“I’m only stating a simple fact. He who wears the mantle pays a steep price for the responsibility.”
Dressed in a silver vest, with calm gold eyes and a silver braid flowing over his shoulder, many assumed Faris the least dangerous of them. Varyk saw beyond the smooth veneer and kept an eye on him more than the others. Well, with the exception of Kon. The King of the Purple was not to be trifled with. Varyk held in a chuckle of amusement. He didn’t trust any of his brethren much.
“Don’t you agree?” Faris asked.
Indeed the price was high. Of that Varyk had no doubt. Uvem was a perfect example of such and Varyk to a lesser degree. “Power is power. If one can’t handle it, he should step down.”
He’d grown tired of everyone extoling the virtues of the head of the Black. Rylin this and Rylin that. Those among all the sects admired him as the youngest Dracol to be selected by the Goddess for the mantle.
Lie! Varyk was the youngest. He knew true power at an age long before Rylin ever broke from his shell. But he couldn’t share that or he would dishonor the male who had risked his life on Varyk’s behalf. It had taken Uvem ninety years to deem Varyk prepared enough to accept the mantle again.
“I see you’re going to be your usual charming self.” Faris sighed and shrugged his shoulders, then set his empty glass down. “I’m going to speak with Dara and offer my gift.”
Varyk stayed as long as necessary then excused himself to head to the bedroom reserved for him. As was customary, the Kings had to spend the night in order to do a morning Dracol flight. The minute he landed, Varyk planned to teleport as quick as possible and return to the Green.
Otherwise, he’d want to fight Rylin on principle. In addition to the fact Rylin was on his second lira while Varyk was too afraid to take one.
Chapter 4
Screams split the night.
Inez jerked awake. Dara! She was up before the thought fully formed. Footsteps stormed by her closed bedroom door. Inez leaped to her feet, paying no heed to her sleepwear as she raced into the hall.
Guards she recognized rushed by, half-dressed. Bare torsos gleamed. Bejon, Layne, Mikal and none other than Rylin in the rear. He surged ahead of the others, his gaze frantic and his tanned features void of color. Inez joined the hectic race and snagged Layne’s arm. “What happened?”
Without breaking stride, the red-head answered. “Dara. She checks the shells at night.”
“Right. But she did that with Rylin earlier.” Inez had Dara’s schedule memorized. The night visit was something the two shared together. Intimate. At that point, Inez tended to go to bed.
They hurried down the stairs to the lower level of the castle and the next scream ended on a jagged note. Rylin snarled, black scales rippling across his arms and from his face down his neck. Claws sprung from his fingertips.
Inez winced as power soared through the connection via the mantle. Others flinched as well, but Rylin showed no signs of slowing as he almost ripped the door off the hinges and jumped down the stairs, only to trip over a body sprawled at the bottom.
Quinn.
Rylin didn’t pause, but Bejon dropped to a knee and gently turned the male over. Inez stopped to look but continued forward, her Dracol instinct demanding she see to her Queen. She whispered a plea to the Goddess for Quinn.
“Dara!” Rylin’s roar held the deep, rumbling tones of his Dracol.
Inez controlled her shiver as they reached the room containing the unborn children. The door hung open and Rylin tore through. He came to an abrupt halt in order to catch Dara, who leaped into his arms sobbing.
The others slammed into Inez’s back, then spread about the room looking for the hidden danger.
“Dara! Calm yourself. Tell me what happened?” It was clear to see the agony ravaging Rylin’s features. Their mating bond should easily transmit Dara’s feelings and thoughts.
“Finley,” Dara gasped, pushing up slightly in her mate’s arms, fingers clenching on his shoulders. Her short black hair stuck up in every direction and her body shook hard enough, none of them could miss it. “Someone’s taken Finley.”
Searching her memory, Inez came up blank on anyone matching the name. Her King, however, knew exactly of whom Dara spoke. Flames of fire bled into his eyes and the temperature in the room rose.
