Striker (34 page)

Taking the emperor's hand between his own, Zeus squeezed. "My family will do everything in their power in assisting you in the search of Prometheus. If you allow us, we will help you and yours carry this burden."

Zeus continued to hold Cyprian's hand between his palms as Cyprian gathered himself. Out of the corner of his eye, Zeus could see Timsah working up to a good bluster. Suddenly, he did not see Timsah as dangerous or threatening, but simply a confused male in a sad state of being. The feeling lasted all of about thirty microns.

"He is doing it again! Deceiver!" Timsah pulled an energy weapon from the folds of his robes.

Before the first shout of alarm could be raised, Zeus reacted without thought, bearing Cyprian to the floor. His temple burned as the Monticore fell upon him and Cyprian. People yelled causing the room to echo slightly. Several long moments passed before the noise reduced and his guard carefully moved off of him, calling for a medic. A feral lion's roar filled the air. Zeus ignored it as he helped Cyprian to roll over, and then searched for any sign of injury on the emperor.

"Your Highness, have you been shot?" Before he could get an answer, he was lifted from the floor and crushed in Dargon's strong arms. "Everything is fine," Zeus reassured him.

"You are burned," Dargon snarled, cupping his face and tilting Zeus’s chin to the side.

He reached up to touch his throbbing temple. Dargon pushed his hand aside with a hiss. A mixture of Monticore and Basilisc formed a tight circle around them as Cyprian rose to his feet.

"Let me examine your Marked." Cyprian waited until Dargon withdrew a half step before he prodded Zeus’s wound.

"Were you hit?" He attempted to inspect Cyprian was thwarted by both Dargon and Cyprian holding him firmly in place.

"Alpha,"
Zeus snapped in aggravation.
"Tell Dargon I am fine."

Cyprian grinned. "I am unscathed, although I believe you were the target of the attack. I have no doubt you make your parents proud ... both sets. You would have made a fine Bespoken." Cyprian's smile turned grim. "It is time some misunderstandings were cleared up."

Zeus waited impatiently to be let loose from his guards, who kept him secured within a circle of protection until the Galactic Emperors approached. The Monticore parted to allow Emperor Goth and Emperor Volnah to approach. The image of that moment would forever be burned in Zeus’s memory.

On the thrones, the emperors seemed huge, impressive. Angered, they were intimidating as they towered over all in the amphitheater except Cyprian. Their wings ... Zeus had a feeling he would never see anything so beautiful again. The emperors never displayed their wings, and so very few had even seen them at full spread. Volnah's feathers were white like his hair and tipped in black. In contrast, Goth's were dark and leathery, covered in fine hair, the joints ending in wicked hooks. Piercings followed along the boney ridges, silver and gold glinting in the soft light along with precious jewels.

Cyprian went to them, chastising them for rushing into danger. His words seemed to fall on deaf ears as he was examined from head to toe and then kissed quite passionately. Zeus flushed, glancing away to give them as much privacy as the situation allowed.

One of the hazards of energy weapons was that the pulse that was released would continue to travel until the energy depleted. The single pulse released by Timsah injured four people, including Zeus. The guard, who had placed his body between Zeus and Timsah, along with two others behind Zeus, were carried out of the room to the infirmary. He declined the medic's recommendation to go as well, promising Dargon he would have the burn taken care of later, if needed.

Timsah and several from his household were shackled and pressed into kneeling positions while the people from House Tutatara and House Tigiere were separated and surrounded by palace guards. Zeus met his parents' worried gazes, nodding to signal he was fine. He noted his father seemed to have a tight hold on his meme, her glare trained solely on Timsah. Zeus could only imagine what she would do if she managed to get loose.

After he confirmed he could continue, the council directed people back to their seats. Cyprian resisted the urging of Goth and Volnah. Instead of resuming their places on the thrones, the two took the closer amphitheater seating behind Zeus and Cyprian.

