Hareem’s intervention was actually quite surprising, but the emperor made no note of it. Phoenix suspected that under normal circumstances, he would have berated Hareem for even opening his mouth. However, now, the second Rachen’s focus was completely on Phoenix. “I will be brief, then,” he said. “The war with the werewolves and vampires was bloody and cruel. We lost some battles, and we won others. Toward the end, we realized that Ornoz was the only force who could keep the world from crumbling. The humans didn’t deserve the sacrifices that had been made to keep them safe. They were weak, and they could only be of use as Ornozian slaves. Sure, the other species tried to resist, but in the end, we were too powerful.”
“And where does Prince Kaelezrin fit in all this?” Phoenix prodded. That was his greatest dilemma. What had happened to the great warrior? Why had Karein behaved the way he had the first time Phoenix had mentioned Kaelezrin’s name?
As it turned out, Karein reacted once more. The red from the emperor’s hair disappeared, and Karein stood in front of Phoenix again. “And we return to that matter,” he said, his eyes glittering with a silent threat. “How do you know about him?”
This was clearly another point where the two realities clashed, and Phoenix didn’t know what to answer that wouldn’t make Karein even angrier and less inclined to cooperate. Rachen, however, had a pretty good idea. “We know more than you think,” he told Karein. Following a sudden gut feeling, he blurted out, “Take us to him.”
“You must think I’m an idiot,” Karein replied, chuckling lightly under his breath, “but very well. Just be careful what you wish for.”
Before Phoenix could figure out what that meant, Karein waved in Hareem’s direction. Instantly, Hareem shot into motion. He left the room and returned mere moments later with a group of guards. They brought several outfits with them, obviously meant for Rachen and Phoenix. “Get dressed,” Karein ordered.
Phoenix was more confused than ever, but he nevertheless complied. As a rule, Phoenix wasn’t all that modest about nudity, but for some reason, he felt like the garments—as strange and alien as they were—provided him with an armor against the hostile eyes of the rest of the people in the area. Rachen received an outfit, too, but he was more focused on helping Phoenix than he was on putting on his own clothes. He reached for Phoenix, attempting to help him with his shirt and pants.
Rachen’s efforts were sweet and quite endearing, but entirely unnecessary. For the first time, Phoenix acknowledged that he felt quite… normal, for lack of a better word. He wasn’t weak or in any kind of pain. With a pang, he realized that the last of his power had been used to heal his injuries. That phoenix he’d seen in the strange desert had been his beast, and it had given him a farewell present before disappearing.
“I’m fine,” he told Rachen through their mental bond. “I can handle this.”
Rachen reluctantly gave him some space, but he kept hovering and staring at Phoenix, as if expecting him to shatter any moment now. It seemed obvious that, even if they’d been so suddenly thrust into having to handle this mess, Rachen remained very worried. Phoenix respected that concern, and he flooded their connection with waves of reassurance, opening his heart to Rachen and showing him that he was truly okay.
At last, Rachen reached for his own clothes. Even as they dressed, though, Phoenix kept puzzling over the situation. “I still can’t understand a thing,” he told his mate. “What are we to do now?”
“For the moment, let’s see Kael,” Rachen answered. “I admit Karein’s behavior unsettles me more and more, but we don’t have any other choice but investigate this.”
Finally, they finished pulling on their garments. Once they were ready, Karein said, “Come.”
He gave no other explanations, instead pivoting on his heel and guiding them out of the room, with his brother as always by his side. Even between the two of them, the dynamic had completely changed. Phoenix wondered if this new Hareem was as emotionless as he seemed, or if he’d maintained the core of goodness of the original one.
The guards accompanied them through several winding corridors, until they started descending into the dungeon level. They went deep into the mountain, far lower that Phoenix had ever been. At one point, Karein gestured for the guards to stop.
“Wait here,” he said. “No one moves until we return.”
The draechen glanced at Rachen and Phoenix with unease written on their faces, but didn’t comment. “We live and die by your command,” they said.
