* * *
“Wow, Bailey,” Jamis laughed, watching his friend finally catch up. “Your lack of speed never ceases to amazes me.”
Bailey rested, out of breath, against the huge submerged boulder, only its craggy top sticking out above the water. “Bite me.” He wiped his face. “I got a cramp in my leg.”
Noah grinned, gripping the rock alongside the rest of the team. “Is this something that happens every time you go in the water?”
Bailey flipped him the bird.
Jamis laughed again. “He makes a good point. You’re always the last one to come in.”
Bailey scowled, his dripping curls trying to cling to his cheeks. “You know what? Fine. I suck at swimming. There. Happy? I said it.”
“Like we didn’t know already,” Chet muttered, scanning the lake. They’d been tasked by Kellim to do laps today. From shore to boulder, and then back again, twenty times.
“Oh, blow me, Mr. Sunshine Pants. You’re never first to finish, either. It’s always either Z-man or the cap.” Bailey looked at Zaden and Alec. “Which was it this time, by the way? I was practicing my breast stroke. Didn’t see.”
Chet snorted. “You mean your doggie paddle?”
“Oooh,” Jamis piped in. “You should learn butterfly. Bet your water boy’s got that one down pat.”
“Damn, no shit…” Bailey mused. His lips quirked. “That was always my favorite to watch in the Olympics.”
“’Cause the guys moved like mermen?” Noah grinned.
Bailey flushed. Smiling boyishly, he nodded. “Pretty much.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Chet grunted, shaking his head. “Who’s next? Jamis, you gonna start pining after fairies?”
Jamis laughed. “Maybe one day. Although, I typically call ‘em fae.”
Chet rolled his eyes.
The trio laughed.
Zaden and Alec swapped smirks.
“Again!” Kellim bellowed from the shore. “Lazy moyos! Rest time is over! Back to laps!”
The team peered over their shoulders at the annoying Kríe, eyed him for a second, then resumed talking.
“Saw more captives brought in today,” Zaden offered with a frown.
“Slaves,” Chet corrected. “Cheap labor, ‘cause Zercy’s a douche.”
Alec shot him a glower before he could stop himself. “We don’t know what’s going on with them, or why he’s keeping them, or anything.”
Which frustratingly, was the total fucking truth. Alec didn’t know jack because Zercy wouldn’t spill. Last week, when Zercy showed up after dropping off the grid, Alec had hoped they’d reached some kind of milestone in Zercy trusting him. Sure, the night had ended kind of rough, discussing Zercy’s loss, but the bottom line was, he’d confided in Alec. At least a little bit. So that was progress on some level and it’d given Alec hope.
Unfortunately, not a goddamn iota changed afterward. Hell, since then, Zercy dropped back off the map again. Even now, he still had yet to freaking surface. But Alec didn’t understand why. They hadn’t argued or anything. In fact, they’d done the absolute opposite. Gotten downright intimate. Which was not what Alec had planned.
Blame it on that stupid fucking zenki.
But one thing had led to another, and next thing Alec knew, Zercy’s fangs were making him come all over the fur. So why then, was Zercy avoiding him yet again? Had bringing up his betrothed triggered some aversion? Made him not want to be around Alec intimately? Or in any way at all, for that matter?
The thought made Alec anxious. And aggravatingly, a little sick. Maybe he needed to follow Zercy’s lead and nip shit in the bud. Go cold turkey. Wipe the Kríe out of his thoughts, out of his system, just like Zercy was clearly doing with him.
Alec frowned and looked down as water lapped at his chest. Because, damn it, he didn’t want to.
Fucking Kríe.
“Earth to Alec.” Zaden’s voice finally cut through his musing.
Alec blinked and looked his way. “Uh… What?”
His co-pilot chuckled. “Damn, man. Where’d you go?”
“We were saying,” Chet cut in, “that it sounded like you were defending the guy.”
“Who?”
“Zercy, who else? You know, for having fucking slaves? Those poor schmoes breaking their backs to make him rich?”
