CHAPTER FOUR
DROCCO
"Why it is taking so long?" Drocco growled. He paced behind Malloron, Rada, and Kuan as they continued to examine the portal. They had been working nonstop since the day before when Malloron agreed to Drocco's proposal, but it felt like little progress had been made. Torin had gathered the warriors that were remaining and deemed that at least sixty of them were ready for another battle. It wasn't enough, especially if the Mothers were able to use the Talent in combat. Of course Torin thought it was foolish, but there was no guarantee when the warriors traveling the White Ocean would arrive and he would not wait another moment to get to Cailyn if he didn't have to.
It wasn't until later that afternoon that Malloron finally came up with a solution. "I can recreate the portal, but it needs to be maintained on both sides to remain open long enough to get you and your warriors through," he said. "I don't know what kind of resistance you are expecting on the other side, but if we are unable to maintain it, the portal will not last."
Drocco thought for a moment. "Can you reopen it at a dedicated time?"
"Not without someone on the other side to anchor it."
Drocco huffed out a breath. In order to bring Cailyn back, he needed an exit route. He had no idea what he would find when he arrived at the Omega village, but he knew that the Omega Mothers would not be keen to find Alphas amongst them. He didn’t know how many spies protected them, or how many were able to use the Talent the way that Cailyn had when she attacked him. "Are you able to get me to where the portal opened?"
Malloron looked back at the wall thoughtfully. "I'm not sure. That portal gives us an idea of where to go, but it is unreliable. There is no guarantee that you will end up exactly where that portal went."
Drocco nodded. "Then let’s do it." He was willing to take the risk.
"Make preparations and we will do it tomorrow," Malloron said.
"We will go now," Drocco replied sharply. "I will not wait."
Malloron eyed him. "Using the Talent takes energy and concentration. I have hardly slept and barely eaten since agreeing to help you. I will do both now." Without bothering to wait for his response, Malloron stalked past him, beckoned to his warriors, and headed back to the Great Hall.
Drocco growled low in frustration, but when he looked upon the Lox Talent-crafters, fatigue lingered in their eyes. He had to admit that he needed them to be on their best form.
"Eat and rest," he told them. "We leave tomorrow."
Both of them bowed their heads, but when they rose Kuan didn't turn away when Rada did.
"Thank you for accepting us and protecting us, Emperor," she said, her voice deep. "We have rarely been accepted by anyone—” She broke off, glancing away for a moment before straightening her back and returning her glistening gaze to his. “We are honored to be the Talent-crafters protecting you with our lives tomorrow."
Drocco dipped his head.
“I would like to suggest that we create a charm chain for you, Emperor.”
At that, Drocco frowned. “What the hell for?”
“Any Talent-crafter that is capable of creating somewhere to safely live in the Wastelands is a Talent-crafter worth being wary of,” Kuan said. “As accomplished a warrior you are, you are not a Talent-crafter, Emperor. You will be at risk if you go in with no protection.”
“I will have protection,” Drocco said, irritably. “I will have warriors”
Rada returned to her sister’s side. “She is right, Emperor. If for any reason you are separated from us, you should be protected.”
“I will not be made to wear anything that will impede my mind or any of my abilities,” Drocco said, his voice hard.
“It will not,” Rada said, reassuringly. “We don’t actually have the time to create anything too complex. It would mainly have to be something that could create a shield against any attacking magic.”
“And to provide his location,” Kuan murmured thoughtfully, turning to her sister. “In case we get separated.”
Rada nodded. “And maybe something to hide the chain so that the Talent-crafters don’t realize he is wearing it.”
“Yes,” Kuan agreed. “But you will be able to take it off as you wish,” she added quickly, as Drocco began to raise an objection.
Rada turned to Kuan again, lowering her voice. “We have the gems to create these charms, don’t we?”
“We do, but we don’t know how effective they will be in the Wastelands,” Kuan replied.
“It is worth a try.”
“Agreed.” Kuan turned her attention back to Drocco. “We need your permission to create it, Emperor.”
