Transcendent: The Revelations of Oriceran (The Kacy Chronicles Book 4)

by Anderle, Michael

  Jordan also kept an eye on the strength of his flying and the color of his cheeks as they travelled. He looked a little peaky, but she could hardly tell he'd been close to death the night before.

  My twin is strong, she admitted grudgingly.

  The air was crisp and cool after the prior night's storm, and flotsam and jetsam crowded the docks and beaches of the coast. Once over deep water, however, one could hardly tell there had even been a storm. The sky was blue and the sun was doing a decent job of baking away the remaining clouds.

  Jordan's thoughts were a jumble of amazement. When Ashley had told her Jaclyn’s intention to put him on Rodania's throne, she had laughed fit to burst. It was a wild delusion, a fool's paradise, which made her think her mother had to be clinically insane––until he told her the truth about their biological father.

  Jaclyn had had a relationship with King Konig himself––they were his children.

  This had left Jordan breathless; she’d placed her head between her knees as her vision fuzzed to black. Listening to Ashley's story was like being hit repeatedly with a big sack full of flour; each revelation accompanied by a dull thud to the chest.

  Rodanian royalty?

  Half-sibling to the wretched Prince Diruk?

  Jaclyn and King Konig?

  It was simply too much, especially after everything that had happened already. Jordan's mind raced back through time across the events that had brought her to this moment of stupefying revelation.

  Jordan asked Ashley if the king himself knew of their existence—–after all, they'd been born on Earth. He'd answered that, according to Jaclyn, yes, he did.

  When Ashley had produced the fungus from his satchel to show Jordan what he'd taken from the basement of the trade office, Jordan was galvanized. She had snatched it from his palm and stood up so fast that Ashley had to catch her as she nearly blacked out for a second time.

  Priorities reshuffled like playing cards in the hands of a card shark. She explained to Ashley that she had to get the fungus to Juer as quickly as possible. It wasn't a large piece, but she weighed the options and decided that it was better to get even a small amount to Rodania posthaste. She could then go back to Charra-Rae for more.

  The twins didn't speak during the trip until Jordan saw the three-tiered, off-kilter cake shape of Rodania on the horizon. Her lips parted to ask him if he had been to Rodania before, but the way his dark eyes focused on the masses of land ahead of them gave her the answer. He had, otherwise he'd not be able to see it.

  She focused front and closed her mouth, demanding a little more speed from her wings. Jordan's hand drifted to her satchel where she felt the lump of fungus under her palm. She'd already checked a dozen times to make sure she hadn't lost it.

  The Arpaks headed straight for Upper Rodania and the palace. Landing on the white marble terrace, their boots skidded across the smooth surface as they closed up their wings, sending gusty drafts and dust whirling into the air. They passed through the pillars to the palace interior, Jordan's eyes darting about for someone who could help.

  She spied a Nycht dressed in servant's garb carrying a small tray, and she called out, her voice sharper than she meant it to be. "Juer, the king's doctor. Which way?"

  The Nycht dropped the tray and slammed his back up against a pillar, clutching his chest. The clank of metal against marble echoed through the space as an empty cup rolled in a wild circle on the floor, and he bent to retrieve it and the tray. "Oh, you gave me such a fright!" he exclaimed, panting.

  "I'm sorry. We're in an awful hurry."

  "No problem." The Nycht pointed down a long hallway lit with tall, crystal torches, each topped with a flickering white light. "That way. Third door on the right. But I warn you, Juer isn't taking visitors."

  "He'll take us," Jordan threw over her shoulder, as the twins made their way down the hall, their boots tapping out a brisk pace.

  They passed by two large doors before approaching the third, which was flanked on either side by two of the royal guards. Their grim faces broke with relief when their eyes fell on Jordan's blonde hair and bright yellow plumage. Though they'd never seen her before, they'd obviously been told to watch for her.

  "Jordan?" one of them said in a leaden voice.

  Jordan nodded, her chest still rising and falling with the strain of the flight. Her hand clutched at the precious lump in her satchel.

  "Juer is expecting you."

