Kira slid from the bench to the floor and picked the heart pendent up with the cuff of her sleeve, slipping it into her pocket. She’d use it to call Shandira once she was ready.
As they made their way through Octavion’s sleeping chambers and down the winding staircase that led to his lair, the gravity of the situation finally started to sink in. What was she thinking? She was no match for Shandira. Even when she possessed powers and strength from the Crystor she couldn’t compete with Shandira’s heightened senses and Royal strength. This time she would snap Kira like a twig. All Kira could do is postpone the inevitable. In the end Shandira would win-the King of Kazedon would have his revenge and so would Shandira. Maybe then she’d allow her family and Xantara to live in peace.
Ussay led Kira down into the darkness. She held a candle to guide their steps, but once they stepped into the vastness of his lair, it did little to illuminate the space. Kira stayed near the bottom of the stairs until Ussay found more candles to light. As each one took flame the room came alive, adding a warm glow to the stone walls.
Kira searched the room for familiar things, but avoided the chains that hung from one wall. Octavion’s lair seemed to be set up very similarly to the cave back home. Tables and shelves lined one wall, cluttered with books and bottles of every size, color and shape. Some had labels, but most were blank, concealing their mysterious contents.
Along another wall hung every weapon imaginable, some Kira had never seen before. Under those were large trunks. Most of them closed, but the few that lay open held what appeared to be leather straps and cases for weapons. One trunk held Octavion’s hunting clothes-she recognized them as the garments he’d worn when she’d first met him. She desperately tried to push away her memories of their time together. She had no time for them now.
She looked down at her dress. There was no way she’d be able to fight with a heavy skirt wrapped around her legs. What she wouldn’t give for a pair of blue jeans and a T-shirt.
“I’ll need something else to wear. Did Altaria ever dress in pants or maybe there’s something in one of those trunks from when Octavion was younger-something small enough to fit me?”
Ussay glanced at Kira and then at one of the closed trunks. “We were not supposed to know about it, but sometimes when the staff had a day off, the girls would dress differently. Octavion would spar with them in the garden. He taught them to fight.” She went to a small trunk in the corner of the room, opened it and, one by one, tossed the contents across the top of a larger trunk. “There should be something here to suit you.”
Finally, after trying on several vests and blouses, Kira settled for a long sleeved, loosely woven top that laced up the front. A black pair of leather pants fit her best, so she quickly pulled them over her bare legs and went in search of shoes. Once she’d found a pair of boots that fit, she sorted through the weapons.
Kira systematically donned herself with sheath and dagger as if she had done it many times. The process calmed her nerves-putting her in that warrior mode she’d seen so many times in Octavion. She realized the kick butt attitude was part of the costume.
There were three bows, but none like the one she’d had in her world. Two were long bows and the third, a crossbow. Since she lacked the experience and strength for the crossbow, she chose the shorter of the two long bows and a quiver of arrows. When she held the bow up and practiced notching an arrow, she realized she had a problem. One of the fingers she used to pull back the string was broken.
First she tried with the bandages on, but the string kept catching on the fabric, making it impossible to hold on to the shaft of the arrow. She unwrapped her finger and tested it again. This time a sharp pain ran up through her finger and into her wrist. She tossed the bow to the ground, grabbed her hand and cursed.
“Now what do I do? I can’t exactly throw the arrow at her.” Kira sat on the long bench and leaned her back against the wall. She was out of time. It was late afternoon and she needed to get to Pride Meadow long before Shandira in order to gain the advantage.
Ussay sat next to Kira. “Perhaps you could use another weapon-a sword or a spear.”
Kira shook her head. “I’d cut my own head off with one of those things. I only know how to use a bow.”
Ussay stood and began rummaging through the many bottles on one of the shelves, but without the strength in Kira’s fingers, the idea of poisoning the arrows seemed useless. Ussay continued to go through the bottles until she discovered she was too short to reach the top shelf. There was a small red jar sitting precariously atop a large book. She stood on her tip toes, grabbed the book and slid it carefully off the shelf. The jar teetered for an instant, but she grabbed it with her other hand, bringing both it and the book to the table. As she did, a leather pouch came with it. It tumbled onto the table and then to the floor, scattering its contents.