Drocco thought carefully. His use of the charm chain on Cailyn had been a way of controlling a part of her. He was reluctant to give anyone a chance to control him, and yet the twins had made a good argument. This attack would take his men into a situation even worse than when they went to the Western Lands. These Talent-crafter Mothers were clearly very powerful and there would be no one able to challenge them with the Talent, except for maybe his Lox Talent-crafters. If he needed to be protected or located, a charm chain made sense.
“I give permission,” Drocco said slowly. “Providing I am able to put it on and take it off myself.”
Both women bowed. “Of course,” they replied in unison, before turning away.
Drocco watched them march down the corridor. They were strange and unusual but no doubt extremely powerful. The question is would they be enough? Would they be enough to protect an entire Empire from the Mothers? And would they be enough to penetrate the Omega village?
The next day, Drocco stood by the portal waiting for his people to assemble. He had barely slept all night, tortured once again by memories of his missing Omega.
If only he had stayed with Cailyn in his bedroom or taken her with him, she wouldn't now be in the hands of her Omega Mothers. He had been so close to getting an answer from her, so close to knowing how she truly felt or at least what her concerns were, and now he had no idea what she would be like when he encountered her again. Regardless, he was bringing her back to the palace. He ached for her. He ached for their child. More than once during the night he had reached for her; for her smooth skin, to pull her close to him and breathe in her scent, to purr for her and the child, to rub the round stomach that fascinated him so much. And every time she wasn't there, it was like an axe hacking into him. He never wanted to spend a night without her again, and as the twins approached with Torin, he resolved that he would not.
"The warriors are ready, Drocco," Torin said, coming to a stop before him. "I recommend two of them go through before you and then the rest after you."
Drocco shook his head. "I need to be the first one through."
"Emperor," Rada began. "It is likely that the portal will start jumping when we use it, unless Kuan and I are able to steady it on the other side. Without us, each person that goes through could end up in a slightly different place, or a wildly different place depending on how far it jumps."
"The biggest risk," Kuan said, "is that the portal jumps while someone is traveling through it. This will most certainly kill them. In order for us to steady the portal on the other side, we need to go through first."
"However," came Malloron's voice from the other side of the corridor as he approached, “the first one through is most likely going to be the one that ends up closest to where the portal opened the last time it was used."
Drocco dipped his head in greeting and understanding. "Then I will be the first one to go through," he confirmed.
“If the twins go through first, they can keep it open for you and the rest of your warriors,” Malloron pointed out.
“Is there any negative to this?” Drocco asked the twins.
“It could jump again after we go through,” Rada admitted.
“We would need to locate it and then keep it open,” Kuan added. “So there are no guarantees.”
Drocco nodded again. “Then I will be the first one through.”
Torin scowled. "You could be killed. Or you could end up somewhere in the Wastelands where you will never be found."
"It is a risk I have to take," Drocco said briskly. "You already know what to do if anything happens to me if I don't return."
Torin nodded reluctantly. They had argued the day before when Drocco insisted that Torin was not to come with him. He had never seen Torin so furious, but he had also never refused him from a battle. However, this was one battle he had no idea how to win. He was going in blind, with no information other than what Cailyn told him, and no idea what he may face. It was the most foolish way of attacking anyone, the riskiest plan he’d ever had, a method that had never won him any territories or any success when he overtook the Eastern Lands. But there was no other option. Only he knew anything about the Omega village. Nothing was recorded about them, no common knowledge of them that he could tap into, no records at the Keep to give him any information; nothing that could further aid him. And that was why there was no point in waiting. The only thing they had was this portal, and even that was a tenuous link. He needed Torin safe so he could lead the Lox if he did not return.
Malloron moved to stand in front of the portal. "Are you ready?"
Rada handed Drocco the charm chain and he nodded as he secured it around his neck.
