by Zoey Ellis
Glancing around the garden again, she made her way over to the trees. As she neared, the girl moved to stand directly behind a tree trunk so she couldn't be seen. Cailyn took a wide berth approaching her, in case she was dangerous, but as soon as she rounded the trees, and the girl came into sight, her mouth dropped open in shock.
"Amara?"
Amara stood pressed against the tree trunk, her thick black hair pulled back into a tight bun. A flowery three-quarter length tunic adorned her shapely figure, and worn sandals gripped her feet. “Cailyn!" she breathed, her deep blue eyes widening.
They stared at each other in amazement for a long moment before Amara broke into a wide grin. “What are you doing here, Cailyn?" she said in a hushed voice, giving her a quick hug. “I didn't know you were his guest. Did the Mothers send you?"
Cailyn pressed her lips together and then sighed. "No. It's a long story, but it's so good to see you, Amara. I didn't know you’d finally been sent here." Amara had been learning the languages of the Western Lands for years, but Cailyn had never known when she would actually be leaving for assignments.
Amara nodded. "The Mothers sent me here soon after you left for your assignment at the Palace."
"Why?"
Amara glanced around them. "I can't say." Her tone turned serious. "Cailyn, you need to get out of here soon as you can. King Malloron isn’t what he seems."
Cailyn nodded slowly. "That's why you're here, isn't it?"
"I can get you out in a few days," Amara said, ignoring Cailyn's question. "I can get you passage back to the Eastern Lands on a trading boat."
Cailyn shook her head. "I'm not sure I want to go back there."
Amara frowned. “What do you mean?"
"Things have changed, Amara. I don't have a home anymore."
Amara grabbed her arm, panic filtering into her eyes. "The Omega Compound is our home. It has always been our home, and always will be."
Cailyn placed her hand on top of Amara's. "It’s your home," she said softly. "It's not mine anymore. I need to find a way to stay here."
"You can't," Amara warned. "It's not safe for you here. The king has been very concerned about keeping you here. He is using all of his resources to try to manipulate you into staying. He hasn't told anyone why he is so concerned about you, but it's frightening how much he is putting into your coercion."
"What do you mean?"
"He’s putting potions in your food to help you relax here and be comfortable around him," Amara explained. "I've been wondering why it's taking him so long to persuade you to finally stay, and now I realize it's because it's you. His hallucinogens will take longer to work on you because of the strength of your mental clarity, but eventually they will work. We need to find you a way out."
Cailyn tensed, a horror creeping over her. Malloron was drugging her. A deep fierceness agitated her stomach and she released a harsh exhale. "He knows I’m an Omega, Amara."
Amara's mouth dropped open, and she gasped. "What… How can he…" She blinked, and her hand dropped from Cailyn’s arm, her face slack in shock.
"It's a long story," Cailyn said. "He doesn't know anything else about any other Omega, so you are safe."
"How can we be safe?" Amara said harshly. "Once he knows about one of us, he will find out about the rest of us." She shook her head. "No wonder he has been so focused on you." She shot Cailyn a hard look. "This is worse than I thought. He won’t let you leave."
"I'll find a way. He cannot be worse than Emperor Drocco," Cailyn muttered. "At least King Malloron is allowing me free rein of the castle."
Amara shook her head slowly. "You have no idea what you are involved in," she said, slowly and seriously. "He's the worst Alpha that I have ever known of. Any freedom he is allowing you to have is to manipulate and misdirect you away from what he doesn't want you to think or see. You haven't been looking closely enough." Her head snapped to the side, and she held up a finger.
Cailyn kept quiet, listening for what she heard.
After a few moments, Amara relaxed. "You need to get out of here," she said firmly to Cailyn. "You know I respect your talents and gifts, and you know how much I'm aware of how skilled you really are as a spy, and I’m telling you, you need to leave."
