If you'll give me a kiss, I replied. She leaned her head back; I took her lips. It should have been a chaste kiss. It was anything but. Forcing myself away after several seconds, I set about putting drinks for the new arrivals together, my mind on Zaria the entire time.
* * *
Zaria
That was more than a casual kiss, Kevis teased when I went back to making dumplings, my cheeks heating at the promise in Ilya's kiss.
I guess you'd know, Mr. Casual Observer, I huffed mentally.
Oh, I like sex just as much as anybody, he said. More than some, maybe, he added.
Tell me again why I'm making dumplings for you?
Now, that's something I hadn't considered, he responded.
You sound like my brother, I snapped.
You had a brother?
No. I was abandoned and adopted when I was a baby.
Ah. Why didn't you tell me that earlier?
It didn't come up, Doctor Boy.
I'll remind you in our next session.
Joy.
Zaria?
What, bro?
Let Ilya pamper you.
I closed my eyes as tears threatened.
"There. Done," Valegar appeared and made dumplings disappear into the pot in less than a blink. "Come, my love, we will go."
* * *
Quin
I couldn't say what happened, but Kevis Halivar wore a frown after Valegar disappeared with Zaria and Ilya. Our drinks plunked onto the table in front of us, almost as an afterthought, just as they disappeared.
"What happened?" Berel asked.
"I'll explain later," Kevis said. "A word of advice, however—never inform a Larentii that his mate is about to cry."
* * *
Larentii Homeworld
Ilya
If it had happened any other way, with anyone else, I'd have been uncomfortable. Instead, I welcomed Valegar's strong, blue arms around both of us as Zaria huddled against me and wept.
When the Larentii song began, it soothed all of us. Eventually, Zaria slept. That's when another Larentii came. One with red hair curling about his shoulders. He settled himself beside us on the grass in a high meadow. I realized I was on the Larentii homeworld, then, and that our visitor was Kalenegar, Head of the Larentii Council.
"If she were mortal, she'd worry herself into an early grave," Kalenegar whispered. Reaching out, he stroked a long blue finger against her cheek.
"She has two Larentii?" I asked softly.
"Yes, although she may never forgive me," Kalenegar replied.
"Why?" I couldn't help but ask.
"Because she was sentenced to death by the Larentii Council," Valegar supplied. "It is a long tale and one she should permit, before we tell anyone else."
"She's not sentenced now?" I barely kept the terror from my voice. I had no idea Larentii would sentence anyone to death.
"Her sentence was rescinded," Kalenegar reassured me. Valegar's arms tightened about Zaria and me, letting me know that all was well. "We eventually recognized her actions for what they were—heroic. She saved many, many lives as a result."
Will she tell me? I ventured to ask Valegar in mindspeech.
I know not. I think she has to become comfortable with what she is, first.
"She is the first of her kind," Kalenegar spoke, letting me know he'd heard our conversation. "She walks a lonely path, and with her past lodged firmly in her mind, she no longer knows whom to trust."
"You mean there has never been a Q'elindi like her?" I asked. I already knew the answer; I merely wanted to hear him say it.
"Zaria is many things, and none of those things have ever been, before."
"I worry that I don't deserve her," I sighed.
"You are as important to her as the breaths she takes," Kalenegar locked eyes with mine. They were a deep, cobalt-blue, filled with the experience of who knew how many eons. I understood then that he could see through anyone, much like Zaria could.
* * *
Jaledis
Quin
She is fine, Ilya replied to my hesitant mental query. She cried herself to sleep, I think, so Valegar is taking care of both of us.
"Daragar?" I looked up at him. He'd appeared shortly after Valegar took Zaria and Ilya away. Dinner was long past and he sat cross-legged on my bed while I snuggled in his embrace.
"What is it, dearest?" He smiled at me.
"Is Zaria strong enough to deal with this?" I swept out a hand.
"Ah. I understand your worry, my love, but Zaria is exactly where she should be. You and she are vital to this effort, and her will and determination are formidable. It is her past and not her present that troubles her."
