* * * * *
Minekus stood with his hands clasped behind his back, facing the Council of Elders.
“Who ordered the lockdown?” Elder North asked. The shrill signal had interrupted their daily meeting a few minutes before, so they summoned the head of security to their meeting room. Only two situations necessitated a lockdown, impending attack, and an escape attempt. Each was equally improbable.
“I ordered the lockdown on behalf of Varrik. One of his twins managed to scan open the door and free her sister.”
“How is that possible?” Elder West drew Minekus’s attention with the sharp question.
“She’s a shifter, sir,” the security officer explained.
Varrik had captured a shifter? “Were the females recaptured?” North asked. Unless they could teleport, no one could leave the maze. Still, this was unsettling.
“Yes, sir. Varrik is with the shifter now, and the other was returned to a holding cell.”
North glanced at the other three elders, seeing his thoughts reflected in their blue-ringed eyes. If Varrik suspected his female could shift, he would have taken greater care with her confinement. Still, something wasn’t right here.
“Which hunting party did Varrik use?”
Minekus shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “You will have to ask him, sir. The first I heard of his twins was when the shifter escaped.”
Dismissing Minekus with an impatient wave, North turned to West. “Have you sensed anything odd since Varrik returned with the twins?”
West folded his hands on the tabletop, his gaze filled with resentment. “Varrik descends from the north. You gave him permission to dispatch the hunters.”
“I meant no disrespect. It seems Varrik set a trap for a kitten and caught a lioness instead.”
“As West said, Varrik descends from the north,” South reiterated. “This is your problem to resolve.”
North accepted the assessment and pushed back his chair. “I’ll keep you informed of any developments.” Inactivity was wearing on them all. Peace, however tenuous, had no place in the world below. What use were soldiers when there was no war?
He left the meeting room and made his way to the holding cells. If Varrik was punishing the shifter, it was counterproductive to interrupt. Guards flanked the doorway to the holding cell, looking wary and annoyed. He waved them aside and entered the cubicle.
A female sat on the bunk with her legs drawn up under her loose dress. North swept her with an assessing gaze; even disheveled and exhausted, she was lovely. Unlike the soldiers, hunters and sweepers were allowed to claim any woman at any time, so long as they adhered to the Customs. After the female produced a child, the male decided whether to release her or make her available to the lesser men via the lottery. If the female produced a son, most were released.
“Has your sister’s master claimed you as well?”
“No one has touched me.” Despite the uncertainty in her gaze, her voice was quiet and calm.
“Claiming is not the same as mounting. One generally leads to the other, but they are not the same. If no one else has mounted you, it’s almost certain you were claimed.”
“Who are you, and why are you here?”
She swung her legs over the side of the bunk and stood. He watched her carefully, noting the haughty tilt of her chin and the regal grace in her movements. Foreboding expanded the longer he stared. Varrik knew the law. Mystics were forbidden. If he’d stumbled upon a female with untrained abilities, that was one thing, but to intentionally hunt a Mystic was a punishable offense. There must be an explanation for his actions. Varrik had proven himself time and again.
“What’s your name?” North asked.
She tucked her hair behind her ear, looking decidedly uncomfortable. “Why do you want to know?”
“Where were you and your sister captured?”
“Are you Varrik’s supervisor? Has he done something wrong?”
Varrik? This female knew her master’s name. How many of the Customs had Varrik abandoned? “Yes. I’m Varrik’s superior. I’m the only one not bound by his claim. Do you understand what that means?”
“You can…mount me despite his orders to the contrary?”
“Among other things. Now, answer my question. What’s your name?”
“E’Lanna dar Aune,” she said after a short pause.
It took every cycle of North’s training to keep the astonishment from his face. There were many dar Aunes on Ontariese. It was possible she wasn’t… “Is your sister’s name Echo?”
“Yes.” She took a tentative step forward. “And we are the High Queen’s daughters, if that’s your next question.”
“You have not been mistreated?”
A sharp, humorless laugh escaped her throat. “We were kidnapped and… He has kept Echo with him ever since we arrived. He’s with her now. She shielded herself from me. There’s only one reason she does that. He is mistreating her even as we speak.” She licked her lips and tried not to reveal too much with her expressive eyes. “Is Varrik in trouble? If he acted without your knowledge and you assist us now, Mother can work with the Joint Council to see that you’re not held accountable for his actions.”
“How very kind of Mother.” He held out his hand. “Let’s go.”
“Where are you taking me? What about Echo? We must go to her.”
“I’ll take you beyond his reach until I can contact your parents. Then I’ll come back and remove Echo from his chamber.”
“Go get Echo first. She’s the one in real danger. I can wait until you get back.”
“It’s better if Varrik doesn’t realize we’re on to him until I’m ready to act.”
Her face paled and she wrung her hands, her gaze glowing in the firestone light. “Please, you can’t leave her with him. We have to—”
“No more arguments. Take my hand.”
Royal Obsession (Shadow Assassins 1) Page 13