Ristèard Unwilling Empress (9 page)

Ristèard discreetly watched Ricki’s face, trying to decipher what her reaction would be to his home before he turned to press the control to open the loading platform. He nodded to Andras when his second-in-command murmured that he had checked with the elite guards at the palace and made sure that everything was secured for his and Ricki’s arrival. His mouth tightened when the loading ramp to the transport lowered and he saw the crowd pushing against the guards.

Ricki stepped up next to him and stared in shock at the crowd. Her fingers nervously twisted the end of the braid she had quickly weaved to keep her hair out of her face. A loud roar sounded from the crowd when they caught sight of them.

“They appear to be very happy to see you,” she murmured, gazing with wide eyes at the large crowd.

Ristèard’s mouth tightened into a straight line. “It is not me they are here to see,” he responded, placing his hand on the small of her back. “It is you.”

Ricki’s head jerked around to stare at him in disbelief. She stumbled a little on the edge of the platform as he guided her down it. He quickly wrapped his arm around her waist to steady her. A low chanting began in the background, slowly rising by the time they reached the end of the platform.

“Why?” She asked, gazing around at the thousands of blue skinned people staring at her. “Why would they come to see me?”

Ristèard slipped his hand from around her waist and threaded his fingers through hers. Raising their entwined hands up above their heads, he stared down at the huge crowd of people. A wave of hopeful cries rose like a wave. The sound crashed around them as his people acknowledged that the rumor of the mythical Empress of Elipdios was true. She had returned to save them.

“You are their Empress,” he whispered in her ear. “You have returned to save Elipdios.”

Ricki felt her knees grow weak and her head swam for a moment. Ristèard felt her sway. He did the only thing he could think of to keep her from fainting. Lowering their entwined hands, he turned her toward him and wrapped his other arm around her.

“Ristèard?” Ricki whispered, her eyes glazed and disoriented. “What if…?”

Ristèard didn’t wait for her to finish her sentence. Pulling her roughly against his body, he captured her lips with his. He blocked the loud roar of approval from the crowds. His only focus was on Ricki right now. This was not the way he would have liked to have introduced her to his world, but he could reluctantly appreciate Manderlin’s move. There would be no denying Ricki’s existence to his people now.

Pride seared through him when he felt her body shudder and relax for a moment before she broke their kiss. She blinked several times and he saw her vision clear as she looked up at him. His hand rose to cup her soft cheek.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, staring down at her with regret. “This is not how I wanted to introduce you to my world.”

A faint, reluctant smile curved Ricki’s lips and she shook her head at him. “You should have thought about that before you kidnapped me,” she teased in a faint voice before glancing at the suddenly quiet crowd. “I’m terrified I’ll let them down,” she admitted, turning away from him and smiling down at a group of young children peering through the legs of the guards.

“You aren’t the only one,” Ristèard muttered under his breath, watching as Ricki walked down the steps of the landing platform and crossed over to where the children were watching her with awe. “You aren’t the only one,” he repeated before he followed her.

*.*.*

“Take her to my rooms,” Ristèard ordered quietly to Sadao an hour later. “Stay with her and keep her safe. And Sadao, do not trust anyone.”

“Of course,” Sadao replied, bowing his head at Ristèard and resting his hand over his heart to show his respect and allegiance. “Lady Ricki.”

Ristèard saw Ricki hesitate for a fraction of a second, her worried gaze focused on him before she nodded. Another wave of pride swept through him when she ignored the harsh shouts directed at her. She had stood by his side, her head held high, listening to and observing the fury that had burst from several of the councilmen. He had been right when he said that having Ricki beside him would show the true colors of those that opposed him.

Fury burned through him as the circle of men on either side of him continued to argue with each other. The threats were growing louder, and he suspected that it would turn to violence before too much longer. He was positive his next move would push the traitors out into the open.

“Enough!” He roared, bringing instant silence to the room. “You have defied me for the last time. As of now, the council is dissolved. Those that wish to challenge my right to do so stand before me now and we will deal with this once and for all.”

Ristèard’s face twisted in disgust as Texla and Roamlin both rose from their seats and pulled their weapons. It would appear the puppets wanted to play. His eyes narrowed when five other councilmen rose and jumped over the sides of the circular room to land in the center. Only three councilmen remained seated, Manderlin, Pertilis, and Dertus.

“We have been trying to kill you for years, Prison rat,” Texla snarled. “But, you and your fellow rodents have continued to slip through the traps we have set. No longer will that happen.”

Ristèard glanced at Andras, who moved closer so that he was standing back to back with Ristèard. He knew that Harald and Emyr were also in the room. Each of his trusted personal guards, and the only men he would call friends, had taken up a position in the room. Seven against four wasn’t bad odds. He could handle that many on his own.

He turned his head, watching as one of the guards at the door slipped through it before the other guard locked it behind him.

Six other guards slipped in through the back entrance to the council room.

Okay, fourteen to four,
he thought with grim determination.

“Who pulls your strings, Texla?” Ristèard mocked, sliding the blades at his waist out and extending them. “I was told you are just the puppet. There is always a master because the puppet is too dumb to move on his own.”

Texla hissed and sneered back at Ristèard. “I am no puppet,” he snarled. “The wealth I have collected will keep me comfortable for the rest of my life.”

Ristèard’s face froze into a cold, deadly mask. “You would sell your planet for your own personal gains, but you will not live long enough to collect on it,” he promised. “I will see you and every other traitor to Elipdios dead first.”

Texla chuckled. “You are outnumbered, Grand Ruler,” he sneered, waving the blade in his hand toward the guards circling the center area. “Two against all of us, this time you are the one who will finally be dead. You and that female you brought to Elipdios. Even as you stand here, our men are on their way to kill her.”