Malloron, Rada, and Kuan spread out so that Malloron stood facing the portal, and the twins were on either side of him facing each other. In an instant, the air became thick and glistened as wisps of magic gathered into a jumbled ball in between the three of them. It started as a tiny, blue spark and grew steadily, amassing more magic, revolving and pulsing wildly, morphing in both color and shape.
"Portal!" Malloron barked after it had grown almost as large as him.
The twins’ heads turned toward the wall and immediately a silvery shimmer came into existence on the wall, outlining the shape of the portal.
Malloron glanced at Drocco. "Be ready." His chest expanded as he took in a deep breath and when he exhaled, the jumbled magic soared into the portal.
A flash sparked in the air as the distorted magic made contact with the wall and the portal suddenly burst into existence, bright and brilliant, lighting up the entire space as though the sun had flooded the corridor. It rippled in place on the wall, the edges bleeding outward until it seemed like an enormous door of uncontrollable magic.
"Go!" Malloron shouted.
Drocco ran toward the portal, Torin’s bellows at the twins to follow him resounding in his ears, and he jumped through.
It was nothing like the portals that Cailyn had created—no smooth, silky feel on his skin as he penetrated it. Instead, it was like fists punching him all over his body at the same time. He gritted teeth and tensed, but before he even had a chance to experience it properly, he landed in a crouched position on sandy ground.
Breathing hard, he rose to his feet.
He stood in a clearing, on a sandy but rocky surface. A blue sky stretched overhead, bright and clear. A little way away, a number of huts spread out before him. The Omega village.
Drocco turned around to see if the portal existed behind him, but it didn’t. He hoped that wherever it had jumped to, the twins would be nearby. He had managed to jump into the Omega village, but there was no telling where the twins would end up in the Wastelands. The good thing was, they felt they could battle its extreme environment with a protective barrier. However, they hadn’t been sure how they were going to get into the Omega village if it was hidden by magic. Malloron had had some ideas, but nothing was a guarantee. Drocco decided not to think about that right now. If he could find Cailyn, she could possibly take them back.
A sudden shuffling to his left caused him to tense and when he looked over, a woman dressed in robes rose up on her feet from a crouched position. She began to walk, but then caught sight of Drocco. The extreme horror that seeped into her face would have been comical in any other scenario. Before Drocco could even say anything, she lifted her robes and ran toward the buildings.
Drocco glanced around again before heading after her.
As he approached the buildings, he came aware of the strong Omega scent in the air. This was most certainly the place that he had been looking for. The scent mingled with dirt, and perfumed flowers, and other muddled smells of the village, but it was there. Strangely, it did not entice him. It only reminded him of Cailyn’s scent, and the desire that burned in him for it. He sped up, eager to get to her.
Soon, he walked among the huts and it became clear that the village was not anywhere in the known Lands. The buildings were made from a strange material, not stone, not brick, but not primitive huts. Sandy, worn pathways wound in between buildings instead of roads. Variants of yellows and browns among white uniformed the village, giving it that rural feel, and abundant greenery brightened the environment. Trees, patches of grass, ample colorful flowers and other decorative flora covered the area. A number of women strolled along, talking and chatting or sitting and eating with each other. The calm and quiet atmosphere seemed peaceful.
Drocco tried not to let the lull of the environment affect him. He flicked his fingers, tensing his back to feel the weight of his axe and sword. He suspected that the calm environment was the result of magical influence. Before he could decide which direction to go in, a handful of women approached and spread out until they surrounded him.
"What do you want?" shouted the woman directly in front of him. "Who are you and how did you get here?"
"I have come here for Cailyn Andaus," Drocco called out. "I am Emperor Drocco Andaus. I'm here for my mate."
"You have not been invited," the woman said, her voice stern. "You are intruding on private land. How did you get here?"
Drocco turned from her to examine his surroundings again, wondering which way to go. He had thought the village would be a reasonable size but it seemed too extensive for a village. In the distance, large buildings rose into the sky suggesting this place was more like a city that felt like a village.
