Hyacinth, Scarlet - Craving Owen [Tides of Love 2] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever ManLove) (24 page)

Kyllian pooled every single drop of energy into one single spot inside of him. He kept nothing back, turning himself into a mere conduit for the attack he would release. A hurricane burst around him, beating against his flesh, roaring angrily. A lightning storm burst out of Kyllian’s heart, angry bolts aimed straight into his target. Kyllian had the time to see the necromantic crystal shatter into a million pieces before his world turned into pain and then complete and utter blackness.

Alcharr fidgeted as he watched his father talk with Valderr. In a few minutes, his brother would have to go below and wed Yane. Things didn’t look good.

“Be calm, son,” Amadeus was saying to Valderr. “This is the right thing to do.”

It should have sounded comforting, but it ended up anything but. To Alcharr, his father’s voice sounded foreign, cool, and almost slimy. Valderr offered the man a weak smile. “Yes, Father. I know.”

Amadeus clapped Valderr’s shoulder and left the room, supposedly to give Valderr a few moments to gather his thoughts. It would be Alcharr’s job to escort his brother downstairs. From there, Valderr would be on his own. Fuck. If something didn’t happen soon, all they’d done would be for naught.

A fair amount of time had passed since he’d left the wizard in the royal quarters. With Kyllian taking so long to destroy the crystal, they’d feared someone would see the absence of the guards. So far, no one seemed to have discovered a thing.

Truth be told, Alcharr couldn’t say he didn’t understand it. Most of the guards now focused on the ceremony, especially with the unexpected guests who’d arrived. Alcharr nearly had a heart attack when he realized Hash’s father had joined the party.

But the elder dragon’s presence was the least of their problems now. Alcharr wished he could go check up on Kyllian. He never should have let the wizard go alone. Doubt assaulted him, and Alcharr struggled to push it away. He had to believe Kyllian could handle it. Until then, he needed to buy some time.

“What do we do?” Valderr asked, as if guessing his thoughts.

“We need to delay things somehow.” He gave his brother a speculative glance. Valderr had been very brave. Alcharr hated putting the spotlight on him, but at this point, only something related to one of the people to be married could stop the wedding. “Could you feign illness?”

Valderr nodded and actually smiled. “It won’t be very hard. I think I’m going to be sick anyway.”

Indeed, Valderr’s coloring rivaled the marble white of his wedding garb. In fact, he seemed even paler, because the traditional outfit boasted golden thread entwined through the material.

“All right. Here we go.”

Valderr sat on the bed, curled into a tight ball with his wings around him and closed his eyes. Alcharr admitted he looked pretty convincing. Just in time, too, because a knock sounded at the door.

“Enter,” Alcharr said.

It turned out to be Yane’s mother, the queen. “Is everything all right?” she asked. “We’re waiting for Valderr downstairs.”

The fact that she had come herself instead of merely sending a servant spoke volumes of their impatience.

“He feels a bit sick,” Alcharr said. He didn’t even have to fake his concern. It was quite genuine, given the current circumstances.

“Sick?” the queen repeated. “Oh, no. Should we get the healer?”

Alcharr gave his brother a look. “Maybe just a cup of tea and a few minutes. It’s the nerves. He is very young and he doesn’t even know Yanentah.”

“Completely understandable,” the queen replied, although Alcharr detected annoyance in her voice. “I will send a remedy up and explain the situation.”

She departed in a wave of woodsy perfume. Alcharr sat next to his brother on the bed and caressed Valderr’s hair. “So tell me,” he whispered, “what about you and that Dorien character?”

“Dorien is nice,” Valderr murmured back, “but he’s only a friend. I…I don’t think I would be ready for more, even if we weren’t in this situation.”

Alcharr nodded and lay down next to his brother. He covered Valderr with his wing, just like he used to when his sibling had been only a nestling. They cuddled together, finding comfort in each other’s presence. So much had changed since then. He had failed Valderr in so many ways. His young sibling should have never been forced to face this evil, especially after the trauma he’d been through. Alcharr wondered if he’d ever come up with the courage to tell his brother it was their father who’d orchestrated the kidnapping.

A few moments later, a servant knocked at the door and, upon being bid to enter, brought them the required remedy. As soon as she left, Alcharr sniffed the tea. It seemed to be harmless enough, but he didn’t risk it. He threw it out in nearby potted plant, just in case his father had decided to begin his little plan early.

Unfortunately, they could not delay the wedding further. Half an hour or so later, he and Valderr left the room and headed toward the main hall. Yane and Valderr would come inside through two separate entrances and meet at the center, where their parents would be waiting. As there were two races involved, both kings would be required to give their blessing. At the same time, Ciera and Dorien would be joining the first pair. Basically, Ciera would be coming in with Valderr and Dorien with Yane through the two opposite doors, and they would stop in the middle, in front of their parents. It was quite an irony, given the attraction existing between Valderr and Dorien. Essentially, Valderr would be meeting the other man in the middle, as if to mock the fact that they could never be together. Alcharr couldn’t even imagine how his brother felt.

The entire setup made it very easy for their father—or rather, the crystal-controlling Amadeus—to attack the two couples. Alcharr had done his best to keep an eye on the man, but he had a feeling he knew when Amadeus would strike. At the very moment when the binding would be made, the two couples would drink from the goblet symbolizing their joint union. Everything inside Alcharr screamed that the goblet in question would be the weapon of choice.

