“Are you okay?”
“I’m Fine.”
“You know, Jackson—”
“Yes, Ryleigh.” He stopped and faced her, releasing his death-grip on her hand. “I do know. I know exactly what I have to do, exactly where my responsibilities lie, and exactly how this must end.”
They’d had this discussion before, numerous times, and he couldn’t handle it right now. Chayce had to die. Period. There was no room for sympathy, no room for compassion, no room for anything but determination and strength.
Given the chance, Chayce would destroy Cymmera and everyone in it. Chayce would be strong. He would be decisive. He would not lack the courage to achieve his goal.
Knowing that didn’t make Jackson’s mission any easier. “There’s no other choice, Ryleigh.”
His father had ruled this kingdom with an iron fist. It couldn’t always have been easy. Yet, he’d never bowed under the pressure, never caved no matter how difficult the circumstances. Even at the moment of his death, he’d remained strong enough to pass on the knowledge his oldest son would need to rule Cymmera. Too bad Jackson hadn’t been strong enough to see and accept it sooner.
“Let’s go.” He continued toward the chambers without taking Ryleigh’s hand again. His feelings for Ryleigh made him soft. He would have to get a grip on them. If he was going to have emotions, so be it, but he’d be damned if he’d allow them to get in the way of his responsibility to his kingdom. Again.
He pushed through the door of the Council Chambers into chaos. The Council heads had already gathered, as had the Death Dealers, the Queen’s Army, and a few of the upper Cymmeran Guard members. News traveled fast in Cymmera. “What’s going on in here?”
“Sir.” Elijah, the prophet and Jackson’s most trusted advisor, dropped to his knee in greeting.
The others in the room followed his lead. An undercurrent of excitement sizzled in the strained silence and continued as the men and one woman rose to their feet. There should have been two female council members present, Tatiana Storm, head of the Disciplinary Council, and Mia, Ryleigh’s closest advisor. Mia’s absence, in addition to the odd behavior she’d been exhibiting lately, heightened Jackson’s concern. He’d have to check on her when this was done.
Jackson and Ryleigh took their places at the center of the horseshoe-shaped, stone table. The other twelve council heads stood at attention behind their seats, six on either side of the table, waiting for Jackson and Ryleigh to be seated. The Death Dealers and all eight members of the Queen’s Army, along with the few Guardsmen, lined the back wall.
Dakota Knight, head of the Advisory Council and Jackson’s partner on the Death Dealer team, stood at his left, Ryleigh at his right. Together, Jackson and Ryleigh sat.
Max settled at Ryleigh’s right, between her and Mia’s empty seat.
Chairs scraped against the stone floor. Voices rose as everyone struggled to be heard. Papers and books rustled and thumped against the table, echoing through the chamber.
Dakota leaned close to Jackson. “Do you think it’s true?”
“I don’t even know what it is yet, Dakota.” And he’d never find out if he didn’t restore some sense of order to these proceedings. He slammed the gavel against the tabletop.
A tense hush fell over them.
“Darius. Explain.”
Darius Knight, head of the Security Council, approached the podium in the center of the horseshoe. “Sir. I have received word of your br—uh, Chayce Maynard.” Everyone knew better than to refer to that traitor as Jackson’s brother in his presence, but he’d have to forgive an occasional slip. Old habits and all that.
“Tell me.” He tossed the unread scroll onto the table. He’d read it later, when he was alone. For now, he wanted the interpretation of his most trusted consultants.
Darius threw up his hands and shook his head. “I don’t honestly know, Your Majesty. The information seems credible, yet… I can’t be sure.” He smoothed his dark hair. The silence amplified the creak of his long leather jacket.
Jackson gave him time to collect his thoughts, even though he wanted to leap over the table, shake the man, and demand to know if he understood the urgency of the situation. He folded his hands and set them on the table. A pose his father had often taken. Jackson couldn’t help wondering if his father’s insides had boiled with the same turmoil Jackson’s now did while maintaining that outward impression of calm.
