Ynyr (Tornians Book 3) (32 page)

“Remain here.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

Shoving open the doors Ynyr pleaded with the Goddess that he wasn’t too late.

“Morio, let Navon know we approach.”

Navon quickly glanced down at his comm when it beeped, then relaxed slightly. “It is Lord Ynyr.” He told Paganus as he quickly replied to Morio.

“Lady Abby is secure, my Lord.” Morio told him and Ynyr shoved the doors open. His eyes took in everything at once. Nothing seemed out of place except the broken plates on the floor and the two warriors in the far corner, their swords drawn.

“Abby!” He shouted uncaring what the others might think.

“Here!” Her muffled voice came from behind Paganus.

Quickly he moved to her. “Are you harmed? Did he hurt you? Where is he?” All this he demanded as he lifted her off her feet and crushed her to his chest, making it impossible for her to reply.

“We have yet to find anyone my Lord, but I have not yet done a thorough search.”

“What do you mean?” Ynyr demanded. “You said there was an intruder.”

“Yes, my Lord that is what Master Paganus reported.”

“Ynyr.” Abby pushed herself away from his chest. “Someone has been in here. The food.”

“What?” Turning Ynyr looked at the broken plates.

“My Lord,” Paganus spoke up. “When I entered to clear midday meal I commented on how much Lady Abby seemed to enjoy our food, that she had eaten all of it.”

“And your point?”

“Ynyr,” Abby voice brought his gaze back to her. “I didn’t eat it all, only half and then I went up to the third level.”

“When I entered my Lord the plates were empty.” Paganus told him.

“The chamber doors?” Ynyr demanded.

“Closed.” Paganus told him.

Ynyr slowly set Abby back on her feet before he turned his eyes scanning the room. “Abby?”

“I didn’t see anyone. After you changed your shirt I talked on the comm for a while to your mother, then went to the third level to work. I was coming back down and Paganus was clearing the meal. We talked for a few minutes and that's when I realized someone had been in here.”

“Because of the meal.” Ynyr said.

“Yes and it’s not the first time.” Abby told him.

“What do you mean?!!” Ynyr’s words were tense.

“I mean it’s not the first time food has gone missing. The first time I noticed it was our first night here. I had plates waiting for you, remember?”

“Yes.” Ynyr did, they had been filled with all of his favorites.

“I’d fallen asleep waiting. When you arrived you had already eaten, but when I looked at the plates there seemed to be some food was missing.”

“Why did you not say anything?” Ynyr demanded.

“Because I thought I might have been wrong.”

“When else?”

“The day the mattress arrived. Paganus brought me my midday meal, but I didn’t eat it right away. When I went back the plate was empty.”

“Yet you didn’t say anything!” Ynyr began to fume.

“I thought maybe I had just eaten it during the confusion and forgotten, that’s the only other time when ‘everything’ was eaten, until today. If some on the other plates were missing I never noticed, the portions sizes were large enough to feed a Tornian warrior.”

Ynyr’s mind was racing. Someone had been entering and leaving their chambers undetected for nearly a week! How! It had been sealed when they arrived. “I want this entire Wing searched! Starting with this chamber!”

“Yes, my Lord!”

“Abby…”

“I’m fine… a little shook up to think someone’s been coming and going as they please but since they have done no real harm…”

“Yes they have!”

“Ynyr it’s
food
! It’s not like I was attacked or anything.”

“You could have been.”

“But I wasn’t.”

“My Lord.” Navon’s quiet words had Ynyr spinning around to see him crouched down looking at something. Moving to his side Ynyr saw what Navon was seeing. Crumbs… bread crumbs from the sandwich and they led into the closet. Drawing his sword Ynyr silently followed the trail.

The closet was actually a small room and if it had still been filled with Bertos things it would have taken time to search but as Ynyr had yet to acquire the coverings of a Lord and instead had those of a Warrior, it was nearly empty.

Ynyr’s eyes carefully searched every open inch. Was there a secret passage here as there had been in Torino? Looking at the trail of crumbs he frowned. They led to his coverings. With warriors filing in behind him Ynyr moved closer to his belongings.

