Sūnder (Darksoul Book 1) Page 36

  Sāchem Saty snorted, the Faelÿns in the crowd snarling loudly enough to quiet even Tālia. “Paladin Akirá is no mercenary, Keeper of the Jade Forest.” The sarcasm in the Sāchem’s voice conveyed his low opinion of her ignorance. “He is Akirá Kaukèx, Holy Paladin and right hand to the Speaker of the Temple of the Stars. He carries the blood of ancient kings, his bloodline the oldest of all the peoples of Chándaria. Beware of how you speak to him, for no Faelÿn alive would hesitate to give their life for his.”

  The whole amphitheater hushed as they watched Tālia absorb what she should have known all along. Her face twisted in a derisive sneer, but whatever her father whispered in her ear kept her from speaking. Sūnder wondered if he’d ever find out what Dömini Koi said to shut her up.

  Gabe stepped up to the podium, setting the case on the surface as he cleared his throat. “I’m sure the Faelÿns have questions regarding the faeborn kidnapped by House of Nellá,” Gabe stumbled over the words, but Sūnder was proud of him nonetheless. “For the record, it was Dömini Koi who orchestrated the abductions of the faeborn Milāni, Quinlān, and Shaefer.”

  After a couple of surprised exclamations, more Faelÿn from the upper tiers strode down to the main floor. Their animalistic features were twisted into fearsome masks of barely-controlled wrath, their gazes trained on Gabe. If their attention frightened him, Sūnder couldn’t see or scent it. Before any further questions could be asked, Gabe waved to a group in the shadows at the back of the very top tier of the amphitheater. The closest Faelÿn gave a cheer that only grew as three figures proceeded down the stairs, their identities revealed.

  Sāchem Saty hastened to the bottom step and grabbed up Shaefer, yowling in relief. Milāni and Quinlān slipped around them to what must be family, considering the way the two faeborn were caught up and nuzzled like lost cubs. Sūnder’s heart swelled to see how cared for and loved the three were.

  “How can this be?” Saty exclaimed. “You called them darksouls, Tālia. Why don’t I feel any taint in them?”

  Tālia yanked on her cuffs in an attempt to move closer, but her guards held her in place.

  “Because I… Because they’ve been cleansed,” Gabe said nervously.

  “Preposterous!” Tālia countered. “Who could do such a thing?”

  Gabe’s cheeks went bright pink. “I cleansed Shaefer. He was much worse than the other two.” Gabe watched the crowd carefully, warily, and instead of retaking his seat Sūnder moved to stand behind him to offer his support. He couldn’t stay away; with the way everyone stared, he needed to make it clear Gabe was protected.

  “You’re lying!” Dömini Koi exclaimed. “I’ve tried to find someone who could cleanse the faeborn for years, and you want me to believe a human did what no L’fÿn could?”

  “I— You—” Sūnder could feel the frustration coming off Gabe.

  In a flurry of angry movement, Gabe grabbed the leather case, unzipped the bag, and pulled out the glass container of scarabs, slamming it down on the podium. The room went quiet. “I said I cleansed him. Here is the proof. Do you need me to explain further?”

  The L’fÿn nobles sitting on the first row scrambled out of their seats, over desks, and up a tier; in some cases two.

  “Peoples of Chándaria,” High Druid Mèlindria interjected, and Gabe moved aside for her, “as I was saying, the title should be returned to the faeborn in the care of Prince Sūnder. The title was never meant to be carried by L’fÿns permanently. They simply don’t have the ability to be one with the wildwood. When the treaty was signed, we anticipated that when our lost faeborn returned to Slorèx, the high druid of the time would ensure the title was returned to them. But years passed, decades, even centuries, and our brother faeborn did not return.

  She paused, her bottom lip trembling as if she struggled with overwhelming emotion. “We druids made the decision to let the enclaves believe we murdered every male faeborn babe given over to us. We didn’t. Not once in all these years. Instead, we sent the newborns away to live on other worlds where they would be safe. Occasionally, L’fÿn couples came to us when they realized their unborn male child would be born with magick, and in those few cases we druids smuggled the whole family offworld so their babe would not be taken from them.

