Rout of the Dem-Shyr (The Ascendant Series) (15 page)

Ty’s warning about the consequences of using her mental abilities once again ran through her mind. She knew he had been right. Even though her powers were growing, she couldn’t use them without paying a price.

That thought brought to mind another one: the prediction set forth by the Great Divyner shortly after her return to Alametria.

You will be challenged in body, in mind, and in soul
.

This was definitely a challenge of the mind. Maybe even of the body and the soul all rolled into one. She would have to speak with Madame Caelys once she got through this mess. She’d stress the importance of offering more specifics during her predictions. Considering what she and Ty were going through right now, the word “challenged” was an enormous understatement.

But none of that mattered right now. She would rise to any challenge if it stood between her and Ty.

Pushing away from the wall, she continued down the hallway until she neared the secret door that led into her closet. She wondered if the Mynders she had passed were the roving patrol that typically guarded this part of the palace. It seemed unlikely the Guardians would bother posting anyone here. What was there to protect at this point?

She was dead.

The macabre thought made her shiver. She considered the best way to open the locked door since it didn’t have a traditional handle. It was made to look like the wall around it. As far as she knew, only Ty had a key.

Eventually, she decided her only choice was forced entry. She stepped back and called forth her abilities. Much like it had done while she pushed her way out of the death box, her body felt charged with extra strength. This door stood between her and Ty, she told herself. It had to go.

Three solid kicks did the trick. Unfortunately, the effort made her fall on her ass once she allowed her abilities to subside. Her head felt like someone was drilling a hole in it. A few drops of blood dripped from her nose. She wiped them on her armor and shoved herself to her feet so she could get out of the hallway. A headache wasn’t about to stop her.

She noticed that she left a few indents in the wall from the thick heels of her combat boots. She rubbed at them in an effort to erase them, but it didn’t do much good. If anyone knew to look for them, they would see them. There wasn’t anything she could do about it now, though.

She closed the door and made her way into the closet. For the first time she could ever remember, the space was dark. The doors must be closed.

So how could she still see?

It was the weirdest thing. Everything in the room looked black or gray, but she could maneuver without any problem. She’d never been able to see in the dark before.

But Ty could.

She thought of the transfer that Vycor and Shaya had mentioned. It appeared that she really had assumed a number of Ty’s abilities during their coupling.

Fortunately, this allowed her to hunt for and then put on the simple purple gown that she had worn off the ship that delivered her from Earth. The Wrym had kept it, not realizing that Shaya hated the unadorned gown and would have preferred that it be burned. It suited Kyr’s needs perfectly, though. It was a little big, so she could wear it over her armor.

Her blades were too noticeable, though. She solved that problem by tying a decorative scarf around her waist. It made her look hippy, which added to her disguise. She grabbed a second scarf that she planned to tie over her hair in the manner of the Wrym.

While she was in the closet, she changed her boots. The combat boots were practical, but they were flat. Instead, she chose the pair of boots with the highest heels she had. They would add four inches to her height, making her much more average.

The rest of her disguise had to be done in the bathing chamber. Praying there wasn’t anyone outside the closet, she approached the doors and took a few minutes to listen with her ears. Her head continued to pound, so she decided to risk opening the door without checking for mental signatures. She moved slowly and carefully, easing the door open. Nothing unusual awaited her. There were even a few glowing wall sconces to light her way.

Relief rushed through her as she headed to the bathing chamber. She gathered the implements she needed and got to work.

First was her hair. The deep, dark red was unlike anyone else’s hair color. Since she didn’t have any wigs, she had to change it another way. She opted to try the solution that she remembered being used on her before she was sent off-planet. Although she wasn’t exactly sure how it worked, she knew it would change her hair color in a way that could only be changed back with a different solution. It took her several rinses, but she finally managed to get the color a more acceptable light red.

