"Don't start, Grom. Not in the mood." Savitar sat back on his throne to glare at the large crowd. But it was the collection of Arcadian and Katagaria dragons and the Arcadian Kattalakis wolves on his right-hand side that set his jaw ticcing.
Savitar let out a long, exasperated breath. "Hear ye, hear ye ... ah, fuck it. We're here today for bullshit and we all know it. So let's dispense with the usual formality and get on with this witch hunt before I lose what little grip I still have on my patience." He ran his thumb along his goatee. "So, Dare Kattalakis, state your case and demands to the council. And do it fast, with as few words as possible."
A wolf who bore a striking resemblance to Fang and Vane stepped forward. Sera wasn't sure if he was born of the same litter or not, but from appearances she would say he had to be of close kinship.
Clearing his throat, he moved to stand in the center of the round table to plead his case. "First, I want to restate what a travesty it is that my family's seat is taken by--"
"Wah, wah, wah ... quit crying at the tit," Savitar snarled. "Your brother Vane is the head of the Arcadians and Fury leads the Katagaria. Seek a therapist who gives a shit, or if you'd like to challenge either of them for their position, we can do with some entertainment. Hell, I'll make popcorn for the show. Otherwise, bitch, get on with it."
Wow, he was in a particularly nasty mood. Sera was so glad he wasn't angry at her.
Dare lifted his chin, but wisely kept his gaze away from the surly ancient. "Fine. We all know why we're here. Maxis Drago as the Dragonbane is the cause of the war between the Arcadians and the Katagaria. Because of his actions alone, all of us have lost family and been scarred and cursed into perpetual war. Now he's unleashed the gallu and Apollo on us! He's--"
"That's not true!" The words were out before Seraphina could stop them.
Every eye in the room turned to her. That would have been bad enough, but when she came under the vicious scrutiny of Savitar's lavender gaze, she wanted to run screaming for the door. And it didn't help that Illarion and his brothers picked that moment to show up and garner an even more fierce glare from Max.
But at least Savitar's features finally softened as if he approved of both occurrences. "The dragonswan speaks."
"She's his whore!"
Savitar slung his hand out and caught the Kattalakis dragon who'd insulted her with an unseen force that lifted him up and pinned him to the wall between two of the open windows. "Only I'm allowed to be an insulting asshole in this room. Understood?"
The dragon nodded.
Savitar dropped him straight to the floor, where he landed with a pain-filled groan and in an unceremonious lump, before the ancient returned his attention to Sera. When he spoke, it was in a kind, fatherly tone. "You were saying, dear?"
Yeah, his kindness was even scarier than his nastiness. And it left her terrified. She'd never liked public speaking and this ... this was worse than facing a herd of angry dragons out to feast on her entrails.
"It's okay, Sera," Max said kindly. "You don't have to speak up for me."
Those words gave her the courage she needed. "No, but someone does. I don't know who released the gallu--"
"That would be us," Zakar said, raising his hand. "Oops. Sorry about that."
Savitar rolled his eyes. "Sit your punk ass down and shut up. You and I will talk later."
Zakar laughed good-naturedly. "Hope you take your Abilify first, old man."
Savitar started to wag his finger at Zakar, then gave up and waved him away. "Shut up." He returned his attention to Sera. "You were saying?"
"Just that my mate is innocent. The gallu came after him first. And neither of us have a clue about Apollo. We don't even know what you're talking about." She tucked her marked hand into Max's.
He winced before he laced his fingers with hers and clutched her hand tightly in his.
Savitar watched that single gesture closely for several heartbeats without comment.
"I demand he pay for his crimes!" Ermon Kattalakis--one of the Arcadian dragons--demanded. "It was the blood of my grandfather he spilled!"
A strange look passed between Savitar and Acheron, then him and Styxx, before he rose to his feet.