“Not possible,” Rylin growled. He kept one arm about Dara’s waist, nothing but gentleness in the touch and gazed around.
It took longer for the rest of them to grasp what was instantly notable to these two. Pain shot through Inez’s mid-section as the disbelief forced the truth on her. At the center of the room with piles of blankets and cushions, four waist high oval shells glowed with a golden sheen.
“What’s going on?”
Inez turned toward the new voice at the doorway. Varyk and Faris entered, brows creased as they took in the crowd.
“You! I trusted you near my lira and our children.” Rylin set Dara to the side and flew across the floor. He gripped Varyk’s green vest and rammed him into the wall. Twice.
Varyk’s enraged growl rolled through the room as he shoved Rylin back. Shouts came from everyone at the same time. Rylin threw Varyk off and scales rippled across the arms of both men. They dove toward one another, clashing around the limited space. Two raptors stripped to their essence.
Power whipped about the room and walls buckled in response. Faris propped a shoulder against a wall near the door and stayed well clear of the fight.
“Rylin!” Dara yelled.
Layne and Mikal circled the combatants looking for a break to separate the males. Any wrong move could see either or both injured. There was one person capable of getting Rylin to settle and right now she huddled by the four remaining shells as tears streamed down her cheeks.
Varyk knocked Rylin down and jumped on top of him, fists flying. “I don’t know what your problem is, Black, but I have nothing to do with it.”
Rylin’s arm flashed up and he gripped Varyk’s straining neck in a tight lock. “You hold the ability to teleport. How else could someone steal my daughter?”
Daughter? Inez frowned.
Varyk’s fist hovered in the air only inches from Rylin’s face. “I don’t care for you at all, Rylin, but what madness do you speak? I’ve never touched a child of yours. The young are to be unharmed and I hold true to the tenet.”
Dara stumbled to her feet. Countenance reflecting her fear, she stomped toward the males holding their positions on the floor and pointed at Varyk. “The Green can teleport and Finley’s missing.”
Varyk shoved to his feet and jerked his crumpled vest straight. “I don’t know any Black by the name of Finley and I’ll only say it once more. I’ve not teleported one of your sect with or without your knowledge.”
Puffs of green vapor slipped from Varyk’s lips. Dara choked back a cry and reached for Rylin who launched to his feet. Rylin responded with a stream of smoke from his nostrils. This was getting out of hand. Inez studied Varyk’s expression and for some reason she believed him. A quick glance around showed the others did as well.
Hoping to be the voice of reason, Inez strove for a calm tone. “Tell us what happened, Rylin.”
“My daughter is missing!” Rylin shouted. “Finley! Her shell is gone.”
***
Varyk should have ignored the screams and stayed abed. The room had been warmed to his liking and the linen soft. Instead, the noise and disturbance had awakened him and though he’d never admit it aloud, brought back a spurt of his childhood feelings of terror. Varyk wasn’t quite sure what Rylin accused him of doing but he felt fairly certain he’d had no part in it.
Missing? Shell? For the first time since entering, Varyk took note of the details of the room. It was tight quarters. Nowhere near the size of what was needed to support an entire sect.
There were four glowing ovals amidst a pile of tangled black covers. Surely Rylin had as many as Varyk did within his own home. Did someone steal all of them? “Where are the rest of your sh
ells?”
“This is the room my lira set aside to comfort our children until they’re born,” Rylin bit out.
Varyk’s brows lifted in surprise as realization set in. Not just any shell was missing but one holding the life force of Rylin’s young. But what the King of the Black also implied was impossible. “You know it’s a female?”
“None of your concern.”
“If you accuse me of something, Black, at least explain what I’ve done.”
Bejon, whom Varyk recognized from his run-ins with Rylin, came in helping a slumped over male. “Quinn says someone hit him from behind. He didn’t hear anything.”
“I came down because I couldn’t sleep,” Dara added. “I saw Quinn. And screamed. When I ran in here Finley’s shell was gone.” She got through her recital without crying but it was clear she hurt.