Alec tensed. Was he defending him? Fuck, maybe he was. “I’m just pointing out the facts.”
“You sure? Those marks on your neck implies different.”
Alec stilled. His team eyed him. Him and Zercy’s bite. Cheeks heating, he rubbed the spot and cut Chet a defensive look. “You of all people should know this doesn’t mean shit. Or was there something going on with Roni that I’m not aware of?”
The Chet pursed his lips and looked away, but the others continued to watch him.
Alec exhaled and dropped his hand, not ready yet—or even able—to explain the marks. “Look,” he muttered, directing things back to the subject at hand. “All I’m saying is we don’t know what’s going on. We’re only seeing part of the picture. There’s something big happening, though. That much I do know. The guy’s stressed out all the time and—” He stopped and looked at their bodyguard. “Wait. How’d you know that he’s got them mining? I’m pretty sure that’s not public knowledge.”
Chet shrugged. “’Cause I’ve seen them, digging away under the castle.”
Zaden frowned and eyed him. “We’ve never been taken to the mines. We only go down to Ryze’s and that’s it.”
“Yeah,” Noah agreed. “The only time we’ve ever seen prisoners was that day we spotted them being brought in through the back gate.”
Jamis nodded. “And they definitely hadn’t been mining then.”
Bailey’s eyes widened. “Holy shit. You’ve been fucking sneaking out.”
Chet shrugged. “Of course I have. How else are we ever going to escape? We need the lay of the place, a solid bead on castle routine, so we know which way to high-tail it, and when.”
“Really? You’ve been doing recon?” Alec asked, brows high. Not that the revelation was surprising. That’s just the way Chet rolled. Always plotting, planning, ever proactive.
Something gleamed in Chet’s gray eyes. “For weeks now. Every night.”
“How?” Zaden demanded. He looked kind of pissed. “And why didn’t you take me fucking with you?”
“Because as of late, you’re just as much the captain as Cap.” Chet shot Alec a look. “Sorry, Boss, but it’s true. As soon as you leave each evening, it’s Z in charge.”
Alec frowned, but nodded. Chet was right and he knew it. But it was still a bitter pill to swallow. He hated being the team’s part-time leader.
“So what?” Zaden grated. Yup, he was pissed. “You know the drill. You need someone to watch your back.”
“No.” Chet shook his head. “It’s dangerous. You could get hurt. I literally scale the castle’s exterior walls.”
“Get out.” Jamis gawked. “You’ve been climbing out your window?”
Chet shrugged again. “Yeah. Kinda sketchy at times, but I manage.”
“Sketchy.” Noah coughed an incredulous laugh. “Because we’re easily a good seventy-five feet off the ground? Or because the ledge below our windows is non-existent?”
“Both.” Chet chuckled. Rubbing his buzz cut, he looked at Alec. “But I’ve gathered some good intel. Tonight I’m headed into the mines to map out the tunnels, see if I can find some secret passageways.”
“I’m going,” Zaden announced.
Again, Chet shook his head. “No, you’re not.”
“That’s not your decision. I outrank you.”
“Burn!” Bailey cackled.
Jamis and Noah snickered, too.
Alec, however, just exhaled with a frown. Not because he didn’t want Zaden going, that part was fine. Zaden was more than capable of handling himself. Hell, he’d be an asset. The best wingman Chet ever had. Alec was irked because he wanted to go, too. To be useful. Actively working to help his team. And the fact that he couldn’t because he was holed up in Zercy’s chambers? Not knowing if Zercy would come back and find him missing? It chafed something fierce. He wasn’t a pet to wait on its master. He was captain, first fucking officer, of his own unit.
Chet shoved Bailey’s head, then shot Alec a look. “It’s up to you, Boss. You cool with this?”
Alec nodded. “Yeah. Just be careful. Neither one of you is expendable.”
Zaden’s dark eyes flashed. He was excited. Understandable. They hadn’t experienced real freedom in fucking weeks. Locked in their room from dusk till dawn. Escorted everywhere else by overbearing guards. But as soon as Chet and Zaden slipped out of their windows? They’d be free, at least for a little while. Sweet—albeit small-scale—liberation.
