Unexpected Eden (9 page)

Chapter 10

Lexi basked in a deep, dreamless sleep. Something pricked her consciousness. Something important. It wiggled along her senses with a fine static electricity, silent and mysterious. Like the dreams she’d had as a kid where she wanted to wake up—needed to badly—but couldn’t lift her eyelids no matter how she tried.

Delicious heat settled along her side and the clawing need to surface subsided. Her spirit curled into the unseen haven and nestled into the dark restful place where worries and fears didn’t exist.

A voice reached to her, faint, far away. “Stay strong for me.”

The musky, worn scent of leather and spice tickled her nose. Odd. She’d never been able to smell in her dreams before.

A velvet touch skated along her temple and a whisper tickled her ear. “I love you.” The words barely registered. Had she heard them right? Oh, wait. This was a dream. No one had ever said those words to her. She was just—

Nnnnguuuaaaah! Lexi arched against a violent, blistering pain in her chest. A scream gathered in her throat and lodged tight, her airway barricaded by pure agony.

Not a dream. A nightmare. She tried to move, to run, but her arms and legs wouldn’t cooperate. Her lungs hitched—two gasps in, five huffs out. The space where her heart was supposed to be hummed with a nerve-numbing current that radiated everywhere.

A presence flittered in her mind and a sizzle zapped along her synapses. “Who’s there?” Her grated question echoed against a mist of nothingness. Maybe she was hallucinating. The last thing she remembered was Eryx and—

The drink. Eryx had drugged her. Her stomach lurched and a wail ripped past her throat. She hadn’t thought the pain could get worse, but she was wrong. Eryx’s betrayal clawed her from the inside out, and mingled with the H-bomb mushrooming in her chest.

Light flickered in the soupy fog of her nightmare. She shuddered hard enough to rattle her teeth and darkness crept along the edges of her mental vision. A string of enraged shouts registered somewhere in the distance, the words too vague to process.

She needed relief. For someone to lift the five hundred pound branding iron from her chest and let her roll over and die.

Sparkling white exploded in her mind’s eye and shoved at the darkness. Galena strode through the mist, her sunshine-colored dress billowing out behind her, face schooled for battle.

Lexi curled her dream self into a ball. Each thrum of her pulse ricocheted until she thought she might shatter. She couldn’t keep going. Didn’t want to.

Cool fingers wrapped around her huddled shoulders and her pain shifted. Lexi froze. One minute she’d been on fire, unable to process beyond the pain. The next, she was centered and wrapped in feminine arms. She shifted for a better look.

“Don’t move.” Galena huffed as though she’d run a marathon. “We’ve had to fight for hours to reach you. If I lose contact everything you were feeling will come back.”

Moving. Pain. Bad. Got it.

“Fire.” The one word nearly killed her. The torture hadn’t ceased after all. Was merely held at bay by Galena’s touch.

Galena stroked Lexi’s trembling arms, her body not exactly spooned against Lexi’s back, but close enough to comfort. “It’s your awakening.”

The dream landscape changed and a bit of the tension in Lexi’s belly uncoiled. Above them stretched an endless black velvet sky dotted with silver and diamond stars. “I’ve got control now.” Galena’s voice eased, her words a steady croon. “Relax and let me help you. This is normal. I promise.”

Her awakening. Memories dive-bombed her with the same intensity as the burn still spreading through her despite Galena’s efforts. This was it. She was in it.

And Eryx had tricked her. Fury jumped on top of the pain, demanding retribution.

“You’ve got to relax, Lexi. We’ve been at this for over four hours and your body can’t take much more. Eryx’s so worried he’s a mad man.”

“Drugged me.” Lexi coughed the accusation and breathed through the vicious stings beneath her skin.

“Of course he drugged you. It’s custom. No one walks into their own awakening.” A fatigued chuckled rumbled in Galena’s chest. “Well, except Eryx and Ramsay. But they’re idiots.”

A bit of Lexi’s self-righteousness anger swapped seats with the bite of embarrassment. “Custom?”

“Mm-hm.” Galena stroked her forehead, and absent yet caring touch.

Lexi moaned. This is what it would have been like if she’d had a sister. Or a mother. Anyone.

