It gave him power over Isaacs and the girl.
Parald sped up, gripping the woman’s hideous hair tighter. Phases from different Houses were in the Air Kingdom for various reasons, but they were never worthy. This one should be grateful he’d noticed her, at all. If he could only find an authentic redhead, he would have accepted her, no matter where she came from. And, if she already had a Match who he could take her from, it would be so much the better. He loved the idea of taking anything from weaker men. Parald was the King. He could have anything he wanted.
“Who do you belong to, Ty?” He demanded.
“You, sire.”
“I didn’t hear you.”
“You, sire!”
“Who’s your Match?”
The woman was new, but she was already used to his demands. “Parald, King of the Air House.”
He slammed into her savagely. “You’re mine, Ty! Mine.” He came hard, roaring out his release.
In the doorway, Isaacs cringed in disgust.
Sedated and out of breath, Parald got to his feet, again, leaving the woman on the floor. He didn’t bother to even glance in her direction as she meekly gathered her clothes. She’d served her purpose.
“So, why haven’t you brought me my Match, yet, Isaacs?” Parald hadn’t removed his pants, so he just zipped them back up as he marched forward. “Do you think I like fucking whores, when I should have a queen?”
Isaacs glanced over at the woman and then away, again. “I’m working on it, sire. Ty rarely leaves the Water Kingdom. And, since we grabbed her in the human realm, her security’s been better when she’s there, too. The only other spot she ever goes is the Agora…”
“So, get her there, then!” Parald interrupted.
“Sire, we can’t.” Isaacs looked shocked. “The Agora is a safe zone. There’s been no fighting there since Vandal, of the Light House six hundred years ago. Job will…”
“I’m the King of the Air House! I can do anything I want!” Parald screamed the words. “I want my Match and I want her, now! I don’t give a shit about Job!”
Isaacs sighed. “Yes, sire.”
“And once I have her.” Parald continued dreamily. “I’m going to take Ty right there in the great hall, where every one of my soldiers can watch me break her. Won’t you enjoy that?”
Silence.
“I said, won’t you enjoy that, Isaacs?”
“Yes, sire.”
The grudging words filled Parald with satisfaction. He had no idea why so many people disliked the idea of “yes men.” Personally, he reveled in the power to force everyone to agree with him, even if they didn’t want to. “What else do you have to report?” Parald despised Gion, but, he had to admit, the son-of-a-bitch wrote a hell of a security report. Isaacs wasn’t nearly so skilled.
“There’s some rumbling about the rebels that I’m concerned about.”
Parald rolled his eyes and made his way out of the dungeon. There were always rumblings about the so-called “rebels.” Some mythical band of freedom fighters, poised to bring down the Air House from within.
It was all horseshit.
Parald had scoured the kingdom from top to bottom and never discovered a single one. He’d even tried torturing the information out of people, looking for anyone who might secretly oppose him. He’d found nothing. In fact, he’d found so much nothing that Gion made him feel like an idiot for even continuing the search.
Frankly, it amused Parald that anyone would try to rebel against him. He was the King. No one could possibly overthrow him. He regularly executed suspected traitors, mainly just to scare the others, but a few whiny malcontents weren’t something that he took seriously.
“Gion was never concerned about the piss-ant rebels.” Parald recognized Isaacs’ insecurity when it came to Gion and used every opportunity to throw him up in Isaacs’ face. “Gion actually had some balls.”
“Well, since Gion betrayed you, sire, I’m not sure he’s the greatest authority what’s best for the kingdom.”
Parald turned to pin him with a dark look. He hated it when anyone questioned him.
Isaacs jaw clenched and he looked away. “Kingu also asks that you come to the house when you have a moment. He wouldn’t tell me why.”
Excellent.
Parald trotted up the steps and into the main section of the Air Palace, dismissing Isaacs from his mind. His subjects bowed their heads as he passed them. Parald savored their fearful respect. As a boy, he’d been one of them; one of the faceless nobodies huddling in corners as the king walked by.