Cailyn stared at her, tendrils of panic finally coiling into her. She suddenly realized she hadn't even been trying to access the weapons room lately, she had been so content she stopped thinking about trying to escape. "Why can't we use the Talent here? I know I'm still blocked, but I can't use the Talent."
"No one else in the known Lands uses the Talent the way we Omegas do," Amara explained hurriedly. "No one knows how to block their dynamic using magic, and so they can’t detect us doing it. Malloron is able to make magic inaccessible, but he has never been aware that Omegas block their dynamic, or how we do it. So he can’t strip our blocks from us." She gave Cailyn a look of warning. "If he ever learned how to do that, then everything we have worked for—decades of protecting our dynamic—will mean nothing."
Cailyn nodded. Drocco had found a way to remove magic completely, and that is why her blocks disappeared. Malloron has simply made it impossible to access magic, but it still existed around her and therefore her blocks still existed too. "He won't find out," Cailyn said, assuredly. "But I need to be able to access magic to get out of here."
Amara shook her head. "No, you don't understand. He has prevented anyone from being able to access magic within his entire territory. No one in Eiros can use the Talent unless he permits it."
Cailyn’s mouth dropped open. "So how do you contact the Mothers?"
"Rarely," Amara admitted. "And every time I do it is dangerous for me." Amara frowned, as something occurred to her. "Do the Mothers know you're here?"
"No. And I don't think it would matter to them."
Amara tilted her head. "Of course it matters to them, you’re their favorite. I'll try to find a way to let them know. In the meantime, only eat about thirty percent of the meals offered to you, and vary what you eat. Never the same thing twice in a row. Get him to buy you fresh fruit, bread, and cheese when you’re out in Eiros and eat it straight away, but never from the same seller twice. Apply the same principle to your drinks. I'll speak to the Mothers to get you a way out."
"No, I'm telling you the Mothers won’t—"
Amara slipped away before Cailyn could even get her sentence out. She ran crouched down low along the garden, swerving through the high plants down a clearly practiced route that blocked most of her from view and soon, Cailyn was simply staring at the empty garden.
Later that evening during dinner, Cailyn watched Malloron carefully. He appeared relaxed and content, smiling readily at her as she ate. However, when he realized that she had stopped eating halfway through the meal, his manner changed.
"You haven't finished your meal," he said, switching the topic of conversation abruptly.
"Actually, I'm not very hungry today," Cailyn said smiling, pushing her plate away. "It was delicious, thank you."
Malloron was silent. It was the first time Cailyn had seen him completely silent and without a smile since she arrived. He returned his attention to his food and took a few bites, then looked back up at her. "Are you unwell?" he asked. There was a slight edge to his tone that she wouldn't have noticed if she hadn't been listening for it.
Cailyn smiled and shrugged. "I go through periods where I'm not that hungry, or where I don't eat on a regular schedule. It's how I've always been."
Malloron nodded and smiled back at her, though it looked strained. A satisfying relief settled over her. It had been more disturbing not knowing what he wanted, but now she was aware of his deception, she could lean on her familiar skills as a spy to try to keep her wits about her.
"So how long does your hospitality last?" Cailyn asked, somewhat playfully. "I've been here for how long now, two and a half months? Are you sure you're not getting sick of me yet?" She chuckled, pouring a cup of sour clove tea she hadn't yet tried.
Cailyn frowned. “As a queen?"
“Yes.”
Cailyn sipped her tea, her mind racing. Then she remembered something. “I thought you had a queen?”
King Malloron's face dropped. "I did. Alas, she died a few years ago."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Cailyn murmured.
"No need to apologize," King Malloron said. "I kept that news quiet. In fact, Eiros is still officially in mourning. And so am I." He leaned back in his chair. "I can’t say it wouldn’t do me good to have another wife. I didn't think that I would seek one out again so soon, but…" His eyes ran over her face. "You are indeed very beautiful."
Cailyn lowered her eyes and feigned coyness. "I'm sure you would say that, your Majesty," she said, her voice quiet. "But I'm sure you understand that as an Omega, it's difficult to know how truthful Alphas are being."
