by Raine Thomas
“Thank you, Advisor.”
Vycor lifted his hand and brushed her hair away from her cheek. “I believe you should start calling me Vycor now.”
“Of course, Vycor.”
She leaned into his touch, not breaking his gaze. Every fiber of her being screamed in protest. But if it meant saving Ty, she would play into Vycor’s fantasies.
She would give her soul to the devil.
Chapter 16
No sunlight reached the depths of the palace prison, but Ty knew when morning had come. There was more activity outside his cell door now. The sounds of the Inquisitors changing shifts reached him. It was done in silence, telling Ty they were communicating through thought so they wouldn’t be overheard.
And indeed, he couldn’t hear any of them. No thoughts got through to him at all, even those he used to be able to hear before assuming his responsibilities as the Dem-Shyr. The Guardians had robbed him of even his most inherent Mynder abilities.
But if Kyr was safe, he didn’t care.
He did miss his mental connection with her, though. It felt like a hole had been carved out of him. He also wished he could tell her he loved her one last time. He hated that their last moments together had been so hideous. Would Gren receive the thought he had sent out? Would he help protect Kyr?
Ty had to believe so. If he didn’t, he’d drive himself insane.
“I don’t care what your goddamn orders say. I’m his family and I’m going to see him. It’s prison policy, so put that de’llum away unless you want it shoved up your ass.”
Sem.
Ty rose from the single cot in the room and stood a few feet from the door. He couldn’t see much through the small, eye-level square cut into the wood, but soon, his cousin stopped just outside his cell.
“Ty. By all that’s holy…I just found out what happened. Are you all right?”
His cousin’s compassion made it hard for Ty to maintain his control. He took a deep breath and said, “Not really.”
Sem’s gaze swept over Ty, seeing that he was shirtless. He’d been imprisoned wearing only the pants and boots he’d been found in. A frown appeared between Sem’s eyes.
“Is it true? What they’re accusing you of?”
If Sem knew the truth, everything could fall apart. His thoughts could be picked up by any Mynder strong enough to try.
That would endanger Kyr. So he couldn’t know.
Ty opened his mouth to say that yes, it was true. He had forced himself on Kyr. But the words wouldn’t come out.
Sem’s expression changed as he watched Ty battle with himself. His voice softer, he asked, “Ty, do you have a physical relationship with Kyr?”
Again, words failed Ty. He just held Sem’s gaze and hoped his cousin understood. When Sem issued a curse and shook his head, Ty thought the message had been communicated.
“Do you love her?” Sem whispered.
Now, Ty couldn’t prevent himself from nodding. He would gladly bear these consequences to spare Kyr, but he could bear them more easily if he knew she still believed he loved her.
“Will you tell her?” he asked Sem.
“No. You’ll tell her yourself.”
Foreboding came over Ty. “Sem, don’t think of doing anything stupid.”
Sem grinned. “Hey, if I don’t think of the stupid shit, who else will?”
Before Ty could argue, footsteps rang out down the hall. He tensed. The time for his judgment had come.
Sem stepped aside to allow the Inquisitors to unlock the cell door. The Mynders extended their de’llums as they walked in. One of them secured restraints around Ty’s ankles. Another secured his wrists in front of him. Ty expected them to chain the restraints together to further bind him, but they didn’t.
He glanced at Sem, who winked at him. Were the nonstandard restraints part of Sem’s plan to help him?
He caught his error as soon as they left the cell. The sound of someone being shoved made him look over his shoulder just in time to see the Inquisitors lock Sem in the cell. The Mynders must have intercepted at least part of his thought.
He’d just gotten his cousin imprisoned.
“What the hell is this?” Sem spat, yanking at the cell door. “Let me out of here, assholes! This is a violation of my rights!”
Sem’s curses followed Ty out of the prison, but he knew Sem wouldn’t be released anytime soon. How long would he be retained? Until the judgment was over? Longer?
Ty thought of Vycor’s parting shot: If you thought that was suffering, TaeDane, you’re wrong.
