The Sacrifice (46 page)

Lily
pranced by. “I
’
ll stand guard with Iggy.”

Riana forced a smile of approval.
“That would be good, guys.”

***

Cy
left the safe-room and headed to the castle
’
s weapons storage. He
looked around the large room at how few weapons were left. If someone didn
’
t
bring more ammo, they could be in trouble. He grabbed two handguns and several
clips, tucked them into the waist of his pants, and then he grabbed a sword. On
his way out he noticed a wicked looking scythe propped in the corner behind the
door. He ran his thumb along the curve of the long blade and jerked back to
find a drop of blood.

Oh
yeah, that should do nicely.

When
Cy entered the underbelly of the castle, it was empty. He set out at a dead run
toward the steel pit where he
’
d instructed them to hold Vind. He rounded the
corner of the second long passageway and came upon six injured guards lying on
the floor. “Where is everyone?” Cy asked the only guy still conscious.

The
guard lifted a bloody hand and pointed toward the back of the dungeons. “They
chased the intruders back into the tunnel they
’
d blasted to get
inside.”

“Hold
on, I
’
ll call a medic to come for you.” Cy continued the
direction the guard pointed. As he passed the steel pit, he cursed when Vind
was not inside. Reaching the end of the cavern, he found an incredible amount
of dust where people had died, and a tunnel blown into the cavern wall.

Cy
entered the tunnel. Clumps of dirt still fell from the explosion, and weapons
clashed at a distance. With a sword in one hand and the scythe in the other, he
ran toward the noise. If the enemy wasn
’
t stopped before
reaching the far end of the tunnel, they would transport out. Then they would
be chasing vapor trails, which was easier said than done. Especially if they
split-up and jumped to several locations consecutively.

When Cy reached the fighting, injured
Sivadians and dust of the dead lay everywhere.

“I thought I told you to stay with the
females,” Oz yelled over the sound of clashing metal.

Everyone
was out of firepower and it had come down to fighting with swords and daggers.
Cy ignored Oz and pulled the guns from his waistband. With one in each hand, he
took out the back line of feeders. “Where
’
s Vind?” he asked
while reloading his weapons.

“They
have him up ahead,”
Miles said.
“We
’
ve been slowly working our way toward them.”

Cy emptied all but one of his clips.
He grabbed the scythe and swung it with deadly precision. Various body parts of
feeders flew in every direction. Once they mowed down enough feeders, Cy saw
Vind up ahead. His feet were dragging as his men kept him upright. Another
group of feeders circled him. Dammit, where were they all coming from?

The
thought of his brother escaping, called on Cy
’
s reserve of
adrenaline. Using every ounce of strength he possessed, he swung the scythe
faster.

Cy threw down his weapons and pulled
the gun with the remaining clip. He took out the feeder obstructing his view of
Vind, and then emptied the rest of the clip into Vind and the two  who
were keeping him on his feet. All three of them hit the ground. A loud
explosion shook the ground, and the tunnel caved in around them.

Cy
regained consciousness in complete darkness, pinned beneath the heavy weight of
dirt and rock. It felt like a slab of cement lying across his chest. His mouth
and nose were filled with dirt and his lungs burned for air. He tried to move
enough to dig out of his grave. Although he could barely move his head, he
wiggled it from side to side enough to make a small space. He pushed dirt from
his mouth with his tongue. The lack of oxygen exhausted him, and he remained
still to keep from using up his body
’
s reserves. Hopefully
someone would find him soon.

If
being buried alive took this much of a toll on him, there was no way Vind
survived it. He wasn
’
t even standing on his own before he shot him.
More than anything, Cy had wanted to be the one to end his brother
’
s
life. He had told Vind his face would be the last thing he saw before dying,
and hopefully it was true. Their eyes had locked onto each other as he shot and
Vind hit the ground. It was the only solace Cy could hold on to.

Cy wiggled his hands to loosen the
dirt enough to make tiny tunnels, and began the slow tedious process of digging
himself free. The more he dug the lighter the soil became, telling him he was
at least heading the right direction. After what felt like hours, he heard
muted voices. Relief ran through him when a large hand snaked through the dirt,
grabbed his arm and pulled him free from his tomb.

