Reclaiming Mystique (SpaceStalker Saga Book 2) (36 page)

She smiled grimly, recalling her lessons on System history and how loudly she and her brother had protested the world outside of Mystique. But their parents had been adamant to learn as much as they could about the worlds around them, suggesting that the time had indeed come to walk outside the safety of the planet. Unfortunately the Orsan had arrived before that could happen. And now Arana wondered if the time might come when the Psi would readily leave their world to explore life outside of Mystique.

Arana looked up as a loud murmur of voices grew. She noticed the SpaceStalker crew in heated debate with several of her people. And then something happened that Arana knew she would never forget, not to her dying day.

The jungle around them quieted and Mystique seemed to scream out in warning as the air around the small group shimmered into dark and frightful forms of life.

“Where exactly, is my daughter?” a large man asked. He had the palest skin, dark hair and surprisingly handsome features. But when he smiled without humor at Castor and his crew, his teeth glistened, their sharpness punctuated by the gleaming points of whiteness. His eyes were as dark as Jace’s, but what really grabbed Arana’s attention were the two dark black wings that rose and stretched behind him, flexing in strength as the large man’s irritation grew.

“Lord Demise,” Castor said with no small surprise. “How did you get here so soon?”

“Did you honestly think I’d wait for your signal to deal with the Cazeth?” Demise answered with a handsome sneer. “Really, Castor. You could use more time in Dark World.”

Arana gasped as she realized what type of creature stood before her. Another Dark Worlder had entered Mystique uninvited, and this one surrounded by demon-like creatures staring around with hunger.

“And who is this lovely young morsel?” Demise asked as he noticed Arana.

“Arana. She’s Jace’s sister, and none of your concern,” Mikhel said, smoothly stepping between Demise and Arana. Arana stared at Mikhel in surprise, as did Demise.

Then Lord Demise surprised her by chuckling. “I see. Very well. But perhaps she can explain why I no longer sense Naria? And what of the young blond fool there? He didn’t get himself killed yet, I hope.”

Still battling his consciousness and the firm hold Mystique held over him, Jace could only dimly recognize what sounded like Naria’s father asking about him.

He needed to heal, to get stronger, he thought with frustration. He needed to rid Mystique of Orsan. He needed… Naria. Suddenly his heart overflowed with love and he sighed as a peace stole over his body. He thought perhaps that he heard others yelling around him but he could only feel Mystique as her energy poured through him.

When his lassitude finally wore off, Jace sat up hesitantly, expecting to feel the lingering aftereffects of pain that had been inflicted by Orsan. To his surprise, and that of everyone around him, he bore no trace of scarring or injury.

“Amazing,” Arana said, her blond brows arched in astonishment, her dark eyes seething with curiosity and concern. “Jace, are you alright?”

“I think so,” he said and stood with her help. Once on his feet he closed his eyes and thought he could feel Mystique’s energy surging through him. Jace opened his eyes and saw Lord Demise and his minions staring at him with something akin to dislike. “What happened to me? And how did they get here? Has it truly been a whole day?” he asked, fearful now that his memories were returning. Had Naria been in Orsan’s clutches all day?

“Well, Psi,” Lord Demise answered him. “It looks like the rumors were true,” he said and stared down at his feet in disgust. “Your planet is indeed alive and apparently it healed you.”

“She,” Jace corrected. “Mystique has a decidedly feminine aura about her,” he said. Then he smiled down at his sister and hugged her to him. “And she is most pleased with your efforts over the years,” he told Arana.

“Now it seems we have everyone in place to finally rid this world of the Cazeth. Lord Demise? I assume you and your army are ready?”

Demise nodded. “Quite. Let’s get to work so that we may get out of here as soon as possible. This planet is definitely most unwelcoming,” he said with discomfort. His minions looked the same.

“Yes, let’s hurry this up, shall we?” another familiar voice sounded. Jace grinned to see Demise’s expression turn even more sour as Devel Keep Krital appeared. “This world is ten times worse than Wern,” Krital complained. The cloven hoofed devel caused several of the Psi to step back, as if Demise had not been enough of a shock already.

“And what are these creatures? Psi? I thought they didn’t exist,” Krital said in confusion. “Demise? Explain this.”

