Chapter 5
Inez strapped two knives to the holster on her waist and sheathed her sword in the scabbard at her back. Her brain continued to loop around the events of the night. It was hard to imagine anyone being this bold. Although apparently King Varyk knew someone. The question lay in whether he planned to turn in the perpetrator or help him hide. Since he’d left abruptly, without giving any details or explanations, they were at a lost. He’d teleported out of the room with the blink of his golden eyes.
“Are you sure, Inez?” Rylin’s tone may have been calm but the look in his eyes was anything but. Trails of smoke streamed from his nostrils in a steady flow.
They were in Inez’s bedroom as she rushed to head out in search of his missing child. Inez repeated the reasons she’d already gone over with him for why she was the only choice. “You can’t leave Dara. Bejon, Layne and Mikal need to guard the other children. And who else do you trust to do this quickly and quietly?”
The truth could not get out. There would be upheaval and cries for battle.
“I have dozen of Dracols at my command to pursue this. Hundreds more if I reach out beyond the castle.” He dragged a trembling hand through the short strands of his black hair.
“The key is quiet, Ry. If word spreads, who knows what would happen.”
Inez could only guess at how frustrated and scared he had to actually be. The mantle acted as a connection for the King. He could touch on their minds or emotions at will. It also enabled him to draw off the strength of every Dracol in his sect. Which he did right now. Rylin was sucking up power in great waves and she felt the insistent tug like a constant ache at the back of her head.
It didn’t matter to Inez. She’d let Rylin drain her dry and so would a number of others, if it meant it would help the unborn little one. Not because he was king but because he gave back of himself and sacrificed without complaint.
Rylin’s nature may demand he go after the enemy personally, but it wasn’t feasible. He couldn’t leave his lira and until they knew what was going on, leaving the other babies unattended was not an option.
“I’m the only choice, Ry. Ignore the fact we’re family and think. I can move faster alone. Plus, Varyk might not attack when he catches me following because I’m a female.”
Rylin spit fire in a small burst and paced from one end of the room to the other. “You know he won’t care.”
Probably not, but if he hesitated for a second it might be all the time Inez needed to convince him to let her help. “Maybe.”
“I’ll agree but there’s something else you need to know.” He spoke in a solemn tone. “I’ve been sharing my energy to help sustain the shells, because my essence wasn’t strong enough to create five.”
Inez was at a loss for words. She remembered what Dara had mentioned earlier. Pieces slowly clicked into place.
The confession continued, Rylin’s voice choked. “It was an accident. Dara didn’t know what she was doing. We managed. Dara’s hope and my small surges have kept them alive. I’m not sure how long our daughter can last without it before she fades in the shell.”
Inez could tell it cost him to tell this private detail. She clasped one of his hands in hers. “Rylin, I’ll bring her back.”
A little to girl to welcome to the family.
“I’ll bring her back safe even if it means I have to threaten the Green king himself to get us here in time. Don’t worry.”
His grim look didn’t agree. “You belong to my sect. It’s all Varyk needs to justify hating you. And you’re my cousin, so expecting me not to worry won’t work.”
An unwilling grin pulled at Inez’s lips. She grabbed the bag she’d stuffed and crossed to Rylin to offer a one-armed hug. “I’ll be fine.”
Maybe those were famous last words. After hours of trumping through the jutting landscape from her home and into the heart of Green territory, Inez began to worry. She’d crossed the boundary of their land, which put her close to violating laws. Wars started over less.
Sweat dripped down the sides of her face, her hair sticking to the back of her neck. Overhead branches thick with vines and foliage shadowed the sky and left little visibility. The late night still held the heat of the day and humidity did its part to increase her discomfort.
Since there was no initial trail to follow, Inez’s decision to travel in this direction could backfire. She paused at a large moss covered cropping of rocks and rested a hip against the side. Hopefully she was right. Let her be right. She had nothing to go on besides her gut and belief that if a Green did this, he’d head to familiar grounds to hide.
A broken sigh slipped past her lips as she glanced around. If only the Green didn’t reside in in an area made of one massive jungle after another. Nothing like the cleared lands and placid lakes where the Black lived.
It also didn’t help that female Dracol couldn’t shift. Inez would have loved the ability to search from the skies above. A male could have carried her as they swept the land together, except it would give King Varyk all the more reason to attack without cause.
Still, she might have been a step overconfident in her assurance that she’d make better and quicker time without help. On top of her growing disappointment on not finding any sign as soon as she hoped, Inez prayed the perpetrator struggled to travel as well with the added burden of the shell he’d taken.