Oz
wrapped him into a bear hug. “
Boy,
don’
t you ever scare me like
that again.”

Cy
coughed and spit more dirt from his mouth. “That
’
s
not something I want to repeat. Did we get Vind? ”

 “I
sent men around to the other side to dig, and we
’
re
digging from this direction. We
’
ll find him,” Oz said.

Cy
shook his head and dirt from his hair showered around him. “I shot him and the
two keeping him upright. They hit the ground seconds before the explosion. He
couldn
’
t have survived both.”

“I
’
ll
call the other side and see if they
’
ve found him yet,” Oz
said.

“I
should have killed him when I had the chance. If he somehow survived this, we
’
ll
never find him again. He will continue killing innocent people and be even more
dangerous than before.” The thought turned Cy
’
s stomach.

“Cy,
if you had taken Vind
’
s life you wouldn
’
t be king right now.
Forfeiting your kingship to kill your brother is
not
what your father
would have wanted. By stopping you, I was looking out for your best interest
and that of our people. Oz grabbed his phone and called the other protectors.
“Have you found Vind?”

Cy
waited until Oz finished his call to ask. But from the way Oz paced, he already
knew the answer. They hadn
’
t found Vind, and more than likely never would.

***

In
the safe-room, Riana
’
s nerves were a hot-mess. Cy had been gone over an
hour. With each passing minute her nerves frayed a bit more, nearing the point
of panic. If he didn
’
t come back soon, she wouldn
’
t
be able to stay inside as he
’
d asked.

 Everyone
in the room jumped when the phone rang, and then froze as the queen picked up
the receiver. “
Hello
…we are all fine. Are you all right?” She lowered
the phone and looked at Riana, a bright smile lit her face. “That was Cygan. He
is at the door and said we can open it.”

Riana ran for the door before his
mother finished the sentence. She fumbled with the locks, and then flung it
open. She threw her arms around Cy and sobbed into his shoulder.

Cy
held her tight, and whispered into her hair, “I
’
m alright, baby.
Please don
’
t cry. It breaks my heart when you cry.”

“I
can
’
t help it,” she whimpered. “I was so scared. I
tried to be strong for the kids.” When Riana pulled back and looked at Cy,
panic struck hard. Her breath came in gasp, like she
’
d
just run a marathon. There wasn
’
t an inch of him not covered with blood and dirt.
“Oh God Cy, where are you injured?” Her hands roamed his body searching for
wounds.

Cy
looked down at himself, then reached and steadied Riana
’
s hands.
“I
’
m fine
. It
’
s not my blood. It
’
s the enemies and
dirt from a cave-in.”

Relieved, Riana pulled him to her and
held him there.

 Analae stood beside them with a
worried expression on her face. “Where is Oz?”

“He
’
s
in Mother
’
s study calling everyone for report.”

Analae left to find him.

Cy
looked into Riana
’
s eyes. “Vind either escaped or he
’
s
dead beneath the cave-in.”

Riana
’
s
breath caught. That was the last thing she wanted to hear. If Vind was still
alive, he could come after them again.

As
if reading her mind, Cy framed her face in his hands. “Even if he
’
s
alive, he
’
ll never get near you again. I promise.”

Riana nodded. But the horror of
everything that happened was still too fresh for her to control the fear
completely. It would take some time.

“There were a lot of casualties.” Cy
said. “I need you and your mother to help with the injured.”

“I
’
ll
do whatever you need.”

A
slight smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “I
’
ll
be sure to remind you of that once we get home.”

Four
weeks later.

Riana
sat in front of the mirror while her mother finished applying her make-up. They
had been at it for an hour, with her fussing over every little detail. Thank
goodness, the queen
’
s hairdresser had put her hair up in an elegant
chignon. If her mother had done it, they would have been here all day. “Mother,
it looks fine. If you don
’
t stop, I
’
m going to be late
for my own wedding.”

 Analae
stepped back and took a long, critical look at her work. “Okay, darling, I
’
m
finished. We better wait until you get into your dress to put on the lipstick.”

“The queen will be here any minute
with the crown,” Riana said. “She insisted on attaching it to the veil,
herself. It was something her mother-in-law had done for her. So she wanted to
do it for me.”