Nothing seemed out of place. Nothing was missing. About to turn away, he looked at the damaged shirt he had discarded it earlier. That’s not where he had placed it. Moving towards it he saw the slightest of movements. Reaching down he grabbed the shirt, jerking it away his sword was ready to strike. What he found froze him.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Brice stared up at the male about to end his life. He was bigger than his manno, bigger than any male Brice had ever seen, but his eyes were the same, cold, flat and deadly. He shouldn’t have stolen the food. He knew that, but he had been so hungry and it had just been sitting there.

He liked coming to these chambers now. They were warm. The female laughed, she smelled nice and there was always food. Food no one missed until today.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Ynyr had been ready to strike. Ready to kill whoever dared to endanger his Abby. What he hadn’t been ready for was the dirty, trembling child who was curled up, trying to be as small as possible with the last pieces of the sandwich still clutched in his hand.

Who was this? How had he gotten in here? Where had he come from? Looking to Dai, who had moved to Ynyr’s left, he saw him shake his head, letting him know he had no clue.

Slowly Ynyr lowered his sword. “Who are you?” He demanded, but the yellow skinned child just stared mutely at him. When he reached down the child shrunk away from Ynyr, his eyes frantically searching for an escape route but there were none. Not with five large warriors filling the room.

Ynyr gripped the child’s shoulder and was shocked to discover how thin he seemed to be. While he appeared young, he still should have been more developed than this. Being sure not to harm the child Ynyr led him out of the closet. He wanted some answers.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

“Brice!” Paganus’ exclamation had everyone looking at him.

“Oh my God!” Abby cried out. “A child!” Quickly she moved around Paganus making a beeline for the child still in Ynyr’s grip.

“Abby…” Ynyr tried to stop her, but she dropped right in front of him her eyes locked on the child.

“Hello.” Abby’s voice, so soft and so full of caring for the filthy child before her, had every male pausing. “My name is Abby.” She slowly touched her chest. “What’s yours?” When he didn’t answer she wasn’t fazed at all. Her eyes quickly traveled over him taking in everything at once, his young age, his filthy condition, the way his clothes hung on him and the remnants of the sandwich in his hand.

“My… you really must have been hungry.” Abby gestured to the sandwich. “I can barely eat one of those Tornian size sandwiches.” To her surprise he slowly lifted his arm, offering her what remained.

“Oh no,” Abby told him softly. “You keep that. I’m full.” The child immediately shoved it in his mouth, chewing madly.

“They're good aren’t they?” He nodded at her. “Do you want some more? I can order more if you are still hungry.” His eyes widened in shock as he swallowed down the food. “Won’t you tell me your name?” She asked again.

“It is Brice, my Lady.” Paganus told her.

“I wasn’t speaking to you Paganus.” Abby told him and while her voice was hard and abrupt, shocking Paganus, her eyes remained gentle as they looked at Brice. “Is that your name?” Slowly he nodded. “Brice is a very nice name. How old are you Brice? One?” She held up one finger.

“Two?” She added another.

“Three?” A third joined them.

“Four?” To the shock of all of them, Brice reached out and stopped Abby from raising a fourth finger.

“So it’s three then.” Abby smiled and slowly turned her hand, giving him time to pull away if he wanted before she cupped his small hand. “That’s awfully young to be roaming the House by yourself don’t you think?”

Brice shook his head, his tangled mass of dirty hair moving slightly

“I bet someone is very worried about where you are.”

This time when Brice shook his head, his hair whipped around his face.

“Oh, I don’t believe that. You are such a handsome, resourceful young male. I bet someone is scouring the House for you right now.”

“They dead.” The two small words were spoken in a very small, young voice through lips that barely moved.

“Oh Brice. I’m so sorry.” Abby felt her eyes fill with tears. “Mine died too.” She opened her arms to him and after only a moment’s hesitation, he dove into them.

Every male in the room watched the unfolding scene in shock. Why was she comforting this child? He was not hers and even if he had been, at this age a female would have turned her offspring over to his manno, done with her responsibility to him. Even Ynyr’s own mother had done this.

“Who is he Paganus?” Ynyr demanded, pulling his eyes from Abby.