It filled Alec with envy. But it also unsettled him.
Because bottom line, those recon missions were for one purpose only. To help them escape the very Kríe Alec was falling for.
“Shit!” Bailey yelped. Twisting around, he searched the water. “Something just gripped my freaking calf!”
The whole team tensed and quickly looked around, too.
“Goddamnit,” Chet grated. “Kellim said all the big sea creatures stayed at the bottom.”
Bailey shook his head, still glancing around. “No, it—It felt like a hand.”
Everyone stopped and stared at him.
“A hand?” Alec repeated. “Like with fingers?”
Bailey nodded. “Yeah. Exactly.”
Jamis barked out a laugh. “Shut the front door. It’s your merman.”
“I think it was.”
Noah’s mouth fell open. “Shit.”
Zaden and Alec traded looks.
Chet scowled and shook his head. “You guys are morons. No fucking way. It was probably some sucker fish with a freaky mouth.”
Bailey pursed his lips. “I know what fucking fingers feel like, Chet.”
“Yeah? Then where’s your lover boy now, huh? ‘Cause I don’t see—”
A football-sized rock slammed the water right by their heads.
“MOVE!” Mannix boomed, standing by Kellim at the shore. He lobbed another. It hit even closer than the first.
“Jesus!” Zaden shouted. “That fucking dick’s gonna hit us!”
“NOW!” the Kríe bellowed. A third came flying their way.
The team dove in all directions, barely dodging.
KERSPLASH!!
“That motherfucker.” Chet shot the asshole a glare. “Swear to God, I’m gonna rip his fucking arm off.”
But right as Mannix sneered and readied to chuck an even bigger one, a wadded ball of seaweed pegged him in the head. Jarred, Mannix stumbled to the side, plowing into Kellim.
“Ha!” Jamis crowed. “Serves you right, ya big dick!” Grinning, he turned to the others. “Nice aim. Who threw that?”
Treading water, every teammate shook his head in quiet bafflement.
Alec cursed, glancing around. “If it wasn’t us, then who?”
Right on cue, something big smacked the water to their right, creating a giant splash just yards away.
All six heads whipped around.
“Holy shit!” Bailey gaped. “Did you see that? It was a tail! With two big ole flukes and fuckin’ everything!”
“Flukes? You mean, like a dolphin?” Noah asked.
“Kinda yeah, but different. Gah. I only caught a quick glimpse.”
Jamis eyed the dispersing ripples, then shot Bailey a grin. “Sounds like a merman tail to me. Your boy must not’ve liked Mannix using you for target practice.”
Bailey blinked at his friend. Brain churning, his eyes lit bright.
Alec laughed. He couldn’t help it. Bailey’s deal was just too funny. “Come on, guys.” He gestured with his head toward shore. “Mannix looks pissed. We better get going before he chucks a boulder.”
* * *
“You’re not coming with us?” Zaden frowned. “Why not?”
Alec glanced away as he and the team dried off from their swim and got dressed. As of late, their guards had been taking them into town once a week. Normally, to the market. Sometimes to sightsee a little, too. Today, however, Alec wasn’t in the mood.
“I um… wanted to hit the history museum library thingy.” He scratched his cheek and gave a shrug. “Do some research and stuff. See if I can find anything useful.”
His co-pilot eyed him. “You okay? You seem off.”
“Yeah. Of course.” Alec nodded. “I’m fine.”
Although, in truth, he felt pretty much the opposite. Head all wound in tangles. Stomach all tied in knots. Zercy was making it hard to fucking function.
“Alright, man.” Zaden shrugged. “Guess we’ll see you at dinner.”
“Cool.” Alec forced a small smile and saluted.
His friend saluted back, then headed off with the others.