  “The SilverHands did eventually find the Lost Ones, the Cal’kté. Unfortunately, the discovery was only made a year ago. However, L’fÿns still committed their shameful atrocities against faeborn males, and corruption ruled the noble houses. When it looked as if the Cal’kté would not come home, I traveled to the Temple of the Stars for help. The Speaker sent her eldest son, the Holy Paladin, to assist us. She also gave me copies of the evidence the Faelÿn had stored pertaining to the Scarab War. I have now sent it all to King Valiant, as well as every Faelÿn and Panthrÿn council member. It is long past time the truth be revealed. Faeborn males were never a threat, not even with their souls darkened. If not cleansed by a guardian, they did go mad, but any violence was inflicted upon themselves, usually in the form of suicide.” The anguish in Mèlindria’s voice was palpable.

  Sāchem Saty pulled Shaefer closer to him, his gaze on Gabe. “It has been a long time since I have heard of Guardians. If the Prince Consort is one, I owe him a debt of gratitude for saving my son.”

  Brimming with pride, Sūnder pulled Gabe back into his arms.

  The Faelÿn standing next to Sāchem Saty, holding onto Milāni, nodded. “My thanks to the Prince Consort. I, too, am in your debt.” A look of confusion appeared on her face. “If I may be so bold, what is a ‘guardian’?”

  Mèlindria smiled. “Good question. Each of us who tends to the wildwood have different purposes. I hold the title of Watcher of the Jade Forest. My druids and rangers wander the wildwood, reporting any problems we find to the Keeper of the Jade Forest. The male faeborn then put right the wrong, keeping the balance in the forest. The Guardian of the Keeper protects the Keeper’s soul from harm while they send their magick through the land. And the Green Sentinels protect the forest from outside threats.”

  She moved next to Gabe, standing tall as she proudly announced, “Prince Consort Gabriel St. Baptista is Prince Sūnder’s guardian. The forest is his to command.”

  Sūnder was unsurprised when the room exploded into an uproar.

  29

  IF EVERYONE WATCHING him had been intolerable, the noise of everybody yelling to be heard over each other made Gabe itch to grab Sūnder and vacate the premises as quickly as possible.

  “Enough!” Gabe flinched at King Valiant’s roar, the impressive pulse of power washing over the room very similar to the one Gabe had accidentally released the other day. Did that mean he and the king of Chándaria had a similar ability?

  The room fell into an excited silence. The three rescued faeborn—Shaefer, Milāni, and Quinlān—ushered their Faelÿn family members back to their seats, then returned to stand next to Gabe. Each one took turns speaking about their abduction, what was said to them, how they were treated, and how they came to be poisoned. Then they gave testimony about how Gabe cleansed Shaefer. They carefully omitted the existence of the other guardians Gabe had led through cleansing Milāni and Quinlān. Finally, Akirá and then Ronan explained their parts in the ordeal that brought the sickened faeborn to Sūnder.

  All the while, Tālia glared daggers at Sūnder, as if he was the one who’d caused all her problems. Worried, Gabe reached blindly behind him, searching for Sūnder’s hand. When Sūnder’s fingers closed over his, they trembled. That one small sign of Sūnder’s vulnerability only intensified Gabe’s protective feelings, which had already threatened to overflow when Princess Válora revealed that Tālia of Nellá was not Sūnder’s mother. Cloaked and standing behind the wretched female, it had torn at Gabe to see Sūnder’s expression flash from confusion to hurt. When Sūnder dropped a neutral veil over his countenance to conceal his emotions, it had become even harder to remain in place. Gabe had been so close to Tālia, and all he could do was fight the urge to strangle her. Sh
e’d made Sūnder’s life hell, and for no good reason—

  The containment canister suddenly rocked from side to side on the podium. The angry buzz of the scarabs echoed the fire rolling through his veins at the thought of Tālia and the cruelty of her enclave.

  So many lives were lost and ruined. Why?

  Gabe heard a slithering hiss in his ear. “Greed.”

  Had the noble house, the very bloodline of Nellá, been poisoned by the toxins they probably created themselves? What had they wanted to accomplish?

  “Covet. Want. Want.” The scarabs had been so lethargic that morning that Gabe had believed they were on the edge of death, but now they swarmed and scrabbled frantically over each other inside the container.

  Trembling, struggling to rein in his outrage, Gabe stared at the bugs in disbelief. How many lives would be lost before the L’fÿns were satisfied?