Rylin never took his gaze from Varyk’s face. “Why should I believe you have nothing to do with this? You don’t hide your dislike of me and have made it clear you consider me unworthy.”
“Exactly.” Varyk wouldn’t lie. “I’ve been honest about my feelings and wouldn’t resort to...to stealing children.”
“How else would someone sneak in unaware? How could they remove a shell filled with my essence if not for the ability only a Green possesses?”
Because the Green were able to teleport. The barrage of questions pounded at Varyk. How? He held up a palm for silence as he pulled on the mantle, searching, searching, searching. Hundreds of minds connected and Varyk tore through each for the answer. There would be no secrets. He wouldn’t tolerate it.
Mental flinches from his rough touch were ignored. Gripes and irritation was pushed away. There was little time for care when a life hung in the balance. The answer hit with a thud and anger followed with unexpected force. One of his was indeed responsible for this.
“You.Are.Right.” Rage vibrated in his tone. Bitter. Cold. The need to act tugged at Varyk. He shifted his gaze to a grieving Dara. “I am sincerely sorry for your pain.”
It was all Varyk had time for if he wanted to apprehend the one his mantle identified as being responsible. Larz, one of his own, travelled fast, his burden only slowing him slightly. Roaring out his challenge and sending the warning along the mantle, Varyk ported out immediately.
Chapter 5
Inez strapped two knives to the holster on her waist and sheathed her sword in the scabbard at her back. Her brain continued to loop around the events of the night. It was hard to imagine anyone being this bold. Although apparently King Varyk knew someone. The question lay in whether he planned to turn in the perpetrator or help him hide. Since he’d left abruptly, without giving any details or explanations, they were at a lost. He’d teleported out of the room with the blink of his golden eyes.
“Are you sure, Inez?” Rylin’s tone may have been calm but the look in his eyes was anything but. Trails of smoke streamed from his nostrils in a steady flow.
They were in Inez’s bedroom as she rushed to head out in search of his missing child. Inez repeated the reasons she’d already gone over with him for why she was the only choice. “You can’t leave Dara. Bejon, Layne and Mikal need to guard the other children. And who else do you trust to do this quickly and quietly?”
The truth could not get out. There would be upheaval and cries for battle.
“I have dozen of Dracols at my command to pursue this. Hundreds more if I reach out beyond the castle.” He dragged a trembling hand through the short strands of his black hair.
“The key is quiet, Ry. If word spreads, who knows what would happen.”
Inez could only guess at how frustrated and scared he had to actually be. The mantle acted as a connection for the King. He could touch on their minds or emotions at will. It also enabled him to draw off the strength of every Dracol in his sect. Which he did right now. Rylin was sucking up power in great waves and she felt the insistent tug like a constant ache at the back of her head.
It didn’t matter to Inez. She’d let Rylin drain her dry and so would a number of others, if it meant it would help the unborn little one. Not because he was king but because he gave back of himself and sacrificed without complaint.
Rylin’s nature may demand he go after the enemy personally, but it wasn’t feasible. He couldn’t leave his lira and until they knew what was going on, leaving the other babies unattended was not an option.
“I’m the only choice, Ry. Ignore the fact we’re family and think. I can move faster alone. Plus, Varyk might not attack when he catches me following because I’m a female.”
Rylin spit fire in a small burst and paced from one end of the room to the other. “You know he won’t care.”
Probably not, but if he hesitated for a second it might be all the time Inez needed to convince him to let her help. “Maybe.”
“I’ll agree but there’s something else you need to know.” He spoke in a solemn tone. “I’ve been sharing my energy to help sustain the shells, because my essence wasn’t strong enough to create five.”
Inez was at a loss for words. She remembered what Dara had mentioned earlier. Pieces slowly clicked into place.
The confession continued, Rylin’s voice choked. “It was an accident. Dara didn’t know what she was doing. We managed. Dara’s hope and my small surges have kept them alive. I’m not sure how long our daughter can last without it before she fades in the shell.”