Jace held up his hand before an argument could ensue. “Gentlemen, ladies? If I could please have your attention? The Cazeth are at this moment bent on torturing Naria to death. And as Dark Worlders I know
you
can’t let this happen.” Then he turned to the Psi. “And since Naria is my mate and thus your queen, I know
you
will not allow this to happen.”

Jace watched as everyone united under the occasion to save the future queen of Zescha, a Dark World shayna.

“Then I suggest you hear what I’ve got planned before we head back in there to destroy the Cazeth.”

Orsan stared warily at the beautiful Dark Worlder sitting at his feet. She shivered on the cold floor, wearing only a brief loincloth and scrap of material to cover her breasts. Orsan thought the outfit quite entertaining, as the material hinted at Naria’s ripe fertility while embarrassing her a great deal.

He ran a hand over the curve of one of her breasts and was pleased to see her glare at him, shoving his taloned fingers away. Such spirit, he thought excitedly. Thoughts of breaking Naria were almost as tantalizing as thoughts of crushing Jace Arel’s winsome spirits.

Orsan smiled and floated above her, needing to feel the air rushing through his wings. Ah, but he missed Wern. He had thought himself immune from the pull of his homeworld, but the years apart had only whetted his appetite to return. Even torturing the strong-willed Psi, the most formidable opponent Orsan had found in the System, hadn’t been the enough to rid his splintered mind of Wern.

Orsan glanced around him and studied the frozen wall of horror surrounding the throne room. The Psi had put up a good fight but their mental powers had been no real match for the Cazeth. When mind control had begun failing the Cazeth, they had relied on their abilities to control the elements. And against the might forces of fire and ice, the Psi had lost their will to fight.

Orsan sighed and stared above him, circling higher and higher until he felt the great emptiness almost consuming him. He wondered that he hadn’t closed the whirling void before now and found himself not caring much if it consumed this world. Always before he had been careful to allow only a hint of chaos to pervade Mystique, not yet wanting to destroy the planet until he had Jace back in his grasp.

But now with Jace so close, Orsan couldn’t control his need for the emptiness above him. How he missed Wern’s blanket of impossibilities and imperfections. The sheer randomness of his world would have made any other creature mad. Yet the Cazeth thrived on it.

“Your time is soon coming,” he heard Naria whisper softly, a grim smile of retribution on her full lips that Orsan found aggravating. The little demon should have been begging him for mercy by now. Yet she merely stared at him with hatred and disdain, still strong despite her physical ailments.

Orsan studied the female closely, wondering again why she didn’t seem to fit in any Dark World mold. She didn’t have the familiar Dark Worlder crimson locks, nor did she possess the black eyes so common to those people. And he could feel the compassion inside of her, another contradiction that seemed to set her apart from what he should have expected.

“You are something special, aren’t you Naria?” Orsan asked as he drifted back to the ground. He watched her for a reaction, pleased when he didn’t get one. His talons grew and he shifted his fingers, sliding the long claws against one another, enjoying the subtle flinch he caught from Naria.

“Orsan,” a raspy multitude of voices interrupted his musings. “We have intruders.”

Orsan didn’t take his stare from Naria. “Fine, Lorn. Take a few Cazeth and destroy them.”

“But Orsan,” Lorn whined, his voices clashing horribly as his fear rose. “There are…” he paused and swallowed, looking around him.

“Spit it out, Lorn. I grow weary with your timidity.”

“There are Dark Worlders here.”

Orsan’s smile froze on his face and he whipped his head around to stare into Lorn’s fathomless eyes.

“Dark Worlders? You are sure?”

“Yes.” Lorn nodded and waited.

Orsan cursed in several tongues and the void above them suddenly grew smaller. The yawning emptiness took too much of his strength to keep open. And now that Dark Worlders had arrived he’d need all of his strength to defeat both them and Jace Arel.

“Take half of our warriors and wipe them out. And remind them all to be cautious. Jace is stronger than I’d thought.”

Lorn bowed and flew out of the room on swift wings.

“Your end is coming,” Naria said with a smile. Her eyes shimmered and for an instant Orsan found himself entranced by her gaze. Then cursing, he broke away from her powerful stare and backhanded her across the face. She flew back several feet and lay sprawled on the hard floor, her hair strewn about her face, her barely clad limbs unmoving.