Ussay knelt to pick it up, but before her hand could touch it, Kira grabbed her arm and pushed her back onto the floor.
“What did you do that for?” Ussay asked.
“I’m sorry,” Kira said. “I didn’t want you getting cut.”
Kira couldn’t believe what she saw-the pouch Ussay pulled off the shelf was Kira’s own healing pack. Among the items sprawled across the floor were Lydia’s ruby necklace, a handful of broken glass from a bottle of Gyllrue and the metal vials filled with the mixture to give Octavion strength when he traveled. Octavion must have found it when he went back to kill Zerek and brought it back with him. Why hadn’t he said anything?
She slid the pack out from under the chards of glass and set it on the table. Ussay pulled a small piece of metal from under the shelf, helped Kira brush the glass fragments onto it, then discarded them into a wooden bucket. Kira picked up the metal vials and put them on the table, along with a crushed pack of healing herbs she hadn’t noticed before.
The only thing left lying on the floor was Lydia’s ruby. Seeing it felt like discovering an old friend you thought you would never lay eyes on again. She missed Lydia more than ever and wished she was there to tell Kira how crazy she was for doing this. She missed her spirit, the way she laughed and how she could change any situation around and make Kira smile.
Kira changed her focus to the Crystor where it lay dormant against her skin. It’s once shimmering beauty had faded. The silver seemed tarnished and dull. Even though she and Lydia were no longer connected, she couldn’t help crave the energy and strength the Crystor gave her when they were bound together as friends. She hungered for it like Octavion hungered for a fresh kill under the new moon. She could feel the desire flow through her veins-a familiar ice in her blood that made her eyes cool and the skin on her wrist itch.
“What’s wrong?” Ussay asked.
Kira had nearly forgotten Ussay was in the room. “It’s the Crystor. I miss its powers-and Lydia.”
“Powers?”
“It used to be charmed, but it doesn’t work anymore.”
“What about this?” Ussay reached for the ruby that still lay on the floor.
“Don’t touch it.” Kira brushed her hand aside and picked up the ruby. “Sorry, I don’t know how it will react to you.” The black cord it hung from had been destroyed by the spilled Gyllrue so she slipped the ruby off and held the stone for Ussay to see. “This was Lydia’s.” Kira thought for a moment. She knew the heart pendent was very powerful and merely touching it could summon Shandira, but the ruby had been charmed for Lydia to communicate with Octavion-without Shandira hearing. She tightened her fist around the stone, closed her eyes and prayed it would work the same magic between her and her friend as it once had.
Lydia?
Her skin beneath the Crystor tingled, but she got no answer. She rubbed the ruby with her thumb. Lydia!
Kira heard no words, but a dull ache began to radiate through her skull. Was Lydia trying to connect to her? She tried again, only this time she called out to Altaria.
Al?
Kira grabbed her head as the ache suddenly turned into a sharp pain that shot threw her head and down her spine. “Crap!” She didn’t want to try that again.
“What happened?” Ussay asked, scooting closer. She still knelt on the floor next to Kira.
“Nothing, I’m fine. Give me a second. I want to try something.” Kira opened her left hand and settled the ruby in her palm. She rubbed it again.
Lydia! I need you to connect with Altaria. We need you. Please, I need you.
For several seconds, nothing happened, and then Kira felt the cold metal of the Crystor warm against her skin-a complete contrast to the ice cold ruby. She closed her fingers around it to take away the chill. It warmed beneath her grasp. Kira stood and crossed to the bench. Running a finger across the Crystor, she summoned the good memories of healing to take over her mind-healing a little girl’s puppy, jogging through the park with newfound strength, the shine of her silken hair and seeing her touch heal the ones she loved. She let herself be lost in them, unaware of Ussay and her surroundings.
