Caelyn hated himself for putting both of them in this position, but his beauty was the last weapon at his disposal, the last ace up his sleeve. Much to his surprise, though, Karein took a step back, moving away from his touch.
“Don’t humiliate yourself, and me, by doing that,” he said coldly. “I don’t want kisses that taste like lies and despair.”
“Please,” Caelyn replied, “please help us. Our child is innocent in all of this. If you could at least find a way to slip him out of the Emperor’s reach…”
Karein growled, his eyes flashing with barely restrained anger. “You truly don’t understand what you’ve done, do you? Let me put it to you this way. Remember your childhood friend, Sareltae Norrenddare? Yes, well, your family remembered him, too, and was more than eager to point us in his direction when you escaped. And now, given what I’ve seen there, I can only surmise that he also provided you with weaponry especially built against draechen. Do you realize what that means?”
Caelyn released a choked noise. “Sari had nothing to do with it,” he lied.
“Uh-huh.” Karein snorted. “It doesn’t even matter anymore. Even the slight suspicion of his involvement is enough to cause a war between draechen and fae. I need to throw my father a bone to prevent it.”
A war. Caelyn was dumbfounded. Could it be true? Had he inadvertently caused a war by involving Sari in his own personal problems?
Surely, it wasn’t possible. The draechen had no proof that Sari had indeed been involved. Caelyn had been very careful. He’d even destroyed his cell phone beforehand, so that his phone call to Sari wouldn’t be found. Yes, the bolts were tangible evidence, but no one could actually trace them to Sari.
“This is madness,” he gasped out. “You can’t be serious. The draechen aren’t all-powerful. Your father can’t just do whatever he wants to. The Great Krites—”
“Your judges can’t touch the Ornozian emperor,” Karein interrupted him. “Be serious. In any case, I don’t have time to discuss this with you. It’s done. The decision is made. It’s your survival or world peace. Guess what I’m going for?”
As he spoke, he broke the crossbow and discarded the remnants on the floor. He did the same with the bolts, but pocketed the tips. After he finished, he pulled both Caelyn and Graham up, his ability coursing through them, preventing any sort of opposition. But just as they were about to leave the room, Graham said, “Please.”
It couldn’t have been easy for him to say that, to beg for mercy from the man he considered his worst enemy. Karein obviously realized that, because he froze.
After a pause that seemed to last a lifetime, he finally nodded. “Very well. For the child that your mate carries in his womb, I will help you. But you have to listen to me in everything. If not, Overlords help us all, because we might be signing a death sentence for an entire people.”
Caelyn gulped. He didn’t know if he could trust Karein, but what choice did he have? His only hope was to believe in Karein’s honesty, because if the draechen prince didn’t help them, their fate was well and truly sealed.
Chapter Eleven
There had always been something truly disquieting about the main draechen palace in Germany. Hidden deep into the mountains, Draechenburg was a cold place, in more than one way. Even if the temperature didn’t bother any of them much, and was actually appealing to ice dragons, no one ever felt at home in Draechenburg. Even Karein hated it, so he knew how intimidating it could be for people who saw it the first time, especially if they came here as prisoners.
The tall walls built out of harsh black stone didn’t allow any illusion to his captives that they might find a way out that didn’t involve cooperating with him. It could only be accessed through flying, as the cliff where it had been built was so harsh and unyielding it couldn’t be scaled. Of course, that had been more of a deterrent in ancient times, when draechen had been among the few shifters with the ability to fly. Other flying shifters had been assigned to the upper castes, so they had no quarrel with Karein’s people. Times had changed, though, and with the advent of flying machines, the palace had become even more of a citadel, with countless soldiers ever watchful, keeping guard and making sure no stray human ventured close by and no rebel dared to encroach on the territory of the Ornozian emperor.