Next came her facial features. The wand used by the Wrym to make changes to her appearance terrified her, but she knew this had to be done. Taking a deep breath, she activated the wand and ran it over her left cheekbone. She forced herself not to react as the skin and muscle tissue moved in accordance with the wand’s command.

Think of Ty
, she told herself.
Think of Ty
.

Sweat beaded on her brow by the time she was done. She hadn’t been able to stomach making too many changes, but even the subtle differences in the curve of her chin, shape of her hairline, and slope of her cheekbones made a difference. If someone saw her walking the palace grounds right now, they wouldn’t instantly know who she was.

Unless they looked into her eyes.

Kyr lifted the last wand and tried to work up the courage to use it. It had hurt when the Wrym returned her eyes to their normal color. What if she accidentally blinded herself while trying to use the thing on herself?

Come on, Kyr. You can do this. You came back to life, for goodness’ sake. You’ll surely heal from something as paltry as blindness
.

Her pep talk failed to convince her hand to bring the wand closer to her face. Being blind even temporarily would be a significant handicap. It could lead to her being discovered. Could she blend in well enough without changing her distinctive eye color?

The decision was taken from her when she heard the main doors to her chambers open. She dropped the wand in her surprise. It fell to the vanity counter with a loud clatter.

Cursing, she looked for a place to hide. The wall next to the door was her only hope. She gave it her best shot, running for the shadows.

But she was too late. Before she could get out of sight, she found herself at the burning end of a de’llum.

Chapter 19

“How the hell did you get in here?”

Kyr instantly recognized Gren’s voice. The deep, rumbling timber was unforgettable. She wanted to sag with relief, but she forced herself to think this through.

Use caution and logic when making decisions, not sentiment
.

Her first instinct when he cornered her was to lower her gaze so he couldn’t easily see her eye color. Before she looked up at him and revealed herself, she had to be sure it was a wise thing to do. She drew upon her abilities and tapped into his consciousness.

His thoughts were clear enough.
Who is this female? How did she get in here? Why won’t she answer me? Why can’t I read her thoughts?

At the same time, his emotions flowed through her. Seething anger. An unclear sense of duty. Questioned loyalties. And nearly overwhelming sorrow.

It took her only a moment to make her decision.

Blocking his thoughts from others, she lifted her eyes and said, “I used the closet entrance.”

Gren’s face drained of color. He staggered back, nearly stumbling into the bathing pool. She lunged forward and grabbed his arm to steady him. She sent out calming thoughts to try and make the shock a little easier on him.

It’s me, Gren. I’m sorry to surprise you like this.

What—how—?

That was all she picked up. His thoughts tumbled over each other as he tried to reason out how she had come to be there.

I woke up in the death box a short time ago
, she explained, keeping her thoughts level and clear as she held his gaze.
ZashaWrym and LeoVawn came into the viewing room right after I got out of the box. I found out what happened from them.

To help add credibility to her thoughts, she shared her most recent memories, from waking up and fighting her way out of the death box to breaking into her own closet. Gren had many years of training to guard his reactions, but she saw moisture in his eyes by the time she was done.

Then memories flashed through his mind…memories she foolishly didn’t anticipate.

He stood in the crowd at Ty’s judgment. From the moment he’d woken up that day, he’d felt an overwhelming need to stay close to her. His thoughts were flooded with accusations and suppositions from all of the Mynders in the palace. They were saying that Ty had been caught in the act of raping Ma’jah Kyr.

But he knew it couldn’t be true.

The news had gotten to him too late to try and intervene. He could no longer connect with Ty. His only hope was to step forward during the judgment and share with everyone what he knew to be true: that Ty loved Kyr and would never hurt her.

When Vycor rose, Gren started forward. His intent was to step onto the judgment floor with Vycor before the barrier dropped so that they both stood with Ty. But just as he reached Vycor, he was thrown off balance. He stumbled under Vycor’s weight, wondering why the Advisor had fallen backwards.