“Are you all right, Kira?” Ussay’s voice pulled Kira from her thoughts. Ussay had also stood and taken a seat next to her.
“I’m fine. I just miss it.”
“May I see the bracelet closer? It appears to be glowing slightly. I think it might be the way the candlelight is reflecting on it.”
Kira turned and put her wrist between them.
Ussay touched the Crystor with the tip of her finger. “Ouch,” she said, pulling her hand away quickly. “You did not tell me it would hurt.”
Her reaction startled Kira, making the ruby slip from her hand into her lap. “It shocked you?”
Ussay nodded. “It went right up my arm.”
Kira carefully examined the bracelet which had grown almost too hot to touch. She covered it with her other hand, pressing her palm to it, but nothing happened. She looked down at the ruby where it lay in her lap. Altaria said the heart pendent turned up the volume of their thoughts. Maybe the ruby did the same thing, increasing whatever powers the person had.
Kira picked up the ruby with her right hand and gripped it firmly, even though the pain in her broken finger made it difficult. A few seconds passed before heat began to radiate from the ruby and into her wrist. She watched as the glowing strand of silver came to life. It tightened around her wrist until the circulation in Kira’s fingers was lost, making her fingers tingle. Kira thought it would cut her hand off, so opened her palm, hoping less pressure on the stone would loosen the Crystor. Instead, the tiny strand of silver broke into a thin long line and coiled around the ruby like a snake, swirling around in her palm until the outside ends began to unravel. It circled the ruby several times, then wound itself around her broken finger, healing it instantly. As it slid back into her palm it found its brilliant silver sheen.
Ussay jumped to her feet and started backing out of the room. Ussay’s eyes widened with fear as she put a trembling hand over her mouth.
“Ussay, it’s all right.” Kira reached for her with her free hand, but Ussay didn’t stop. She kept backing away with a dazed look on her face.
“Ussay!” Kira yelled.
Ussay jumped at the sound of Kira’s voice, but it only hastened her escape. Kira clapped her fingers around the Crystor and ruby, then took off toward the stairs. By the time she reached Ussay she was half way to the back of the bookcase leading to Octavion’s chambers. Kira grabbed the back of her dress and pulled her to the ground.
“Stop,” Kira pleaded. “Let me explain. It won’t hurt you.”
Ussay tried to push her away. “It is evil,” she cried. “I have never seen such magic. Objects do not have a life of their own, they must have a Jayde to control them.”
“Ussay, please trust me. I promise it won’t hurt you.”
Ussay pulled away and climbed two more steps before sitting with her back against the wall. “You can explain, but do not touch me.”
“All right. Just don’t run, okay?”
Ussay nodded.
“Remember how bruised and swollen my hand was where I broke my finger?”
“Yes,” Ussay said cautiously.
Kira still had the Crystor securely gripped in her fist, so she turned her hand over so Ussay could see her knuckles. The swelling had completely gone and so had the bruise.
Ussay gasped, moving up one more step.
“It’s okay. Octavion gave me this bracelet so I could save Lydia’s life. It gives me the power to heal. It has no evil in it, only good.”
Ussay seemed to relax, but the fear in her face remained. “Why did it move by itself?”
“It’s okay. It did that before. It’s just. . not supposed to work anymore.” Kira stood and offered her free hand. “You can leave if you want, but if you stay I have to warn you, I want to try something and you won’t like it.”
“Will it hurt?”
Kira smiled. “It won’t hurt you,” she teased.
Ussay took Kira’s hand and followed her down the stairs and back to the bench. Kira sat, but Ussay remained standing.
“You’re not gonna run again are you?” Kira asked, trying to lighten the mood.
“No.” Ussay wrapped her arms around herself and looked like she might take off any second.
Kira tried to remember the level of concentration it took to heal and put all that energy into the palm of her hand. If she could somehow connect with it-connect with Lydia-maybe it would find its place around her wrist and give her powers back. The feeling it left inside her when it released her was like sucking an egg from its shell, leaving her hollow and empty. She took one last look at the ruby and silver thread in her hand, pressed her fingers firmly around them and closed her eyes.
