by Brenda Trim
“Your Highness,” Talysia replied with a curt bow. When her knees bent, Talysia became unstable and stumbled forward. Angus and the other male, along with, Keira jumped to their feet.
“I’ve got you,” Finn reassured her. When the world stopped spinning and she could focus again she realized he was holding her upright by her shoulders.
“Why doona you come have a seat?” Angus offered. He had his arm around Keira who looked a touch pale.
“I just need a moment,” she promised the royal families.
“Sire,” Finn addressed formally after he helped her to a sitting position. He lowered himself right behind her, so his body acted as support for her. “Do you think it’s possible Dyson missed the parasite in Talysia’s blood?”
The Cuelebre King’s head snapped around. He was bent over as he assisted Keira in taking a seat on their blanket. The king went to his knees and rubbed a hand across his face. “Shite. Is she showing symptoms?”
“No,” Talysia insisted in a tone that was far angrier than she intended. “I’m just a little dizzy. I have none of the same symptoms that the Maahes had.”
“It could be something else,” Keira interjected.
“I would wonder if she was pregnant, but she isna Tuya like you, my love,” Angus murmured with a smile for his mate.
Keira smiled and shook her head at Angus. “You might want me to be pregnant again, Dragon Breath, but I’m not.”
Angus placed a gentle kiss on Keira’s lips. “Dyson will let us know soon enough.” The sun glinted off light green eyes as he winked at his mate. The clear blue sky seemed to echo the love and affection so obvious between the two.
“You didn’t tell me you were pregnant, Kiki,” the other male interjected. “And, here I thought I was going to have to provide all the grandkids for dad.”
“I am not pregnant again, Phineas. I’ve felt a touch under the weather, but it seems to have passed.”
The hair on Talysia’s arms stood on end as she heard the queen’s denial. It was a bit too familiar for her liking. The question was if the Queen had been exposed to the parasite like Talysia. There was no way she would survive a bath in magma. Was there another way to treat it if she was in fact infected?
“What are the chances of two supernatural females feeling a touch under the weather?” Phineas asked. It was clear the queen’s brother was concerned about his sister.
Angus sank to his backside and shook his head before pulling a comm from his pocket. “Bluidy miniscule. There is verra little that makes either sick unless it involves magic of some sort.”
Finn’s figure went rigid behind Talysia. The tension radiating off him set her nerves on edge. Her heart dropped into her shoes when she considered that she was wrong about there being nothing to worry about.
“If they don’t have the symptoms that we had with the parasite, are we even looking at the same issue?” Finn asked. Talysia scooted back and leaned her side against Finn. She needed to comfort him, but she also needed the reassurance his closeness would provide.
“That is precisely what I plan on asking Dyson. Keira was no’ exposed like Talysia, so she shouldna be infected,” Angus said in a tone that was bordering on happy. It had to be the fact that he was playing with his daughter and he didn’t want to alarm the little dragonette.
“What is happening in our realm?” Phineas asked next. “That’s a beautiful mermaid, Josie. One day Uncle Phineas will take you to see the ones that live near Saqara.”
“Yay,” Josie clapped her hands. “Let’s go now.”
“Not now, sweetie,” Keira told her daughter.
“Not until I figure out why the sharks are acting so grumpy,” Phineas told the little girl. Given what the Stoorworm King said he must be a sea creature of some kind.
Angus put a shell on the top of a sand tower Josie created. “Have more sharks attacked?”
“Not like they did Izzy. But they are very aggressive lately. It seems as if every creature in the sea is irritated and lashing out. I’ve had several sentinels return with jelly fish stings or shocks from eels,” Phineas explained.
“Wait,” Finn interjected. “Are you a considered a water creature?”
Talysia looked up and realized he was talking to her. “I guess you could say that. We can’t breathe under water and as a half-breed I’m not able to hold my breath as long as a full-blood. They can dive deeper, as well.”
“Och. What are you thinking, Finn?”
Finn met the king’s light-green gaze and Talysia noticed his shoulders go back and his chin tilt up. “I was thinking about the connection between Keira and Talysia and why they would be feeling off. Keira is a sea dragon, but I wasn’t sure about Talysia.”
Phineas sat forward. “You might be onto something, Finn. Do you swim in our waters often, Talysia?”
A lump formed in Taly’s throat, nearly choking her. There was something wrong with her. Ignoring that for the moment, she vowed to do whatever she needed to help find answers. “I usually arrive several hours before my shift and go for a swim.”
“There has to be something in the water. That’s the connection,” Phineas insisted.
Keira pulled Josie onto her lap and ran a hand over her daughter’s black hair. “How do you feel, Phin? Is anyone in Saqara sick?”
“I don’t feel well, mommy,” Josie murmured before Phineas could answer.
“Oh, sweetie. What’s wrong?” Keira said then kissed the top of Josie’s head.
