by Tenaya Jayne
I love you, she thought. I never stopped.
The urge to look inside him gnawed with sharp teeth. She could know it all right now. She could read his heart while he slept. And if she couldn't find any remains of herself there, she could leave without him ever knowing she'd been there at all. She could deliver the message of the wizards’ approaching danger another way.
Read him. Journey trembled against the instinct. Not yet. It was still just a fantasy. One she wasn't ready to let go of.
She listened to his breathing, watching his chest rise and fall. His eyes moved behind his eyelids, and his hands flexed once. She held her breath then relaxed; he was dreaming.
Journey sat down on the dirt floor. She wanted to touch him so badly. Just to rest her hand on his, but she didn't dare. The location, this house, this man, turned a key in her mind and let loose one of her most precious memories. She closed her eyes and watched.
Journey had just told her first story in Regia and was elated and exhausted. She'd been well trained before she decided to travel the channels, but this was her first real story, pulled from real people, who sat still, anxious for the experience. She felt good in her performance. Confident she'd done a good job. Everyone left with a smile on his or her face.
As the crowd moved away from her, she turned and noticed she was being watched. The young man leaned casually against a tree, his arms crossed over his chest. He stared unabashedly at her. He was about the same age as she, a youth on the edge of adulthood. She faced him fully and returned his gaze, a pull hooking her right through the stomach. His eyes were deep dark water, a current of green under the midnight blue.
What did he want? A story? If so, why hadn't he joined the crowd? Maybe it was the first time he'd seen a Storyteller, and he didn't know how to participate. Well, she should tell him. He might need the healing a story could bring. She took a step toward him, intending to explain her abilities, when he straightened and walked away.
He came to the place she told stories every day, but he never joined the crowd. He simply watched. At first, she thought he was watching the story, but she quickly realized he was only there to watch her. She pulled out all the stops as she worked, showing off for him. Her whole body seemed to light up under his gaze. He never spoke to her. Every time she tried to approach him, he would turn away and leave. She began to think of how she might trap him, just to get a few words out of him, or get close enough to read him.
He continued to show up every day for two weeks, but then one day he wasn't there. His absence flustered her. She felt the emptiness of the space he usually filled acutely, painfully. Where was he? Why hadn't he come? Was he all right? Had he simply just lost interest? Journey told her stories, but her mind wandered as she worked.
When the crowds left that day, Journey walked in the direction he always went when he was finished watching her. She didn't know if she even had a chance of finding him; he might have been on the other side of Regia for all she knew. She couldn't even ask anybody if they might know where he was because she didn't know his name. But she continued to move forward, still flustered and compelled.
She came to an area that was lush and full of life. The sun felt warmer than usual as it filtered through the trees. It heated her skin and reached all the way down to her bones. She grew warmer and warmer as she thought about him and the way he always looked at her. Journey began to walk faster, some primal instinct told her he was close by.
She turned toward the sound of water running and came upon a river. There he was, standing on the opposite bank, facing her.
"I knew you'd come," he said.
"How did you know?"
"Because I wanted it. I wanted you to come to me so badly I was sure you would feel it… And I was right."
He was so cocky she had to make an attempt not to be annoyed. After all, she was there with no reason for being there except to find him. His gaze hooked her straight through the core again, and the magnetism that pulled on her would have had her crashing into him had it not been for the water rushing between them.
"My name's Journey. What's yours?"
"Redge. And I already knew your name. I've known it since the first day I saw you. I asked around."
Her gaze pulled away from his, moving down to his chest. He quickly placed his hand like a barrier over his heart.
"No." His voice was forceful. "Don't read me."
She looked back into his eyes, confused. No one had ever tried to block her. "Why not? Why do you only watch? Why don't you join the group?"
The heat of his gaze grew more intense, and a confident smile pulled at the side of his mouth. "Maybe I want to tell you a story. I'll show you what's in my heart, if you show me what's in yours."
"That's not how it works. I'm a healer. I can help rid you of the things that weigh you down. I do good for others. You don't have to fear it. I read people every day. It's not personal."
He raised one eyebrow and took a step forward, into the water. "Not personal? You're totally wrong about that."
The pull in her stomach gave a little tug, and she took a step into the river as well, the water pleasantly cool. What was she doing?
"If you read me, it would be personal, Journey. Too personal."
He took another step forward, the water up to his knees. She took another step as well. The hem of her dress pulled and moved with the current.
They came together in the center of the river, the water rushing around their waists. He reached out and took both of her hands.
"Why do you watch me every day?" she asked.
"You know why."
Journey swallowed. "What is this?"
"A beginning."
Journey looked back at his chest.
"Don't!" he said roughly.
"Sorry, it's a natural thing for me to do. And since you've told me not to, I want to more than ever."
"How much control do you have over the stories you tell?"
"Total control."
"Let go of that control and see what happens…"
He kissed her then, his mouth greedy with the passion of youth.
The memory assailed her system and spun her head. Her body remembered so acutely. She opened her eyes and looked at him again. Time had altered him, just as it had her. They were strangers. But just being next to him, the chemical reaction that had always lived and raged between them resurrected, undamaged by time. Her breath exhaled on a shudder as she mourned the years they had not been together.
