Choosing Riley: Sarafin Warriors Book 1 (31 page)

“Where is Illana?” Vox asked suddenly.

Both Titus and Banu started in surprise at
the mention of their mother. “She is probably in her workshop. She
loves working with her hands and you know she creates some of the
most beautiful bowls and vases with the mineral clay. Why?” Banu
asked curiously.

“I am not sure,” Vox murmured looking at the
holovid again. “But something tells me we are missing something
crucial and she may have the answers we seek.”

“I’m not following you,” Titus said with a
frown. “Do you want me to ask her to join us or would you like to
go to her workshop?” He asked puzzled.

“Let us go there,” Vox replied suddenly
anxious to see his aunt.

Titus and Banu stood up at the same time.
Banu flipped the holovid off and shrugged his shoulder at Titus. He
didn’t understand either but both of them had learned a long time
ago to appreciate Vox’s instincts. It had saved them more than once
during their youth, not to mention during the war.

Titus lead them through the huge palace. The
gleaming pale walls changed color as they passed through them,
reflecting the difference in the warmth of their bodies against the
sensitive stone that picked up on their moods. The stone for the
palace had come from the mountains surrounding the city. The tall
arched corridors allowed an abundance of light in through crystal
clear windows that could be darkened with a single command. Workers
moved on light feet, laughing as they went about their way. He
could feel his aunt’s touch among the workers. They enjoyed their
duties.

Soon, they were entering a small building
located on the west corner of the grand gardens. The small dome
building was bright and airy on the inside and was filled with all
different shapes and sizes of plates, bowls, and cups made from the
special mineral clay found along the streams that ran down from the
mountains.

“
Nënë,
how are you doing?” Titus asked
walking over to give his mother a kiss on the cheek.

“I’m fine,” she replied with a raised eyebrow
as she looked at her two sons before turning her gaze on Vox.
“Hello, my lord,” she said with a graceful bow of her head.

“Greetings, Illana,” Vox said walking over
and brushing his lips along his aunt’s cheek. “How have you
been?”

She smiled and shook her head. “I am well.
Now, out with it. You three only came to see me when you were in
trouble as cubs. What mess have you gotten into this time? You know
your father isn’t going to believe me if I try to cover for you,
don’t you?” She said looking at Titus and Banu.

All three men chuckled as they stood back.
“This time it is for a different reason we are here,
Nënë.
Vox thinks you might be able to help us piece together the attacks
on our family,” Banu said with a grin.

“Ah,” Illana responded quietly before walking
over to the sink to clean the mineral clay from her hands. “I knew
this time would come,” she murmured. “This must not go anywhere
else,” Illana said as she turned to look sternly at her two sons.
“It pertains to Banu as well but I hoped that I would not have to
tell him for a while yet. It would appear the time has come to
share a little of our family history that is known to few.”

Over the next hour, Illana related a tale of
four brothers who were the first rulers of Sarafin. One ruled the
forest kingdom, one ruled the city near the ocean, one ruled the
desert kingdom and one ruled the ancient city as its guardian. The
Gods had divided their world so none could rule more powerful than
the other but together they would be practically invincible. To
know who the true rulers were, they were marked with a symbol. Each
symbol was unique to the warrior but when placed together it marked
the location of the Heart of the Cat, a gem so powerful it had the
power to either heal their people or destroy them. The four
brothers, concerned that the gem would fall into the wrong hands,
hid the stone in a location only known to them. As they buried it,
the symbols formed on each, mapping the location so it could never
be truly forgotten. Only the leader of each kingdom would have the
mark. If they were to die, then the mark would appear on the next
ruler. But, if the line were to die out....

“..... Then so would our people. Over time,
legends built up about the location until it became more myth than
reality. But, make no mistake, it is very real,” Illana finished.
“Vox, you wear the mark as will your son. Just as Titus does since
his father passed the throne onto him. Banu, you also bear the mark
since the death of your father.” She turned sad eyes to her
youngest son.