The instant she channeled her energy toward her hand, the Crystor began to shift. Kira moved her fingers out of the way to give it more room, but continued willing it to live. As the coldness faded and it started to burn, she opened her eyes. She watched as it changed from red to blue, finally radiating a celestial white glow that spilled out into the room. The end eagerly searched for its mate. First it went around her thumb, but didn’t stay there. When it slid across her palm and brushed the inside of her wrist, the entire chain rose up out of her hand, wrapped itself around her wrist and sealed its ends together.
Ussay took a step back, but didn’t run. “Did it hurt?” she whispered.
Kira felt the rush of its power creep up her arm-much stronger and more intense than the first time.
“Not yet, but it’s coming.”
Kira stopped concentrating on giving it life and tried to stay focused on the changes in her body. What took days to bring her to her maximum stature in her world, happened so quickly it sent her to her knees. The pain was excruciating. Every muscle in her body swelled and her joints burned. Even the pores of her skin seemed to breathe new life into her flesh. She’d seen Octavion transform, watching his back and arms explode into bulging muscles, but she never gave a moment’s thought to it causing him pain.
Ussay dropped to her knees beside Kira and tried to help her up, but she pushed her away.
“Not yet,” Kira managed. She looked up to find Ussay’s face, contorted in fear.
“Kira, your eyes. . and your face.” Ussay scooted back and stood.
“I know, Ussay. Please, don’t. . run.”
Kira’s eyes burned cold and she felt the broken and damaged tissues from the cut on her cheek heal. Before, the Crystor took its time exploring her inner strengths, using it to provide her what she needed to survive. Now it knew her. It recognized every minute detail of her body, spirit and mind, and she welcomed it.
When the pain began to diminish, a rush of extreme euphoria took its place. Its attack on her senses lifted her to her feet. The smells and sounds in the room surrounded her, tormenting her sanity. She couldn’t take in enough air to satisfy her craving for more. She’d never felt more alive.
Finally her breathing and heart rate slowed. She examined her arms to find the scars on her wrists completely gone. She assumed the ones on her back were gone as well. She kissed the ruby, then slipped it into her pocket. If she survived, she’d give it back to Altaria when she returned.
Kira took in another deep breath, found Ussay’s bewildered face and slowly let the air out of her lungs. “I think I’m done now. Are you okay?”
Ussay nodded, letting some of the tension out of her shoulders. “Can I. . touch you now?”
“Yes.”
Ussay threw her arms around Kira’s neck. “I was so afraid you would die.”
“I told you I would be fine. You should have trusted me.” Kira took Ussay’s arms from around her shoulders and urged her to sit on the bench, kneeling in front of her.
“May I?” Kira asked, as she motioned to Ussay’s bandaged finger.
Ussay hesitated before answering, “Yes.”
Kira unwrapped the bandage around Ussay’s finger, which began to bleed instantly. Kira simply touched it with the tip of her finger and the wound disappeared. Her wrist didn’t burn and there was no pain in her heart.
Ussay pulled her finger close to her face and examined it carefully. Then she smiled and let the rest of the tension out of her body.
“One more thing,” Kira requested. She ran her finger across the scar on Ussays wrist where Octavion scratched her, and it melted away.
Ussay smiled. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Kira stood, grabbed her quiver of arrows and began saturating the tips with one of the poisons. Ussay quickly joined her, gently folding pieces of parchment over the ends to keep them from accidentally piercing Kira’s skin and then helped place them back into the quiver.
Kira strapped on her healing pack and put another bottle of poison inside in case she needed it. She had done all she could to prepare, but she needed to do one more thing before she left to meet Shandira. It was time to pay back her hero for saving her life. Cade and Ussay were getting an early wedding present. There was just one problem-Cade was a Royal and the pain from healing his injury would cause him to transform and possibly attack Kira.