“We have received word of a strange old man living in the wilds of Argonas. Not just the forests, but the coldest, harshest, most dangerous land in the realm. Survival there would be near impossible.” Darius rested his hands on the podium and hung his head. When he lifted it, his expression had hardened. “At least, it would be for anyone other than the strongest sorcerer.”
“Thaddeus.”
He nodded. “That’s what we think.”
“And if Chayce’s seer, one of the most gifted sorcerer’s in existence, is living there, Chayce is as well.”
“Yes, sir. We believe so.” Darius shrugged. “Hell, Jackson, he’d be a fool to leave Thaddeus, and no matter what any of us think of Chayce, he’s no fool.”
No, he wasn’t. He was smart, devious, and pure evil. They’d do well not to underestimate him.
“Thank you, Darius. Elijah?”
Elijah, the Cymmeran prophet, had been one of his father’s most trusted advisors and head of the Peacekeeping Council. If anyone could have found a nonviolent solution to the threat Chayce posed, it would have been Elijah, who had helped raise Jackson and Chayce. Even he had voted for Chayce’s execution.
“Your Majesty.” Elijah rifled through the papers scattered on the table in front of him. After selecting a few pages, he pushed his chair back and rose, then lingered beside his seat before setting them aside in exchange for a book.
Didn’t anyone in this chamber realize the need to hurry? By the time they got around to going after Chayce, he’d be long gone. “What have you seen?”
He propped the big book on the podium, opened it, and paged leisurely through. The crackle of the ancient tome’s crisp pages echoed through the chamber. Elijah’s visions often dictated the course of action Cymmeran leaders would take. His words in the next few minutes would most likely be the deciding factor in how they proceeded, would determine the fate of Cymmera.
Those seated propped onto the edges of their seats. Those standing leaned forward.
Even Max sat straighter, his ears perked up.
The silence hummed with anticipation.
Jackson held his tongue. If the prophet was moving this slowly, surely there was reason. He’d often scolded Jackson that things needed to happen when they were supposed to happen, not necessarily when Jackson wanted them to happen.
“Your Majesty.” He ran his finger over a page and frowned. “I have been…interested…in this area of Argonas for quite some time. My visions in this matter have been vague of late. Too vague really, yet…” Elijah muttered something to himself. “Unfortunately, this is not the path down which my sight has been taking me. Other visions have consumed most of my attention. Visions of what will happen. Of what must happen if this kingdom is to survive.” He assessed Ryleigh, his expression vacant, as it often was when a vision gripped him.
She frowned at Jackson and shifted in her seat.
Elijah returned to his senses with a shake of his head. “I can tell you this information is just the beginning. Not only the beginning of this battle, but the beginning of a new—”
The chamber door swung open, and Mia strode through carrying a small scroll. “I’ve found it, Elijah, but—”
“Thank you, Princess.” He took the scroll and placed it atop his book.
“Elijah, please, listen—”
“That’s enough, Mia.” The prophet was unusually abrupt. “Please. Do as I asked.”
“But—” Mia sobbed.
He gripped her upper arms, bringing her face to face with
him. If not for the tomblike silence in the chamber, he would not likely have been heard. “Mia. We’ve been over and over this. There is no other way.”
When he released her, she wiped her eyes with the sleeves of her oversized sweatshirt and stayed where she was.
He cupped her cheek. “I trust you will do what you must, my child.”
She leaned into his delicate hand, closed her eyes, covered his hand with her own, and nodded.
Elijah stepped back and lowered his hand. “Go, now. Quickly. The events have already been set in motion, not by our doing. There is no turning back now.”
She turned to leave, spun back, threw her arms around Elijah’s neck, and mumbled something against his chest before fleeing the chamber.
Ryleigh jumped up.
Jackson gripped her wrist, stood, and leaned close. Mindful of how sound carried in the chamber, he whispered, “Allow her to do what Elijah has asked. We will seek her out together once this is done and make sure she’s all right.”
“I—”
“Please?”
