“Damn, the emperor needs to see this. I can’t believe the original ancestor would expose us like this. Granted, it was hidden in a wall, but it still got loose. I’m ecstatic that Skylar found it.”
Maxim nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I’m relieved she had the ability to engage with my ancestor. Well, I think it’s mine. Whoever it is, I owe them a debt of gratitude for bringing Skylar to me.” He smiled when Skylar gave him a quick wink.
Kallon glanced down to her purse. “If you don’t mind, Skylar, I’d like to study the jewel further. I’m sure the emperor will want to see it first, so are you ready to meet him?”
Skylar shrugged. “Sure, I have no problem with letting someone else be responsible for it now. I’m clueless as to what to do with it now that we’re finally here. Hopefully he’ll recognize what it is and put it where it belongs.” She pulled it out of the purse and enthusiastically shoved it into his hands.
Kallon immediately extended it back out, his eyes wide. “Nope, this thing bites. You’ve been handling it just fine. You should get the pleasure of turning it over to the empire.”
Maxim laughed. “You’re right, Kallon. Skylar should do the honors of presenting it to the emperor. She worked hard to get it here. She never stopped, even when her life was in jeopardy.” He reached over and took the jewel from Kallon’s hands, chuckling at the doctor’s instantly relieved face.
As soon as Skylar grasped the edge of the rock to return it to her purse, his belly cramped. Gaze flying up to hers, he found her eyes locked to his, features pinched, and the skin around her mouth turning white. She was in pain. The ground felt as if it was moving beneath his boots, and he realized Skylar’s hands had latched onto his biceps, her fingers digging into his flesh. Her voice was shaky.
“Maxim?”
When his vision began to gray, he fought to find his voice.
“What the fuck!”
* * * *
Kallon couldn’t get his mind to comprehend what he’d just seen. He stood there, just blinking and staring at the tent. Not until he felt a light touch to his shoulder did he snap out of his stupor. Ulixes’s voice was wary.
“Did they mist?”
“If they did, that was the strangest version I’ve ever seen. If I didn’t know better, I’d think the vortex pulled them back inside, but the flap never moved.” He turned and looked into Ulixes’s concerned eyes. “What did you see?”
Ulixes glanced back to the spot where Maxim and Skylar had stood just moments ago. He shook his head and furrowed his brows.
“It was as if a slice of the atmosphere opened and sucked them upward. It happened so fast, but I did see an area above their heads appear to bend right before it happened. That sounds completely insane, but that’s the only way I can describe it. They’d both been complaining that their stomach felt as if it were in knots. Perhaps that was a symptom to what was about to happen?”
Kallon pulled Ulixes away from the tent. “Let’s call for a transport. I don’t want to get caught up in whatever that might have been. My stomach’s fine, but you never know. Are you feeling okay?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll call Eryx.” He was comforted by Ulixes’s strong hand caressing his back as he opened his mind to the emperor’s legati.
Eryx, are you there?
Ah! Kallon, I’m glad you arrived. Are you needing transport?
Yes, and quickly. I need to meet with the emperor. It’s extremely urgent. Kallon heard the immediate shift in Eryx’s tone.
I’m on my way. Do I need to bring the elite guard?
No, but you might want to have them available at the palace.
Understood.
As soon as Eryx withdrew, Kallon grabbed Ulixes’s hand and pulled him toward the city. “Sorry, I’m not taking any chances of you getting snatched up. I’d lose my gods damn mind.”
Ulixes chuckled and squeezed his hand. “You want to warn the guards in the tent?”
“Ah, shit, you’re right.” He was glad he’d recognized the two sentries so he could connect. The last thing he wanted to do was to go anywhere near the tent again. Upon his warning, the guards peeked around the side of the flap, gave him a quick nod, and then immediately sealed it shut. Ulixes gently touched his forearm.
“When we first arrived, I heard Maxim say he was able to hear Skylar’s thoughts for a brief moment. Do you want to attempt contact with him? Perhaps we’ll get lucky. If not, at least we tried.”