He’d preferred living in one of the other residences of the Tersain family. Today, though, a new sense of dread filled him as the helicopter carrying him and his captives landed on the helipad in the courtyard. He had disappointed his father before, and had suffered the penalty of the emperor’s displeasure. As the highest-ranking military official, he was expected to have exemplary military conduct, and on the extremely rare occasions when he’d failed in this, his father had clearly pointed out that he would not allow it again. And now, Karein was actively planning to go against him, and all for an unborn half-sprite, half-werewolf child. He must have lost his mind.
He stole a look at the captive sprite who had once been his almost fiancé. Caelyn lay curled on the floor of the helicopter, dressed in human clothes which Karein himself had agreed to allow. From time to time, the sprite was grimacing in pain. A metal band had been strapped over his temple, fueled by special batteries and sending slight shocks of electricity through Caelyn’s brain. It prevented Caelyn from using his mental abilities in any way, creating any illusion, or trying to escape through his telekinetic abilities. It should have caused only mild discomfort, but obviously, Caelyn was trying to do something the device had been crafted to suppress.
“Whatever you’re planning, stop,” Karein said, hitting Caelyn’s leg lightly with his foot. “You can’t escape.”
“I know that,” Caelyn said weakly. His eyes fixed on Karein’s face, very blue and accusing. “I’m merely trying to…well, Graham…”
He shut up, obviously not wanting to say anything else in front of those present. But he had already blurted out too much. One of the guards with Karein sneered in disgust. “Mutt fucker.”
Caelyn gave no sign that he’d heard the insult, instead falling silent again. It seemed that he was talking to his werewolf lover, probably through their supposed mate bond. To preserve appearances, Karein had separated them, transporting them to the palace in two different helicopters. At the time, he had not expected this side effect.
It was almost troubling to see, but Karein didn’t dare to analyze the reason behind the strange emotion clutching at his insides. Pushing open the helicopter door, he slid out of the aircraft. The guards came after him, pushing Caelyn along.
The second chopper had already landed, and Graham was being ushered toward the palace entrance by Karein’s second-in-command, Sagenamadeen Zager. His hands had been shackled with special silver manacles. All the other Chrysalidian Wyverns gathered around Karein and his prisoners, either in shifted form or in their legged shape.
From the palace, Akara emerged, immediately frowning in distaste when she saw Karein. Doubtlessly, she was remembering the warm reception she had given the sprite. Karein made a mental note to be extra careful with what she said around her. She wouldn’t hesitate to enact revenge on Caelyn and Graham in whatever way came up.
“Father said you should go to him at once,” she said without preamble. “He wishes to see the prisoners as soon as possible.”
“Of course,” Karein answered. “Sage, follow me. Bring the wolf.”
“Yes, General,” his lieutenant answered, shoving Graham toward the entrance of the building. “Come on, mutt. Move it.”
As he and Sage led the couple inside, Akara followed them, falling into step next to Caelyn. “Welcome, Lord Caelyn,” she said sarcastically. “I do believe you’ll enjoy draechen hospitality even more than you did last time.”
Caelyn didn’t answer, which seemed to piss her off even more. To stop her from continuing a useless and potentially dangerous conversation, Karein asked, “Where’s Hareem?”
Akara shrugged. “He hasn’t arrived yet. Overlords only know where he is right now. Proba
bly avoiding Father.”
That wasn’t good news. If Hareem was avoiding the emperor, likely their father must be in a bad mood. Then again, his brother had his own reasons to be wary. Karein had to tread carefully, lest he accidentally draw Kavehquader’s attention onto Hareem.
“How can you not know?” he asked Akara regardless. “The two of you are always bound at the hip.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” She snorted. “We might have been close as children, but we’re above the needy nature of a hatchling now.”
It was true, if somewhat painful. They were twins, so as young draechen, they’d been inseparable. But it seemed even the strongest bonds could break if they weren’t encouraged to withstand the strain of time and environment. Karein resented both of them for it since he’d never had a twin.