“Do you know of a white powder that will cause paralyses?” Kira asked.
“There is V’Larian. Octavion used it on you when I took out the stitches in your face. Is that what you want?”
Kira hadn’t remembered that, but it didn’t surprise her. “Yes, I think that’s what he called it. When he used it before, I couldn’t move, but I was awake and could feel everything.”
“That is V’Larian.” Ussay searched the shelves again, grabbed a small glass cylinder and handed it to Kira. “Will you also use this on Shandira?”
Kira smiled. “No. I have a stop to make before I leave.”
Ussay looked confused, but didn’t question Kira’s intentions.
Kira bent over to pick up her bow and her increased muscle tone caused the seam on the side of her pants to give way, exposing her thigh. She quickly changed into something that would accommodate her new muscles, and switched the ruby to the new pants pocket. The clothes that had been too big for her before were a perfect fit.
Ussay sat on the bench with Kira’s dress draped across her lap, her fingers nervously twisting the fabric.
“What’s wrong?” Kira asked.
“What if someone sees you dressed like that? I am not concerned about the villagers, but if we pass Mara or Nestor in the hallway, they will know you are up to something. Even one of the staff would be suspicious and tell someone.”
She had a point. Kira threw the dress over her clothes, loosened the ribbon in front to accommodate the clothes she wore beneath, and made her way up the stairs with Ussay on her heels. When they arrived in Octavion’s sleeping chambers, Kira had one more favor to ask of her friend before she was on her way.
“Ussay, I have something I need to do. Will you go to the stables? Tell them Octavion is returning and he wants to go riding. Have them saddle the same horse he rode yesterday. It seemed gentle enough.” Kira gave Ussay her bow and quiver. “Tell them he’s going out to practice with this and be convincing. Make sure they hurry.”
Ussay gave her a quick hug and scurried out of the room.
Now, what to do with Cade? Kira made sure no one was in the hall, then made her way past the staircase to the last door on the left, directly across from Mara’s. She took extra care to be quiet as she gently tapped on the door.
“Enter,” Cade’s warm voice resonated.
Kira entered the room and closed the door behind her. Cade sat by the window reading a book. He seemed content enough. Perhaps this would be easier than she thought.
“Hi there,” Kira said.
“Kira, I was thinking about you this morning. I want to thank you for setting me straight with Ussay.” He still had his head half buried in the book. When he looked up he instantly reacted to the change in her eyes and physical appearance. “What have you done?”
Kira grabbed his hand and knelt in front of him. “Please don’t send your thoughts to Octavion until I have a chance to explain.”
“How can you ask this of me? I am supposed to be watching you.” His eyes shot down to her hands as he pulled back the sleeve of her dress to expose the Crystor and the absence of scars. “Oh, Kira. Octavion will have my head for this. He forbade you to heal because of the pain it causes you.” When his eyes found hers again, tiny threads of gold invaded them.
“Please. Let me explain.”
“This better be good.” He took back his hands and folded his arms across his chest. “Speak,” he commanded.
“I’m sorry. It was an accident actually. I was bored so I went to his lair. I was rummaging through some books and when I pulled one off the shelf, my healing pack fell out.” It wasn’t really a lie. She just wanted to leave Ussay out of it.
“Everything spilled out onto the floor-including Lydia’s ruby. I wasn’t even thinking when I picked it up. It must have something to do with our connection, because as soon as I did, the Crystor started glowing and came to life. It feels so good, Cade.” Okay, so she gave him the short version, but she was out of time.
“And it did this to you? Are all your scars gone, even your back?”
Kira smiled. “Everything. And I’m stronger too.”
He seemed satisfied with her explanation, but still leery about keeping her secret. He sat for a moment, looking her over, taking in the obvious changes. “Why did you come here, Kira? Why do you want me to keep this from my cousin? He’ll know the truth the moment he sees you.”
