“Pollux, please,” Rylan prompted.
He nodded. “I tracked the Gemini alpha and omega’s trace. They are leaving the Theradian as we speak. You can find them in the foothills of the dark forest on the outskirts of their territory. Be aware. Malus sits in wait for them. You must reach them first and plan. Tell them Castor knows. As I was open to his mind, he was privy to mine.” He smiled again. “We had our own special connection as children. A mind path no one could read or share.” He chuckled, lifting a surprised hand. “It’s still there. It’s how I reached him without Malus knowing.”
Rylan helped the old elder to his feet and embraced him. “I promise you this, if we live through this and peace prevails, I will personally see you reunited with your brother and the elders from both the Draakki and the Gemini forever linked.”
***
Every muscle in her body screamed. Even her hair hurt. Valerie opened her eyes, scanning her surroundings. Nothing was familiar. What the hell happened? The last thing she remembered was a lightning flash and Rylan diving to get away from the crack. She lifted an arm across her forehead. The counter pressure helped the dull throb behind her eyes, but she still couldn’t remember much.
Zale and Adrian.
She pulled her arm down from her eyes and tried to sit up. A wave of dizziness took her, and she slumped down again.
“No, no. You mustn’t try to get up.” A soft feminine voice tsked. “You’re lucky to be alive, princess.”
She cracked open an eye. “Princess?” she croaked, ignoring the fact her tongue had cemented itself to the roof of her mouth. “What are you, some sort of comedian?”
The older woman’s eyes went wide. “I didn’t mean any disrespect, please forgive me.” Fear etched her face and she dropped her gaze.
Valerie struggled to sit up again, guilt slashing her at making this woman feel bad for trying to help. “I’m sorry. I’m still a little out of it. Can you tell me where I am? Have you seen my…my…?” Her words hesitated. How was she supposed to classify Zale and Adrian? Her lovers? Her…what…mates?
She cleared her throat and started again. “I’m Valerie Ross. I’m not really sure how I got here, or where here is, actually, but I’m sure Zale and Adrian can explain. They are the alpha and omega of the Gemini. Have you seen them?”
The woman’s eyes bugged, and she got up from her chair, the book she had in her lap clattering to the ground. “I…I…”
Valerie watched the woman’s panicky antics and frowned. “Look, I don’t understand. There’s no reason to be so jumpy. I only want to know what happened, and where I am.”
“You are inside the heart of Gemini Mountain, dear,” a wheezy male voice replied. He approached from the door, giving the nurse a scathing look. “Leave us.” He waved her away and then turned his yellowed smile toward Valerie.
She blinked. “I know you. From the beach that day. You threatened my…my…”
“Mates?” He finished the sentence. “You’d better get used to saying the word, because that’s what you are, love. At least until I take over for them as supreme leader. Once they claim you and open the sacred grotto, I’ll have no use for your triad. You’ll be nothing but dust.”
Valerie’s eyes looked him over. She outweighed him by fifty pounds at least, plus sorcerer or not, he was old. She could squash him like a bug, if she had to.
“Look, whoever you are. Your delusions of grandeur, however psychotically charming, are never going to happen, got it? Nevah.” She put every ounce of New York she had into that last word.
“Zale and Adrian will find me, and once they realize what you have planned, they’ll rip you to shreds like the insect you are. You’re not even a shifter. They’re Gorgónes, and I suspect a little more dragon than you expected, or did you forget that not so little tidbit?” She nodded. “Even if Adrian’s ancestry isn’t as strong, Zale is half Draakki, and dragon blood runs in his veins courtesy of his mother.
After riding on Rylan’s back in dragon form, she had a vast appreciation for how deadly they can be if provoked. “Everyone knows you’re a fraud, and the clans are willing to join forces against you. Dragons and the Gorgónes. You’ll have nowhere to run. Not on dry land and certainly not in open ocean.
“Not when two powerful Aquamen happen to love me, want me and need me more than anything else, so I’d spend more time worrying about saving what’s left of your wrinkled hide, than measuring for a crown you’ll never wear.”
