AMNESIA

by Canada Jackson

  “Tell her none of this.” Shihlo silenced them both.

  Sam folded her arms and tapped her foot.

  She turned her back on them and asked instead,

  You cheated on Wrexel with Staede? She looked incredulous and had a wicked grin now that she realized Amber wasn’t in danger.

  Amber looked down in shame.

  Wow.

  Wide-eyed smiley.

  Why?

  He cheated on me first.

  So why do you care?

  Maybe he is ready to set you free.

  Amber’s response showed on her face.

  You’re in love with him, Sam wrote eventually and Amber did not need to reply.

  Sam gestured to the trio who had stood by, impatiently waiting. “She wants her dog and the Gweithi Leyahanna; he locked them away.”

  Whyle stood. “I’ll find them. Tell her I will try with my prototype DNA tracker. It is still in progress but…”

  He broke off when Sam gave him a clear “who the hell cares” look.

  “Tell her okay,” he offered instead.

  * * *

  Amber saw Whyle leave and grimaced, her hand running over the necklace at her throat.

  I really need to speak to Whyle.

  Sam held up the monitor again.

  Husband number two is going to find Banjo and the Gweithi.

  She then looked at Amber thoughtfully.

  Do you love him, husband number two?

  Amber smiled.

  Yes, he’s a wonderful person.

  Sam grinned.

  But he doesn’t float your boat like the terrorist.

  Amber smiled again, starved for human interaction after so long.

  Or the player. Sam added and gave a sideways glance at Staede, who stood with folded arms at her side. He raised one brow at her interest and winked.

  Sam smiled at him. He was extremely handsome, much like the rest of the royals, but he had a rakish charm that was unique.

  Amber had always been such a good girl.

  It would be easy for her to fall for his charms and boy, did he have them in abundance.

  She turned back to Amber.

  Girl, you’ve been B-U-S-Y.

  Smiley face.

  Amber laughed despite the seriousness of her situation.

  I miss you, Sam.

  What’s happening on Rheese?

  Sam rolled her eyes,

  Travis still pines for you.

  Your dad is coping.

  “What are you discussing, Samantha?” Shihlo demanded, but she ignored him when Amber wrote, What’s the deal with you and Shihlo and Dionys? Inndra told me.

  Sam sighed. Long story. Maybe when you are out. It is over already, so don’t stress. Amber waved her monitor. Good. Don’t get mixed up with Thromians.

  Says the woman married to two of them and doing one on the side, Sam wrote back.

  Amber’s face fell. Staede was a mistake.

  Sam looked over her shoulder but Whyle had not returned. Number two as well?

  No, him I agreed to.

  Sam giggled when she read her note.

  Which one is better in…?

  Shihlo sensed mischief and grasped the top of her monitor.

  “Say goodbye, Sam. We have no idea when Wrexel will be back and we don’t want any more trouble. Tell Amber we are glad he did not hurt her, and that I kept my promise but think she needs to tell Wrexel the truth.”

  Sam obeyed.

  “Also tell her we will send a convoy to find Wrexel and beat the codes out of him if we have to.”

  Sam wrote the message and then added, I’ll see you again, Amber, I promise.

  * * *

  Shihlo led Samantha out of the wing, her berating voice making Staede stare after them in mild amusement until Whyle passed them, looking grave.

  “Did you find Leyahanna and the dog?”

  “Banjo ran away when I approached. I have a team of guards searching now.” Whyle grimaced when he remembered ordering them to find Banjo and they all lifted their skeths.

  “I’m waiting for news on Leyahanna. I sent Rix to search Wrexel’s holding cells.”

  Staede looked down at his monitor when a message came through minutes later from Rix. “She found Leyahanna; she is in her little black roof web.”

  Whyle froze and then turned to Staede. “Did you say black?”

  “Yeah. They sleep in them, don’t they?

  “Yes they do, but they’re usually white. If it’s black, that’s extremely concerning.”

