by Jasmine Walt
“Oh, I’m human, just like you. Only I’m resurrected from the dead.”
Lynx swallowed hard, wishing she could dispute it, but she had never seen a living human with pearlescent skin. She eyed the mirrors again, desperate to get out. Still nothing, so she edged away from the girl, asking, “So why are you here?” A thought struck. “Does this have anything to do with the Dmitri Curse?”
“Of course it has. Nothing is more important than the fulfillment of that curse.” The dead girl clicked her fingers, and an image of Axel flickered to life before her. “I’m here to talk to you about your choices in regard to that cursing.”
Lynx took another quick step back. She bumped into the wall. With nowhere to go, she studied the image before her.
Axel was dressed in the casual clothing he had worn that morning. His strong face drew her in. His lips twitched with a smile—derisive, of course—making his honey-brown eyes dance. She drank in his body, powerful chest, narrow hips, and athletic legs. She lingered on the curve of his bicep and the muscles of his forearm, rippling under sun-bronzed skin. Her eyes trailed to his hand and fingers.
Enough! She turned to the girl. “How did you do this?”
“It’s a simple vision created by manipulating light waves. In fact, this whole room is a manipulation of light. I suppose you would call it a miracle. I call it power derived from Dmitri, the great prophet and seer who once experienced visions of the future of Chenaya.”
Lynx reached out and touched Axel, but her fingers passed through him, as they had with the informa. “He’s no different than anything Felix can create.”
“Perhaps. But he serves a purpose.” The dead girl fixed Lynx with her gentle gray eyes. “You would love to take Axel up on his offer to be your lover, wouldn’t you?”
Lynx buried her face in her hands. How could she admit her longing for Axel Avanov was almost greater than her disgust for his empire and his place in it? And what about her mission in Chenaya?
Not the one in which she mothered the man who destroyed the empire—far more pressing problems confronted her. She had already let her father down by fighting with Lukan. How was she ever going to put that right, especially if Lukan refused to speak to her? That made the Dmitri Curse moot, anyway. It was all a mess—one she had helped create.
Still, the idea of being with Axel, feeling his arms around her again, sharing his bed . . .
The girl waited.
Lynx finally whispered, “This is a pointless discussion because Mott will never allow me to have Axel.”
“Play along with me, Lynx. Imagine for a moment that Mott were not an issue. Who would you choose, Lukan or Axel?”
Play along with me . . . How many times had Lynx used that game to cajole Raven into believing things he thought impossible? He’d loved it. But she? No, not when she was the one being forced to believe the impossible.
She said grumpily, “Axel. Of course. But it’s not that simple. What about my promise to my father? And the Dmitri Curse?”
The girl brushed Lynx’s hair away from her face with a gentle hand. “Put those concerns aside for a moment.”
“How, when I’m bound by conflicting oaths?”
“Sometimes you have to break one oath to obey the other.”
Lynx sighed. She had never broken an oath in her life. She wasn’t about to start now.
“Lynx, tell me, would you like to see what would happen if you chose Axel over Lukan?”
“You can tell the future?”
“More than you can.”
Lynx blinked in surprise as a scrolling text appeared on the mirror before her. It read: “In defeat, victory. In victory, defeat.”
In a blur, an image of a girl with icy blue eyes and long, silvery-blond hair appeared. Lynx sucked in a breath, recognizing herself. She stood on a grassy field, facing an army flying Chenayan banners. A cloud, dark as a dragon’s wing, encircled it, protecting the army’s rear. On the grass between her and the host lay a man with a hand axe embedded in his skull. Two children, twin boys, lay across him, their little frames wracked with grief. Lynx recognized the man’s face and gagged.
It was Tao. The children, his sons.
Lynx shot her head around to face the girl. “How dare you manipulate me like this? You must have overheard Tao telling me his dreams.”
“Tao’s dreams were known long before he was born.”
None of this made sense, so Lynx paced the room, more desperate than ever to escape.