Staring after Mia, Ryleigh caught her lower lip between her teeth, glanced at Max, then perched on the edge of her seat and folded her hands on the table in front of her. She twined her fingers together so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Elijah wiped tears from his cheeks and returned his attention to Jackson. “Sir. It is time. Argonas will need protection from the coming war.” His expression hardened, no trace of the fragile man who’d held Mia, who’d spent his entire existence in search of peace, remained. “As will Cymmera. You will need to arrange for that before you begin your journey.”
“Journey? To Argonas?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. You will cross the barren lands until you reach the great mountains. Once there, you will leave the dragons at the base and climb to the very top.”
“Is that where I’ll find Chayce?”
“That, sir”—Elijah’s gaze bored through him, his crystal blue eyes hard as ice—“is where you’ll find your destiny.”
Jackson had lived with Elijah’s cryptic messages his entire life. The prophet couldn’t give any more information than necessary to achieve missions he dictated. But this was extreme, even for Elijah.
Elijah approached him and placed a scroll on the table in front of him.
The scroll Mia had brought in? Jackson couldn’t be sure. His attention had wandered for just a moment or two when Ryleigh had stood to leave, long enough to make it possible for Elijah to switch the scrolls.
Elijah tapped the scroll with a fingernail. “Then, and only then, when you have reached the highest peak, open this. It will tell you everything you need to know to save that which you hold dearest.” A tear sparkled in his lower lashes. He turned away and gestured to Caleb to take his place at the podium.
Caleb Sloane, head of the War Council, approached the podium. “Your Majesties.” He bowed his head to Jackson and Ryleigh. “If I may?”
Now in even more of a hurry to be on his way, Jackson nodded for Caleb to continue.
“I assume you will take the Death Dealers to the great mountains.” Caleb rubbed one thick hand down his goatee.
Elijah sat tall, hands in his lap, looking straight ahead. His gaze shot to Jackson.
Startled by the intensity of his stare, Jackson jumped.
Elijah nodded and returned to staring off in front of himself.
As Caleb grabbed both sides of the podium and leaned his considerable bulk forward, it creaked.
Jackson half expected it to collapse and send Caleb sprawling.
He cleared his throat. “I would like to leave the Queen’s Army here with half the Cymmeran Guard. I will take the other half of the Guardsmen to Argonas to provide protection to its citizens.”
Jackson turned to the head of his Security Council. “Darius?”
Darius slid his chair back and stood. “I agree, sir. I will remain here and see to the protection of Cymmera.”
“Very well then.” Jackson shot to his feet, practically vibrating with the need to take action. “Ready the dragons, and make the necessary preparations. We will leave immediately.”
Ryleigh started toward the door beside him. “I can see to Mia.”
“I’ll go with you. It will take some time to get everything ready.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. Mia is my little sister as well. Besides, I can’t explain it, but something’s not sitting quite right in my gut, and I have a feeling it has something to do with what’s been going on with Mia and Elijah lately.”
“Your Majesty?” Elijah called. “Might I have a word with you before you go, please?”
“Sure, Elijah.”
Ryleigh laid a hand on Max’s back. “While you talk to Elijah, I’ll go find Mia. We’ll meet you in the throne room when you’re done.”
“Okay.” Jackson started to turn away but thought better of it at the last minute. “You haven’t said much. You are okay with this, right?” He should probably have thought to ask sooner. He sometimes forgot Ryleigh wasn’t accustomed to the harsher realities of his realm. The thought of finally having even the smallest lead on Chayce’s whereabouts had consumed him.
“As okay as I can be, I guess.” She shrugged. “It’s not like there’s any other choice.”
Relieved, he nodded and turned to Elijah. “I’m sorry, Elijah. What did you need?” He tried to focus on what the seer was saying, but his mind kept wandering. He still had to make time to talk to Mia, don his battle gear, make sure the dragons were summoned. Dakota could handle that.