  When Staede looked at him blankly, Whyle added, “Gweithi cocoon themselves when they are upset. They hibernate indefinitely, either emerging in acceptance of what distressed them, or…”

  Understanding registered in Staede and he eyed the black band that peaked out of Whyle’s shirt. “Is that how… she met her end?”

  Whyle nodded. “We must communicate with Leyahanna, tell her that all will be well,” he advised Staede. “I would suggest contacting the Gweithi council on Thee Isle to intervene. If she kills herself, Amber will be inconsolable. Can you ask Rix to set that up?”

  Staede nodded.

  Amber was holding up the monitor with a drawing of a dog and a crude depiction of what he assumed was a Gweithi.

  He showed her a thumbs-up, but she did not look convinced. They sat in silence for a while, staring at each other until Whyle leapt up and walked away, growling into his wrist monitor when he received a call.

  Minutes later, he came back. “I got the code from him finally when I told him about the dog and Leyahanna. I think this tipped Wrexel over the edge; he’s totally lost his mind and is rambling like a madman.”

  He glared at Staede. “I swore on my house I would keep you from her, so please leave so I can tend to her.”

  Staede grimaced but after holding his hand against hers on the window for a few moments, he walked away.

  When the door opened, Amber leapt into Whyle’s arms and wept with relief and joy until he told her about Leyahanna and Banjo. He promised her that some Gweithi counselors were on their way to help and that Banjo could not be far. Soon she would be back with those she loved.

  “We also need to aid Wrexel. Oh, Whyle… he’s bewitched... last night the magic was fully apparent. He was incoherent and covered with it.”

  “I’ve still made no headway in figuring out how this happened but I have a friend who is looking into it for me. She just needs time to do this properly and in secret. It must be a curse similar to Staede’s.”

  Amber lifted the Torlu and he jerked with horror. “He put this on me last night. The bathroom was full of his blood; he removed it himself.”

  “Holy Sacred.” Whyle’s eyes were wide. “After he put it on you, did you…”

  “No.”

  Whyle shuddered with relief. “Amber, interbreeding is strictly forbidden. He will be hanged!”

  “I wasn’t sure what to do; shall I take it off?”

  “No, leave it as a reminder and make sure that when he is back, he doesn’t touch you. For him to have done this, the bewitching must be strong. I’ll reach out and see who else I can find to help,” he promised.

  * * *

  The next hours were agony for Amber, who spent most of them beneath the Gweithi’s web, begging her to return to life, to no avail.

  Staede kept his promise and did not come near her, which left Shihlo and Whyle taking turns guarding her. Otherwise, it was Dionys at her side or Freya who had come to hear of the problem and told Amber it was normal to love more than one. Amber merely nodded. She loved Staede but was not in love with him. She loved Wrexel… but his love for her was a magical curse.

  When night fell, Leyahanna had not woken up and Banjo still had not made an appearance.

  Amber cried herself to sleep, longing so desperately for the days when her life was moderately normal. Filled with Whyle and Staede’s fun, Shiloh’s company, and… Wrexel.

  * * *

  It was early morning and s
he could sleep no more. Fevered dreams of all that had occurred came back over and over again until Amber decided she needed help from the Sanbara or the green-eyed Wraith. She wanted to plead for them to break the curse or the spell if it was their creation. They didn’t need to bewitch those around her to ensure she looked for the orb. She would never give up. Even if Wrexel left her, she would beg Whyle to stay, just long enough to finish her search.

  She slipped behind the tapestry and weaved her way through the passages until she was beneath the Monarch’s wing. She planned to draw the magical circle again. Perhaps if it worked, the Sanbara would come down. If not, she could spend an hour or two searching to keep her mind off the horror that was her life.

  She drew into the stone floor using a loose piece of tile but was interrupted when she heard a sound she recognized all too well.