She sat next to him for a while. As he slept, she remembered so much more.
Redge became restless, his dreams obviously disturbed him. She wanted to help, it was in her nature, but again she held back. When they were young, he’d never wanted her to read him without his permission. So she didn't read him now. He mumbled in his sleep. A solitary tear pushed out through his closed eyelids and ran down. She left him then. She couldn't be still next to him while he suffered like that.
Journey glanced at him over her shoulder as she left the ruin. She found another ruin close by and decided to make it her temporary dwelling. She sank down in a corner, letting her head rest against the hard stone wall. Redge called out in his sleep, a strangled cry of pain and frustration. The sound stabbed her through the soul. She put her hands over her mouth and wept.
Journey dozed a little as the sun rose in the sky. She heard him stirring, listened to his movements. She got up quietly, her back stiff, and looked toward his ruin from the window of hers. It looked as though he was continuing the work of cleaning and sorting through the remains of the house. He mumbled to himself. She couldn't understand the actual words he spoke aloud, but the resonance of his voice told of regret and anger, sometimes shifting into a tone of determination.
He came out through the doorway carrying an armful of rocks. She moved to the side where he couldn't see her. Carefully, she peeked through the window, allowing only the smallest, amount of her face necessary to see, past the rough frame. Redge worked through the m
orning in solitude. No one came into the area. She wondered again why he was here. There seemed to be no point.
He stopped what he was doing and looked up at the sky. Her heart stilled as she watched him find a scrap of parchment and a pen. He wrote only a few words, but he spoke as he marked them.
“Journey, I love you. Help me.”
Then he lit the scrap on fire. He held it as it quickly burned to nothing, a small tendril of smoke drifting upward. He watched the smoke for a moment, then he looked down and sighed, shaking his head. As the smoke dissipated into nothing, his voice whispered the same words she just heard him say in her mind. Journey, I love you. Help me.
She bit down on her lip to keep from crying out. How could it be? All these years she’d wanted to believe the messages were from him, but she always doubted it was really true. He’d never missed a single day. Did he know she heard him?
****
Never had Syrus been in such darkness. He thought about the baby he would never meet. The child of their love. Their souls intertwined in a completely new person. The end was upon him. He felt Forest's life slipping away like sand blown by the wind. It was too late. There was nothing he could do. Nothing but tell her goodbye. He closed his eyes, both his hands over his heart, and sent her his farewell. I love you…I love you…You will take my soul away with you and leave me hollow…Forever.
Chapter Seven
The Malachi Serum flowing through Forest's veins entered the baby’s bloodstream, adhering to the tiny heart, causing a spark of red electricity to flash with each little beat, twisting the little organ with irreparable damage.
Rahaxeris' hand shook violently as he gripped Forest's arm over the injection site. His red eyes clamped shut with pain and effort as he pulled the poison back from her extremities, back down to her arm, where it wept out slowly and absorbed into him.
Shreve waited nervously, the magical cuff in his hands, ready to put it back on Rahaxeris. "Is it done?" His voice was desperate.
"Yes," Rahaxeris whispered, accepting the cuff back around his neck.
Damage had been done to Forest that Rahaxeris could do nothing about, but she would live, at least for now. He'd bought her a little more time. To recover fully, Forest needed Syrus. His healing abilities had grown to a level Rahaxeris marveled over. And if the child was to survive at all, it would be Syrus who could save its life.
Weakness rushed through Rahaxeris again as the clasp locked down. The serum he'd taken into himself was making him sick, but he could take a lot more before it did much of anything. A few hours, and he wouldn't feel its effects at all.
"I have to go now." Shreve made to leave the room.
"Thank you." Rahaxeris sighed. "I'll never forget this kindness."
Shreve nodded once and shut the door behind him.
Forest's heart began to beat strong again, her breathing sped up, and then she gasped, waking in the dark. He reached and placed his sharp hand gently on her forearm.
"It's all right, Forest. I'm here."
A small sob rose up her throat. "Father?"
"Yes."
She groaned. "What's wrong with me? I've never felt anything like this."
"You were poisoned while in a death sleep. And perhaps some of what you're feeling is nothing more than the result of the life growing inside you."
She gripped his hand tightly with hers. "How do you know? Can you sense it?" she demanded urgently.
"I was told before I ever had the chance. Copernicus knows."
"No," she rasped. "I wanted to keep it a secret."
"Well, it's not, so we have to deal with him knowing."
"You sound strange. I can't really see you. Why haven’t you just kicked his ass yet and taken me out of here?"
"He used you to bait me. For the moment, I can do nothing. He has hobbled me. So we have to use our heads to get out of this. But as I'm sure you've noticed, Copernicus is insane, as soft and weak as he is cruel and deadly. Every encounter you have with him…"
"I must invoke his pity," she said.
Rahaxeris smiled in the dark. "Yes, exactly."
She groaned again, flexing her hands over her stomach. "Oh no…" she breathed.
"What is it?"
"You said I was poisoned… The baby?"
He must not scare her with his own fears. "I pulled the poison from you before it could kill you."