Banu’s eyes narrowed in confusion. “I don’t
understand. My father still lives.”

“No,” Illana replied softly. “While your
father and I consider you our son, your true parents died days
after you were born. Your father was my younger brother. Your
parents were murdered in their sleep. They had been drugged in an
attempt to capture the desert kingdom which is your true heritage.
Your nurse stole you away in the night and brought you to us.
Arimis went to avenge my brother and his mate’s murders but the
desert had swallowed the kingdom. That is one of the many myths
surrounding it. Only two of the kingdoms are known, the ocean and
city kingdoms. The other two remain hidden until their rightful
rulers return to the throne.”

“Why? Why would you not tell me years ago
about my parents?” Banu asked clenching his fists in disbelief and
rage. “You let me think all these years I was your son. Why would
you not tell me?”

“I have lost three of my siblings to tragedy.
I could not bear to lose any more of my family,” she said calmly
looking at him intently. “You became our son the moment I held you
in my arms. I loved you as assuredly as if I had given birth to
you. If I had told you before the wars you would have gone
searching for the kingdom. You were too young to go. Then the wars
took you away.”

Banu swung around to stare out the window of
the workshop, gazing blindly over the garden. “You said you lost
three siblings. Who was the other and who and where is the fourth
member bearing the mark?” He asked harshly, turning to stare at the
woman he had always considered to be his mother.

A tear ran down Illana’s cheek but she did
not turn away from the harsh stare. “Mia,” she whispered. “She was
taken as a baby and never found. I have to believe she lived. She
bore the mark of the hidden forest.”

Vox listened in disbelief as everything he
and his cousins had ever known came apart. His own fury with his
father mounted as he thought of the information withheld from him.
He was the King and should have been told of the legend and its
effect on his family and people, especially now that he had a mate
to protect.

“What happens if there is no one to bear the
mark showing the hidden resting place of the Heart of the Cat?” Vox
asked knowing deep down the answer.

“Sarafin will fall,” Illana answered
quietly.

“That is why Raffvin wanted me, Titus and
Banu. He knows about the mark, but how, and why didn’t he just kill
us?” Vox asked coldly.

“He needs us and Mia or any of her children
who may bear her mark,” Titus replied calmly, piecing the puzzle
together. “He could not kill us if he wanted to find the Heart of
the Cat and capture the power of the gem. He ordered our deaths
when it appeared that he would not be able to find Mia or her
descendants.”

“We do not even know Mia survived or if she
had any cubs,” Banu stated in an emotionless voice.

“Yes, we do,” Vox said with a sharp-toothed
grin. “If she had not survived, then our world would have fallen
already. We have family to find, cousins. Whoever is working with
Raffvin must be aware of the legend as well. If that is the case,
they may be working on their own agenda and not necessarily with
Raffvin.”

“Great!” Titus growled out as he ran his hand
over the back of his neck in frustration. “So, is there anyone out
there not wanting to capture or kill us?”

“My lords,” a guard burst through the door
suddenly. “Lord Vox, your mate has been taken!”

Riley laughed at Tamia, Bob’s mate, as she
related how she had captured the huge Gelatian’s attention. Bob
just chuckled and rubbed against the large peach colored female.
They enjoyed the afternoon as Riley teased both of her former
‘mates’ about abandoning her while they told their mates how she
almost blew everyone up, not once but twice.

“Doral and I need to go to the market. Would
you like to come?” Tamia asked politely. “It is not far.”

“I would love to go!” Riley said with an
excited grin.

Vox had kept her practically a prisoner at
the palace. Okay, that may be a bit of a stretch but she hadn’t
been anywhere outside the ocean city and she wanted to see the
beautiful ancient city. It reminded her so much of some of the
pictures she had seen of the older cities in Europe and since she
never got to see them, she figured she might as well enjoy this
one.

“We will return shortly,” Doral said giving
Fred a kiss on both lips with a blush.

“Very shortly,” Fred’s left head responded
with a soft growl while he held onto both of her hands for a little
longer than necessary.