“Brice Guttuso…. Bertos and Risa’s male.”

“What?!!” Ynyr’s eyes shot back to the child Abby was now rocking in her arms. “What is he still doing here?!!”

“I do not know my Lord.” Paganus told him.

“Korin!” Ynyr turned hard eyes to him.

“I am sorry my Lord, I never gave it a thought… his care was never a part of my duties.”

“Paganus!”

“My Lord?”

“Who was responsible for his care while Bertos was gone?” Ynyr demanded.

“My Lord… Warrior Wasaki was assigned to oversee the care of him from the time Risa gave up her responsibility.”

“What?”

“Bertos did not feel he needed to be bothered with the care of a second male. He had Luuken.”

“Wasaki left this House t
wo
days ago! Why did he not send him to Gehenna?!!”

“Yes, my Lord and I do not know. I can only assume that with the deaths of Risa and Bertos he considered his responsibility ended.”

“Gehenna!” Abby exclaimed, she remembered Ynyr telling her about that place, it was where Dai thought Korin should have sent Mabon. A place for the unfit and unwanted.

Suddenly Brice sprung from her arms and took off running for the chamber doors that no one had bothered to close.

“Get him!” Ynyr ordered.

Abby slowly rose to her feet as the room emptied, all those large Tornian males chasing after one small, scared boy. She was trying to get her mind to process everything that had just occurred. She knew it took her longer to figure things out, knew most of what the educator tried to force into her mind didn’t take but she also knew Ynyr couldn’t have just said what she thought he had.

There was no way he could have meant that he had expected someone to send a three year old to a place that sounded like a hell hole to her. It was a death sentence. Ynyr wasn’t that kind of male. He was more caring than that, was more compassionate.

Turning, Varick’s gaze in the family portrait caught her eye. He seemed to be staring directly at her, condemning her. For what? For what she had done? Comforting an innocent? Or for what she hadn’t done. Protecting him as she’d been protected? Or was it something else entirely? Was he trying to tell her she wasn’t worthy enough to be a member of
his
family?

Slowly she sat on the couch trying to think. The sound of impatient footsteps had her raising her eyes to see Ynyr striding towards her. “The little caca got away!” He told her running a frustrated hand through his hair as he sat down next to her.

“Really.” She said quietly.

“Yes! Ja heard us shouting and opened the doors to the Wing, he slipped between Ja’s legs before we warn him.”

“Resourceful little caca isn’t he?” She said just as quietly.

“Yes, but we’ll find him and when we do, it’s Gehenna for him!”

“Why?” Abby asked, looking at him.

“Why what?”             

“Why would you send him there?”

“Abby, he is the offspring of Risa and Bertos!” Ynyr said it as if that explained everything.

“You knew they had offspring together?”

“Of course. Everyone knew they did.”

“I didn’t.” She told him quietly. “No one ever said that they had left behind a child, an offspring, one with no brother to watch out for him.”

“Probably because he should have been gone before we arrived.”

“And that would have been okay with you… that an innocent was sent to such a terrible place.”

“He isn’t an innocent Abby. He has Risa’s and Bertos’ blood running through his veins. He is tainted. Unfit. Nothing he can ever do will change that. His every breath perpetuates the madness and evil that has infected his blood. It must end somewhere!”

“You would judge him… because of his parents… because of a chance of birth… giving no thought to the fact that those that raise him will influence him more than those responsible for his birth?”

“That will not matter! What matters is that his bloodline is tainted. His parents were unfit and unworthy and that makes him unfit and unworthy!” Ynyr answered his ringing comm. “Yes?”

“We believe we have him cornered my Lord.” Korin informed him. “In the unused Wing.”

“I will be right there! Abby, I have to go. Know that there are now two guards at the entrance and two at the top of the stairs. You need only to call out and they will hear you. You are safe.” Giving her a quick hard kiss Ynyr went after Brice.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Abby watched as her entire world walked out the door, taking with him all her hope and all her belief. The belief that she deserved to be happy. The belief that someone could love her, truly love her for who she was… not where she came from. Lance hadn’t been able to do that, but with Ynyr… with Ynyr she had thought it would be different, that
he
was different… she was wrong.