Alec sighed, watching them go, feeling a little like he was ditching them. But truth be told, he’d spent more overall time with them this week than he had during any other since they’d gotten there. Why? Because every day since his last encounter with Zercy, the guards had allowed him to stay with his men till midnight. No doubt, Zercy’s way of making up for his continued absence. During their last conversation, when Alec had said that things had been quiet, the king must’ve been listening.
At any rate, Alec just needed some time alone. Some time to think and hopefully get his head back on straight. Maybe find a way to flush Zercy out of his system.
“Nenya,” Kellim grunted. “I will take you to the library.” He loped toward the gates, leading the way. Alec followed.
They entered through the back doors not long after. Kellim didn’t say much as they walked. He rarely did, though. Always did most of his talking during physical training. Not that Alec minded. He wasn’t in the mood for chitchat anyway. Just wanted to get where he was going and submerge himself in books.
They passed Lotis’ bottega, then the double doors of the bathhouse. When they reached the corridor’s T-junction, they took a left.
Alec’s gaze dropped down, absently eyeing the stone floor. Those slate slabs were becoming too familiar. They shouldn’t feel so comfortable. Shouldn’t bring him a sense of security. But they did, like some home away from home.
Alec groaned and scrubbed his face as he wandered down the hall. He was getting too attached. To Zercy. To this place. Exactly what he’d feared, had started to happen.
Goddamnit. He should never have kissed that Kríe. Should never have touched him at all. ‘Cause now, when they escaped—and ultimately they would—it was going to fucking hurt. No way around it.
He dropped his hands and breathed a curse. Rubbed his neck and lifted his gaze.
Then frowned at the sight up ahead.
The doors to the courtyard, there weren’t any Kríe guarding them.
“What the hell?” he murmured.
Kellim kept walking, still leading the way. Did he not find that strange? Worrisome that not a single Kríe was posted? Maybe it was common, like the switching of guards.
Or maybe, Alec speculated as they steadily approached, Kellim did find it strange, but was playing it cool, not wanting to draw Alec’s attention where it wasn’t wanted.
Alec frowned suspiciously. But right as they neared within a half dozen feet, he spotted something that halted him in his tracks. The doors weren’t even closed. Someone had left them ajar. Enough so that he could probably steal a peek.
His pulse kicked up a notch. He glanced back at Kellim. The oblivious Kríe was still ambling along. Alec bit his lip and looked back at the parted double doors, then soundlessly moved closer and peered inside.
His heart stopped in his chest.
Zercy, with his back to Alec, standing in the center of the courtyard.
Staring at a gargantuan tree.
Alec’s muscles went tight. What was he doing in there? He looked still as a statue. Was he okay?
An ominous current washed over him. Darkness, sickness, death.
Then Zercy’s energy reached him. Staggering sorrow.
Alec’s heart dropped to his feet. He anxiously gripped the door, the urge to go to Zercy overwhelming. But, fuck, he couldn’t. Wasn’t even supposed to be there, witnessing any of this. He wasn’t welcome.
He stared at Zercy’s back, wondering why the king was there. Even the air inside the place felt fucking toxic. Alec’s chest clenched restlessly. What if Zercy got sick? He wanted to march right in and drag him out.
“Alec!” Kellim bit out from the far end of the hall.
Alec glanced his way. Shit. The Kríe was stalking back fast. He’d better retreat before Zercy discovered him.
Reluctantly, he peeled his fingers from the door and quietly stepped away—
“Alick… Nenya.”
Alec froze. Fucking busted. He peered back inside.
Zercy eyed him over his shoulder. “Do not go.”
Alec’s heart shot into his throat. “I—I’m sorry. I—”
“It is alright.” God, his voice, it sounded so somber. “It is time I told you the truth. Nenya.” Come.
Kellim stopped at Alec’s side, glared irritably, then opened the door. “The king awaits,” he muttered. “Move with haste.”
Alec slid him a look of apology and stepped through the door.
Ah, so the king wasn’t alone after all. The courtyard guards were posted inside the entry.
Unsettled, Alec made his way over to Zercy, taking in that big tree as he went. Sitting atop a hill, it kind of looked like a hybrid. Like an old giant oak mixed with willow. Thick trunk, draping branches strewn with oddly curled leaves, it had an uncanny resemblance to Zercy’s throne.
