Royal Obsession (17 page)

“The world above?”

“That’s how they refer to us. They inhabit the world below. This is the world above.”

“I didn’t mean to interrupt. Go on. Sekall was content as a hunter because of his fascination with our world.”

“It’s the hunters’ responsibility to locate women suitable for…”

“I understand how the Shadow Assassins reproduce. You don’t need to go into detail.”

“Like the rest of their society, their breeding program is far more involved than you realize. They choose women who are strong and healthy, from families with a genetic disposition toward male offspring.”

Varrik cringed. Though accurate, she made it sound calculated and callous. He sighed. Seeing it through her eyes, it was calculated and callous.

“If you’re comfortable talking about this,” Charlotte coaxed, “I’ve always wondered how the process was facilitated.”

“The majority of the inhabitants are soldiers. When they’re ready to procreate, they apply to the council for permission to enter the lottery. After a physical examination, their accomplishments are reviewed, and they’re either given a seniority ranking, or their request is denied. The seniority ranking allows them to choose from the women brought to the maze by the hunters.”

“If the hunters bring back ten women, the first ten men on the seniority ranking get to take their pick.”

“Exactly.”

Charlotte shuddered. “It’s all so… impersonal.”

Without reacting to her mother’s discomfort, Echo hurried on. “Hunters and sweepers are allowed to lay claim to any woman brought to the maze.”

“Then you weren’t subjected to this lottery.”

“Varrik claimed us both from the very beginning.”

Varrik braced himself for Charlotte’s reaction. That hadn’t sounded good at all.

“E’Lanna said she was kept in an isolation chamber.” The High Queen’s tone was controlled, but destructive intensity returned to her gaze. “Was she lying to us?”

“When the hunters found her, she was with Zane. They wanted to make sure… We’re way off course, Mother. I was talking about Sekall.”

Not a chance she would let that one slip by. Varrik rubbed the bridge of his nose. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.

“We’ve come this far. Tell me the rest. What did they want to make sure of?”

“They wanted to make sure she wasn’t already pregnant.”

“How in the eternal universe is any of this
noble?
You were kidnapped and imprisoned for the express purpose of giving this bastard a child? I want to rip him apart with my bare hands!” She turned away for a moment, struggling to regain her composure. Unfortunately, she faced Varrik as she battled her fury. Frustration swept through on the heels of his shame. These were her daughters. Why had he ever thought he could make her understand? “I’m sorry,” she said, turning back to Echo. “Go back to the older brother.”

“Sekall came across the woman who lived in this cabin. She heard voices and saw visions, so the people in her village drove her out.”

“This happened on Ontariese? Mystic abilities aren’t uncommon here. Why would people react that way?”

“She was born in an isolated settlement that shuns technology and is ruled by superstition. The images I saw seemed like historical vids rather than memories. Anyway, she was forced to leave, and she wandered restlessly for a few cycles. Then she heard about the Conservatory. When she wasn’t accepted for admittance, she found this cottage and resigned herself to a life of solitude.”

Charlotte looked around the cottage with new interest. “Do you know her name?”

“No. Is it important?”

“I’m not sure. Tell me the rest of the story.”

What an odd reaction. He studied Charlotte’s face as Echo concluded the tale. Did the Mystics know about Rittan? Was it possible…?

“Ignoring what was expected of him, Sekall courted the woman for almost a cycle before he took her to the maze. She was upset by his highhandedness, but not as traumatized as most women are upon arriving in the maze. It took another two cycles for her to conceive. By that time, she and Sekall were very much in love.

“No female is allowed to remain in the maze once they’ve ‘fulfilled their destiny’. Even female babies are returned to the world above. Sekall’s mate gave birth to a girl, and they were scheduled for removal. Desperate to remain with his beloved and watch his daughter grow up, he petitioned the elders, asking permission for his family to remain in the world below. He told the soldiers that the elders were using the Customs to control them. He tried to get enough support to force the elders to reconsider their position. The elders refused. The world below has always been inhabited by men, and they had no intention of changing the arrangement.

“That’s insane.”

“Not entirely.” His gaze shifted to Echo with the phrase. Was she actually defending the Customs? “The maze is a military outpost for highly trained mercenaries. Unless the women want to become soldiers, what place do they have in such a facility? The City of Tears has limited housing for families, but most of the soldiers there still live in barracks.”

“Are you sure he only transmitted images? You seem a bit too accepting of all this.”

Echo waved away her mother’s concern and Varrik wanted to hug her. Actually, he hadn’t stopped wanting to hug her. “A sweeper was assigned to extract all memory of the maze from the mind of Sekall’s mate. Before the sweeper could do his job, though, Sekall teleported her and the baby out of the maze. No one knew where he had found her, so he brought her back here. As soon as he returned to the maze, he was arrested and tried for treason.”

“It’s treason to want to be with your mate and be part of your child’s life?”

“It was more complicated than that. Sekall had openly defied the elders and encouraged others to do the same.”

“Why did he return to the maze? He could have stayed here with his mate and daughter.”

“And leave his twelve-cycles-old brother at the mercy of the elders?” Echo shook her head. “Sekall was afraid they’d use Varrik to lure him back.”

“I’m guessing the trial didn’t go well.”

“He was executed and Varrik was forced to watch.”

“Oh, dear god,” Charlotte said from behind her hand.

“As Sekall’s life force ebbed, he sent Varrik an image. He showed him this cottage and pleaded with Varrik to keep them safe.” She relayed the information with calm detachment, but Varrik remembered each nuance, the raspy sound of his brother’s voice, the angry shouts of the soldiers, and the sickening stench of blood. “For eleven cycles, Varrik made sure they were safe and had everything they needed. He guarded the location of this cottage with all his considerable abilities. Then, one day he came to the cottage and they were gone, just vanished.” He pressed his back against the cottage wall. Ten cycles had passed, and he could still taste the fear, feel the thundering of his heart as he searched the surrounding forest. All to no avail. “The biggest regret of Varrik’s life is failing his brother.”