At least only the King could port long distances, leaving whoever did this to short jumps and flashes. Inez was bound to catch a break.
A loud round of cursing from the path ahead caused her to stiffen. Inez withdrew her sword as she crept forward, her booted feet silent on the soft grass. More cursing with an edge of pain in the sound sent her running in that direction, giving up stealth for speed.
“Hello?” The cursing cut off abruptly. Tension slivered through her gut, the thick air clogging her breathing. “I know you’re out here.”
Was it the Green she sought? Inez moved forward another step. Her feet sunk into softer turf, broken branches crackling beneath her boots.
“Stop!” The sharp order vibrated with a wealth of command and Inez froze. Something about the voice sounded familiar, but there was an odd timber to it which kept her from identifying the person.
“Who are you?”
“The better question is who are you? Trespassing on Green territory is a punishable offense.”
Maybe she would have been scared if not for the slight gasp on the end of the warning. Inez surveyed the area. Night crawlers croaked, leaves rustled and insects joined in nature’s after hours musical. Inez peered into the darkness as if her vision could pierce the veil.
The voice seemed close, very close, yet she saw no sign or hint of a presence. Her senses screamed a warning Inez couldn’t place.
“Yes, well, the King would have to catch me for that.” Inez threw out the taunt as she went to one knee to study the ground closer.
There was a distinct depression where the grass and this stretch at least ten feet across didn’t match. Almost as if someone covered something up. Another few steps and she’d have walked right over it.
“You dismiss a potential cause to w-w-war?”
Her head jerked up. There was no way to miss the arrogance in the statement. Impossible. Not even the stutter could hide the identity. “King Varyk?”
An exasperated exhale met her inquiry. “You must be one of Rylin’s.”
Frowning, Inez rose to her feet and backed up. She checked around looking for—aha. Her gaze landed on a fallen tree limb. Inez retrieved it, then ever careful, used it to prod at the area about her feet in front of her. With a sudden crash and yawn, the section of land caved in leaving a giant hole behind.
“Move back, foolish female!” The man bellowed.
“Damn!” Inez leaped back.
Heart thumping, she swiped at her brow with her inner elbow and used care approaching this time. Rocks and dirt continued to tumble and slide as Inez peered over the edge. Leaning against one side of a dirt wall, green hair disheveled stood King Varyk. Long tears at the front of the green vest he wore revealed a chest covered in bloody scratches.
More than the glare he aimed up in her direction seemed off. Had he fallen into this pit? “Why don’t you port out?”
“Can’t,” he snarled.
Inez studied his mutinous expression. Flickering shadows played over his face, but he looked pale and shaky. Something was definitely wrong and worry trickled down her spine. “Why?”
***
Humiliation was a new feeling for Varyk and didn’t sit well. Being caught off guard by Larz and shot with a poison dart completed his utter mortification. Dazed and confused, it was easy for Larz to shove him and Varyk fell into the pit.
By the time he realized what occurred, the drug kicked in and he was stuck here. Disgust curled in his gut for his failure. Whatever Larz used was slowly sapping all of his strength.
Somehow the dose of poison was potent enough to block Varyk’s connection to the mantle, preventing his ability to summon help. He couldn’t teleport or shift into his Dracol form. For all intents and purposes, he was powerless. It wasn’t a state he often experienced nor did he appreciate it now.
The female watched from above, her long black hair trailing about her face. She grasped the rim of his prison and tipped her body forward. If she unbalanced, her fall might be worse than his. Fear sent his essence surging through his weakened body.
“Move before you fall.”
Typical of his brief contact with her, she ignored him. “King Varyk, do you need help?”
Gold eyes blinked down at him, awaiting his answer. He recognized her from Rylin’s home. A Black Dracol offering to rend him aid, and not any Black, but the one with the luscious lips and body gifted from the goddess. Surely this was someone’s sick idea of a joke. Varyk wanted to refuse her offer but another blast of the drug flowing through his system spiked and his back slid down the wall until his ass hit the ground with a thump.
“King Varyk! King Varyk, answer me!”
Did this female dare to command a King? His head lolled to the side and blackness encroached before he could correct her for her lack of respect.
“Varyk? I really need you to open those eyes. Glare at me if you like.”
Soft hands slapped at his cheeks. Varyk cracked his eyes open and squinted up at the face leaning over him. His hand flew up and gripped the delicate throat in a deadly clutch. “What are you doing here?”
Words gurgled as her eyes widened, then she reared back as far as his arm would allow and punched him in the face. The blow slammed into his cheek, setting off mini-explosions and Varyk fought the desire to hurl as his head spun. He released her on a groan and rolled to his side while muffling another sound of pain. Curse Larz. The drug was still in his system.
