“Here, let me help you with that.” He came to her side, and started buttoning up the dress. As his warm fingers moved up her back, she held still, hardly daring to breath. He moved her hair out of the way and she felt his warm breath on her neck.
This moment of intimacy sent her pulse racing. She swallowed, feeling the heat of his body so close to hers. His movements slowed, lingering over the last few buttons, and she knew he inhaled her scent before finishing up. “There, all done.” He stepped back. “Let me have a look at you.”
She turned to face him, a warm blush flowing over her cheeks.
He opened his mouth to speak but the words caught in his throat, leaving him momentarily speechless. She took advantage of his silence, realizing her power over him. His desire for her left him vulnerable, and she could use it to suit her needs.
Guilt battled with necessity. It wasn’t right, but neither was what they had done to her and her people. How guiltless was Jesse anyway? Whose side was he really on? But could she promise him things she never intended to give?
She lifted her chin and pointed to the kundar. “Did you know what Korban did to me? This is real. He coerced me into putting it on with my own hands.” Her voice shook with emotion. “A part of me died that night. I am bound once again, and now I have to take Korban to the grove for the sake of our people.”
Jesse came to her side. “I didn’t betray you Teya. I didn’t tell him anything. He must have figured it out on his own. Believe me, I’m sorry it happened.”
“There is a way to take the kundar off,” she said, but decided against telling him how, in case he refused. “Bran did it, and I know you can do it too. With my full strength, I am stronger than Korban. He told me this himself. I can defeat him. Let’s work together. Take it off me. Tonight. Now.”
Jesse stilled, then frowned and shook his head. “Not tonight. There’s too much at stake. Korban’s always surrounded by soldiers, and with Turner’s cooperation, the odds against us are too great. I can do it once we leave here. On the way to the grove. Our chances for success will be better then.”
Did he really mean it, or was he just putting her off? Sensing her doubt, he reached for her hands. “I will do it Teya. I promise.” He gently cupped her face. “You mean more to me than any ties I have with Korban. I see a future for us in the grove. We’re both Kalorians. We belong together. It’s what I want, and I hope eventually, that you’ll want it too.” He paused and licked his lips, then caught her gaze. “Tell me that I have a chance.”
She flinched at the raw need in him. He wanted her. Would she have to give up Bran in order to save him? Would Jesse help her if she didn’t? He studied her, knowing she struggled. “It’s Bran, isn’t it?” He started to pull away.
“Yes.” She drew him back. “He’s in the dungeon with Jax. Help them escape. Tonight,” she pleaded. “I owe him that much. It will save his life. After he’s gone, we can work everything else out together. Just you and me, the way you want.”
Conflicting emotions of hope and doubt flooded Jesse’s face. Their gazes met and the hope slowly died, replaced with cold calculation. He didn’t believe her. Something in her eyes must have given her away. His face lost all expression.
“There might be a way I can free them, so Korban won’t know it’s me. I’ll have to use sym.” He tightly gripped Teya’s arms. “He’ll kill me if he finds out. You know that don’t you?”
“Yes.” She held her breath.
“All right then, I’ll do it. For you.” He released his crushing hold, but barely held his emotions in check. “And then later, after I remove your kundar, you’ll have everything you want. But what will I have, Teya? What will you give me?” When she didn’t answer, he turned on his heel and left.
Chapter 11
Teya drew a ragged breath to quell the thundering storm of emotion. It used to be easy to fix an unwavering blankness on her face. Now she could hardly keep her focus centered on one thing. Jesse had upset her with his questions. He was right. She was asking a lot of him, and what could she give him in return? She would never give up Bran. Did that make it wrong to ask for Jesse’s help? At least he hadn’t given her an ultimatum.
Iris entered the room. After taking one look at Teya, she quickly ushered her to a chair and gave her a drink of water. She deftly began to comb Teya’s hair while she hummed a soothing melody. Teya closed her eyes and let the melody enfold her, easing out the knots in her shoulders and neck. While Iris expertly entwined a jeweled circlet into her hair, Teya opened the link to Bran.
Relief and strength flooded into her, quieting the storm. Flowing within this quiet river came another feeling that held everything else together. Love. He loved her. She wished she had spoken the words while she was with him, but the moment was lost. Instead she sent the feeling back to him in a wave. She could almost see his smile of pleasure. It was enough to bring tears to her eyes. His life was all that mattered to her now, even if she could never share it with him.
Squaring her shoulders and her resolve, she raised her chin, ready to face what lay ahead. “Thank you Iris, you’ve helped me a great deal.”
“Good luck tonight, Mistress,” she said. “I’ll let them know you’re ready.”
It seemed like hours before the door opened again, and three palace guards escorted her down to the main staircase above the great hall. Korban waited on the landing, and took her arm in a courtly manner. “I offered Jesse the honor of escorting you into the hall, but he refused. Did you have an argument?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Teya protested, but color stained her cheeks.
“Hmm.” Korban scrutinized her. “I know Jesse covered for you when you killed the king. I’ve been watching him ever since. He was covered in blood that night, but I never understood that it was his. You saved his life didn’t you?” Her silence was all the confirmation he needed. “Maybe for that I won’t kill Bran. It will depend on how convincing you are tonight. I want Rasmussen to think you are acting of your own free will.”
