The Men of Anderas I: Jardan, the King

by C. J. Johnson

  “They’re not my family!” Tiana yelled. “They were never my family! Zeth didn’t care enough to adopt me and he wouldn’t let anyone else adopt me, either!”

  “Zeth loves you.” Melodie argued. “If he adopted you, you would have been in line for the throne. Only natural born children of the House of Tor can rule. You know that. The law …”

  “I know all about the law. I’m not an Anderan so I can’t be a ruling queen. But I will be queen, Melodie. That’s my reward. I will rule Falcon Tor for as long as I live.”

  Melodie had no point of reference for dealing with such total, obsessive ambition. Her grandfather taught her to believe in the basic goodness of her fellow man. You are definitely out of your league, Melodie Anne. She had to escape before JarDan found Tiana’s note. Before he walked into a trap. A trap with her as the bait. Now was her chance, while Morandoni soothed Tiana.

  The table was too high for her feet to reach the floor and jumping was out of the question. Maybe, if she could scoot close enough to the end without drawing his attention, she could use the heavy candlestick as a ladder. The intricately carved design would provide a foothold.

  “Not leaving so soon … are you?”

  Morandoni’s silky question jerked Melodie back from the edge of the table like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Damn!

  “I … persuaded Tiana to get some sleep.” He glanced over his shoulder at Tiana, curled into the cushions of the chair and covered with her cloak. “The sleeping potion will give us time to get better acquainted.”

  Straightening her spine, Melodie met his piercing gaze with her own. She would not cower before this weasel. From the corner of her eye, she noted the slow glide of his hand across the black stone as he moved closer to where she sat. Gripping the edges of the cloak she still wore, she concentrated on breathing, willing her limbs not to shake. Her heart pounded in her chest. Each breath she took struggled to find its way into her lungs then fight its way out again.

  Morandoni smiled and on anyone else, she could believe it was a sincere offer of assurance, a silent symbol of friendship. But not from him. His eyes gave him away. Dark. Cold. Empty. Dead.

  “Let me take your wrap.” Ignoring her protests, he released the clasp at her neck and dropped the cloak to the table. With surprising ease, he lifted her with one arm around her waist and pulled the fur-lined garment from beneath her, tossing it to the floor. His gaze focused on her distended abdomen.

  “The process of creation fascinates most men.”

  Melodie closed her eyes, refusing to acknowledge the oracle and his terrifying power over her. When he touched her stomach, she slapped at his hands until he gathered both her slender wrists in one powerful hand, holding her captive.

  “Don’t close your eyes again. Do you understand?” He tightened his grip on her wrists until she felt the bones rubbing together. The crushing pressure increased until she doubled over with a strangled cry. Only then did Morandoni ease his hold.

  “A woman, ripe with child,” he continued, “obviously looks different; but, you sound different, even smell different.”

  He forced her legs apart, stepping between them despite her struggles. She was powerless. With her hands imprisoned she couldn’t strike out at him. His firm stance between her parted thighs prevented using her feet to fend him off. She refused to believe he was evil enough to rape a pregnant woman. A woman in labor.

  “I’ve often wondered if you taste different. Did JarDan notice, Melodie? Does he relish the flavor of your feminine essence now as he did before he impregnated you?”

  When his free hand caught the hem of her gown and slowly lifted the material, she couldn’t prevent the whimper of fear that escaped her clenched teeth.

  “What, by all the Ancients, is this?”

  The last thing Melodie expected was outrage. Morandoni had her skirt tossed across her lap and was staring in confused anger at what she wore beneath her gown.

  “Long-johns.” She answered when the crushing pressure on her wrists became unbearable. “They keep my legs warm.” She remembered the furor she created by requesting the quilted trousers to wear when the weather got so cold.

  “Take them off.”

  Gone was the soft spoken charmer. The man holding her prisoner was fully capable of every despicable act he stood accused of ordering. Where she feared the seducer, this madman paralyzed her. Somehow she found the courage to shake her head in denial of his demand. It wasn’t much in the way of defiance but even that small feat shored up her faltering determination. She would go down fighting with everything she had in her.