"Why would I lie?" His voice was tight, as though it was a strain for him not to raise it. "Have I behaved inappropriately toward you? Have I kept you like a prisoner? Have I forced myself on you or touched you inappropriately?" He tilted his head, a soft smile playing on his lips. "I'm sure you recognize that many Alphas would not have had that kind of restraint."
Cailyn lifted her eyes to his own and pretended to think, then smiled at him and nodded. "That is true." She took a sip of her tea and pretended to fall into her thoughts.
"So, would you consider being my queen?" Malloron asked after a long moment.
Cailyn put her tea down. "Will you let me think about it for a while?"
Malloron's right eyelid fluttered. It was a very slight reaction, but it was there. Cailyn wasn't sure she wouldn't even notice it if she hadn't been looking at him closely.
"Of course," he said lightly, leaning back in his chair. He gave an air of relaxed nonchalance but his hard eyes bored into her for a long time.
CHAPTER FIVE
DROCCO
The Lox descended on Eiros.
Drocco marched in the center, surrounded by his warriors as his nine-thousand-strong army carved their way from Eiros port through a village and a bustling city. They seized everyone in their way, demanding to know the location of King Malloron. They purposely marched for a couple of days, circling Eiros and making their presence known. No one tried to stop them. In fact, anyone who saw them coming fled immediately, and soon their path was mainly deserted. The reaction brought a tinge of humor to Drocco's black mood.
The journey on the fleet of ships across the White Ocean had been absolutely horrendous. Being stuck in an unsteady cage at the mercy of the water, wind, and skill of the ship’s captain was unnatural and unsettling. The small and uncomfortable cabins made it even worse. What kind of man could live on such a contraption? Small men with no desire for sleep, no doubt. Furthermore, the journey was long and unsteady. It wasn't even possible to train properly on the boat. Then, as they reached within viewing distance of Eiros port, the ocean suddenly became unwieldy, throwing the ships about as though they were made from old parchment. They lost one ship, and most of the one thousand warriors it held, and many of the others suffered damage. It was a miracle most of the ships got through it. Many of his warriors suffered nausea, which made them unfit for battle the first few days after arriving.
Torin marched by Drocco’s side, silently taking everything in about the land they were in. Drocco glanced over the bizarre landscape, but chose to not let anything distract him from his thoughts. This strange land did not interest him and he didn’t care to understand it. He had come for his Omega, and he would tear the entire land down until he got her. Then his only priority would be to return to his own Empire. The fact that he had to even be on the same soil as King Malloron propelled a fury through him that threatened to burst out of his skin at any moment. The man would meet an ugly death by the time Drocco left this place, he would make sure of it.
It became clear as they marched, that their minds were being deceived. The road they marched down seemed never ending, various features of it repeating every fifty paces or so. When they turned off onto another road, suddenly it looked the same as the one they just left. However, Drocco had prepared for this. Both he and Torin as well as the Lox generals had all memorized different areas of Eiros, and they managed to navigate through the territory exactly as they intended. The attempted misdirection actually gave them the time they needed to recover from the journey while fooling Malloron that they had no idea where they were going.
As the skies turned to dusk, Torin raised his hand to signal a turn to the right, and the section of warriors that surrounded him and Drocco turned off and headed into a different section of Eiros. They traveled through the merchant sector, only able to see the surroundings that Malloron fabricated until they reached a large traders hall surrounded by Lox warriors.
The troop Torin had sent to Eiros to keep an eye on Malloron, during the time Drocco nested with Cailyn, had been sent specific instructions ahead of the Lox’s arrival. Drocco took a moment to discuss their progress with his general, Izaak, before heading inside, Torin close behind.
Inside the traders hall, the muggy air stank of stale sweat, sour ale, and a sickly coppery odor. Chairs and tables had been scattered around the space, but in the center stood five Lox warriors in a semi-circle surrounding two brown-cloaked women. Nearby, a corpse lay, its head removed from its body.
