Puppet/Master (The Vale Chronicles Book 1)

by Joel Abernathy

  With that warning, she left them alone. Arden touched the ghoul’s arm and managed a smile. “It’ll be okay now. You remember the Queen, don’t you?”

  Vox didn’t respond, but his expression was denial enough. Arden sighed and told himself that they were as good as home, but when the Queen’s guardsmen came in bearing spears that reached the tops of their gilded helmets, his heart leaped out of his chest.

  The ghoul made a low growling sound, but he stayed where he was as the Queen swept into the room, looking elegant as ever. Her flowing gray gown brushed the floor and a peach-colored bodice pulled her waist in tight. She looked right at Arden, her eyes glowing with the same curiosity as before, and he couldn’t help but feel like a mouse who’d finally landed under the cat’s paw.

  “Hello there, little one,” she purred, stepping past her armed guards. “What a pleasant surprise.”

  “Your Majesty,” Arden said, standing to bow to her.

  “Oh, no need for that,” she said, waving him off. “We’re old friends. Practically family, since you belong to my son.”

  Arden smiled stiffly. He wasn’t sure about that, but he had promised the Chrysalus he would find a new Master and Dusk seemed like the obvious choice. It was just a matter of whether or not the fae would want him.

  “Well,” Wysteria said, taking a seat across from them. “I must say, this is most unexpected. My dear son has had his armies scouring the surface for you both and here you are.”

  “We escaped,” Arden said, choosing his words carefully. He could tell the Queen enjoyed knowing something that Dusk did not, and he doubted she’d hand them over easily. “We were captured by Prince Lavien.”

  “Captured?” She raised an eyebrow. “If I’m not mistaken, was it not my son who originally held you against your will?”

  Arden hesitated. “That’s true, but… things have changed,” he said, looking over at Vox.

  “So they have,” the Queen said knowingly. “I’m certain that Dusk will be most thrilled to have you both returned safely, but satisfy my curiosity. How did you escape?”

  “Vox incapacitated the Prince,” he answered. He wasn’t sure admitting the truth of how the Chrysalus had transported them was wise, but lying to the Queen seemed even more foolish. “As far-fetched as it sounds, I believe the Chrysalus teleported us here.”

  “My,” she said, her eyes widening. “How interesting. That would explain the energy signature my men picked up on.”

  “I can’t fully explain it myself,” he admitted. “I just asked for help and it answered.”

  “It?” She tilted her head.

  Arden flushed, realizing he’d probably committed blasphemy to the fae. “I saw the Chrysalus,” he tried to explain. “It looked like a person. Like me, actually.”

  Her peach-colored eyebrows lifted slightly. “I see.”

  Before Arden could figure out if she was insulted or just thought he’d lost his mind, the door flew open and a breathless soldier stumbled in. “Your Majesty,” he said with a hasty bow. “The Crown Pr—”

  “Where are they?” Dusk demanded, stalking into the room and past the frazzled young soldier. It was rare for him to be inconsiderate, let alone rude, but Arden had never seen a look of determination on his face like the one he wore now. He was always beautiful, and after such a long separation, the sight of him was unexpectedly soothing to Arden’s heart, but there was a fierceness to him that Arden had never seen before. For so long, he’d wondered how Dusk had gained a reputation as a shrewd military commander, but in that moment, it ceased to be a mystery.

  The moment the fae’s eyes met his, they softened. “Arden,” he murmured, walking over to take the other man into his arms. Arden gasped as Dusk held him tightly enough to crush the breath from his lungs.

  He wouldn’t allow himself to relax into the embrace the way he wanted. He knew his reception would have been much different if Dusk knew the whole truth.

  “We were so worried,” the fae said, cradling the back of Arden’s head as he held him close. He smelled of vanilla and twilight, and the scent soothed Arden’s frayed nerves, making him feel at home for the first time in ages. When Dusk finally pulled away to look at him, his soft eyes were full of concern. “How did you get here? The last intelligence my men were able to gather said you were being held in the Emperor’s castle.”