“Kindness would go a lot further than your threats, Colonel Porter, but have no fear, I won’t let you down.”
He smiled at her comeback, as if it pleased him, but it could just have easily been for the benefit of the large crowd watching them. She scanned the hall below. It was filled with all the high-ranking officials in the kingdom, and her stomach tensed with nerves.
At the high table, everyone stood as Korban introduced her. Rasmussen smiled, but his eyes held calculated curiosity. A big man with military bearing, he was an imposing figure who didn’t seem easy to fool. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him that Bran and Jax were in the dungeon below them, but she could wait for the right moment.
“After spending the last few hours working out the fine print of the alliance, it’s a welcome break to finally meet you,” Rasmussen told her. “Now seeing you, I can understand why Bran was so willing to help you escape. With King Thesald dead, I suppose that’s no longer a problem. I was half expecting to see him here with you.” He glanced around the room, then caught her gaze. “He doesn’t have to run anymore. In view of these latest developments, all charges have been dropped.”
Teya held her tongue, not sure how to respond, and an awkward silence stretched for several seconds before Korban spoke. “Tell him Songbird.”
Only Korban would be so cruel, and she was sorely tempted to tell Rasmussen the truth. Teya licked her lips and cleared her throat. “It’s difficult for me to say,” she stammered, to cover her hesitation. Korban frowned with warning and she haltingly continued. “You see…the king…had Bran…killed when we first got here.”
Rasmussen’s brows drew together and he gasped. “What? This is terrible! How did it happen?”
Teya swallowed and lowered her gaze. “King Thesald was furious,” Turner said, taking over when Teya remained silent. “He had Bran executed before the large crowd we had here, and in front of Colonel Porter and his soldiers. Bran may have been out o
f favor with your government, but you can imagine the outrage this act sparked among your soldiers.
“It was in the commotion that followed between our soldiers and yours, that the king received the fatal blow that killed him. Luckily, more of us wanted an alliance than a war, and cooler heads prevailed. Colonel Porter and his men did an excellent job of maintaining peace. I credit him for this alliance now.”
“Thank you for telling me what happened, Chancellor Turner,” Rasmussen regained his composure. “Colonel Porter was too modest to tell me his part in all this. Bran was a good man. I am saddened to hear he is gone.”
Turner motioned to Teya. “Perhaps our Songbird can ease some of your sorrow with her beautiful voice.”
Rasmussen keenly scrutinized her. “Are you sure you’re up to it? I would be happy to wait if now is not a good time.”
“No. I would be honored to sing for you in his memory.” Teya dutifully went to her place on the dais, hating this charade she was forced to play. She could imagine Rasmussen’s reaction if he found out that both Bran and Jax were being held against their will. She hoped she didn’t regret not telling him the truth, but there was too much to lose if it went wrong and she couldn’t risk it.
After taking part in such blatant lies about the events of that day, she found it difficult to find her center, and the proper voice to sing. She closed her eyes knowing that Bran’s life depended on this moment and how she handled it.
That gave her an idea, settling her nerves and calming her fears. In tranquil assurance, she opened her mouth to sing. As her tones of a lilting melody filled the hall, she opened the bond to Bran and funneled the magic to him.
To her amazement, it increased the tolerance of her power over the kundar. With the bond siphoning off the magic that would normally bounce back at her, she was much stronger than before. She funneled as much magic to Bran as she could, hoping he could use it despite the distance between them.
Once her song took hold of the people listening, she magnified their feelings of contentment and well-being, then sent these feelings back in an ever-widening circle. The effect became a beautiful kaleidoscope of color that laced through the air and flickered over the room in a prism of light. Their reaction of awe inspired her to integrate that emotion into her song as well, heightening the experience into ripples of pleasure. Even Korban’s mouth dropped open in wonder.
Her gaze fell on Jesse, noting that his attention focused not only on the effects of the song, but on the mastery and control she held over it. He watched how she wove the tones together and used emotion to bring the crowd under her control. His concentration centered within the music, like he was trying to understand what she was doing and how it worked.
In a way it unnerved her that he could see the patterns behind the magic. It also confirmed that he was a true Kalorian. Ready to finish, she brought the music to a climax and began the slow descent back to reality. It was then that she heard the barely audible undertones that flowed beside her own. It was Jesse. As her tones melted into the air, his did as well, leaving the hall adrift in an aching silence.
The power dissipated, and the crowd leapt to their feet as one to clap in overflowing appreciation. They cheered with great abandon and begged for more. Korban seemed pleased, although a bit taken back by the phenomenon. She realized he had never been present when she’d sung before. It was the first time he had experienced her power the way it was meant to be used. She detected an unguarded vulnerability about him before the fissure closed into something hard and cold.
Turner led her to an empty chair beside his and she gratefully sat at the high table, drained from the exertion. She had a vague sense of Bran, but nothing more. Jesse moved his chair to her side and deftly fielded the questions that arose. Several key officials surrounded her, remarking on her beauty and offering their services. Others petitioned Turner for the chance to have her attend their various functions as an honored guest.