“The Dmitri Curse is older and bigger than any one person’s dreams, Lynx,” the girl pressed on. “I can tell you in all sincerity that you and Axel have loved each other for as long as Tao has dreamed of fatherhood. But not even a love that long and that pure is enough to transcend the Dmitri Curse.”
Did Axel actually love her? It didn’t matter because, despite this game she was playing, she could never have him. Dmitri’s marriage treaty, Mott, Kestrel, Lukan—they had all robbed her of choice.
Her voice was bitter when she spoke. “So, even if we love each other, we have no choice? Even if Mott and the oath to my father weren’t an issue, as you say, we can’t be together? Am I understanding this cryptic stuff?”
“It’s cryptic for a reason, Lynx, so you can use your heart to guide you. And you always have choice—with consequences. You were chosen for this role because you understand consequences—and sacrifice—better than most.”
“So if I choose Axel, Tao will die?”
“You have not asked about you and Lukan. I’ve shown you what will happen if you reject Lukan and choose Axel. It’s only fair I show what will happen if you sacrifice Axel and choose Lukan instead.”
Lynx put her hands on her hips again. “Okay, dead nameless person who refuses to answer straight questions, show me what will happen.”
“My name is Cricket, and I was the first of the Norin girls to marry a crown prince.”
“Good for you. Now get on with the show, because I’m running out of patience.”
Cricket seemed to take no offense at Lynx’s sharpness. At her smile, the image changed again. This time, Lynx saw Lukan standing with his back to her. Only, it couldn’t be him because, despite the same height and hair color, this Lukan was dressed in a tattered guardsman’s uniform. Lukan would never be seen dead in clothes as old and battle-worn as these. His head turned, as if looking at her over his shoulder.
Lynx gasped, and her pulse quickened.
He had eyes the color of a glacial lake, the color she saw every time she glanced in a mirror. Feathers were braided into the long dark hair that fell across his handsome face. Lynx’s heart soared. They weren’t ostrich feathers, but some other bird she didn’t recognize.
It didn’t matter—he was a Norin at heart. He smiled at her, and Lynx reached out to touch him. Disappointment bit as her hand passed straight through the light.
“Does he have a name?” Lynx whispered, almost reverently, knowing without doubt that he was her son.
“Nicholas. He will bring light to the world. Dmitri decreed it, and so it will be.”
Excitement trilled through Lynx. “It seems too good to be true.”
“Consummate a marriage with Lukan, and Nicholas will be conceived. You can believe that with the same certainty that the sun will rise on the morrow. But it will not be without consequences.” Cricket’s face became serious, and the mirrors shattered. Glass exploded across the room. Lynx brought her hands up to protect her face.
It proved pointless. A million dagger-sharp shards sliced into her, ripping her apart, spraying her blood over the walls. Screaming in agony, she collapsed.
“The only way you, Lynx of Norin, will ever help fulfill the Dmitri Curse is to relinquish Axel and to marry Lukan. But if you do, Nicholas’s conception will bring you nothing but pain.
“To survive, you will need the strength, not of a soldier going into battle with sword and axe, but of a warrior armed with nothing but honor and a determination to win.
“Know
ing this, who will you choose, Axel or Lukan?”
Lynx sank into blessed unconsciousness.
35
“Axel! Axel!”
Axel looked up at Tao’s anguished face.
“She’s gone!” His cousin burst into the battle command center.
“Who’s gone?” Hands resting on a threat-board displaying the terrain, fortifications, and suspected troop positions in Lapis, Axel looked up. He and the officers in high command were formulating a battle plan for the invasion. Even though he didn’t like the terms Mott had set, Axel had finally gotten what he wanted—after a quick detour to crush Lapis, he would be on his way to Treven.
“Lynx. We were in the maze. She was walking ahead of me, and then she vanished. There one minute”—Tao waved his arms—“then gone.”
Axel’s heart stuttered. Had his father acted so quickly? It couldn’t be. Not even Felix would dare defy the emperor by harming Lynx before the wedding. Not when Mott was looking to secure his succession with a set of grandchildren.
Still, fear gripped him, and he struggled to catch his breath.
