Fire Pearl (Beyond Ontariese 5) (19 page)

Her form distorted then morphed and random
features scrolled across her face. It was grotesque and appeared
arbitrary until two separate heads appeared at the same time, each
detailed and distinct.

“She’s melded with someone,” Charlotte’s
disbelieve echoed Aria’s.

Drakkin moved closer, the brightness of his
gaze incasing the intruder in a pulsing red beam. The creature
twisted and screamed. Two torsos emerged, but their lower bodies
were still fused.

The man had long brown hair and brutish
features. He turned toward Noll and wrapped his hands around her
throat.

“We need to interrogate her.” Charlotte
lunged forward, stopping just short of Drakkin’s position.

“She can’t tell us anything we don’t already
know.” His jaw clenched so tight he could barely speak, but he
continued trying to wrest them apart.

Noll clawed at the man’s forearms, her face
red, eyes bulging. The man’s focus never wavered. Suddenly Noll’s
neck snapped and her head drooped to one side.

Drakkin narrowed the red beam so the man
absorbed all of the destructive energy. The intruder groaned and
his image started to fade.

“Don’t let him escape!” Charlotte raised both
hands and closed her eyes.

Aria tensed. There had to be something she
could do. She opened her mind to Drakkin and pushed energy across
their link. The beam brightened, sparks of light bursting within
the paler illumination. The man shrieked and writhed as the energy
finally penetrated his shields.

Drakkin reached out with one hand and sharply
turned his wrist. The man’s neck snapped like a twig and his head
lulled to the side just like his victim’s. The distorted image fell
over and then faded away.

“This is all visualization. Are they really
dead?” Drakkin had said this was how some Shadow Assassin’s killed.
She’d had no idea he possessed the ability too.

“They are dead.” Drakkin sounded neither
pleased nor sorry.

“It would have been better to figure out
where they were so we could have questioned them.”

“They didn’t give us that option.” His
impatience was beginning to show. “They threatened my mate. You
can’t expect me to be merciful.”

Aria hid a smile, pleased by his attitude.
Noll had hunted her down like prey. This was a fitting end. “That
wasn’t Faujer. I wonder when and why she switched partners.”

“I will find out what happened to that
bastard. The important thing is the threat has been neutralized.
Still, I can’ help wonder how they got in here?” His voice was
gruff, his expression fierce.

“I took every precaution. I—”

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her
mouth. “You did nothing wrong. I’m only angry that I wasn’t here to
protect you.”

“That creature melded with me so skillfully,
I
didn’t detect them,” Charlotte said. “By the time I forced
them out, I was so weak I could hardly move. If it hadn’t been for
your firestorm, we might both be dead. You did incredibly
well.”

Joy tingled through Aria at the praise. “We
make a pretty good team.”

“I certainly won’t argue, but let’s back this
entire thing up. You rattled off several staggering statements
right before I detected my stowaways.”

“Vade, Vee’s half-brother founded the Shadow
Assassins. He was Rodyte not Ontarian. But that part is more
important to the people of Bilarri.” Aria tucked her hair behind
her ears and tried to focus her thoughts. “The House of Joon is in
liege with the Rodytes and has been since before the Great
Conflict.”

“My original question remains. How can you be
so sure?”

“Vee transferred the images into my mind and
Drakkin helped me understand what it all meant.”

Drakkin rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s
imperative that we deprive the Rodytes of the element of surprise.
If Noll managed to warn them before she died, Vee’s efforts will
have been in vain.”

“All this information came from Vee?”
Charlotte was obviously still processing.

Aria nodded. “He remained on the metaphysical
plane until I was strong enough to join him there, err,
here
.” She smiled.

“You must begin an investigation into the
House of Joon,” Drakkin stressed.

Charlotte took a step back and shook her
head. “It would launch the Great Conflict all over again.”

“The Great Conflict never ended, they just
found less violent ways of perpetuating the prejudice.” He wrapped
his arm around Aria’s shoulders, pulling her snug against his side.
“There is much you don’t understand. The female portion of that
creature was Noll
dar Joon
, a respected member of the Mystic
community. And I believe the man was a Shadow Assassin.”