  “Do you think to prevent me from taking what I will?” His sneer hissed across Melodie’s skin, making her shudder. “Zeth thought to keep me from what was mine and he paid the price. The price of his mate. Are you prepared to do the same? Will you sacrifice the lives of JarDan … and your baby to the shrine of your virtue?”

  “You’re going to kill us anyway.” Melodie whispered, fighting the numbing cold settling around her. “I’ll still fight you when I draw my last breath into my body.”

  “Ah-h-h-h-h,” Morandoni moaned softly, “I love a good fight. Arica fought me, too; but in the end, she belonged to me. I have what Zeth grieves for every day of his life.”

  “Arica’s dead and Zeth carries her love for him in his heart.” She jumped at the chance to shift his attention to something besides her.

  Morandoni laughed, smoothing her skirts back over her legs, acknowledging her tactic with a slight bow of his head. “That’s the beauty of my triumph, Melodie. Arica’s not dead. She’s here, with me, as she’s been for the past twenty years.”

  “Wh-a-t?” She stuttered. “You lie! Arica would never choose you over Zeth.”

  Releasing her wrists, Morandoni lifted her from the black table and set her carefully on her feet. “Would you like to meet your mother-in-law?”

  Without waiting for an answer, he pulled her across the cavern until she stood before a magnificent tapestry. The battle scene embroidered in such painstaking detail was vivid in both color and description and she recognized the faces of Zeth and JarDan among the combatants.

  “It’s amazing how the men of Tor continue to favor each other through the centuries. I saw the light of recognition in your eyes when you thought you spotted JarDan. This battle took place more than three thousand years ago. Uncanny, don’t you agree?”

  Before Melodie could grasp the details of what Morandoni was telling her, the man reached up and jerked the tapestry from its rod, revealing a small chamber in the rock wall.

  Once before she remembered being this terrified. Aboard the Destiny when she discovered JarDan and his crew were aliens she experienced this uncontrollable shaking; the thunder of her own heartbeat in her ears; the scream building in her throat. As blessed darkness closed around her, the scene in front of her burned itself into her brain -- JarDan’s mother, a little older but easily recognized from her portraits, encased in the clear glass confines of a sleep chamber. Alive.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “Whatever will we tell the King?” Wailed ArDell, tears running down her face. “It’s my fault. I promised him I’d take care of her and now look at what I’ve done.”

  “There was nothing you could do, ArDell.” Soothed Sibell, her own eyes red-rimmed from crying. “Kord went to the space station to bring Zeth home and they should be back any minute. He’ll know how to reach JarDan. The King won’t let Morandoni harm Melodie.”

  “JarDan’s here.” Announced Zeth as he and JarDan stepped from the light of a teleport beam into the early morning brightness of the bedroom Melodie shared with her husband.

  “Show me the note.” JarDan wasted no time in polite small talk. His father just violated a two thousand year old decree by ordering the teleport crew to locate him and beam them both back to the castle. He knew he could do the same thing with Melodie -- at the cost of his daughter’s life. He still had occasional nightmares when he realized how c
lose they came to losing their infant daughter even before they knew of her existence. His cowardice in dealing with Melodie when she awoke from space sleep made him order her transported to the castle while still in the sleep chamber. The protection of the sleep chamber through the teleport beam saved his daughter’s life. It was too high a price to pay for the easy way out of this. Besides, JarDan knew Morandoni would only try again and again until he finally succeeded.

  ArDell pointed to the bed and he heard his father’s gasp even as his own heart stumbled in his chest. There on the pristine whiteness of her pillow lay a perfectly formed black rose. A rose identical to the one left beside his mother’s bloodied gown twenty years ago. A blood red ribbon threaded between the leaves and thorns held a small scrap of paper.

  Your sister traded your wife for the Crown of Tor. You’ll find them in the caves beneath the summer grazing meadows.

  “Tiana. What have you done?” JarDan’s harsh whisper filled the silent room as he stared at the missive.

  “If Morandoni speaks the truth, there is nothing we can do to protect Tiana from her actions this time.” Resignation and pain dulled Zeth’s voice.

