by K. E. Young
"Sano, I think this is the work of Dagresh's associates. They're the only ones so far who have shown the requisite callousness."
Sano paused and sighed tiredly. "That had occurred to me. However, I don't see that it changes our actions to any degree. Whoever it is, we still need to find them and stop them from trying again. It doesn't matter why they did it. If they tried once, they'll try again. You need to figure out how and make sure that attempt fails too." With that, he turned and went back to his search.
Kaio stood staring thoughtfully into the distance as I dug into my meal. It was better than usual, I had to admit. Not that the food in the palace was bad, in fact, it was excellent but tended towards items you might see on a buffet table. This meal resembled what I would have expected from a nice restaurant in my old world, individual items cooked to order.
I was finishing my meal when Kaio roused from his contemplation. "I can't help but think the best way to keep you safe is to take you to Drakken. Perhaps we should consider packing your things and going in the morning."
I felt my stubbornness and that unaccustomed anger rise. "No! You can't give in to a bully, Kaio. If you do, he'll always own you. Stop playing by their rules. Make them play by yours. So far, it sounds as if these guys are using the same rules as the rest of Therys, just more extreme. The dragonlords came in to prevent civil war. I think these guys are one of the factions in that war. They don't accept you interfering with them taking the whole thing. This is their plan to get rid of you, and take over Therys. Therefore, the valbore serves a purpose. What else would they need to do or have to gain their aim? What factions were in contention when you arrived here? If we figure out who they were then maybe we can figure out who they are now."
A new voice came from the doorway. "I see I should have found the time to talk to you more often. I must change that."
"Dragos! I didn't expect to see you here until after dinner." Kaio's grin was welcoming.
Dragos didn't share Kaio's smile. "A courier arrived from Drakken. Notes for you from your mother, father, and the Emperor were included. We can expect the first guards to arrive in about an hour. Urash has dispatched his fastest Imperial Guardsmen on loan to help until a proper guard contingent is in place."
Kaio took the scrolls Dragos held out to him, his bearing was grimmer than his tone indicated. "That's wonderful news! Did Sano give you the latest tale in the saga?"
Dragos vented an exasperated sigh. "He did. I met him in the hall on my way here. Now, I have a few minutes available. Why don't you read those while I teach your lady Atlani?" His smile for me reminded me strongly of my father's for a moment even if he was a mere year or two older than I was.
He seated himself on the bed next to me and took my hand. "Atlani is a complex language and is the root of Direni, Akkadi, and Drakkeni. Since you're marrying Kaio, I'll give you Drakkeni as well while I'm at it. It will make it harder for you than when I gave you Trade due to the complexity of the language and the fact you're getting two languages at once. Is that all right with you?"
"Yes, sir." It would mean a nasty headache, but it was worth it.
Dragos flashed that fatherly smile again. "Are you comfortable? Good. Now, relax and close your eyes. Focus on the light within…"
Kaio: 32nd of Hunting, 3837
With his lady in the capable hands of his best friend, Kaio turned his attention to the notes Dragos had handed him.
He opened his mother's first. Predictably, she expressed happiness about the coming mating and told him she would come even if she had to hire a courier to carry her. She also hoped he paid no attention to his father's ravings, something that didn't bode well for his father's message. She already knew who should be his lady's maid.
The message from his father was unpleasant. In bald terms, he stated that under no circumstances would he allow Kaio to mate with Sara. As an earth mage, she had to become the Empress. If Kaio chose Sara as his mate, Ren would have no choice except to consider him a traitor to Drakken and expel him. Kaio would be clanless, a fate usually reserved for criminals.
Kaio was grim when he opened Urash's note. He at least trusted that Kaio had reasons. "I know you're loyal to Drakken and would do nothing to betray it or your people. Furthermore, you wouldn't take a mate mere days after telling your father you refuse to do so without good cause. I will arrive in a day or two. I hope to hear the whole tale from you then. We'll see what happens." The message was clear. You better have good reasons for what you're doing or suffer the consequences.
