Hyacinth, Scarlet - Craving Owen [Tides of Love 2] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever ManLove) (25 page)

King Enyas didn’t reply, but the dragon spoke again. “I do believe this is something a dryad in charge of his land couldn’t have missed. Isn’t that so, King Enyas?”

The man didn’t even try to defend himself this time. “It was the only thing that protected us from the wyrms. What will we do now?”

A gasp sounded from behind them. “How could you?” the queen said. “Do you not realize how much damage we ourselves did to our people, to our world?”

It was the greatest sin a dryad could commit. Queen Tarah took out the ring that signified the bond between her and Enyas and threw it down into the ground. “You are not my husband,” she said. “I renege our union.”

“You can’t break up with me.” The king laughed. “I’m your husband and your king.”

“I would beg to differ, at least on one of those accounts,” Ogash’Dral stated. “In the name of the Imperium, I hereby place you under arrest for crimes against the planet.”

King Enyas gaped. “You can’t do that.” He glared at the guards. “What are you doing, men? Seize them.”

But the guards took position next to the queen, spines ramrod straight. “I’m afraid we can’t,” the man leading them replied.

And so, in an unexpected turn of events, Ogash’Dral did turn out arresting Enyas, and a couple of the elder dragon’s companions escorted Enyas out of the passageway. The queen and several dryad guards went with them. But Alcharr registered this almost distantly, his mind still focused on Kyllian. Yane pressed his ear to the wizard’s chest and lifted his eyes. “He’s still alive, just barely.”

“He must have used those self-destructive spells some wizards know,” Ogash’Dral noted. “At this point, he could be beyond aid.”

The dragon’s nonchalant tone irritated Alcharr beyond belief. Suddenly, he remembered the pain he’d experienced earlier upon realizing the danger Hash and Sassaki were in. With the king arrested, the dryad kingdom would be more vulnerable than ever, and Tanarak and the people there lost to the wyrms. Alcharr could use the man’s aid.

“You should know, Your Lordship, that even if Kyllian might be beyond aid, your son is not. He is in Tanarak as we speak, probably fighting the wyrms.”

Even as Alcharr spoke, he felt overwhelmed with his own panic and terror. He didn’t even know whom he feared for to a greater extent. It was all too much.

He took Kyllian in his arms and started to head back the way they’d come. He was just exiting the passageway with Yane trailing behind him when he ran into Dorien and Valderr. His brother’s eyes widened. “What happened?”

“The dragon says he cast a self-destructive spell to defeat the crystal,” Alcharr replied numbly.

Valderr didn’t speak. What else was there to be said? Outside, the storm still raged, angry and uncontrollable. Much to Alcharr’s surprise, the queen appeared behind his brother. “It is all right,” she said. “We will bring healers. I shall not forget the sacrifice he has made to save our lands.”

She led them out of the royal quarters and to Alcharr’s room. Once there, they placed Kyllian on the bed. Between Yane and Alcharr, they stripped Kyllian’s torn clothing. As promised, the queen ordered for a medic, but when the man arrived, he told them Kyllian suffered from an extreme form of magical depletion. He had fallen in a deep coma, and while the dryads could keep him stable, they could not bring him out of it.

Alcharr felt emotional exhaustion crawl over him. He was torn between trying to aid Kyllian and running to Tanarak. There was just too much going on, and he had difficulties in processing it. He buried his face in his hands, his mind working in overdrive.

Ogash’Dral chose this exact moment to make his appearance. “Do you intend to go to Tanarak?” he asked brusquely.

Alcharr looked up at the elder dragon. “We can’t exactly leave him,” he growled.

Silence fell over the room. At last, Valderr wrapped his arms around Alcharr and hugged him tight. “Go, brother,” he whispered. “I know you want to. Dorien and I will care for Kyllian. And Queen Tarah will help, I’m sure of it.”

In the background, Alcharr heard Yane talk to his mother. “Can you do this for me, Mother? Can you care for him?”

“I swear, Yanentah, that no harm will come to him. We’ll bring more healers. We’ll find a way.”

Alcharr still wasn’t sure. He wanted to stay by his lover’s side, if only to hold Kyllian’s hand, but at the same time, he knew he could not help here. In Tanarak, however, he might be able to make a difference. He might manage to save a life.

In his mind, he saw Kyllian’s image as he had been just a few hours before. This was bigger than all of them, and in spite of how much Alcharr would have liked to stay and care for Kyllian, he couldn’t be in two places at the same time.

Taking a swift decision, he sobered and got up. He met Yane’s eyes and saw the same sad resolve in them. “We will go with you,” he told Ogash’Dral. “Now come, there’s not much time left.”

Chapter Ten

Sassaki had realized, of course, that their plan would not be without difficulties. He’d understood upon leaving Almareya that they might not even come back. He and Hash even considered the issues they would have in convincing the nymphs of Tanarak to trust them, and he’d acted accordingly. Instead of just bursting inside Tanarak, he and Hash sent a message to Lyole, Yane’s second-in-command, intending to have the nymph smooth up the situation for them.

Lyole, however, met them outside Tanarak and proved to be skeptical as to the second part of their plan, actually talking to the other nymphs. He didn’t seem hostile toward Sassaki, but he did shake his head at them. “I can’t let you come inside the city. You’ll be lynched.”

Sassaki felt frustrated. “Do you really think we’d come here just to play with you or waste your time? Don’t you even realize what risk we’re taking?”

Hash squeezed Sassaki’s shoulder, offering silent support. It calmed Sassaki down a bit, even if the entire situation still made him edgy. “Look, Yane trusts you for a reason,” Hash told Lyole. “If we can’t talk to your people, you can. You need to be ready. Today, it is very possible that an extensive attack from the wyrms will reach Almareya. The enchantment that keeps them from shifting will fall.”