  The guards stepped aside and opened the double doors for them. The one with red hair and freckles led them into a circular windowless antechamber. The room was dark, lit only by an ethereal chandelier that cast a soft red glow over the room. It made everyone's eyes appear black.

  "Wait here," he instructed before crossing the carpet to a narrow door, and rapping on it with a knuckle. When it opened, he muttered, "Jordan," and stepped aside.

  Juer rushed into the room and made a beeline for her. He looked frazzled and old, even under the softening effects of the red glow. Jordan reached into the satchel and produced the fungus. She held it out to the doctor, and he snatched it up greedily.

  "Oh, you've done it, and so quickly, you clever girl." He sniffed the fungus and nodded. "Fresh. But, is this all?"

  "It's a bit of a story. It was either this much today, or more in two days."

  Juer nodded. He put a hand on the redheaded guard’s shoulder and tucked the fungus into his hand. "Take this to Cles as fast as you can. He's in my laboratory in the east tower. If there is anything he needs, anything at all, you have my permission to get it for him."

  "Done," the guard said, and left the room, swift as a shadow.

  Juer turned to look at Jordan, and took her face in his dry, thin-skinned hands. "Thank you. It is up to Cles now." Physical details were soft in the red glow, but Jordan could easily see the worry etched in his eyes.

  "How is the king?" She added ‘my father’ in her mind, and the room seemed to sway before settling still again.

  "Not well. Anything but red light is too harsh for him. His eyes are so dim." Juer shook his head. He finally noticed Ashley, standing behind Jordan. "Who is this?"

  Before Jordan could introduce him, Ashley stepped forward and tilted his chin down in a sign of respect. "Ashley Kacy, sir." Ashley's face was pale as a moon, and grim.

  "Kacy?" Juer's eyes drifted back to Jordan. "A relation of yours?"

  "My twin, in fact."

  "Twin!" Juer's bushy white brows shot up. "You never told me you had a twin." His gaze flicked between them. "I can see it now, you are very similar. Does Sol know? He never mentioned it either."

  "He knows, but they've never met."

  "Good doctor," Ashley said, and his tone was pregnant with austerity. "It is of great importance that we see the king before he gets any worse."

  Juer was shaking his head before Ashley had finished asking the question. "This is impossible, he is far too ill. I am allowing no visitors—–not even ones who may have possibly extended his life. I'm sorry." The doctor cocked his head. "Why? Is there something amiss? Something I can help you with?"

  Jordan and Ashley looked at one another, and she knew her twin was wondering the same thing she was. They hadn't had time to discuss how to reveal who they were, or with whom it would be safe to do so. Jordan shot Ashley a warning look and shook her head subtly. Making such a wild claim would shake Juer's trust in her. They had no proof.

  Juer's question was still hanging in the air.

  "Would you be willing to pass him a message for us?" Ashley asked.

  Juer let out a long breath. "That depends on what it is. I'll not be giving him any information which will raise his stress levels. He has already lost the power of speech and he can't sit up without assistance."

  "Just tell him that his medicine was brought by the twins."

  "Only this?" Juer looked baffled.

  "Only this."

  Juer shrugged. "This is simple enough, and is the truth. I will tell him." He put a hand on Jordan's arm. "I
f you'll excuse me, I'll be getting back."

  Jordan gave the doctor an encouraging smile, and the twins watched as he disappeared through the narrow door and closed it with a soft click behind him.

  They left the antechamber and walked back down the hall at a much slower pace than when they'd arrived. A beetle of anxiety trundled through Jordan's stomach, and she put a hand over her belly.

  "We have to tell someone." Ashley whispered the words once they were out of range of the remaining guard.

  "And how are you going to explain your part in it?" Jordan whispered back. She wanted to add, ‘Our mother was plotting treason, and you were her right-hand’, but wouldn't risk even whispering it while still in the palace.

  Ashley's cheeks were pale, but he spoke stoutly. "I'll tell the truth. I had no idea what Jaclyn was doing. She kept me in the dark."

  "Wait!"

