The men exchanged knowing glances before Trey said, “The Reformation Sect and Dez dar Joon are not one and the same. Close. But there are still a few rational people skulking around in the shadow of that madman.”
Charlotte crossed her arms, tucking her hands tightly against her sides. “We’ve all assumed I’m a descendent of the House of Aune. Maybe we had it almost right. Maybe I’m a descendent, just—”
“Don’t even say it,” Trey cut in.
“Then how do you explain my eyes? Does anyone else on the planet have eyes this color? You have certainly reacted as if it’s unusual.”
Tal gently touched her face, his thumb curving just below her eye. “The shade is unique to the House of Joon.”
“Does this make us enemies?” She meant the question to be funny but it sounded sad, almost desperate.
“Never,” he whispered.
“I guess we should let Director Aksera have his office back,” Trey suggested.
They moved out into the corridor, Tal at Charlotte’s side. “You didn’t answer my question, you know,” she pointed out. “Will the Reformation Sect retaliate?”
“What do they have to retaliate for?” Trey protested. “You discovered Joon was intentionally impregnating women to increase the potency of his energy. We have the right to search every nook and cranny of that gloomy heap and make sure there are no more captives.”
“The troops are looking for more than captives and we all know it,” she said.
“Yeah, but the Reformation Sect can’t prove it,” Trey replied with a roguish smile.
The sharp clatter of bootheels echoed down the hall. Tal and Trey immediately stepped in front of her as the newcomer approached.
Charlotte had to peek between the brothers to see the man striding toward them. Resplendent in gaudy purple robes and flashing jewels, his intense turquoise eyes swirled rapidly and his hands fisted at his sides. He was obviously a Joon. But which one? Was this Lor’s father?
“TS troops are swarming my home,” the man began. “My brother is missing and I’ve just learned that you have information directly pertaining to the House of Joon. Why wasn’t I notified?”
“Nothing here concerns you, Lilt dar Joon,” Tal warned. “Step aside.”
“Let me see her,” Lilt demanded. “I want to look into the eyes of the meddlesome female who unleashed this madness.”
Incensed, she shouldered her way between the Aune brothers and faced Lilt squarely. “I did nothing but free the victims of your brother’s depravity,” she snapped.
“Who are you?” he demanded, his gaze searching her face, desperately searching. “She has our eyes, Aune! Why does your whore have our eyes?”
Tal sent him crashing into the wall with the wave of his hand. Before Lilt could move, Tal was there. Tangling his fists in Lilt’s plush robe, he slammed him twice into the wall. His temper not yet satisfied, he smashed his fist into Lilt’s nose. Warm blood gushed onto his knuckles. He absorbed the brutal pleasure without remorse. Lilt slumped in a graceless heap at his feet.
“If you come near her, I will kill you. If you ever touch her, I will kill you. If you harm her in any way, you will rue the day you were born and pray for death.”
Trey grabbed Tal around the middle, restraining him with great effort.
“Let’s go,” Trey urged.
Tal’s gaze swung to Charlotte and she nodded. “Yes. Get us out of here.”
With one last glare at Lilt dar Joon, Tal opened a transport conduit.
* * *
“Lilt dar Joon showed up at the clinic. Joon spies are everywhere.” Tal stood in the archway to one of the meditation chambers in the Conservatory. It was customary to respect the privacy of anyone using the chambers, so doors were unnecessary.
Considering all of the other rules he had broken today, Tal figured interrupting Vee’s meditation was incidental.
“I know,” Vee said, gracefully rising from the floor. “Was it wise to pummel Lilt? He has always been rational, for the most part. Now you have given him reason to sympathize with his brother’s fanaticism.”
“That was not my intention but—”
“He started it?” Vee teased. “An age-old defense, my friend.”
“Were you informed of the change in Charlotte?”
“Yes.” For a long, strained moment he said nothing more. “I am waiting for a transmission from the Symposium. As soon as it is received, I shall meet you upon the gallery. It should not be long. Please bring Shar Lott to me there.”
