l foreseers of Dxyriah, and he had not wanted to involve her in his search, but his Princess had vanished from the face of Serange. She could be anywhere in the Omniverse. Or dead. “A report placed her near the portal leading to the world of Amagarie. I questioned the gatekeeper of that portal, and he did not see her. There is a possibility she had removed his memory. The one thing I am certain of is that she is not on our world. Or I would have found her.”
He shifted and peered into the hardened beauty of Megladine’s eyes, the scar that ran down her cheek, marring the face that had once been perfection. As a foreseer, her designation was that of an Omega—the second ring of power. She was not even close to being an Imperial, the most exceptional level of skill that could ever be attained with their abilities, yet he did not doubt her capability in reaching through the Omniverse to locate their princesses. She had foreseen the despair that came to Dxyriah, albeit the warning came too late.
“Will you help me, my Megladine?”
Her lips wobbled on a small smile, then his lover took the robe, her eyes fluttering closed. She swayed, and he clasped her waist anchoring her. The feel of her soft skin beneath his fingers was torture. He could not marry Megladine as he dreamed of doing. Princess Shilah had sensed his deep love for Megladine, who as an Impure was not permitted to marry or even allowed a liaison, and the princess had not reported them. They had been secret lovers for over ten years, and it was only since the rebellion that he had stopped going to her bed. For if they were discovered the punishment would be severe for both. What he asked of her now was just as dangerous but restoring his princess to her throne was not only his duty, it would put their world back upright, and he could be with his love once again.
Megladine gasped. “She lives!”
Relief blasted through him. “Where?” he demanded.
“I cannot see.” Her brows furrowed in fierce concentration. “She gathers an army.”
“An army? Where exactly is she?”
“It is not as clear as how I would hope,” she said her voice throbbing with power. “She seeks to wipe out the hands that betrayed her and to reclaim her throne. I see our princess cloaked in shadows and darkness.”
“Death?” he asked sharply.
Megladine’s breathing fractured. “I cannot see it, but the shadows are sentient.”
Impossible.
“Lies whisper and blind my vision. I sense destruction and pain, Rah. That is what our princess returns with,” she expelled with a shaky breath. “She and Princess Kala are the last pure royals of the Symonrah line. Our princess must know that to return is to end her bloodline’s reign. I too yearn for her, but I fear she is on the wrong path. Vengeance is not the way to reclaim Dxyriah.”
He stepped away from her. “She is our rightful ruler, Megladine!”
“The darkness I foresee eclipses that which our kingdom currently faces. Our people have had enough death,” she said softly.
“What are you saying?” he demanded, ice congealing in his heart.
“You know,” she breathed, looking away from his stare.
“I don’t know.” And he prayed she was not suggesting...
She faced him and touched his arms lightly. “Our princess cannot be allowed to return. We must foil her arrival to protect our people from more devastation.”
“You could be wrong,” he rebutted her, unable to bear the idea of adding to the suffering of his princess now. He loved her more than anything in his life. He was the anvil to her hammer, and from birth, he had known his sole purpose was to serve her, always. For now, their princess lived, and it was knowledge they needed to keep close as it proved difficult to determine who her followers now were.
“We cannot fail her,” his lover whispered. “She would want us to protect Dxyriah, even from herself.”
1
Amagarie
102 years After the second Great War
Mevia—Kingdom of Sounds
The Emperor’s palace.
Princess Shilah Symonrah, heir to the throne of Dxyriah, had one thought as she hurried down the long-winding hallway to meet with Emperor Jadon Khan, the sovereign ruler of the house of Zhang, and the emperor of Mevia. I’m in deep shit. That had been the response of the stocky bald human priest, Father Bramwell, with whom she had spoken to at length about her predicament last evening. He had explained his meaning, and while she had been horrified at his vulgarity, she entirely agreed. She was in the deepest of shits with no foreseeable way out, but she would not give up. The lives of her people, the life of her dear sister, Kala, depended on every move Shilah would make tonight.
Something had changed and whatever that was had nervous energy coursing through her veins. The emperor had summoned her for an audience, and the insolent way the guards had addressed her had been too familiar as if her status as a royal guest had been revoked. That did not bode well. How she resented the wings of fright beating so frantically against her breastbone.
She opened her mind, careful not to spill her aura and reached for her younger sister whom she’d vowed to protect at all cost. “Kala are you well?”
A gentle flutter stirred inside her mind, and she reached for the thread, opening her psychic eyes wider to sense her sister’s aura. It was white.