When they reached the main hall, Alcharr hugged his brother and went to join his father. He didn’t meet Amadeus’s eyes, afraid his own gaze. If push came to shove, if Kyllian didn’t come through for them until the moment of the union, Alcharr fully intended to stop the wedding. He and Yane had come up with a Plan B when they’d realized Kyllian was having trouble with his part. Alcharr looked at the chandelier dangling from the ceiling. It was held up by thick vines that would be vulnerable to a blade. He rechecked his pockets and ensured the fact that he had the throwing knives they’d managed to acquire with Dorien’s help. It would not be easy, but it might be the only solution to their predicament.

Finally, the doors opened and the two couples walked inside the hall. In spite of himself, Alcharr couldn’t help but think Yane looked very dashing in his traditional wedding garb. The four met at the center and were steps away from reaching the waiting royals. Alcharr prepared his knives and took a few steps back, ready to go through with Plan B.

And then, a heavy explosion shook the palace. Day turned into night and the vines above withered. The chandelier came crashing down with a deafening thud. Screams sounded in the hall as a thick, dark power swept over them all. Alcharr’s father let out a cry and collapsed to the floor, seizing like a man possessed. His skin had gone pasty and his eyes rolled in his head. Alcharr hastened to his side and did his best to keep Amadeus from hurting himself during his fit. In the general confusion, Alcharr lost sight of his brother and lover. He forced himself not to panic and focused on keeping his father alive. Thankfully, Amadeus was a fighter, and Alcharr managed to stabilize the man’s condition. He blinked blearily, moaning, “Son…What’s going on?”

Alcharr would have loved to have all the answers. Clearly, Kyllian had succeeded in his task, and the destruction of the crystal was creating a powerful whiplash. He couldn’t say he felt surprised. Such an accumulation of energy would not simply disappear into thin air. According to Kyllian, some of it would seep into the astral realm, but that didn’t mean it would not leave any effects.

However, something else happened that Alcharr could not explain. In a strange development, a heavy wind started, shattering the windows. Alcharr looked up and caught sight of a dark storm gathering.

Concerned, he tried to find his loved ones. Thankfully, they soon appeared by his side. Both couples seemed unscathed, if a bit shaken. “What’s happening?” Valderr asked.

It was the dryad king who provided the answer. “It’s the crystal,” he replied, seemingly talking to himself rather than to Valderr. “Something’s happened to it.” As if his own words had snapped him out of his trance, he shouted, “Guards! Follow me.”

Alcharr cursed as he realized Enyas intended to investigate the crystal. They would surely find Kyllian, and that couldn’t end well. Before he could say anything, his father spoke. “Son, help me up.” Alcharr obeyed, his heart falling at the sight of Amadeus’s wings. They looked almost withered, the feathers falling in a sad display. Amadeus paid it no heed. He placed himself in front of the dryad king, blocking the man’s path. “Your Majesty, listen to me. That crystal you speak of is evil.”

“What? What are you talking about? How do you even know about it?”

“I was possessed by it. I…only remember bits and pieces, but…it’s a necromantic crystal. It’s killing your land.”

The queen snorted. “What nonsense. This is dryad business. Please don’t interfere.”

“Mother, he is right,” Yane piped up. “Can’t you see it?”

Tarah looked surprised, but instead of questioning Yane’s knowledge of the crystal, she looked around the room. She was a dryad. How could she not feel the death that lingered after its destruction? Even Alcharr sensed it, even if he didn’t have a dryad’s affinity to earth and living creatures.

Tarah gulped, her eyes fixing on the shattered chandelier. Ogash’dral appeared by their side, looking completely unruffled. “I do believe the young man is correct,” the dragon said. “Only magic that’s against life can stop shape-shifters from taking their second form.”

“Whether that is true or not, we still have to investigate,” Enyas said. He went around Amadeus and headed out of the hall, ignoring all of the confused dryad nobles who stared after him. Alcharr hesitated before his father waved him off. “Go. Help your wizard.”

Somehow, his father knew about Kyllian. Alcharr supposed the explanation could lie in the other man’s connection with the crystal. He didn’t wait around to ask. Instead, he rushed after the dryad king.

To his surprise, Ogash’dral followed, as well as a group of other dragons. He offered Alcharr a dark grin. “Whatever King Enyas might say, this is an issue concerning the Imperium as well.”

Alcharr couldn’t be sure this was supposed to be a good thing or a bad thing. Perhaps Alcharr could convince them to aid him with whatever happened next.

Like he’d known it would happen, they went up to the second level at the palace and toward the royal quarters. The doors were wide open, and once inside, Alcharr spotted a passageway dug into the wall. He hastened inside, the dark magic getting more and more intense as he progressed.

“You have a hand in this, don’t you?” the dragon leader commented idly as they ran. “That’s why your father said what he did.”

“It’s a very long and complicated story,” Alcharr answered. He didn’t have the strength or the time to argue with the dragon.

Thankfully, they reached their destination before Ogash’dral could argue with him further. The first thing he spotted was King Enyas and a group of soldiers standing in front of a wide chasm. At first, he felt puzzled, but he forgot all about it when he spotted a motionless body on the floor. Dread coursed through him as he recognized Kyllian. Spots danced in his vision as he made his way there. He ignored all the eyes he sensed on him and knelt next to the wizard.

Kyllian didn’t move a muscle. Pieces of something that looked like shining black glass were embedded in his chest and thighs. Alcharr hastily pulled them out, hissing when the crystal made contact with his skin. He dropped it, and as soon as it hit the scorched-looking ground, it transformed into black ash, leaving behind a noxious fume.

As Alcharr did so, Yane arrived as well and joined Alcharr next to Kyllian. “Do you believe us now?” Yane snarled at his father.