Consort (Beyond Ontariese 6) (27 page)

“
As Indric and I are two of
the five votes, and another is my son, I don’t think it will be a
problem.” Drakkin’s calm statement finally brought fear to Nasrin’s
eyes.

“
But I was protecting him.”
Ignoring the others, she pleaded with Drakkin now. “You don’t
understand. She’s a Rodyte spy!”

Drakkin manifested cloth bags and
tossed them to Ametto as the guards closed in on Nasrin. “Cover and
bind her hands, that’s where the spark ignites.”

“
Wait,” Indric halted the
guards with an upraised hand. “There’s something else we need to
know before she’s taken away.”

Cinarra looked at Ametto and pressed a
hand to her throat. She’d never seen a man look more miserable.
Guilt, regret and anger all twisted through his expression, and yet
he remained a step back, trusting his king to deal with his
tormentor.

“
Where is Ametto’s
daughter?”

The heat from Indric’s question made
Cinarra gasp. When he’d used his voice on the Fire Queen before,
she’d basically laughed him off, so he’d spiked the intensity of
the compulsion.

Nasrin tossed her head and flames
flared up her arms. Tal immediately compensated for her fit by
shifting more of his body into the semi-solid state. “Never.
Tell.”

“
Fine. Don’t say a word.”
Indric circled her, his voice hypnotic. “Just picture the location
in your mind. Is it a house or an apartment? Abandoned
warehouse?”

“
Got it,” Drakkin said.
“The girl is in a guest bungalow at Nasrin’s winter palace. She is
unharmed.”

“
Thank the gods,” Ametto
muttered then more loudly, “And thank all of you.”

“
Bastards,” Nasrin sneered,
going wild in Tal’s arms. “You won’t get away with this! I’ll make
you pay. Every last one of you.”

“
Have at her, boys.” Indric
stepped out of the way as the guards rushed forward, relieving Tal
of his thrashing burden. “Watch those hands.”

Nasrin burned one guard badly before
Ametto and the other three secured the fireproof bags over her
hands. After that she kicked and screamed, but the guards remained
resolute. Ametto appeared to be enjoying himself
immensely.

Cinarra approached the wounded guard
and asked, “May I?”

“
Of course, Your Highness.”
He held out his burned hands and even produced a shaky
smile.

The title he’d used caught her by
surprise. Had he heard Indric announce that she was his fiancée or
was word spreading of her true identity? No one stayed at a royal
residence for a week without being noticed. She pushed the
questions to the back of her mind and focused on repairing the
damage.

Her hands hovered above his charred
skin as she bombarded his cells with healing pulses. It took longer
than she’d expected and she realized her energy stores were
partially depleted from healing herself.

“
Let me help.” Charlotte
slipped her hands under Cinarra’s and activated the catalyst, her
ability to amplify the gifts of others.

While channeled through the catalyst,
Cinarra’s healing pulses regenerated the guard’s flesh in a matter
of seconds.

“
Wow. You’ve described how
it works, but I’ve never experienced it before.”

“
Thank you.” The guard
beamed, flexing his hands with an awed expression. “Thank you
both.” He hurried after his comrades who had already departed with
their prisoner.

Cinarra glanced toward the place where
Eagin had dropped. His body had been removed as well.

Indric slipped his arm around her
waist and drew her attention away from the averted calamity. “It’s
over, love. You’re safe.”

“
How much of this were you
aware of? How did she program that drone to target me
specifically?”

“
The Rodytes have been
working on DNA tracking for several cycles,” Indric explained. “We
had no idea they had actually made it work.”

“
But where the hell did she
get my DNA?”

“
I don’t know. She told
Ametto to arrange it but he refused. He thought she wanted it for
some sort of spell.”

“
Then she has someone else
on your staff.” She shivered. “That’s comforting.”

“
She will never be free
again,” Drakkin stressed. “Her network of reluctant assistants is
irrelevant. The danger is contained. You are safe.” When she only
nodded, he looked at Indric and said, “Nasrin really did do you a
favor.”

“
I don’t care.” Indric
crossed his arms, his expression fierce. “She tried to kill my
mate. Her life is forfeit.”

“
I understand your
hostility and agree, but the High Command has the final
say.”

Indric didn’t look pleased, but he
didn’t argue.

“
Where’s the data crystal?”
Cinarra asked. “She claimed to know the Mystic’s real name. How was
she able to learn what we could not?”

“
I suspect she just got
lucky. We’ve been discrete with our inquiries, not wanting to
inadvertently stir the curiosity of a reporter or overzealous
enforcer. Nasrin had no such constraints.” Indric searched for a
moment in the grass then handed the crystal to Drakkin. “Would you
please find out what’s on here and see that it’s purged
meticulously?”

“
Of course, but this leaves
us with an opportunity. Should Cinarra continue on as a Bilarrian
widow or is it finally time for Krystabel to be
resurrected?”

Indric smiled as he returned to
Cinarra’s side. “The best way to quiet gossip is to give people
something more interesting to talk about.”

“
True.” She looked at
Charlotte as tension coiled within her belly. “I don’t want to be
high queen. Even if something were to happen to you. I don’t want
the responsibility of running an entire planet.”

“
I have four healthy
children,” Charlotte pointed out. “The order of succession can be
formalized with a simple document. You will never be obligated to
step into a role you don’t want.”

Cinarra turned to Indric. “Who would
your people accept more readily, Cinarra or Krystabel?”

“
Our
people will love you because I love you. The rest is entirely
up to you.”

After considering the possibilities
for a moment, she looked at Tal. “What about Betaul? Do I endanger
him by shedding my persona?”

