Immortal Essence Box Set: Aligned, Exiled, Beguiled (48 page)

“I concur, dear brother. Very romantic,” Dervinias added.

Zaren gripped my hand, “Don’t worry about them. They’re jealous.”

I nodded. “Dervinias and Palmo are brothers?” I whispered, trying to stifle my shock.

“Apparently. Though it doesn’t surprise me. The king of
Canaru
has something of a reputation.”

“Really?” I was beginning to realize I knew nothing about the other rulers of Kelari. I was like a minnow in a piranha tank. The Chans, my tutors, and my parents had taught me much, but they hadn’t taught me everything. That wouldn’t do if I wanted to keep my country thriving.

The vapor cleared and I looked around. Zaren gave my hand a quick squeeze before releasing it. “Be ready.”

“For what?” Palmo asked, terror in his voice.

“Anything,” Zaren answered.

Zaren’s back touched mine. Whatever Ramien had planned, Zaren obviously believed it wouldn’t be good. I had no weapon but my body, so I widened my stance, and lowered my center.

We were no longer in the same room. This one was perfectly circular. Thousands of dimly lit lights were nestled randomly in the rock walls. A chilly wind blew, bringing with it the stench of brine. Water seeped in from tiny cracks in the rocky walls. Above, water dripped in a steady beat.

On the floor, in the center of the room, lay a golden door. Intrigued, I bent down to get a closer look. Zaren pulled me up. “Wait,” he hissed.

Palmo muttered, like a nervous old man, his lips flapping incoherently. The last part I understood, no doubt because he meant for me to hear. “It seems, once again, I’m required to suffer unnecessarily thanks to you, Venus.” Palmo spoke my name like it contained something vile. “I don’t know why, but everyone is overly concerned about you—whether you live or die, whether you stay on Kelari or not, whether we marry or not . . .” Palmo gave me a once over. “You aren’t the slightest bit impressive.
At all.
Amberlee is better suited to rule Alayeah.” He sniffed and shoved his hands into his armpits. “What happens to you means nothing to me, as long as you don’t hurt Amberlee. So why am I here?” 

“I have no idea.” I shrugged. When we were younger, Palmo came to our families’ castle often, with his parents, the king and queen of
Canaru
. He constantly teased me. I considered him a nuisance. My parents made me behave nicely, since we were betrothed. He was always sweet to my sister though. I was curious why Ramien brought him here as well. I gave Zaren an inquiring look.

Zaren fixed his gaze on Palmo. “Ramien said you were here for a reason. They matter only to you. Remember those words.”

“They should matter to you as well, guardian.” Palmo marched over, trying to intimidate Zaren. I covered my mouth to hide my laugh. Palmo was a head shorter than Zaren. He barely stood taller than me. Not to mention Palmo’s body was . . . much more feminine than Zaren’s. The boy went on, “As a Formytian, it is your sacred duty to protect royalty. At all costs.” Palmo’s eyes narrowed. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll do all in your power to keep me safe. Otherwise I’ll make sure you suffer for your insolence,” he said sharply.

“Stop being a baby and see if you can find a way out,” I snapped. No need to mention the obvious. If Palmo died, he wouldn’t have a way to make Zaren pay for his pretend crimes. “And, for your information, Zaren isn’t—”

Zaren ran a hand along my side. His face was impassive, but I understood he wanted me to stop. Zaren didn’t care what Palmo thought. I wouldn’t either. Chev whimpered and Palmo’s insipidness was forgotten. The human girl was pregnant, by Dervinias, which shouldn’t be feasible. Running to her side, I kneeled.

“How did this happen?” I asked, tentatively touching her belly. A part of me wanted to believe it wasn’t real.

“Well Venus, when a boy and a girl get together in an intimate way,” Dervinias began sarcastically.

