Trajan's dark eyes studied me. His hair, too, seemed disheveled, as if he'd worried about approaching me. Since I couldn't read him, I really couldn't say that for certain. "Breanne," he ventured, "How can you know where you stand with me? We've only met once, and I want a chance with you." His mouth tightened at the corner, as if he actually worried what I might think.
"Your boss doesn't want you to have a chance with me." I wanted to add that his boss didn't want a chance with me, either, and it made me want to weep. I forced back threatening tears. Crying would be disastrous.
"Bree, he was having a bad day. He admits it. I can take you anywhere else you'd like to go, if you'll just tell me when and where."
"How's Bill?" I asked, avoiding Trajan's offer.
"Bill is fine, and he'll be tickled pink that you asked about him."
"Bill's a nice guy."
"I'm not?" He sounded hurt.
"I didn't say that."
"Then what would you say?"
"That you're too involved with your boss and your work to have time for me. Besides, I have enough work and troubles of my own. That doesn't include the fiancé that Gavin the Terrible apparently found for me, and whom I've never met." Yes, I'd learned that from reading Rigo, who'd popped in less than an hour earlier, just to check on me.
Rigo was a good guy and in my opinion, he ought to be running palace security instead of my erstwhile sire. After all, Rigo ran a complicated and vast spy network for the Queen. There wasn't any reason he couldn't handle palace security—it would be an afterthought for him and still he'd handle it better than Gavin.
"He's arranged a marriage for you, and you don't even know who it is?" Trajan looked surprised.
"It's somebody named Casimir," I sighed, lowering my eyes.
"I know Casimir," Trajan stood abruptly. "He lived at SouthStar for a while, until he asked to be brought to Le-Ath Veronis. He was allowed to leave. Maybe this is why," Trajan added cryptically.
"Is he okay? As a person?" I was worried that one day, I'd be forced to marry him, after all.
"Casimir is an honorable vampire. Gentle with women, too. He wouldn't hurt you, I know that much. Look, I think I'll go track him down."
"Well, good luck with that," I said and went back to my work. When I looked up again, Trajan was gone.
* * *
"Cass, I don't know what the hell is going on. None of it makes any sense to me," Trajan walked along a street near Casimir's spacious home, talking with the old vampire.
"I doubt any of it is good, where Gavin and that poor girl are concerned." Casimir shook his head, confused by the whole affair.
"I feel the same way, but I can't risk getting Ashe involved; he's having daily meltdowns as it is over Kay."
"So he has found his love."
"Seems so. He's a bear over it, too."
"May come as a surprise to the actual bear, then. How is Alvin Wright?"
"Bear's good. Saw him yesterday. He handles everything in the southeast quadrant. Aedan handles the southwest quadrant, Nathan handles the northeast quadrant and Amos Thompson has the northwest.
"You and Trace still supervise all of them?"
"Yeah. Except Trace spends most of his time at NorthStar."
"Understood. He is fortunate to have mates who care so much for him."
"Who knew he'd get lucky first?" Trajan grumbled.
"I take it you're interested in my fiancé?" Casimir chuckled.
"Before she was your fiancé," Trajan pointed out with a growl.
"Never fear, I believe the Queen will sort this out when she returns."
"So they had to tell you that, then?"
"They were forced. I may not discuss it with anyone except you and Ashe, as compulsion holds no sway over either of you."
"Yeah. Ashe did that for Trace and me. Works like a charm, too." Trajan grinned.
"Would that he'd passed the same to me, then," Casimir sighed.
* * *
"Bill, Breanne likes you. She asked about you, after giving me the cold shoulder," Trajan slumped onto a barstool at the kitchen island. "How's Kay?"
"As well as can be expected. She ate better earlier." Bill stirred potato soup on the stove.
"Still not talking?"
"Not to me."
"If she isn't talking to you, then she's not talking to anybody. She just shrinks into herself whenever Ashe or I show up."
"And shakes. Don't forget that."
"Do you think all this has to do with her background? Bill, I still don't understand that. Selling kids for sex? That's the absolute worst."
"It could, and I agree. It happens more than you might think, too. I saw it all the time back on Earth."
"Have we tried telling Kay that she's safe here? That nobody is about to do anything she doesn't want?"
"No idea. Perhaps you should mention it to Kevis. He's scheduled again tomorrow."
"I'll consider it, but I'm not really comfortable telling a shrink his business."
"Funny, Traje. How did Breanne look?"
"Damn good, except for the dark circles under her eyes. She's not getting enough sleep."
"Fuck."
"Yeah."
* * *
"I am not pleased," Erithia muttered angrily. Rathik had returned, but couldn't venture out of hiding—too many would recognize him. Riis held little knowledge of Casino City, and was nearly worthless when sent out to run errands for Erithia. The only good he'd done her was to hand all his money to her. She worried that Hordace would discontinue the flow of money from his enterprises, once he learned Q'And was no longer her primary focus.
"How might I please you?" Rathik knelt at her feet.
"Was an image ever provided of the Vhanaraszh? One that we might use to hunt her or place a bounty on her head?" Erithia stroked Rathik's hair distractedly.
"I was not given images, my love. I would have brought them to you if I had them."
"I know. Do not trouble yourself," Erithia murmured. "I am still quite upset that my pet was killed in the Queen's dungeons. Rathik, you are familiar with the Queen's palace. Who might we approach that is trusted by her? Who can I lure into my service?"
"My love, many of them are dangerous," Rathik whined, lowering his head.
"Come, Rathik, surely you know of one who might be easily ensnared."
