by T. A. White
Tate looked back at the other man in confusion.
“His status as dragon-ridden prohibited him from taking the throne,” Ryu murmured.
Tate could guess the rest of the story. “He wasn’t happy about that?”
“At one time I would have said he didn’t desire it. He was in the last group to attempt the Rift before it stopped releasing dragons. He knew before he entered that taking a bonded would exclude him from the line of succession.”
Ryu shook his head, his expression pained. “Something went wrong with him, but I don’t know what. Before, I would have called him the most loyal of those who served the emperor. Thirteen years ago, he killed over a dozen palace officials and important figures in the empire in the span of one night before attempting to murder the emperor.”
And they let him live?
Thaddeus didn’t strike her as the merciful type. Was it because of some lingering sense of obligation or affection? Or was there some deeper reason for why Tyne was sent to the Deeps and not killed or relegated to Devos?
Tyne ignored them as he scanned the nobles and court officials, his gaze stopping near the emperor.
A wide smile broke over his face as he made a tsking sound. “How scandalous. I didn’t think to see you here again.” He shot a playful look Tate’s way. “I see now why you were confused before. He’s quite the tricky one, isn’t he?”
“What are you talking about?”
Tyne guffawed, bending at the waist. “You mean you don’t realize?”
“Speak plain,” Thora instructed from his position at the head of the table.
Tyne rose to his full height. “You’re still here, old man? I thought your dragon would have devoured you long before now.”
Thora lowered his chin as a dark scowl took over his face. “You mean like yours did you.”
Tyne’s playful expression disappeared. “Nonsense. I devoured my dragon. Not the other way around.”
Deep rumbling sounds came from the throats of the dragon-ridden around Tate. The eyes of the emperor’s guards turned watchful, and chairs scrapped against the floor as many of those present found their feet. No one wanted to be trapped in a room, no matter how big, with five of the most powerful lifeforms to walk the land.
The Kairi and the Silva were the only ones to remain seated, watching with the same heightened vigilance they’d had when the pontificator was trying to incite the crowd against the sleepers.
“Oh? Did that strike a nerve, my former comrades?” Tyne smirked, looking all too thrilled at the reaction he’d gotten.
We’re getting off track. There are more important things to discuss than that man’s arrogance. Night’s bearing was regal as he looked down his nose at them. A feat made all the more impressive considering he was the shortest of those present—at least when he was on all fours. When he rose on his hind legs, his height would rival Dewdrop’s.
Tate didn’t know how to classify Tyne’s expression as he focused on her friend. There was interest there but also something harder to define. Something that left Tate feeling cold and off balance.
“What are you looking at?” Dewdrop growled in a low voice.
Tyne’s attention drifted over the three of them. First Dewdrop, then Night, and last Tate. “I’m trying to figure out where you three get your confidence from, each more outrageous than the last.” Tyne shivered, his body shimmying. “I can’t tell you how excited such things make me.”
“Tate, I take it back,” Dewdrop said calmly. “Christopher wasn’t crazy. This man is.”
I’m in agreement with the idiot cub.
Dewdrop glared at the Veles. “Who are you calling idiot?”
The one with a broken arm.
“Not the time,” Tate sang. If Dewdrop and Night wanted to argue, they could wait until the slightly unbalanced dragon-ridden wasn’t in the same room as them. The one who’d already demonstrated his aptitude for killing.
“The Veles is right. The traitor’s fate can wait. We have more pressing matters to attend to,” Ryu said.
“What are you talking about?” Thaddeus asked.
Tate lifted her head to focus on the emperor. “The sleepers leaving their long sleep all at once isn’t your most pressing problem.”
“How can that be?” someone scoffed.
Tate bit back her response as she held the emperor’s stare, trying to project confidence and assertiveness. “Perhaps this matter would be best discussed in private.”
Where there would be no chance of life changing secrets being given to the ignorant and stupid and where they wouldn’t have to listen to the jeers and derisive comments of those same idiots.
Thaddeus paused as he was about to say something, frowning in the pontificator’s direction. “You may have a point.”
He waved his hand in dismissal.
The pontificator stood, straightening his sleeves with sharp, angry movements as he flounced in Tate’s direction, his allies following him.
“Continue in this direction and you’ll find you’re on the wrong side of history,” he said with a sniff.
Tate’s mouth quirked. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”
As long as her conscience was clear, she could live with others enmity. Rather, she thought she’d suffer more if she stood to the side and said nothing. There were lines that shouldn’t be crossed. Depths you shouldn’t sink to.
The pontificator stuck his nose in the air and stormed away with his allies, leaving only a handful of people behind. The Silva and the Kairi followed silently. Including Tate and her friends, those remaining included the Lord Provost, the Obsidian Lord, the other dragon-ridden, and a few guards.
“I’m guessing the man who was killed was part of his faction,” Tate said.
Thaddeus scrubbed a hand over his face. “They’re using it as an excuse to blame the sleepers and call for a culling.”
“You’re not going to let them.” Seeing Thaddeus’s uncertain expression jolted Tate out of her certainty.