‘Of course you were,’
the voice spoke again.
‘Look at you! You are short and fat. You never had a chance with such a fit and worthy male! A Lord! Did you really believe a Lord could love someone like you? Best you leave or better yet end yourself so he doesn’t have to.’

Abby let out a pain filled cry as every word seemed like a blow. What was she going to do? Where was she going to go? Who would help her now? Barely able to rise she went to the comm.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

“Abby!”

Lisa’s face was radiant when it appeared on the comm screen, pregnancy must be agreeing with her, Abby thought. She saw the smile quickly fade.

“Abby! What’s wrong?” Lisa’s eyes flew across her comm screen taking in the utter devastation and despair that filled the face and eyes that only days ago had been filled with happiness. “What happened?” Lisa heard Grim moving towards her from across their resting chamber.

“I’ve made a mistake Lisa. A terrible… horrible mistake. What could I have been thinking? I should have known better… it always matters… it never goes away… mom was wrong…”

“Abby.” Lisa shot concerned eyes to Grim, who just shook his head.

“I need to leave… get away…” Abby’s eyes met Lisa’s on the screen. “Can I come to Luda? I need to come to Luda. It’s where I should have been all along. I never should have come here. Can I come?”

“Yes. Yes. Of course you can but tell me what’s wrong?” Lisa saw Grim punch some buttons on his personal comm and walk to where Abby couldn’t hear him. “What has happened? Are you hurt?”

“Today. Can you come today? We need to leave today. We can’t stay here. We…”

“Abby calm down! We can’t come today, we are three days from Tornian. Now who is
we
? You mean you and Ynyr?”

“No!” Abby instantly responded, recoiling from the screen. “No, not Ynyr… Brice… Me and Brice. We need to leave. I can’t let Ynyr send him to Gehenna. He’ll die there.”

“Abby… Abby!” Lisa shouted at her. “Who is Brice?”

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Ynyr knew they had the little caca trapped. He was somewhere in this room. All they had to do was figure out where. He looked at his comm impatiently wanting to ignore its ring, then he saw it was Grim’s code.

“I’m a little busy right now King Grim.” Ynyr told him leaning over to check a dark corner.

“I don’t give a flying fuck what you are.” Grim used an Earth phrase he had recently learned. “I want to know why Abby is on the comm with Lisa telling her she has made a mistake and begging for us to come get her!”

“What!” Ynyr immediately straightened his exclamation drawing the gaze of every male.

“That’s what I want to know. What have you done to her?”

“Nothing. She is fine. I left her not ten minutes ago.” Forgetting about Brice, Ynyr took off at a run for their Wing.

“She is not fine. She is nearly incoherent she’s so upset. Get your ass to her!”

“Already on my way!” Disconnecting he ran faster.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

“Three days?” Abby gave Lisa a confused look. “It will take you three days?”

“Yes… Abby, who is Brice?”

“I shouldn’t have called you. I should have called… Kim… no Wray would want to do the same… I can’t call Isis… what am I going to do? Where are we going to go?”

“
Abby!
” Lisa’s yell had Abby pausing, looking back at her. “Who. Is. Brice?”

“Risa and Bertos’ three year old male.” She told her.

Dead silence met her statement.

“Their offspring… I had forgotten…” Lisa turned troubled eyes to the returning Grim. “How could I have forgotten about him?”

“It was not for you to worry about my Lisa.” Grim told her gruffly.

“You knew about him?” Abby turned accusing eyes to Grim.

“Of course.”

“Ynyr wants to send him to Gehenna.” Abby told him.

“That would be for the best.” Grim nodded.

“Wait, what is Gehenna?” Lisa asked, looking at Grim. “And why does that upset Abby?”

“It is a place where the
fit and worthy
Tornians send those they have abandoned and have deemed
unfit
. That includes children no one will take responsibility for!” Abby told her.

“What? No! That’s impossible.” Lisa denied. “A brother takes responsibility…”

“You have to have a brother, Lisa.” Grim told her quietly.

“True, but… someone else…”

“If a male assumes the responsibility of another’s offspring he risks never being able to attract a female of his own, to perpetuate his bloodline.” Grim informed her.