Sara's moan of pain pulled him from his dark thoughts. Dragos was smoothing healing magic over her forehead and temples to dull the pain. "Rest."
"That didn't take long." Kaio handed Dragos the letters from his father and the Emperor.
"Yes. I noticed that when I gave her Trade too. I told you then she was smarter than she let on." He opened the one from Urash first.
"You were right. We discussed magical theory this morning. She understands it far better than I would have expected from the books she had available. She has some very interesting things to say. I'd like to see what she makes of the Mage-Kings' texts. I have the odd feeling they won't be as cryptic to her as they are to us. Her ideas have much the same… feel." It didn't explain adequately but seemed to be the best he could do.
Dragos was frowning when he looked up. "Which explains why you insisted she get Atlani as soon as possible?"
"Partly. When I was telling her about valbore, she had questions about how the Mage-Kings contained them. She asked if the prisons incorporated the same trapping method that prompted the valbore to figure out how to use people as steeds. She asked if a valbore could escape its prison by riding someone. Only the vault-library might have that information."
Dragos looked thoughtful. "It's a good question. One we should have anticipated given how long we've been fighting them. Your Lady has a talent for pointing out what is less than obvious. Maybe she will find something we have missed." He nodded briskly. "Get her started first thing tomorrow. I'll bring the vault key by after dinner." His grin flashed. "You're now the new vault keeper."
His expression turned grim again. "Kaio, about Sara… We should do the bonding before the Imperial Guard arrives. We'll argue it happened before you received those letters. It's not too much of a stretch given your feelings and the oaths you've already given her. The bulk of the burden will fall on you, but I doubt your dragon will balk too much at the lie given the cost of not telling it. I'll go grab Sano now. Get her ready, we have little time."
Kaio nodded and went to gather the gown he had set aside for her earlier. "Sara, we have a problem."
"Hmm?" Sara peered up at me from under the arm she had slung across her eyes to block out the light.
"You heard a contingent of the Imperial Guard is arriving in an hour? As a result, we must build the bond before they arrive." Kaio handed her the notes as an explanation.
She sat upright and read his father's first. The snarl twisting her features as she read it surprised him. Her reaction to the Emperor's note was more restrained but no less angry. "They seem to have the impression I will become the Emperor's mate if you stay out of the way. My answer is no! I've been someone's prisoner and sex toy. I'm not doing it again! Absolutely not! I can't do that again, Kaio!" Suddenly, she burst into tears and Kaio hurriedly gathered her into his arms as she whispered. "I can't. Not again."
He rocked her as her lungs heaved. "Hush, my love. I won't let it happen. I promised I wouldn't. Remember? Now let's get you dressed and cleaned up. Dragos and Sano will be back soon. We have little time to waste."
He pulled her up and into the bathroom. Minutes later, she was dressed and most of the tears washed away although they continued to slip down her cheeks. She had a tendency to clutch at him and he allowed it. The hysteria he had been expecting all along close to the surface and ready to break free.
To distract her, he handed her the box with his mating bracelet as he brushed out her hair, trying not to
look at her stricken expression in the mirror. "Normally I would have given you a promise bracelet when you agreed to marry me, but I didn't bring one because I wasn't expecting to marry, I keep my mating bracelet here so my father can't marry me to someone by proxy without telling me. You deserve a promise bracelet. I'm sorry I don't have one to give you." The distraction seemed to do the trick and she calmed enough to stop her tears. She still clung to him as he walked her out to the main room.
"Kaio, what's wrong? Why has she been crying?" Sano's concern was palpable.
Kaio pulled her into his arms as she began weeping again and explained. "I had to tell her the reason for the change in plans. She was angry when she read my fathers and Urash's notes, then she… broke. To be honest, I've been expecting it. She took her experiences with Fanul and Dagresh too well. I knew it had to hit sometime. It's not surprising that my father's assumptions were a step too far. She said she couldn't be someone's prisoner and sex slave again."