Was Vycor going to make his family suffer? If so, was there anything Ty could do to stop it?
He knew running through the possibilities was useless. All of his thoughts were being screened now so the Mynders could prevent him from escaping. Even if he came up with a brilliant plan, Vycor would know about it before he could implement it.
They took the most public route to the judgment chamber, setting the tone for how things would proceed. Ty didn’t look in either direction, keeping his gaze straight ahead. Still, he saw the looks of disdain on the faces of everyone they passed. It seemed they had already passed judgment on him.
He could hardly blame them. He was about to stand in the judgment chamber and say that he had raped the Ascendant.
His stomach rebelled at the thought, so he pushed it aside. Don’t think, he told himself. Just get through it.
They reached the back entrance of the judgment chamber a short while later. The wait in the holding area before entering the chamber itself seemed interminable. The space was cramped with Inquisitors and the equipment they used to impose consequences on the guilty. Ty deliberately forced himself not to focus on it.
From his position, he could see the upper levels of the stadium-like seating surrounding the judgment chamber floor. People filed in without speaking. Soon, every seat was full. The witnesses for his “trial” were in place.
The Inquisitors nudged him forward. Trying to ignore the incriminating rattle of his restraints, he shuffled out into the center of the arena. A low murmur emerged from the crowd when he was spotted. It pained him to know what they were thinking.
Still, he maintained his composure…until he saw Kyr sitting beside her parents in the crowd.
His heart plummeted. What was she doing there? What if she—?
He clamped down on the thought. He was there to admit his guilt…he was there to admit his guilt…he was there to admit his guilt…
The refrain chanted in his mind over and over again as the Inquisitors led him closer to the side of the chamber where Kyr sat in the front row. Relief filled him when he spotted Gren standing a discreet distance behind her. Maybe his thought had gotten through to his friend.
Vycor rose. Ty had been so focused on Kyr that he hadn’t spotted the Advisor sitting on her other side. The Inquisitors bowed at Vycor’s nod before turning and leaving.
Why were they leaving? Ty wondered. Prisoners weren’t usually left alone during a judgment. Then he remembered all of the equipment he had seen in the holding area. He reasoned that Vycor had ordered the Inquisitors to prepare it. The Advisor already knew how this was going to end.
Was Kyr going to see all of this? Were they forcing her to make the judgment?
Please, no. Please.
He didn’t know who he sent the thought out to. For all he knew, everyone with any mental abilities had picked it up. But he knew they wouldn’t do anything about it.
Vycor started forward to take the judgment stand. As his foot descended towards the stadium floor, he was suddenly jerked backwards. Kyr flew past him, racing towards Ty. The invisible shield that automatically fell into place once the judge had entered the chamber floor fell into place with a rush of air. Ty saw Gren try to reach Kyr, but he couldn’t get through the shield.
No one could. It was meant to prevent anyone from trying to save the accused.
“Stop this!” Kyr cried above the resulting noise. “This is all a huge mistake!
”
Ty barely had time to react to what Kyr had done before pressure filled his mind, making his thoughts jumbled. It took him a moment to recognize the influence of another. He hadn’t ever fully experienced it before.
But as he took one step and then another in Kyr’s direction, he knew Vycor was influencing him.
Panic heaved in his chest as he stepped within inches of Kyr. He wanted to shout at her to get away from him, to get help, but his jaw wouldn’t cooperate. His body was entirely outside of his control.
“I love Ty,” Kyr announced. “You—”
She stopped abruptly when she heard him behind her. She blinked in confusion as she turned to face him. She didn’t move when his hands encircled her throat.
Chaos filled the stands as people tried to figure out how to reverse the barrier. Ty’s fear clawed at him, clutching his heart and his lungs. His arms shook as he tried to resist the hold over him.
He managed to choke out, “No!” before Vycor’s hold tightened over his mind and paralyzed his vocal chords.