Alec cranked his face upward to get a glimpse of its height, spotting stars through the opening high above. The top of the castle, it was open to the courtyard. He wondered how he’d missed that from Zercy’s roof.
Blame it on the stars. Always distracting.
Alec scanned the vast enclosure. Pole torches and wall sconces blazed everywhere. That fern-like Niran grass covered the ground. Two granite benches. Meandering stone paths. Large marbled rocks amidst the thick roots. Roots, incidentally, that didn’t look right.
Alec frowned, tracing them back to the looming tree’s trunk. It didn’t look right, either. Or rather, it didn’t look healthy. In truth, it looked more dead than alive. From a distance, he hadn’t noticed its washed-out appearance, nor the way its leaves looked withered and discolored. Infused through every inch with a sickly shade of gray. He glanced down. Even the grass seemed way too limp.
He stopped next to Zercy. The king didn’t turn to look at him. Just kept his sober gaze on the tree. “Bordi, Fek. Resume your posts outside the door.”
The guards at the entrance promptly turned and headed out, closing the panels behind them as they left.
Silence lingered.
Alec shifted his weight. Rubbed his nape. “You’ve been avoiding me again,” he finally murmured.
“Tah.”
“Because you’re still in bad sorts? Don’t seem too grumpy to me.”
Zercy’s lips curved infinitesimally. “That is only half the reason.”
Alec looked at him. “Oh. Well… what’s the other?”
Zercy’s tiny smile faltered. “I am getting too attached. No king should crave his pet so intensely.”
Alec stilled, his heart thudding. He knew Zercy was fond of him, but that confession just shed some really important light. They were on the same page. Had the exact same concern. That their feelings for the other were growing too strong.
A strange kind of panic streaked unchecked through his ribs. Whether Alec wanted something between them or not, it wasn’t his call. He’d have to keep Zercy’s company no matter what. But if Zercy didn’t want it, that was totally different. One rash decision while in a downhearted mood, and Zercy could ban Alec from his presence altogether.
Alec chewed on Zercy confession. What exactly was he implying? That he didn’t want Alec around anymore? That he’d decided to stop interactions? Had Alec become to him just another source of stress?
Alec wanted to ask… but was afraid to hear the answer.
So, instead he drew in a breath and averted his gaze. Couldn’t help it. Zercy’s face was suddenly making him ache.
Frowning, he cleared his throat and gestured to the tree. “It’s contracted the sickness.” Seemed like a pretty safe guess.
Zercy nodded once.
Alec shifted his weight. “Looks pretty old.”
“She is. As old as time.”
“She?”
“Tah,” Zercy murmured. His gaze fell to her roots. “This is Nira, Alick. Our mother… And she is dying.”
Alec’s mouth dropped open. “What? This is Nira? This tree?”
“In one of her physical forms, tah, through which all Kríe life is formed.”
Alec stared at the thing, wrapping his brain around Zercy’s words.
“All Kríe who’ve ever lived came from this tree?”
“Mah. This is the matriarch. She brings forth only kings. Extensions of her, linked by the roots you see before us, are scattered throughout the kingdom in various regions. Offshoots, smaller replicas. They bear the young for all the rest. The very wombs that populate our species.”
Wow. Things on Nira kept getting more and more bizarre. Alec weighed the sight before him with the things Zercy said. “So, if they’re all connected, and this one’s dying…”
A moment ticked by.
Zercy’s next nod was faint. “Tah,” he rasped. “They all are dying.”
Oh, God.
Oh, Jesus.
Alec quickly did the math. If they died, then so did Zercy’s race.
His pulse spiked in horror. “Are you saying you can’t heal her?”
“We are trying. Doing all that we possibly can. Sirus toils day and night, as do all of my scientists, experimenting with every element from every land. Manipulating them. Testing every conceivable combination. But no cure for our mother has been found.”