Charlotte shuddered. “I’d never seen either
of them before.” She rubbed her arms and met Drakkin’s gaze. “But
even if he was a Shadow Assassin, he was Ontarian. How does this
prove the House of Joon is allied with the Rodytes?”

Drakkin rolled his shoulders then sighed.
“I’ll make a full report to the Joint High Council and explain
everything, but you must not give them any indication what the
report will contain.”

“Of course.” She looked at Aria, her gaze
filled with regret. “I wish we could have met under better
circumstances.”

“We have the rest of our lives to improve the
circumstances.”

Charlotte smiled. “I promise when you arrive
on Ontariese, you’ll be welcomed with open arms.” She glanced at
Drakkin, one eyebrow arched. “You are going to bring her to
Ontariese, aren’t you?”

“Of course.”

Charlotte turned back to Aria and asked, “Did
they alter your appearance or is this your natural coloring?”

Aria glanced at Drakkin as old insecurities
surged.

“She possesses a rare Bilarrian gift known as
the
jumanna
. Her existence is one of the things that proves,
despite their claims, Rodytes can manipulate magic.”

“I think you’re stunning,” Charlotte assured
her. “You’ll cause quite a stir.”

“No, she won’t,” Drakkin insisted. “Aria is
my life mate.”

“I see,” was all she said, but her eyes
gleamed with knowing amusement. “While I have you here, may I have
an update on my other sister?”

“Cinarra is settling in quite well, if she
will just allow herself to think of anything other than the
boy.”

“She’s the most protective person I’ve ever
known and Seth—”

“Betaul,” Drakkin reminded.

“
Betaul
will be vulnerable until he
can control his abilities. But I’ll see what I can do to expand her
horizons. Maybe a visit from Krysta would—”

“It’s still too dangerous. We cannot risk
someone making the connection.”

Charlotte didn’t look pleased, but she didn’t
argue. Instead, she asked, “When shall I expect you?”

“Give me a couple of days to make sure the
situation on Bilarri is stable.”

“I’ll see
both of you
then.” With one
last smile, Charlotte blinked out of sight.

Aria rested her head on Drakkin’s shoulder
and released a weary sigh. “Will they send another assassin after
me?”

“You’re a secret they were trying to
suppress. That secret will soon be common knowledge. Killing you
now would serve no purpose, except speeding them toward
interplanetary war.”

“Even if we expose the Rodytes, how will we
avert a war?”

“By shining light into the darkness.”

She smiled and turned to face him. “That’s
rather poetic.”

“I mean it literally. The Shadow Assassins
are only one of the legacies left behind by the Great Conflict, but
they are perhaps the most intolerable. Their lair must be found and
their brutality abolished.”

“Do you think Vee’s brother is still
alive?”

“It’s unlikely. Still, little is known about
the Shadow Assassins.”

“Except for the lives they shatter?”

He nodded and cupped her cheek with his palm.
“Enough talk of the challenges before us. We’ve accomplished enough
for one night. Even the High Queen of Ontariese commended your
work.”

She rubbed her cheek against his hand and
greedily absorbed the tenderness in his eyes. “My sister is
impressive.”

“As are you.” Covering her mouth with his, he
poured affection across their telepathic link. She combined it with
her own and passed it back to him. She parted her lips, encouraging
him to deepen the kiss. With a throaty chuckle, he pulled back and
turned her toward the empty seats. “Take a bow, my love. This show
is over. It’s time to go home.”

“This is outrageous!” Lilt dar Joon slammed
his palms against the tabletop as his voice rang out in the council
chambers. “I have accepted every compromise and bowed to each
mandate until the youth of my House have risen up against me.”

“The evidence is incontrovertible.”
Charlotte’s calm response made his outburst seem all the more
inappropriate.

Aria looked at each member of the Joint High
Council, trying to judge their reactions. Their expressions ranged
from disappointment to disgust. None held compassion for Lilt dar
Joon.

“We all know Bilarrians have abilities beyond
those of our Mystics. What’s to say Lord Drakkin didn’t alter the
memory stream or—”

“What motivation do I have for creating this
drama? The Rodytes are the only ones who would have benefited from
Aria’s death.” His tone was more cutting than Charlotte’s yet far
more composed than Lilt’s.