  “Want what’s not theirs to have.” The bugs swirled, their buzz enveloping every other noise in the large room.

  Would L’fÿns continue to lie to themselves and those around them even after the Jade Forest disappeared? When would they stop? When the ground could no longer support life? When the few who remained were chased from a dead and barren planet?

  Iridescent wings fluttered furiously, the inside of the glass container becoming pearly-white, as if the scarabs had turned liquid. Gabe didn’t know how, but he could feel them strain, search for a way out, wanting to be free.

  “Who is your master?” he asked, raising his voice over the buzzing in his head.

  The wobbling canister jumped off the podium to land on the carpeted floor before rolling across the room to where Tālia sat cuffed next to her father. Panicked, the other L’fÿns, already at least a tier above the pair, fled wildly up the tiers as far as they could, their cries of fright almost as loud as the buzzing in Gabe’s ears. Tālia and Koi, however, were held in place by their guards. The container rolled back and forth between the two L’fÿn, bumping the feet of Tālia and Dömini Koi in turn, its actions confirming what Gabe had already suspected.

  Unexpectedly, Válora grasped Gabe’s arm. He hadn’t seen her move from her seat. In a daze, he met her probing gaze. “I didn’t touch it.”

  “Oh, I know, son.” Válora’s expression turned contemplative as rangers surrounded Gabe, Sūnder, the faeborn males, Akirá, and Ronan. The faeborn females looked as deadly and fierce as the knights and silverhands, regardless of the fact they didn’t wear armor. Gabe found the thought they didn’t need any protection chilling.

  “Take them out of here and keep them safe,” Mèlindria ordered.

  As the rangers herded them towards the door, Gabe caught a glimpse of someone he knew in the amphitheater crowd. He turned, searching… to find Pip’s familiar face amidst a gathering of hooded figures. Annoyingly, a ranger adamantly tugged him along, halting his observation of the group. Gabe could have sworn he saw Wÿn’s face under one of the cowls just before he was urged into the hallway, but surely there was no way… Gabe only had a moment to wonder what the presence of the elders at the gathering meant before he was being ushered down the corridor, away from the assembly.

  Paulo and his knights were waiting at the end of the hallway to take over from the rangers, who returned to the meeting; understandable, if you assumed the High Druid was their primary responsibility.

  Holding his finger to his ear, Paulo listened intently, finally giving a nod to what he heard. “King Valiant has commanded I take you all back to the Oberon.”

  Gabe wasn’t going to argue. Sūnder’s uncharacteristic silence worried him. Normally Sūnder would be at Paulo’s side, his gaze searching for possible danger, always on guard. Not this time. Now, staring at the ground intently, he seemed to barely register Gabe’s presence. Gabe met Paulo’s concerned gaze. It seemed they were in agreement about Sūnder.

  Giving several commands to the knights, Paulo moved to the other side of Sūnder and took his arm carefully.

  “We will be moving fast, Gabe. A crowd has gathered outside and the human security personnel are having a hard time keeping people back.”

  “We’ll keep up.” Although Gabe tried to sound confident, his voice had a warble he couldn’t hide. He wasn’t in shock like Sūnder seemed to be, however the adrenaline that had carried him through the confrontation at the conference did make him more jittery than he’d like.

  “I shall stay next to you and keep pace with you,” Paulo assured him.

  Security met them in the lobby, wearing riot gear and carrying military grade forcebands on their forearms that created energy shields. The devices would keep people from seeing behind the barrier while allowing the person carrying the shield to see outward. But the Panthrÿns and faeborn, along with Sūnder and Akirá, towered over everyone, and Gabe realized the shields would be insufficient for hiding them from the crowd. Outside the glass front of the building was a long walk leading to the street. Barricades had been set up across the road; even from a distance, Gabe could see the way the barrier lines undulated as people pushed at each other to get a better view.

  Signs were held over the heads of the people. Banners proclaiming, “Stop the persecution!”, “Faeborn Live Free!”, and “Gabriel <3 Sūnder 4ever!” were mixed with “Darksouls aren’t mass murderers!” and “L’fÿns = baby killers!”

  “Why are there so many people here?” Gabe asked Paulo.

  “Originally, many wanted to catch a glimpse of you and Sūnder. Then, about an hour ago, a hacker released classified files regarding the Scarab War online. Since then, people have been showing up in droves.”