Kallon stopped walking and turned to his mate. He reached up and caressed his cheek, pausing long enough to run his thumb across his beautifully sculpted lips.
“Now I know why you’re my other half. You’re calm when I’m losing my shit. How did I ever live without you?” He felt his chest fill with a deep warmth when Ulixes graced him with a half-lifted, gorgeous smile.
“I wonder each day how I got lucky enough to even have you as my friend, much less my mate. I’ll always be here for you, Kallon, even when you’re losing your shit.”
Kallon laughed and pulled him close. He inhaled the familiar, masculine scent of the male that had become his whole life. “I love you, Ulixes.”
“And I love you. More than you know.”
Reluctantly, he pulled away. “Okay. Let me give it a shot before Eryx gets here.” After five unproductive attempts, he gave up.
“Nothing.” He looked up when the transporter pulled alongside them. After a brief explanation, Eryx had them at the palace within minutes. The emperor met them in the foyer and lifted his palm before they provided the expected bow of deference.
“No need to stand on ceremony. Eryx tells me it’s an urgent matter regarding Maxim. Come with me. I’ve called Drusus and Severus in to hear this.”
Kallon nodded to the Trejani and his legati as he and Ulixes entered the understated offices of the emperor. The unassuming surroundings were yet another reminder of why this was the citizen’s beloved leader. Lucien leaned casually against his desk, his gaze unwavering. Kallon cleared his throat.
“I’ll get right to the point, my emperor. Maxim arrived with his new mate, Skylar. They met when she was on her way to deliver an artifact to Insedivertus at the behest of a spirit that we believe to be an Insedi ancestor. They brought in a large raw emerald attached to a block of stone. Skylar discovered it at an archeology dig site close to the Tiber River in Rome. I held it in my hands, and it exuded pulsating electrical charges.” He saw the emperor’s left eyebrow rise, a signal that he was ready for the bad news. “They both disappeared minutes after they stepped out of the tent.”
The other eyebrow rose and he leaned forward. “Are you sure they just didn’t mist? You know how Maxim is with the elaborate jokes.”
Kallon couldn’t help but join in on the round of snorts and low chuckles. “I definitely thought of that, but Ulixes witnessed the actual event. He described is as a slight bending of the air above their heads before it split and sucked them right inside the atmosphere itself. Their bodies didn’t have the same consistency as our misting capability. It almost looked like an image you would see if you stared into a still body of water…there, but not really.”
The emperor looked down to the plush carpet, his eyes skirting back and forth as he played the differing scenarios through his brilliant mind. He looked up.
“Have you tried mind contact?”
Nodding, Kallon leaned back against the wall and tried to relax his muscles. “Maxim’s mate is psychic and unintentionally blocks our ability to enter the mind if she’s within thirty meters. He discovered this upon their first meeting, and Ulixes and I confirmed it on our flight in.”
Lucien snorted and shook his head. “Why doesn’t that surprise me? Maxim never did walk on the middle line of anything.” He glanced over to Eryx.
“Station several warriors outside the tent and tell them to stay fifteen meters back from the point of the anomaly. Have the exit site guards send notice to the Earthbound sentries to stop all entry into Insedivertus until further notice. I
know the majority is here already, but we don’t need the stragglers backing up inside the tent. Send more guards to roam the festival grounds. They’re to report anything that looks out of the ordinary. They must remain discreet. We don’t need the citizens imagining the worst before we can determine what’s really occurring here.” At his nod, Eryx left the room. His intelligent eyes had a softer edge to them when he looked back.
“All we can do now is wait and see if whatever took them will send them back. I’m sorry, Kallon. I really don’t know what else can be done.”
Shaking his head, Kallon straightened. “I understand, my emperor. I knew this was going to be daunting. Do you mind if we stay at the palace? I’d like to be close by if anything comes up.”
“You’re welcome to stay here anytime. Make yourself at home. You know where the guest quarters are.”
Nodding, Kallon turned toward the door and halted when Ulixes touched his forearm and whispered close to his ear.
“The phone.”
