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She smiled. You were never stupid. Just remember our little agreement and stay the course. I need this from you.
I’m at your service, Princess.
For a moment, only a split-second really, she felt something emanate from Merl just before she ended the telepathic communication. Stroking her leopard’s head and rubbing his ears, she felt the flavor of the emotion and what came to her was a sense of panic.
Yolanthe gave herself a shake. She had to be mistaken. What did Merl have to be afraid of, exce
pt of course for the contents of the last cell in her below-ground prison?
Ah, her prison. One of her favorite places on her estate.
Maybe it was having a discussion with Merl that gave her the idea, but after a moment, she made her way to the round, stone staircase at the east wing of her villa. She descended slowly, her heartrate ramping up. She would need her sex slaves soon because the sight of her prisoners always fed her libido. In seven of her cells were some of the most famous warriors of Third Earth, each a powerhouse in his own right.
The Militia Warrior guards who tended to her prisoners came to attention. They wore the burgundy leather weapons harness of the Third Earth Militia, black leather kilts, and the traditional three long braids on either side of the face. “Your Highness,” the men called out in unison, not looking her in the eye as each brought a sword to his chest in salute.
She nodded, then began a slow progress down the line of cells. She had all seven men shackled and pinned to the walls, some facing away from her, others with a full-frontal view she enjoyed immeasurably. These were no ordinary warriors, but Third Earth Warriors of the Blood, captured at the same time she’d sent Merl to Second Earth.
She loved seeing a fighting man naked and stripped of his power. Each was heavily muscled since she required her prisoners to work out on a daily basis. She wasn’t completely inhuman; she had her sex slaves service them once a week as long as they continued to build muscle. She would have enjoyed taking the men into her bed, but she was convinced they’d kill her before she even had a chance to spread her legs.
Guards ranged down the somewhat wide hallway at twenty-foot intervals. She ran a tight ship and in the several centuries she’d kept a working jail, she’d never had one escape. The creation of her formidable mist over her property had been her best safeguard since not even the most powerful inmate could fold out of the prison.
When she reached the last cell, she smiled, for the woman looked lovely. She wore a semi-sheer lavender veil covering her head and draping past her shoulders. A number of silver weights in the shape of tear-drops were attached to the hem of the veil, holding the fabric in place.
The covering had two special properties. The first prevented the woman from utilizing her telepathy except with tremendous pain and the other would deliver a death-vapor if she attempted to remove the veil. She wore a fresh linen gown, supplied weekly.
An unusual kind of power vibrated from the woman, something Yolanthe had never quite understood. It was as though she lived on a different plane while her body remained imprisoned in the villa palace.
“Katlynn, my dear, I spoke with your brother today for the first time in ages.”
Katlynn turned slowly in her direction. “You talked to Merl?”
“Yes, I did.” Yolanthe smiled. “And I can see you’ve grown hopeful. But I assure you, he has no intention of attempting a rescue. He knows full well any such act on his part would force me to draw a blade across your throat.”
~
Duncan had spent the past several minutes detailing for Luken what happened after he’d gotten separated from Merl and Rachel. Luken was still sitting in the dirt, though Horace had brought in two members of his healing squad to help speed up the wing repair process.
Luken scowled as he shifted his gaze to Merl. “What do you have to say?”
Merl ground his teeth and flared his nostrils. “Your men are holding back. If Duncan had been able to access his Third Earth powers, Yolanthe couldn’t have trapped him. I can’t teach the unteachable.”
Merl’s words infuriated Duncan. “Maybe it’s not the team’s fault. Maybe it’s your method, manner, and quality of instruction. I mean, a couple of minutes ago you blanked out when Luken asked you a question. Yeah, I’m thinking it’s you.”
Merl looked like he wanted to say something, then changed his mind. Even so, he got in Duncan’s face, his light blue eyes fierce. “Did you even try to use your grayle power?”
He glared back at Merl-the-asshole. “Yes, but with no success.”
Merl grimaced. “You’re not listening to me, Duncan. You have to seize the power here.” Merl slapped a hand against the center of his own battle harness, then Duncan’s. “You’re rock solid as a Warrior of the Blood on Second, but you’ve got to bump up your game. Otherwise, you’ll be dead before we even set foot on Third Earth.”
Each foray through the darkening grid had led them to a nest of wreckers and an intense battle, usually involving Rachel’s shield to get them safely out. The team hadn’t yet succeeded once in finding a safe landing on Third Earth.
Duncan flared his nostrils. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
Merl narrowed his eyes and a dark red hue suddenly covered his face. “Get in the game,” he shouted, not two inches away from Duncan.
“I am in the game.” Duncan withheld a long stream of curses that shot through his head.
“Like hell you are.”
