Daylight, a Timeless Series Novel (24 page)

“
Why didn’t you ever tell me this before?” My mind went back to my visit to their home. So much heartache and pain could’ve been prevented if only I’d known!

“Because you weren’t ready to accept
it,” Dex said. “You’d barely learned you were Timeless. It would’ve been cruel to throw all these facts upon you as well. We all saw how strongly you felt for Colt, and Callon was going to break the news gently, but then you overheard us…”

He trailed off.
I sighed. I wish they hadn’t worried so much about what I could handle, but I had to take the blame for some of this as well. My pride back then hadn’t let me ask the questions I needed to.

“
In hindsight, we probably should have told you as much as we could, and for that I am sorry, but now I hope you understand something of the battle we’ve been fighting.”

I looked at my hands and began twisting my Servak ring. If they’d relayed this information behind the marriages
, I might not have fallen so hard for Colt. But even if they had, it would’ve been too late. I’d fallen for him long before my mind admitted it…my heart had known all along.

“You see,
Cheyenne, your mother was betrothed to Marcus before Makhi and Jorell went mad. The Servak were the first to notice their powers waning, so they hoped an alliance with the Sarac would counter this.”

“But she married Qaysean.” I looked up. “
So it was almost the same thing, right?”

“
Essentially, yes,” Dex said, “but Marcus has all the knowledge from his father’s experiments. He knows how to subvert power, and has been punishing the Servak since.” He pointed to my Servak ring. “The Servak are now weaker than ever, and if balance is not restored soon, they will lose their powers forever.”

I
bit my lip. “So if I marry Callon, I can bring the balance back?”

“
Yes,” Dex said “Both to the Servak and to the Consilador.”

I blinked.
“Consilador? But Callon’s just as strong as I am…”

“
It relates to Callon’s father, Kieran,” Dex said. “He was murdered, and the Consilador clan ring was lost for a time. By the time Callon retrieved it, it had lost a lot of its power. His clan, too, needs to be restored to its former glory.”

I sat back and once again looked at my Servak and Kvech rings. The puzzle pieces began to fall into place.

“You said Callon’s ring lost power when it went missing,” I said. “But my Kvech ring was hidden in a safe deposit box, yet it still has power?”

Dex twisted in his chair.

“Why don’t we look at the rings as batteries,” he suggested. “The Consilador ring and the others are like half-charged batteries. Their powers will drain away quickly. Whereas the Kvech ring is like a fully charged battery. It will take longer to completely drain it.”

“So my ring has lost some of its original power?”

“Yes, but like all batteries, once it’s on the charger, it will eventually regain full strength.”

T
hat made sense, but… “But Callon’s had his ring for a long time right? Wouldn’t it be recharged already?”

“He didn’t always wear it when it was originally returned, and it takes longer the older a Timeless is.”

“So how does a Timeless age? I mean, do your powers remain with you until the end?” I said.

“That’s a bit complicated. You see, when we first become Timeless
, we age one year for every one hundred human years, until we reach the age of four hundred, then it all changes. Once we’re four hundred, then our aging switches to one year for every ten years. Got that?”

I nodded.
“So like a Timeless menopause?”

Dex chuckled.

“I never thought of it like that, but yes, I suppose so. But that isn’t the only thing. After four hundred years, we begin to lose our powers, and our rings lose their strength.”

“So that’s why Lilly said she used to talk to animals
,” I said, remembering our conversation while petting the horses.

“Yes, she did at one time, but her power has
waned.”

“And the reason why the rings need to be passed down…” I trailed off.

I rubbed my forehead. There were so many rules, exceptions and…I sighed. And Dex had no heir to pass his ring down to; Marcus had killed his son, I was sure, with this intent in mind.

“But you don’t have an heir,” I noted.

“I don’t.” His brown eyes saddened. “But I’m looking for a Coltooro heir that is worthy to step up,” he breathed, “it will diminish my powers a great deal, but it won’t completely take them. The clan will survive.” He looked up. “The problem of this waning power can only be fixed once the Sarac stop draining the power of the clans.”

There was so much more to being a Timeless than I
realized. And then another thought hit me. All this power and restoration had so many implications.

“I was hidden away because
you thought Marcus would see me as a threat. But in actuality he didn’t—he saw me as a way to further boost his power. When you found me, I was a threat to you.” I stood and moved closer towards the fire, staring at the flames. I understood now why Brogan didn’t like me, why Maes pushed me the way he did…why Callon didn’t give up hope.

“I’m a threat to the entire Timeless race
,” I whispered, “A highly volatile explosive weapon.”

“You are a daughter, sister and friend whom we have come to love.” Dex stood and pulled me into a hug.

“But if I fail, I’ll bring destruction upon us all.”

“You won’t fail, Cheyenne. We won’t let you.”

He wouldn’t let me, but honestly, the only way to prevent me from falling into Marcus’s hold would require one thing. I stepped back.

“I have to marry Callon as soon as possible.”

Dex sighed. “I wish it were that easy. Because you’re Kvech, you can only marry under the summer solstice, which takes place in June.”

“Why?”

“Because if a Kvech unites their power without the counterbalance of the sun, it would kill their partner.”

I stared at him for a moment.
Callon would…die?

Dex reached out. “Breathe, Cheyenne.”

I inhaled, not realizing I had been holding my breath. I plopped into the chair. November had just barely arrived and June was months away. If Dex knew I could only marry under the summer solstice then…

“Marcus knows about this
, doesn’t he?”