“Do you understand what is happening to her?” Tal asked urgently.
Vee inclined his head. “I await confirmation.”
He walked back into the meditation chamber so Tal had no choice but to leave him in peace.
* * *
Charlotte’s eyes narrowed as Tal handed her a transparent mug of blish. He tended to offer the beverage when he felt she needed to relax so she suspected whatever he had to say wouldn’t please her.
It was easy to understand why the Mystics spent so much time on the gallery. Peace emanated from the secluded valley surrounding the Conservatory, but the tranquil vista did nothing to calm Charlotte’s nerves.
“Just get it over with,” she suggested as Tal joined her on the bench. Charlotte set the mug on the table in front of them and met his smoky gaze. “Am I the reincarnation of a mass murderer or the carrier of some horrible plague? I’m beginning to wish you’d just left me on Earth.”
Tal chuckled. “I think you should spend less time with my brother. Trey intensifies your sarcasm.”
She sat back and crossed her legs. He had summoned her here. Let him carry the conversation.
“Vee will be here shortly.”
“You brought in reinforcements?” She tried to sound playful. “What’s this about?”
“Vee believes he understands what is happening to you.”
Impatiently brushing her hair off her forehead, she shot him an angry glower. “We’ve been through all this. Nothing is happening to me. Nothing is wrong with me. You need to get over it.”
“This is not just about your eyes.”
“Then what is all of this about?” she shot back.
“It’s about your heritage,” Vee announced as he stepped out onto the gallery. With a regal swish of his robes, he turned to face her.
His glistening white hair hung over one shoulder. Charlotte watched in fascinated silence while it worked itself into one intricate pattern after another—deftly, smoothly, like silken yarn on an invisible crochet hook.
“Does he even realize it’s doing that?” she whispered.
Tal chuckled. “It helps him think.”
“’Tis a complicated tale,” Vee muttered. “You must understand the significance of what I am about to reveal, not just the revelation.”
She shifted position on the bench. “Just start at the beginning and work your way through.”
He smiled, but the strands of his hair wove faster. “The beginning is a very long time ago, far longer than you realize. Your story is as old as the war itself.”
Reaching for the blish, she waited for Vee to speak.
“What are you talking about?” Tal asked.
“Listen, all will be made clear with the telling.” Vee focused his emerald gaze on Charlotte and began. “According to history, when Frim dar Joon abandoned E’Lanna dar Aune, she was carrying his third child. His abandonment was more than she could bear and E’Lanna lost the child. E’Lanna was strong, but Frim’s rebellion shredded the very fabric of her universe.”
Charlotte didn’t rush him. Tal had spoken briefly of how the war began, but apparently it was important that she understand the details.
“E’Lanna was a Mystic unparalleled. This world has never seen her like.” He paused, seeming to focus his thoughts. “She knew Frim would search for their daughters so she hid them away. Frim found their eldest and held her prisoner until she took her own life.”
Charlotte shivered. She ha
d endured Joon captivity for less than a day. Still she could imagine what horrors Tal’s ancestor must have suffered.
“Their younger daughter Sae dar Aune, was brought here to the Conservatory and the Mystics concealed her until after Frim’s passing. But Frim’s deeds were soon eclipsed by the evil of his son. No one guessed where the Great Conflict would take us or the price it would exact on Ontariese.” He sounded choked and she could almost see tears blurring his eyes.
Vee stepped away from the railing, his hair looped around his shoulders. “Fro dar Joon was born to Frim of his second life mate, the one he took after setting E’Lanna aside. Fro changed the nature of the Great Conflict. It was no longer a clash of ideals but a deadly civil war.
“The true irony is that Fro dar Joon was nearly a victim of his own ambition. His two sons died in the war and the House of Joon passed on to his nephew. Still his true legacy is thriving to this day. Fro dar Joon founded the Reformation Sect, which motivated the House of Aune to establish the Traditionalist Sect.”