The woman in front of him spoke again, but he ignored her. He pulled out the location gem, and held it in his palm. It no longer flickered and it had transformed into a glowing pebble-gray color. Cailyn was here and she was close. Holding the gem in his palm, he began to navigate toward her location, watching for changes in the color of the gem that told him where to go. Only when it was pure black would he be near Cailyn.
As soon as he began walking, the Omega women surrounding him began to attack with magic, shouting questions and demands at him, but it was easy to just simply ignore them. Of course, his charm chain fended off their attempts with an invisible shield that surrounded him, bouncing the magic away from him. He silently thanked the twins for their foresight.
The location gem took him to an area populated with more buildings. The villagers, all women, stopped what they were doing and stared at the sight approaching; an Alpha surrounded by Omegas following and attacking him as he walked along. Many of them fled, exclaiming in alarm, particularly those with children or younger girls. Others simply stared.
He marched past everyone, his eyes on the location gem, but when the shield around him began to silently buzz, he glanced up to see a figure in a white robe flickering before him. He stopped, bracing a wide stance, the location gem in his fist and his other hand ready to reach for his weapons. The figure flickered wildly until it stabilized to reveal an elderly woman. Instantly two more figures flickered into existence next to her and then another two on either side.
As the other four figures stabilized in appearance, the first elderly woman eyed him carefully. "Emperor Drocco."
Drocco clenched his jaw. All of the women were elderly and all wore white robes. “Mothers," he returned.
"I see Cailyn has given you some information about us," said the woman to the right of center. "It is a good thing that you have come to us of your own accord, instead of us having to chase you down."
"You know why I am here. Give her to me."
"I'm afraid we cannot do that right now," said the woman to the far left. "We are trying to prevent further harm to her. "
Drocco squeeze the location gem hard in his fist. “I will prevent any further harm from coming to her. She is my mate and my responsibility. Give her to me."
The five women simply stood and watched him, and he met each of their eyes firmly. They were all different in appearance, their skins tones ranging from sienna brown to ivory, their hair ranging from steel gray to auburn to black. They clearly came from all over the known Lands but the two common features among all the women were their hooded white robes and the look of apprehension in their eyes.
As they stood, observing each other, everything around them stilled. If any villagers stood beyond his peripheral vision, he had no idea. The women in front of him were the ones that had caused the problems Cailyn faced. They were the ones that caused the depression she suffered at the lodge, the ones responsible for her viewing him with suspicion instead of being able to see him as her mate. These were the women that needed to pay. But first, he needed Cailyn.
"If you do not give her to me," he said after a stretch of silence, "I will simply take her."
The Mothers did not respond, however, the shield around him began to shake. Drocco snarled at them before focusing his attention back on the gem. He needed to get to Cailyn. The twins would be able to locate him eventually, but he needed to find her first.
He started walking again, maneuvering around the Mothers as he headed further into the more densely built area. As he traveled, his shield shook and reverberated and even seem to expand and constrict at times. But it did not fail.
By the time the location gem began to turn charcoal, the Mothers and a group of Omegas, who were clearly trained spies, were following and attacking him. He found himself in front of an enormous, elaborate, pearl building that seemed out of place in the village. It looked like a cross between a palace and a temple. However, when he arrived, the Omegas surrounding him seemed to go into a panic. The Mothers spread out, ordering everyone else away. They had been talking amongst themselves as he had traveled, but he hadn't paid attention to anything they said.
Just as he approached the building, a new blast hit him that had him stumbling forward, almost losing his balance. He steadied himself and turned in the direction it came from. Two of the Mothers stalked toward him, hands held, hatred in their eyes. And they were twins.
Drocco's eyes widened.
Before he could think another thought, the blast came again, and again, and on the last hit it threw him off his feet. The charm chain flickered around his neck, and instantly he knew that it had been damaged. Dread rose in his stomach, but he took comfort that the chain still held magic. If it still vibrated, the Lox twins would surely be able to find him.
Before he could even recover from the blast, cool silky magic wound itself around him, securing itself around his body before lifting him up until he was on his feet. He fought against it, but it held firm.