  “We were,” Arden admitted, looking over at Vox. “It’s a long story, and I’ll tell you everything, but could we go home first?” he pleaded. The word slipped out so easily, but he realized it was the truth.

  “So soon?” Wysteria protested. She glanced at her son, clearly displeased with his sudden appearance. “Didn’t take you very long to get here, did it?”

  “Commander Landa called me, and I’m glad she did,” Dusk said, frowning. He looked over at Vox and Arden could tell he already sensed that something was wrong. “We’ll speak another time.”

  “Don’t be a stranger,” Wysteria called after them. Something told Arden it wasn’t the last time he’d visit the topside kingdom. For now, he was just glad to be on his way home.

  Chapter 24

  Arden

  It only took Arden an hour to explain everything that had taken place to Dusk, Leopold and Elan. The vampire had joined them halfway through, but he didn’t seem to be having much trouble piecing it all together.

  Harding’s death was by far the most difficult part to relay, but none of them seemed surprised. Elan confessed that they had assumed both Harding and Vox were dead the moment they’d lost contact on the mission. Arden was able to fill in the gaps, although he still didn’t know how the fae Lavien purchased had known who he was.

  By the end of it all, he felt drained. Vox was in their room, even though it had been necessary to point it out to him. There were things Arden knew he couldn’t say in front of the ghoul. Not like this.

  He waited for the scorn and judgment to come, but the others merely listened in silence. Even Elan, who was never short on barbs, was quiet.

  “I’m so sorry,” Arden said when he couldn’t stand the silence any longer. “I’ll accept whatever punishment you choose and it still won’t be enough, but please, just tell me you can help him,” he begged, looking up at Dusk.

  The fae’s eyes softened with confusion. “Punishment? What for?”

  Arden stared in disbelief. “For failing the mission,” he answered. “For letting Harding get killed and for everything that happened to Vox…”

  Dusk and Leo exchanged a look of concern. They so often seemed to communicate without speaking, but Arden just assumed it was a mark of being together for as long as they had been.

  “We didn’t expect that you would come back at all,” Leopold finally said. “Let alone that you would go against Eric. As for what happened to Harding, his death will be avenged, but his blood is on my hands, not yours.”

  “Leo,” Dusk murmured.

  “It’s the truth,” the elf said in a cold tone. “I never should have let them go on that mission. I should have known Lavien would see through it.”

  “He didn’t really,” Elan interjected. “We need to find out who that fae he bought is and how she knew Arden’s face, but having a pity party isn’t going to bring Harding back from the dead.”

  Leo looked away, scowling. “What exactly happened to Vox?”

  “I don’t know,” Arden admitted. “I think Eric had him… reset?”

  The looks of horror on all their faces confirmed that he was on the right track. Arden’s heart sank. “What does that mean, exactly?”

  “It’s something only a sire can do,” Elan answered. “It’s always been one of Eric’s favorite tactics. The ghouls who prove resistant to his more brutal methods of conditioning get wiped clean.”

  “How?” Arden protested. “How can he do that?”

  “Ghouls are weaker than vampires,” Elan continued. “Any ghoul we turn remains connected to us as long as we’re alive. It’s a psychic connection, and as long as Eric wis
hes, Vox will be under his control.”

  “But he fought it,” Arden protested. “He turned on Lavien to protect me. That’s proof he’s still at least somewhat himself.”

  “Until Eric’s programming overrides it,” said Elan. “It’s not uncommon for a particularly strong-willed ghoul to retain some vestiges of what was important before, but it won’t last.”

  “So you’re saying Vox is just going to stay like this?” Arden asked. “That he’s never going to remember who he is and there’s nothing we can do?”

  “It’s worse than that,” the vampire said. “He’s a ticking time bomb. Eric’s control will be diminished by the distance between them, but not entirely.”

  “How do we stop it? There has to be a way,” Arden cried.

  “There is,” Elan said flatly. “We kill Eric.”

  The room fell silent. Arden felt all the breath leave his body and he wasn’t sure how to respond. He’d never actually imagined he would succeed at getting away from Lavien, and now that he had, he realized he hadn’t bothered to think about what came next.

