by Cara Lake
“Borealis is awaiting an informant. She’s going to give us a way into the palace. Ziad and I were checking access routes and were just about to return when we saw you.”
“Take me to Borealis,” said Cassi urgently. “I know where both the pendants are.”
Tani and Ziad led Cassi through the tangle of streets to a house near the center of the city, not far from the square that Cassi had been directed to by Morana. Borealis and Merak were relieved to see her, Merak’s expression grave as his gray eyes scanned her for injuries. “Cassiopeia. I don’t need to say it, do I?”
Cassi tried to look contrite. “Nah. I just couldn’t help myself, Merak—I had to try.” He sighed shaking his head and gave her a big hug. “It’s good to have you back in one piece. Now give us details of what you know.”
She proceeded to tell Merak all she knew about the palace and Irina’s whereabouts. The news that Tyr was not a traitor pleased Borealis, but the fact that he had been stabbed and was possibly dead was a grave concern. They knew the Discordants could best use him if he was alive so Borealis was also inclined to believe he was being healed somewhere in the palace.
“I need to get to Abrasax and get the pendants,” continued Cassi. “They’re our insurance for Irina’s safety.”
“Fine, but Tani should go with you as backup,” ordered Merak.
Tani looked pleased. “Oh yeah!” She grinned, her eyes sparkling in anticipation. “I’d love to face off with that bastard. C’mon, Cassi, let’s go get him!”
Merak held Cassi back as she was about to leave. “The rendezvous point is the Rasal Portal outside the west gate. We should have the power to hold that starportal open until sunrise.”
“We won’t be late,” Cassi promised giving his arm a squeeze. “Stay safe—see you on Lyra.”
The two women disappeared into the night.
Chapter Thirty-One
Tyr was finally led into the great hall by Rusalka and her two shedu guards. Rusalka had enjoyed tormenting him all the way there, forcing him to stumble and crawl to keep up with her pace. “It’s a pity Choronzon wants you in one piece,” she spat at him as they arrived. “I would have so enjoyed carving you up a little. What I will enjoy though, is the look on your face when that little slut dies.”
Tyr’s blood ran cold. Time was running out. He knew that some kind of ritual involving his and Irina’s essences was necessary for the Discordants to gain control over The Balance and that they would kill Irina to get hers. He would never let that happen. He’d die first! If they hurt her… That thought squeezed itself around his heart and crushed the breath from his lungs. He blinked as Rusalka shoved him into the brightness of the great hall, his eyes slow to recover from the darkness of the winding corridors that had led them there.
The hall was an enormous oval space. White-marble columns rising almost eighty feet high to support a huge domed ceiling covered with paintings of what Tyr imagined were Discordant victories in battle against Eunomi warriors. In front of the columns were tiered rows of seating, currently occupied by a multitude of shedu, Ophiuchans and other lifeforms that Tyr didn’t recognize. The arrangement gave the space the atmosphere of an amphitheatre. Tyr’s gladiatorial instincts immediately sprang to the fore.
At the far end of the hall on a raised dais sat a group of figures who appeared to be the authority, the crowd falling silent when a tall man in with long blond hair and satyr-like features raised his hand. “Thank you, Phenex,” remarked the brown-haired man standing next to him.
Tyr surveyed the man critically. It was obvious that he was the one in charge. He was tall, sharply dressed and held himself with authority, his presence radiating a dark power that Tyr had never felt before. He had thought Abrasax evil but this man made his skin crawl like nothing he had ever felt before.
Rusalka led Tyr forward until he was twenty feet away from the man. “My Lord Choronzon,” she announced obsequiously, “here is War, yours to command.”
“Rusalka my sweet,” the man purred smoothly, “a pleasure as always.” He looked Tyr over, his eyes alighting on the bruise on Tyr’s cheek and his split lip. “But did I not say that I wanted him undamaged?” His eyebrows lifted as he turned to Rusalka who was now wide-eyed with fear.
“Oh Lord of the Abyss! I am sorry. He stumbled and fell as we—”
Choronzon waved a hand. “I want no excuses.” He walked menacingly toward Rusalka who was visibly trembling. “Someone was obviously careless. I don’t do careless.”