“He has considerable support in the government. Stopping his agenda will be difficult and cost me a lot of political power,” Thaddeus said. “I’d need a reason to interfere.
Tate’s smile was all the more terrifying for how serene and kind it was. “Let me rephrase. You will not let them or else I’ll let your city fall.”
TWENTY
Silence answered her statement.
Tate’s expression didn’t budge as she stared down the emperor. He probably wasn’t used to people giving him orders. Truthfully, if the circumstances had been any different, she never would have dared.
To be honest, she was a little surprised Thora and Ryu hadn’t said something to stop her yet. She took that to mean both men approved of her stance.
“There’s not many who would dare give me an ultimatum,” Thaddeus said.
“I guess I’m one of a kind then.”
Dewdrop made a strangled sound in the back of his throat that Tate ignored. Night’s scoffing was a little less subtle as he twitched his whiskers and opened his mouth in a silent sign of amusement.
Ryu’s lips trembled before straightening out into a flat line, only the warmth in his eyes saying he’d had any reaction to Tate’s words.
“I like her.” Tyne propped an elbow on Thaddeus’s shoulder, causing the guards still in the room to tense and glare. “It’s not often someone is so bold in front of you.”
“I’m flattered. Really,” Tate said dryly.
Thaddeus released a silent sigh. “Let’s hear it then. The threat to my empire that enables you to be so fearless.”
Tate glanced at Ryu. “How much have you told him?”
“Very little. I was preoccupied with getting Dewdrop treated.”
Thaddeus looked at them with interest.
Seeing the unspoken command on his face, Ryu started first. “The heretic is dead.”
Thaddeus glanced in Archie’s direction. “The Obsidian Lord already informed me. I’d like to know how that happened.”
Tate waved a hand, dismissing his words. “What’s more important is the fact that Nathan now controls the tunnels and everything inside them.”
Thaddeus’s face slowly changed to one of seriousness as he shot a questioning gaze at Ryu.
The dragon-ridden inclined his head in confirmation.
“What does this mean?” Thaddeus asked.
“To understand that, you first need a bit of a history lesson,” Tate said. “You know that the first peoples to walk this planet came from somewhere very far away. What you may not know is they used a ship to travel the stars.”
Thora, who had a deep interest in history, listened with rapt attention, taking in every word as if he could glean the truth by simply listening.
“That ship crash landed where Aurelia now stands. Your so-called tunnels were once part of it,” Tate said. “Both the Saviors and Creators expanded those tunnels during the war, but the core tunnels came from the ship.”
“That actually makes sense.” Thora nodded slowly, his gaze going distant. “Several scholars have theorized why our tunnels are different than others on the continent. This could explain it.”
“How does this fit in with current events?” Thaddeus asked.
Tate’s smile held no amusement. “Nathan currently has control of the minor goddess responsible for everything within the tunnels.”
“We’ll need to withdraw our people,” Thaddeus said, shooting a look at Ryu.
Of those present, Ryu had the biggest network of informants. Many of whom were embedded in the underworld.
“They’ve already been informed,” Ryu said.
Tate caught Dewdrop’s gaze and raised an eyebrow. He nodded to tell her their contacts were apprised of the situation as well; Blade and the Lucius’s would have been within that group.
It wasn’t a perfect solution, but it was better than leaving them in the dark. At least this way they could make their own decisions.
“I assume there’s more,” Thaddeus said.
Smart man.
“The ship and the minor goddess are only a part of your problem. The real concern is the Rift,” Tate said. “It can act like a power source, which Nathan can use to raise the ship. If that happens, you can kiss Aurelia goodbye.”
“What would be the point of raising the ship beyond wanton chaos?” Thora asked.
Tate rubbed her forefinger with her thumb as she carefully considered her next words. How much to reveal? How much to hold back?
If it was only the emperor she needed to convince, she wouldn’t have to be so circumspect. She was sure throughout the ages there were many secrets and explosive information he or his predecessors would have had to hold in reserve.
It was the same for the dragon-ridden who saw the passage of centuries.
The others in the room were more of an unknown. Most notably, Archie and George.
“The Saviors were less than thorough when they did away with the Creators,” Tate finally said. “Nathan is searching for his companions’ last resting place.”
“For what purpose?” Archie asked.
“What else—to wake them from their slumber.”
There was a horrified silence, and it was easy to see not everyone believed her. Resistance was present in many of the faces in the room.
Such doubts were natural. Tate had even anticipated them. In their place, she wouldn’t have wanted to believe her either. It was easier to pretend everything was alright rather than face how truly fucked up things had become.
The only problem with such behavior was that it would have drastic consequences if left unchecked.
“Why do they need the ship?” Archie asked.
“The Creators didn’t trust anyone—even each other. They were incredibly secretive over their final resting spots since they knew it would mean death if any of their enemies ever found them,” Tate explained. “If Jaxon Kuno couldn’t track them down, I doubt Nathan could either. His only choice is to use the ship, which is equipped with a tracking feature. Right now, all the rock surrounding it blocks the signal, but that would change once it’s above the surface.”
“This can’t be,” George said.