“
I was anxious to take
Betaul to the Conservatory because we had just concluded the
Choosing. He is one new apprentice among many. The NRS will have no
reason to suspect that Seth has risen from the dead. Betaul is an
orphan that you befriended during your stay on Bilarri. You were
mourning the loss of your grandson. It was only natural for you to
be drawn to the boy. And his Bilarrian heritage explains his
abilities.”

She searched for flaws in his logic,
trying to anticipate anything an enemy could exploit. “The
connection between Betaul and me exists regardless of who I am.
There is no way to erase the last nine years.” Had it been unwise
for them to remain together? Could she have protected him better if
she’d—

Charlotte squeezed her hand, drawing
her attention away from her troubled thoughts. “He is safe. The NRS
is not the threat it was when you left for Bilarri. You did your
job. Now it’s our turn to protect and nurture him.”

“
I will not be shut out,”
Cinarra asserted. “No one will take Betaul away from
me.”

“
That is not our
intention,” Tal assured her. “Drakkin has agreed to assist me with
Betaul’s training, but the safest place for him right now is the
Conservatory.”

“
Until he learns to control
his power, it is a far greater risk than any outside threat,”
Drakkin added.

“
You can visit as often as
you like,” Charlotte said.

“
Or as often as his
training allows.”

Tal’s stipulation annoyed Cinarra, but
the rest sounded wonderful. She’d be able to openly visit her loved
ones. All the secrecy would be behind her for good. The idea was
almost too sweet to consider. She’d be able to practice her skills
and train with a mentor. She’d never realized how much Charlotte
had benefitted from formal training until she worked side by side
with her.

Finally she nodded and smoothed down
her gown. “I am ready to be Krystabel again.”

“
Well then, I suppose I
should do this again.” Indric bent to one knee and took her hands
between his. “Krystabel dar Aune, I love you with all my heart and
will not rest until you are my consort. Will you accept me or must
I continue courting you?”

She laughed then leaned down and
kissed his mouth. “I accept you, happily.”

The others clapped and offered
congratulations. Indric stood and swept her into his arms for a
lingering kiss.

“
We should probably get
back to the party,” Charlotte said. “I’m sure people are wondering
where we’ve been.”

Krystabel hurried to her and gave her
a tight hug. “Congratulations on all you’ve accomplished. I am
proud to call you sister.”

“
It’s good to finally have
you back,
Krystabel
.” They hugged again, and then Charlotte and Tal returned to
the ballroom.

Drakkin lingered, his expression
thoughtful. “It might be wise to change your appearance a bit.
Nothing drastic, but we don’t want anyone else connecting you with
the Rodyte spy.”

“
I can do that. I’ll even
let my mate help choose how he’d like his consort to
look.”

Indric held up both hands and shook
his head. “I don’t care about your appearance as long as it’s you
on the inside.”

She looked at Drakkin and grinned.
“I’ve trained him well.” Drakkin laughed. “Do I need a different
explanation for where I’ve been all these years?”

“
No. You’ve been in hiding
on Bilarri, under the protection of King Indric. Your appearance
was surgically altered for your protection. Now that the situation
on Ontariese has stabilized and your sister has firmly established
herself as high queen, you feel it’s safe enough to return to your
real life. Everyone will see that Krystabel’s story ends where
Cinarra’s begins and they will have no reason to dig
deeper.”

“
We still need to find out
exactly what Nasrin learned and how she learned it,” Indric
persisted.

Drakkin shot him an impatient look. “I
told you I would take care of it.”

Krystabel couldn’t help but smile. No
one else dared to be impatient with Indric. Well, other than her.
“Thank you for all your help. As usual, you appeared just when we
needed you most.”

He chuckled. “You make me sound like a
guardian angel. I assure you, I am not.”

“
Well, if you hadn’t
entrusted your best friend with my protection, he never would have
met the keeper of his soul.”

Drakkin smirked at Indric. “I thought
you didn’t believe in fables?”

“
Cinar—I mean Krystabel has
restored my faith in many things.”

Drakkin turned his perceptive gaze on
Krystabel one last time. “So give him the son he has longed for all
his life and this story will have a truly magical
ending.”

She stepped back into Indric’s arms
and said, “We’re working on it.”

“
Every chance we
get,” Indric added and their laughter filled the
air
.

Indric sank into a chair as his knees
threatened to give out beneath him. The tiny bundle squirming in
his arms was the most beautiful baby he’d ever seen. With wisps of
black hair and gold-ringed blue eyes, the child could not have been
more perfect.

“
A son,” Indric whispered.
Emotion thickened his tone and pride swelled within his chest. “We
have a son.”

“
I knew we could do it,”
Krystabel said from their bed where she was propped against a mound
of pillows. Her labor had been exhaustive and long, but she’d
endured it gladly. “Can we try for a girl next? I would love to
have a daughter.”

He laughed and the baby stirred then
rooted around for his fist and sucked noisily. “Let’s enjoy this
little man for a season or two before we worry about starting
over.”

“
But I know exactly what it
takes now.” She smiled though her eyelids began to droop. “The
pressure’s off. We can enjoy ourselves next time.”

He moved to the bed and sat facing
her, the baby carefully tucked into the crook of his arm. “Does
that mean you weren’t enjoying it last time? I will definitely have
to try harder.”

“
That’s not what I meant
and you know it. I can’t wait until my body recovers enough to show
you how well I enjoy you. But it’s always been there in the back of
my mind. You have made me so incredibly happy. I was determined to
return the favor.”

He reached over and squeezed his
queen’s hand. The love swelling within his chest rose to his
throat, making it hard to speak. “I was content without this
miracle, now I am in awe of you.”

“
Hold on to that feeling,
Daddy. It will serve you well through all the dirty diapers and
sleepless nights.”