“I’m not so sure he failed.” Varrik pushed away from the wall and moved closer to Charlotte. “About ten cycles ago, a woman was found wandering in Mystic Valley. She was delirious with fever, as was her little girl. The woman swore she lived alone in these mountains. Everyone thought it was part of her delirium.”

“Did she survive the illness?” Echo spoke the question for him as blood rushed through his ears. “What happened to her?”

“The healers weren’t able to save the woman, but her daughter, Shaelee, is training to be a Mystic.”

* * * * *

“Why are you shouting at me?” Lilt dar Joon demanded.

North seethed within his Shadow form, his dislike of Lilt growing with each word the Ontarian uttered. “If I hadn’t spent so much time with you and that whore, I would have been there to—”

“Protect
your
whore?”

“Aila is the least of my concerns. She is one piece in a much larger puzzle.” North closed his hands into fists to keep from pummeling his companion. After learning the specifics of the current situation in the maze, North returned to Fortress Joon. “E’Lanna is gone. Echo is gone. And Varrik is gone!”

“None of which has anything to do with me.” Lilt’s volume grew right alongside North’s, sending fury sizzling through the elder. Lilt better learn to show the proper respect, or there would be many more violations of the treaty!

“Despite my frustration, I’m not here to place blame.” His voice sounded dark and strained. “South is campaigning against me.”

“South has been threatening to take control of the maze ever since you killed your brother.”

North solidified his fist and punched Lilt squarely in the jaw, snapping his head to the side. A mental compulsion would have been more efficient, but North welcomed the pain. That was the problem with allies. They inevitably created loose ends.

“Have you lost your mind?!” Lilt covered his jaw with his hand and stared at North’s shadowy form. “How the hell did you do that?”

Heaving an exasperated sigh, North purged the tension from his mind. The “accident” that established his claim to Tribe North was ancient history. He needed to think, to plan. All these emotions were distorting his reason. “You’ve frequently asked me for an opportunity to shift your son’s allegiance.”

“I’m listening.”

“I will allow Lor into the Shadow Maze under the pretext of rescuing the twins.”

“But the twins aren’t in the maze.”

“Lor doesn’t know that.”

“Go on.”

“During the course of this rescue, Lor will encounter and kill Elder South.”

Lilt held up his first two fingers. “Two questions. How will you make my peace-loving son commit murder, and how will murdering your enemy sway Lor’s allegiance?”

“I’m going to locate Elder South, sear the life from his treacherous body, and leave him for Lor to find.”

“All right. How will this turn Lor away from the Mystics?”

“Lor will plead his innocence, but the evidence against him will be incontrovertible.” North relaxed, pleased with his new plan. “When the Mystics look at him with doubt and disappointment, and Tribe South demands his blood, you will swoop in to rescue your wayward son. If he foolishly refuses your assistance, you can always let Tribe South execute him.”

“You have a truly diabolical mind.”

“Thank you.”

“Will I finally get to see the Shadow Maze?”

North stared at Lilt, all the possibilities scrolling through his mind. “If all goes as planned, South will be destroyed once and for all, and Lor will never realize you were involved in any of this.”

Lilt seemed a bit disappointed. “How long will it take to set up?”

“I’m not sure. If Varrik takes the twins directly to their parents, it will force my hand. I’d rather give South time to rally his men. They must be in the mood for distraction when they find South’s burnt corpse.”

* * * * *

Varrik raked his hair with both hands. He wanted to disintegrate his invisibility shield and question Charlotte about the woman they’d found in Mystic Valley, but Echo had much still to share. He inhaled slowly and released his breath in a silent rush. It wasn’t just the High Queen’s understanding that he craved. Every word Echo spoke in his defense was a warm balm to his weary soul.

“I’m sorry Varrik’s past was tragic, however, it doesn’t justify his actions, much less lend him nobility.”

“There’s a bit more you need to understand before I explain his thinking.” Echo paused to rub her temples. Had the deluge of information given her a headache? A lesser mind would have shut down.

“Are you all right?” Charlotte asked. “We can continue this after you’ve relaxed for a while.”

“I’d rather finish now. Once we get home, I’m going to sink into a hot bath and stay there until my skin wrinkles.”

“Sounds perfect.”

Varrik pictured her reclining in a tub, water swirling around her naked body, surrounded by luxury and candlelight. She deserved to be coddled and protected after what he’d put her through. So why did he see himself beside her, climbing in with her, kissing and caressing her until their bodies put off more heat than the water? Even now he couldn’t imagine a future without her.

“As I said before, the maze can only be entered or exited via teleportation.”

“You know this or you suspect?”

“For many of the images to make sense it has to work that way.”

“Explain what you mean.”

“The elders, the hunters, and some of the sweepers can teleport. The soldiers are separated into squadrons, and only the squad leaders are able to teleport. The rest of the soldiers are trapped in the maze, until their squad leaders take them out for specific assignments.”

A long pause followed as Charlotte digested the details. She shook her head and compassion clouded her gaze. Varrik watched her closely, wishing he were truly empathic. “No wonder Sekall was so desperate for change.”

“Sekall wasn’t the first or the last inhabitant to oppose the Customs.” Varrik dragged his gaze back to Echo, trepidation squeezing his heart. That sounded like a segue into the night Bemzire died, but he hadn’t transmitted those memories. “Varrik did everything in his power to disguise his abilities from the elders. He didn’t want to be a sweeper, but his uncle realized his potential.”