“Not just two,” Manderlin roared, rising up and striking at one of the guards closest to him. “Five!”

“Kill them all!” Texla ordered, stepping in to attack Ristèard. “Kill them!”

*.*.*

Ricki glanced at Sadao with a worried look. She knew that they had discussed this might happen, but that didn’t make it any easier. She started to glance back over her shoulder, but Sadao stopped her.

“Do not look back,” he murmured in a quiet voice, raising his hand to grip her arm and picking up the pace of their walk. “We are being followed.”

Ricki nodded. Glancing back and forth, she didn’t have much time to enjoy the beauty of the palace. The walls of the palace were so smooth that the surface resembled a highly polished mirror. The only light coming into the long corridor was either from the large windows they passed by or from hidden lights along the walls.

Ricki reached her hand out to touch the surface as they turned the corner. A gasped escaped her when threads of gold blossomed from where her fingers touched it.

“The stone contains a natural chemical that reacts to touch,” Sadao explained in a quiet voice as they neared a narrow staircase. “Do not touch it until we get to safety.”

Ricki nodded again, pulling her hand back and wrapping her fingers around the strap of her purse. She was thankful she seldom wore heels. The soft, yellow dress shoes that she was wearing were not only comfortable, but quiet against the tiled floor.

She quickly followed Sadao up the stairs and down several more corridors before they halted in front of a set of huge, ornately carved black doors guarded by two men. Sadao muttered to them in a low tone that they were being followed and to be prepared. Both men nodded and quickly pulled one door open to allow them passage.

Ricki nervously glanced over her shoulder when she heard the sound of footsteps coming down the corridor. Jumping slightly when she felt a hand on her arm, she turned to look at Sadao with wide, frightened eyes. He gave her a reassuring smile before he nodded toward the opening.

“Go,” he said, glancing over his shoulder.

Ricki quickly slipped through the door. Sadao followed her, locking it behind him. Turning, she gazed at what appeared to be an elaborate office. Her eyes moved about the room.

Huge tapestries depicting different events covered the mirrored black walls. She walked around the room, glancing nervously back at the door. They were so thick, she doubted they would hear anything on the other side of them. Sadao moved to the desk and began pressing a series of buttons. Within seconds, heavy shields came down over the large windows and lights came on.

“I need to make sure the rest of the rooms are secure,” Sadao said, rising from the chair. “There are two other rooms connected to this one. Stay here.”

“What about the guards outside?” Ricki asked, worriedly glancing at the door. “You can’t let them face whoever is coming alone.”

“They are well trained and additional guards have been alerted. Ristèard ordered that I remain with you. Trust me, I would fear him far more than the traitors,” Sadao stated. “I will return in a moment.”

Ricki swallowed her protest. She turned in a slow circle, gazing around the room. A fireplace large enough for her to stand in covered most of the far wall. Several large logs, twice as thick as her body and just as long as she was tall, burned in it.

Over the mantle of the fireplace was a tapestry of two men. They stood side by side, a look of fierce determination on their bloodied faces. Ricki stepped closer to look carefully at the men. One man was slightly older than the other. It took a moment for Ricki to realize that the younger man was Ristèard. In the picture, they held a bloody sword and were surrounded by the remains of dozens of dead men.

Fascination and nausea coursed through her as she studied the surrounding area in the image. The more she looked, the more details began to emerge. In the background, she could pick out the images of Emyr, Andras, Harald, and Sadao, along with dozens of other men, women, and children. Some of them were still imprisoned behind large bars. It was an image of a woman, holding the small, lifeless body of a child in her arms that pulled at Ricki.

Her eyes went back to the two men standing surrounded by the dead. The older man’s eyes held so much emotion in them, so much heartbreak, she could actually feel his pain.

Turning away from the tapestry, she looked at the sealed windows that graced the west wall. They covered the wall from floor to ceiling, probably to allow the greatest amount of natural lighting into the room. Heavy curtains outlined each window and were pulled back with thick ropes of silver and gold.

Ricki continued her exploration. A large round table that could seat at least a dozen men sat near the center of the room. Two large, silver couches with twin matching chairs were arranged in front of the burning fireplace. There were six matching end tables made of the same black stone as the walls. They sat at the end of each piece of furniture.

Curious, she walked over and touched one. Amazement swept through her when she saw spider webs of gold filament light up through the stone before fading again. It was almost magical.

Wrapping her arms back around her waist, she walked over to one of the tapestries hanging along the wall behind the large desk. It had to be over fifteen feet tall and twenty feet wide.

There was a picture of what looked almost like a maze on it. Inside the maze were depictions of different scenes. Stepping closer, she knelt down to study the bottom of the tapestry where it almost touched the floor. Her fingers instinctively reached out to touch the figure of the woman woven into it.

A wave of dizziness swept through Ricki for a moment as she bent down. She thought it might have been because she hadn’t eaten in over twenty-four hours. Closing her eyes, she pressed her hand against the tapestry to keep her balance. The wave of dizziness continued to increase until she knew that she was going to faint.

It was strange being able to analyze what was happening to her even as she felt her body shifting sideways until she was lying on the floor between the desk and the wall. She tried to open her eyes, but it was useless. Instead, she allowed the darkness to take her. Something deep inside her told her that this was important. She sank further down into the swirling mist as vivid colors exploded behind her eyelids.

I wonder if this is what Star saw when she had her dream,
Ricki thought as she gave in to the brilliant lights.

*.*.*

Ristèard struck Texla hard across the face as the man came at him again. The blow knocked the traitorous bastard into Roamlin. Swinging his blade low, he caught Roamlin across the stomach when Texla jerked the man in front of him as protection. The blade sliced Roamlin’s stomach from one side to the other.