  “Banjo!” she cried with joy. She dropped the tile to rush forward blindly, eager to track down the pitter-patter of his feet.

  “Banjo,” she called again when the little steps stopped and she rushed around a corner in blind joy to find the Monarch holding the struggling Banjo in his arms.

  Her scream of horror echoed through the catacombs.

  The Monarch did not need to chase Amber, nor tie her down. He simply held the dog. His hand hovered ominously over Banjo’s neck.

  “Good. I do not need to tell you what I will do if you run,” he warned. “Now, come with me for a little talk or I will wring the dog’s neck and then yours.”

  Amber had no choice but to walk at his side, out of the catacombs and into his quarters.

  She ambled in front of him, constantly looking back at her dog. She had lost so much and stood to lose so much more. Losing Banjo wasn’t an option.

  As they exited the winding stairwell, she saw that he led her onto his terrace.

  Her eyes darted to the center glass and metal rail that separated his balcony from that of the brothers in the far distance and she swallowed heavily.

  It was at least a hundred meters away and firmly closed.

  There was no point in trying.

  The steel and glass were impenetrable.

  42

  Checkmate

  Transfixed, the Monarch eyed her. “You are so small in comparison to my sons,” he said thoughtfully. “I often wonder what the attraction is.”

  His eyes roamed over her with interest. “How you have my entire royal brood at your beck and call is shocking. I can’t figure it out.”

  He leered down at her body. “There is indeed something quite alluring about you; perhaps it is your weak vulnerability that is not found in our kind.”

  Amber did not like the way he was looking at her and backed away from him.

  “Do not run.” He slid his hand around Banjo’s throat. “I will kill this animal if you try.”

  Amber froze.

  She stared at her dog, then back at the Monarch.

  “I wish only to ask you some questions,” he said, “and then you can leave with your animal.”

  She had no choice but to obey.

  “So, tell me, Amber. Are the stories true that you cheated on your husbands with Staede?”

  Amber couldn’t hide her surprise. There was definitely a leak in Wrexel’s command.

  “I have my spies,” he confirmed. “This was a mistake on your part. While Wrexel may have the capacity for monogamy, if he set his mind to it, Staede is a rogue and always will be. Has he told you of the curse that is upon him… a curse that came from restricted magic for deflowering the daughter of a very powerful conjurer?” The Monarch shrugged when Amber did not respond. “You should ask him some day, if you have time left after fucking him on the quiet.”

  Amber flinched.

  “I find it strange that you were not satisfied by your husbands.” He laughed sneeringly. “But Staede is known for his prowess and can charm any female quite effectively.”

  She remained silent until he began to laugh. “But then again, we both know that Wrexel isn’t really sharing you with Whyle, is he?”

  Amber held out a trembling hand. “My dog,” she said.

  “In time.” He cleared his throat and lowered his hand over Banjo’s neck as the dog struggled wildly in his arms. Amber gave a jolt when Banjo’s paw flailed near his neck. Her breath left her in a gasp that she quickly hid.

  The Monarch’s grasping accidently lifted a necklet to her gaze. It dropped back into invisibility much like the one Whyle wore but not before Amber saw that it sported the same pendant and golden bulb.

  The orb.

  He had managed to get his hand on a magical distortion amulet and kept the Sanbara’s orb hidden on his neck.

  He had it with him all along!

  She quickly lifted her eyes to Gilroth’s, scared he had seen her attention to his neckline as her mind raced.

  This would probably be her only chance!

  “This news of your infidelity was a balm to me,” the king continued, oblivious to her racing heart and frantic plans.

  “I realized then that the rumors are all true. You do not care for Wrexel. You are his prisoner and if given a chance, you would escape and return to your kind.

  “But then…” He moved closer to her, sitting down upon the stone balcony ledge. “If Wrexel sees you as a possession, he will never let you live a happy life on Rheese. If you really want to escape, you need somebody more powerful than him. Someone like me.”