“It’s better for the person being awakened to be relaxed so the anchor can slip more easily into their mind. Even with the sedative, you fought my entry.”

“I was pissed.”

“So I learned.” Galena tucked a strand of hair behind Lexi’s ear. “You’ve really got some trust issues, girlfriend.”

Quiet from her peanut-gallery brain. Hard to argue with facts. “I’m dreaming?”

“Sort of. More of a drug induced hypnosis, for all the good it did us.” Her lilting voice settled into Lexi’s burning pores. “You’re going to be fine now. Think of things you find pleasing and let go.”

“Eryx?” She croaked the question.

Galena laughed, but it was a weary one. “Are you saying you find him pleasing or asking about him?”

“Okay?”

Galena sighed, so much unspoken emotion behind the sound. Frustration. Anger. Fatigue. “He’s exhausted, but he’ll be fine. He won’t let anyone else funnel energy to us, so Ludan and Ramsay are feeding him. Stubborn man. Now relax and stop worrying. His ego is big enough.”

Her smoldering soul sighed with relief. “How much more?” The way her voice cracked she wasn’t sure Galena understood the question.

“You’ve been at it a long time—longer than anyone anticipated.” Galena’s usually smooth tone had its own grit.

Lexi dragged her eyes open through sheer will. Galena’s pale face hovered over her, lines bracketing her mouth. “Hurting you.”

“I’ll live.” Her face dipped closer, eyes narrowed. “And I expect you to as well. If not for yourself, then for my brother.”

* * * *

Heavy clouds hung above Maxis as he flew toward the furthest reaches of Asshur. Dark rough rock stretched as far as the eye could see, hiding the isolated stronghold he’d been building for the last fifty years.

He rounded the last of the craggy mountains, and a heavy clasp of pride gripped his heart. Absolutely nothing to boast about—which was precisely the point. No one would easily find this garrison.

Landing in a well-hidden cranny, Maxis stretched his senses a good hundred yards. The subtle energy of those who waited inside pinged against the smooth-as-glass surface, but otherwise the area was desolate.

He ducked behind a jutting wall of rock. Darkness. A sweet relief to the stabbing sun, broken only by distantly spaced sconces with low, simmering coals further down the tunnels. Were it up to him he’d have forgone any light. His sun-beleaguered vision navigated the darkest environs with perfect clarity, but his guests and guards weren’t blessed with such skills.

A draft caressed his neck and the pungent scent of dirt filled his lungs. Each footstep landed with a punctuated clip against the black path. Gaining ammunition to use against Eryx and his throne was one thing, but his real plans lay minutes ahead. The big picture strategy to advance the Lomos Rebellion and ensure his place as ruler.

The thought wrenched his gut tight. Everything his grandmother had fought for, so close. His father had proven a failure, for the rebellion and his only son. More abusive and coddled than respected leader. His mother hadn’t offered much more, abandoning him when he was barely nine and choosing an unborn child sired by a human over him. But Evanora…she’d been steadfast. The one person he’d been able to count on. Would she be proud? Respect the actions he was about to take?

He rounded the final bend. His colleagues sat comfortably around the fire pit, female slaves at their feet in simple, white cotton gowns. A common sight among his people if his plans came to fruition.

“Good of you to meet me, gentlemen.” Refreshments lined the buffet behind them, an elegant display of cheeses and bite-sized meats barely touched. “I trust you’ve found your accommodations satisfactory?”

Grunts of agreement rumbled through the dome carved room as Maxis circled the arched row of elegantly carved chairs. He greeted his first guest, scanning the man’s recent memories. “She didn’t see to your needs, Thyrus?”

The slave ducked her head another inch.

Thyrus’ chest puffed up and his multiple chins wobbled with an off-handed shake of his head. “No, but then I didn’t push the ma—”

Maxis struck, coiling his fingers around the woman’s neck in a brutal grip.

Her scream pierced the room and streaks of blue-white electricity sparked from her convulsing body. The veins at her temples strained, fingers clawing against his grip. A choked gasp. Dazed eyes.

Done
. He released his grip.

The woman slumped to the floor in a boneless heap. The pristine white of her gown stood out against her red, blistered skin and a tinge of burnt hair tainted the air.

