The Destroyer Book 4 (23 page)

Sixty.

Where would this flow of water leave the mountains? I guessed it would be at the mouth of the river that fed the bottom of the valley. If Vernine’s warriors were still at the keep, I could avoid them and make my way back to the castle. Then I remembered what the dragon said to me. I needed to get the Ovule from Vernine. I needed to keep it from the empress.

One hundred and twenty.

There were other Ovules. I had left one beneath the castle in Nia. There was the one Kannath had used to bring his warriors to this world. The empress must have some as well since she had traveled here through the Radicle with her entire army. Why did the dragon want me to keep one Ovule?

One hundred and eighty.

Nadea must have also had an Ovule. The thought struck me suddenly. She brought me through a Radicle. Or was I already on this world, frozen in sleep? Paug said I was sleeping when he saw me and he spoke words to awake me. I should have asked him what those words had been. Nadea had taught him the words. She told him what to do.

Two hundred and forty.

How did Nadea know where I was? How did she know to awaken me, or how to do it? If she had not used an Ovule, did she wield some other sort of magic? My brain spun and then I realized that I actually was spinning in the current. I was caught in a riptide. My foot found a wall and I pushed off of it, praying to whatever luck I had that I would launch myself in the direction that would take me out of this endless, icy hell.

Three hundred.

Maybe there were other objects named Ovules the dragon spoke of? What did the name mean? It had something to do with plants . . . seeds, flowers . . . Shlara had spoken to Alexia once about a garden. They had used the word.

Three hundred and sixty.

My heart was throbbing and I felt the uncomfortable tightness in my chest that indicated I would need to breathe soon. The current wasn’t moving fast enough, so I took a few hesitant kicks with my legs to speed along my travel.

What if the Ovule was a person? The thought struck me suddenly from the darkness and made my mind recoil as if I had actually been punched.

Four hundred and twenty.

How did I know the dragon’s name? It came to my mouth unbidden, but as soon as I spoke it, I knew it was correct. There was something about the creature that felt familiar. It was the way it spoke to me. It felt like I had conversed with it before. But that was impossible. The feeling in my stomach when I said its name was the same feeling I had when I guessed that the Ovule was actually a person. I knew I was right, but I did not know why.

Four hundred and eighty.

I slammed into a wall and almost lost the saved air in my lungs. I had been holding out my hands in the direction the water pushed me, but I wasn’t prepared for the speed at which I hit the smooth surface. I skipped across the rock with a grunt of surprise and then bounced into the flow again. If I drowned down here, I wouldn’t even know it. Everything was already black.

Five hundred and forty.

If the Ovule was a person, who would it be? The dragon said that she was sending minions after me. He said they would take the Ovule and all would be lost. I must protect the Ovule, but who was the Ovule? Who was the dragon afraid of?

Six hundred.

I was missing something. I could feel that I was close to understanding what the dragon wanted. His words did not make any sense, but if the Ovule was a person then Mulakanna’teall inferred that I knew her.

Her.

Nadea.

Six hundred and sixty.

If any person could be an Ovule, it would be the duchess. Other than my daughter, she was the only Elven-human hybrid known to exist. The signs were there. She was able to retrieve me from the Radicle without an Ovule because she
was
the Ovule. Perhaps the Ovules were named after those people who could operate the Radicles without the aid of the magical orbs. I had not understood it completely, but I had sensed Nadea’s power when I changed her into an O’Baarni.

Seven hundred and twenty.

But who did I need to protect Nadea from? If Vernine was being honest with me, Telaxthe had already captured Nadea. Mulakanna’teall said that
she
knew I was in this form. What did he mean? Who was she?

Seven hundred and eighty.

My lungs were screaming. Demanding to breathe. Every heartbeat was agony. The current continued to push me, faster than before, but there was still no hint of light, no sign of air. Just fast moving water in the darkness of my mind.

Eight hundred and forty.

Fuck I was tired. Exhausted. My body hurt beyond compare. I wanted to breathe.

Please let me breathe.

Nadea. Jessmei. Shlara. Malek. Alexia. Thayer. Gorbanni. Greykin. Beltor. Danor. Entas.

Paug.

Iolarathe.

Please let me breathe. The darkness is too much. The pain is too great.

Nine hundred.

“How was your ride?” Relyara handed me a cup of steaming tea as soon as I walked into my suite.

“Glorious!” I sighed. It had been only half an hour or so since I left Kaiyer back in the stables and the smoky scent of him still lingered on me. I took a sip of the tea. While it was warm and delicious, I wanted to celebrate with something more. “I desire a bottle of wine.”

“Yes, Mistress. I will fetch one.”

“First have a bath started. Then the wine,” I said after a second thought. She nodded, and I sat at the small table in the foyer of my suite sipping the tea and thinking of Kaiyer’s facial expressions and joy during his first ride. My lover had a natural talent for riding. Had he been born an Elven, he may have had the necessary years to master the discipline. Though he was young for their species and still had plenty of time left to master whatever skill he might choose, humans were not allowed to choose.

And they certainly weren’t allowed to ride horses.

“The water is ready, Mistress.” Relyara’s husky voice interrupted my thoughts. One of my servants entered from the hallway with a bottle of wine on a platter spread with cut apples and cheese. Relyara was very thoughtful.