Hearing that phrase was oddly comforting for Phoenix. It seemed one of the few things that had remained the same in both worlds. Naturally, he then realized what it meant that those words had been among the few things that had survived in Ornozian tradition. Disheartened, Phoenix prayed that this meeting with Kael wouldn’t go like he thought he would. It certainly wasn’t very promising that they’d been taken to the dungeons.
“Perhaps he doesn’t plan to take us to see Kaelezrin at all,” Rachen said. “For all we know, he could just intend to trap us here and throw away the key.”
“Do you really think that?” Phoenix inquired.
Rachen sighed and shook his head. “Even in this reality, the Rachen inside him feels affection toward you. He might hate my guts, but he wouldn’t risk your life, especially not now.”
Phoenix agreed, and so, they followed Karein and Hareem deeper into the dungeons. In spite of not fearing for his own safety, though, Phoenix began to feel increasingly apprehensive. Tendrils of darkness appeared to reach from him from the shadowy corners of the corridors. It was so cold, colder even than it should have been in the depths of the mountain. Shivering, Phoenix pressed himself to Rachen’s side, finding comfort in his mate’s familiar heat.
It was only because of Rachen that Phoenix didn’t scream when a loud roar sounded ahead. However, he did freeze in his tracks, chilled to the bone, and not because of the temperature. There was just something in that roar that sounded so wild, so animalistic and insane. Phoenix had been around a lot of draechen. He was in love with one and had heard Rachen’s roar countless times. But it had never been like this, so… dark and horrible, like pain, hatred, anguish, and destruction wrapped into a single sound.
Karein and Hareem stopped, too, so he wasn’t the only one who’d freaked out a little. “That is Prince Kaelezrin,” Karein said, turning toward Phoenix. “He was severely injured during the war, absorbing too much energy in an attempt to control the attack on the fae capital of Eternelle. By the time reinforcements got there, his powers were already out of control. Eventually, that was his undoing, and he almost perished due to being overwhelmed by the magic. He narrowly survived dying, but at that point, he was already a danger to Ornoz. We have been keeping him here ever since.”
“We can’t go any further because his powers still leak out of him,” Hareem elaborated. “But he is imprisoned there, in a cave he cannot escape.”
Phoenix was horrified. “Imprisoned? Practically buried beneath Draechenburg? But… But why? He has a mate. How could you separate them?”
“I don’t know what mate you speak of,” Karein replied bitingly, “and this is history. By the time I took the throne—no, by the time I was even born—he’d already been jailed for centuries. Not that I have to justify our actions to you, but he is a peril to Ornoz.”
“And you aren’t?” Rachen inquired, arching a brow. “You’re skirting on the edge of madness. Will you submit to being trapped here like Kael one day?”
“Emperor Shtamakarein honors us by leading Ornoz,” Hareem snapped at him. “I can’t imagine that you would understand, but his power goes beyond any limits someone like you would understand.”
“Being a black dragon is indeed a rare gift,” Karein added. “It’s regrettable that Prince Kaelezrin failed to appreciate it.”
A rare gift. That didn’t sound at all like what Phoenix knew of black dragons. In fact, in Phoenix’s world, black dragons were considered a bane, a curse, a dangerous, uncontrollable for
ce that needed to be held in check for as long as possible and destroyed once it became too much to contain. He had thought that was the reason for Kaelezrin’s imprisonment, but obviously, logic worked differently in this reality.
“That’s what this is all about,” Phoenix said, suddenly dazed. “You aren’t hiding him here because he’s dangerous. You’re keeping his existence from other draechen because he is a black dragon, and he would be a challenge to your throne.”
It was so petty, so nauseating, so unlike the actions of the Karein Phoenix had grown accustomed to, the one who’d done his best to trust Phoenix and help him even when all signs pointed to him being a threat. Phoenix almost couldn’t reconcile this obvious selfishness to what he knew of the Karein who lived in his heart as Rachen’s twin brother.
“That’s one of the reasons, yes,” Karein admitted. “But what would you have me do? Set him free so that he could unbalance the whole of Ornoz? I’m at war, and I already have enough problems. I can’t afford another one.”