With her song, the attitude of the people had changed. She’d lost the enmity of the crowd. Without King Thesald’s influence, their perception changed from thinking of her as a monster, to someone they admired and adored. Fear no longer controlled them.
Already, people jostled for her favor. In awe of her, they treated her with a fevered reverence that caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand, almost like they wanted a piece of her. Already, more than one person had tried to take her hand and kiss it. Someone touched her arm, and another patted her back.
Their adoration and attention unsettled her. It pulsed through the room with a buzzing that settled around her, growing like a swarm of bees and pushing her into a corner from which she couldn’t breathe or escape. Her mouth went dry and she stood abruptly. The whole room tensed in watchfulness. Her heart pounded with panic, but she managed to speak. “Please... I’m not feeling well... may I be excused?”
Turner quickly acquiesced and Korban sprang to his feet to escort her to her rooms, taking the opportunity away from Jesse, who frowned at being thwarted. As Korban took her arm, the speculation in his eyes distressed her, and she tensed in response.
“That was an interesting display,” Korban said under his breath. “Your power seemed stronger. Are you sure that kundar is working?”
She flashed him a quelling look. “Of course it’s working. You’d be dead if it wasn’t.”
Korban’s suspicion turned to relief, and he smiled, appreciating her audacity. “Don’t you see what happened back there? You had complete control of the crowd. With your full magic, you could convince everyone within the sound of your voice to do whatever you wanted.
“I can use magic on one or two people at once,” he continued. “But my influence usually doesn’t last long. But you could control and manipulate anyone, and half of them would thank you for it. They adore you. In time, they could begin to worship you.”
“They only want me for what it would get them,” she responded. “Like you.”
“You’re wrong. You didn’t feel the change come over them, but if you think about it, you’ll see what I mean. They know you are more than human. In time, with or without fear, they would do anything you asked.”
His conviction in her power caused a prick of alarm to run down her spine. “True or not, it’s not right. People should have choices.”
“Not if it’s for their own good,” he countered.
“And who determines that? You?” Teya could see where he was going with this and it sickened her.
“You’ve just given me the hope I need to fulfill my dreams. Once I get to the grove and have my powers restored, I can do much more than conquer Braemar.”
His meaning wasn’t lost on her. “That’s not our way. Kalorians are the keepers of creation. Our magic will only survive as long as the grove is protected and we uphold the sanctity of life.”
“That’s true. Our magic is tied to the grove, and we must return, but we are a far superior race than these mere mortals. We have been given magic and immortality because we were chosen to be their rulers. Leona never told you that we are the chosen guardians of men. It is through us that men survive. Now is the time for all Kalorians to take back their rightful place in the world, the revered place of the Immortals.”
His vehement declaration unnerved her. “We are only immortal as long as the grove and the water survive.” He had taken the commitment of the Kalorians and the grove and twisted it into something dark and self-serving, while making it appear good and right. In effect, he wanted to use their God-given powers to obtain the loyalty of men, and then dominate and control them with it.
“You don’t understand who we are and what we are capable of becoming,” he said reasonably. “Until you do, you will always limit yourself. Open your mind to the possibilities. Immortality and magic point to one thing. When you figure it out, we will talk again.”
By now they stood in front of her door. Korban opened it and ushered her in before Teya could respond. Not that she knew what to say. As the lock cli
cked into place she sank down onto the bed with a troubled heart. Korban was mad, and worse, more dangerous than she’d ever imagined. She had no doubt what he meant, and it turned her blood cold. He spoke of being treated as a God.
****
Bran sensed it the moment Teya used her magic. Echoes of her song drifted through the cracks of the palace and came to rest over everything like a fine mist. When she opened the bond, it flowed into him with a warmth that took his breath away. Somehow, she circumvented the kundar and sent her magic to him.
He shifted his concentration to the wooden door of his cell and breathed out tones that he prayed would open the lock. Metal strained against his tones and he pushed harder until he heard a snap. He grinned at Jax who stared with open-mouthed amazement.
“It’s Teya,” he reassured him. “She’s sending the magic to me through the bond.” Bran had tried to explain to Jax what the bond was all about, but wasn’t sure Jax understood. Not that it mattered. It was something Bran hardly understood himself.
As the only prisoners, they left the dungeon behind and hurried up the moist steps. Coming to the lower reaches of a dark hall, they paused to scan the area. Seeing no one, they hurried out. With Jax behind him, they moved stealthily toward another staircase and the flickering torches. The two guards usually stationed there were gone, but Bran caught sight of them at the foot of the next staircase listening to Teya sing.
He wasn’t sure where this hallway went, but motioned Jax to follow him in the opposite direction of the guards. Luckily, most of the inhabitants of the palace had congregated near the banquet hall to listen to Teya, leaving the hallways deserted.
They took several turns before coming to an outside wall and window. The window was about six feet above the ground and close to the outer gardens. Bran’s hope flared. He knew this area from before, and once they got outside, they’d be free.