The little female tilted her head back with a pout on her lips. “My head hurts.”
Angus swooped Josie into his arms and cradled her close to his muscular chest. “Don’t worry, peanut. Dyson is the best Mundunugu we have, and he will make sure the pain stops.” Talysia noticed the little dragonette had blisters on her arms, but they were healing. It looked similar to what she had. When Talysia looked at Blaze she noticed he had red marks on his lower stomach.
Keira and Angus’s eyes met over the top of their daughter’s head. The look that passed between them was a mixture of fear, anger and determination. “Who would cast a spell on the water? And, why aren’t more affected by it?” Talysia blurted the questions as they popped into her head.
“It has to be Cyril,” Finn insisted.
Phineas was shaking his head in response. “Why would Cyril attack my domain? There is nothing there for him.”
“Cyril wants to destroy us and, by extension, that includes you,” Angus told is brother-in-law. “He has increased his attacks tenfold. He still isna aware our Maahes cured the parasite. He might want to incapacitate any help I might get from you. With my troops down he has to assume I would seek help from our closest allies.”
“We need to find that Unseelie piece of trash and,” the male glanced to Josie and took a deep breath, “make him understand that will not be tolerated,” Phineas ground out. Talysia was certain he wanted to say far more, but held himself back with his young niece present.
“We need information first,” Keira insisted. “Our first priority is protecting the citizens and finding out what is wrong with us.” Talysia didn’t want to be included in this, but there was no doubt something happened, and she was affected by it.
Angus reached for Keira’s hand and squeezed it. “We will, Turquoise. Dyson will do some testing as soon as we get back to the castle.”
“We need to have Dyson determine how we can treat them, as well. If this is like the parasite this is only the beginning. It will get worse,�
�� Finn added. That was a morbid thought. Talysia’s body trembled and her hands shook. How much worse?
“We will do whatever is necessary to ensure that doesna happen,” Angus vowed. The intensity in his voice was chilling. There was no doubt in her mind he meant every word. Cyril was an idiot for going against Angus. The Cuelebre King was going to shred the Unseelie King when he got his hands on him.
Talysia watched Izzy, Blaze, and Donovan as they tossed a ball to each other and talked. Talysia might be seeing things, but she swore Izzy was limping. “Do you think Izzy is affected like us?”
All eyes shifted in Izzy’s direction. “She’s been limping,” Keira observed. “But that’s to be expected when she nearly lost her foot.”
“She’s doing fantastic in the drills. We’ve all noticed the way she favors her uninjured foot, but she hasn’t shown any signs of being ill,” Finn added.
Phineas tossed a rock into the water that was ten feet away. His forehead was creased, and his mouth was pursed. He was as angry as the rest of the males. “Given that she was gravely injured in the ocean, shouldn’t she be affected, as well?”
Angus cocked his head, keeping his gaze on the Vampire Princess. “It seems to me that whatever magic Cyril used should be causing her difficulties. We must have Dyson test her blood, too. Perhaps it’s slower acting in her system. Until we have further information, I want her excused from any drills.”
“She’s not going to like that,” Finn mumbled.
“Nay, she won’t,” Angus agreed.
“We will meet you back at the castle, Sire,” Finn said as he got to his feet. Reaching down, he helped Talysia to her feet. “Want to fly on my back?”
More than anything, Talysia thought. Problem was she didn’t trust herself to maintain her hold while flying. “Can you carry me?”
“Anything you want, Songbird,” Finn agreed before he quickly shed his clothes and shifted into his dragon. Talysia occupied herself with thinking about Finn’s sexy body and how quickly they could submit to testing and be alone.
No matter what answers she got from the healer, she wasn’t going to let a little dizziness keep her from finally being with Finn. She wanted to know what it felt like to make love to the gorgeous dragon.
* * *
Chapter 14
“What do you mean there’s nothing you can do?” Angus demanded as he glared at Dyson.
Finn felt bad for the Mundunugu, but he understood the king’s worry. Aside from Keira, others were showing signs of lethargy and dizziness. Phineas, Blaze and Josie succumbed to the same symptoms shortly after the queen.
Finn was worried about Talysia, but he wasn’t mated to her and they had no children together so he could only imagine the King’s level of unease.
“Precisely what I said, Sire. There is no sign of infection of any kind in their blood. I see no parasites and there is no indication a virus is affecting them. Their white blood count is low, indicating their immune systems have yet to kick in which happens when there is a foreign body to fight,” Dyson replied as he held his head high. “Your theory that it is magical in nature should be investigated.”
“We can cast a spell on the water you brought back,” Pema interjected.
A tremble next to him drew Finn’s gaze down to Talysia. She was shaking next to him, and he was helpless to make her better. “It’s going to be okay,” he assured her.