I set aside my tea and moved into the steaming tub. The hot water was a fitting end to a session of riding, exploring ancient ruins, and lovemaking.

“You seem lost in thought.”

“As lost as any Singleborn could be.” I thought about asking her to leave, but then I reconsidered. I already missed Kaiyer and didn’t want to be alone.

“Pour yourself a glass and share the meal with me.” I pointed at the platter. There wasn’t a second glass, but Relyara found one quickly and then did as I asked.

“What made it glorious?” she asked.

“Humm?”

“The ride. You said it was glorious.”

“I rode out to the ruins to the southwest.”

“That is a dangerous place to go. Especially alone.” Her scent changed to lemons.

“There was a carrion beast lurking around, but it knew better than to come near me.” I smiled slightly and took a bite of apple and cheese.

“Now you are speaking complete foolishness. Next you will tell me there were Wisps dancing through the ruins and you frolicked amongst them.” She shook her head and her dark blue-black hair rippled beautifully.

I was about to reply, but a knock sounded at the distant door of my foyer. Relyara excused herself and moved to answer it. I closed my eyes again and leaned back enough in the tub to soak most of my hair. I imagined the water was Kaiyer’s fingers running against my scalp. Then I thought of his hands rubbing over the rest of my wet body. I realized I was holding my breath and I let it out in a long sigh.

It had only been a few hours since we fucked, yet I wanted him again. Would I ever grow bored with the human? I wondered if I was only attracted to him because of the danger our couplings presented, but then dismissed the idea. It was his scent that first attracted me to him and his other attributes only increased my desire to be around him.

My left hand slid down my stomach and between my legs. Thoughts of him were arousing me to distraction and my fingers gently caressed the soft, sensitive, nub of flesh at the top of my entrance. His penis was long and thick. Even when I was dripping wet we almost couldn’t fit him into my tunnel.

“Mistress.” Relyara was standing next to the tub. Her scent was bitter with concern.

“What?”

“One of my servants overheard Ripthe conversing with Alwor a few moments ago. Vuma’s son said that he witnessed you returning from a ride with a human.”

Coldness filled my stomach instantly and the chill fought against the warmth of the bathwater, numbing my skin. I always paid careful attention to ensure that there were no witnesses to my excursions and tonight had been no different.

“What else was said?” I realized that there was a servant standing behind the dark-haired woman. Relyara gestured to the girl and she stepped forward.

“They seemed drunken, Mistress.” The servant’s red eyes were wide and her rotting fear scent overpowered the lavender oils of my bath.

“Give me your opinion only when I ask for it. Tell me exactly what was said.” I tried to keep my temper in check. My nails dug into the porcelain of the tub.

“Y-y-yes, Mistress.” She bowed with her stutter. “Ripthe returned to his guest room a quarter of an hour ago with Alwor. They both carried bottles of wine and were angry. Ripthe was speaking of . . .” she glanced at Relyara and then back to me. “’A bitch that was manipulating them while she fucked disgusting humans.’ Alwor asked for more detail and Ripthe said that he saw you return from a late night ride with the human that worked in the stables.”

“What did Alwor say to that?” I tried to force my body to calm.

“Alwor said he couldn’t believe it, but then Ripthe began to speak of why you haven’t chosen a suitor yet for breeding. He said that you must be some sort of abomination that preferred to fuck animals instead of Elven men. Then he said he was going to talk to his father and the chieftain about your sickening behavior. Alwor said he should be cautious and that he could not believe you would be with a human until he witnessed it himself.”

“They seemed to realize I was in the room at that point, and they yelled at me to leave. I came here immediately.”

“Did they see you walk in this direction?” I asked.

“No. I closed the door behind me.”

“Go fetch my half-brother. Tell him I require his presence immediately.”

“Yes, Mistress.” She seemed relieved by the dismissal and bowed low before running out of the bathroom.

“Is this true?” Relyara crossed her arms and her scent betrayed her shock. I got out of the tub and began to dry off my slick body.

“Do you think it is true?” I glared at her and motioned for her to retrieve my bathrobe.

“I want to say no.” She handed me the robe and I quickly donned it.

“So you do believe that I am fucking humans?”

“I will believe what you tell me, Mistress.” She bit her lip and I could smell her fear now. Like rotten vegetables.

“I won’t beat you. You are the only friend I have in this place. The only person I can trust.” I turned to face her and laid my hands on her shoulders. “Do you think I would fuck a human?”

“No, Mistress. I wouldn’t believe it. But you have been acting distant for the last six months. You have been spending more time alone at the stables and you have not made love with me as often as you used to. I simply assumed you had another lover you preferred and were meeting them at the stables.”

“Did you have a spy follow me?” She looked shocked at my question, but her scent bloomed with bitter fear and terror, a reeking compost pile.

“Yes.” Her voice was a whisper. She knew better than to lie now. I should have guessed that Relyara already knew of Kaiyer. She had her nose in everything transpiring within the tribe. That was why she was so useful to me.

“So?” I drew my tongue across my lips.

“I am sorry, Mistress. I did it to protect you. I wanted to make sure you were safe.”

“You know of the human then.”

“Yes.”

“For how long?”