“Saving your worthless hide obviously. Try that again and my next hit will be a lot lower and a lot more painful.”
Ignoring her muttered growl, Varyk braced on his forearms and tried to port from the bottom of the hole with no luck. He reached deep for his inner Dracol in hopes of shifting to fly out and touched the same well of nothing. “Fuccckk!”
Varyk dragged in a lung full of air and pushed up from his prone position. He belatedly realized his head had been resting in Inez’s lap. And why did that stir him in an inexplicable way? He held no fondness for those associated with the Black.
“How did you end up down here with me?” Goddess of Fate, had she fallen? His breath quickened as he scanned her from head to toe. Relieved he saw no injuries though it was dark, Varyk relaxed slightly. She could be bleeding from a dozen places and he wouldn’t see.
He inhaled deeply testing the air for the scent of blood. The drug played with his enhanced senses, skewing his vision and hearing. Inez crouched beside him and pointed over his shoulder. Varyk turned, taking in the thick black rope hanging down the side of the wall opposite them.
“I climbed.”
How much time had he lost? When Varyk glanced back to face her, the smile stretching her wide mouth was all smugness and cocky superiority. Rare amusement tickled at him. “Smart.”
He shoved to his feet and tried to hide his lingering dizziness by resting a shoulder along the dirt wall. Inez stood and dangling from her hand was a satchel of some sort.
“Yes, I am. Smart,” she added at his questioning look. “Now to get out of here.”
She strolled toward the rope and gave it a firm pull. Varyk followed with wobbling steps and one palm on the wall for balance. Damp dirt cooled his palm. His steps shuffled forward and the world tilted. Varyk stopped and took a deep breath.
“Do you think you can manage, Varyk?”
At any other time Varyk would sneer at such a question, but right now he doubted if he could stand straight let alone climb with dexterity. Instead of admitting the flaw, he focused on one small detail. “It’s King Varyk.”
Inez’s chin tipped down and her brows arched up. “Seriously, not the time for formality.”
“I am never not the King of the Green.” The words held a bite to compensate for his weakness, but it had no effect on this female.
More steps brought him closer. Varyk’s gaze followed the line of the rope to the top as it disappeared over the edge. Maybe forty feet. A climb he could make easily from the time he was a young child, yet today he hesitated.
“Fine, but if we’re to work together to find who stole Rylin’s shell, we’re wasting time.”
Work together? Varyk didn’t work with anyone. Except she had a point. A child’s life remained in the balance. “Lead the way, female.”
“In-ez,” she gritted then grasped the rope with both hands and entwined her ankles as she scooted up.
She’d gained several feet before Varyk reached up to mimic her actions. He grunted with every breath, sweat popped out on his brow and his heart rate doubled. Half-way up Varyk realized he was in trouble. Inez hopped up and over the top, her shapely rear vanishing.
Moments later her face peeked back, hair sliding over one shoulder. “Hurry.”
Varyk’s fingers slipped, the muscles in his thighs quivered. He propped his forehead on his clenched fists and tried to get his breathing under control. As soon as he had this vile drug out of his system, he’d make sure Larz paid for this. Rip him apart with his bare hands.
“Varyk, what’s wrong?”
Without lifting his head, he sighed and gave her the truth. “You should go and leave me, female.”
“Inez!” she hissed.
Dizziness hit and Varyk slid down a few inches despite his hold. Skin on his fingers abraded and burned. “Go! Find the shell before your King declares war on my sect.”
If Larz harmed the little one, Rylin would attack and Varyk wouldn’t blame him.
“I can’t leave you. You were right earlier. I’m trespassing. If one of your males finds me, they won’t allow me to explain. I’d rather not die tonight. Plus, if one of yours is responsible, we need to stick together.”
Another slip and Varyk instinctively tried to port. Big mistake as he lost his hold completely and fell. Wind whipped his hair in a tangle about his face. When his body landed, air locked in his chest on impact and he wheezed.
“Varyk!!”
Scrambling above then a swish and the annoying female joined him. Footsteps crunched across the space. Her hand stroked his hair. “What is going on?”
Chills racked his frame, rendering him speechless. If Varyk thought he was in trouble before, he now realized it was much worse. If only he could focus long enough to figure out the attack going on inside his body.
Varyk dug deep and began the process of breaking down whatever Larz created strong enough to affect any of their sect because they were naturally immune to most poisons. It was the specialty of the Green and Varyk as king shouldn’t have weakened. But he had.
And now he needed to figure out the root and dismantle it. He let his eyes slide closed and concentrated.