CHAPTER TWO
MALLORON
Malloron groaned as he opened his eyes.
The pressure in his head had lessened somewhat, but it was still there, throbbing as it threatened to press in again. He suddenly realized he was lying on a table and turned his head to view his surroundings. He was still in Elion's house, but he must have passed out, because he couldn't recall getting onto the table, which was sitting in the middle of the living area. He tried inching his head up but the pressure jolted in his brain and forced him to still.
A young woman moved into view, carrying a small bowl with a stirring brush. She looked young, possibly under twenty, with smooth, flawless tawny-brown skin and wore a simple servant’s tunic dress. When she saw Malloron watching her, she froze, examining him cautiously for a long moment as though he were about to attack. When he didn’t move, she stirred whatever was in her bowl and then lifted the brush, saturated with a thick, moss green paste, and gently brushed it on each of his temples. Surprisingly the paste was warm, and its heat spread along his skin and over his scalp. The pressure that pressed in on Malloron’s brain lessened slightly, and he exhaled heavily at the relief.
Slowly, he propped himself up on his elbows and as he did, the girl darted back and hovered just out of arm’s reach, her eyes wide as she watched his every move. He looked around the room and noticed the bodies of Brecc’s Talent-crafters had been removed. Some of the furniture was damaged but otherwise everything seemed normal and fixed back into place.
As he stared over the changed scene, his mind reeling from the events that had taken place, he didn’t see the girl slowly inching forward again until a smooth hand slid onto his shoulder and pressed gently, encouraging him to lie back down. Her dark brown eyes were wide on him, and she looked terrified, but she pressed again. “You must rest, Your Majesty,” she whispered.
“Who are you?” he demanded. “How long have I been here like this? Where is Elion?”
Although the girl started at his demands, she quickly straightened her shoulders and spoke louder. “Elion is being treated. It's only been a few hours. The bond would have mellowed by now, so it would be less painful.”
Malloron grabbed her arm quickly. “You know about the one-way bond? How it works?”
The girl's eyes widened to frightening proportions and she struggled to get out of his grip before realizing he held on too tight. “N-n-no…,” she stuttered. “Everyone knows that the bond mellows after a few hours, every bond does. It's always intense at first.”
Yes, that was right. Newly created bonds eventually mellowed into a more manageable experience, which had to be the only reason why he was able to think. That and whatever she had put on his head. But neither would last.
Malloron glanced around the room again. “Where is Elion being treated?”
She pointed toward the bedroom, but as Malloron made efforts to get up she placed a hand on his shoulder again. “You will likely be dizzy for a while, Your Majesty,” she insisted. “Please lie down. Let me treat you.”
Malloron stilled. “How do you intend to treat me?”
The girl lifted the bowl she was holding. “This potion helps to minimize internal head trauma,” she explained. “I'm hoping that it will help you to deal with the effects of the bond.”
“Unless you are a trained Talent-crafter from Eiros Castle, nothing you mix will be of any standard worth trying on me,” Malloron almost snarled. But when he tried to get up, the dizziness that gripped him rendered him still.
“Please rest,” the girl urged. “The potion needs time to seep into your skin.”
“I don't have time,” Malloron responded through gritted teeth. “I need—I need to—”
As he struggled to speak, the girl brushed more of the substance onto his temples. The potent herby, spicy smell of it filled his nose and he recognized the sophisticated complexity in the layering of the various scents. He looked at the girl, his gaze quizzical. “Did you make this?”
She nodded as she quickly dabbed more substance along his hairline, almost as though she felt he would move soon. “I'm sure if you rest you will feel much better, Your Majesty.”
“I cannot stay here,” Malloron insisted. He let her go and tried to swing his legs down off the table. Brecc had Amara and he needed to get her back, not only for her safety, but also his survival.
“Yes, but—”
“It's all right, Shaya.” A new voice sounded from the door.
Malloron lifted his head to see Elion's future wife entering the room.
“It won't take affect if he doesn't rest,” the girl insisted. “I don't have the ingredients to make a potion that will work quicker.”
Elion's betrothed placed a hand the girl’s shoulder and smiled. “You did the best you could with what you had,” she assured. “But the king is concerned about other matters at the moment.”
The girl clutched her bowl to her stomach as Elion’s woman pulled her to one side and spoke to her quietly. Malloron watched them both carefully. Why were they helping him? How much did either of them know, and what were their intentions? Surely they weren’t loyal to him—Elion hadn’t been. Finally, the girl left the room and Elion’s future wife turned to him calmly, her shoulders squared, her hands clasped before her. Malloron suddenly realized something. He glanced around and leaned back to peer out of a window that gave a view to the back garden.
He rarely visited this house and yet he had actually been here recently.
Turning back to Elion’s woman, he watched her with a new suspicion. She was as he remembered; dressed in a gown and jewelry almost fit for royalty with deep cinnamon-brown skin, and rich red curly hair piled on top of her head. “Did you target him?” he asked calmly.
She stilled. “What do you mean, Your Majesty?”
“Did you target my brother for some kind of mission?”
When she continued to look at him blankly, he leaned forward, growling. “For what purpose are you marrying him? You are an Omega, yes? You do not love him. You are doing this for your Mothers. What is the fucking purpose? Does it have anything to do with me or the royal crown?”
The woman’s face slacked and she swallowed as he pushed himself onto his feet. Malloron tried to avoid wincing at the jolt of pain that shuddered around his mind as soon as his feet hit the ground.
“I arrived here a while ago in pursuit of my Omega and I found her out there.” He pointed to the back garden. “And at that time I didn't even realize that I had come to my own brother’s house—usually I think of him as being in Khayola not DarFara. Elion wouldn’t have been a reason for Amara to come here. She came here for you.”