His thumbs pressed against Kyr’s soft windpipe. She finally seemed to comprehend that something was wrong. Her eyes widened as she struggled for air. Her hands came up in a futile attempt to break his hold, her nails raking his skin.
Hot tears clogged his throat, filled his vision. No! he silently begged. Please stop! I’ll do anything you want. Anything! Please!
But Vycor didn’t stop.
Ty clutched Kyr’s neck until her eyes bulged and her legs failed her. He followed her to the ground, strangling her until her heels drummed beneath him.
Fight me, Kyr! he pleaded over and over. Please, stop me!
But she didn’t stop him. It was like her mind hadn’t caught up with the reality of what was happening.
His tears dropped on her beautiful face as it turned blue from lack of oxygen. He squeezed until he felt the fine bones in her neck crack. He squeezed until her heart stopped beating.
And even then, Vycor didn’t stop. He made Ty cling to Kyr’s body long after she was dead.
By the time the barrier finally lifted, the crowd was hushed and still. No one knew how to react to the sight of the former Dem-Shyr sobbing brokenly over the woman they thought would lead them to a brighter future.
They just knew that their lives would never be the same.
Chapter 17
When she opened her eyes, she saw nothing but darkness. No sound reached her ears other than her own deep, even breathing. Her body felt weighted. Lifeless.
At first, her mind was as dark as her vision, but it wasn’t long before the most important memory fired in her brain.
She was Ma’jah KyrVawn, the Ascendant of Alametria.
The rest resurfaced more quickly. Sensation returned as well, sending pulsing aches through her body. Her neck and throat hurt the worst.
Lifting a hand, she reached up to rub her neck. Her fingertips grazed something soft and unfamiliar at the base of her throat. After more exploration, she discovered that her face was covered in fine fabric. Was that why she couldn’t see? Was this what was dampening her ability to hear or sense anything around her?
She tugged at the fabric, expecting it to easily give way. It didn’t. Her hand slipped, jerking upwards. A soft thud resulted as she encountered something solid only inches above her body.
Panic hit her then. Bringing both hands up, she pushed against the hard, flat surface above her. Nothing happened. She couldn’t bend her elbows enough to get any momentum behind the push because the surface was too close. Attempting to move her arms sideways yielded no better results. She was surrounded. A terrified scream built in her throat.
Calm yourself, Kyr.
The quiet thought came to her in her own voice. It reminded her that she had resources outside of just the physical. She was the Ascendant, for the love of Yen-Ki. She wasn’t helpless.
Taking in a deep breath, she thought, Ty.
She knew immediately that the thought hadn’t reached him. Fear and confusion once again overwhelmed her. Where was she? Why was she in a dark, contained space? Why couldn’t she mentally connect with the man she loved?
As each question ran through her mind, her strength amplified. She shoved against the surface above her until it eventually gave way. She tossed aside the entire length of whatever was containing her, giving her freedom to sit up. As she did, a wave of dizziness almost made her fall back down. Terror kept her upright, clinging to the sides of her rectangular prison for support.
She looked around and saw she was in a dimly lit room. She also realized that she was sitting in a death box.
Another scream built in her throat. In an instant, she was standing beside the death box rather than inside of it. She had no memory of climbing out, nor did she know how long she stood beside it, staring at it as though it could offer her answers to the long stream of questions running through her barely functioning mind.
The sound of a door handle turning sent her skittering back into the shadows. She clung to a tall column in the middle of the room and tried not to make a sound. She wished she had thought to cover the death box, but knew there was nothing she could do about it now. Hushed whispers reached her ears as the door opened and closed. Unable to resist, she eased her head around the column to see who had entered the room.
Zasha stepped into the faint light of a wall sconce. Her hair was covered by a red scarf. She wore a simple red dress and carried purple flowers.
Behind her walked a male that Kyr didn’t recognize until he stepped into the light: LeoVawn. The pair walked all the way into the center of the room, stopping short when their eyes adjusted enough for them to see that the death box was now open and unoccupied. The container of flowers dropped from Zasha’s hands with a jarring thud.