Prime Chancellor Bram resumed the proceeding. "The other chancellors and I agree the evidence brought forward claiming Prince Zeus as a spy to be false. Timsah Gadrius came to this council with the intention of bearing false witness against Prince Zeus and House Vondorian. We also agree there needs to be an investigation into House Cordyl's activities, as well as those aligned with it, to determine if they have been treasonous, not only to Atlainticia and her ruling house but to the Galactic Emperors as well. If any have questions pertinent to this case, speak now." Bram's steely gaze roamed the room.

"Before we close the proceedings, Prime Chancellor," Cyprian stepped forward and turned slightly to Timsah. "Let me put to rest a few misconceptions. I asked you earlier what you saw when you looked at me. Blinded as you are, you did not see the resemblance between Prince Zeus and I. Prince Zeus is not, and has never been, Terren. He was born Zeus Cy'Argus, second in line to the Fal'Amoric throne, a title he can retain if he so wishes."

"No! It cannot be! He has—"

Cyprian cut off Timsah. "He is blood of my blood. Take a good long look. I may be four hundred and twenty standard years old, but our bloodlines are not so far removed to make us appear dissimilar. Open your eyes and tell me what you see."

Timsah shook his head in denial. Zeus’s followed Cyprian's gaze to the other house members, who appeared to be in varying degrees of shock. As usual, reading the expression of the Monticore was a fruitless endeavor, for they were ever stoic when around others.

Timsah’s gaze searched the Monticore. "No. I do not believe you. Striker! He is the embodiment of what all Atlainticians want and desire in their warrior males. He is better than the Vondorians, who are untrue to their own people. He will agree we need new leadership, new blood on the throne to bring us into a new age. He will save us from becoming weak! Show yourself, Striker. Step forward. Tell them!"

The amphitheater quieted. "Damn you! Step forward, show yourself, and stand up for what you believe in!" Timsah's raging sounded all the more unbalanced for the silence.

Zeus stood there watching Timsah, wondering if Rathmar's father had always been this obsessed. Was it even obsession? Maybe denial? The inability to see past his prejudice in order to grasp the truth, because he had built his life upon a belief? Now shown the truth, he grasped for something—anything, other than what had been shown to him.

The first Monticore who moved caused Timsah's eyes to light up. The elite guardsman turned to Zeus and bowed low at the waist, not rising. He was followed by two, then five Monitcore, before the whole of the guard moved as a unit, circling around Zeus as Cyprian moved away. They blocked the various houses' view of Zeus until they all bowed, then dropped to one knee, the echo resounding throughout the chamber as in one voice they called him Striker. Zeus stood on the pedestal surrounded by the most feared fighting force in three galaxies. Acclaimed by them.

He did not want this. He did not deserve the title or the growing stares of complete awe. He simply did what he had to do, no different than any other person in the room. Zeus wanted to deny them, push them to find one more worthy of the honor, yet he could not. Whether he wanted them to or not, they believed in him, trusted him, called him one of their own. Was that not what he had yearned for all of his life? He could not dishonor their respect.

Zeus studied the House of Cordyl, who had come to Haven with the sole purpose of stealing his father's throne. They cowered under his hard gaze. When he met Timsah's horrified eyes, he gave a cold, mirthless laugh.

"Do you still want me to take the throne?"

Timsah passed out. That was unexpected. He and his house were remanded to galactic custody pending an investigation. Zeus answered a smattering of questions before relinquishing the wristband and making a beeline toward the exit.

He could not get out of the council room fast enough. He could not bear to be cooped up any longer. He did not want to speak to his parents, his brothers, or even Dargon. Zeus lifted a hand in greeting to Athena, and even Sun Eater, but dodged around them without exchanging words he did not have the breath for.

"Slow down."
Alpha's calm words made him realize he had started running. He made himself stop, not surprised his personal guards had easily kept pace with him. He simply needed time to himself. The fear Timsah had instilled in him had not dissipated, he had simply shoved it to the side and put on a false façade. All the while, his insides churned as if he were digesting shards of glass. Zeus knew he was no coward. He had proven himself in battle, more than once, facing horrifying odds against a species threatening to devastate the galaxies. And yet, the sight of one man made him quake in his boots. Surely, his mind would allow him to move past the torture he had received in his youth. How did he shake off the effect Timsah had upon him?