Inez could tell it cost him to tell this private detail. She clasped one of his hands in hers. “Rylin, I’ll bring her back.”
A little to girl to welcome to the family.
“I’ll bring her back safe even if it means I have to threaten the Green king himself to get us here in time. Don’t worry.”
His grim look didn’t agree. “You belong to my sect. It’s all Varyk needs to justify hating you. And you’re my cousin, so expecting me not to worry won’t work.”
An unwilling grin pulled at Inez’s lips. She grabbed the bag she’d stuffed and crossed to Rylin to offer a one-armed hug. “I’ll be fine.”
Maybe those were famous last words. After hours of trumping through the jutting landscape from her home and into the heart of Green territory, Inez began to worry. She’d crossed the boundary of their land, which put her close to violating laws. Wars started over less.
Sweat dripped down the sides of her face, her hair sticking to the back of her neck. Overhead branches thick with vines and foliage shadowed the sky and left little visibility. The late night still held the heat of the day and humidity did its part to increase her discomfort.
Since there was no initial trail to follow, Inez’s decision to travel in this direction could backfire. She paused at a large moss covered cropping of rocks and rested a hip against the side. Hopefully she was right. Let her be right. She had nothing to go on besides her gut and belief that if a Green did this, he’d head to familiar grounds to hide.
A broken sigh slipped past her lips as she glanced around. If only the Green didn’t reside in in an area made of one massive jungle after another. Nothing like the cleared lands and placid lakes where the Black lived.
It also didn’t help that female Dracol couldn’t shift. Inez would have loved the ability to search from the skies above. A male could have carried her as they swept the land together, except it would give King Varyk all the more reason to attack without cause.
Still, she might have been a step overconfident in her assurance that she’d make better and quicker time without help. On top of her growing disappointment on not finding any sign as soon as she hoped, Inez prayed the perpetrator struggled to travel as well with the added burden of the shell he’d taken.
At least only the King could port long distances, leaving whoever did this to short jumps and flashes. Inez was bound to catch a break.
A loud round of cursing from the path ahead caused her to stiffen. Inez withdrew her sword as she crept forward, her booted feet silent on the soft grass. More cursing with an edge of pain in the sound sent her running in t
hat direction, giving up stealth for speed.
“Hello?” The cursing cut off abruptly. Tension slivered through her gut, the thick air clogging her breathing. “I know you’re out here.”
Was it the Green she sought? Inez moved forward another step. Her feet sunk into softer turf, broken branches crackling beneath her boots.
“Stop!” The sharp order vibrated with a wealth of command and Inez froze. Something about the voice sounded familiar, but there was an odd timber to it which kept her from identifying the person.
“Who are you?”
“The better question is who are you? Trespassing on Green territory is a punishable offense.”
Maybe she would have been scared if not for the slight gasp on the end of the warning. Inez surveyed the area. Night crawlers croaked, leaves rustled and insects joined in nature’s after hours musical. Inez peered into the darkness as if her vision could pierce the veil.
The voice seemed close, very close, yet she saw no sign or hint of a presence. Her senses screamed a warning Inez couldn’t place.
“Yes, well, the King would have to catch me for that.” Inez threw out the taunt as she went to one knee to study the ground closer.
There was a distinct depression where the grass and this stretch at least ten feet across didn’t match. Almost as if someone covered something up. Another few steps and she’d have walked right over it.
“You dismiss a potential cause to w-w-war?”
Her head jerked up. There was no way to miss the arrogance in the statement. Impossible. Not even the stutter could hide the identity. “King Varyk?”
An exasperated exhale met her inquiry. “You must be one of Rylin’s.”
Frowning, Inez rose to her feet and backed up. She checked around looking for—aha. Her gaze landed on a fallen tree limb. Inez retrieved it, then ever careful, used it to prod at the area about her feet in front of her. With a sudden crash and yawn, the section of land caved in leaving a giant hole behind.
Relentless Fire Page 3