Her head lifted and his heart twisted at the fear in her turquoise eyes. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and shield her from everything. He hated that she was in this position. It was a sign of the way he and his fellow Maahes failed not only her, but the royal family, as well. Hell, they failed the entire realm, if he were honest.
Angus’s voice interrupted Finn’s dark thoughts. “What do you need?”
Isis joined Pema, and their mates stood behind the sisters. When Pema moved her hands as she spoke, Finn noticed the blue gem embedded in her palm and the tribal bear claw on her left forearm. He recalled asking the witch why they’d done that and was shocked when she said that their Goddess was responsible. One was their mate marking and the other their mating stone.
Finn witnessed firsthand the importance of mating stones. His mind immediately conjured when one of the gnomes from the Tehrex Realm visited Izzy. The small creature had taken the mating stones from Zeum as a gift for the Vampire Princess. That act, while not malicious in nature, had serious consequences that nearly cost Elsie and Zander their baby and Mack her life.
“We need the container of ocean water. Otherwise, we have the rest of the supplies in our room,” Pema told the King then turned to her mate.
Ronan was a big male with curly brown hair and brown eyes. On the surface, he seemed easy-going and relaxed, but that was deceptive. The hulking male was a bear shifter and, from what Finn had heard, had a temper that matched his inner animal.
“Babe, can you get our crystals, the candles, and the salt mixture from our room?” Pema asked her mate.
Ronan kissed Pema on the mouth, lingering a little too long for Finn’s comfort. It made him want to take Talysia to his place and ravage her as promised. He grabbed Taly’s hand, and squeezed, hoping she was thinking the same salacious thoughts.
“You need all the candles?” Ronan’s baritone voice intruded, breaking Finn’s fantasy about the sexy siren by his side.
“Yes please,” Pema replied breathlessly.
“And, bring the athame,” Isis interjected, referring to the knife used for magical ceremonies.
Finally disengaging from Pema, Ronan nodded and exited the throne room. To Finn’s surprise Isis’s mate, Braeden, approached her with a broom in hand.
“They’re sweeping?” Talysia blurted, asking what he was thinking.
Isis looked up from her work with a chuckle. “Technically, yes. We’re cleansing the space. Normally, we use a besom, but this will do.”
“I don’t know much about witchcraft,” Talysia admitted. “We had some visit Calypso, but they never spoke to me.”
“It’s not all potions and spells,” Isis shared as she worked. Ronan returned and he and Pema started setting things around the room. “There’s a lot of steps to doing magic properly. Now, if you will all keep quiet and step to the edges of the room.”
Finn followed the procession to the wall and out of the way. He watched with fascination as the witches worked fast and efficiently. Angus wrapped his arms around his mate’s waist and held her close. “At least they’re no’ doing the spell naked.”
“What?” Keira sputtered as she looked over her shoulder at Angus. Finn’s astonishment matched the queen’s. He’d watched them perform spells several times since they moved to Khoth, but he’d never seen or heard that about the witches.
Angus shrugged and was about to answer when Pema cut him off. “Witches perform magic best when sky-clad, to better draw energy from the moon. We also harness the most magic when sexual elements are involved in our ceremonies. But we won’t need to use such drastic measures. Our power is as strong as it gets.”
With those words Pema took the salt mixture and walked clockwise in a circle. Finn had seen them do this before and knew what they were doing. “They’re casting the circle,” he whispered in Talysia’s ear. He enjoyed the way her body shivered against his while they watched. After completing the first circuit white light projected from the salt.
On her second turn, Pema chanted, “I cast this circle to keep us free of all en�
�ergies that are not of The Light. I allow within this circle only the energies that are of The Light. So Mote It Be.”
Isis grabbed white candles carved with odd characters and placed them in various positions on the table and lit the wicks. The sisters were positioned close to the knife and container of ocean water brought in by Ronan before the ritual began. Next, Braeden handed Isis crystals, and she methodically arranged them on the table.
Finn tried to remember what they told him regarding the crystals and their function in the process. He thought they explained that the stones harnessed energy from the moon and that power was used to help fuel their spells.
Finn thought Declan, Angus’s personal assistant, was going to blow a gasket when Pema picked up a white piece of chalk and scribed a pentacle on the wood floor. The room served as the place where citizens of Khoth came to seek an audience with the king for as long as the castle existed. Many still viewed it in that light and felt it should remain a formal gathering place with formal attire and interactions. Angus had no desire to be so removed from his subjects.
Hell, the King served in a capacity much like Declan in the Vampire King’s household in the Tehrex Realm for centuries. His relationship with his subjects had changed upon his return. He understood how hard they worked and the trials they went through. And, had held a new appreciation for every single being under his rule. He made the final decisions, but he valued everyone’s input and let them know it.
Pema continued unperturbed by Declan’s apoplexy. Finn wasn’t certain, but she seemed to be invoking a different element each time she stood near another section of the pentagram.