“Shut up.” I glared. Chev’s pregnancy was shocking. She should’ve died. The mortal body of a human and the immortal “essence” of a kelvieri should be like steel toxin in Chev’s body. But here she was, a mockery to all the doctrine I was taught, looking as though she were ready to pop. The gestational period of a kelvieri child was two months. I knew it was a lot longer for humans. It had only been six weeks. What was she growing? She didn’t look very good. Not to mention the issue of Kelari’s air. It was different from Earth’s. That alone should’ve killed her.

“How is she able to breathe without difficulty?” I asked Dervinias.

“Earth’s air became poisonous to her. I think the child has changed her somehow, but honestly, I don’t know,” Dervinias said with quiet reverence. He appeared to be in awe of Chev and the child.

To Chev, I asked the obvious, “Are you pregnant?” I really just wanted to verify the two of them had sex. “Dervinias didn’t . . .” I searched for a word that wouldn’t remind her she was a rat in Dervinias’s crazy lab of horrors. “He didn’t hurt you?”

“No. Venus, it was wonderful.” It looked like she wanted to go on, like she desperately wanted someone to confide in. A friend. But I couldn’t be that for her. Not now.
Maybe not ever.

“I still can’t believe it,” Dervinias said, shaking his head, a goofy grin plastered on his face.

The two of them together was weird. Dervinias, though he looked like a sixteen-year-old human teen, was actually much older. He was a killer. Chev, as far as I knew, was nothing more than a girl from Wyoming who loved to ride horses.

Zaren bent down and placed a hand on Chev’s raised abdomen. “The baby will come soon,” he said.

Dervinias pushed Zaren’s hand off. “Don’t touch her.” Desperation throbbed in his voice, along with something else.

“Do you mean to say you have feelings for this human?” Zaren asked, indicating Cheverly.

I watched Dervinias’s face soften. “I do. It may be . . .” he stifled before continuing, “difficult to believe, but it’s true.”

I rocked on my heels. Michael told me Dervinias killed his mother, and he’d been killing humans for a long time, so why would Dervinias care for one he impregnated?

“We’re going to get out of here,” I cooed, desperate to believe the words, hoping they would comfort Chev.

Chev nodded, but she couldn’t hide the doubt in her eyes.

10. Creep

“Check this out,” Palmo shouted.

We all crouched around the door, kneeling like worshippers praying over our sacrifice.

“Cover your eyes, I’m going to blow away the dust,” Zaren commanded.

We did and he blew. Particles struck my skin.

“Okay,” Zaren said when he finished.

“Talk about creepy,” Dervinias said, peering closer.

I had to agree. An intricate image of a sandy beach with a large tree in the center was etched into the door. At the base of the trees thick trunk yawned a weathered face. The eyebrows were tilted in anger. Empty crimson eyes stared at nothing. Its nose was a tangled branch and its mouth was opened. The top of the tree sprouted winding branches filled with blackened leaves. Strange creatures hid within them. A snake, with flowing red hair and the tail of an angelfish, curled around an upper branch. Monkeys with curved beaks and wings hung by their tails. On a lower branch sat a leopard-man with a forked tongue. A child kneeled in the sand, playing with a shovel and pail. Near the boys’ big toe was a crab about to pinch, and behind the boy slithered a giant snake with a tiger’s mane. Beneath the sand were the trees’ roots. They feathered out like veins. Sharire, octopi, and whaletins circled hungrily below.

“Seriously creepy,” Palmo added.

“Stand back,” Zaren said. “I’m going to open the door.” He pulled on the diamond and ruby encrusted handle. Nothing happened. He pulled again.

“Let me try,” Dervinias said, shouldering Zaren out of the way.

It didn’t budge.

“There’s got to be something else,” I said, scrutinizing every inch of the picture. The child smiled. I brushed away a piece of dirt near his cheek. At my touch, the child ran away, disappearing from the picture, and strange writing appeared.

“Freaky,” Chev said.

“Will you read it, Venus,” Zaren asked.