  Amber waited anxiously, her attention moving from plans to grasp Banjo to plans of wrestling the necklet from him.

  “So… this is what I offer you, along with your pet.” He lifted Banjo by the scruff of his neck but then set him down on his lap again.

  * * *

  Amber was close enough to dart forward, but realized he would not release Banjo; her mind spun with ways that she could attack the Monarch. Her training with Staede had taught her many things. None had prepared her for real terror, however.

  “I see you are still afraid,” he prompted her. “Did my oath not ring true?”

  He removed his sketh with one hand and tossed it to the floor. “I will not kill you, girl. Sit.” He pointed at the stone seat that circled his balcony

  “I’m fine here.”

  The king lost his patience and his hand tightened on Banjo, causing him to yelp. “If you want your dog and freedom from Wrexel, you will sit!”

  Amber moved and sat on the edge of the balcony seat, her eyes on Banjo and on the door to the Monarch’s quarters. While her mind grappled with options, he continued to stare at her with interest. “You are indeed beautiful, woman of prehistoric Earth, but the obsession fails me. You must be magical in bed.”

  Her head snapped up from Banjo to see that the eyes roaming over her body were now warmly appraising.

  Amber shuddered in revulsion.

  He sat forward and she moved closer to the edge of her seat, her heart beating even faster than before.

  “I have thoroughly investigated your race,” he whispered, as if they were sharing a secret. “I sent my finest to observe your mating habits when our warriors took such a keen interest.”

  Amber went cold.

  “Intoxicating,” he confessed. “None of the Vergonian inhibition or the Havelonian harlotry; you fall nicely in between. It made me realize just how dispassionate our females can be.”

  His gaze settled on her breasts. “But still, it is not enough to explain the obsession he feels for you alone. What is it that you have that has enraptured both my sons? What is it that you do? Wrexel should have dragged you to the House of Decisions for what you did with Staede. It is unbelievable that he would tolerate your act of infidelity in this manner. Instead, he hovers in space, licking his wounds. It disgusts me to have my spawn begging at your feet like this animal you hold so dear.”

  * * *

  His glance was now accusing and Amber realized that the Monarch was quite insane, flicking easily from one emotion to another.

  “Desperation is not something a
Thromian feels naturally. You must have driven both my sons to this state by means you are not revealing. What magic have you used to corrupt my blood? Or could it really just be your delightful little body?”

  “Tell me your plan, then give me my dog,” she said bravely, trying to distract him from her curves.

  The Monarch moved so swiftly that Amber had no chance to react. When she looked again, they were an inch apart. She gazed up at him fearfully but he merely placed Banjo in her arms. She clutched the dog to her chest, her mind reeling with choices as she began to scramble away but he caught her by the hair and held her in place.

  “Sit back down; we are not finished,” he growled into her ear. “You will leave when I am ready for you to leave.”

  He threaded his hand farther into her hair and tugged her head back forcefully as Banjo struggled in her arms

  “My plan for your escape is quite simple, actually. Wrexel may be able to find it in his heart to forgive you for fucking his brother, but he will never want to be with you again if I have rutted you.”

  “He will kill you!” Amber cried in terror. She let go of Banjo to turn her hands on the Monarch. He dropped her hair and grasped her wrists instead.

  “He has taken a magical blood vow and can do nothing except remember that his father’s cock was in you last. You will not want him either because I will take liberties with you tonight that will make you shudder at the thought of sex.’”

  Amber fought against the king, using her entire body to thrash against him, but he was shockingly strong as he held her hands above her head and pushed her down onto the ledge. She kicked and struggled but he pinned her down with his large body. Her training from Staede was lost as she considered the horror of his intentions.

  “Let us see what has him so enthralled.”

  With one hand, the Monarch tore open her shirt. When he tore the lacy bra from her breasts, he cut welts into her body that burned as they bled. Amber screamed in agony.