“Then, you’re a descendant of E’Lanna dar Aune?” Charlotte asked Tal, making sure she had it all straight in her head.
He nodded. “Our connection to the High Queen is distant at best, but with the murder of my mother, even that is gone. According to the sacred traditions, the House of Aune must now bow to one of the other great houses.”
“I began my tale with the words ‘according to history’,” Vee reminded.
Tal and Charlotte both looked at him. Charlotte felt a shiver course down her spine. What did he mean? And what did all of this have to do with her heritage? And her eyes?
He took a deep breath, meeting her gaze directly. “E’Lanna did not miscarry. She delivered twin daughters and sent them through an interdimensional portal.” He paused as if searching for words. “Shar Lott, you are the third daughter of E’Lanna dar Aune and Frim dar Joon. You are a descendent of the Royal House of Aune as we suspected, but you also descend from the House of Joon. You are the heir to both royal houses.”
Chapter Fourteen
Charlotte felt frozen in time. Her lungs wouldn’t move. Her heart forgot its rhythm. What did he mean? Had she just won the lottery or been sentenced to life in prison?
Inhaling deeply, she scooted to the edge of the bench and set the mug aside. “How is this possible? The Great Conflict began almost a hundred years ago.”
“E’Lanna used both space and time to conceal your location,” Vee told her. “As we approached the era to which your mother sent you, your signal grew stronger. We believe this is how Dez dar Joon was able to locate you.”
“I don’t believe you.” She forced the words past the dryness in her throat.
“Doubtless, this is hard for you to accept, but there is no reason I would lie.”
She stood, her gaze darting from Tal to the twilight landscape before it returned to Vee. “I don’t know that. I want to see the scans. I want to… I’ve been here two months and you just now figured this out? Why didn’t you—”
“There was nothing of significance in the scans,” Tal reminded in a stunned monotone.
Vee moved toward her, his emerald eyes glowing subtly. “I asked the Symposium to compare your DNA pattern to that of E’Lanna dar Aune and Frim dar Joon. DNA is—”
“I know what DNA is,” she snapped. Tal came to her but she jerked away. “The cross-reference revealed that they were my parents?”
“Yes.” Vee waited until she looked at him again then reinforced the Symposium’s conclusion. “You are the daughter of Frim dar Joon and E’Lanna dar Aune.”
“But why?” Charlotte didn’t want to cry. She was a mature woman. Why did she feel like a part of her heart had just been stomped on? “Why was I sent away? To keep Frim dar Joon from finding me? Why didn’t someone come back for me?”
A single tear escaped despite her determination and she batted it away. Vee made the announcement as if this were the best thing in the world. He obviously expected her to cheer and embrace her heritage with wild enthusiasm. Instead she felt empty and cheated.
Tal tried again to touch her. She stepped farther away. He returned to the bench, leaving plenty of room for her to join him. Still she stayed against the wall, separate and alone.
“E’Lanna died generations ago but what about my sister? What’s her name? Where was she sent? Did they bring her back? Is she still alive?” She rattled off the questions so quickly she couldn’t remember how many answers to expect. “Wait, let’s come back to that. I’m still confused about the basics. Why was I left on Earth?”
“If Sae dar Aune had been lost or barren, perhaps you would have been retrieved,” Tal speculated.
That wasn’t very endearing. Annoyance eased the sadness just a bit. “I was a contingency plan,” Charlotte muttered.
“A failed plan we were led to believe,” Vee said, drawing their attention back to him.
“What does that mean?” she asked. “Led by whom?”
“The High Queen entrusted me with the secret of your existence. I knew the knowledge was too dangerous for one person alone to guard so I meticulously selected five others. Each swore to protect you with their life,” Vee explained. “I am the last of the six.”
“What led you to believe the plan failed?” Tal asked.