Lyole paled visibly. “So it’s come to this then. I knew you were discussing it with Sassaki, but I never—”

“It will happen.” Sassaki interrupted him. “I will try to buy some time or make my people understand, but it’s quite unlikely that I’ll manage to convince them.”

Lyole gave him a stricken look. “You have my thanks,” he said weakly. He looked out into the dark sea that hid so many things. Taking a deep breath, he nodded, his voice turning level and calm. “We will be ready. You can count on us.”

A measure of relief coursed through Sassaki at the certainty in the man’s voice. As Lyole turned and headed back toward the town, Hash and Sassaki took up position next to the beach. The wyrms would be coming from that direction. They would be gathering at Sassaki’s parents’ lair, the closest one to Tanarak. Even their leader, Dassan, would most likely come. In the past few years, the man very rarely patrolled these waters, choosing to rely on Sassaki’s family to do so instead. This, however, would be too important to be delegated, and Sassaki feared what Dassan would decide. As a traitor to their kin, Sassaki’s hopes to survive were slim to none.

He and Hash sat down together and waited. There was not much left to do except think, remember Owen and the time they’d spent together. Sassaki wondered why Hash had decided to come here. He wondered what would become of Kani after Sassaki was gone. The others would care for him, that much he could be certain of. Even so, the fact that he might never see them again pained him. His mind went to Alcharr, Kyllian, and Yane. Would they even manage to fulfill their plan? What would happen to them once they did?

He didn’t know if he’d spoken the words out loud or Hash simply sensed his anxiety. “They’ll be fine and so will we,” the dragon said.

Sassaki smiled sadly but didn’t answer. Hash didn’t know Sassaki’s kin. Even if both dragons and wyrms were reptilian in nature, they were very distinct races. With the passage of time, the wyrms had grown even more bitter and angry and would leap at the chance to tear into the dryads or anyone else who got in their way.

Still, in spite of this knowledge, Sassaki found Hash’s presence comforting. They waited there in silence until at last, they sensed a group approach. It was Lyole, followed by the nymphs of Tanarak. Hash and Sassaki got up and met their unlikely allies halfway.

The nymphs looked upset, and Sassaki didn’t blame them. He’d been their enemy for the better part of their lives, and that sort of thing couldn’t just be cast aside.

“I know you don’t trust me,” Sassaki said, “and I’m not asking you to. But just for today, remember I’m on your side when the time comes. Gods willing, we might even survive if we work together.”

He very much doubted his words had any effect at all, but Lyole seemed to be better at keeping their restlessness in check. It was a good thing, too, because all of a sudden, a chill wind began to blow. The sky was never clear in Tanarak, but impossibly, it darkened even more. Storm clouds gathered and lightning bolts shot from the sky. Sassaki felt something in the air shift, like an evil changing, unraveling. He sensed the exact moment when the enchantment fell and he was free to shift once more.

As the water of the ocean began to ripple, Sassaki shared a look with Hash. This was it, the moment they’d dreaded ever since learning of the crystal’s failing power. Reptilian heads emerged from the water. There were so many of them…Sassaki nearly choked at the realization that he hadn’t felt them at all. Only one person would have the power to cloak the wyrms’ approach. Sassaki had been right about one thing, at least. Dassan did indeed join the invading forces.

At last the wyrms appeared from the ocean, moving slowly as if they had all the time in the world. The nymphs fidgeted, but Lyole held them back, not giving the signal to attack yet. Rain began to fall, and as it touched Sassaki’s cheeks, it left behind hissing trails of pain.

Sassaki barely registered it, too busy counting all the heads in front of him. He spotted everything from twelve-headed smaller wyrms to single-headed leviathans. His mother and father were also there, as well as his siblings.

As expected, Dassan was in the lead. Together with Sassaki’s parents, the man shifted into his legged form. “Sassaki, I’m going to give you one last chance to join us,” he said without preamble. “I’m not a merciful man, but for your parents’ sake, I’m willing to forgo your mistake.”

Sassaki was shocked, but the comment gave him hope. “I appreciate that, My Lord,” he said. “If you would be willing to hear me out, I would be very thankful.”

Dassan arched a brow but didn’t look very pleased. “You have one minute,” he said, his voice going a low hiss.

Hastily, Sassaki did his best to explain everything. He mentioned Owen, finding out about the crystal, the importance of destroying it. He explained the fact that the nymphs were not to blame for the war and that with the crystal gone, the area would clear up anyway.

“We wyrms are water creatures,” he insisted. “Since the necromantic crystal will no longer pollute the ocean, we’re better off there anyway. I’m sure the dryads will be willing to compromise.”

Dassan actually looked amused. “But you have not even discussed it with them, and you expect me to go on your hopes and opinions to stop what is, in effect, a righteous action.”

Obviously, he had not been impressed by Sassaki’s arguments. “It might seem like a righteous action to you,” Hash piped up, “but the Imperium will not be impressed. In their name, I urge you to cease and desist.”

Dassan snorted. “I’m not afraid of the Imperium. These are our lands. Let them come if they want to fight me.” He waved a hand dismissively. “I’ve heard enough. Choose your side now, Sassaki. I don’t have time for more foolishness.”

Sassaki met his mother’s eyes, his heart aching at the undisguised pain he saw there. She knew what he would choose and that no matter the outcome of the battle to come, he would be lost to them. She had never been a warm mother—it would be impossible for one of their kin—but in her own way, she loved him. Sassaki regretted leaving her behind, and his father, as well, but he didn’t have a choice.