“Sir.” Elijah’s long, blond hair hung in lifeless strands down his back, dark circles ringed his eyes, and his cheeks had become sunken, his already pale skin sallow. It seemed he’d lost weight lately, his dark robes hanging from his gaunt figure. The gruffness of his usually soft tone accentuated his transformation. “I want to make sure you understand the importance of not opening the scroll until you reach the summit of the greatest mountain.”
“Got it.” Jackson patted the leather satchel at his waist where he’d tucked the scroll. “Is that all?”
Elijah studied him for a long moment, then embraced him.
Caught off guard, Jackson hesitated before he hugged him back. “Is something wrong, Elijah?”
“No, sir. Everything is exactly as it is meant to be.” He stepped back and cupped Jackson’s hand in his delicate fingers. “You have done your parents proud, Jackson.”
Elijah almost never referred to him as anything other than Your Highness or sir since Jackson had taken his father’s place as king.
“You have done me proud.” He lowered himself to one knee, pressed Jackson’s hand to his forehead, and bowed. When he stood, tears trailed down his cheeks. “Go in peace, my son.” His stare lingered a moment longer, and then he turned and walked away.
Great. Either half the kingdom was going mad or they were keeping secrets. One way or the other, Jackson was going to get to the bottom of it. If not before he dealt with Chayce, immediately upon his return. Right now, he had to see Mia and get out of there.
In the throne room, Ryleigh sat on her throne. Alone.
“Where’s Mia?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. I couldn’t find her anywhere, and no one’s seen her.”
“What about Max?” The huge animal had barely left her side since Jackson had returned from the dungeon in Argonas.
“I sent him to keep looking for Mia.”
“All right.” He didn’t have time to search the kingdom. He’d have to deal with this when he got back as well. With any luck at all, everything would resolve itself while he was gone. Once the threat hanging over Cymmera was removed, it would be easy enough to straighten everything out. Then they could live in peace while they rebuilt Cymmera. The death of Jackson’s mother, Queen Dara, had left Cymmera a cold, barren, dead land. The last battle had scarred the land even further.
Ryleig
h rose and met him halfway across the room. She slid into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his back and resting her cheek against his chest, the warmth of her body against his the most natural feeling in the world.
She fit perfectly against him, as if she were made to be there. And, in a way, she was. The tattoo that had appeared on her arm during his Death Dealer ceremony gave her a rightful seat on the throne. The fact he’d been able to claim her, had been unable to deny the need to claim her, proved they were destined for one another.
Ryleigh stepped back and looked up at him. “Make sure you come back.”
“Of course, I’ll come back.” He cupped her face, running a thumb over the slight bruising marring the cheekbone beneath her right eye, the result of a misplaced elbow during this morning’s hand to hand combat training.
Leaning into his touch, she smiled. “Promise?”
They both knew it was a promise he couldn’t make, so he simply smoothed her long, blond hair and pulled her close again. He inhaled deeply, drawing in the scent of the shampoo she always used. The scent of strawberries would forever remind him of Ryleigh. “I’ll come back, Ryleigh. And when I do, we’ll return Cymmera to the grandeur she deserves.”
Soft sobs shook her shoulders, and her tears soaked through his black T-shirt.
He kissed the top of her head, then stepped away while he still could.
When she stood on her toes, he leaned down for the kiss, pressed his lips to hers, and pulled her back into his arms.
She pulled away first. “I love you, Jackson.” She didn’t say the words often, and they caught him by surprise.
“I love you too.” He released her and turned away. It would only get harder to leave the longer he stayed.
Chapter 2
Ryleigh poked her head through the throne room door. Still no sign of Mia, and Max hadn’t returned. She’d already searched everywhere she could think of for Elijah, intent on harassing him until he gave her answers, but the sorcerer could be elusive when he chose.
No matter. She’d find out what was going on soon enough. Now that the Death Dealers had gone in search of Chayce, maybe the veil of secrecy Elijah and Mia had concocted would no longer be necessary. Assuming whatever was going on with Elijah and Mia had to do with the situation with Chayce, that is.
Battle for Cymmera Page 2