“Perfect,” Orsan said as he studied her. He smiled, the chaos building inside of him once more, his fear of his native brethren fading.

Jace stood with the others and watched as a horde of those purple-winged half-breeds flew towards them, chirping and clicking madly. Several of the Psi immediately engaged in battle while the Dark Worlders watched cautiously.

Jace felt rather than saw the battle going on around him. The half-breeds, evidently a mix of Psi and Cazeth, fought ferociously but had little physical strength to back them up. Instead their minds shot fire and walls of strength into the rebels, causing several to pass out from the sheer magnitude of the mental blasts.

Lord Demise shouted something in a foreign tongue and suddenly the small contingent of Dark Worlders vanished, only to appear behind the Cazeth’s minions. Enveloped now on both sides, the minions fought like demons themselves.

And then the powers of Dark World fluttered into life. Blasts of fire, ice and wind exploded from the devels while mental horrors chased the winged creatures, compliments of the demons. Demise and Krital watched with satisfaction as the half-breeds writhed and smoked, going down easily under the Dark World/Psi allegiance.

But as the enemy slowly crumbled, a half dozen Cazeth appeared. Clever, Jace thought, to watch and learn about the enemy, sacrificing those most expendable.

“Careful,” Jace murmured to his crew. They disengaged the half-breeds and stared warily into the face of true evil. The Cazeth watched the fight with dark smiles of glee and rapture, exulting in death no matter whose side the participants had fought.

Then the Cazeth attacked. In far greater strength than the purple winged creatures, the Cazeth had experience and true power behind them. Several bolts of lightning exploded into the midst of the Dark Worlders, causing shrieks of pain and anguish as several unfortunate creatures ran ablaze. With a hand of ice, Devel Keep Krital extinguished the flame and turned to Demise.

Apparently the two said something for they turned as one to face the Cazeth. Apparently the Cazeth knew both Devel Keep and Demon Lord for they faltered and drew back hesitantly.

“Now,” Demise said and Jace watched in awe as the powers of Dark World unfolded. He could feel Mystique shudder in agony as darkness enveloped darkness. A powerful wave of fire and mental power shot forward, crushing and holding the Cazeth while the Dark Worlders and Psi rushed in to slash and destroy the Cazeth.

“Now go,” Demise said to Jace as he battled the Cazeth. Not needing any more direction, Jace nodded and quickly left the others behind. He didn’t notice his crew following him stealthily, nor did he see Arana join them as she left her men to fight the floundering Cazeth.

-22-

Jace raced into the great hall to find Naria lying still on the stone floor, no one else in sight. Much as he longed to rush to her, he contained his worry, knowing Orsan expected him to lose control. Forcing himself to be calm, Jace opened his mind and found Orsan and seven other Cazeth shimmering between planes, invisible, yet clearly surrounding Naria’s prone form.

Jace stepped forward, cursing silently when he felt his crew join him. It wouldn’t take Demise and the others long to vanquish the Cazeth. And then they’d join him here, he thought in triumph. But he had to fight Orsan, alone, to the death.

“Stop your cowardly retreat, Orsan,” Jace said with a sneer. “Show yourself and fight, if you’re not afraid.”

Maniacal laughter filled the hall as the Cazeth all joined in their mad taunting. Jace fought the urge to cover his ears and sink to his knees, strengthening his resolve. Filled with his love for Naria and Mystique’s rare warmth, Jace felt a confidence he had before been missing. He watched as Orsan and the others gradually shifted back into this plane.

Eight Cazeth, Jace thought, counting them all. He took a deep breath and was about to step forward when one of the Cazeth shrieked and fell to the ground, writhing in pain.

Jace turned to see Arana staring with an unholy light in her eyes.

“That was for Mother,” she said quietly.

Not giving the creature a chance to escape, Mikhel and Nesham quickly advanced and removed its head. Jace watched as its black blood quickly smoked through the floor and the body shriveled away into nothing.

“Seven left, Orsan,” Jace said with a dark grin, his eyes dark and shining with an eagerness to fight.

“And yet killing just one leaves her so weak, so frail,” Orsan said softly as he crooned to Arana.

Jace turned and watched in horror as his sister’ eyes blanked and she walked helplessly forward. But quick as a blink, Mikhel grabbed her to him, enfolding her in his arms.