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Kern shook his head. He had no idea where the path led but Cylex would have warned them if it was dangerous. “She spent many weeks trying to pinpoint his location, taking on temporary jobs to fund her quest. But she was sabotaged every step of the way by the Torretian military.” Staying focused on the events was the only way he was going to survive this. So he locked down his emotions and stated facts. “They had no interest in revealing the location of one of their most effective commanders. She finally accepted defeat and bought a ticket home, but she went into labor in the space station.”
“Seriously?” She looked at Cylex for confirmation. Kern didn’t blame her. The story was fantastical. “Did she give birth there or did they rush her to a hospital?”
“I was born on the floor in a public lavatory. My mother was terrified. She was convinced she was being pursued by the military so she hid and tried to conceal what was happening.”
“No one can give birth silently,” she objected. “And why did she think the military was after her? Did they threaten her or something?”
“I honestly do not know.” He raised both hands, feeling slightly defensive. “I’m just repeating what I was told by the woman who found her.”
“And who was that?”
Kern took a deep breath and braced for the emotional impact of what was to come. There was a damn good reason he never spoke about any of this. “Empress Achonis of Torret.”
Her eyes widened and then she shivered. “I didn’t know Jevara had a mate.”
“Achonis was his mother, not his mate.”
“Right. His father was still alive,” she muttered. “What was the empress doing in a public lavatory? Weren’t there private, for-royalty-only facilities somewhere?”
She fixated on the strangest things. Why did she care why the empress had walked into the lavatory? “The empress did not use public facilities, but her handmaidens did. Their transport was ready to depart so Achonis stepped into the lavatory to hurry Breamu along. Instead of finding Breamu, she heard my mother moaning and saw blood on the floor outside her stall. Achonis turned to go and get one of her guards but my mother cried out, begging her not to leave. By the time Breamu found them, Achonis had delivered the baby and my mother had bled to death.”
“Oh, God, Kern.” She closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around him. “I thought Cylex’s story was sad. This is even worse.”
“Cylex’s story is much worse,” Kern argued, returning her embrace. It felt wonderful to have her in his arms, but the story was just beginning. “I was an infant when all this happened. Cylex was old enough to experience his tragedies.” Kern looked at Cylex over Raina’s head. Cylex’s features were locked in an expressionless mask. He was likely fighting back memories of his own.
She eased back, but remained within the circle of his arms. Her hands rested lightly on his chest and her gaze locked with his. “Did they send for your grandmother?”
He shook his head. “I’m not sure why my mother was so paranoid but she was traveling under an assumed name. No one had any idea that she was Pyronese or why she was on Torret.”
“So you went into the system?”
He wasn’t sure what that meant, but it didn’t sound good. “Achonis told the authorities that she would care for me until they unraveled the mystery. No one was going to argue with the empress, so I was taken to the palace.”
She suddenly smiled brightly. Something about this amused her and he couldn’t imagine why. “Should I call you Moses from now on?”
Again, her comment made no sense. “Who is Moses?”
“Never mind. There are some similarities in the stories, but I’d rather hear about you. How long did you stay at the palace?”
“Until I was twelve.”
“Twelve years old?” Her jaw dropped. She was obviously shocked by his answer. “The empress adopted you?”
“She thought it would be nice for Jevara to have someone near his age at the palace, so I became a ward of the crown. The truth was bringing me into the universe created a certain attachment and she couldn’t bear to send me away. However, I was more like a pet than a son and Jevara made damn sure I knew it.”
“You grew up with Jevara? What was that like? I’ve heard he’s horrible.”
“He is capricious and cruel, and I am convinced he emerged from the womb that way. His full potential for depravity and violence did not emerge until after his parents passed beyond.”
“His father used to beat it out of him,” Cylex added gruffly.
She nodded, yet her eyes were suddenly sad. “Abusers were often abused. It’s a tragic cycle.”
“Jevara is not a victim,” Kern stressed. “He does not deserve your compassion.”
“You know him better than most. I’ll take your word for it. So what happened when you were twelve? Why did you leave the palace?”
“My grandmother learned I was still alive and summoned me to the Temple of Air.”