As always, though, he held his tongue. He had far more important things to think about than his family dynamic. They walked through the corridors of the Draechenburg citadel, their steps echoing on the marble floors with an almost ominous sound. Distantly, Karein wondered if Sage or Akara ever had doubts regarding the Directive. Did they wonder if obeying the emperor blindly was a good thing? Did they ask themselves what their ancestors would have wanted? Probably not.
In the end, Karein knew that with regard to his most recent plan, there was only one person he could trust, himself. He couldn’t in good conscience ask anyone else to go against the emperor for a cause that, in the bigger picture, seemed so insignificant.
It wasn’t insignificant for Karein. He might have been able to dismiss the death of the young couple as collateral damage and a necessary evil, the last chance they had to prevent the war. But in his opinion, even this worthy cause couldn’t justify quenching the incipient flame of an innocent life.
If he allowed this, it would only be the beginning. And of course, his father’s warmongering couldn’t be stopped with such flimsy excuses. He might still start a war since he’d had his eye on the fae for quite a while now. He’d only needed a pretext so as not to scandalize the entire paranormal community, and unfortunately, the current situation provided it with perverse perfection.
Karein absently toyed with the diamonds in his pocket. The revelation that there was weaponry that could hurt draechen troubled him. It meant that a war with the fae could potentially decimate Karein’s people as well, not only the fae. Karein couldn’t tell anyone about his discovery, though. If he did, things would be even worse. He’d just have to investigate the source of the weaponry by himself.
For now, though, he had something in mind that might be able to help him and his prisoners out, but he wasn’t sure if it would work yet. If it didn’t and his father realized Karein’s ploy… Well, suffice to say, the result wouldn’t be too pleasing, for either of them.
Karein was still musing over this as they finally reached the doors of the throne room. They were huge and imposing, built that way to allow the entrance of the emperor and to clearly suggest the majestic nature of the Ornozian Empire from the very beginning.
Both Caelyn and Graham tensed even further, but said nothing. The guards in front of the doors sneered at the young couple, and Karein suppressed a sound of exasperation. “If you’re done expressing your distaste, perhaps you should announce us.”
He had no patience for fools, and he didn’t appreciate important business being disregarded just because a couple of young hatchlings decided it was essential for them to show their distaste for the ninth caste.
As he glowered, both men paled, obviously realizing their rudeness and mistake. Saluting, they rushed to open the doors.
“I should come here more often,” Karein commented as he watched them. “They don’t seem to be disciplined enough.”
“Careful now, Karein,” Akara said. “That almost sounds like a criticism addressed to our beloved father.”
Karein didn’t get to reply to that because one of the guards slid into the room, bowing so lowly Karein was surprised he didn’t fall over. “Your Imperial Majesties, Prince Shtamakarein and Princess Akara, accompanied by His Lordship, Lieutenant Sagenamadeen Zager.”
“Let them in,” a female voice said.
It was unsurprising that Karein’s mother was present as well. She always supported her husband in everything, which would have been admirable if Karein’s father hadn’t been such a cruel leader. Karein had always thought she and his father made a great couple, in all the wrong ways.
As Karein entered the throne room, followed by his companions and prisoners, he found, as always, his father curled in shifted form on a grand pile of gold and priceless gems. Karein wondered if the position wasn’t uncomfortable, but he guessed the arrogance typical to the emperor would make him bear it, just because it looked so opulent and lavish.
In contrast, his mother waited on her throne, legs crossed and spine completely straight. The other throne, reserved for the emperor, was perfunctory, as generally, all Ornozian emperors stopped shifting in their second form after their ascension in the highest shape-shifter position in existence. For that reason, the Ornozian empress was of great importance as she had taken on the role of messenger between the emperor and the races that were reluctant to accept the draechen ways.
The throne room’s size rivaled that of a human amphitheatre, providing plenty of space for the emperor to do whatever in the world he pleased. Entire gatherings could be held here with no problem. It also meant that the walk to the throne took forever, and his mother had more than enough time to scrutinize him and find him lacking.