  Of course they wanted revenge. Lavien might have been the one who’d killed Harding, but Eric was still to blame. If killing him was the only way to save Vox, it made the matter even simpler.

  Not that Arden had ever been able to reason with his heart where his Master was concerned. Even now, after all Eric had done to betray him, his innermost being strained against the thought of allowing any harm to come to the man he’d been born and raised to protect.

  “This isn’t something we need to discuss in front of him,” Dusk said hastily. Arden usually would have been annoyed to be treated like a child, but the fact that the fae cared at all was mystifying. He searched Arden’s gaze worriedly. “I know you’re tired, but I’d feel better if you’d let me examine you.”

  “I’m fine,” Arden assured him. “I’m not hurt, just exhausted.” He hesitated, realizing he had to confess what had happened with Lavien at some point. As humiliating as the thought of doing it in front of all three of them was, the promise he’d made the Chrysalus was still fresh in his mind and he knew he had to come clean. He was a security risk now and they had enough to worry about. “There is one thing.”

  “What is it?” Leo asked, draping a blanket around Arden’s shoulders.

  The chimera was startled by the kind gesture, but Leo had a way of surprising him. It just made what he had to say all the more difficult. “Something happened when I was with Lavien. Before we escaped.” He swallowed. “He… made me drink his blood. And he already fed from mine.”

  The elf’s eyes widened. “When was this?”

  “Not far apart,” Arden admitted. “I’m sorry. He knows everything I know now. Where the base is, how many are with the Brotherhood…”

  “We figured that much,” Elan muttered. When he noticed Arden’s surprise, he added, “When we realized you’d been taken, we assumed you would be giving the information freely.”

  Arden’s face reddened. “No. I didn’t.”

  “Why did you come back?” Leo asked, clearly voicing the same confusion they all shared.

  “They would have killed Vox if we’d stayed,” Arden answered. “And when Lavien forced me to drink his blood, he shared his memories. I saw Eric talking about handing me over to the Emperor long before he gave me to the Prince. I know now what I am to him. Nothing more than a pawn.”

  “Arden,” Dusk whispered.

  “I’m fine,” he insisted, even though it was only true as long as he wasn’t thinking about what had happened. He could still feel Lavien inside of him. His memories, his blood, his energy… The bitter taste of it all clung to his lips and made him nauseous if he thought about it for too long. “I’m only telling you because the Chrysalus warned me it wouldn’t accept Lavien as our Master. I have to find a replacement, and soon. ‘Or else’ was in the subtext.”

  “The Chrysalus?” Leo echoed. “What do you mean it warned you?”

  Now they were all looking at him like he was crazy. Arden sighed. “I know how it sounds, but I had a dream a while ago. I was in this weird place full of purple flowers and a voice spoke to me. It said it would be there when I came back, and when Vox and I were on the run, I went there again in a dream. The Chrysalus was there. Or at least, it appeared to me.”

  “As what?” Leo pressed. Arden wasn’t sure if the elf believed him or if this was turning into a psychiatric assessment, but either way, he deserved an answer.

  “As me,” he said sheepishly. “I know that probably makes me sound like a narcissist, but it’s the truth.”

  “Can’t say I’ve ever heard that one before,” Leo said, running a hand through his short white hair. He turned to his mate. “What do you think?”

  Dusk shook his head, seemingly deep in thought. “I don’t know what to think,” he said, looking Arden over in concern. “Right now, I’m more worried about how Arden is doing.”

  “I’m fine,” he insisted. “He didn’t hurt me physically.”

  The fae frowned. “Arden, he forced a Master bond. That’s a violation of the soul, especially for someone as sensitive as a chimera.”

  “I said I’m fine,” he snapped, regretting his tone immediately. His face grew warm, especially when he realized Dusk and the others were looking at him in pity rather than anger. “I’m sorry. I’m just really tired, and I’d like to check on Vox.”

  “Of course,” Dusk said quietly.

  “Just a minute,” Elan interjected. “Can I sidebar with you both for a second?”