“The twins were sent through the portal with guardians, one male, one female, both powerful Mystics capable of Summoning the Storm. Shar Lott’s male guardian returned near unto death. He claimed that the illness afflicting him had taken Shar Lott’s life and the life of his mate. We had no reason to doubt his word.”
“Why would he lie to you?” she asked, spreading her arms. “I’m obviously alive.”
“He did not lie. We scanned his memories,” Vee clarified. “He overheard the healers on Earth saying it was only a matter of time before death claimed you. He knew if he waited any longer, he would not have sufficient strength to Summon the Storm and he wanted us to know what had transpired.”
Raking her hair with both hands, Charlotte tried to absorb everything Vee had said. None of it seemed real. Yet all of it made perfect sense. She possessed an extinct gift. She knew nothing about her biological parents. She had eyes like the House of Joon.
He spoke of history, events far in the past, people long gone—except for one. In a hushed, aching voice, the questions came rushing out again. “Where was my sister sent? Is she still alive? Can we bring her back? What is her name? For that matter, what is mine?”
“Her name is Krys dar Aune,” Vee supplied. “You are Shar dar Aune.”
“That’s why you refuse to call me Charlotte.” She stepped away from the wall and moved closer to Vee. “How long have you known?”
The most powerful Mystic on Ontariese began to fidget.
“I have suspected,” he admitted.
“And when did you intend to share your suspicions with me?” She planted her hands on her hips, facing him squarely.
“When you had become more comfortable with your role in our world. So much has been expected of you already. I did not want to burden you with—”
“With the fact that she is the High Queen of Ontariese?” Tal scoffed, coming up off the bench. “She deserved to know. This entire planet deserved to know.”
Vee stared at them stoically. “It was the sworn duty of the six to protect the royal twins, to shelter them from any and all danger. Shar Lott is not yet ready for the political tempest this revelation will unleash.”
“We cannot pretend we don’t know who she is,” Tal protested. “I’m the prefect’s son. If you were not prepared to go public with this information, why tell me?”
“It is not your decision to make,” Vee snapped.
“Is my sister still alive?” Charlotte asked again.
Heaving an impatient breath, Vee turned back to her. “I do not know.”
“What?” She rested her hand on the railing beside him, scowling up into his impassive face. “How can you not know?” Her legs trembled and he
r stomach knotted. How could she find some release from this tension?
“The guardians were to transmit a report once each cycle. No report has ever been received from your sister’s guardians.”
“Where was she sent?” Charlotte asked. “Is she on Earth or some other planet?”
“It is best if you not know,” Vee said. “Any knowledge you have regarding your sister could endanger you both. I have told you far more than I ought.”
“Bullshit!” She stepped backed, afraid she’d hit him. “It seems to me the all-powerful six didn’t do such a bang-up job of keeping the royal twins safe. I want to know exactly where and how you’ve searched. Then we’ll start over, looking at everything from a fresh perspective.”
After a long, silent moment, he asked, “Right now?”
Had Vee just cracked a joke? Surely not. She smiled, her lips trembled and then she laughed. Tears slid from the corners of her eyes and she quickly wiped them away.
“I believe she’s overwhelmed,” Tal said.
“Understandable,” Vee replied.
“Will you come sit down or shall I come get you?” Tal asked playfully.
She walked to the bench, her legs shaking beneath her. Tal joined her, slipping his arm around her shoulders before she could object to his embrace.
“I still don’t understand about my eyes,” she said, skimming the moisture from her lashes with her thumbnail. “If this is their natural appearance, why were they blue for so long? What caused them to change?”
“Before your mother sent you through the portal, she bound your gifts and shifted the appearance of your eyes. All was done for your protection. It is really a wonder the shift held as long as it did. Unbinding the catalyst probably triggered the deterioration and your heightened emotions completed the task.”
“I just took off my disguise,” she said quietly. Sitting up a little straighter, she asked, “What will be expected of me?”
“The Symposium is searching the Clarifications for the answer to your question,” Vee told her. “Never before has Ontariese faced a situation such as this.”
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