“Yes.”

“That’s why he’s been inactive. He’s planning something.”

“Most likely, but you’re safe here.”

“Not if Colt’s out there and Marcus is controlling him,” I said. “The Tresezes passed through the enchantment, which means others could as well.” Panic began rising. “We can’t just hide out here and hope for the best, we—”

Dex held my shoulders.
“We are working on it Cheyenne. Once we get word from Tre and Jayna, we’ll have more accurate information. We can’t just charge out of here because we think Colt might be alive. We need to have proof.”

“And a plan of rescue.”

I leaned over the table and began flipping through the manuscript again, stopping on the Kvech. My fingers traced my parents’ names. What would it have been like to be raised by them? I wouldn’t have had this huge gap, this misunderstanding about the Timeless race. I would’ve grown up knowing who I was and what was expected of me…and I would’ve either been killed or united with Marcus.

A shiver ran down my spine.

They’d done what they thought was right to keep me safe. I had to quit faulting them, and what had been handed to me. I just needed to absorb as much knowledge as I could before we faced Marcus. I knew he wasn’t the forgiving type, and I’d promised myself no more failures.

The f
irst thing I needed to do was talk with Callon. I’d been so naïve, always trying to rebel against his orders. But then again, he’d kept so much from me. It wasn’t like I had the chance to make an informed decision. There were times in Montana when Callon seemed as though he wanted to tell me more, but I was too busy trying to find my own path, not realizing what truly lay before me.

“Thank you, Dex,” I said. “I need some time to think things through.”

“You’re welcome, Cheyenne. I’d like to arrange a time to meet again, and we can go over more.”

I left the library and found my way down the dreary hallway. The heavy doors creaked
, and low murmurs echoed in the hall. I peeked around the corner. Andre and Maes were talking quietly in the sitting room. For someone who denied she and Maes were an item, she didn’t seem to mind spending time with him.

I smiled
. Maybe one day Maes could be happy. He’d suffered enough. It was time to make amends and fix the mess. Hopefully over time, his ring’s power would be restored.

I headed down the hall and opened the main library door. Layla looked up from her book. She was snugg
led up against Brogan, who was viewing a video on his phone. He didn’t bother to look up.

“Are you looking for Callon?” Layla asked.

“Yes.”

“I think I saw him heading upstairs.”

“Thanks.”

I quietly exited the main library, pulling the door closed behind me.
Upstairs, Callon’s door wasn’t completely closed. I pushed it open, peeking around the corner. He was sitting in a chair near his fireplace, his head down.

“Callon
?” I said softly.

He didn’t reply.

I took a step inside his room and quietly closed the door. He must be concentrating, perhaps reading.

“Callon,” I repeated
. Again he didn’t reply.

My soft-soled shoes made no noise on the thick wool rug as I neared, but a snap from the
fire caused me to jump. Callon still hadn’t moved. I stood to his side; he was staring at a picture of himself and Colt.

I kneeled down. He missed Colt so much. I reached out and touched his wrist,
hoping to lend some comfort, when the world suddenly spun. I gasped as the fireplace melted away and my vision grew hazy.

Seconds later
, I was somewhere completely different. Almost at once I realized where I was. We were in the Canadian forest again, trying to escape Marcus’s trap. Callon was probing my wounded shoulder. He wasn’t sure how much damage the Tresez had done.

“That still hurts?” Callon asked.
She should have healed already.

I could hear his thoughts…
this must be his memory.

“It’s not awful, but it’s not great either
,” I heard myself reply.

Callon glanced at Maes. “Should we have her try it out now?”

I watched my brow furrow. “Try out what?”

“We need to know if you can use your powers, Cheyenne,” Maes said. “We can’t fight Marcus alone, not when he wants you so badly. But I can’t risk it here and now. I don’t want to draw any more attention to us at the moment.”

Callon nodded.
She needs to regain her strength. We’re going to need her.

“So we’re taking orders from Maes now?” Colt growled. “You’re seeking his advice over mine, Callon?”

Daniel moved closer and touched Colt’s arm. Colt didn’t even acknowledge him, staring at Callon with something close to hatred.

I moved closer to the misty vision
, seeing the indifference in Callon’s eyes.

Maes knows more, Colt. He was Marcus’s right
-hand man. We need to trust him,
Callon said.

Ha! I can’t believe you’re falling for this
, Colt spat
. He stole Cheyenne right from under our noses, and you’re kissing his ass!

She wouldn’t have run if you’d only listened to me, if you’d have kept your distance and not forced your way into her heart!

Cheyenne gave herself willingly to me…she chose me over you, brother,
Colt hissed.

NO!
Callon snarled.
You’re to blame here. You knew you needed to step back when we found out her true identity. You, Colt, are being selfish, just as you’ve always been. You’ve only ever thought of yourself and what you want, completely ignoring our responsibilities to the Timeless clans! You cannot change her fate, and if you try, it will destroy us all!

And that’s why I came back, to ignore my responsibilities?

You only came back because it involved a woman!

And you, dear brother, have always put the Timeless responsibilities above everything
else! You never made time for us. You weren’t there when Daniel was suffering. It was because of you our father was murdered!

Callon’s eyes darkened.
That’s it, Colt. I’m not going to tolerate you and your selfish ways any longer. The minute we’re free from Marcus, you’re banished. You are never to see Cheyenne again. You’re banished from our family, our heritage. You’re not my brother anymore!

Colt clenched his fist, his arm shaking.