Without a word, Savitar closed the distance between him and Max. "It occurs to me, Maxis, that with our historian, Nicolette Peltier, gone, there's no one here who knows the history of this council. She died before she could pass the origins along to her only daughter." He turned toward Tanya. "I suppose you should inherit that part of her job as well, no?"
Tanya looked as frightened to be under that fierce scrutiny as Sera had been. "It would be my honor to record it, my lord."
An odd half smile played at the edges of Savitar's lips while he continued to stroke his goatee with his thumb. He glanced back to Max. "What do you say, drakomas? Have I your permission to break our pact?"
She saw the indecision in Max's golden eyes as he debated. He glanced from her to Illarion, then to their children.
It's time. Illarion inclined his head to him. Tell the truth, brother. Let them decide for themselves.
With an audible gulp, Max nodded. "Although, I would remind you both that when the truth was told last time, it didn't help. No one cared."
Ignoring that, Savitar stepped back then so that he could walk a circle around the table. "Some of you have been coming here for centuries. You occupy seats you inherited from your family or won through combat. All of you know what an honor it is to sit here and represent your independent species. Both those who hold human-Apollite hearts and those born with animal hearts. Two halves of a single whole. Both sentient, and forever condemned by the gods to war against each other for no real reason, other than the fact that the gods are assholes. Everyone knows that part of the story. What none of you know is why you answer to me. Why you answer to this council..."
Savitar gestured to Max. "You blame the Dragonbane for the war that divides your two branches of the same species, but he didn't do this to you. That belongs to the three bitches who cursed your race in the beginning. To Zeus and Apollo and their childish tantrums that made them cry to the Fates to do something because they felt cheated that you were spared the Apollite curse that would have required all of you to die horribly at age twenty-seven over an event you had no part in. But as with all history, that is only one tiny, bit part that you've been told, which was colored by those seeking to sway your opinion and make you hate for no real reason. To keep you divided by your inconsequential differences when you should be whole and focused on the real tragedies you have in common. The ones that unite you as a single, sentient species. Follow me, children, and let me show you what you've never seen, but what you need to know."
And with that he threw his hands out. The doors crashed closed and darkness fell into the room so completely that for a moment, Sera felt like they were in Irkalla again.
The sudden, unexpected nothingness was oppressive and terrifying. But for Max's pressure on her hand and presence by her side, she'd have run for a door.
And just when she thought she couldn't take it anymore, a light came up to show a much younger Max and Illarion. While she'd known how much Hadyn favored his father, it wasn't until now that she realized just how much they shared in face, form, and mannerisms.
But what struck her most was the starved and ragged, filthy condition Illarion and Max had been left in. The two of them were in human form, kept there by their collars, and locked inside a cage where another man stared in on them. This one was impeccably dressed in royal princely garb.
Sera's jaw went slack as she saw the last thing she'd expected. Maxis wasn't the Greek prince.
Illarion was.
Meanwhile, Max stared through the bars of their cage at the prince and his elegant clothes, and the dark-haired lady beside him. He'd seen the prince numerous times since they'd brought them here, but the woman was a new addition to their drab, dingy home.
"Eumon?" she whined, trying to pull the prince away by his arm. "Why did
you bring me here? Don't you grow weary of looking at them all the time? It's so creepy!"
Max didn't appreciate being called creepy when the only real oddities in the room were the ones who needed his species to continue living past their twenty-seventh birthdays. There was nothing creepy about being a dragon.
Human-Apollite bodies?
That was the stuff of nightmares. They smelled and had all manner of weirdness to them he'd rather not suffer.
The prince smiled at his beautiful, petite wife, but his gaze never wavered from the two inside the cage. "Look at them, Helena. But for the fact that he doesn't speak, you'd never know he wasn't me. And the other ... he is the very image of Pherus. It's as if I'm still looking my brother in the eye."
She wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Pherus was never your brother. He was the son of a slave."
"Slave or not, he was my brother through my father. And I loved him as such." Eumon licked his lips. "Do you think they can understand us?"
