AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I recoiled at those words. “What?”
“My father would abdicate his throne for you. I need him to continue to rule for a few more years,” Keran said.
I looked at him, slightly confused. “Why? Usually, the heirs are dying to get their hands on power.”
He chuckled. “No one is eager to deal with the headache of Braxia,” he said, mockingly, although his words held a ring of truth. “You made me realize how little we know of the way other worlds are run and why it works. We’ve been too stuck in our ways. I intend to travel a lot over the upcoming years, as a Braxian Ambassador, to learn how the rest of the universe lives and functions, and to forge new alliances before my ascension. If my father steps down now, I will be bound to remain here.”
“Goddess… You don’t want to rule,” I whispered at the sudden realization.
He shrugged. “I do not seek the trappings of power, but I love Braxia and have great plans for her that I can only accomplish as the Magnar. So yes, I do. Just not now.”
His com beeped. Pulling it out of his pocket, he glanced at the display screen and slightly frowned.
“I’m afraid I must depart,” Keran said. “Thanks for walking with me.”
“I can see now why your father is so proud of you.”
His harsh face softened with an affectionate smile as he thought of his father.
“As am I of him. Looking forward to seeing those Veredian markings, Dagna,” Keran said mockingly.
Before I could answer, he struck his fist to his chest and then walked away. Damn the man; truly his father’s son.
Once we arrived at Varrek’s house, I spent what remained of the morning hacking a new batch of his files, allowing myself to get distracted by more of my brother’s thwarted ex-lover’s clingy messages. I shouldn’t be reading this, least of all for entertainment, but it was just too juicy to pass up. And yet, part of me felt sorry for that man. Rik’s obsessive love had clearly turned off my brother and driven him away, but he didn’t seem to understand that. His relentless pursuit had only made matters worse as each message escalated in desperation. Guldan’s despised weakness. How could he not see he was ruining things for himself? This last message had broken my heart.
“My dearest Varrek,
I have finally accepted that it is over, and that your affection for me has faded. No more will you hear pleas from me to resume the relationship that had taken me to the halls of the Goddess herself. I miss working with you, our conversations on science, and our revolutionary research. You are the most brilliant mind of our times, and I will never find another collaborator that can challenge me and push the boundaries the way only you can. Please, allow me to return to your side to pursue our work.
Your most loyal friend,
Rik”
How terrible it must have felt to have been so hungry for someone’s presence as to resort to such manipulations to be with them again? I didn’t doubt he had loved working with my brother.Iwould have given anything for a chance to work with such a genius, but even I could read between the lines that he had still hoped to rekindle their relationship.
With a sigh, I rubbed my eyes, then stretched as I stood from my chair. Gorav would be calling lunch break in less than thirty minutes, and I wanted to get the lab ready to work there in the afternoon. I’d brought some fresh plant samples on which I wanted to attempt some of the research Varrek had been performing. I’d concluded that Varrek’s clients list wasn’t on his computer, having already gone through all of the most likely folders. Therefore, I no longer plowed through the files with zealous determination but paced myself, alternating with more exciting tasks in between.
As I sorted the samples and pulled out the necessary equipment, a swishing sound made me look up. Although it sounded like a door opening, it had come from the back, left corner of the room, behind one of the cold storages. Before I could react, the Guldan Ambassador Lorik Zorak stepped out from the corner, and shot me with the dart gun in his hand.
I never got a chance to make a sound, instant numbness spreading from the sting at the base of my neck. I collapsed to the side, my vision blurring as he approached me with a cruel glint in his green eyes. Battling to remain conscious, I watched helplessly as he picked me up and carried me to the hidden lift my advanced scanners had never detected in the corner. As darkness engulfed me, the platform carried us into the bowels of the house.
My mouth felt dry and full of sand. I could think clearly, but my naked body tingled with dizziness from the lingering effects of the drug. I lay on my stomach on what appeared to be a short, spanking bench. Head dangling over the edge, arms folded and hands shackled by my sides, my feet rested on the floor, shackled as well at the base of the bench. I strained my ears in search of any presence in the room before moving, wishing to delay the time before my kidnapper realized I had regained consciousness. Silence reigned in the room but for the soft whistle of the ventilation system.
My eyes fluttered open. Grid-like, dark metal plates covered the floor. Turning my head to the side, I counted at least four, empty detention cells, although I suspected there were more beyond my line of sight. Various devices sat atop a long counter running the length of the wall in front of me. The right side of the room stood empty, but for a large, reinforced door. I didn’t want to imagine what purpose this room had served for my brother. In spite of everything, he’d always provided his slaves with comfortable accommodations. This looked like a place you’d cage animals.
My hands were too big to slip out of the shackles, but I pulled on them anyway, trying to give my palms direct contact with the hard metal. I tried to push my psi power into the metal, hoping to infect it with an unravel command that would have the shackles crumbling within seconds. To my dismay, I didn’t find a single nanite within to carry out my command. Pressing my palms to the side of the wooden bench, my heart sank at finding no nanites there either—not that I’d really expected any in that material.
Helpless, I struggled in vain against my restraints. The Goddess only knew how long I’d been unconscious. It could have been minutes or hours. Had Gorav noticed my disappearance? Had the Ambassador gotten him, too? I hadn’t seen Gorav in the cells within my line of sight. But then, Lorik probably wouldn’t have been able to carry such a massive Braxian on his own.
Oh Goddess, please let him be safe.
Over the past six weeks, I’d grown quite fond of Anton’s youngest brother. I’d be devastated if anything had happened to him.
“Awake at last.”
I yelped in surprise at hearing Lorik’s voice behind me. Had he been in the room this whole time? I hadn’t heard any door opening. Twisting my neck, I tried to look at him over my shoulder but he remained out of sight. My heart pounded into my throat when the sound of his footsteps stopped right behind me. Mind racing, I considered asking him what he wanted from me. Although I could think of at least a couple of reasons—like using me against Ravik or for my inheritance—I decided to keep my mouth shut until I had a better sense of his state of mind. I was in far too vulnerable a position to alienate him with no idea if any rescue was on the way.
His warm, oddly soft hand caressing my left butt cheek in a slow circle, startled me. I didn’t want to think what this touch might lead to next. Whatever his intentions, he wouldn’t kill me; I was too valuable alive. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t entertain himself with me.
