Talan's Treasure (8 page)
“I will wait until they announce you missing, then go stay with my sister in Collinsville.
Your father shouldn’t object since I will no longer have a charge.” Chalice went to his dresser and pulled out a small velvet bag from the top drawer.
“This is for you, Odwill. A small thanks for all of your help.” He clasped the servant’s shoulder, handed the bag over then turned to away finish packing. He wasn’t going to cry.
According to his father, princes didn’t cry and Chalice didn’t plan to start now.
“My lord!” Odwill gasped behind him. “This is more gold than I’ve ever had in my life.”
Chalice took a deep breath but didn’t turn around. He was too close to an emotional breakdown over leaving the man who’d been more like a father to him than his own.
“I can’t repay you for all you’ve done for me over the years, but I can make sure your remaining years are comfortable.”
“Thank you, my lord. I want you to know that it has always been a pleasure to serve you despite your handicap. You’ve never been a bit of trouble. If I could go with you to your new home I would.”
Chalice smiled. “I know you would, Odwill, and you’re the only one who calls it a handicap. Everyone else calls it a curse.”
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Despite having the strongest magical ability in his family, without a counterpart to balance out his powers, Chalice’s magic wobbled out of control. Most magic users, like his two brothers, were masters who kept a submissive to help smooth out their ability. Chalice, however,
was
a submissive. And as a rare four elemental mage, if he bonded with another magic user he would burn the other man out with the sheer force of his abilities.
He’d heard of other planets where non-magical creatures could bond with and balance the magical. However, his father refused to admit a child of his had a problem. Chalice couldn’t hope for help from that direction, so he needed to find his own solution. Now, at nineteen years of age, Chalice had reached adulthood and was ready to leave his home planet and look for his magical match among the stars.
Odwill grabbed Chalice by the arm and turned the younger man to face him.
“No matter what anyone says, you’re not cursed…you’re special—so special the gods have created an entire other person to help you with your magic. All you have to do is find him.” Odwill gave him a final gentle shake before letting him go. With a sad smile, he reached into his pocket. “I’ve been saving this to give to a child of my own one day but I never ended up having any. You are the closest thing to a son I will ever have.” Odwill opened his hand. A ring engraved with a hawk holding a rare Tinarean ruby lay on his palm. “It was given to me by a soothsayer who told me this ring would lead my son to his future.”
“I can’t take this,” Chalice protested.
“You can and you will,” Odwill said in a firm voice. Before Chalice could refuse again, the servant took Chalice’s hand and slid the ring onto the middle finger of his right hand.
“Keep it to remind you of me when you’re far away from home. Know you are the son of my heart even if you aren’t of my seed.”
Chalice gave Odwill a tremulous smile. “Thank you, old friend. Enjoy your days as a man of leisure.”
Zipping up his bag, Chalice slipped it onto his back barely feeling the added weight.
The pack only contained two sets of clothes, his credit chip, an emergency communicator and his mother’s journal. A pet wouldn’t need much. His new owner would provide for him.
With one last nod to his servant, Chalice left his childhood bedroom. He knew he’d never be back…at least not as only his father’s son. It was time for him to become his own www.total-e-bound.com
person. The thought made him both sad and triumphant. Optimistic he would find his answers in the stars, Chalice headed for the outer gates.
The path to the front exit thankfully lacked the presence of anyone who would care about him leaving. Chalice nodded to the guards as he went, but no one stopped him until he reached the actual outer barrier with its full contingent of warriors.
“Excuse me, Prince Chalice.” Shreel, captain of the king’s guard, stepped in front of him and blocked his path.
“Is there a problem?” Chalice kept his voice calm and steady, refusing to reveal his jangling nerves.
Shreel looked at the pack on Chalice’s shoulder. “Going somewhere?”
“Yes, and if you don’t move I’m going to be late.” Chalice locked eyes with Shreel. He let flames flicker in his pupils to show his annoyance, an easy trick that always unnerved others and one of the few small magicks he could perform without a partner.
Shreel shivered before the sight but didn’t back down. “Does your father know where you’re going?”
“No, and as I’m of age, it isn’t any of his business.” He hoped he covered his nervousness well. If the guard sensed anything out of the ordinary, he might detain him until he could verify with the king Chalice’s right to leave.
