The Unveiling (19 page)

"Wow?" Rivka suggested.

"You heard that?"

"You were practically shouting it at me."

"This is going to take some getting used to."

"We'll get better with time, and our privacy will be restored."

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Strange…." She held her hand out, rotating the wrist experimentally. "It's like getting a new body and trying to figure things out."  He felt the new wealth of power inside him, waiting to be tapped and tested. He wanted to explore his new reality; however, now wasn't the time. He stretched his arms over his head and groaned.

"I don't know about you, but that took a lot out of me. What do you say we head to the kitchen to refuel and relax?"

"I'm right there with you."

"Let's take off the Diadems first."  She removed her own and walked over to her dresser where she set it inside a velvet-lined box, where his rested a few moments later. Rivka twined their fingers and lead him down the hall.
Everything is different now.

"Yes, it is," she agreed.

"As much as I'd like to believe everything between us is fixed, I'm not that naïve."  His voice was overly loud in the silence of the hall.

"No, but I'm done resisting. It's time to let nature take its course."

"Just like that?"

"I like the man you've become. To continue to judge you by the choices you made in youth would be unfair and pointless. When I came into this it wasn't with the intention to act like a shrew or bust your balls. It was to protect myself until I knew who you were and maybe to test you, push you to your limits. Your choice controlled so much of my life I was looking to get some of that power back. I'm not saying it was right, but I won't apologize because I think we both enjoyed the game."

"Does that mean it's coming to an end? I found I like a little domination."

She grinned.

"I enjoyed breaking you in."

"There's more?"

"If you want there to be."

"I do." He cleared his throat as they entered the kitchen. "About that drink…"

She laughed. Twenty minutes later they'd both eaten a sandwich and downed a couple of glasses of water.  Once their bellies were full and their energy was replenished, it was time to get back to the topic that had brought him over in the first place.

"Your vision?"

"Right." She closed her eyes, and scenes began to play in his head like a movie. It was an odd sensation, having someone else in his mind. It was like being watched from a distance and feeling their gaze, except with Rivka there was no creepy undertone. He felt complete, like he'd been walking around his whole life with a hole he hadn't realized needed to be filled. When she pulled out he blinked, taking a moment to root himself in reality.

"This is bad. Tavel's unstable and corrupt. Anything he has a hand in creating is going to be destructive. Let's just hope whatever it is can’t reason … or follow orders." The thought made his blood run cold. It'd be all out war. One they weren't ready to fight.

"We need to move forward fast."

"How?"

"By getting more intel, poking into his connections and figuring out what was going on in his lab. When the lid blows of this thing I want to have a plan of action ready to launch. Can you find out anything else?"

"I can try, but you know it's not something I have control over."

"No, but the woman seems to be very connected with you, and there has to be a reason why we're dreaming about these specific people."

"Yes, I agree. I want to show you something." She closed her eyes and slipped into his mind. He remained silent as a scene with the past Star Maiden, Estria, played in his head.
All of this was predestined!
Knowing they'd been working their way to this relationship from the moment they were conceived took some of the weight of guilt off his head. It was meant to be hard. It was their price to pay, for what he wasn't sure. He emerged intrigued.

"Who do you think we were?"

"I don't know. For years I tried my best not to think of that day.  I knew if I did I'd go mad. There are a million different tales of woe, some grounded in truth and others a figment spun of only the barest whisper of events that actually happened.  Our people are known for their romanticism."

"It seems important." His words were muffled as he talked more to himself than her. "I think we should look in the royal library." The library was one of many national treasures they had brought with them when they relocated.

"Now?”

“Might as well. I have the rest of the day off.”

Chapter Twenty-One

She wasn’t sure what they were looking for, but nothing had sparked for her or Bastien as they poured over old tomes. The number of star-crossed lovers was higher than one would think. Plenty of skirmishes had been caused due to the love of a woman or a man. The writing on the yellowed scroll in front of her blurred. Her eyes felt sand paper lined. She squeezed them shut, desperate for moisture and a break.

“I think we should call it a day.” She glanced down at her watch, late afternoon.  Bastien closed his book and sighed.

“You’re right. We’ve been at this for hours, and I don’t feel any closer to an answer.”

“Me either.”  Dejection and frustration mingled, and mixed, bringing her down from the high their bond had provided earlier.

Her stomach growled.

“Hungry?”

“Starving.”

“Why don’t we head down to the kitchen to refuel and give our minds a rest?”

“Sounds fantastic.”

“Sandwiches sound okay? We’ve already missed lunch and to be honest, I have no clue what’s in our cabinets.”

“Right now sandwiches sound like a five-star meal.”

“Perfect, come on. No more thinking right now.”

“I’ll try not to. But I have one of those minds that never slows down until I finally pass out at the end of the night.”

“Sounds exhausting.”

“It is.” 

He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Then I guess we’ll have to think of other ways to tire you out at the end of the night.”

“I like the sound of that, General.”

The playful banter continued, lightening her mood like a burst of sunshine after a storm.

“Sit at the table, and I’ll call out ingredients.”

“I can help.”

“No, I can feel how tired you are. Take a load off, and let me do the work for now.”  She wanted to protest, but his logic was sound.

“Okay, thanks.” It was an odd thing, having this man take care of her.
Get used to it.

“You’re getting good at that.”

“I’m trying.” He opened the stainless steel doors. “Ham, or turkey?”

“Turkey.”

“We have mayo, Miracle Whip, mustard, Colby, Sharp Cheddar, Provolone, lettuce, tomato, and onion.”

