it certainly ranked right up there with the best, as it addressed all of her senses including smell.

  “It doesn’t have to be a good story.” Gabe reached out and touched his hand to Katie’s face. “I just want to know who you are in this life.”

  Something kindled in Katie’s spine, something warm and a little exciting. Something she hadn’t felt in a long, long time. Katie realized how lonely she had been, so far away from home, all alone in this universe, except for Gabe.

  “I shouldn’t drink,” she decided. “It either makes me morose and depressed, or I forget where I left my moral compass.”

  “You know, you’re really soft,” Gabe said, his hand now wandering through her hair. “This is amazing, this mortal body and all that it does.”

  “Who am I, Gabe?” Katie whispered. “Who was I? Who are all of you?”

  “Now, Cassie,” Gabe chuckled, his laugh like music in the night air. “I asked you first. Tell me about a camping trip that was really, really fun.” His fingers had left her hair and were gently stroking her lips.

  “Gabe?”

  “No.” Now it moved to her arm. “You must know who are before you discover who you have been. That’s the rules if you want to play with me.”

  Katie tried to focus on a story, to clear her mind from the wine, and to distract her attention from what Gabe was doing to her arm. She tried to remember the last several years, all the places she had been with Senya, ending with the last one when he left her and didn’t return.

  It still hurt. God, it hurt to think how he left her alone, especially knowing now that he was back on Rozari. Granted, she didn’t stay where she was supposed to, but it wasn’t like she had a choice. She was kidnapped. Luka came for her. She had to leave.

  “We used to go camping by the waterfall at our property on Rozari,” Katie said instead, her voice erupting hoarsely from her throat. She swiped at a tear that formed in her eye. “Shika used to sleep in a tent while we camped outside. Senya hated to be confined. He hated to be trapped. Is that what I did to him, Gabe? Did I entrap him?”

  “I don’t know,” Gabe shrugged, “I’ve never understood that fool. He’s the one person in this universe I can’t speak to. That’s a pretty sad commentary, when you think about it, considering I’m in communications, and all that.”

  Katie began to cry. "I must be evil. I must really be someone bad for him to leave me."

  “No, Cassie. That's not true. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make you sad.” Gabe put his arm around her shoulder, and stroked her hair. “I want you to be happy. That’s why I’m here. That’s my job. Actually, that’s my hobby. You know my job.”

  “Communications,” Katie mumbled, and tried to smile.

  The last thing Katie wanted was to get involved with another brother. The last thing she needed was more confusion. But, either the wine or her own vulnerability was making her lose her common sense, something she had probably been missing for a while anyway.

  “What happened, Gabe? Tell me the story.”

  “Alright,” he replied. “In a little bit.” Then, he bent down and kissed her, locking his mouth upon hers. “I like this hobby,” he whispered. “This is totally great.”

  The truth was Katie liked it too. It had been a long time since she had been kissed and even longer since someone held her as if he cared. It had been even longer since someone had loved her in that way. A tiny niggling in her belly warned her that this wasn’t altogether the best thing to do, especially when it came to Brother One and Brother Two.

  Still, she didn’t stop Gabe. She let his hands and mouth explore, while wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him close. Then, one thing led to another, which was followed by more things after that.

  “I like being mortal,” Gabe gasped. "I like it a lot."

  Afterward, as Katie lay nestled with her head against Gabe’s chest, her body wrapped tight in his embrace, she couldn't believe what she had just done.

  “Oh God,” she murmured. “What’s happened to me? What did I do?”

  “He’s not going to answer,” Gabe replied. “Those type of questions He usually delegates to my department, since I’m responsible for, you know, communications.”

  “What?” Katie stared at Gabe.

  He smiled and shrugged in his affable way.

  “Hey look, Cassie. I’m ready to do all that again.”

  “I don’t think this is such a good idea,” Katie began to say when she was interrupted by the pressure of tiny feet. They were running across her leg, prompting her to scream, and jump in the air.

  "What?" Gabe bolted up, and looked around.

  "A rat! A rat just ran across my leg!"

  "I don't see any rats. Nothing ran across me. Why don't we lie back down? Let’s do that whole thing again. Did I tell you how much I like being mortal?”

  "Yes. Just wait until you're dead,”
Katie snapped, hugging herself with her arms, while scanning the darkened lawn for other rodents. “You’ll love being mortal then, I guarantee.”