  JarDan gripped his father’s shoulder in sympathetic understanding. Traitors were exiled to a penal colony, but if harm came to Melodie or the baby, Tiana would be executed. Zeth’s shoulders shook with the loss. No matter the outcome of Morandoni’s plot, Tiana would be lost to the House of Tor for the rest of her life. As much as JarDan loved the spirited imp who became a sister to him, he loved Melodie more. He would deal with Tiana’s betrayal when Melodie and his daughter were safe.

  “Our camp isn’t far from the caves. I’ll teleport back and we can be there in under an hour.” JarDan reached for the comm-unit he used aboard the Destiny. “I’ll do what I can to bring them all back alive,” he told his father, “but my first priority is to Melodie. Can you understand that?” He couldn’t hide the sorrow that thickened his voice.

  “That is as it should be.” Zeth wiped at the tears on his cheeks. “I know you will do the best you can. We will all have to live with the consequences of Tiana’s actions, whatever the outcome. Hurry, my son.” Zeth urged. “I do not trust Morandoni to keep them alive too long.”

  “Kord will sound the alarm when he returns from the teleport center. I’ll return as soon as possible.” Without waiting for an answer from his father, JarDan activated the comm-unit and ordered the teleport operator to return him to his original destination.

  * * * *

  Melodie slowly awoke to a less-than-gentle patting on her cheek. “JarDan?” She mumbled, trying to focus on the shadowy form bending over her.

  “Hardly, my Queen.”

  Morandoni’s sarcastic voice brought her memories rushing back in vivid detail. She must have fainted. That explained why she was on the floor. Jerking her head around, she spotted the sleep chamber. She couldn’t see the woman inside from her position on the floor, but Melodie had recognized her.

  “She’s alive?” She whispered in stunned amazement, struggling to a sitting position. “All these years you’ve let JarDan and Zeth believe she’s dead and you have her in a sleep chamber?” She stared in growing horror at the calm face of the evil wizard. “How could you do that? How could you cause so much pain and anguish to other people? That’s insane.”

  “Who’s to say what measure of sanity we use when judging others? I prefer to think of myself as gifted, possibly even brilliant.”

  Melodie pulled against the cruel grip of his hand around her arm as he hauled her to her feet.

  “Don’t fight me, Melodie.” Morandoni threatened his soft whisper thick with menace. “Arica fought me and this is what she got for her efforts. You will do as I tell you or I’ll disconnect the power source and leave her there to die. The choice is yours.”

  She fixed her gaze on Arica’s serene face. She hardly looked any older than JarDan. Zeth, JarDan and even Dak had suffered so much grief for such a long time and for no reason except the whim of a lunatic. There was no choice to make. She would do whatever Morandoni demanded of her if it meant keeping JarDan’s mother alive for him.

  “I’ll do what you want.” She finally answered, slumping in defeat.

  “Excellent!” Morandoni beamed. “You look exhausted. Why don’t you sit and rest until the king joins us?” He indicated a chair placed against the wall near Arica. “Would you care for some refreshment? Something to eat or drink?”

  The thought of food made her nauseous. Remembering the drugged wine he gave Tiana, she shook her head. She needed JarDan tucking her into his huge bed. She wanted ArDell hovering and fussing. At least her back no longer ached. Her daughter seemed content to wait just a little longer to arrive.

  “Why do you care if she eats?” Tiana’s petulant voice announced that she was awake. “Once JarDan gets here, she’ll be dead anyway.”

  Melodie’s stomach knotted as much from Tiana’s tone as her words. There was no guilt or remorse in her attitude. She felt nothing about the betrayal of her family. Poor Zeth. He truly loved the girl and now she was the instrument of his defeat.

  “Ah, my pet,” Morandoni crooned in a soothing voice, “I see your nap has failed to improve your disposition. You must learn tolerance and compassion if you wish to be queen.”

  Melodie was grateful when he left her alone and joined Tiana across the chamber. With him no longer looming over her, she could concentrate on a way of getting out of this mess without anyone getting hurt. She would watch and wait for an opportunity. There had to be a way to warn JarDan before he walked into Morandoni’s trap.

  “Let the Elders and Holy Men practice compassion.” Tiana tossed her head in arrogant disregard. “I intend to rule.”

  “Do you indeed?” Morandoni questioned coldly.