The Mothers gathered before him.
"I’m taking her out of here," Drocco snarled. "And then I'm taking Omegas for my Alphas."
The Mother who had appeared first, the one that looked the oldest and only spoken to say his name, tilted her head to one side. "I could rip your arms and legs from your body right now and leave you to die in the Wastelands where your army would never find you.” Her biting tone was gravelly and stern. “The only reason why you are alive is to help Cailyn and her child." She glanced at the others. "Take him inside."
The magic around him yanked him up until he rose inches off the ground, floating in the air. He drifted ahead of the Mothers behind him, heading into the large building where he knew Cailyn was. Drocco struggled and writhed against the magic holding him, but it was firm and solid. No matter how viciously he pushed against it, it didn't give.
They navigated him through the entrance hall of the building, and down a number of corridors until they reached a large room. The Mothers pressed Drocco up against the back wall while they discussed amongst themselves in a huddle, just out of earshot.
Drocco tried to take in as much as he could about his surroundings. With his shield gone, the Mothers had him at a disadvantage. He hoped that the charm chain still signaled his location, but at this point, he was more interested in getting to Cailyn. Now that he knew what to expect, he could always come back to the village once the rest of his warriors had arrived from the Western Lands.
The Mothers suddenly turned to him and he narrowed his eyes in anticipation of what they were about to say.
"You have a portal open in the Wastelands," said one of the Mothers with jet black hair. "It's being maintained and held open from both ends. How are you doing that?"
"I want to see Cailyn," he responded.
"Oh you will," said another one of the Mothers, with auburn hair. "But you will answer our questions first."
"You do not own the Wastelands," Drocco said tightly. "If you are concerned, go and investigate. You might be surprised at what you find." Hopefully, if any Omegas did engage with Kuan and Rada in the Wastelands, then their village could be located.
Surprisingly, most of the Mothers actually seemed worried by his response. They glanced at each other and then back at him.
"Emperor Drocco," said the one with black hair. "You have not once asked us how we are trying to help your Omega. There is a reason why she still here, why we have not yet sent her back to you."
Drocco tried to hold in the fierce anger that burst within him. "It does not matter why she still here." His voice was almost a roar. "I have no interest in your kind of help. The kind of help that causes an Omega to reject her Alpha repeatedly. The kind of help that distorts the Omega view and understanding of the Alpha/Omega connection. Your kind of help is detrimental to both of our dynamics and I don't give a shit about you helping my Omega. I want you to stay away from her. You shouldn’t have brought her here in the first place."
The Mothers’ faces became wary. One of the auburn-haired twins turned away muttering that he was delusional, while the black-haired one began to wring her hands in worry.
The eldest, gray-haired Mother remained unmoved. "It is expected that you would try and blame us for your choices," she said. "You are the one that has proven the nature of Alphas to your Omega. No one forced you to treat her that way. She chose to come back here to question us for answers that she knew she would not remember. I'm starting to believe that that may have been a cry for help, a plea to save her from you."
A harsh rush of heat encased Drocco's body. If he were to believe what they said, Cailyn had indeed come of her own accord—she had chosen to leave.
"If it was down to me, I would never let her return to you," the Mother said, the hardness in her voice reflected on her face. "But this is bigger than me, or you, or her. The reality is your child is at risk from the chain that remains around Cailyn's neck. She tells us that only you can remove it. Is that true?"
Drocco was taken aback for a moment. How could the charm chain hurt his child? He thought back to when he sent the instructions for it to be made. He had not specified to the twins that he was intending to impregnate his Omega. But surely they would not create something that could cause her or the child harm? It was obvious that he would want impregnate her eventually. Or maybe these Mothers were lying. "I want to see her."
"Who created the charmed chain?" asked the brown-haired Mother.
"Let me speak to her," Drocco said through gritted teeth.
The Mothers remained silent for a long moment. And then the gray-haired Mother glanced at the brown-haired one. "Get Cailyn."