“I’d like a turkey sandwich with mayo, sharp cheddar, and lettuce.”

“You got it. How about…” He rummaged through the shelves. “A pear and a glass of water  to go with that?”

“Works for me.”

He hands her a bottle of water out of the fridge and went to work pulling out ingredients. She studied him as he made the food. It felt good being linked to this man. It shocked her. After being on her own for so long she imagined the process would be a lot more painful and awkward. It was amazing how exquisite the world had become when she looked with her new eyes. The chaos and pain that surrounded them paled in comparison to the haven they created together.
Why was I so worried about our union making me weak? Here lay a strength unparalleled to that she possessed solo.

“Here you are.” Bastien set the plate of their food in front of her.

“Thank you. This looks delicious.”

“You’re welcome.” He took a seat beside her, and they devoured their food. The sound of chewing and swallowing filled the silent room. Full, she sipped on her water.

“That really hit the spot. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Riv.” The nickname sounded sinful on his lips. She opened her mouth to speak and swayed, clutching her chair. Large arms wrapped around her, keeping her upright.

“What’s wrong, Rivka?”

“The spirits are speaking to me…”

****

Bastien’s stomach dropped. Her hair had turned a deep blue, and heat poured off her body like a sauna. When she opened her eyes they were a familiar green.

“Rivka?”

“Not anymore.” The voice belonged to the woman from his dreams.

“What are you doing to her?”

“Using her as a means of communications, my time here is short. Kade must go on his mission soon, and Ivy Guerin must accompany. The knowledge they’ll gain will be needed to defeat Tavel. His greed has blinded him, overruled his logic. He wishes to enslave the humans on this planet.”

“What!”

“The sanity he held on to by a string has been lost.”

“What can I do?”

“Strengthen your bond with Rivka, train her. She is destined to stand beside you in the final showdown.”

“No.”

“It’s not your choice to make. Her fate was written down long before now. You were brought together for a reason. You’ve much to compensate for. Blood covers your hands. This will make things right, end your cycle of pain and tragedy. For far too long the two of you have waited for an opportunity like this to be redeemed.”

“I-I don’t understand. What cycle?”

“I will touch you, and the truth will be unlocked.” She touched the tip if her index finger to his forehead. “See.”

His vision tunneled, and the present melted away to reveal the past. Suddenly he was surrounded by a large, brown tent full of warm equipment. He sat in a chair, in front of a table with a giant map. He was watching what happened as the man he inhabited, experiencing his emotions as his own.

He cleaned his sword meticulously with a cloth as he waited for his men to finish gathering their gear so they could march on to Vernsta and launch the first attack of what he knew would be many. He’d never imagined once her sister died, people would look to Selia. Not after she’d been disowned. Then she’d be taken. His stomach lurched. The first time Selia was forced to control the weather the new life growing in her womb had been extinguished. The thought had once brought him to tears. Now it fueled his rage.

He would have his revenge on everyone who helped Ekend. The malicious mad man controlled their people through his wife. Her ability to control the weather and predict the future was never meant to be wielded as a weapon. He could feel her soul crying out for the injustices done and the pain she’d caused. A symbol of hope and love had been twisted into an ugly black shadow that caused fear, pain, and devastation. When it snowed in Riksha, a land which never saw more than a sprinkling of rain, its people had been brought to their knees, forcing the King’s hand. His pride wasn’t worth more than his people’s life, nor his throne. He yielded to Ekend, became the ultimate example of what happened to those who did not bow to his will. People had fallen over themselves getting into line after that.
Cowards.
His lips curled upward, and he spat onto the ground of the tent.

The flap lifted, and his right-hand man, Jeven, entered.

“You can’t really mean to do this, Ralston. Millions of innocent people will be killed.”
Ralston!

“I can, and I will.”

“You’ve spent your whole life helping people! I’ve seen you turn down lucrative jobs time and time again because what they wanted to do was wrong.”

“That was before they put their filthy hands on her.”

“Yes, Ekend’s people, not the villagers. They’re simple folk, scared to death of a mad man’s reign.”

“They helped. When a good man does nothing, it’s just as bad! Had they stood up to the man and overrun him before he had Selia under his control none of this would have happened. Look at how fast things have spiraled down. People are starving, mothers fear for the lives of their children. There’s pillaging, raping, and chaos in almost all quadrants of our lands, and it’s spilling over, spreading faster than it can be contained. If they chose to oppose me they will taste the end of my sword and the sting of my power. I stopped caring when I lost Selia. The sooner you realize that, the easier this campaign will be. Are the men ready?”

Jeven lowered his head. “Yes.”

“Then we ride.”

His brain exploded in a white-hot fire that seared the anger out of him as his trip to the past ended. Emotions exploded like dynamite: loneliness, sorrow and resignation. The legend of Ralston and Selia was now his reality. He knew the story well, a mercenary who loved the Princess who controlled the weather and made prophecies for their people. The couple met in secret, bidding their time until her sister took the crown. The exchanged wedding vows existed for the moments they could steal. When her sister stepped up they left together, against her father’s will. He’d disowned Selia, but they refused to let it ruin the happiness they found. Only it hadn’t lasted. A terrible disease had taken her sister’s life. With the position empty for the first time since anyone could remember their people had turned on one another like starving men on a snow-covered mountain. Shame washed over him.  Ekend’s rule ended at the cost of millions of others, and themselves, in a horrific display. The sky had rained fire, shards of ice, and snow that covered men up to their necks.
It’s Tavel! He’s Ekend.