Dragos nodded heavily, his expression troubled. "Your concern about her reaction to Urash's admittedly predictable actions seems to be well-founded. I will testify to it. Seeing her now, I have to agree." He laid a hand on her shoulder. "Sara. You are my ward. That makes you part of my family, my daughter in a way, even though you aren't much younger than I am. Until I find a mate of my own and have children to continue my line, I choose you as my heir. It gives you standing in Drakken's Imperial house and gives me the right to speak on your behalf. I will fight to the death to support your right to mate with the man of your choice. Is Kaio the one you want?"
The question seemed to steady her. She stared at Dragos for a long moment before pulling back to look up at Kaio. Her face was unreadable as he waited for her answer, half terrified she would change her mind and say no. A small tremulous smile came and ended his impending misery. "Yes. I choose Kaio and no other."
"We should get you two bonded then, shouldn't we? Kaio, perhaps we should get the blood from a cut on the inside of the mouth and exchange with a kiss as in the old traditions. It will help us disguise how long you've been bonded if there are no fresh cuts on your hands."
Kaio nodded and pulled the knife from his belt since it was razor sharp and would cause Sara little pain. "It's simple, Sara. I make a small cut on the inside of your cheek and one on the inside of mine. Then we kiss to exchange blood and I'll raise the magic to complete the bond."
"I remember that part. The difference is how we exchange the blood." She sounded a little breathless and her body shook visibly, but her eyes were steady.
"Ready?" She nodded and opened her mouth for the knife. Kaio made the tiny cut and then did his own. He paused a moment as his nerves got the better of him before his dragon's growl at the delay forced him to move. He leaned down and kissed her. It was the first time he had ever kissed anyone but kin and his heart raced with joy. His lips were still on hers when his dragon raised the magic and he felt the bond snap into place.
He could feel her wonder at his joy and his dragon's devotion. For a few minutes, they simply existed within the bond as they explored each other's feelings. He felt her trust in him grow as she realized he loved her and gratitude when he found that she bore a measure of affection for him too. It wasn't love, but it would be in time. She depended on him and he would not fail her.
They roused from their trance to see Dragos and Sano grinning like fools, clearly happy for them. "It's done and done well. It is a bond that your challengers can neither mistake nor deny. So, shall we say you two did the deed yesterday?"
"Or we could say this morning. After we found out about the valbore?"
Dragos shook his head decisively. "No. After you retrieved her, you made an oath to protect her from anyone ever harming her again. It is clear-cut and hard to argue against given what has happened. You knew the Emperor would want her for himself as soon as you found out she was an earth mage, but it wasn't until she came to trust you with her story you realized in order to keep your oath to protect her, you had to protect her from the Emperor too. Everything follows because of that oath and despite your father's opinions, you're known as an honorable man who doesn't take his oaths lightly. It's best to say it you bonded soon after she trusted you enough to tell her story."
Sara's eyes were wide in surprise and Kaio smiled wryly. "Yes, my sweet, we can tell lies, but only with the approval of our dragons and they rarely give it. Only when telling the truth would cause greater harm than the lie and there's no chance of the lie causing permanent damage."
"So you're lying about why you bonded with me?" He could feel her hurt.
"No! We'll tell the Imperial Guard we bonded yesterday. Someone might charge Dragos and me of treason if they learned that you and I bonded between the courier's arrival with the Emperor's note and the arrival of the Imperial Guard. They would argue that we did it to sabotage Urash or as a first move in overthrowing him. Most don't know that I've already taken steps to ensure I never take the throne.
"That's part of why Dragos and I are here, to keep out of Urash's way while he secures his place and now his throne. The old Emperor was sick for a long time. Urash was Emperor in all but name for two years before the crown passed to him, but he's still young, a teenager. There are those who think he's not mature enough."