As Drocco neared, he slowed. Something about the women was odd. It wasn’t the identical nature of their height, golden hair, or features—they were also tall and somewhat wider than most Betas. They stood firm, emanating a hard and serious demeanor, a determined look in their emerald eyes. Drocco stopped before them, their strange and off-putting musky scent reaching his nose. He then realized what they were. Female Alphas.
“These are the ones?” he asked, Izaak.
“Yes,” the warrior responded.
Drocco took another step closer to the identical women, examining them. “I have no love for Talent-crafters,” he said to them finally. “In fact, I would prefer it if the Talent didn’t exist at all. I have no qualms about killing as many of you that I come across. My men were under instructions to secure a specific, rare item. They tell me you are the only ones who are known to create it to the specifications I want. And yet, they claim you have been foolish enough to persist in trying to secure some kind of negotiation with me.” He stepped forward again, a hard scowl on his face. “I make no negotiations.”
“We don’t want to negotiate, your Imperial Majesty,” said the woman on the left. “We want to join the Lox.”
Drocco’s scowl remained hard. “I don't care what you want. If you will not create the item requested, you will die now.”
“Your enemies use the Talent, your Imperial Majesty,” said the woman on the right. “We would be honored to help you to defend your rule.”
“The last Talent-crafters who said they could do that lie in pieces in my Palace.”
“We are not precious about our lives,” the woman on the left said, her voice strong and firm.
“If we fail you, we will end our lives ourselves,” the other added.
“I don’t care,” Drocco bellowed, drawing his sword. “I want my item.”
The woman on the right blinked rapidly while the other’s face slacked.
“One question,” Torin said, before Drocco could lift his sword. “Why do you want to join the Lox?”
Drocco glanced at Torin in annoyance.
“We don’t want our magical skill to be used by anyone in the Western Lands, Commander,” said the woman on the left, a slight tremble in her voice. “Malloron has discovered we exist and we would rather die than be forced to do his bidding if he found us.”
“Why would he want you?” Drocco asked.
“We are his nieces.”
&n
bsp; Drocco held his sword still. If they were Malloron’s family, they could potentially be as strong as him in the Talent. “So?”
“He has been waiting for female twins to appear in his family line,” the other woman answered. “He has sent almost all of his female family members into sexual slavery in the hope that one will bear twins. Our mother managed to hide us only because most people are disgusted by our dynamic and no one wanted to help her. She managed to escape her captor and raise us.”
“Why does he want to have twins at his disposal?” Torin asked.
“Individually we are strong crafters in our own right. Together, our shared genes give us the strength to weave stronger spells and manipulate magic in a way that no other crafter can, especially from his line.”
“Prove it,” Drocco demanded.
The women’s hands flew together in a tight clasp, and their heads sharply tilted up in unison. A wild ball of revolving, multicolored magic formed over their heads and in the center, a view of a colorful garden formed.
“This is Malloron’s gardens inside his castle,” said one of the women.
Drocco’s heartbeat increased. He had read at the Keep that Malloron had restricted use of the Talent within Eiros, and yet now he could see into the man’s castle. “Show me my Omega.”
“We can only view the gardens at this time, nowhere else in the castle as yet. Your Omega visits the gardens daily to stroll and sometimes read, but she is not here presently.”
Drocco observed them as the ball shrunk and faded away. “You have seen my Omega?”
“Yes,” said the woman on the right. “She seems to be well, but we cannot hold the view for very long inside the castle grounds to know much more. No other crafter would even be able to draw upon magic within Eiros, let alone achieve a view into the royal sector and into Malloron’s gardens.”
Drocco considered them both. They were indeed powerful, but he was reluctant to be fooled again, especially when his urgency to get to Cailyn was so great. He had no way of knowing if what he had seen was actually the true gardens. “I don’t take in stray Alphas,” Drocco said. “Every Alpha selected for the Lox has shown great skill and purpose. Produce the item I’ve asked for.”