“That doesn’t make this right.” Phoenix shook his head, tears burning at the corner of his eyes as he remembered the way Kael had been. Even if he hadn’t trusted Phoenix, he’d always shown such love and affection toward Talrasar that Phoenix couldn’t help but miss him, too. “He deserves better after everything he did for the world.”
Karein frowned. “He did his duty and nothing more. It’s regrettable that he lost control of his powers, but he’s not the first dragon or the last to suffer in battle.”
“And what about Talrasar then?” Phoenix asked desperately. “Where is he?”
“Talrasar?” Karein hummed thoughtfully. “Oh, I remember now. That was the name of the fae prince who led the Ivenian forces back then, right? To my knowledge, he was injured, too. I don’t know what happened to him after that.”
“I believe that he never rejoined the army after the battle of Eternelle,” Hareem offered. “He was injured, too, but records say he survived and was taken into the care of his father.”
“For all we know, he’s still alive now,” Karein mused, “although it’s doubtful. We would have figured it out by now, or faced him in battle.”
Talrasar was dead? No wonder Kael was practically out of his mind. Gods, this was all wrong, and so very terrible. Phoenix couldn’t believe that he’d been able to change history quite to this extent.
It was clear to him now that the Great Sacrifice had never happened. Kael and Talrasar had chosen not to discard their bond. They had lost the battle of Eternelle, and likely the Ivenians had been massacred. If Kael and Talrasar had managed to survive, there had been no great cause to usher everyone toward cooperation.
In the end, that had been the legacy of the Great Sacrifice, the noble gesture that had shamed everyone else into action. It had eventually caused the Directive to be born. Phoenix had thought that law was pure evil, but he realized now he’d been simple-minded and mistaken. As bad things went, it had been the right choice to make in a situation where one single misstep could have led to disaster. Even if it had enslaved the werewolves and vampires, even if its provisions had been dreadful, it had still protected the same people it had controlled. Without it, the draechen had destroyed everything indiscriminately, ultimately leading to a world so different to the one Phoenix knew.
Phoenix could only wonder what other differences existed because of that one choice Kael and Talrasar had made. But no, it hadn’t been their choice, but Phoenix’s. Phoenix had changed their decision and, through it, the outcome of the battle. He hadn’t meant to do it, but that didn’t make him any less guilty.
What right did he have to blame Karein for living the way his world had taught him? For his part, Phoenix didn’t think he could have done anything else. He had wanted to save his mate, and that was one thing he didn’t regret. He wasn’t ashamed of using his powers to change the past, because it had brought Rachen back to him. If that was selfish, so be it. He would assume it and assume the blood now staining his hands. He would accept the pain and death he’d brought about, and he would try to atone for it—but he wouldn’t turn back, because Rachen’s life meant more to him than the world itself.
In the end, Phoenix had been the one to create these circumstances. He had to own up to it. Karein couldn’t kill him, and as long as that remained valid, Phoenix would keep Rachen safe from the draechen emperor, too. The fact that this world’s Rachen was still within his twin could be considered a ticking bomb, but if Phoenix played his cards right, it could also be an advantage. Perhaps something in this torn world could still be fixed.
“I’m ready to tell you the truth now,” he said. “I’m warning you that you might not believe what I have to say.”
“I suppose we’ll just have to see about that,” Karein replied.
He sounded very sure of his own ability to handle whatever Phoenix threw at him, but Phoenix knew that wasn’t the case. He shared a worried look with Rachen. “Am I doing the right thing, Rachen?” he asked through their bond.
“I think that, at this point, we can’t do much else,” Rachen replied. “But don’t worry. Whatever happens, I’ll always be by your side.”
Just like that, Phoenix’s heart grew a little lighter. Yes, he could do this. He could shoulder the burden of what he had done. His mate was with him, and as long as he had Rachen, nothing could beat them. He was sure of it.
* * * *
As a general of the Chrysalidian Wyverns, Hareem had learned many things. Most of all, he had grown accustomed to expect anything and trust no one. However, the arrival and behavior of his brother’s mysterious guests shocked him and made him wary.