Kira thought fast. “It’s not that I don’t want him to know. Honestly, I think he’ll be thrilled to see the Crystor working again. I just want to be the one to tell him. I don’t want you interrupting their meeting with King Tyrious and if he is angry, I want his rage focused on me, not someone else. This is my fault.”
“Then I will keep it, but only until he returns. If the sun rises before you summon the nerve to approach him, I will show him everything, even your flimsy excuse and story. Now you tell me the truth. What really happened?”
“Do you want more excuses or do you want to walk?”
He let the book slip from his hand. It made a loud crack as it hit the floor. “Pardon?” he asked.
“You heard me. You know as soon as he gets back he will forbid me to heal. He’s afraid I will be hurt or killed. But I’m much stronger here and I felt nothing when I healed my broken finger.” She held it up and flexed it, making a fist. “I can heal you, Cade.”
“But it will cause me pain. I saw how Luka transformed when you healed his shoulder. There is no one here to prevent me from taking your life, Kira.”
“I have an idea about that. Hop up on the bed and I’ll explain.”
He disappeared from the chair, landing in the exact same position a second later in the middle of the bed. “Are you sure this will work?”
“Positive, now roll over on your side.” With his eyes facing away from her, she reached under her skirt and pulled the bottle of V’Larian out of her pack. When she did, the heart pendent fell out of her dress pocket, hit the floor and bounced. She quickly picked it up with the tip of her finger and thumb and stuffed it into her pack. She’d almost forgotten about it. It wouldn’t due to leave it behind, robbing her of her only way to contact Shandira. She breathed a sigh of relief.
Kira went around to the other side of the bed and held up the bottle for Cade to see. “This won’t do anything for the pain, but you won’t be able to move. Is it okay if I use it on you?”
“Yes, but if you are hurt during the process I will not be able to help you.”
“Always the hero, aren’t you?”
He smirked. “Not today.”
Kira poured a small amount of the powder into the palm of her hand, held it up in front of his face and blew. He took in a deep breath, but before the effects took hold, he grabbed her arm.
“You will stop if you are in too much pain?”
“I promise.”
His arm relaxed, as the rest of his body gave into the drug. He closed his eyes.
Kira knew her time was limited, so she climbed on the bed beside him and slipped her hand under the back of his shirt. She ran her fingers across his bare skin until she felt a deep jagged scar the length of a knife blade. She concentrated on the injury. The Crystor burned only slightly, but the pain that raced up her arm and into her chest was like someone pushing acid through her veins. She had to put her other hand on his arm for support to keep from falling off the bed. The healing lasted far longer than she’d anticipated.
Cade began to stir, the muscles in his arms and back swelled and the bridge across his nose widened slightly. When his eyes flew open and she saw the advanced stage of his transformation, Kira put more of her energy into his back to hurry the process. He reacted by tensing his body which shoved her right off the bed. She landed square on her feet and didn’t stumble. A first for her.
Cade grabbed the wooden slat that ran across the bottom of his headboard, breaking it clean in two. He took one look at Kira, sprang to his feet and jumped across the bed to the other side, then backed against the wall. His breathing became deep and labored as he fought the urge to kill.
“Cade, dear,” Kira teased, in spite of the imminent danger. “You’re standing.”
He looked at his feet then raised his head to find her eyes. “Kira.” He said through clenched teeth.
“I know. Just do me a favor and don’t leave this room, at least not until I have a chance to tell Octavion. Can you do that?”
His eyes began to calm. He pushed away from the wall to test his legs. “Yes.” Then he walked the few steps to the bed and braced himself on what was left of the head board. “Thank you.”
“Promise you’ll be good to Ussay and we’re even.”
He smiled. “Deal.”
As Kira left his room, she thought of Lydia and Altaria. She wanted so badly to test her powers and see if she could share her thoughts with them again, but knew it would only alert them to the return of her powers. That is if they didn’t already know. She wanted to heal them-give them back their strength and vigor-but their body had no unhealed physical wounds so Kira would be of little help. The kind of healing they needed was spiritual and only time could mend that. In so many ways, they were on their own.