  Gabe laughed, the sound as harmonious as a song, which incidentally, was accompanied by a falling star. The star turned into a blazing meteor, which roared like the sound of a straining engine. This was followed by an enormous splash only yards from where Gabe and Katie stood watching as the fiery spaceplane plummeted into Bear Lake.

  "What the hell was that?" Katie cried, snatching her clothes from where they were scattered about the grass.

  "Jimmy's Chariot," Gabe replied. "Unfortunately, that was our ride."

  Chapter 25

  “Did you receive Permission?”

  “I have not yet been granted an Audience.”

  “Will you do it without Permission?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Therein lies the singular difference between you and me.”

  “Perhaps.” Senya took a long drag on his cig, holding it tight in his lungs, before exhaling the fragrant smoke. Thunder rattled off in the distance. A bolt of lightning flashed, seemingly right outside. “Coffee, brother?”

  Luka laughed.

  “After you, brother. Bottoms up.”

  Senya turned his face to the nook’s window, to the blustery rain that pelted against the panes, hiding the hint of smile which crossed his lips.

  As much as he despised Luka, he enjoyed the challenge. No one else, no one, was as close to his match.

  Eva couldn’t decide whether to wear a blazer or sweater today. The weather was cloudy and the wind was blowing. The forecast on the vid had said rain was expected, although here on the coast of Takira-hahr, rain was more like drizzle.

  Back in Mishnah, rain meant a deluge, the kind that soaked you to the bone within minutes of stepping outside. If Eva was back at her apartment in Old Mishnah, she would have pulled on a pair of rubber boots, and a rain slicker with a scarf or heavy hood.

  After dressing, she would have walked two blocks down the street to stand in the queue for the city bus. By the time she got to the office a full three-quarters of an hour later, she’d be half frozen, and probably soaking wet.

  Today, Eva had chosen a pair of black linen slacks, an off-white silk blouse, four-inch high, black patent mules, and her mother’s pearls. For her two minute commute to the office, she’d walk across the skybridge into the villa. Not a hair would fly out of place, nor an eyelash smear.

  Eva looked good. She knew she was at her best. Her hair had a nice sheen, her complexion glowed. Even Wessel blushed when he saw her, his eyes clearly appreciating the view.

  “Good morning, Lord Wessel.” Eva kept her voice low.

  “Good morning, Minister,” Wessel said, glancing away from his vid. “Lord Taner’s not here right now. I believe he has gone down to the Family breakfast room to speak with His Imperial Majesty. I suspect he shall be back momentarily.”

  Eva nodded and thanked Taner’s under-secretary as she headed downstairs to the Family breakfast nook. She held her head high. She was one of the chosen few who was allowed.

  Earlier that morning, before dawn broke on the horizon, Joanne wrapped herself in her robe, and found her slippers. She brushed her hair out of her face, and then, dropped the vial in her robe pocket. Quietly closing the door to her bedroom, she went downstairs.

  A single maid was in the kitchen already preparing the pot of coffee in the manner that His Imperial Majesty liked it best. Black and very strong. The beans must be grown in Karupatani, and heavily roasted to four hundred sixty-five degrees.

  “Is the coffee ready?” Joanne asked, wiping a hand across her brow.

  “Yes, Ma’am,” the maid replied. “I’m about to set it out. Would you like some?”

  “Go ahead and put it out,” Joanne replied. “I’ll help myself in a moment or two. I’ve got a migraine and I need to take a pill.”

  “So sorry you’re feeling poorly, Ma’am.” The maid curtseyed, before carrying the carafe of hot coffee to the buffet. “I’ll be right back with the cream and sugar and plate of donuts.”

  “Thank you.” Joanne smiled tightly while waiting for the kitchen door to swish close.

  As soon as it did, she moved into action. Using a napkin to protect her hands, she opened the vial, as well as the lid of the coffee carafe. Then, Joanne shook a few crystals of potassium cyanide into the brew.

  “Goodbye and good riddance,” she mumbled, sealing her vial and leaving through the nook’s hallway door.

  Once back upstairs in her bedroom, Joanne flushed the rest of the cyanide down the loo. She climbed in bed, and fell back to sleep. No sense in waiting for what may take hours to happen.

  Taner, unlike Joanne, actually woke up with a migraine. It was a bad one, the kind where he grew nauseous just sitting up. Stars swirled in front of his eyes, and his stomach threatened to heave, so he lay back down, and waited a few more minutes.