"No. They're animals and you're lucky you survived the merging your uncle did to you. Now, can we go? I don't like it here. It smells." She pressed her dainty hand to her nose to illustrate her point.
Instead of leaving, Eumon knelt down and held his hand out to Illarion. "Here, boy ... come to me."
Curling his lip, Illarion scooted closer to Max.
Eumon lowered his hand and sighed. "It seems like we should be able to train them. Doesn't it?"
Max bit back a scoff. As if.
"Maybe so as not to wet the rugs or their beds, but I wouldn't hold out hope for any more than that. As I said, they're stupid animals, incapable of thought or civilization."
Oh yeah, they were the problem in this equation....
"You are terrible, Helena!" he teased.
All of a sudden, a large number of guards stormed into the dungeon. Max tensed at the sight of them. Something that never boded well for those kept in cages. Anytime that many came in like that ...
One of the prisoners got seriously hurt.
Or seriously dead.
Prince Eumon shot to his feet to confront the stone-faced soldiers. "What's the meaning of this?"
"Orders from the king, Highness. We're to destroy all the experiments to placate the gods."
The prince's face went white as Max's stomach shrank. "What?"
The guard nodded. "The dictate came from the head priest this afternoon. The gods are demanding that all the abominations be put down. Otherwise, they'll kill your father and you, and your brother."
Illarion exchanged a panicked look with Max.
Never fear, brother. I won't let them take you, Max promised, hoping he wasn't lying as he spoke those words.
But there was nothing save doubt in Illarion's eyes. Something that cut to Max's bone. How could his brother think for one minute that he'd allow them to hurt him?
Never. Even if it meant his life, he'd keep Illarion safe from them and get him out of this mess.
With a mighty roar, Max rushed at the bars.
The prince stumbled back with a fierce gasp, dragging his wife with him.
Screaming, she fell to the floor. "I told you! He's an animal! Kill him! Kill him now!"
Fury tore through Max with such ferocity that he lost complete control of his magick, even with the collar on to control it. All he knew was that he refused to go down like this. He refused to watch them kill his brother.
The howls and screams of the others filled his ears as the soldiers set about carrying out their orders.
This was utter bullshit! Max threw himself against the bars, over and over. When that wasn't enough, he summoned every bit of magick he could and held his concentration. Then he sent it out into the air around them.
Like a thermal shock, it rolled out of him and sent a pulsating wave through the air. One that shattered the cage and sent the guards, prince, and princess tumbling.
Weak, but determined, Max grabbed Illarion. "Free the others. Be damned if those bitches are going to take their lives for this!"
It's not our place!
"I don't answer to the Greek gods. They can kiss my scaly ass." Max grabbed the keys from the guard who was closest to him. Baring his fangs, he took the man's sword, then moved to free the Arcadians and Katagaria. His brother still stood there. "Illarion! Move! Save everyone you can!"
Finally, Illarion began to cooperate.
As soon as they had the doors open and had started to leave, the guards moved to stop them.
"We have to talk to the king, first. No one can leave here."
To his complete shock, Eumon stepped forward. "Let them pass."
"Highness--"
"Do it!"
Reluctantly, the guard stepped aside and ordered his men to stand down.
Grateful to the prince who was allowing them to leave without war and bloodshed, Max inclined his head to him. "Can you show us the way out?"
The prince narrowed an evil glare at him. "I knew you could speak! I need you to show that to my father."
"And we need a guide before your father learns of this and kills us.... Please. My brother and I have always been overtaken whenever we've tried to escape. I know there's a way to the forest, but we haven't been able to locate it."
Without hesitation, he nodded. "Follow me."
"Eumon!" his wife breathed. "You can't do this. If the gods have spoken--"
"They're sentient, Helena. Look at them." He gestured at Max and Illarion. "Half of them are Apollite. I can't condemn them to die and especially not by execution in a cage after everything else we've done. It would be wrong. I'm their prince. It's my place to protect them."
"And what of your son I carry? Who will protect him when the gods kill you for this hubris?"