"Perhaps, one," Rathik lifted his eyes to Erithia.
"Who might that be, my lover?"
"The cook, perhaps? The Queen sometimes treats him as a daughter might treat a father, I'm told. The comesuli gossip constantly, and I heard that tale more than once."
"Very well. Have someone watch for the cook. Have him followed. Find out for me how I might meet him. Only a few moments and he will be caught, have no fear."
"You are most devious and beautiful, my love," Rathik purred.
"Thank you."
* * *
Can any hear me? I am trapped
.
That voice woke me from a sound sleep, and I'm sorry to say I mumbled "What?" before I was entirely conscious.
Please respond again
, the voice begged. By that time, I was wide-awake. Somebody really was asking for help. I'd never heard the voice before, but it worried me. So many times, I'd begged for similar help in the past and nobody ever came to my rescue.
What do you need?
I was off the bed quickly and racing toward my closet.
I need power to break away from a vortex. I am trapped
, he repeated.
I don't know how to send power
, I returned, flinging clothes on. It was a useless gesture. I did it anyway.
You must have a great deal of power to hear my plea
, he replied.
But how do I know
, I began.
Belen. My name is Belen
, he sent, desperation in his words.
Please help me!
Belen. I'd seen that name before, in several readings. Drake and Drew's. Even Gavin's at times.
Tell me what to do
, I stood before Lissa's dressing table and stared at my image in the mirror. I'd stopped wearing her face whenever I went to bed at night. My face was pale and I was trembling. Belen—the Nameless One who oversaw the Saa Thalarr. Adam, Merrill and Kiarra relied heavily on him.
Concentrate, as if you were about to do something that required much of your strength. Project it toward my voice
, he said.
I'll try
, I sent, working through my fear in an attempt to do as he asked. Desperately, I searched through all the things I'd done so far, gauging them for the amount of power required. So far, only
Changing What Was
required a great deal of power, and even so, it hadn't been completely debilitating. Considering that I might have to combine all the power I'd expended to
Change What Was
, I drew several deep breaths, pulled the necessary energy together and blasted it toward the voice.
I hadn't reckoned on how tired I was, or that I'd been wakened from a sound sleep to do this. Just before I fainted, I heard the weakest
thank you
imaginable.
* * *
"There is no longer any need to attack Harifa Edus." He glowed a pulsing violet next to those he'd gathered about him. "I have evidence of another Mighty. Who knew that fool Belen would become useful to me? And all we had to do was trap him in a power vortex, leaving only the smallest window for mindspeech."
"But Belen is free, now," a minion ventured to speak.
"You think he matters to me?" A laugh followed that remark. "I can search for the same power signature that freed him. If it is expended again, might we not follow it to the source? This has been more helpful than I hoped. We are on our way to eliminating one of the Three."
* * *
Lissa's Journal
Kiarra was the first off her chair when Belen appeared. I'd never seen him when he wasn't glowing with power. This time, he was a dim light and I could see it had taken all his strength to come to Kiarra.
"What happened?" Kiarra began feeding him energy, but she didn't have enough to offer. I added mine to the mix, and at least twenty Larentii appeared inside Kiarra's kitchen, offering the same.
"I was trapped," Belen managed to get out. "We're in danger. All of us. But none more so than the Three."
* * *
"What can we do about this?" Kiarra glanced at me across the island. Merrill, Adam, Pheligar, Reemagar and Connegar sat with us. All three Larentii were drained, that was easy enough to see. They'd given everything they had to Belen, who'd eventually been fed enough power to call on someone much higher up. He'd disappeared in a cloud of light only an hour before, leaving the rest of us behind, drained and puzzled.
"This is more than frightening," I said. "This was a trap, that's easy enough to see, and we may have played into the enemy's hands. Were they just waiting for somebody to step forward, so they could determine who or where one of the Mighty could be?"
"I still think we should be wary of those sandstorms," Merrill sighed. "If the enemy can't easily flush out the one who helped Belen, and it's easy enough to see that it would take one of the Three for this, then these storms may begin again because our opposition hopes to draw them out a second time."
"Does this mean Harifa Edus is safe for the moment?" Adam asked. "I find myself hoping that Ashe leaves his shields in place."
"But that means nobody else gets on or off. What if they're watching for that, too?"
"This is so confusing," Kiarra dropped her head into her arms. Pheligar reached out and rubbed her back gently.
"The good news is that the Vhanaraszh may help," Connegar sighed.
"Vhanaraszh?" I lifted my head.
"You will learn soon enough, my love," he replied. "Quite soon, in fact."
"At least our fact-finding mission is over. We know what's killing off the Dark races, now," Adam observed.
"But Belen says not to return to Le-Ath Veronis until you are fully recovered, and all your strength restored," Kiarra reminded me. He did say that to me, just before he was enveloped in power and taken away.
"That will take a week or more," Reemagar pointed out.
"Yeah," I muttered. "I know."
* * *
Kay's Journal
Depending on how you might see it, today was either a good day or a bad day. Good for me, because Kalia decided to calm down. Bad for me, because she lurked just below the surface, waiting to take over again if her terror was provoked.
Kevis Halivar had returned and he reassured me—several times, in fact—that I was in a safe place and nobody would hurt me. Kalia had eventually settled down and allowed me to raise my head (and my consciousness) to acknowledge his words.
I'd said thank you in a voice that croaked from disuse. Kevis hid his surprise quickly—he hadn't expected any response. I couldn't recall when I'd last been lucid, so that in itself was a minor miracle. At least from his perspective.