“Impressive.” His yellow grin widened. “Maybe I’ll keep you around for breeding purposes once I dispose of your overgrown fish. Fire like yours is a trait I admire, especially when it’s struggling beneath me as I sample what I want.”
Pain forgotten, her lip curled in disgust and she picked up a ceramic cup from the table beside the bed and flung it at his head.
With a laugh, he waved his hand, deflecting the missile. “Well-aimed, like the lightning storm I raised to get you here.” He scoffed. “Shifters think too much with their dicks. I would never allow a woman to put my objective at risk for a whim. Then again, so easy to predict.
“A royal trident with an armed escort would have been much harder to manipulate than a meager dragon formation. You can thank that bubbleheaded Draakki alpha-female for your capture. She insisted on flying, and her lust-for-brains mate allowed it.”
He eyed her with a smirk, tapping the side of his head. “I’ve done my homework, Miss Ross, and I have my moles. I’ve been planning this before you were even a flicker on the horizon, and I know every counter move your coalition could use. I have a built-in protective field around me, and as long as my life-force is linked to that pathetic Castor’s, no one can harm me.
“If by some unforeseen twist they manage to get around my link, then they risk hurting him, if they hurt me.” He grinned again. “Something your precious mates would never risk. Not to their beloved mentor.” He left the room and seconds later, the sound of a bolt hitting its lock sounded from the other side of the door.
She was trapped. Closing her eyes, she sent up a silent prayer, hoping someone heard it and came.
Chapter Fourteen
It neared sunset as they crossed from the Theradian Woods. Trackers fanned out ahead, making their progress slow. Rylan shielded his eyes, scanning the edge of the terrain. They’d skirted the Theradian as Pollux instructed, and approached the foothills of the Gemini Mountain. Draakki trackers hadn’t picked up as much as a twig snap in miles. Zale and Adrian had to be somewhere. If they were in animal form it would be hard to miss.
“There,” a tracker pointed toward a craggy path. “Ahead, to the left of the heavy brush.”
Soren urged his horse to the edge of the scrubland and slid from his saddle to squat beside what the tracker saw. The marks were nearly imperceptible, but their scent confirmed it. Zale and Adrian had passed this way.
He slid his gaze to the foothills ahead, and the tracker nodded. “The only path they could take from here is that one. Narrow and steep, but because of the rough terrain, most likely the least fortified. Natural barriers do the work for you.”
“How can we be sure?” Rylan asked.
He pointed to the ground. “No perimeter footprints. Here…or there,” he paused. “The ground is undisturbed except for broken brush in that quadrant. Newly crushed scrub tells me someone passed not that long ago
“The Gemini alpha and omega would have used that to cover their tracks. To an untrained eye, they looked like natural breaks made by wind or random animal, but they’re distinct enough.” The tracker looked up. “If you want to continue, I suggest we move into the mountains at this point.”
“We’ll have to leave the horses.” Soren nodded. “They’ll just slow us down.”
“Agreed.” Rylan nodded. “We go on from here. With this terrain and the Gemini lurking, we need all eyes we can get.”
Night set in and the temperature dropped. The path curved left, but was mostly obscured by sharp, rocky outcrops and overhanging
branches. Pebbles crumbled from the crags above, and Rylan lifted a finger to his lips. An ambush was the last thing they needed in Gemini territory.
They kept moving, following the path as best they could as it turned sharply around a blind bend in the rock.
“Hello, ladies,” Zale said, jumping from an outcrop. “Fancy meeting you here.”
Rylan slid into a defensive stance, lifting a hand for the others to stop. “Zale, this is not what it looks like. We’ve been trying to find you.”
“Funny, because I thought we left our mate in your care,” Adrian said, dropping from a thick branch to land behind Rylan. “So which is it? Are you looking for us, or are you watching over Valerie?”
Soren growled from down the path, pushing past the trackers. “We’ve been looking for you because Valerie was taken, you asshole. Malus conjured a storm after we left the palace. Lightning broke our formation. Malus must have hired mercenary guards, because they ambushed Rylan.”
Zale’s eyes flashed and his hand shot for Rylan’s throat. Soren vaulted over Adrian and knocked Zale back, pinning him to the ground. “You really are a stubborn, impulsive ass. We found out a lot, if you’d dial down on the stupid for a moment and listen, we could tell you.”