“Oh yes, let’s not forget about that all important
bloodline
!” Abby sneered.

Just then doors to the chamber were thrust open, banging off the walls and Ynyr rushed in.

“What in the name of the Goddess is going on?!!” He demanded, moving over to Abby.

Abby swung around in her seat, her eyes full of betrayal as they looked from Lisa to Grim. “You called him.”

“Abby…” Lisa began.

“Yes.” Grim cut her off. “Ynyr is your male Abby. The one
you
chose. He descends from a fit and honorable bloodline, you need to tell him what is wrong so he can fix it.”

“Fix it!” Abby began to laugh, but it was a laugh full of shredded glass. “Fix it! Like he was going to ‘fix’ an innocent three year old by sending him somewhere to die!”

“Abby you do not understand…” Ynyr tried to touch her but she jerked away.

“Oh, I understand alright… better than you… you always saw yourself as less because of a chance of birth, because of the
order
in which you were born, but you never once saw yourself as less because of
who
you came from, did you Ynyr.

“No.” He said quietly.

“And you King Grim,” Abby’s eyes turned to him, blazing at the most feared warrior in all the Empire. “You saw yourself as less because you were
injured
, scarred but never because of the
blood
that ran through your veins did you.”

“No.” Grim admitted.

“Yet both of you would condemn a three year old to death because of what his parents did, because of the blood that runs through his veins. You have no idea of what he may or may not do!”

“Most likely he will do as his manno’s blood has.” Grim told her quietly.

“What about his mother’s blood? What about Risa’s manno, Captain Busto. He was the Captain of the Emperor’s Guard! He died trying to defend King Rask! He was a fit and honorable male. Respected by many! How do you know he won’t follow
that
bloodline!”

No one spoke.

“I understand what you are saying Abby, but it is not a chance I am willing to take.” Ynyr told her. “
I
am the Lord of this House. He is in
my
House. It is up to
me
to make that decision.”

“And will that be your decision if we have offspring?” Abby demanded.

“What?” Ynyr looked at her in shock.

“Are you going to rip them from my arms and send them there to die just like you are doing to Brice?”

“Of course not!” Ynyr instantly denied.

“That’s what you say now Ynyr but that’s a chance I’m not willing to take.” She flung his words back at him.

“Abby our offspring will be fit and worthy…” he began giving her a confused look.

“How do you know that? You know nothing of the blood that runs through
my
veins. All your people cared about when they took us from Earth was that we were ‘unprotected’.”

“Abby.” Lisa’s quiet voice broke through. “What are you talking about? Your parents…”

“David and Ronnie Jamison were my mom and dad, they were the people that raised me, loved me and taught me right from wrong. They were amazing people, but not one drop of their blood runs through my veins.” Abby saw the shock on Lisa’s face. “Oh no! The blood in my veins comes from Victor and Vicki Davis thank you very much, two of the biggest scum bags on Earth.”

“You were adopted.” Lisa whispered.

“Yes.”

“What is a… adopted?” Ynyr asked.

“Something no fit or worthy Tornian male would ever consider doing.” Abby spat at him. “They took in and loved a child that no one else wanted. They didn’t send that child away to die just because of a chance of birth!”

Ynyr flinched at the condemnation he saw in his Abby’s eyes. There was not one ounce of the soft caring female he had come to know and love. He wanted her back.

“Tell me about them Abby.” Ynyr said.

“Sure, why the fuck not?” Her self-deprecating laugh hurt Ynyr’s heart. “Let’s get it all out there. That way, no one can blame you for not wanting to have offspring with me. Some bloodlines should end.” Abby looked past Ynyr to the portrait she’d been so excited to find. She had been so excited to think she would be part of a family like that, that she could claim to be related to
them
. She should have known better.

“My first memory is of humming, this soft little hum that was always there. It wasn’t until later that I realized it was coming from my sister. She was always holding me and humming. I think she did it so I wouldn’t cry and attract attention. You never wanted to attract the attention of either Vicki or Victor. You never knew what would happen if you did. It might be a slap. It might be a kick. If they were in a really good mood they would just yell at us…”