All three women laughed as Doral pulled free
with a vivid blush covering her face. They picked up the baskets by
the door that they would need to carry their purchases. Riley
adjusted her oversized purse over her shoulder and nodded to the
two guards that Vox left. She knew better than to argue with them
following her around. Vox should have been born a bulldog because
he wouldn’t budge on her wandering around without a couple of
guards always tagging along.

“So where to first?” Riley asked as they
stepped through the gate.

“There is a market where many different
fruits, vegetables, and breads are sold. Bob does not eat meat but
Fred does. We will go to the market first. There is another market
a few streets further where they sell beautiful cloth and other
things,” Doral replied as she moved rapidly through the crowded
streets.

Riley followed the clipped pace Doral set.
She might be small but she was a bundle of energy. She was so happy
her two friends had found someone to spend their lives with. Fred
had told her that his older brother had been killed in a dispute
over credits and his father wanted him to return. He had talked at
length with Doral and both of them decided that they did not want
to raise their young on a fueling station. Bob had become a
prominent silversmith in the small village he had settled in on
Curizan. That was where he met Tamia who had also sought refuge
after escaping captivity from a slave trader who made the mistake
of challenging a Curizan warrior. The warrior had freed Tamia and
brought her back to his world to live. She had been working as a
seamstress in the village. Both men decided they wanted to start
fresh and had already established their homes there.

“Oh my,” Riley said with a huge grin as she
took in all the different stalls selling their wares. “Do you think
Vox has credit here?” She asked hopefully.

One of the guards chuckled. “You may purchase
whatever you want, my lady. Lord Aryeh instructed us to make sure
you had whatever you desired. He said he would deal with Lord Vox
if he should have a problem.”

“I knew I was going to love that adorable old
hairball once he realized I was the best thing that ever happened
to his son!” Riley declared with a royal wave of her hand.

Doral and Tamia dissolved into giggles while
the two guards chuckled. Riley tossed her wayward curls over her
shoulder and raised her arm. “Charge ladies! And I truly mean
charge! We are going to do some major shopping. I swear I was going
through withdrawals!” Riley said as she sashayed her ass right
through the middle of the crowded market in excitement.

She spent the next half hour exclaiming over
one find after another in the food market. It was when they
continued onto the merchant’s market that she thought she had truly
died and gone to heaven. The silk scarves, unusual handbags and
other accessories outdid the little over-priced boutique Tina
worked in during high school. Riley moved rapidly from one stall to
another, picking up scarves, hats, bracelets and handbags with a
critical eye.

“How much is this?” She asked one merchant
before turning to another and pulling another item up and showing
it to other merchant. “And this? Tamia is that too much for this?
Doral, what do you think? Does this make me look too pale? Oh my
god, look at this! I have to have it! Do you think Vox will be
upset? The guy says it is seventy-five credits. Is that a lot?”
Riley asked having no idea the worth of a credit. For all she knew,
it could be the equivalent of a thousand bucks back home. “Damn! I
should have had Viper tell Tina to clean out my account back on
Earth. She has access. I might have been able to convert it or buy
stuff at home to cash in here. I really, really want this bag. It
will go perfectly with several of my outfits,” she added, biting
her lip in indecision.

“Lady Riley, seventy-five credits is very
inexpensive,” one of the guards assured her. “Lord Vox would not be
upset at all if you purchased the bag, especially as you like it so
much.”

“You really think so?” Riley asked anxiously
fingering the beautiful beaded bag with the tips of her fingers.
“It is the most beautiful handbag I’ve ever seen.”

“Please package the bag for my lady queen,”
the guard called out to the merchant.

Riley grinned at the merchant as he handed
her the carefully wrapped purchase with a low bow. “It is a
pleasure doing business with you, my queen. I will inform my
daughter you admired her work.”

“Tell her I have never seen anything as
beautiful as this and I will take very good care of it,” Riley
responded to the beaming man.