Spinning back around, Kallon heaved a breath out. He’d been gripping the device the whole time. “Ah, hell, I completely forgot. Emperor, there’s something else that you need to see.” He pulled up the photos and then extended the cell to Lucien. Kallon imagined that his own face must have carried that same expression of surprise as the emperors’ when he realized what he was viewing.
“Skylar snapped these at the same excavation site. She was clued by the spirit of its location shortly after discovering the jewel. It also asked her to destroy the painting. She couldn’t bring herself to do so until she recorded what she’d found.” Kallon waited patiently as the emperor studied each image.
Drusus moved closer to his father, a puzzled look wrinkling his brow. It wasn’t every day that you saw actual astonishment on the emperor’s face. Lucien blinked a few times and then looked up.
“Just when I thought you couldn’t surprise me more, you throw this one on me. This is a record day. Well, at least we have good news mixed with the bad. Destroying it was the best path. If we ever find her, I’ll definitely have to think of an appropriate reward for keeping us safe.” He handed the phone to Drusus.
“Take a look at this, son. I think you’ll find it very interesting. You used to beg to hear this story before I put you into bed each night. Now my words will become real to you.”
Lucien pushed away from the desk and walked around to plop onto his chair. He leaned back and tapped his fingers on the armrests as Drusus’s mouth slowly opened in surprise while he thumbed through the photos of their genesis. Severus stood close by, an equal look of shock upon his face. He took the phone when Drusus turned to the emperor, an excited look on his face.
“Father, if the scale is accurate, we may actually find the location of the Rome entry and exit points. This is phenomenal. We can now determine if they were actually buried within the mountain. Instead of wondering if we’ll ever have another unexpected visitor, we can ensure that it remains blocked.”
Lucien nodded. “Yes. That would definitely alleviate centuries of concern that we might get a flood of Roman tourists if the Primique was ever exposed.” He chuckled. “I think you just unwittingly earned yourself another task, my son.”
All heads swiveled over to Severus when he burst out laughing and shouted, “Well, I’ll be gods damned.”
Kallon couldn’t figure out how Drusus’s extended workload could be that humorous. His curiosity grew when Severus held the cell phone out to Drusus. He had a large grin on his face. The frame depicting the royal couple kneeling beside the newly formed Insedi breed was showing.
“Did you see this, amici?” When Drusus walked over, Severus tapped repeatedly on one portion of the screen. “Look closely.”
Drusus palmed the phone and enlarged the image. His eyes widened and a large grin stretched his cheeks. He turned back to the desk and placed the cell in front of the emperor.
“Father, look at the emperor’s tunic. Tell me what you see.”
Lucien leaned forward, his brow furrowed. Within minutes, he straightened and burst out laughing. When he finally calmed, he glanced back to his grinning son. “Well, isn’t that interesting.”
Kallon glanced over to Ulixes and saw he was just as curious. He grabbed his arm and pulled him over to the desk. “Okay, you’re going to have to share. We’re dying over here.”
Severus wiped his eyes and leaned back against the wall, a satisfied look on his puss. “Kallon, describe our emperor’s formal dress attire, the one that he will more than likely don at his joining to the empress consort.”
Kallon snorted. “You’re going to make me work for this? Great! I feel like I’m back in school.” When Severus’s smile only widened, he gave a resigned huff.
“Fine! I’m assuming it’ll be a short purple tunic under a long purple robe. The tunic will bear the Etruscan symbol of an eagle-headed scepter and twelve double-sided axes bound into a tight bundle. For the life of me I can’t remember what they’re called.”
“Fasces.”
Kallon glanced over to Ulixes and smiled. “Thank you, sweets.” He looked back to Severus and got a nod before he received a quick gesture to continue.
“Go on.”
Kallon blew air into his cheeks and looked up to the ceiling. “Ah, let me think. What am I missing? Oh, yes! How could I have forgotten this? He’ll don a gold laurel wreath studded with emeralds, and an ivory chain attached just below his chest will hold his robes in place.” He smirked at the unrepentant legati. “Okay, did I pass?”