* * *
Larentii Homeworld
Zaria
"What time is it?" The question came out garbled—I was only half-awake when I asked it.
"Time matters not," Valegar murmured.
"He says he can get us back anytime," Ilya soothed. "Go back to sleep if you want."
"No, I should get up," I said, lifting a hand to rub my eyes. "I'm hungry," I added.
"Quin said they saved our dinner for us," Ilya said.
"I'll take you," Valegar said. Moments later, we were in the kitchen at the compound in Turbak. Someone had placed our bowls of food in stasis—it waited, hot and fresh, for us to consume.
Ilya and I had almost finished our portions when the explosion rocked the far side of city.
* * *
Jaledis
Kend Enterprises Mountain Retreat
Morid
Ruther Kend sat next to my cage, his head in his hands. The prototype of the machine the Arden twins wanted had just been fired at the city below, with devastating results.
Deris ordered the killing machine to fire, and pinpointed the target. Unfortunately, it had performed flawlessly. Kend blamed himself for the ensuing deaths.
"They'll kill us all before it's over," I whispered.
"They have his family," Norn hissed from the other side. "What else can he do?"
"You see my circumstances," I muttered, gesturing toward the bars that held me. "There is nothing any of us can do."
"Ah, there you are," Deris strode into the room. "A good first effort, but I want the machine to be stronger, to cause a larger area of destruction. Come, Kend. You have work to do."
With slow deliberation, Ruther Kend pulled himself off the floor and followed Deris. Norn made himself smaller on the other side of my cage, grateful, no doubt, that Deris had chosen to ignore him.
* * *
Quin
Ilya and Zaria trailed behind Bel and me as we walked the perimeter of the destruction. Three city blocks had been leveled; homes and businesses lay in rubble. Gorvis' rescue teams were frantically searching through debris, hoping to find living souls.
Only bodies remained, most of them broken and scattered amid the rubble. The chink of bricks tossed out of the way reached us. A man, not belonging to the rescue teams, wept as he tossed pieces and bits of his home away, calling the names of his wife and children as he did so.
"Dear heaven," Zaria muttered and strode toward him. Ilya reached for her, but failed to capture her hand.
"Wait," Bel held me back. On that evening, with light provided by a setting sun and emergency lamps supplied by the city, we watched as one by one, Zaria lifted the man's family from the wreckage, whole and alive.
His wife and four children were filthy, weeping and bearing cuts and bruises, but they lived.
"Quin, my darling, let the local medical crews help them," Bel held me back when I attempted to go to them and provide healing. "See, Zaria is doing the same thing. Do not call attention to us, my love."
The living victims, along with the now happy father, were taken to the nearest medical facility for treatment. It gave the other rescuers hope, but all through that long, weary night, no others were found alive.
Zaria stood beside us after the initial rescue, her face drawn.
We find the twins, they die, I whispered mentally to her.
Oh, yes, she replied. Most definitely.
Chapter 8
Quin
"This is where the authorities say the blast originated," Caylon pointed to a location twenty clicks from the eastern edge of Turbak. It lay opposite the mountain where Ruther Kend's facility lay.
"Misdirection?" Sal asked.
"I believe so. Also, because Ruther gives generously and almost single-handedly keeps Turbak thriving, the authorities wouldn't be willing to entertain the thought that he could be responsible. While it is a temporary injustice to those who died, it also assists us in our efforts to infiltrate the facility."
"While allowing time for more people to die," Zaria said. None of us had slept; this was a morning meeting over breakfast. Zaria and I—we'd only picked at our food.
"This is a war," Caylon reminded her. "It is callous to say it, but there will be casualties."
"Are you always this cheerful in the mornings?" Zaria shot back.
Caylon stood still for a moment, at his place at the head of the table. Then he ducked his head and chuckled.
I don't recall that he's actually laughed in months, Sal sent to me. I think—no, I'll get back to you, he added.
