“We were told you grow Divine Starflower and have it for sale in both processed and fresh forms. Is this true?”
Borjeet turned with a puzzled expression on his face. “Yes, it’s true. Couldn’t this have waited until morning? I only do business during the day, emergencies are a different matter.”
“I’m sorry, good sir, but this is an emergency. Someone has been attacked, poisoned with something that only the Divine Starflower can cure. We were given instructions to come here and buy all you had whether it be fresh, dried or powdered.”
“I don’t know who would tell you that I’d sell you all of my starflower, but they…” Borjeet started to say, but Xan interrupted him.
“My True One, Remi Summers, told us that you had this starflower and we were to purchase all you had. She said to tell you that if you were to do this, she would owe you. This is an extreme emergency, and we don’t have time to dawdle. Will you sell it to me, or do I need to persuade you?” Xan was getting frustrated. He could almost feel the urgency through the tenuous link he had with Remi, but he couldn’t tell if she was in danger or if something was going wrong with his father.
“Mistress Remunada? Why didn’t you say so in the first place! Yes, yes! Come with me.” Borjeet shuffled quickly toward the opposite side of the hall from the treatment room, pushing open a door to what looked like an apothecary room. The little old man hurried behind a table and around a file cabinet to the corner of the room. Reaching into a pocket of his robe, he pulled a ring of keys out and began sorting them, mumbling under his breath the whole time.
Xan looked at Rizon and tilted his head first toward Borjeet, then toward the hall as he silently stepped out of the room. Rizon nodded and turned back to watch Borjeet.
Xan stopped just outside the room and closed his eyes. Concentrating on the blood oath between Commander Ad’har and himself, he reached out telepathically to him.
“Ad’har. Is everything all right? How is my father? Remi?”
“Xan, your father is getting weaker. You must hurry. We feel he will hold on until you return, but…the situation has changed. If it continues to change, he may decline more rapidly.”
“What are you not telling me, Ad’har? What does Remi say?”
“My brother…Remi is…”
“What? Remi is what? Report now on my True One, Commander!” The feeling of dread was getting worse. Xan knew something was wrong, the link with Remi was not as strong as it had been an hour ago.
“My prince, we discovered that your True One had been dealt a glancing cut by the second arrow during the attack. We didn’t find out until after you were gone and she insisted she was fine and not to bother you. She gave instructions for both the king’s care and her own in the event she fell unconscious from the poison. We are doing exactly as she instructed and caring for both of them. Your father’s condition is getting worse, but your lady’s condition is somewhat stable. For the moment. She is assisting your father somehow, even in her condition. But you must hurry, Xan. I’m not sure how long…” Ad’har cut his thought off as Xan mentally roared.
“We will be leaving Merket within five minutes, Ad’har. We will be there as fast as possible. Do whatever you have to, but keep them both alive.”
Xan cut his connection to Ad’har and spun back into the room. Rizon was busy placing packets into a saddlebag as Borjeet made them. “We need to go. Immediately. Borjeet, what starflower you have left, get packed up and send with one of the soldiers. We must take what we have and leave.” Xan looked at Rizon. “Things are more critical than we thought. We must go, now!”
Rizon dumped a bag of gold coin on the table and looked at Borjeet. “This is enough to compensate you many times over. We need all you have shipped to the capital immediately. I will instruct the soldiers outside to bring it as soon as you have everything else packed.” Rizon grabbed the saddlebag and turned, only to find Xan already gone.
Stepping out of the house, Rizon approached the sergeant and gave orders to have his two best riders ready to carry the remaining medicine to the Keep. Hearing the horses start to whinny in fear, Rizon looked to see Xan already changing into his dragon. It took everything the soldiers had to maintain control of their horses. Xan’s dragon looked over to Rizon and shook his head.
“Hurry, Brother. Our True One is in danger. Our father is worse. We’ll inform you as we fly, but we must go now!”