“Found out what?” Adrian asked, pulling Soren off Zale’s chest.
Rylan raked a hand through his hair. “Look, I’m sorry we were ambushed. It was as if they knew we were coming. Either there’s a mole in the palace, or Malus is psychic. Anyway, I remembered one of our older elders was Castor’s half-brother. It was never spoken of, for obvious reasons, but I made him try to reach Castor. He was able to, and from there he found Castor’s link to you two. That’s how we knew how to find you.
“Castor is in a state of suspended animation. Pollux said he’s in a state of limbo, floating between life and death. While in that state, Malus can control Castor’s staff and channel both their powers. We found out afterwards, Malus’s bond with Castor is reciprocal.”
“Reciprocal?” Zale grabbed Rylan’s shirt. “Are you telling us our mentor, our elder, is in cahoots with that sorcerer asshole?”
Rylan shoved him off. “No, what I’m telling you is while the two are bound, Malus can’t be hurt, not without hurting Castor as well.”
“Fuck!” Zale ground out, kicking a rock. “We have to break that bond.” His gaze shot to Rylan. “Does Malus have Valerie?”
He returned Zale’s gaze. “Our best guess is yes. To be honest, you said it yourself. He wants your medallions. Once he has them, he can rule the Gemini.”
“Yeah, but he’ll need us to claim Valerie, first.” Adrian exhaled. “Without a completed triad, the sacred grotto and its crystals can’t be opened.”
“Where would he keep her?” Soren asked. “Malus knows you’ll come for Valerie, so it would have to be some place you’d think to look. Some place where he’ll feel safe from your wrath.”
Zale looked at Soren and nodded. “The caves.” He frowned, clenching his fists. “When I find Malus, I’m going to slit his throat.”
Adrian wrapped his hand over Zale’s shoulder. “Not if I get to him first.”
***
“Are you sure you remember where you’re going? It’s been a while,” Soren asked. “I know from my own experience. Things don’t exactly stay the same after so much time.”
Adrian shot him a look that said shut up. “Your experience was of your own making, Draakki. Zale and I were collateral damage because of your insane father.”
“Point taken. I’ll shut up. Still, do you know where you’re going?” he asked, dodging a quick cuff.
The four waded through knee-deep water filling the mouth of an outer cave. “Fuck, this is cold,” Rylan said with a shiver.
“The water is cold for a reason, Sherlock.” Zale chuckled back. “Most Gemini are Merfolk, and no one likes swimming in soup.”
Adrian pushed ahead, climbing up on a rocky ledge with the mouth of another cave beyond. He turned with a skeptical look on his face. “Rylan, I gotta ask. How are your lot at holding your breath?”
“Why?” Rylan asked, climbing up ahead of the others. He walked to the inside cave’s mouth and whistled low. “Jeez Loueez. That’s deep.”
Adrian nodded. “And long. Lord knows if there are air pockets once you get past that far point. It’s not a problem for me or Zale, but you guys? I don’t know.”
Zale and Soren brought up the rear, dripping with the others as they looked across the expansive underground lake.
“Well, it’s certainly pretty,” Zale said. “The water’s Gemini green.” He pointed toward a flicker of color reflected off the far surface. “We must be close, because those have to be crystals. If I remember what Castor taught, the outer caves feed the grotto. Their crystal deposits give life where there otherwise is none.”
Rylan looked at him, curious. “Self-sustaining power source? Like white lichen when they absorb even the dimmest light source. In all honesty, it doesn’t take much to power our world.”
“Yes, but don’t get any ideas. Once mined, everything goes dark. The Gemini tried that eons ago, and nearly razed the Gemini Mountain in the process.”
Rylan snorted. “Good to know.”
“Enough talk. We need to get from here to past that far point and whatever’s beyond.” Adrian extended an arm. “We’ve got four pretty smart heads, let’s put them together and figure this out before Malus kills Valerie.”
Soren looked at Adrian, nodding.
“What?”