Sano snorted. "It doesn't help that the people are fond of Kaio while they're a little ambivalent of Urash. He's a good man and devoted to the empire, but he's not good at inspiring loyalty. He's too cold and analytical. Aloof. He always was, even as a child. I've known him all his life and I have seen few signs of empathy."
Sara had settled at the explanation and sagged against him. "Are you all right Sara?"
"I'm tired. The language lessons took more out of me than I thought."
"Our friends should be here soon. I'll leave you for now." Sano kissed Sara's hand before he left.
Dragos dropped a kiss on Sara's cheek. "Rest well, little one. I will see you later."
Once they left, Kaio helped her change into a fresh nightgown and tucked her into bed. "Kaio?"
"Yes My One?"
"Maybe you should pack up the cot. You're too tall to rest well on it. There's plenty of room on the bed."
He thought about her words for a moment. Trust. "All right. Get some rest. I'll have the cot moved to the vault in the morning for your use while you're there. I'll get you something to eat in a couple of hours." He waited until she settled then picked up the cot and carried it to the outer room. Calum was just coming on duty so Kaio briefed him about the expected Imperial Guards and the changes in Sara's meal handling.
Kaio thought about what Sara said earlier before Dragos had come in. Her theory that a faction the dragonlords had deposed was causing their problems made sense. When Sara was safely under the Imperial Guard's protection, he would have to go through his files. There was a lot of information on the factions in his office where he couldn't get to it now. Since there wasn't anything he could do until the guard arrived, he sat down with Ariset.
10: Allies
Kaio: 32nd of Hunting, 3837
Dragos arrived with the guard captain and his men almost two hours later. Kaio motioned them to be quieter. "Sara is asleep for the moment." The captain was a broad man with straight black hair pulled back in a tight braid and black eyes. He moved with economy and precision and Kaio got the impression he was a formidable fighter.
"Kaio, this is Captain Blas of the Imperial Guard. I have already briefed him and his men on the valbore. They are aware of the seriousness of the situation. I thought it would be best if you were the one to tell them about Sara herself and Fanul. I do not feel I have the right."
Kaio gave a wry smile. "She's your heir, and you know the story well enough."
Dragos' eyes skated over the group of guardsmen. "Perhaps so, but you are the one she trusted to tell and the one she gave permission to tell others. Besides, you are her bondmate. If Sara can't or won't tell them herself, then it's up to you."
Politics. Kaio
hated politics. Dragos had just notified them Sara's welfare was in Kaio's hands and he was the one they would have to answer to. The captain's frown showed he at least knew the Emperor had set his sights on her. Kaio needed to give him the full details. The Emperor would not have sent a captain he didn't trust completely. The next few minutes would determine if Blas was an ally or an enemy.
Kaio gave them a sparse synopsis of Sara's history in her own world, how the Goddess had brought her to Therys, and her time in the palace. He skipped her experiences with Fanul save for how Dagresh kidnapped her, a list of her injuries, and Dagresh's feeding of the valbore. The Captain's eyes had widened as Kaio's recitation continued. He raised his hand to interrupt.
Kaio saw the Captain had questions, but he wanted to get everything out first so he ignored the captain's attempts to interrupt. He could feel Sara becoming restive through the bond and that, combined with his irritation at the politics, made him want to get through this as quickly as possible.
The Captain and his men needed to know what they were guarding against but not all the ugly details of Sara's torture. As a result, he gave them all of the information he had on Dagresh's bid to retrieve Sara, how it affected their trust in the marines guarding her, the discovery of the secret passages, and finally, the poisoning attempt.
Kaio included Sara's theory on why her captors were summoning the valbore as an afterthought. The expression in Dragos' eyes told Kaio the theory worried his friend. The Captain didn't look too happy about it either.
Kaio let them digest the information a moment before catching the captain's eyes and motioned him to follow him out to the balcony. Once there he gave the captain the full details of Sara's life before the Goddess took mercy on her.