Rizon finished giving orders and raced to mount up on his brother’s back. For Xan to be this agitated, something must have gone terribly wrong.
Chapter 19
Ad’har watched as Lorann replaced the pad across Remi’s shoulder. There were red streaks under the skin running from under the pad. He never proclaimed to be a healer, but even he knew that didn’t look good. He watched Lorann add the used bandage to the pile of cloth that would need to be burned. She met his eyes as she straightened from her kneeling position.
“Commander, we can’t let her stay on the floor. We need to make her more comfortable.”
“I agree. When Prince Jarok and Prince Nicolas return, we will figure out a way.” Glancing at the door, he hoped the soldiers had found something, anything, to indicate who had perpetrated this act of cowardice. He was torn between being out there searching for the ones responsible and the direct orders of his blood brother. His dragon was urging him to stay and protect Remi. Two votes for staying made his decision.
Returning his attention to the bed, his gaze roamed over the form of the woman who came into the Keep in such a spectacular manner. From the quick glimpse he’d had as the soldiers took her to the underground lair, she had looked like a filthy street urchin. When she’d returned with Prince Xan, she had looked moderately cleaner, but when he had touched her at the portal door, magic had run through him, and his dragon had roared. He’d been speechless as his dragon reacted for the first time in decades. But her magical abilities…
Few people knew the extent of his magical powers, only members of the Royal Family knew the full extent. He was a distant cousin to the king, but he had never shifted, even with a dragon sharing his conscious. His father had told him that the gods had made up for that by giving him exceptional magicks as a Battle Mage. True, his were more attuned to war and protection than average, but he could sense magic being used anywhere within a five-mile radius. And he had sensed great magicks in that bathing chamber. He had made what could have been a fatal mistake, discounting anyone coming into the Keep and becoming distracted. Once he knew Remi had her own magicks, he had sent a small tendril to probe her abilities and her aura. She was not only a great healer, but she had some formidable shield and protection abilities of her own.
Everything he had witnessed since had only reinforced what he had seen, but what impressed him most was her selflessness in treating the king before herself. Her willingness to stand her ground against the royals’ opinions had to be a close second, but willingness to risk your own life for someone else’s is something he understood and admired. His dragon was already demanding he protect her and run off the other males.
Even now, he felt her magicks flowing between the king and herself. At first the flow had been strong, but as time continued marching on, the strength of that flow was diminishing. He feared Prince Xan would be too late in returning. The king was stronger than he had been, but it seemed it was at the expense of Lady Remi. Neither were out of danger yet.
A sound at the door jerked his head around. The princes returned through the door, both with frustration showing plainly on their faces. Both immediately looked toward the bed before turning to him.
“Any news, my lords?” Ad’har could tell from their body language it wasn’t good news, but he could still hope.
“Nothing was found of significance. No clues as to who was on the patio or where they went.”
“I’m sorry I failed, my lords. Once this emergency has passed, I will put all manpower into finding and punishing the traitors.” Ad’har looked toward the bed. “Could w
e not get Lady Remi into a more comfortable position? Her condition is worsening, I fear.”
“Yes, let’s get her onto the bed at least,” Nic stated, moving toward the opposite side of where Remi kneeled next to the bed. Ad’har stepped to Remi’s side, and when Nic and Jarok gently slid the king to the middle of the huge bed, he gently picked Remi up and kept her hand in contact with the king as he moved her onto the bed.
Ad’har kneeled onto the bed and gently arranged her to lay on her side facing the king. He left enough room on the outside that Lorann could tend her shoulder when needed.
“Lorann, arrange her clothing so she is comfortable. Stack some pillows near her arm to support it. Is there anything you need?” Jarok asked as he watched both bed occupants’ shallow breathing.
“M’lord, the best thing would be for Prince Xan to return. Everything I’m doing is just to try and keep them stable until he returns.” Lorann spoke as she placed a pillow under the arm Ad’har still held up.