Alec’s mind spun, assessing the data. Something didn’t add up. “But how can she be this vulnerable? Obviously, she’s an entity of higher existence. She’s immortal for fuck’s sake. Creates intelligent, complex life. There’s gotta be something she can do.”
Zercy closed his eyes. “I do not know… I used to think that she was angry and would not heal as punishment to me. For being so naive. So complacent. I do not believe that anymore.” He looked back up at the tree. “Now I fear the reason is because... she is not able.”
That didn’t make sense.
“But you said once that she was mystical. That she can move walls at will. Why is this problem any different?”
Zercy looked at him sadly. “She is not a god, Alick. She is our mother, the heart of our planet. Limited to the elements she is made of.”
“Okay.” Alec nodded, working it through in his brain. “But the sickness, it’s made of your planet too, right?”
Zercy held his eyes. Shook his head.
Alec blinked, then furrowed his brows. Scratching his cheek, he crossed his arms. “It’s extraterrestrial?”
“Tah.” Zercy exhaled. “Or from a foreign unknown god.”
“Wait, huh? A god?” Talk about left field.
“It is the only explanation why our own gods have not helped. It would also explain why Niran antidotes cannot defeat it.”
“Jesus,” Alec muttered, dragging a hand down his face.
“Dark magic has found my people.” Zercy’s timbre was bleak. “And no matter what I do, I cannot save them.”
Alec’s stomach turned at the thought—and he was merely a bystander. He couldn’t imagine what this was doing to the king.
He looked back at the tree, noting its trunk’s curious texture. Satiny smooth with vein-like cords, reminding him of a muscular man’s arm. Curiously though, it didn’t give a masculine vibe. It gave, quite appropriately, a slightly feminine one.
“How did this happen?” he heard himself ask. “How did she even get sick to begin with?”
An arctic blast nailed him as Zercy visibly stiffened.
“A traitorous viper poisoned her with his traitorous venom.”
“Someone you knew did this? Intentionally?”
Zercy’s growl sounded glacial. “I welcomed him into my home, but he conspired against me. Deceived me with his pleasantries. With his lies. Like a fool, I suspected nothing, nor did any in my court… But why would we? He looked like a gift from the gods.” His lip curled back. “With the smile of an angel.”
Alec’s insides twisted anxiously. He swallowed. “Who was he? A noble? A visiting dignitary?”
“My betrothed.”
Oh, shit.
Alec’s brain did a tailspin. All this time, he’d thought that Zercy had been mourning him, his betrothed. Now he realized he’d wanted to rip his throat out.
“Jesus. Zercy…”
“He disappeared one night… I searched for him… Found him here… So I went to him, saying, ‘Talik, what are you doing? It is late.’ He looked at me over his shoulder… He was smiling, but not like an angel. Like the demon prince he was. All his gods-damned body markings lit up like hell fire.”
“Fuck,” Alec murmured.
A tremor shook Zercy’s frame. “When I reached him, I discovered that he was holding a bowl, and that its contents had been poured on Nira’s roots.”
“‘Talik, what is this?’ I asked. ‘What have you done?’ He sneered and said, ‘What I was chosen to do. End your race. And now I have.’”
Alec’s heart thumped painfully. The king was reliving his nightmare.
“It was then that I realized the magnitude of Talik’s crime. Rage consumed me, like fury descended from the gods. A vessel for Ságe and Krye to deliver their wrath.”
Alec watched him as he spoke, Zercy’s raw gaze locked on the tree.
“I roared and did not stop until his blood drenched my body… until I tore him limb from limb and crushed his bones.”
Alec cursed, not wanting to envision Zercy that way. “Was he prince of the Tohrí? Is that why you hate them?”
Zercy gave a stiff nod. “They sent him under the pretense of uniting empires, solidifying peace, when all along they had plotted the very opposite. To sabotage my kingdom by infiltrating my castle, so they could deal a lethal blow straight to our heart.”
The thought had Alec absently rubbing his sternum. “So that’s why you enslave them? Those Tohrí? As retribution?”