His question was answered when he looked at the floor and saw Kyr. He watched her throw herself in front of Ty and shout at the audience. At the same time, Vycor shoved away from Gren and ran along the first row towards the Mynders who were standing guard among the witnesses. Vycor shouted something, but it was lost to Gren in the noise that now flooded the judgment chamber. He assumed the Advisor was yelling at someone to lift the barrier.

He returned his attention to the floor, where Kyr was declaring her love for Ty. Would her admission help Ty?

Please, let it help Ty.

But then Ty walked up to Kyr. He lifted his hands and placed them around her neck. His lips moved, but Gren couldn’t hear what he said. He frowned in confusion. Why was Ty pretending to hurt Kyr?

It wasn’t until Kyr fell to the ground that Gren realized Ty wasn’t pretending. Something was wrong. He saw the tortured expression on Ty’s face…the tears in his eyes. He knew Ty was being influenced.

Vycor.

He turned from the damnable barrier and sprinted in the direction the Advisor had taken. He would kill the son of a bitch if that’s what it took.

But he couldn’t find him. Desperation had him shoving Mynders out of his way. His roar of fury had most of them scrambling away from him before he even reached them.

Vycor was nowhere to be found. When the barrier lifted, Gren stopped his search. He changed directions, running towards the chamber floor while everyone else stared in shock. He ran until he reached Ty’s side, and froze when he saw what Ty had done.

And then he watched his best friend break to pieces.

It was too much. Kyr’s knees failed her. Sobs issued from her that came from her very soul.

Oh, Ty.
Ty!

“Kyr,” Gren said, falling to his knees beside her and pulling her against him. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I should have spared you that. I was just so—I didn’t guard my—”

His words cut off. She heard the emotion in his voice. He had revisited the horrific memory just as much as she had. He was suffering as she was.

Her arms went around him. And together, they grieved.

* * *

“What made you come in here?” Kyr asked him later.

They were still sitting beside each other on the ground in the bathing chamber. Each of them had an arm around the other. Neither felt compelled to move.

“I check your chambers every day,” he replied.

She inferred enough from his thoughts to know that it was a way to help him cope. It hadn’t escaped her that he had endured not just the loss of Ty, but her as well. It touched her that he loved her as he might a sister, even as it hurt her heart that he had suffered so much these past few days.

Seeing no need to make him explain any of that, she said, “Well, I’m glad you’re here.”

He gave her shoulder a squeeze. He was having trouble reining in his emotions, which she could well understand. All of this was a lot to take in.

Eventually, he said, “They’re supposed to be laying you to rest tomorrow.”

She knew from his thoughts that he had been dreading it. He hadn’t slept much since the judgment. Hadn’t eaten much, either. He had used strong drink to try and ease his pain, though it hadn’t helped. He kept wondering what he was missing…how he could save Ty and prove his suspicions about Vycor.

“I’m hoping you can help me get to Ty,” she said, wanting to distract him from his deeper thoughts. “How can I get to him in the Dark Lands?”

“It won’t be easy. Once a shuttle releases a convict in the Dark Lands, the pilot and crew have their memories erased by the Inquisitors in order to prevent anyone from doing exactly what you and I want to do.”

Zasha and Leo had expressed the same thing, but she had hoped Gren might have more insight due to his role within the palace. Knowing that he didn’t was a disappointment, but she couldn’t let it deter her.

“Well, maybe if you get me out to the Dark Lands, I can use my abilities to find Ty through thought.”

“I had that idea, too. But Vycor obviously planned this all very carefully. He wanted Ty as far from the palace as possible, and he wanted him to suffer. What if he has Ty held prisoner somewhere? What if he finds out what we’re doing and sends a signal to someone to hurt or kill Ty before we can save him?”

Kyr’s spirits sank with every word. He was right. She should have considered that Vycor would account for someone trying to save Ty. The Advisor probably had contingency plans in place in case he was harmed or killed, too. It made sense that he had done something outside the norm when he banished Ty.