Suddenly, the king’s breath began to stutter in his chest, and Remi’s followed suit…
* * * *
Remi was vaguely aware of the things going on in the room. Her whole concentration was in trying to fight the poison’s effects on King Minos. It seemed as if she had the effects controlled, but then his body would begin sliding toward death again. She let her mind wander down one side of his body and up the other, searching for possible hidden pools of the poison. As she was once again searching his brain, she realized that physically he was in the best position he could be. But mentally…
Remi did something she only did in extreme emergencies. She forced her way into his conscious mind.
She was suddenly standing on the balcony outside the king’s rooms, looking at the same gardens he had shown her earlier in the night. The moon was full and hanging high in the sky, which was clear and had a million stars twinkling down. The flowers, plants, and statuary all appeared in sharp definition, but it seemed as if a mist formed around the edges of her vision. Whatever she was looking straight ahead at was crystal clear, but her periphery vision was cloudy.
She wasn’t sure what drew her, but she felt herself moving into the gardens. She heard whispers of laughter and conversation everywhere. Out of the corner of her eyes she could have sworn she saw children dashing around, giggling, arguing, and as she kept moving the children aged in appearance. A young Xan talking to his father, Xan and Jarok arguing, Jarok and a male who, from his looks, must be Bardos—the brother she hadn’t met yet. A young Nic with the unknown boy.
Sprinkled among these visions, from the corner of her eye, she kept seeing a blurry image of a woman. She had long, midnight-black hair and seemed almost ghostly. Remi was following the path into the heart of the garden, listening to the sound of water splashing in the fountains when she heard King Minos’s deep voice, begging and pleading.
As she rounded the last shrub, Remi stopped at the edge of the small area that made up the center of the garden. There on the bench, sat the mysterious woman she had been seeing, only in clear relief. An elegant beauty with black hair that cascaded over her shoulders, falling to pool on the bench and trail over the edges. While Remi wouldn’t classify her as slim, the mysterious lady was by no means as large as Remi. The ivory dress she wore was sleeveless and showed toned arms, her skin a light tan color.
The lady whispered to the man who kneeled at her feet with his head in her lap, arms wrapped around her hips and hands fisted in the dark waterfall of her hair. She was stroking his hair and rubbing his back to comfort him. Upon a closer look, the man was King Minos. Remi listened closely, trying to figure out why Minos was thinking of this lady and this place.
“Aggie, I’m so tired. Please, my love, release me from my promise and allow me to join you. My dragon is so deep in mourning he may as well have died with you, and I feel the same way. Please darling, please.”
So this was the king’s lost wife, Agatha. It made sense to Remi now, for one to heal they had to have the will to survive. From what the king had told her just before they were shot, the only thing holding him to life was his promise to his wife. Remi averted her eyes as King Minos continued to plead with his wife. She knew Agatha wasn’t real, this was the king’s unconscious thoughts. She didn’t feel right eavesdropping, but she needed to figure out how to help the king.
While she pondered what to do, she felt eyes on her and looked up. Shock held her still as she looked into eyes the exact same shade as Xan’s. It was clear to her that Xan looked like his mother, black hair and blacker eyes. Agatha stared into Remi’s eyes even as she continued stroking the king’s hair. Remi wasn’t sure who Agatha was speaking to when she opened her mouth.
“My son can help you, darling. Nic has always had a way of getting to the heart of matters.”
King Minos shook his head. “My love, our son cannot help me. Only you can release me from my vow.” The king raised his head to look at his wife and Remi was shocked to see tears streaming down the man’s face. “Please, my love. Allow me to join you.”
Agatha’s eyes seemed to mist over as her hands framed the king’s face. “I wish I could, my love, but there is a higher purpose here, and you are a part of it. Our daughter needs you now and will need you even more as she matures. You must hang on for her!”