Tate’s face remained neutral as she fiddled with Jax’s cube, debating whether she should bring it out or not. Its existence had succeeded in suppressing Grandmaster Keel’s doubts. She knew it would do the same with these people.
Tate came to a decision after several moments of thought, stashing the cube in her jacket pocket.
As she did so, she met William’s gaze unexpectedly. His attention lingered on the place where she’d hid the cube before he looked away with his customary disinterest.
Hmm.
There was nothing suspicious in his behavior. Nothing that should have drawn alarm. It was the sort of observant action she’d expect from a man in his line of work.
Yet, something in that moment’s interaction set Tate’s instincts tingling, the same ones that had saved her life on more than one occasion. There had been calculation in his gaze. A cunning that didn’t fit the image of the Lord Provost she knew.
Tate narrowed her eyes, glancing from the Lord Provost to Ryu to see if he’d noticed.
Ryu was listening intently to the discussion between Thora and Archie. Could it have been her imagination?
Tate frowned and hesitated.
She nudged Night with her foot, waiting until he looked up at her before touching the spot where the cube lay and then sending a significant look at Dewdrop.
The Veles’s ears swiveled, his only reaction.
Tate hoped it was enough for him to figure out what she wanted. Dewdrop made an aborted movement beside her, careful not to look at her.
That was a good sign.
Tate might have been acting unnecessarily paranoid, but the person they were up against had already gotten the advantage on them once. It was possible Jax’s cube wouldn’t make that big a difference if someone else got their hands on it, but she didn’t want to take the chance she was wrong.
“The Rift is the answer,” Thora said. “If we can protect it, Nathan won’t have the power he needs to raise the ship. We can leave the matter of the minor goddess until later.”
“Agreed,” Ryu said.
Thaddeus beckoned toward the Lord Provost. “William, have some of your men and the imperial guards strengthen the protection around the Rift.”
An explosion shook the palace, drowning out the Lord Provost’s voice. Ilith shrieked in pain, accompanying roars coming from Ryu and the other dragon-ridden in the room.
Tyne lifted one hand to press it against his head, shaking off the effects almost instantly.
Dewdrop steadied Tate, using his body to shield what he was doing from the rest as one hand slipped inside her jacket to filch the cube. He winked at her before stuffing it into one of his pockets.
Rascal, Tate thought with some relief. It looked like Night understood her message and passed it to Dewdrop.
“I’m okay,” Tate told Dewdrop, forcing herself to straighten despite the way her insides felt raw and exposed.
“Ahnteela said to be wary of the adult minor goddess. There is a way to override her control, but it is only temporary,” Dewdrop said in an undertone.
Tate nodded to show she understood. It wasn’t much but it was something.
Dewdrop’s hand landed on Tate’s arm when she would have turned away. “There’s something more.”
Tate forced herself to wait as Dewdrop hesitated.
“She said if you’re asking questions about the minor goddess, you’re ready to reclaim the thing you left with her.”
Tate’s lips parted as the full impact of what he said registered. Now that she had her memories back, she knew the full magnitude of the salmon-colored gem she’d left with Ahnteela to safeguard. It was something from a bygone era. Much more powerful than its appearance would suggest.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s going to make a difference in this battle.” Tate’s hands clench
ed.
Ahnteela and the gem were too far away. Even if Tate transformed to Ilith and flew to where the Avertine were traveling, she would never make it back in time.
It was too bad. With that gem in her hand, even Nathan would think twice about testing her.
It would have been nice to fight with it again.
The ground trembled just then, cutting off the rest of their conversation. Fine tremors that were even more unsettling than the burst of energy had been.
“Sire, we need to get you to a secure place,” George urged.
“I’m not going anywhere.” Thaddeus waved her away. “William.”
Frustration broke the Lord Provost’s normally professional facade.
George stepped away from the wall. “If it’s as the dragon-ridden said, the city is no longer safe.”
“I won’t say it again. I’m not leaving my city, especially when we don’t know for sure what that was,” Thaddeus snapped.
“It was the Rift. I can feel it,” Ryu said.
Thaddeus turned on his heel and strode through the doorway, the rest of them following quickly behind until they arrived on the lawn. They joined the ranks of those nobles, Silva, and Kairi dismissed from the meeting who’d stopped to stare blankly in the direction of the Rift.
“I guess they know you weren’t lying anymore.” Dewdrop’s head craned back to take in the sky above the cliffside staircase.
A black pillar ascended to the heavens right over the Rift, its extreme darkness affecting the wavelengths of light around it in strange ways. Colors refracted in the sky like they had encountered a prism. Instead of the shades of a rainbow, these looked like something out of a nightmare, as if the color spectrum had shifted in a new and unexpected direction. They stained the sky with scarlet reds and vivid violets.
“Something tells me getting to the Rift isn’t going to be so easy,” Dewdrop said as a trio of people staggered into view.
Ben and Roslyn supported her father’s weight between them as they spotted Tate and the rest, changing directions to head toward them.
Roslyn’s skirt was ripped and missing some fabric, her hair coming out of its smooth chignon to pool around her shoulders and face. Soot and flecks of red dotted her cheeks.