  The twins stopped whispering and turned to see the other guard staring at them from down the hall.

  "Come back, please!" He was beckoning them with rapid hand movements.

  Jordan and Ashley shared a look of trepidation. Jordan's stomach felt as though it had frozen solid.

  They were escorted back to the antechamber where Juer met them with wringing hands. A slash of anger and worry pinched the skin between his brows.

  "What did you mean by that message, boy?" the doctor snapped and grasped Ashley by the forearm. "King Konig is asking for you. Insisting." Juer leaned in toward Ashley's face. "Demanding," he bit the word out. "You knew this was going to happen. Who are you?"

  "The king knows who we are," Ashley replied. "I am sorry for the upset it has caused, but I told you it was important. May we see him?"

  Juer gave Ashley's arm a shove. "Go," he snapped, his face twisted with disgust. "And if you upset him, you'll have me to answer to. You have five minutes only." Juer's eyes levelled Ashley with a glare. "Five minutes."

  ***

  The room was cool and dry. It was lit with the same red glow as the antechamber, emanating from a dozen sconces around the room. The sound of ticking could be heard from a tall grandfather clock against the wall opposite the door. Heavy drapes blocked the light from the towering windows on either side of a simple bed. Jordan had expected a room gilded with rich furniture, a massive four-poster bed with gauzy curtains, behind which the king's shape could be seen. But the room, though large, was sparsely furnished and simply decorated. A table not far from the bed was covered in a collection of bottles and instruments. Juer's, she guessed.

  Two glowing slits opened in the dark shadow of the king's head. Jordan's flesh crawled at the sight of those dimly glowing eyes turning in their direction. The shape in the bed lifted a hand and beckoned them closer.

  The twins went to the bed, and the king's features became clearer. He looked almost the same as when Jordan had seen him from the balcony in Crypsis after the first harpy attack. He wore no hat and his shoulders were bonier, but the same high cheekbones and broad forehead spoke of a man who had once been strong and handsome. His wings were cradled in a specially made headboard that supported his spine, but even so, it was easy to tell that his wingspan was broad.

  He'd been a good flier at one time, their father.

  One of the king's hands reached out and grabbed Ashley by the fingers. Ashley jumped. King Konig's other hand gestured to the window.

  "You want me to open the drapes?" Ashley guessed.

  The king nodded. He let go of Ashley's hand and held his palms apart, showing him how wide he could bear them to be.

  Ashley fumbled in the dim light for the cord and pulled the drapes back several inches, sending a shaft of sunlight into the room and illuminating their faces.

  King Konig was holding a hand over his eyes as the light in the room changed. Ashley and Jordan waited while the king parted his fingers, allowing his eyes to adjust slowly. Then the hand came fully away, and their father looked up at them.

  Jordan's mouth went dry as she took in his face close up and in detail. In the natural light, it was clear that the glow of his eyes was much more faded than it had been when she'd seen him last. His pupils and irises had not been visible at all before, but now they were a suggestion, a shape in the white spaces between his lids. His expression was no longer vacant, but full of understanding and intelligence. The king's lower lids filled with moisture. He knew he was looking into the faces of his children. The king took a shuddering, raspy breath. He lifted shaking hands and held one out to each of them. His brows drew together, furrowing his forehead.

  "You know who we are," Jordan said softly as she took his hand.

  The king's face tilted toward her as his eyes passed from Ashley to her. He nodded, his head moving slowly as though it asked a lot of him to do it.

  Jordan clasped one hand and Ashley took the other. King Konig's grip was weak, and Jordan could feel the tremors passing through him. The light in his eyes dimmed further, even as they stood there with him, holding his hands.

  The king brought Ashley and Jordan's hands together and forced them to clasp, he put a hand over theirs and squeezed. The message was clear. He wanted them to be united.

  The door opened behind them, and Juer came in. "Your time is––" the doctor's words faltered as he saw the king holding hands with Ashley and Jordan. His eyes flew to the drapes with horror. "Light," he hissed. He composed himself and approached the bed. "Your Majesty, I must insist you rest."