Analae helped Riana into her wedding
gown. “That was sweet of her. But, darling, you are going to have to get used
to calling her Queen Mother, because in a few minutes
you
will become the queen.”

Butterflies
fluttered in Riana
’
s stomach. She was just plain old Riana, not
royalty. She wasn
’
t sure if she would ever get used to being a
queen. Although, if marrying Cy meant she
’
d have to put up with
aristocrats, and everyone referring to her as “your majesty,” then so be it.
She loved him more than she ever thought it possible to love anyone, and knew
without a doubt she wanted to be his wife. Even though being queen still made
her want to run for the hills.

Analae zipped-up her dress, stepped
back and looked at her. “I have never seen a more beautiful bride
or
dress in my life. It fits
perfectly.”

Riana
ran her hand over the fine silk. “It is beautiful,” she said, admiring it in
the full-length mirror. “The queen
’
s personal seamstress
made it. She makes all of her gowns.”

“Well,
she’s excellent at her craft,” Analae said. “I can
’
t
imagine the time it took to painstakingly embroider all of these flowers and
royal emblems onto this dress.”

Riana
recalled her conversation with the seamstress during her last fitting. She
’
d
said that she dreamed of having the body, the man, the occasion, and the right
to wear this piece of art. It was her perfect masterpiece, guaranteed to steal
the groom
’
s breath at first glance.

I
sure hope so, because he steals my breath every time I look at him.

Riana turned in a slow circle,
admiring her dress in the massive mirror. She loved everything about it. From
the stark contrast of peaceful white, representing love’s purity, to the regal,
crimson panels gracing the front and back, representing blood, the source of
life for all Sivadians. The gown’s most delicate features started with the
translucent, capped, slightly off the shoulder sleeves with intricately
embroidered white flowers. The sleeves met with the first flash of red at the
bosom where the fabric slightly gathered. Embroidered flowers at the top and
bottom of the red, tapered down to a point at the waistline, flowing gracefully
into a dazzling, luxuriously full skirt.

Riana
turned to get a full picture of the back of the gown. From behind, it was
almost a humbling experience. It appeared as if the seamstress had cut the
white fabric into graceful waves, just short of meeting. The distance between
where it would meet grew farther apart as it got closer to the floor. To make
up the difference, she found the highest quality red silk to fill the gap,
where it flowed into a wide, chapel train. The same intricately embroidered
flowers found on the front, traveled down the red silk insert on the back in
arcing patterns, matching the flow of the dress. The pattern automatically drew
your eyes to where the dress caressed her back in a gentle, wide ‘V
’
showing
off every feminine curve and muscle of her back. To top everything off, the
royal emblem of Sivadia was embroidered close to the hem and traveled around to
the train, which draped the floor behind her. The royal emblems had been added
to every wedding gown worn by royals for a thousand millennia. She felt honored
to wear them today.

There was a knock on the door and Elle
stuck her head inside. “Can we come in?”

“Of course.”

Elle
held the door open for Cy
’
s mother. She carried the veil and crown that
Riana would wear during the ceremony. They both stood in stunned silence when
they saw her.

“You look absolutely beautiful,” the
queen said.

“Thank you,” Riana replied.

“I have attached the veil to your
crown, and when the ceremony is over the veil snaps off so the crown can stay
on during the reception.”

Riana
sat in the chair so Cy
’
s mother could place it on her head. “It
’
s
so beautiful.”

“Yes,
it is,” the queen replied. “It is identical to Cygan
’
s
crown, just on a smaller scale. Every detail of the crown has meaning. The row
of interlinked circles embedded with diamonds that make up the base, stands for
our unity with the human race. The triangles sitting on top of the circles
represent our arrival on Earth, and of course, they are set with rubies for our
life-blood. The stars sitting on top of the pyramids represent Sivadia and are
set with bloodstone.

The
queen pinned the crown in place, and then bent down and kissed Riana
’
s
cheek.
“Thank you,” Riana
whispered, touched by her unexpected affection.

“Thank
you,” she replied, “for making my son so happy. He is a good son, and deserves
every ounce of happiness you
’
ve brought him. I am more than pleased for you to
become my daughter.”