He'd speculated on what I was beginning to realize—for perhaps the first time ever, Caylon Black actually respected a woman.
She'll stand toe-to-toe with him on any day, I said, verifying Sal's thoughts. Maybe not with blades, but with wit and courage.
I think he's only beginning to recognize the actual value in those things, Sal agreed. In the past, he always won the battle of wits while sparring. The time with Zaria, well, he was overmatched and he knows it.
"All of us need sleep," Caylon regained his composure. "I'll be in contact with Kooper, who's on his way now. When you wake, we'll have more information."
Any remaining energy I had deserted me then, and my shoulders sagged.
Come, Terrett sent. I will make you comfortable.
He led me away; I caught sight of Ilya doing the same with Zaria. I hoped she'd sleep—we both needed it. I understood that sixty-three deaths in Gorvis weighed heavily upon her; it was the same for me.
* * *
Le-Ath Veronis
Queen's Palace
Lissa
"It's not difficult—the original machines could do it," Rigo sat next to me with a sigh. "All of them capable of hitting a target from any direction, while they remain stationary and hidden."
"How do you know this?" I turned to my Hraedan mate.
"In Hraede's royal archives, once, we held information on these machines," he said. "The N'il Mo'erti—engines of death. Those books were removed from the archives and are carefully stored and protected by the Rith Naeri. I have already checked; those records are untouched. These plans came from elsewhere. I've studied them, and they were most certainly drawn by a different hand."
"I don't understand this," I rubbed my forehead.
"Tiessa, these were the machines that eventually destroyed Tiralia. Not only were they capable of terrible destruction at the command of a few, but were also capable of manufacturing poisonous gases."
"You make them sound as if they were almost sentient." I lifted my eyes and stared at Rigo.
"I believe that is how they were designed," he agreed. "Perhaps it is most fortunate that Tiralia waged a civil war against itself, rather than turning these terrible machines loose against the Alliance. Unless I err, Ildevar Wyyld likely knows something of them as well."
"He probably does; he's older than a lot of Larentii, even. I suppose he and I should talk."
"I would like to be included in that meeting," Rigo said. "This could signal an ending for those planets untouched by the poison."
"We don't need to let this get any farther than it has already," I snapped and stood. "I realize Ruther Kend's family is in danger, but maybe it's time to weigh a few deaths against the deaths of planets."
"My love, it may already be too late," Rigo advised, his expression grim. "Yes, this may be the first foray that Ruther Kend has made with these abominations. What if others are already manufacturing an army of them for the Arden twins, who are merely waiting for potential improvements made by the best military manufacturer currently alive?"
"You just scared the bejeezus out of me," I said.
* * *
Jaledis
Zaria
"Photographs." Caylon dumped a comp-vid on top of me, after barging into Ilya's and my shared bedroom.
Yes, we were still in bed. No, we hadn't done anything other than sleep—we'd been too exhausted.
"Let me," I held Ilya back. He was ready to leap from our bed and challenge Caylon Black to a duel.
"What are you going to do?" Caylon taunted.
"Nothing much," I said, handing the comp-vid to Ilya.
The element of surprise should be saved for an appropriate moment—I'd learned that from reading Caylon.
Now was such a moment.
In a blink, I'd folded myself out of bed and punched Caylon square in the face. I won't say I didn't put power behind that punch, because I did.
Caylon landed on his ass four feet away.
"Get out of my bedroom," I snapped, pointing toward the door. "Come in again without knocking and you'll be more sorry than you are right now."
"You will go," Valegar appeared, a deep frown marring his features. "I do not wish to see this behavior again."
"A Larentii is threatening me?" Caylon pulled himself off the floor.
"I'm threatening you, now."
Someone new had arrived. He was and wasn't High Demon. I say that because clouds of smoke poured from his nostrils, but he wore power like a second skin.
"Of course, Lord Rath," Caylon bowed.
"Why did you do this?" Li'Neruh Rath demanded. "You know it to be wrong, as well as rude."