Seneca.
That arrogant bastard had lorded his powers over everyone. In his youth, Parald had worked in the Air House kitchens. Even then, he’d known he was made for something better and he never let anything stop his rise. He’d seen what it meant it have real control over people. Now, he was the one in command.
Walking out into the high grass plains of the Air Kingdom, Parald made his way to Kay’s house. The holder of the primordial Khaos, Kay had been trapped in the Air Kingdom by her sister, Tessie. Kay’s imprisonment became Parald’s good luck. With Kay’s help, he’d begun gathering the fabled Tablets of Fate.
For millennia, the Tablets of Fate had been an Elemental fairytale. Liberty, Health, Love, Happiness, Compassion, Justice, Valor, Peace, and Reason; nine small boxes that spelled out the fate of the world. Neither good nor bad, each one had its own powers. The individual Tablets were sealed into boxes. Separate, they packed a wallop that could end the world. But, put together, the Tablets were the greatest force in the universe.
Since Parald discovered their existence, he’d been determined to possess them all. So far, he’d had two and they’d both been pretty fucking useful. Without the Health Tablet, for instance, he never would have been able to create the Fall.
Unfortunately, for Parald’s plans, Tessie also knew how to use the Health Tablet. That whore of Job’s put Kay into a supernatural coma and stole the Health box for herself. Without Kay, he lost his most important ally. By himself, Parald wasn’t sure how to manipulate the one Tablet he had left and he needed to pull a rabbit out of his ass if he was going to get Ty away from Gion.
Kay’s home was a grotesque Minnie Mouse concoction of pink gingerbread. Parald hated looking at it from the windows of his castle every day. Even with Kay in the coma, though, he feared her too deeply to order it torn down.
Something else he had to compromise on.
He didn’t bother to knock on the front door. He just walked inside. “Kingu? Did you solve it?”
“I solved it.” Kay’s son came into the foyer. Parald preferred surrounding himself with beautiful things, but he’d had to compromise with the Dragon Man, too. Kingu’s monstrous body towered over him, which annoyed Parald, and the guy’s hideous, slightly reptilian features gave everyone the creeps. At least, he wasn’t entirely useless, though.
For years, everyone assumed that Kingu didn’t have any powers of his own. Now, Parald wasn’t so sure. The unnatural bastard obviously understood some of how the Tablets worked. He was egotistical and weird, but, since Kay was down for the count, Kingu was Parald’s only option.
God knew, none of his idiot subjects could have lent a hand. Sometime Parald felt like he ruled over the biggest bunch of nimrods in the universe.
“Well, it’s about time.” He kept his eyes off of Kingu’s vaguely snake-like skin. “I thought I’d have to write the damn thing myself.”
“I have the translation we’ll need.” Kingu said flatly.
Parald’s boyish face creased into a smile as Kingu placed the box into his hand. The size of a Rubic’s Cube, its mirrored sides were covered in archaic writing. It seemed impossible that something so small held so much power. “I found the bait, too.” The woman he’d been screwing earlier had actually been the one to help with that. Who would have guessed that the stupid bitch could serve an actual purpose off of her knees?
Kingu nodded. “Then, we’re ready to begin.”
> Parald tossed the box into the air and caught it in one hand. “Let’s go get my Match back.”
Chapter Eight
The feminine element in the brilliant audience seemed curiously puzzled.
Gaston Leroux-‘The Phantom of Opera’
Ty didn’t sleep well.
Most nights her insomnia kept her awake until the wee hours of the morning. Ty dreaded closing her eyes, because she knew the horrible scenes that waited for her in the recesses of her mind. Her nightmares were infected with frightening, half-remembered images from her past. Worse, laying alone in the darkness left Ty feeling incredibly vulnerable. She jumped at every sound, tense and waiting for an attack.
Night was her enemy.
Through experience, Ty found that it was better if she worked from of midnight to five am. Once Ty saw the sun coming up she felt safer. Childish and silly as it seemed, she’d rather live on three hours of sleep a night than surrender to her memories. Besides, that meant she had more time to focus on her projects.