In that instant, Axel knew with stunning clarity that Stefan had been right about his feelings for Lynx. Finding her was far more important than what was happening in Treven or Lapis.
He could only put it down to love.
“Show me.” Aware of a dozen sets of eyes watching him, Axel grabbed Tao’s arm.
“Warlord Avanov—” Raklus called after him.
Axel stopped at the door. “Gentlemen, proceed without me. I will be back forthwith.” He and Tao raced from the room.
Dodging people in the palace corridors, he and Tao ran to the maze.
His father waited for him at the entrance. He held up his hand to stop them. “Axel. Prince Tao. What in the name of the Dragon are you doing? Axel, you have an invasion to plan. The emperor will not tolerate any laxness in the performance of your duties.”
Suspicion boiled in Axel’s heart. “How did you know I was here?”
Felix’s eyes shot around the deserted room, then he held up his informa. “Raklus messaged me.”
“Then you know where Lynx is?” Axel demanded, doubting his father would speak the truth. Still, he had to ask. His fists clenched, and he didn’t like to think what he would do to his father if he harmed Lynx.
“It is a maze, Axel,” his father said in an annoyingly patronizing tone. “No doubt, she has been enticed by some sparkly thing. Like everyone else, she will eventually find her way out.” His voice firmed. “In the meantime, you have pressing responsibilities, and Prince Tao needs to take care of his betrothed.”
Both Axel and Tao shoved past Felix and bolted through the egg-shaped archway into the darkness. Running hard, Tao led the way to where Lynx had vanished. Axel pulled out his flashlight and, shining the light on the black walls, turned full circle. He could see no place where she could have disappeared. “Are you sure this is it?”
“Yes.” Tao flung open the door to the shortcut out of the maze. It opened into a deserted chamber. “We were about to step through, and then—nothing.” Panic laced Tao’s words. “How is it possible? People can’t just vanish.”
Jaw clenched, Axel gritted out, “I don’t know. Let’s split up. Start searching.” Without waiting for a reply, he jogged farther along the passage, shouting Lynx’s name.
“Message me if you find her.” Tao set off in the opposite direction.
After hours of fruitless searching, not just by him, but dozens of guardsmen finally called in to help, Axel returned to the place where Lynx had disappeared.
In the dancing light of his torch, he saw a dark bundle lying in the passage. Swearing with a mix of fear and hope, he broke into a run and then dropped to his knees to investigate.
It was a woman.
How she had gotten there, he had no idea. Hand shaking, he brushed blond hair away from her face. Lynx. Sighing with relief, flashlight gripped in his mouth, he used one hand to stroke her face while his other probed for her pulse. She was pale with a slow heartbeat but seemed otherwise unharmed.
“Lynx,” he called gently. “Wake up.”
When she didn’t stir, he put the flashlight on the floor and lifted her head, resting it on his arm. Mouth gaping, her head lolled to one side, so he lay her back down and placed both hands on her heart, ready to start resuscitation.
“Axel? Is that you?” Her voice sounded tremulous, but relief flooded through him.
“Who else?” He picked up the flashlight, bathing himself in ghostly white light so she could see him. “Must you be so dramatic, Princess? Everyone else just gets lost in here. They don’t fall over their feet and faint.”
Lynx struggled, so he helped her up, supporting her against his arm. After a day of worry, it was so good to be holding her again. She looked up at him, and he thrilled to spot color returning to her face.
“Is that what you think happened?” Lynx’s voice sounded stronger, so he allowed his clenched muscles to relax for the first time since his father had woken him that morning.
To avoid hinting at his own troubles, Axel kept his voice light. “Tao said you vanished. There one minute. Gone the next.” Axel rested his forehead against hers. “You had us worried, Lynxie. Care to tell me what happened?”
“So Tao didn’t lock me in the room?”
“What room?” Confused, Axel shined the light around the dark walls. He wondered if she meant the chamber on the other side of the shortcut. But then, how would she have gotten here? “This is a maze, not a series of apartments.”
“The one with the mirrors.”