  The king's face went stiff, and he gestured at the side table.

  Juer retrieved a small, shiny black ring from a bowl sitting at the king's bedside. King Konig lifted his hand and extended his index finger. Juer slipped the black ring over the fingertip, and it lodged just above the first knuckle.

  King Konig moved his finger through the air, slowly, laboriously. In response to his movement, a line of illuminated text appeared just beyond the foot of the bed.

  The words made Juer gasp and his already pallid complexion turn to wax.

  “These are my children.”

  Juer's eyes grew so wide they seemed to bulge from his head. He stared at Jordan, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

  But the king was still writing, slowly, the letters crooked and appearing as though written by an inebriated hand.

  “I need to recognize them. Get Darber. Now.”

  King Konig hadn't added a second name, but Jordan suspected he meant the same Councilman who had spoken alongside Prince Diruk at the ceremony where the Nycht warriors had been so thoroughly insulted. Her heart fell, and she began to get a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, like she'd swallowed something rancid.

  "Right away, Your Majesty," said Juer. The doctor left the room at a speed that would have made a younger man envious.

  Jordan's heart was pounding so hard that she pressed her palm to her chest and closed her eyes. This was all happening so fast. She felt like she was on a theme park ride that had gone out of control––a ride that hadn't been fun to begin with, and had gone from tolerable to nauseating to terrifying.

  The sound of a labored breath and a cough drew her eyes open. King Konig's body stiffened as he struggled to breathe. The rattle in his chest was awful. Jordan went around the bed to his other side so she didn't have to lean over Ashley, who had gone to his knees beside their father.

  "What can I do, Your Majesty?" Jordan asked, panic rising in her chest.

  King Konig shook his head but found a wan smile for her. He raised his index finger again, slowly, and it visibly trembled as he spelled more words out in the air.

  “I loved your mother.”

  Jordan and Ashley read the words and then looked at one another, mirroring shock.

  King Konig lay his hand on the coverlet, his chest rising and falling with the effort that the spelling of the words was taking him.

  "What happened?" Ashley's voice was thick and rough. "Why does she…" He swallowed hard and his adam's apple bobbed several times. He opened his mouth to continue, but no words came out
.

  King Konig's head rolled across the pillow as he looked at his son, the lapita-induced light in his eyes was nearly gone. He lifted his finger and spelled what Ashley could not say.

  “Hate me?”

  The words appeared slowly and then faded, but Jordan thought they might be burned into her retinas forever. Emotion choked her throat closed.

  Ashley nodded, his eyes like that of a beaten dog.

  King Konig lifted his hand again, but it trembled in the air. He lowered it and closed his eyes. His breathing grew heavier.

  Jordan wanted to scream for Juer to hurry up.

  The King rolled his face toward Jordan and gazed at her. As she watched, the last of the artificial glow from the medicine faded from her father's eyes. No longer were his irises obscured by the light; in the natural glow from the window, she could see the color of his irises without trouble. Teal. Just like hers.

  Jordan's vision blurred with moisture, and tears spilled over her cheeks.

  A sound emerged from King Konig's throat—–not words, but a sound of protest at the sight of her tears. He lifted his hand and passed the side of it clumsily over her cheek, wiping the moisture away. His hand continued on, into the air, to spell. The words were so messy, they were barely discernible.

  “You're home.”

  The King took a few breaths before lifting his hand again.

  “Ask for”

  The letter after the “r” became lost in a long line, dropping down like a squiggly tail as their father's hand fell to the coverlet again. The light of the words faded.

  " ‘Ask for’?" Ashley put a hand on the king's forearm. "Ask for what? Who?"

  "Where is Juer?" Jordan choked, tears now running freely down her cheeks.

  The door banged open, and the doctor rushed in with Darber on his heels. Both men were perspiring and breathing heavily. Juer clutched a small bottle of black liquid in his hand. He ran across the room.

  "Out of the way!" he cried, and Ashley leapt aside to make room for him.

  Juer unstoppered the bottle of medicine with a squeak and brought the bottle to the king's lips.