He kissed her lightly on the forehead. "Relax, precious wife. No one's going to kill me." Pulling away, he led Illarion and the others through the dark cavern. "Follow me and I'll see you to your freedom."
She glared at Max as they started filing out of the dungeon. "I have a bad feeling about this."
Max ignored her and the indigestion he thought was a bad feeling, too, as he sought to get the others out as quickly as possible. He didn't trust the guards not to attack them, in spite of what the prince had ordered.
As the last Apollite animal filed past them, he began to breathe a little easier. They were almost out of here.
True to his word, Eumon helped them relocate to a small campground in the forest, where Max and Illarion made sure everyone had a place to sleep and something to eat.
"Thank you," Max said to the prince before he went to tend his brother.
Eumon stopped him. "All these weeks and you've said nothing. You've pretended to be mute. Why?"
"There was nothing to say. Your uncle ripped us from our homes and lives for you. Both Apollite and animal. No regard for what we thought or wanted. And then we were turned into this?" He gestured angrily at his human body. "You may have desired the dragon in you, Highness, but I promise neither Illarion nor I wanted this. Nor did any of the others. Now that you have some of my brother's genetics in your heart, you should know exactly how we think."
"You have a fierce code of honor and kinship. That's where this comes from?"
Max inclined his head. "And now you tell me that your gods have decreed our death for your deeds. How do you think that makes me feel?"
"I will talk to my father. He's a reasonable man."
Max arched a brow at his lie.
"He loves us."
Which was true, but ... "That makes him highly unreasonable."
The prince nodded. "If you and your brother come with me.... Let my father see that you're capable of rational thought and speech. It will change everything. I promise. Come and help me to set this right."
Still, Max was skeptical. It wasn't as easy as the prince made it sound. He knew that. Yet as he looked among the desolate, fear-filled faces, he knew he had to try.
For them.
Illarion wended his way through th
e others to approach Max. Surely you don't believe his lies.
"We have to try."
Shaking his head, Illarion didn't want to participate, but he loved his brother too much to let him go about his stupidity alone.
So together, they headed back toward the palace, with Eumon in the lead.
For the first time, they emerged out of the dungeon and into the palace grounds that led to where the royal family lived.
They had just reached the gardens when a man who appeared eerily similar to Vane approached them.
"What is this?"
"We're going to see Father."
The newcomer scowled with fierce disapproval. "What have you done?"
The prince let out a tired sigh. "Linus, please. I have to speak to him and I don't have time."
"You heard what the priest told Father. We've angered the gods. If you don't return them for execution right now, they'll demand our heads, too! Do you want to die?"
"And what's to stop them from doing that anyway after the others are gone? The gods are capricious. You know that. I don't trust them."
Linus gestured at Max and then Illarion. "But you would trust an animal?"
"They're not just animals. They can speak."
Linus scoffed. "Now you're being ridiculous. Did you perchance eat a bad lotus batch?"
"He's not wrong."
Linus's gaze had widened at the sound of Max's voice. "You can think and talk?"
"Of course."
His eyes darkened dangerously as he moved to confront Max. "Are you the reason Dagon did this to me?"
"Did what?"
In response to his brother's question, Linus turned on Eumon. "Or did you do it?"
"Do what?" Eumon repeated.
Linus raked him with a scathing glare. "You were always Father's favored son. Had your life not been threatened, I'm sure he'd have let me die, as he did our mother."
Eumon let out a tired sigh. "I don't have time for your insecurities. Move aside."
"Oh right. You never have time, do you?" Linus sneered at Helena. "You took the bride that was meant for me and now you took my true animal form. I should have been the dragon. Not you!"
"What madness do you speak?"
"Helena was my bride!"
She lifted her chin defiantly. "I refused your hand after I met you. There's a cruelty in you, Linus, that scares me. Treaty or not, I would never have married into this family had I not met Eumon and seen for myself that, unlike you, he has a soul."