It wasn’t only the stranger’s resemblance to Karein, although that certainly contributed to it. He just felt like whatever secrets they were hiding could potentially unbalance Hareem’s entire world.
He couldn’t stop this any longer, and he didn’t really want to. He needed to hear what these people had to say. Thankfully, he didn’t have to wait for much longer. Karein guided them all toward the exit of the dungeons. He dismissed the guards, and, together, they made their way toward the imperial wing. They bypassed Caelyn’s quarters and entered Karein’s. Hareem didn’t know why his brother had picked this particular location for the conversation. Perhaps Karein also realized how important this was. Either way, Hareem appreciated the privacy.
He did note the way the two men glanced around Karein’s quarters. There was something about their demeanor that made Hareem feel like they’d been here before. He frowned, but didn’t question it. For the moment, he’d just keep silent and wait to see what happened.
“Start with the beginning,” Karein told the two men. “Who are you, and why did you claim kinship with me?”
“My name is Rachen Tersain,” Karein’s look-alike replied without missing a beat. “I am your brother, your twin to be more exact—the twin you once killed when we shared the same egg.”
Out of all the possible things Hareem would have expected the stranger to say, that wasn’t one of them. It also wasn’t very smart. Karein’s dead twin was a sore spot, and something Karein didn’t discuss, ever, not even with Hareem.
Karein clenched his fists, but held his temper. “You said it, not me. My twin is dead. If you’re trying to play games again…”
“It’s true,” Alwyn Cyraltin—or the man who’d impersonated him—said earnestly. “He is your twin. Please just listen to us. Everything you will hear will probably sound very shocking, but I urge you to keep an open mind.”
Karein narrowed his eyes, but nodded. For his part, Hareem really didn’t know what to think about this new development. On some level, he felt a sort of kinship with the man claiming to be Karein’s twin, but that didn’t mean he was stupid enough to fall for any tricks.
Just when he thought that surely the couple couldn’t surprise him any longer, Rachen started to speak once more. What he said froze Hareem’s blood in his veins.
“As I was saying, my name is Rachen, and this i
s my mate, Phoenix. We come from a different reality, one where the war for draechen supremacy never happened and the world is at relative peace. It is a long story, but in this reality, a spell allowed me to become my own person even if you absorbed my soul into yours.”
“In this reality, Prince Kaelezrin and his mate, Prince Talrasar, committed suicide to save Eternelle,” Phoenix said. “It is an event commonly known as the Great Sacrifice. Because of their deaths, the paranormal world came together and instituted a law to control the werewolves and vampires. Later Prince Kaelezrin and his mate returned through the same enchantment that gave me life. The political system is now an imperial consulate, and Ornoz is led by the two of you, together with Kael.”
At that point, Karein finally stopped the wild tale. “You must truly think I’m stupid,” he said with a chuckle that held very little amusement. “All right. I’ll play along. How did this alternate reality even come to exist?”
“You misunderstand,” Phoenix said. “That was the original reality. I changed it. I changed history. As far as I can tell, it’s because I kept the Great Sacrifice from ever happening.”
“You? You don’t seem that powerful to me.” His breath caught, as if he’d just remembered exactly how he knew that. Neither Rachen nor Phoenix mentioned Phoenix’s earlier injuries.
“That’s because I don’t have my abilities anymore.” He hesitated, biting his lower lip. “You asked Rachen why he called me by this name, right? Well, it’s not just a name. That was what I used to be. The phoenix. I’m guessing Ornoz might have met up with my equivalent, so you know that the magic I speak of exists.”
Anger rose within Hareem like a harsh blizzard. Yes, he knew of the phoenix. They all did. Hareem hadn’t actually fought it, because when the creature had emerged, he’d been assigned to the emperor’s private guard. At that time, they’d all been taken by surprise by the unexpected weapon Elusia had revealed. But while Hareem hadn’t faced the phoenix in battle, he’d seen the aftermath of the destruction it had caused before Karein had finally created a truce between Ornoz and the sprites. And because of all that, he could no longer hold his tongue.
Hyacinth, Scarlet - From the Ashes [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 7] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove) Page 8