With an unsteady voice, I began:

My first is in hauntingly but not in laughingly

My second is in generator but not in regnant

My first is in burnout but not in brunt

My second is in temple but not in melt

My third is in rasher but not in harsh

My fourth is in pertinence but not in receipt

My first is in into but not in ion

My second is in whither but not in rewrite

My third is in scrubber but not in scrub

My first is in prude but not in upper

My second is in ornament but not in remnant

My third is in secretion but not in strictness

My fourth is in confiscator but not in ossification

My first is in prosperous but not in propose

My second is in shaver but not in heaver

My third is in patella but not in plat

My first is in constituency but not in
incestuousness

My second is in intercontinental but not in
tricentennial

My third is in enthusiastically but not in synthetically

My fourth is in transitiveness but not in inattentiveness

My first is in filing but not in lining

My second is in restoration but not in ornateness

My third is in nonferrous but not in forerunner

My fourth is in alternate but not in learner

When I finished, Palmo let out a frustrated groan and stomped around like a kelni child who didn’t get his way. “What the
helker
does it mean? I heard the words, but it makes no sense.”

“Zaren?” I questioned, hoping he had a clue.

“I’m not sure.”

“It’s a riddle,” Dervinias chimed in, taking Chev’s hand in his, and patting it. “They’re popular on Earth.”

“Right,” Chev agreed, perking up at the mention of her planet.

“What’s a riddle?” Palmo probed, obviously still confused.

“It’s like an
amere
,” Dervinias said, lacing his fingers together. “Each piece must be joined precisely, in its proper place, or it’ll fall apart.”

As if to emphasize the point, the room started to shake violently again, careening us into each other. Chev clung onto Dervinias, and I grabbed Zaren’s arm.

“Now what?” Palmo yelled.

“It looks like we’ve got company.” Dervinias indicated the other side of the room.

Zaren and I turned as though we were a solid unit. Three creatures, their faces furry and spotted like a leopard stood at attention like soldiers awaiting their orders. Their eyes held no pupil, and glowed red. They wore silver tunics with matching pants and shoes that reminded me of slippers. The fabric on the tunic shone like a dying star giving off its last light. Around each waist was a belt filled with varying weapons, and crisscrossed across their backs were dual swords. Worn much the same way as the Formytians.

Zaren blew out a breath.

“What?” I asked, wondering why he’d lost his composure. Usually he was so calm in the face of danger.

“Nothing,” he said too quickly.

I checked his face. He’d gone pale, his eyes were wide, his lips parted.

“Zaren?” I followed his gaze.

He drew his sword, and I wished I had one.

One of the creatures took a step forward. “You always were over anxious for a fight,
Zar-Zar
,” it said in a sultry female voice.

“Do you know . . . it?” I whispered.

He glanced at me sideways, terror and pain screwing up his gorgeous face. “It-she reminds me of someone I knew a long time ago.”

“It’s me. Palamina. Remember?” The soldier’s face softened, and momentarily looked kelarian.

Zaren let out a battle cry. “No. Mina’s dead. You’re nothing but evil sent to torment me.” He lunged, his Ostwallow sword coming down on her neck, but he didn’t follow through. The soldier’s words
had
affected him. 

“Do it, Zaren,” I shouted, desperate to get these soldiers gone—her gone. If she affected Zaren so deeply, we were in trouble. The other two soldiers still hadn’t moved. Their empty crimson eyes stared blankly ahead. Palamina made no move to block his blow. I didn’t know what they waited for.

“I-I can’t.” Zaren stepped away, turning his back on her. His opponent. She really must’ve disturbed him.

This was serious! Who the
helker
was Palamina? “I don’t understand,” I uttered, stepping toward her. She’d called him
Zar-Zar
, and he called her Mina. Nicknames. 

“It could be Zaren still has guilt over the choices he made years ago,” Palamina said, keeping her eyes locked on Zaren. “Perhaps he regrets his decision to slay the woman he supposedly loved. His wife, no less, based on the word of one accuser.”