  “Of course,” Dusk said, turning to Arden with a gentle smile. “Why don’t you go get a change of clothes? Everything in your room is the way you left it.”

  “Okay,” Arden said, slipping out of the room with a last glance back at the vampire. He wasn’t sure what Elan would want to talk to them about alone, but he doubted it was good. On the chance that it involved Vox, he lingered outside the door to listen.

  “I’m not sure it’s a good idea to leave them alone together,” Elan said, lowering his voice.

  “You think Vox would try to hurt him?” Leo asked doubtfully.

  “Of course not. But that ghoul in there isn’t Vox, and we have to face the fact that he might never be,” said Leo. “Until we can take Eric out, he’s a liability and while Arden says he’s okay with it right now, he’s been as thoroughly brainwashed by that motherfucker as any ghoul ever has. I know my brother, and I know how he gets into his Puppets’ heads.”

  “He’s right,” Dusk said after a moment of contemplation. “Arden isn’t going to like it, but he shouldn’t be left alone. I don’t think what Lavien did has sunk in yet either.”

  “Gonna tear that prick apart next time I get my hands on him,” Leopold muttered, his voice surprisingly guttural. He was usually so cold and restrained that Arden had never imagined he felt anything more than apathy on his behalf. He turned away, knowing he was going to get caught if he didn’t leave.

  They cared. They actually cared about what happened to him after everything that had happened because of him. People he barely even knew cared more about him than his own Master ever had. It should have been comforting, but it brought a fresh wave of devastation that left him feeling cold.

  He went to his room before they could force him to stay away from Vox, startled when he found the ghoul standing and staring off into space. The sight made his heart ache and he had to collect himself before he walked into the room. “Vox?” he asked softly. The ghoul didn’t respond until Arden touched his arm and when he turned around, his eyes seemed emptier than they had before. “What are you doing?”

  He didn’t answer, but Arden had stopped expecting him to. “Come on,” he said, leading him over to the puffy beanbag chair on the floor. “This is more comfortable.”

  Vox sat stiffly, as if he didn’t understand the point. Arden forced a smile, dragging the blanket off the bottom bunk. “Here,” he said, wrapping the ghoul up in it. He turned on the television and switched
over to one of the movie channels Vox was always leaving on. “You should just relax for a while.”

  The ghoul stared blankly before pulling Arden onto his lap.

  “Oh,” Arden laughed, snuggling closer. “That’s nice.”

  Vox sighed contentedly. At least, Arden hoped it was contentment. It was hard enough to tell under normal circumstances. They stayed that way for a few minutes, until Arden became aware that he was being watched. He turned to see Dusk standing at the door, waiting.

  “Hey,” the fae said.

  “Hey,” Arden murmured, his head still resting on Vox’s shoulder. “Did you need something?”

  “No,” Dusk said hesitantly. “No, it’s nothing. Just… rest and come find me when you’re feeling better.”

  “Thanks,” Arden said, surprised he was going to be allowed to stay. He knew it wouldn’t last and he was sure the others were keeping a close eye on him, but he decided to enjoy it for as long as it lasted. He closed his eyes and held the ghoul close, letting himself hope that when he woke up, somehow everything would be alright. Maybe the others were right and Vox wasn’t himself at all, but Arden still felt safer in his arms than he ever had with anyone else.

  Chapter 25

  Arden

  When Arden woke, Vox was gone. He left the room in search of the ghoul and found Elan instead. “Hey,” he said, tossing Arden a helmet. “I’m your babysitter today, so put this on. We’re goin’ for a ride.”

  Arden looked down at the helmet and frowned. “I don’t want to go anywhere. Where’s Vox?”

  “Leo’s poking around in his brain.” When the chimera stared at him, he rolled his eyes and said, “I’m joking. He’s just checking him out. Trying to figure out if there’s anything he can do on our end. The only thing you’re gonna do is get in the way acting like a mother hen.”

  Arden sighed, but he knew Elan was right. The vampire wasn’t exactly the person he most wanted to spend the day with, but it was preferable to Dusk’s pity. “Fine,” he muttered. “But why do I need a helmet?”