Currently, the energy she felt with Gion took most of Ty’s considerable attention. Why did they feel it? How could it possibly be explained? Gion might not be interested in the answers, but Ty certainly was. Since she had no intention of stopping the connection, Ty didn’t see how researching the phenomena would break her promise to him.
Ty was looking for explanations on her laptop, when she heard the music.
Continuous silence was a mixed blessing of living in a kingdom devoid of people. On the one hand, it was usually pretty peaceful. But, on the other, when something did make noise, it tended to catch her attention. Ty had gotten used to the quiet.
She pulled herself out of research-mode and blinked over at the clock in the lower right hand corner of the computer screen. Who the heck was playing music at 2:47 in the morning?
Actually, that was sort of a rhetorical question. Gion, Brokk, and Tharsis were the only other fulltime residences of the Water Kingdom, now. And violin concertos weren’t exactly in her cousin or Brokk’s repertoires. That dramatically narrowed the suspects.
Ty hesitated for a beat, then gave into impulse. Saving her data, she stood up and went to investigate. The tile was cool under her feet, but she didn’t pause to find her shoes. Ty hurried for the door, grabbing up her robe as she went. The soft white fabric fell against her legs as she headed down the hall.
She recognized the song, now. Ashokan Farewell. The sweet, melancholy sound on it filled the corridor, drawing her forward.
It could only be coming from one spot. The music hall housed all of the Water Kingdom’s instruments, including the violins. Before the Fall, the Water Palace had put on legendary concerts in the large, acoustically designed chamber. Ty vividly remembered sitting next to her parents, listening to the greatest performers in the Elemental realm. Those were some of the happiest days of her life.
It had been so long since she’d heard instruments played in the palace. All the best Elemental musicians died in the Fall, their voices and harmonies silenced forever. Not even the Sound Phases held concerts anymore and they were all incredibly gifted performers. Ty had never thought that the Water Palace would echo with music, again. She played the piano, but she certainly didn’t consider herself a great talent.
Not like this.
Not like Gion.
Utterly enchanted, Ty made her way to the music room’s door. It stood open, so she could peer in at him. With one violin, in a darkened room, without an audience or sheet music, Gion put all the sad longing of the world into a single melody.
Ty felt eyes sting the back of her eyes.
All the Elemental’s musicians hadn’t passed to the next world, after all.
Gion remained.
The notes wept from the violin as he played. Ashokan Farewell was a modern composition. A romantic lament. Ty loved the song, but she wouldn’t have thought that it suited Gion’s tastes, at all. It seemed like he should have selected something heavier to amuse himself. Wagner, maybe. This lonely, bittersweet tune seemed like the complete antithesis of Gion’s sinister image.
And yet he played it beautifully.
It took Ty a second to realize that his accomplishment went beyond musical virtuosity, though. Gion held the violin, but he hadn’t picked up the bow. His fingers held down the notes, while he moved his Air powers to move back and forth over the strings. He was playing the song with nothing by his energy and imagination.
No one should be able to do that. The concentration of power that it must’ve taken to carefully manipulate the pressure against the strings, the precision of the Air sliding at just the right angles to produce the notes, it was… amazing. Impossible. Except, somehow, Gion was doing it. Not another single Phase in the universe could’ve accomplished it.
Just Gion, of the Water House.
Ty felt stupendously proud of that.
She might have ruled over a tiny kingdom, but now she had an artist as one of her subjects. How many other queens could say that? Ty hadn’t exactly known what to do with Gion the mercenary, but Gion the musician was a real boon for her. Her parents had always taken pride in the Water Kingdom’s commitment to culture. Finally, she’d accomplished something that lived up to their example. Finally, her tenure as queen had produced something worthwhile.
With one inadvertent recital, a lot of Ty’s paralyzing fear about how this amnesty thing could possibly work, faded. Far from plotting to harm anyone or trying to cause trouble, Gion was already making a place for himself.