  “You promised!” Tiana stomped her foot in aggravated frustration. “You said if I helped you bring down Zeth I could rule as Queen of Falcon Tor.”

  “And so you shall, little one,” Morandoni soothed, stroking Tiana’s face, “for as long as you live. But,” he paused, tracing the outline of Tiana’s mouth, “there is still the matter of your final commitment to me.”

  Melodie took advantage of his interest in Tiana and scanned the area around her. Other than the hundreds of bottles and jars on the shelves there was nothing that resembled a weapon. If she could find a knife or even a hammer of some kind, she could conceal it in the folds of her gown. Eventually, Morandoni would turn his back on her.

  A low moan from across the room drew her attention away from her search for a weapon. Glancing at the couple, she was shocked to realize Morandoni was seducing Tiana. He might be as old as Zeth but he kissed Tiana with all the passion of a much younger man. Melodie shuddered with disgust when he pulled Tiana’s skirts up and over her head, leaving her naked in the subdued glow of the energy stone. Closing her eyes, she tried to ignore the intimate encounter across the room. She covered her ears with her hands but she couldn’t shut out their voices. The sound of shared passion echoed around the stone chamber until she feared she would lose her mind.

  When silence suddenly descended on the room, Melodie risked a quick glance in the direction of the black stone table and wished she hadn’t. He was as naked as Tiana as he lifted the girl in his arms and laid her on the altar. Before Melodie could duck her head Morandoni turned to face her. With a smile of confident superiority, he stroked his own arousal, laughing heartily when she gasped and covered her face.

  He knows I can hear them. He’s not making love to Tiana because he wants her. He’s showing me how little regard he has for anyone except himself. Suddenly, his promise to Tiana flared like a bonfire in her memory. For as long as you live. Dear God in Heaven! The maniac would kill Tiana!

  Melodie jerked her head up, her gaze locked on the couple across the room. Tiana screamed when he tore through her maidenhead with one powerful thrust and Melodie winced with compassion. There would be no special memories of first love for Tiana to savor through the ye
ars. Despite the pain, Tiana was eagerly participating in the obscene act with the diabolic wizard. There were no love words, no endearments spoken between them. This was pure depraved lust.

  Trapped in the horror of what she feared would happen to Tiana, Melodie watched, as if in slow motion, as Morandoni slipped a knife from a sheath beneath the ledge of the table. Light glittered and bounced along the razor edge of the long, snakelike blade.

  No! Oh, dear God, no! Paralyzed with fear, barely able to draw air into her lungs, Melodie blinked past the tears blurring her vision. Do something, Melodie Anne! Forcing her trembling legs to support her, she took one step toward the macabre act of passion across the room.

  With a high, keening cry, Tiana found satisfaction and her body convulsed beneath Morandoni’s. With the first shudder of pleasure, Morandoni raised the wicked blade and sliced Tiana’s throat. Her fading cries of fulfillment, the harsh gurgle of air through an open airway, and the spurting blood from severed arteries combined to trigger Morandoni’s violent climax.

  Melodie screamed but the sound was lost in his inhuman roar of pleasure. The sight of his sated body draped across Tiana’s lifeless form, both dripping with blood, knocked her to her knees. Nausea overwhelmed her and she retched until there was nothing left in her stomach.

  With her stomach cramping from the dry heaves, she blindly crawled for the entrance to the tunnel. She had to escape. Now. While he was still weak from his recent orgasm. Fighting the darkness closing in on her consciousness, she focused on the image of JarDan she carried in her heart. His lopsided smile, his dimples, his eyes dark with love, these were her only links with sanity and she held on with the tenacity of a pit bull until the spots floating in front of her eyes faded and her fear of fainting passed.

  When she reached the entrance to the cave, she chanced a quick glance at the altar table. He hadn’t moved. He still lay atop Tiana’s body, his hair matted with congealing blood, his face relaxed in sleep. If she could make it to the top of the cliff where the horse and sleigh still waited, she could find JarDan or one of his patrols. Arica! Melodie prayed JarDan’s mother would be safe until she could return with help. If she honored her word to Morandoni, none of them had a chance of survival. This was the only way. The only chance any of them had against the wizard and his malevolent plans.