There were no mirrors in that room. Axel frowned, concerned again that she had concussed herself when she had collapsed. He gently rubbed her head, looking for bumps, but found nothing obvious. Even better, she leaned into his kneading fingers.
“There are no mirrors in here, Lynx. The whole idea of this place is that it’s dark, with narrow passages designed to confuse.”
“Oh. Are there informas with Dreaded in here? I think they’re called holograms.” She searched his face with her crystal-blue eyes.
“No, the labyrinth is horrible enough without them. Even my father accepts that.” He rocked her from side to side, like a child needing comfort.
She didn’t object.
“Or that’s how it used to be.” Axel couldn’t stop the bitterness bleeding into his voice. “But given how things have changed over the last twenty-four hours, I could be wrong.” When she didn’t reply, he said again, “Tell me what happened. Please.”
“Axel Avanov saying please? Never thought I’d live to see that happen. But it’s been a very strange day.” Lynx shifted, moving out of his embrace.
He hated letting her go, but he didn’t want to cause her further stress.
She sat back, studying him in the dim light, as if seeing him for the first time. “You’re wearing your uniform. What happened to the casuals?”
“Duty called.”
“Oh. So, who is Chenaya invading? Norin?”
He gave her a rueful smile. “Lynxie, I hate to break this to you, but Norin fell a few centuries ago. We’ve already had this discussion.” When she scowled at him, he added, “It’s Lapis’s turn. They’ve sided with Treven against us, so I’m leading an invasion force there as soon as the wedding celebrations are over.”
Lynx looked mournful. “Lapis? That’s sad. I used to love visiting the markets there.”
He had no problem with the Lapis campaign. “That’s what happens when you get in the way of Chenayan objectives.”
“Avanov objectives,” Lynx corrected.
He had more important concerns right now than arguing politics with Lynx. He shrugged and changed the subject. “I’m leaving Stefan here to watch over you while I’m gone. Please put your annoying hatred of all things Chenayan aside and befriend him and Malika. They’ll help you keep out of trouble.”
Lynx’s face became a blank mask. “Mott saw us kissing. He must have had other
cameras in my room.”
“I know. My father woke me early this morning and told me he had put them there last night. I’m sorry.” He brushed her face with his hand. “That’s one of the reasons I wanted you to have breakfast with me, to tell you. But stubborn as you are, you refused me. I hate it when you do that.”
“Refuse you?” Lynx smiled. “Get used to it.” Then her face clouded. “How am I supposed to live with all these cameras? How do I even dress, knowing I’m being watched?”
Even in the low light, he saw her face pale and her body shiver. He took her hand in his, holding it possessively. “It’s very simple. Tell Lukan you refuse to marry him, and I will protect you from both him and Mott.”
“Like last night?”
He should have seen that coming. He smiled self-deprecatingly. “Definitely better than last night.” Jokingly, he added, “There are no cameras in my apartment.”
She pulled her hand away, so he changed tack.
“Come on, Lynx, you and I are one of a kind. We belong together. As I’ve already said, you’re totally—”
“Wasted on Lukan. You’ve told me all this, Axel.” Lynx paused, her brow creasing with a contemplative frown. “How well do you get on with Tao?”
Surprised, Axel replied, “Very. He’s another person who’ll make you a good friend.”
“Could you imagine yourself sinking a hand axe into his head?”
The air oomphed out of Axel’s lungs, but he willed strength into his muscles to stop from crumpling before her. “How do you know about that? What happened in the labyrinth?”
“Then it’s true. You want to kill Tao. Why?”
“I don’t want to kill Tao!” He grabbed her face with both hands, forcing her to look at him. “The whole idea is ludicrous. It would be like killing my sister, and I’d rather take a thousand quarrels than let anything happen to her.”
It was Lynx who now crumpled, leaning against him. “You admit you discussed the idea?”
“Yes.” He looked at her expectantly. “How do you know about it?”
“I—I saw a . . . a”— Lynx winced, looking embarrassed—“a vision when I vanished. It was all very unclear, but I got the impression you axed Tao.”