“Hello, Shtamakarein,” she said with a cool smile. She and his father were the only people in his family to call him by his full name. “I see you bring us great bounty this day.”
Karein dropped to his knees and bowed. Through the corner of his eye, he caught sight of his sister and second-in-command doing the same thing, while forcing Graham and Caelyn to kneel as well.
“As always, I live and die by your command,” Karein replied formally.
“I trust the expedition went well,” Rowenasheb said. “What of the humans?”
“As per the Directive, they were unharmed. The location of our incursion was destroyed, and the humans believe the two prisoners to have died in the explosion.”
It had been the cleanest, safest way to make sure no one learned of the real reason of Graham and Caelyn’s disappearance. Insofar as the humans were concerned, Karein congratulated himself for a job well done. Of course, this method had also made sure that the rest of the Wyverns didn’t discover the strange weaponry Caelyn had attacked Karein with, but that was something his mother would never know.
A dark, masculine voice drifted into his mind as his father stirred from the pile of jewels. “Perhaps one day, we won’t have to hide in the shadows,” he said.
The words unsettled Karein a great deal, as they suggested Kavehquader did indeed have some sort of plan that would involve a war. In fact, taking into account the matter at hand, it seemed to imply that the humans themselves were the enemy. It was truly an outrageous concept since their entire society had been based on a law that prohibited harming the humans and involving them in any way in the paranormal world.
Thankfully, his father’s telepathy was limited to communication, providing him an avenue of speech in this shifted form. Therefore, the emperor couldn’t read Karein’s mind, a very fortunate thing indeed. Such an ability would have brought about serious problems.
But since he didn’t have to worry about that, Karein replied out loud, “I’m sure that whatever Your Imperial Majesty decides will be best and will come to pass.”
“When the time comes, it will,” his father confirmed. His red scales glittered almost threateningly. “But for now, let’s see these creatures who dared to humiliate the Tersain. Bring them to me.”
At that, Karein got up and dragged Caelyn and Graham with him. He brought them to his father, who scanned them from head to toe. “So this is the sprite who chose a dog instead of a draechen prince,” he said as h
e passed a claw over Caelyn’s cheek. “I must admit he’s definitely very beautiful. It’s almost a pity that he has to die.”
It was likely better that Caelyn and Graham didn’t hear those words, as they might have panicked and ruined the whole thing before Karein even managed to put his plan into practice. His mother did, however, hear it and said, “Perhaps we can find some use for him, still. I believe you were searching for another concubine anyway.”
Graham released a low growl, the idea obviously not appealing to him. He looked like he wanted to lunge, so Karein pressed his hand to the werewolf’s shoulder, keeping him pinned in place.
“Oh, look.” Rowenasheb chuckled. “The idea doesn’t appeal to the mutt at all.”
“I admit it has some merit,” Karein’s father said. Karein prayed to the Overlords that they’d somehow prevent this. So far, his father had not realized Caelyn’s condition, but if he fucked the sprite, he’d likely do so. He didn’t have Karein’s energy reading abilities, but he was still the emperor, and his affinity with fire would likely make him sense the spark of life. There was a slight chance that he would miss it and he might end up believing the child was his, but in the long run, that would only be worse.
Of course, the fact that Caelyn would suffer at being made the draechen emperor’s whore was significant as well, not to mention that Karein had seen what it meant to be an imperial concubine. After all, there was a very good reason why his father needed a new addition to his harem. Likely, all the old ones were dead, or worse.
Fortunately, someone up there must have heard him, because his father gave him an inquiring look, moving away from Caelyn. “But perhaps you would be interested in tasting him first, son, as reward for your successful expedition. He did, after all, insult you most.”
Karein grimaced, openly showing his distaste for the idea. “I mean no offense to you, Father, but as beautiful as the sprite might be, he’s been tainted by an animal. I have no desire for the leftovers of a mutt.”
Hyacinth, Scarlet - Werewolf's Way [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 1] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove) Page 18