As quickly as that Choronzon seemed to expand, his body growing huge as he took on his true form, which Tyr was unsurprised to see was even more hideous than Abrasax’s. An arm slashed out to cut down the figure of the shedu guard standing to Tyr’s left. The guard crumpled in an instant, his body dissolving, leaving nothing but gray ashes, a stain at Tyr’s feet. Rusalka, flinching with obvious relief at her lucky escape, went down on one knee, head bowed.
Choronzon, now returned to Earthani form, scraped a long nail down her cheek, grabbing her chin to tilt her face upward. “I still have a use for you, Rusalka my dear, but you would do well to remember who is in charge. Don’t overstep the mark again. If I want you to damage the goods for me I will tell you. Otherwise…” He bent his face close to hers and licked her ear giving it a sharp nip as he did so. “Keep. Your. Hands. Off.” He stood back. “Are we clear?” he said, his smile filled with malevolence.
Rusalka bowed her head again. “Yes, oh Lord of the Abyss.” She nodded fervently.
“Good. Now undo his chains and get out of my sight before I change my mind.”
She followed his instructions, fumbling over Tyr’s knotted wrists, freeing his bonds. Tyr flexed his hands and nearly laughed out loud as Rusalka scooted out of the hall at the speed of light. He could almost have liked Choronzon for that if he hadn’t then felt the tingle of electricity that he now knew instinctively was Irina. Turning his head, he registered her slight frame among the group on the dais.
His blood heated, surging through his veins, a lava rush of fury that almost caused his heart to seize as he took in her circumstances. She was kneeling, arms bound behind her back, blindfold over her eyes. Her neck encircled by a leather collar, the leash held by a shedu guard.
But that was not the worst of it. They had humiliated her further by gagging her mouth and leaving her half-naked, breasts exposed, chocolate curls hanging loose barely covering her chest. She looked so fragile and vulnerable that his heart shattered with the weight of her pain. Tyr could feel the threads of her shame weaving toward him, searching for a lifeline.
The strategic, logical, calculating brain that usually kept so cool under pressure lost all focus as Tyr exploded in fury. So intense was his anger, that he was only feet away from her before being dragged to the ground by four large shedu guards. “Cover her up, you bastard!” Tyr raged as he continued to kick and struggle, inflicting injury even in his restrained state.
“Let him up!” ordered Choronzon, a curious glint in his eye as the shedu immediately let Tyr go. The moment he was free, Tyr lunged for Irina gathering her into his arms, a protective embrace, her sobs vibrating against his chest. “I’m here, baby!” he murmured, his lips against her hair. “What did they do to you?” He managed to pull the gag off her mouth and undid the blindfold. The relief in her amber eyes as they gazed into his was a lance straight through his heart. He should have been there to protect her.
“I thought you were dead.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “Don’t leave me again.”
“Never,” he swore, her beautiful face calming the storm of his anger like nothing else could.
“Well this all very touching,” broke in Choronzon, “but not what we’re here for.”
“Let her go, Choronzon. You don’t need her; you have me. I’ll cooperate with you if you let her go.”
“Tyr,” Irina whispered into his chest, “you said you wouldn’t leave me.” He gazed down at her again.
“I’ll always be with you,” he sa
id in an effort to reassure her. “Whatever happens I’ll be with you, remember that.”
Tyr had unbound her wrists as he spoke and she raised her hand to his cheek, her touch a soothing balm to the heated fury inside. “I can’t live without you,” she said, understanding what he meant to do. “I won’t.”
“Irina…” She put a finger to his lips.
“Enough already!” Choronzon sighed rolling his eyes skyward. “I’d say get a room, but there really isn’t time for that. We need your essences to control The Balance and having them both will ensure our dominance. Chaos will reign! So tell me, mighty War, why should I let her go?”
“Because I will kill her and then myself, which means you won’t have either of us.” Tyr stood his ground, going for the bluff. He felt Irina’s hand tighten around his waist as she tugged him closer. “I don’t think you want to wait another eight hundred years for the chance to be in control of War again.” He saw Choronzon’s frown of disbelief. “I will do it. I have nothing to lose. At least if you let her go you will have me. I’ll cooperate with you as long as she is safe.”