"But what has it done to my baby?" Her voice rose.
"Shhh… Don't fear. If the poison reached the baby, once we get you out, Syrus can heal you, both of you. Have no doubt of that. That's his child. It will respond and thrive under its father's power."
Forest let out a ragged breath, calming down slightly. "So how do we get out?"
"That will depend on what Copernicus does next. But you are alive only because of Shreve."
"What?"
"He might be false, time will tell. But he appears to be our ally. If Copernicus separates us—as I fear he might—if you can, stay close to Shreve."
They were quiet for a while as the dawn threatened, its faint light easing down through the skylight over Forest. The ship rocked them lazily. She moved her hands back and forth slowly over her abdomen. The thump of footfalls on the deck overhead alerted them both. Forest looked at Rahaxeris.
"What should I do?" she whispered.
"Copernicus wasn't able to wake you when I got here—you were in a death sleep. I suggest you play dead."
****
Thump… thump… thump…thump
Syrus' eyes shot open as Forest's dying heartbeat rallied and thundered with life. He could scarcely breathe, dazed with gratitude. There weren't words strong enough for what he felt. She sent his heart a rushing wave of love straight from hers. She was alive. He had another chance to save his family. He took up her sword and jumped to his feet.
The pale sunlight shot into his eyes as he looked up into the morning sky. He swore to himself he would have her back before the sun dawned another day. But what to do next? Why wasn't Rahaxeris helping him get Forest back? Why hadn't Merhl delivered the Rune-dy as he'd ordered? He needed Rahaxeris' help.
He returned to the house and rummaged around in Forest's jewelry until he found an extra End of the Bridge. Ogres could open portals, Rune-dy could open portals, but he was stuck with his feet without the little trinket.
Syrus crushed the little silvery ball in his hand and opened a portal to Kyhael. He was alarmed as the portal dumped him in the antechamber of the Rune-dy. What had happened to their security measures? How could his portal put him right inside their headquarters?
Instinct sparked, and Syrus moved silently to the circle of light on the wall, sword in hand. Something was very wrong. Danger filled this place like a pungent fog.
He put his hand over the light beam and waited for it to expand large enough to let him through. The main room was devoid of life but full of death. The priests lay strewn on the floor, their blood still warm, running over the stone. He hesitated. Whoever could kill the Rune-dy was no one he wanted to tangle with. His eyes took in the violent scene and he counted the bodies. Four. Rahaxeris wasn't among the dead, at least not in this room, neither was the twist Menjel.
Low voices carried into the room from down the hall. Syrus didn't move or breathe.
"You've proven your loyalty, Menjel. Killing them was easier than I thought it would be."
"Well, in their defense, they were caught off guard," Menjel said. "So what do you plan to do next?"
"I'm going to take my throne."
"How are you going to do that, Copernicus?" Menjel asked.
"Don't worry about it. Once it becomes public knowledge that I have Rahaxeris in submission…and your open support as well, the fear will spread like a plague."
"Did you kill Forest?"
Syrus clenched his teeth. There was a short silence from the other room.
"She's not your concern," Copernicus snapped finally.
"You're right. And I don't care what happens to her,
but the people… You don't want her as a martyr. She has the love of many, since she rose to power. The people learning you killed her could easily cause an uprising against your new claim to the throne."
"I didn't kill my sister! She is safe and hidden. In time, she will stand with me as well as Rahaxeris. Her child will call me father, and Forest will sit on the throne next to me."
Menjel laughed. "How deliciously incestuous of you, Copernicus. So, I assume you intend to kill Syrus then?"
"When the time is right."
"Why not try your luck right now?" Syrus growled as he came into the room.
Before Menjel could do anything other than jump in alarm, Syrus hit him with a band of lightning that snaked around him like a rope. He fell to the floor, his arms and legs bound together. Copernicus stood slowly, facing Syrus down.
Syrus held the hilt of Forest's sword with both hands, the blade at the ready in front of him. Never had he been so thirsty for another's death. This thirst would not slacken until it was completely satisfied.
"The reports were true, mage. You do look like a god of lightning," Copernicus said as he drew his own sword. "Nice blade, never seen one like it. I'll enjoy claiming it once you're dead, just as I'll claim everything else that is yours. Your mate, your child, and what could have been your throne."
Syrus didn't care for trash talk at this moment. He attacked. Copernicus stepped back, trying to deflect Syrus' strikes. His blade blocked two hits before it shattered against the black glass. Copernicus ducked as the sword sliced through the space his head had just occupied. He half shifted into beast form when the glass blade sliced across his chest sideways. Copernicus cried out, grabbing at his torn flesh, but he had no time. Syrus sliced him again down the side of his neck, a move meant to cut off his head, but he fell to the side and onto the floor.
His beast arm grabbed Syrus by the foot. Syrus brought the sword down, stabbing straight through Copernicus' forearm.
Syrus pulled the sword up and swung it high before bringing it down again in a strike that should have ended Copernicus. Instead, the end of the blade stabbed into a portal. Copernicus had fled for his life. The portal closed in the blink of an eye, before Syrus could pursue him through it.