“If the memory stream is accurate, you should
be arrested for murdering Noll!” Lilt turned to the other council
members. “Did you not hear her pleas for mercy, her attempts to
cooperate?”

“We saw a desperate traitor spouting lies,”
Legate cet Malaque said to a chorus of murmured agreement.

“They were not lies,” Lilt snarled. “Noll has
a daughter.”

“And had any ill befallen the child?” Legate
cet Marlaque persisted.

“That is not the point.”

“I ask that this council appoint an
investigative team to—”

“I will never allow it,” Lilt snapped,
cutting off Charlotte’s request. “This was an isolated incident, if
not a false allegation. You have lured these fools to your side,
manipulated them with your diplomacy. I will not subject my House
to a witch hunt.” He stormed from the room and slammed the doors
with a resounding bang.

“That went well.” Charlotte shook her
head.

“The only reason he would object so
vehemently is if he had something to hide. This was no isolated
incident,” Legate spoke again.

A strained silence followed. Charlotte’s
greatest fear had been reigniting the Great Conflict. If all the
other Houses supported her now, the situation was vastly different.
Still, Aria—and everyone in the room—reflected on the
similarities.

“How did you expose the conspiracy on
Bilarri?” Legate asked.

“We pretended to be ignorant,” Drakkin
replied. “The regional kings and Guild Masters were notified of the
potential danger then
Chae Tra Lyn
Hautell publicly
announced the miraculous discovery of a
jumanna
born of
Rodyte blood. The Guild Masters offered to scan every Rodyte on
Bilarri in the hopes of finding other ‘latent’ abilities. The vast
majority of those who were scanned had no such abilities, but
thousands of Rodytes opted to return to Rodymia rather than be
scanned.”

“I wish our situation could have been defused
rather than forced to a head.” Charlotte sighed and rubbed the
bridge of her nose. The Joint High Council was her greatest
achievement. This had to be a devastating setback.

“This has been festering since the Joint High
Council was formed.” Again Legate seemed to speak for everyone. “I
don’t think Lilt was ever committed to peace. He was just more
deceitful than his predecessors.”

“Be that as it may, he had one valid point,”
Charlotte said. “I will not allow this to turn into a witch hunt. I
want the investigation to be thorough and objective, which means I
will not be directly involved.” She looked at Aria and managed to
smile. “Thank you for allowing us to invade your memory.”

“You’re welcome.” Aria wasn’t sure what else
to say. With his usual protectiveness, Drakkin had insisted on
transmitting her memory to the others, so he’d been the only one to
actually touch her mind.

“If you need anything else, we’ll be at the
Conservatory for the next few days.” Drakkin pulled out Aria’s
chair and they left the council chambers hand in hand.

With effortless skill, Drakkin opened a
transport conduit connecting the corridor outside the council
chambers to a grassy hill overlooking Mystic Valley. Aria gasped,
stumbling through the vortex. “Please warn me when you’re going to
do that.” She swayed and he encircled her waist, steadying her as
she adjusted to their new surroundings.

“I’m sorry.” Reaching behind them, he closed
the conduit with a wave of his hand. “I’m a bit distracted.”

“That’s understandable. This has been one
hell of a week.”

He rubbed his cheek against her hair and
inhaled her scent. “The Rodytes are on the run, at least for now.
Charlotte must deal with a disgruntled rival, but she has the
support of the other great houses. Ontarian Armed Forces have
networked with the Bilarrian Militia to find the Shadow Assassins’
lair. One hell of a week indeed.”

“Have you heard anything about Faujer? I know
you sent messages to half the people on Bilarri asking about
him.”

He turned her around, his hands lingering on
her shoulders. “I was going to wait until tomorrow to explain.
We’ve had a full day already.”

“Is it good or bad?”

After a short pause he said,
“Interesting.”

“Okay. Now I’m curious. Tell me.”

“According to a source Indric trusts, Faujer
was found by his brother on Earth. Faujer’s memory had been wiped
so completely that the damage is irreversible. He was also left in
a hotel room naked without identification or currency.”