Ty started smiling.
The song ended far too soon. The final haunting notes faded away and Gion lowered the violin. There really wasn’t anything left to do, but applaud. Ty didn’t even think about it. She just started clapping.
Gion’s head snapped around like she’d fired off a canon. Apparently, not many people ever snuck up on Gion. His mouth sagged open in shock as he spotted her standing there.
“That was incredible.” Ty felt the dazzled grin on her face. “I had no idea you were a musician.”
“I’m not.” Gion said instantly. His eyes stayed fixed on her face. He’d looked that way when she smiled at him in the library, too. Like her expression fascinated him. He set the violin down. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t even be in here. I wasn’t stealing anything or…”
“Of course, you should be in here.” Ty interrupted. “The music hall belongs to everyone. To all the citizens of the Water Kingdom.” She edged further into the room. “Really, you’re the only musician left now, so this is all yours, by default.”
“I’m not a musician.” He repeated. For the first time ever, Gion looked embarrassed. “It’s just an exercise to direct my powers. I have to keep them under control.”
Ty ignored that. The last thing Gion needed was stronger powers. Besides which, she’d never heard of a single exercise program that featured violins. He made music because he loved it. “Where did you learn to play?”
“Parson, of the Wood House taught me.” He watched her warily. “I didn’t mean to wake you. I couldn’t sleep and I was making sure the palace was secure. And then I saw the…”
“Secure?” Ty interrupted. “Again? Didn’t you do that earlier? And then again before that?” All Gion ever did was worry about security. He was taking his assignment very, very seriously.
“I did check earlier.” He agreed in a humoring tone. “But, you have too many places here that can’t be properly secured. Too many doors and access points. Like that, for instance.” He gestured towards the exterior wall, which was composed entirely of glass panels that could slide out of the way and make the room open to the outside. The music hall connected to an exterior balcony that overlooked the sea. The large space had always been a favorite concert spot in the summer. “Why doesn’t that door lock, Tritone?”
“Lock against what?” Alone in her room, Ty often gave into her fears and barricaded doors, but, here with Gion, she felt secure enough to shrug at the pointlessness of it. “Nobody left in the kingdom
would hurt me. And if anyone else is strong enough to get through our barriers, I really don’t think that a locked door will stymie their plans, do you?”
Gion scowled. “You need to be more careful.” He insisted, not backing down.
Ty didn’t want to argue with him. She tuned out his grumbling and ran an absent hand over a harp. The strings made an enchanting sound as she trailed her fingers along them. Gion must’ve been digging around the in storage area, because he’d unearthed a lot of different instruments. Flutes and cellos and some Elemental instruments that only a few people left alive could even play. The thought struck Ty as tragic. “We had recitals here, you know. Phases came from all over the realm to enjoy them.”
“I remember.”
Ty couldn’t exactly describe his tone, but she knew instinctively that Gion must’ve attended one. “Really?” She glanced over at him, pleased. “Which concert were you here for?”
“I…uh,” he cleared his throat, “I went to several. The first time I ever saw you was here in this room. Clea, of the Sound House gave a performance. You wore a white dress.” Gion briefly met her eyes and then shrugged. “You wouldn’t remember. You were very young.”
Ty considered that for a beat and realized that she didn’t recall a time when Gion wasn’t a part of her life. She didn’t remember when she’d formally met him, because she’d always known he was there. Even before they spoken or interacted, Gion had never seemed like a stranger.
And she vividly recollected Clea’s concert. The woman had possessed the most beautiful voice in the universe. Everyone who heard it was spellbound. Clea’s talent was a gift from Gaia.
She’d died the third afternoon of the Fall.
“Clea sang Puccini. My dress was eyelet with a blue sash. I remember that night.” Ty shook her head. “I thought I looked very grown-up. I’d just turned eighty-four.”
Gion glanced at her sharply. “You were only eighty-four?”
Exile in the Water Kingdom (The Elemental Phases Book 3) Page 11