  Taner gave himself a full half hour before forcing himself out of bed and into the bathroom where he knocked back some strong pills. By the time the Lord Chamberlain had finished a scorching shower, the pain had subsided into a dull thump on the back of his neck, right above his shoulder blades, resonating through the base of his skull.

  Dressing in his normal workday clothes of wool trousers, button down cotton shirt, and a cardigan sweater, Taner brushed his hair and cleaned his teeth, preparing to head out across the skybridge to the villa. It was just after sunrise when he did this, although it was still dark.

  As he passed before the panoramic windows on either side, Taner regarded the heavy cloud cover and splatters of rain with some distaste. Granted the weather was better here in Rozari than in Mishnah, but neither could compare to the climate in his duchy of Turko. There, the sun always shone and it never rained.

  In Taner's sweater pockets were the small container of potassium cyanide granules, and the garden gloves he always wore when working with plants. Only a tiny amount of the poison remained, but it was enough to do the job.

  Taner headed toward the Family breakfast nook, entering through the door in which Joanne had just departed.

  "Good morning, sir, Lord Taner," the young maid called. She was setting out a platter of donuts, as a delivery had just been made. Three dozen crullers had arrived from the premiere donut shop in the city of Takira-hahr. "We've got a full assortment, fresh. Would you like one, sir? I'm sure His Majesty won't mind. Without the young princes here, there won't be anyone to eat them. His Majesty, bless his heart, won't touch these type of sweets, so unfortunately, I'll end up tossing them out."

  "Bless his heart," Taner muttered, standing above the platter as if contemplating the selection of frosted cakes. The maid returned to the kitchen through the adjacent door, which shut with a swish behind her.

  Quickly, and with the utmost stealth, Taner slipped on the garden gloves while hurrying over to the waiting coffee carafe. Then, he reached in his pocket to extract the container of poison. Sprinkling some granules inside, Taner swirled the carafe around so the white flakes floated to the bottom. As the kitchen door swished open again, Taner's gloves and the container were safely back in his pocket.

  "Coffee, my lord?"

  "Not yet. I was just checking if it was hot."

  "Indeed, sir. I just put it out."

  The maid set down a pot of creamer and a bowl of sugar while Taner, once again, perused the crullers. Selecting a chocolate frosted twist, and a napkin with a gold imprinted eagle crest, he mumbled something about an important message in his office.

  As Taner departed the breakfast nook through the hallway door, he nearly collided with Kinar who was entering through the very same way.

  "Good morning, Taner," Kinar muttered, looking a tad bit green as he stepped out of the path so that the Lord Chamberlain and his cruller might pass by.

  "Good morning, Kinar," Taner replied distractedly, and once again, mumbled something about an important message in his office.

 
"Indeed," Kinar nodded, "Is there hot tea at the ready?”

  "I don’t know." Taner shrugged and hurried off.

  Kinar had awaken with a slightly queasy stomach. It might have been due to something he had eaten the previous night. As he lay in bed with his belly rumbling, he recalled the roasted quail with sauce béarnaise. It was an odd combination, he thought at the time, but surprisingly tasty. Now, in retrospect, it might not have been a good choice. Quail went much better with merely lemons and herbs.

  Bolting out of bed only moments later, a full fifty minutes before his usual time, Kinar realized he was in desperate need of a cup of tea. In fact, tea was probably the only thing that would stay down today. Strong, hot, and black was just the ticket. Kinar, as a rule, didn’t take too many sick days, so this one was well earned and long deserved.

  He pulled on a track suit, the most comfortable garment he owned, comprised of knitted fleece with the University of New Mishnah logo. Then, on whim, he put that small container of potassium cyanide in his pocket, just in case he ended up needing it somehow.

  As luck would have it, the staff kitchen was still closed, as the sun was only a tiny spot on the eastern horizon. Fortuitous, it was, or perhaps, the result of someone’s plan. In any case, Kinar found himself in the Family breakfast nook.

  “Good morning, Lord Kinar,” the maid cheerfully trilled, happily greeting yet another member of the senior staff. “It’s been busy here this morning. Poor dear, you’re looking a tad bit ill.”

  “Is the hot water on?” Kinar murmured. “I need some tea.”

  “Not quite yet,” the maid replied. “However, the coffee is freshly brewed, and we’ve got this lovely plate of sweets direct from town.”

  Kinar glanced briefly at the crullers, immediately eliminating them as an option. Their scent alone was sending his stomach reeling.

  “Just tea please,” he begged softly, clutching his belly as it churned and ached.