Kyr couldn’t stop herself from stepping out of the shadows. She had to get some answers, and the only thoughts she received from the male and female in the room were shock and confusion. Those emotions heightened when Leo and Zasha saw her and recognized her. Their eyes went wide. Their complexions turned the color of wax.
And one single thought got through: But she’s dead.
Their reactions told Kyr why she had been in the death box. “Zasha,” she said, finding her voice at last. “Where’s Ty?”
The Wrym female stood rooted in place as Kyr approached her and took her by the upper arms. Leo watched with a slack jaw, but made no move to intervene.
Kyr tried again. “Please, Zasha. Please tell me where Ty is. Where is Dem-Shyr TaeDane?”
“Ma’jah,” Leo said in a hoarse voice. “This cannot be.”
Frustration made Kyr want to shout, but she knew anyone could be outside the doors and listening. Drawing on her abilities, she centered herself and sent calming thoughts to Zasha and Leo. She needed their help.
“I’m fine, Leo. You can see that. Please tell me where I can find the Dem-Shyr.”
Leo swallowed audibly before he replied, “I’m sorry to say that he’s been banished to the Dark Lands, Ma’jah.”
Kyr sifted through her still-muddy memories of her home planet. “The Dark Lands?” she repeated. “But I thought only murderers are sent there. It’s the punishment of eternal exile.”
“Yes, Ma’jah,” Leo whispered.
Emotion rose within Kyr. Disbelief. Horror. Anguish. Her gaze moved between Leo and Zasha, reading only truth in their thoughts and expressions.
“But…who did he kill?” she asked at last.
“You, Ma’jah,” Zasha answered with tears in her eyes. “He killed you.”
Memories returned to Kyr in harsh flashes. Being discovered in her bed with Ty. Him lying to the Guardians to try and protect her. Her lying to Vycor to try and protect him. Him being led into the judgment chamber. Her shoving Vycor to the side so she could be the one to enter the chamber.
Ty’s eyes, filled with tears and anguish as he watched her die at his own hands.
In that moment, Kyr hated Vycor with more passion than any bei
ng had ever hated another.
Instinct had her throwing up mental blocks around Zasha and Leo. There was no telling how much they had inadvertently shared with anyone who might be tuning into their thoughts. Leo, at least, should be protected through her previous efforts, but Zasha had no such shielding. Kyr’s focus was now on self-preservation while she figured out what the hell was going on.
Apparently, she had risen from the dead. That was a huge revelation that she couldn’t afford to dwell on right then. All she knew was that it was in her best interests to stay dead.
You saw a shadow, she thought to both of them. Only a shadow. Everything is fine. You’re leaving flowers because you’re grieving.
Oh, thank Yen-Ki, Zasha thought. It was only a shadow.
The light is playing tricks with my eyes, Leo thought at the same time.
Pleased with her progress, Kyr conveyed, Tell me everything you know about what happened to Ty. When was he sent to the Dark Lands?
Leo and Zasha stood without moving, holding her gaze. TaeDane was transported to the Dark Lands three days ago, after he killed you, Ma’jah.
Their response was odd…different from anything she’d experienced before. It took her a moment to determine that they weren’t consciously feeding her information. She was in their minds.
Ty’s warnings about mind manipulation occurred to her, but this was more important. Ty had been forced to kill her. Not even the Great Yen-Ki would stand between her and the answers she needed to find him.
Ignoring the warning, she dove back in. Was he…punished?
He was banished to the Dark Lands.
Yes, you’ve said that. But were any other punishments imposed?
No. His abilities had already been taken from him by the Guardians, so they didn’t have to be repressed like an Outcast’s typically would. Advisor Vycor wanted the murderer removed from the palace with all haste.
Relief had Kyr’s shoulders slumping. As bad as things were, at least Ty hadn’t had to endure the sterilization or marking. She would hope that whatever he encountered in the Dark Lands proved a little easier to bear.