Riana sat in stunned silence as the
queen turned and left the room. She looked at her mother and Elle. They stared
at her as if they had something on their minds. “What?” she asked.

“Seeing you wear that crown is just
so…surreal,” Analae said. “I knew you would become queen when you married Cy,
but…this is going to have my make-up running all over my face.” She picked up a
tissue and carefully blotted tears from her eyes.

Elle
laughed at Analae.
“Well, I
hope you don
’
t expect me to call you, ‘your highness
’
or
something, cause that
’
s where I draw the line.”

Riana
smiled. Elle always tried to lighten the mood. “I expect you to call me what
you
’
ve always called me. Your best friend.”

There was another knock at the door. When
it opened, the rest of her wedding party entered, Lily, Kyra, and her father.
When they saw Riana, everyone stopped in the tracks.

“Why
is everyone looking at me with that ‘deer in the headlights
’
expression?”

Oz
stepped forward and took her hands in his, placing a kiss on each. “Because you
are a vision unlike anything they
’
ve ever seen, sweetheart. Now, are you ready to
get married?”

There
went those butterflies again. Riana took a deep breath. “I
’
m
ready to become Cy
’
s wife. I just want the whole wedding part to be
over.”

Okay
Lily, here
’
s your basket of flowers,” Kyra said. “You’ll go
first, like we practiced and I
’
ll be right behind you.”

“Okay,” Lily said. “I want to hurry
and get to the eating and dancing part.”

Everyone
left the bride
’
s room and headed to the front of the small
chapel. The wedding was originally set to take place at the queen
’
s
palace, but after the attack during the coronation, they moved it to the chapel
on the college campus, her and Elle
’
s alma mater. The
decision to have the wedding in the quaint, rock chapel was an easy one for
Riana, since she
’
d always envisioned being married there. Although,
marrying a king was never part of that vision. Some of the Royal Council and
aristocrats considered the chapel beneath the station of a king. But Riana didn
’
t
care. This was her wedding, not theirs, and she considered it perfect.

Riana
and Cy had stayed at her and Elle
’
s house on Johns Mountain, in Rome. It had helped
Riana tremendously to get back to her own surroundings. The only way Cy would
agree was if Protectors guarded the entire mountain, which caused her a degree
of guilt. Better her guilt than Cy
’
s constant worry
about her safety.

Since
Elle killed a couple of feeders during the rescue, she
’
d
overcome her fears and decided to become a Protector. She lived at the
compound, which pretty much gave Cy and Riana the house to themselves. Except
when Iggy was home, but he spent a lot of time at the compound with Kyra and
Lily.

The
wedding was being held at the largest campus in the world, and Cy had seen to
every detail of security himself. He
’
d placed an army of
Protectors and guards for miles around the college. If you weren
’
t
Sivadian or on the guest list, there was no way you
’
d
set foot on that campus. Cy and her father believed if Vind did survive the
cave-in, he wouldn
’
t show himself for a while. Not until he
recuperated from his injuries and replenished his troops. She hoped they were
right. The last thing they needed was for Vind to destroy their perfect day.
Although, as long as he remained free, there was an unrelenting whisper in the
back of everyone
’
s mind that he could resurface and wreak havoc on
their lives. But, it would not be today.

Oz
was just as obsessed with their security. He retired as commander of the Protectors,
and Miles took over his position. Oz and Cy were working hard on recruiting and
training an army of Protectors to eradicate Vind
’
s
followers. The fact that Oz was no longer in the field fighting had made her
mother a different person. Riana loved seeing her happy.

Cy
had finally accepted the fact that a king couldn
’
t
be a ruler
and
a fighter. Not a day went by when Riana wasn
’
t
thankful for that.

Everyone
lined up at the entrance to the chapel. Violins began to play the Sivadian
wedding march. As if on cue, the annoying flutters in Riana
’
s
stomach worsened. She gripped her bouquet tighter and took a calming breath.

“Okay,
Lily,” Kyra said. “It
’
s time for you to go. Don
’
t
rush, just drop your flowers and I
’
ll be right behind
you.”

“I
know, Kyra. That
’
s only the hundredth time you
’
ve
told me.”

“Well,
I know when you see Iggy standing up there, you
’
re likely to take off
like a rocket,” Kyra replied, laughter in her voice.