"Love, I would soothe you, take away your memory of that night, but I cannot."
Alpha caressed his skin.
"You survived, not just physically, but mentally as well. Time, and sharing with Dargon and me, will help."

He went through a glass door out on to a covered balcony. The loud roar of the waterfalls startled him. The air was moist and humid. He could smell the mixture of fresh water and sea water. The pools catching the falls glistened a brilliant turquoise. Spires jutted skyward, the pinks and blues of a soft sunset. Haven was truly a beautiful city.

"Prince Zeus." He turned to see both crown princes standing in the balcony entryway.

"May we have a word?" Prince Malek asked, raising his voice to be heard over the falls.

He nodded and followed them back inside. Both crown princes had a rough, wild beauty, similar and yet different from the other. Prince Malek had dark hair hanging in heavy plaits to his lean hips, and wide, aqua-colored eyes surrounded by thick sooty eyelashes, and sharp canines barely visible against full, upturned lips. Prince Vipre appeared softer, his long, white hair pulled back from his temples contrasting with skin so dark to be called true ebony and yellow feline eyes. Rumor was that though Malek appeared the more brutish of the two, Vipre was the one to beware of.

Zeus gave them a formal bow. "Your Highness, what can I do for you?"

"Cyprian said you had information on our Bespoken."

He regarded the pair. The desire to safeguard a male he was biologically related to, but he did not know, caused him to carefully consider his words. "I apologize if I appear rude but,"—he glanced between the two, searching for a way to keep from offending them—"As I understand the situation, he and I were taken away from our home and family at a very young age. He may be blessed with memories, but as I was not yet born, I bear no recollections of any life before the Mar'Sani. I was fortunate to be found and taken in by a wonderful family, who gave me a home and loved me. I made a life with them and am happy.

"I do not know if he is waiting for you, or if he now has a family of his own. I know you have been searching for him for a very long time. I understand his place, his duty is important to us all, but ... be considerate when you find him."

Vipre gifted Zeus with a small smile. "Cyprian was correct. You would have made a fine Bespoken."

Zeus grimaced, but Alpha's harrumph eased him.

"We understand your concern and we intend to do our best by him."

He held Vipre's gaze. "Today, I encountered Chtichlians in the corridor. When I was thirteen summers, my parents contacted them for help to alleviate my blindness. While there, I learned they were the ones responsible for taking Prometheus and me away from the Fal'Amoric. They altered me to be his double, his decoy, while they hid him. The three who spoke of him are called Aisa, Moirai, and Parcae." Zeus’s blood boiled at the memories those names evoked. "Find them and you can find the location of Prometheus."

Malek sniffed. "You do not care much for them."

Alpha growled softly in the back of his mind as he said, "They blinded me at birth and set me on a path to be captured by Terrens. If the Mar'Sani had not found me first, I firmly believe I would have spent my days tortured for secrets I do not possess. When I was thirteen, they stole half of my ability to procreate. No, your Highness, I despise them and can only imagine what they did to Prometheus in order to hide him."

Both princes' expressions went from alarm to barely-concealed rage.

"I am sorry. I did not understand the information until meeting the Fal'Amoric on the Oethra 7. I would have sent word sooner if I had known. The hypernet was not safe and we were being chased by those who ... well, you already know." He warily watched the princes, thankful he would not be the one on the receiving end of their wrath.

"How were you to know? The Chtichlians have done much we need convincing answers for." Malek and Vipre said a swift, but warm, farewell. They were both barking orders into their comlinks as they strode away, their hard eyes and quick steps rapidly clearing a path through the crowds.

Zeus could not help but feel a cold satisfaction knowing the crown princes were ready to tear through the Chtichlians to get to Prometheus. He wondered if Aisa and his cohorts had considered the repercussions of essentially kidnapping a galactic royal. Did they believe their actions would be lauded and praised?

A yellow body bobbing in the water just off the balcony drew his attention from his dark musing. Canry waved, beckoning Zeus to join him in the water.

"Are you up for a swim, Alpha?"

"Anywhere you go, so can I. It has been an age since I had the opportunity to frolic in deep waters. Dar Massaga prefer the shallows." Zeus could hear Alpha's excitement.