Zercy tiredly rubbed his face. “Mah. My vengeance will come soon enough. I enslave them for the labor. They owe me that much.”
“To mine,” Alec murmured.
Zercy dropped his hands and sighed. “We discovered a mineral in the ground below the mountains. One that slightly slows the rate of Nira’s deterioration.”
Alec’s brows rose. “Really? Well, shit, at least that’s something.”
Zercy nodded again, frowning. “It is not a cure, but tah, it has bought us precious time.”
Alec looked at the tree. Mineral or not, she still looked awful. Like she was hanging on by a thread. “How long does she have?”
Despair tightened Zercy’s face. “The rate of her decline… has started to accelerate. Sirus says she has perhaps… a quarter moon.”
Which was roughly a week.
“Goddamn.” Alec rubbed at his mouth. That wasn’t long at all. No wonder Zercy was having issues coping. His world was crumbling down all around him, literally dying. The weight on his shoulders must be crushing.
“We give her the mineral continuously now, but supplies are quickly dwindling, and in truth it makes little difference. Her time, our time, is running out.”
No. Bullshit. There had to be a way.
“What if you got your own people to mine the stuff, too? Increase production. Then maybe concentrate the doses?”
“My soldiers are busy training. Readying for war. We suspect an attack by the Tohrí is imminent. That they will take advantage of our distraction. If they do, we will be ready. If they do not, they are fools. Because when Nira dies we are coming to destroy them.”
Alec’s jaw went slack.
Fuck. He was going to retaliate.
“As for the public…” Zercy shook his head. His features pinched miserably. “Mah. I will not risk them finding out our true state. Those in mourning could not bear it. It is too soon. They still suffer.”
“Mourning?” Alec frowned. “But Nira hasn’t died yet.”
Zercy met his gaze, and Jesus, his expression tore Alec’s heart. “When Talik poisoned the matriarch, that poison spread to the others, to all the other Nira trees in the land. But unlike the matriarch…” He paused. Closed his eyes. “Those trees were laden with young.”
Oh, God… Oh, no...
“Babes still forming in her womb. Not yet big enough… Still too small…” His somber voice cracked. “Even the young who still nursed were not spared.”
“Jesus… Jesus God…” Alec breathed, unable to fathom it.
Zercy groaned and pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes. “The outcry that night...” He swallowed and shook his head. “It was so great… So loud… Like a crash through the land… A torrent of pure agony that would not stop.”
Heartache distorted his speech. He sank to his knees. “It would not stop, Alick. It would not stop. Went on for days. The roars. The wailing. Like a blade in my heart, ever twisting.” His shoulders started to shake. His breathing turned ragged. “It was all my fault. Because of me, their young were dying. And there was nothing I could do. I could not save them.”
A fissure cracked Alec’s chest. Zercy was breaking before his eyes. The proud Kríe king was falling to fucking pieces. Next thing he knew, he was on his knees too, wrapping Zercy in his arms from behind.
A second shudder shook Zercy’s frame. “I have tried to imagine what my fathers would do. How they would counsel one another. How they would fix it. But the answers do not come! I am not wise like they were! I cannot save my people, Alick! I cannot save them!”
Fuuuck. His torment. He wasn’t just wrecking Alec’s heart. He was wrecking his whole goddamn soul.
Alec shifted to Zercy’s side, wanting to face him, needing to see him. But those big hands still covered his eyes. “Zercy. Listen to me.” Alec gripped the king’s bicep, its golden cuff reflecting the light of countless torches. “It’s not over. Not yet. Which means there’s still fucking hope.”
Zercy dropped his arms and gazed at him. His black lashes glistened. “I am tired, Alick. It feels like the world is on my shoulders… I cannot hold its weight much longer… My strength is fading.”
Alec’s heart thumped painfully. The need to comfort him was staggering. But what on earth could Alec possibly say? Nothing. There was nothing. No words to right all these wrongs. No promises that he could make that things would get better.
All he had was his body, his closeness, his touch. Those were all that he could give him.
So, he did.