The woman said nothing. Her expression tightened, and her body tensed, but she gave nothing else away as she watched him closely. She seemed to be preparing to bolt if the opportunity arose, but Malloron was relying on the fact that she had built a life in this country and one with Elion. She would not be able to disappear easily. “Explain yourself,” he demanded.
The women hesitated for a moment before speaking. “You are in no condition to be questioning me, Your Majesty.”
“I am king,” Malloron said sharply. “And I want to know your purpose here.”
The woman held his gaze. “It has nothing to do with you.”
“So you admit that you are here under false pretenses? How well do you know Amara?”
“Please lie back down,” the woman insisted, gesturing to the table. “It will be worse if you are too active. It will cause the deterioration to quicken.”
Malloron’s gaze sharpened. “Tell me what you know about this kind of bond.”
The woman held his eyes but did not say anything; she didn’t even move. If she was an Omega, she would definitely be aware of the damaging effects of the one-way bond if it happened the wrong way. Amara had, Cailyn had, so it seemed to be something the Omega Mothers had been keen to tell the Omegas about.
“Tell me,” Malloron demanded. “Or I will tell my brother that your presence here is a lie.”
“You’re going to tell him that anyway,” the woman shot back at him.
“I owe him nothing,” Malloron spat. “I don’t give a shit what you’re doing here as long as it has nothing to do with me, Eiros, my rule, or my Omega. I don’t have to tell him anything, but I will if you don’t tell me everything you know.” He pointed in the direction the girl had disappeared in. “How is it that you are able to make a potion that minimizes the effect on my brain? Clearly you have experience with this before. Tell me.”
The woman took a breath and sighed heavily. “I will tell you. But please lie back down.”
When Malloron didn’t move, she shook her head and clicked her teeth. “At least sit, Your Majesty,” she said gesturing to the table.
“Why do you care?” Malloron shot at her. “It doesn’t matter whether I stand or sit.”
The woman’s eyes hardened and she shook her head. “It is typical that one of the strongest Omegas I know had to fall for the most stubborn and arrogant Alpha in the known Lands,” she muttered, as she moved to sit on the couch slightly behind her.
Malloron’s breath hitched. Not only was this woman an Omega, but she seemed to be implying she had a history with Amara and knew her personally. At least she thought she did; Amara certainly hadn’t fallen for him. Still, he inched back to the table and sat down on it. The pressure in his mind lightened even further until it was almost as though it wasn’t there. How was that possible? He kept his eyes on the woman, waiting for her to explain. “What is your name?”
“Kyus.”
“How long have you been with my brother?”
Kyus leveled him with a stare. “I can tell you what I know about the bond or I can tell you about what I’m doing here. Not both.”
Malloron narrowed his eyes at her. He could demand information from her about both if he wanted, but in all truth, he only really cared about one of them. His brother could deal with his own messes from now on—if he still lived after today. “Tell me about the bond.”
“I have only dealt with it once,” the woman began. “I worked as a medic among some of the small villages in El Yareth quite a few years ago. It was with an older Alpha who didn't realize he was biting an Omega—he thought she was a Beta and did it without her consent.”
“What happened?”
“I examined him quite closely and got him to explain to me everything he was feeling, since it was the only time that I had ever witnessed this happening. He said at first there was a painful pressure around his mind that was squeezing in on his brain, causing him to lose concentration and focus, even making him unable to move his limbs. Then, it mellowed out once the bond settled, but he suffered an enhanced experience of the Omega’s emotions. As the days when on, the Omega’s emotions increased in his mind until he couldn’t bear it. I tried to ease it with potions, spells, and healing magic, and some of them did help, but eventually the pressure became too much for him. Near the end, he also reported feeling the bond in his chest, but that was a much milder experience than what he felt in his mind.”
“Where was the Omega during all of this?”
“She had left the village. She never intended to be paired with him, but he wouldn’t accept no as an answer. So when he tried to force the bond, she felt regretful over his circumstance, but she firmly believed he was to blame for it and she would not sacrifice her freedom to help him.”
Malloron clenched his jaw. There was no way he was going to allow his Omega to have that kind of disrespectful attitude. “How long did he last?”
“A week,” the Omega said solemnly. “But only half of that was with all of his senses intact. I suspect if the Omega had been with him, he may have lasted longer.”
Malloron exhaled harshly. He only had a few days. “That potion your servant used on me,” he began. “How long will that last?”
“It may extend your ability to be coherent for a few days,” Kyus said. “It will limit both the pain and the emotions you feel from your Omega, making you more comfortable, but ultimately it will not stop the final result.”
So he needed to find Amara and force her to bite him back. He needed a plan.
“I can assure you that if you rest for an hour, you will be able to think clearer,” the woman said softly, after a long moment of silence. “And then you can decide what you want to do. Nothing will happen to you while you rest.”
Malloron eyed her. “Why are you helping?”
The woman shrugged. “The Western Lands benefits with you as king.”
That was a surprising answer. It was strange that this Omega thought so differently from Amara. “In what way?”
Kyus held his gaze. “Your primary concern is about yourself and your rule. There are indeed negatives to that, but also positives. It allows a certain amount of autonomy and self-regulation for the people in the Lands when its rulers are not paying attention.”
Malloron nodded slowly, though he was unsure how positive that was. He pushed himself back on the table, preparing to rest for a little while in the hope that he would be able to think clearer within the hour. “I need my assistant,” he said to her and he lay back. “Send for him from the castle.”