“I was very specific about your instructions.” He kept his voice low and even, barely loud enough to carry over the crackling fire behind them. “Find your place. Now.”

The woman pushed on trembling arms to her knees and her curly chestnut hair spilled over, hiding her face. Tears dropped to the cold, stone floor.

Maxis faced his remaining guests. “Reese. Cutter.”

Cutter was an unremarkable man. Moderately built with lackluster brown hair and an average appearance.

Reese was the opposite. An imposing force with a warrior’s build, and hair like a lion’s mane, he glared at Reese with nothing short of condemnation. “Was that necessary?”

Maxis shrugged and circled away from the men. “It’s efficient.” He sprawled in the throne-styled chair opposite his guests. “While you may not yet be fully on board with the ideals of the Rebellion, I expect you’ll hold your counsel until you hear what I have to say. Agreed?”

Reese tossed a food scrap into the pit. “You didn’t leave me much of a choice.” The leather of his fitted coat groaned as he reclined into his seat. Of the three, Reese presented the greatest challenge, the one least inclined to submit.

The one Maxis wanted—damn near needed—in his camp.

Maxis crossed a leg over one knee. “The Rebellion’s lost too much ground since Evanora’s demise, thanks largely to my late father’s poor leadership. I’m prepared to fix that. To take the steps necessary to forward our principles among our people.”

“Or you could let the Rebellion die.” Reese stared at Maxis from across the room, his expression as deadpan as his statement. “It’s an antiquated belief at best.”

“A statement I’d expect from a man who trained to serve the malran.” Maxis steepled his fingers, warming from the buzz of adrenaline. “One would think with the way he turned you away you’d have a bit more incentive to see someone else on the throne. Someone who appreciates your skills.”

Reese scowled.

“I’ll get back to that.” Maxis focused on Thyrus. “We need to expand our audience. Find an ally within the ellan.”

Thyrus sat a little taller and fiddled with the expensive rope belted around his burgundy solicitor robe.

“I’m sure you’ve heard the grumblings from council members of late,” Maxis said. “I’ve personally witnessed the malran spending an inordinate amount of time in Evad. Both our government and our citizens are questioning why. We’d be fools not to leverage the situation and find an ellan eager to align with us.”

The three men exchanged furtive glances. Cutter shifted in his seat, his gown similar to Thyrus’, but pale green and several notches down in quality. “You realize we risk our identities with such an approach. We could be charged with treason.”

Maxis smiled to cover his irritation. “That’s why we find the
right
ellan. One discontent with the malran and his behavior of late.”

Cutter drummed his fingers on his thigh.

Thyrus shrugged and snagged a slice of cheese off the plate on his side table. “Reasonable. Tricky, but reasonable.”

Reese sat silent and unmoving, his broad shoulders making the two men at his sides look infinitesimal.

Maxis stood and paced before the fire, hands clasped behind his back. “Not as tricky as you might think. Especially if we find one with a valuable secret to ensure our own are kept.” He halted directly in front of Reese. “You’re familiar with this practice, aren’t you Reese? You, of all people, know the value of keeping certain secrets buried.”

Reese glared hot as the fire pit at Maxis and fingered the hilt of the dagger anchored at his hip.

“You’re the key to the second step in my plan,” Maxis said. “With you as our strategos, we can build an army. A fully trained contingent that will force the malran and the ellan to respect our beliefs.” He lowered his voice, taunting. “I’ve got the land to train them. All we need now is you.”

Unmoving, Reese held Maxis’ gaze. He’d been rejected as a warrior for the malran, deemed unworthy to serve for the secret he refused to share with Ramsay at his swearing in. A secret Maxis had used to bring Reese here today. A secret powerful enough to build a partnership.

“This is your chance to use your skills. To show what you’re capable of.” Maxis held out his hand. “All I ask in return is a link so show your support. Are you with us?” He let the unspoken,
Or do I share what you fear most with anyone who’ll listen,
hover in the air.

Reese’s pupils dilated and a flush tinted his cheeks. He took a good long look at the exit then focused on Maxis. “Agreed.” The terse acceptance barely made it past his rigid lips, but he clasped Maxis’ hand nonetheless and speared his link into Maxis’ palm.