“Hmmmm.” Choronzon rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Well perhaps we can come to some arrangement.” His eyes gleamed with excitement. “As Abrasax has not yet returned with the pendants we need for the ceremony, I will give you a chance to save her.” Choronzon snapped his fingers at one of the women. “Give her your robe.” The female unclothed herself and gave Irina her loose blue dress, leaving herself semi-naked.
Once Irina had covered up, Choronzon took her by the hand to pull her away from Tyr who stood fast, fighting the urge to grab her back. Choronzon stroked his fingers down her arm. All Tyr could do was watch silently, the magnetic threads that bound them cleaving to each other to ensure their connection remained.
“I believe we have the opportunity for some entertainment,” Choronzon said as he walked toward his seat on the dais, taking Irina with him. “I hear you are a champion fighter on your home planet. I wonder if you can beat my champion.”
“Bring him on.” Tyr stood strong, determined to rise to the challenge. “If I win, you let Irina go.” Choronzon laughed.
“So confident.” He was sitting now, Irina at his feet, his fingers running through the strands of her dark hair. Tyr could feel Irina’s revulsion as she shuddered with every stroke of his hand, the vibrations pulsing through their link.
“Entertain us then, War,” he said. “If you win, you will be bound to me for eternity, but I will let her go. If you lose, you will still be bound to me, but she will die.”
Tyr’s heart froze at Choronzon’s ultimatum. He had to win. Fear surfaced but instantly met warmth that surged through the tendrils encircling his heart. A message of love from Irina. You won’t fail. I trust you. His heart soared carried by her faith. He loved her so much, he would not fail. Could not fail. Tyr stood unblinking. “I accept,” he said.
The surrounding crowd, silent before Choronzon, now dared to voice their opinion erupting in a heated fervor of bloodlust. They loved a good fight. Choronzon waved a hand to silence the crowd again. “Excellent. Go—equip yourself and prepare to meet my champion.”
Tyr followed two large shedu from the hall accompanied by a number of Choronzon’s entourage.
Irina watched him go as Choronzon continued to stroke her hair. Bending down he whispered in her ear. “Whatever happens my dear, I will have you before you leave here. Whether that’s alive or dead depends on your lover. Do you think he’s up to the challenge?”
“I think,” she said steadily, though her body trembled at his touch. “I think the war is already won, Choronzon. You just don’t know it yet.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Cassi and Tani reached the square famous for its whorehouses. You could buy and sell anything on Ophiuchus and female flesh was one of the major commodities. “Which one is it?” asked Tani. “There are at least a dozen brothels on this side of the square alone.”
“I was told to go to the Gilded Lily,” said Cassi. “I hope she wasn’t lying.”
“There it is.” Tani pointed to a sign with a large golden lily painted on a red background. Music was blaring from inside. “You hope who wasn’t lying?”
“An Ophiuchan class-A bitch called Morana.”
“Why did she help you? Does she have a grudge against Abrasax?”
“I got the impression she’d sell her own mother,” said Cassi, eyes scanning the building for a way in. “She would probably sell her whole family for the right price.”
“Oh. So what did you give her?”
“That’s the weird thing. She asked me about Ziad, whether he had a female or not.”
Tani gaped. “Ziad?”
“Yeah. I should have mentioned it to him but I forgot. You don’t think she might try to kidnap him or something, do you? Use him as a sex slave.” Cassi and Tani were both laughing now at the thought of Ziad enthralled to a woman. “Not Ziad. He’s a beautiful guy, but he’s too wrapped up in his work to bother with females. She probably needs his healing abilities for something.”
“I’m sure he’d be happy to help. Ziad’s the most generous male I know,” Cassi said. “But back to business.” She paused. “There’s a window open up there.” She pointed to an opening on the third floor. “Think you can make it?”
“No problem,” Tani answered with relish. “Hoist me up and I’ll go. You stay here.”
Cassi gave her a leg up so that Tani could grab the lowest ledge. She climbed like a cat and was soon hanging on to the window, peeking through to see if it was safe to enter. Disappearing through the gap, she emerged from a side door ten minutes later, dressed in a sheer robe, the garb of an Ophiuchan slavewhore, carrying a bundle of similar material. “Put these on,” she said giggling, throwing the bundle to Cassi. “This is going to be fun!”