  Quickly moving back to where Sūnder stood, Gabe searched out Akirá to see him off to the side of the group, talking with Ronan. When he reached Sūnder, Gabe stood on his toes and stretched up to slide his fingers through Sūnder’s red mane, pulling Sūnder down until their mouths touched.

  For a moment Sūnder didn’t respond, but when he did he wrapped his arms around Gabe and lifted him. Gabe opened wide, allowing Sūnder to delve deep, welcoming Sūnder’s magick as it slid through him. The energy felt strained and overeager as it dived into him, as brisk and bruising as Sūnder’s kiss. Gabe refused to flinch or pull away from the sensation but instead gave all of himself, trying his best to send comfort. He wasn’t sure if what he did succeeded, but Sūnder’s magick eventually eased, the spiky intensity bleeding away until there was only warmth.

  Sūnder withdrew from the kiss slowly. Gabe’s lips ached, but the small pain was worth it to see the shock gone. “There you are.”

  Sūnder blinked and glanced around, his confusion clear. It seemed he didn’t remember coming to the lobby with them.

  “They’re taking us out to the vehicle, love. The climate among the crowd is dangerous, but your father wants us back on the Oberon.” Gabe indicated the gathering through the glass as he waited for Sūnder to process everything.

  Sūnder’s attention returned to Gabe. “I’m sorry, I—”

  “Shhh.” Gabe put his hand over Sūnder’s lips. “None of that now. There’s nothing to be sorry for. We’ll sort it out later, when we’re safe.”

  “Are we ready?” Paulo asked as he approached, his gaze going from Gabe to Sūnder. The tension in Paulo’s shoulders visibly eased, and he gave Sūnder a genuine smile. “If you are, then you’ll need to put Gabe back on his feet.”

  Gabe grinned at Sūnder’s darkening cheeks. He led Sūnder over to where everyone had gathered, ignoring Sūnder’s scowl when he pushed Sūnder into the middle of the group with the three other faeborn. He’d be safest there. Security guards surrounded them, a huge Mantid seeming to be in charge. He wasn’t as tall as Sūnder but it was a close thing. Gabe stared, fascinated. He hadn’t met many Mantids. This one’s skin was the dark brown of rich earth swirled with tree bark and, unlike humans, his eyes had no whites but were instead a brilliant apple green. At first glance he could pass as human—almost. Tall, his body was thin and ropey, not bulky, his limbs long. Gabe didn’t find his f
lattened face attractive, but it might be for a Mantid, he supposed.

  The patch on the guard closest to him said “Booker & Mantidea Security and Bounty Enterprise”. The Booker family name had been made notorious by the scientists who’d experimented on themselves in an attempt to breed children with superior strength and speed. After some horrifying tragedies the Federation had stepped in to stop the experiments, policies and laws put in place to deal with the dozens of children who lived but weren’t quite human enough to be released freely into the population.

  An armored hovercraft stopped at the curb. A human wearing the same uniform as the Mantid hopped out and jogged into the building. The man seemed to be the smallest of all the guards, which was just weird when compared to the unusual height of the others. How would he keep from getting outmatched in a confrontation? As he neared, Gabe noticed the pointed ears and oversized canines. And there was a strange, almost feral energy coming from the man. Oh.

  “Talon,” the Mantid said in greeting.

  “Hey, Prophet. If we’re leaving, it needs to be now,” Talon replied. “They won’t be able to hold the crowd back for much longer.”

  Gabe didn’t have time to marvel that the famous—or infamous, depending on who you spoke to—Talon Booker would be escorting them. The government must have been anticipating major problems if they’d hired outside their city’s protect-and-serve forces.

  “All right, people, get ready to move.” Prophet announced. “Keep your heads down and stay close!”

  The guards surrounded them, and Sūnder grabbed Gabe, pulling him close. The double glass doors opened and Gabe moved with the group. The roar of the crowd was deafening. It was impossible to make out any words in all the earsplitting noise. Once outside, the forcebands were activated, the shields expanding to complete an unbroken circle around their group. Turning his attention from the crowd, Gabe concentrated on keeping up with Sūnder and not tripping. Sūnder hunched next to Gabe and, before they knew it, they were at the vehicle, Prophet pushing each one of them into the back of the hovercraft. He then jumped in himself, along with Talon.