Lucien chuckled and slid the phone to the edge of the desk. “You passed. Now look at the photo.”
Lifting the phone so Ulixes could see as well, Kallon stared at the image and his mouth dropped open. The emperor wasn’t wearing the golden wreath, but there was no mistaking the eagle scepter, bundled axes, or the ivory chain holding the long robe close against his royal-purple tunic. Kallon looked up into the emerald green eyes of his beloved emperor. His voice came out low and reverent.
“This is proof…undeniable proof.”
“Proof of what?”
Severus alleviated Ulixes’s confusion. “The first ancestor was indeed a Tarquinius. Stephano Corvus and his family have a huge apology to make to the Tarquinius imperial line. This is proof that Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, the last Etruscan emperor, was the one that entered the Primique Vestibulum, not a Corvus. His Earth history may have been documented as being exiled in 510 BC, but he was truly here in 300 BC. He and his consort fled directly from a formal senate hearing and he would have been wearing this exact attire. There’s no doubt that the true ruling line is Tarquinius.”
Ulixes’s brows rose. “Amazing. How fortunate that Skylar saved the genesis images so this could be known.”
Lucien leaned back in his chair and nodded. “Yes, indeed. Perhaps we can finally lay this animosity between the two families aside. I’ll need to determine the best way to break the news to them. I won’t do it publically, so what you’ve just learned here must remain. They’ll be embarrassed enough.” He chuckled and shrugged. “But, if my instincts are accurate, I believe they will continue to argue the point no matter how convincing this artifact appears to be.”
Chapter 30
Maxim opened his eyes and blinked a few times to ensure he wasn’t hallucinating. Yep, that’s a rock ceiling. Gingerly, he turned his head, moaning when his vision blurred. Taking a few moments to adjust his eyes, he realized he was looking at a rock wall. The air smelled damp and musky. I’m in a cave. Why am I in a cave? His chest felt heavy and he tried to draw a deep breath, but the pressure remained. Glancing down, his eyes widened. Skylar’s head was resting on his chest, eyes closed. Her lips were parted, and he could see that she was at least breathing.
Placing a palm against her head to hold her in place, Maxim pushed up from the dirt floor and pulled Skylar onto his lap. He pried the jewel from her fingers and set it to the side. Gently patting her flushed cheeks, he attempted to rouse her. “Skylar? Wake up,
baby. Can you hear me?”
Maxim smiled when her beautiful blue eyes peeked out from behind thick lashes. She stared at him for a few moments, blinking and trying to get her bearings. Her brow furrowed as she rubbed her temples.
“Do you feel like you’re drunk, too?”
“Yup.”
“Where are we?”
Glancing around, Maxim determined they were sitting in a long corridor with a solid barrier behind them. The walls were liberally coated with small flecks of luminescent material, explaining the ability to see the path ahead.
“I have no clue, but we’re definitely underground.” He helped her up and they held on to each other until he felt steady enough to push away from the wall.
Skylar bent over, picked the jewel up, and stuffed it into her purse. She looked up to him with wide eyes. “I thought the vortex was a trip, but whatever sucked us up was fifty times worse. I’m assuming that wasn’t something normal on your planet.”
He shook his head. “Unless another vortex decided to form right where we were standing, I have no idea what the hell that was.”
Skylar grimaced. “Shit. Do you think that might be the case? We could’ve been yanked completely off of Insedivertus.”
Maxim clasped her hand and began pulling her down the pathway. “I don’t see an exit portal, but then again I’m not a vortex expert. Those things are freaky. We need to get moving.”
After a few silent minutes, they reached the end of the hallway. Just like the other end, they met a solid barrier, but there was a sharp turn to the right. That path was just a lengthy as the last. Another corridor appeared on the right and he stepped forward, only to halt when Skylar tugged on his hand.
“This is very familiar, Maxim. The same thing happened to me in the vision when I first saw you. I had to keep turning right. This is too weird.”
He brushed his hand down her hair. “We don’t have any other choice, sweetness. I guess we’ll find out when we get to the end.”
Fueled by Lust: Maxim (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 26