He lifted a shoulder, supposing. “You said you and Castor had a tighter bond than Zale because he chose you for the omega.”
“Yeah, and?”
Soren tapped the side of his head. “Did you ever think to try that link? Maybe you could reach him in a way Malus hasn’t thought of.”
“No,” Zale shook his head. “That’s the first thing Malus would expect. He couldn’t know about Castor’s bond with Pollux, but our bond, he’d have learned that from Castor without even trying.”
Water dripped from the stalactites on the cave ceiling and the sound echoed. All at once, one cracked and fell to the green water, sending glistening waves cresting their way. The water dipped in places, and Adrian drew in a quick breath.
“There!” He pointed to one of the cave walls. “There’s something carved into the rock.”
Adrian didn’t wait. He dove into the cold emerald water and swam out to the far wall. Diving under, he disappeared from sight.
“It might be nothing, but at least he can peek at whether or not the lake stays below ceiling level or if the cave is completely submerged,” Soren added.
Adrian’s head broke the water, and before they could call out to him, his mighty tail thrashed as he dove back under.
“Wow. I didn’t realize—” Rylan’s words trailed.
“Gemini Gorgóna. Sea gods, or at least that’s what Valerie calls us.” Zale’s close-lipped smile faded as he scanned the water.
“Jesus, what’s under there, a manuscript?” Rylan mumbled.
Zale shot them a look. “Cork it. I didn’t hear you offering to go spelunking, Adrian’s nuts have probably retreated up. There are cold depths, and then there’s suicide cold. Malus must have spelled the water as a deterrent.”
Adrian’s blond hair floated on the water’s surface, but he didn’t resurface. Zale curled his toes over the edge, ready to jump when Adrian shot up, dragging in a ragged breath.
“Loser! I thought you drowned!” Zale kicked a huge splash at the man as he swam back. He held his hand out and Adrian grabbed it, sliding onto the ledge where he shifted to two-legged in a blink.
Soren smirked. “Dude cover your junk or conjure a fig leaf or something—and you missed your chance. I would have so yanked him in with me.”
“Another time, definitely,” Adrian said, conjuring warm clothes. “We don’t have time for games now. I got our answer. The water goes all the way to the ceiling beyond that ridge. The only way to lower t
he water level enough for the Draakki to breathe, is to evaporate enough to allow them to pass.”
Zale looked at him for explanation. “How? What did the carving say? Was it just graffiti?”
“No,” he shook his head. “It was a message. From Castor. He saw this coming right after he chose me. It’s like a prophecy.”
Zale shook his head. “Too convenient. If Malus is in Castor’s head, then he knows everything.”
“Not this. Not from my private link with him. What did Castor call me when we were little? Only the three of us know.” Adrian raised an eyebrow, nodding.
“The carving is addressed that way?” Zale asked, doubtful.
Adrian nodded.
“So what’s the message, then?” Rylan asked. “What are we to do?”
Adrian closed his eyes, remembering. “Four bellies of flame. Four bringers of right. When fires converge, no power can fight. Enemy mine. Enemy thine. Set fire to the rain, so none can confine.”
“Well at least it rhymes,” Soren replied, “but what the hell does it mean?”
“It means we need to combine our flames and set fire to the rain,” Adrian answered. He threw his hand out. “The water. We need to heat the water. Maybe it’ll evaporate enough to give us air pockets or maybe something else will happen.”
Soren snorted. “Like the ceiling collapsing. Plus, Castor forgot one small point. Only two of us are dragons. You two are mermaids.”
“Go ahead. Poke fun.” Adrian folded his arms. “I have no problem leaving you here to drown when Malus floods the chambers. Gemini Gorgóna have no problem with water. Even hyperthermia-level cold water.” He nodded once. “Sea gods rule.”
“Enough posturing, losers. The message said four bellies of flame, not a belly full of hot air,” Zale reminded. “Maybe there’s a way. Castor wouldn’t have inscribed that message if he wasn’t sure it would come to pass. Adrian and I had a moment on the beach. My body started a shift on dry land, and not into our marine form. Heat roiled in my belly and I swear I felt wings at my back.”
Taming their Tailfins: Howls Romance Page 11