"Because she won't look at me."
"What?" Ilya and I echoed one another.
"Because Zaria won't look at him the way he wants her to," Valegar's eyes brightened with understanding.
"Dear heavens," I muttered. "Look, I'll heal that bruise on your chin. Later. Much later." I glared at Caylon. "Then we'll talk. With Ilya and Valegar there with me."
"I, too," Bekzi peered through the open door. "With Gerrett."
"Very well. I must also approach my mate," Caylon ducked his head.
"Perfect. Great. Please leave. I need a shower and some alone time with a comp-vid."
"I must speak with you," Li'Neruh Rath dismissed the others with a nod. "You and Master Ironsmith. Valegar may also stay."
When Caylon walked out the door, Li'Neruh slammed it shut with power.
"What may we do for you, Mighty One?" Ilya inclined his head.
"We must make a plan," he said. "It may involve traversing the timeline."
* * *
Quin
"What is happening?" I asked, as packed bags appeared from nothing in the kitchen.
"A request from the Mighty," Sal said, taking a seat at the table. "You'll have to deal with new guards, I'm afraid; Zaria, Ilya and a few others are being sent on a separate mission."
"I don't want them to go," I whispered. Somehow, those two had become family to me, and it frightened me that they were leaving.
"Me either, but when the Mighty say you're needed elsewhere, then you're needed elsewhere. Queen Lissa is sending someone to help, and Corolan is coming at the Karathian King's request."
"Who else is going with them?" I quavered. I felt like crying; never had I found someone who supported me as thoroughly as Zaria did.
"Bekzi and Gerrett," Sal sighed. "Don't let this upset you—it's important."
"Will they come back?"
I sounded small.
Lost.
"I don't know," Sal lowered his eyes. "They didn't tell me that."
* * *
Ilya
As much as we'd been told about where we were goi
ng, there were things that hadn't been said. I saw concern in Zaria's eyes as she dressed for our destination. She knew things I didn't, of that I was certain.
"Going as servants. Not like," Bekzi shook his head. "They treat us bad, I think."
I dislike this, Gerrett's mental words echoed Bekzi's spoken ones.
Honey, I wish you weren't involved in this, Zaria strode toward Gerrett and took his face in her hands.
I go to protect you, he replied, fierce determination in his sending. I will do what my talent allows, to hide you if necessary.
"Thank you," Zaria put her arms around his waist and hugged him.
I watched as an expression of happiness transformed his face as his arms folded about her.
Somehow, I would have to share her with others, whose thoughts, like mine, were to protect her life with ours.
* * *
Quin
"Our objective remains the same," Kooper announced at our meeting. It upset me that I wouldn't get to tell Zaria good-bye before she left. I wasn't told whose decision it was, only that it was for the best.
It made me angry.
I sat in the compound's library where the meeting was held with the rest of us, my arms crossed tightly over my chest. If I were ever told who made the decision, I'd likely be tempted to treat them to the same punch Zaria delivered to Caylon's face.
He still wore the darkening bruise—he'd refused to ask for healing from Kevis Halivar.
Perhaps he knew better than to ask me; I might have refused.
Why were you not sent with Zaria? I sent to Kevis, who'd taken a chair near the door.
I may be transported back and forth, if it becomes necessary, he offered a mental shrug. I will be invisible to all except those from our team, he added. It helps to have powerful friends—and mates.
Yes it does, I agreed. I was more than grateful that Kaldill and Daragar protected BlackWing VII and all aboard.
Wait, I sent. Since Gerrett is going with Zaria, I didn't finish.
Valegar's father has suggested a substitute Sirenali, and he is already on board the ship, Kevis ducked his head to hide a smile.
Who?
His name is Morrett, Kevis replied.
Do you think? I began.
Yes, and I believe Nefrigar has already informed him that he has brothers.
Where did Nefrigar find him?
SpellBreaker: First Ordinance, Book 4 Page 10