“You’ve said this before, Aggie, but have never explained. I love our daughter but she has her brothers to raise her, and now she will have Xan’s wife to help her. I’m an old, tired dragon. I would be useless to a young girl. Please, release me so I may join you!”
“My precious Minos, you are never useless! Our daughter adores you! You are needed to remain for a while longer.”
Remi watched as the king placed his head in Agatha’s lap once more and his shoulders began shaking. Agatha gently stroked his hair and once more looked up at Remi.
“My son, my Nicholas, can help you.”
Remi felt the sudden urge to turn and follow the path back to the balcony doors. She didn’t move but was suddenly at the edge of the garden near the place where she had started. Standing before her was Nic, as solid as if he were really there.
“Nic? What is going on?”
“I was about to ask you the same thing, Remi. I came into Father’s mind to try and figure out what is happening to both him and you, and yet here you are. So I’ll say it, what are you doing here, Remi?” Nic moved toward her, reaching out his hand as he began to pass her.
“When a patient is brought to me, I can mentally scan their body to see what is wrong. If it’s a life-threatening situation, like the king’s, I can remain…attached, for want of a better way to explain it…to their body to monitor their physical well-being. I can help when needed. When your father started declining, I scanned again, and while there are still trace amounts of the poison in his system, there isn’t a quantity sufficient to produce the symptoms he was showing.”
Remi took a deep breath as they traveled back down the path toward the center of the garden. “I have the ability to enter people’s minds but only use it in extreme emergency situations. I’ve noticed part of the healing process is the will to live. So I entered your father’s mind, and I think I know why he is declining.”
As she spoke, the entered the center of the garden and Nic stopped suddenly. As she looked up, Agatha was staring at Nic with pain in her eyes. Her hand stretched toward Nic as she slowly dissolved into mist.
She heard Nic whisper, “Mother!” and the king roared in pain, shot to his feet, and threw the stone bench against the nearest wall. Minos then fell to the ground, sobbing and moaning in pain. Nic moved as if to rush to the king, but Remi grabbed his arm.
“Wait, Nic. Your father and mother were talking while I was here earlier. I would swear your mother looked at me and said ‘My son can help you, darling. Nic has always had a way of getting to the heart of matters.’ I think you can help me figure out how to help your father live.”
Staring at his father, Nic’s face was white and drawn. �
��After she passed, we thought it was a sign that theirs weren’t a True Mating, but just a mating when he didn’t follow her into death. I guess we were wrong.” Nic’s voice choked off, and a tear trickled down his cheek.
“Maybe that is what we are supposed to figure out. From what I heard, your mother made him promise to remain until your sister was grown. Something about your sister would need him when she got older, and that there is a higher purpose at stake.”
“Those were the exact words? A higher purpose? Theo needs Father for some reason?”
Remi paused to recall the exact words before replying. “Yes. She also told him that he had to hang on for a while longer.”
Nic looked at her quickly before returning his stare to his father. “Go to him. Talk to him and ask about this promise. Get him to talk about Theo, and I’ll return as soon as I can.” Nic placed a quick kiss on Remi’s forehead then drifted into mist much like his mother had. Remi turned and headed for the king.
Kneeling next to him, she touched his shoulder and spoke softly. “King Minos? Please sire, are you all right?” She brushed the king’s hair down his back, realizing, in reality, it was so short it was almost shorn, but now it was as long as Xan’s.
“Leave me be. My heart can’t take it anymore. Let me die so I can have peace.” King Minos turned his head to the side, facing away from Remi. “I should have passed with her. I should have traveled into the next world with my mate. I let her talk me into a promise I can no longer keep.”
Remi settled cross-legged on the grass next to the king. “Queen Agatha said that your daughter Theo needed you. Do you know what she meant by a higher purpose?” Remi resumed stroking the king’s hair, trying to offer comfort any way she could. She didn’t know if this proud man would remember any of this, but she didn’t want him hurting and thinking he was alone in his pain.
The Dragon's Soul: Xan (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 15