Cassi eyed the robe with distaste. “What is this thing?”
“It’s a ticket to looove!” cooed Tani. “Abrasax won’t know what’s hit him. He’s in there. I saw him drinking in a booth. Apparently he has just sold some girls to the proprietor here and as yet he’s unaccompanied, so I think it’s up to us to show him a good time. There were some very interesting rooms upstairs with lots of toys we can play with.”
Cassi could imagine exactly what was in those rooms, knowing full well the kind of clientele this establishment probably catered to. She finished dressing and looked down at herself feeling practically naked.
“Looks good on you!” said Tani appreciatively. “You should dress like a girl more often.”
“I do dress like a girl!” Cassi was indignant.
“An uptight girl, maybe, but you don’t really act like one. Think you can pull off being seductive?”
“I guess. How hard can it be if you can do it?”
Tani laughed. “Come on, we’ve got a job to do!”
“Abrasax might recognize me.” Cassi bit her lip while remembering that fact. Tani thought carefully for a second.
“It’s okay,” she said, “lots of the girls are veiled and if you wear your hair down I think you’ll be all right. It’s quite dark in there.”
When they entered the brothel, it took a moment for Cassi’s eyes to penetrate the veil of darkness. The place was heaving. Plenty of action was going on in full view of the rest of the clientele, not everyone bothering to use the discreet rooms on the upper floors. Cassi had been to many similar establishments during her long existence and should have become immune to the sights and sounds of the debauchery around her, but she still felt the familiar stab of pity for those whores enslaved, with no choice but to give their bodies to whoever was paying.
It was their masters who saw the coin, not the girls. Their lives were spent trying to buy themselves out of the debts they would never be able to repay. She brushed her sympathy aside to focus on the mission, wrapping the veil across her face, searching for Abrasax.
Tani spotted him and nudged Cassi in his direction. Cassi watched in awe as Tani switched in
to character, swinging her hips with a sexy confidence Cassi could never hope to imitate. Tani was such a good actress! Then again, she was the Esseni of Love, so perhaps she had some innate ability to radiate sexuality the way she did. Cassi followed, feeling awkward, doing her best to copy Tani’s moves.
As Tani slid into the booth beside Abrasax, his eyes gleamed yellow in the darkness and he slid an arm around her in greeting. “Well hello, little lady,” he said. “Did Phenex send you? He promised he would send me a present and now he’s sent me two.” His words were slurred. Abrasax had obviously been drinking and that was good news for them. In his drunken state he didn’t appear to recognize Cassi, his attention drawn to Tani who was encouraging him to focus on her by rubbing her hands along his cheek and batting her eyelashes suggestively.
“We could go to a more private place.” Tani pouted and Cassi could only admire her attitude. She herself had no patience for someone like Abrasax and if it were down to her she would have gone straight for the jugular, but that wasn’t possible in the circumstances and it was just as well Tani was here because the thought of even touching Abrasax made her want to vomit.
Abrasax leered down at Tani lasciviously, his fingers stroking her arm and squeezing her leg.
“I’d love to see your private place,” he drawled, brushing his hands close to the area between her thighs.
“I have the most beautiful private place,” purred Tani, not batting an eyelid at his blatant innuendo. Her attitude reminded Cassi so much of Rusalka that she had to stifle a laugh. Men were such easy prey! Bat your eyelids and show them some cleavage and their brains jumped straight to their dicks.
Tani stood and led Abrasax, with Cassi following, through the throng and up the stairs to a corridor with a number of doors. Tani walked to an open one and gestured Abrasax inside. He pulled Tani in after him and she giggled dizzily pushing him over, using his body to break her fall. As she rose laughing and dragging Abrasax back up, Tani caught Cassi’s attention with a hand held behind her back. Tight in her grasp were the two pendants, which Cassi immediately grabbed and hid, joining in their laughter as she helped guide Abrasax to the bed. Mission accomplished! But not over. Tani’s expression clearly indicating that Abrasax was deserving of more personal attention. “Follow my lead,” she whispered to Cassi as Abrasax made himself comfortable on the bed. “We need him incapacitated, plus a little humiliation wouldn’t go astray.”