Shreel’s gaze swept over Chalice’s bag with new eyes. “Pardon, I didn’t know you were seeing someone.” He raised a hand towards the soldiers behind him. “Let Prince Chalice through.”
“Have a good afternoon, Shreel,” Chalice said as he passed. His father’s right hand man had always treated Chalice with the respect often lacking from his own family.
“Good evening.” The guard bowed as Chalice walked by.
Chalice didn’t let out a breath until the palace finally vanished behind him and the busy streets swallowed him up. Raising his hand, he hailed a passing floater. The vehicle pulled to stop right before him. Chalice slid into the back.
“Where to?” the driver asked in an indifferent tone. His eyes revealed a complete lack of interest in his traveller.
Perfect
.
“The spaceport, please.”
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“Sure.” The driver waited a moment to speak as he merged with traffic. “So where are you heading to, young sir?”
“Off-planet.” His tone didn’t encourage conversation as he turned to look out the window. The less information he shared with others, the less information his father would have if he went looking for Chalice. He wasn’t really concerned about his father hunting him down. He was of age and not of any political use to the king, but as a dutiful son he’d left a note behind. It didn’t reveal where he was going, because even he didn’t know that yet, but it did confess what he’d left to look for.
He needed to find a Master.
The driver didn’t speak again until he told Chalice the fare while pulling into the space station parking lot.
Chalice gave the man a generous tip, earning him a smile from the driver.
“Be careful out there, young man. The universe can be a scary place.” Chalice gave the driver a smile. “Thanks, but I can take care of myself.” Mostly…as long as it didn’t take more than a few minutes of power, otherwise his magic veered out of control like a renegade asteroid. New craters on the castle grounds attested to Chalice’s lack of proper restraint.
Hundreds of ships dotted the spaceport. Some of them large, some of them small, some of them put together with sticky glue and string, or at least they looked like it to Chalice’s inexperienced eyes. He headed for the big glowing sign that listed departures, hoping something would jump out at him.
“Looking for a particular ship?” A blue-skinned woman in a deep red dress asked as she stopped beside him.
Chalice gave her a polite bow in respect to the diplomatic badge she wore on her shoulder. “I was hoping to find a pet ship,” he confessed. Unfortunately he couldn’t tell which ones might be pet flights and which ones hauled cargo.
The woman looked Chalice up and down. “You look rather well off for a pet.” Chalice shrugged but didn’t dispute her comment. His father might not have thought Chalice worthy of being a proper magic user, but the king never denied him funds. Chalice had shifted quite a bit to a private account his father couldn’t access for just this eventuality.
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“I need a Master,” he blurted out. Normally he wouldn’t confide in a complete stranger but she had a soothing aura about her. Probably stood her in good stead in her diplomatic dealings. A sexual master would be best. He needed complete domination to sublimate the energy surging through his body.
“I’m Dahla Soon.”
“Chalice.”
She raised her brow at the lack of a surname but he didn’t offer anything more. As he returned to scanning the board, he could feel Dahla’s amber eyes on him.
“Would you consent to being a present?”
Chalice turned and examined the woman with his ‘other’ sight. Her aura showed no signs of malice or ill will—instead she had a purply tint of anticipation. “Who would I be a present for?”
“I have to negotiate mining rights on planet Zaraga. The emperor, Terrin Hawk, is a hard man, but rumour has it he’s seeking a new pet.”
“Why does he need a new pet?” Chalice wondered if the fates were helping him or mocking him. Never in his life had anything fallen in his lap like this.
“He has problems keeping them,” she said with a shrug.
That didn’t sound good.
“He hurts them?”
Dahla shook her head. “He gets bored with them and sends them on their way. It would go a long way towards my negotiations if I could present him with someone who looks like you.”
“What would I get out of it?” He was young, not stupid.
“Besides a possible master, I’ll give you free transportation and a half per cent of the money I receive from the mining rights, whether you stay with him or not. All I ask is that you stick to any contract you sign with him.”
A half a percentage for any mining haul would bring good money and it never hurt to have additional funds. He might need to continue his hunt if the emperor didn’t work out.
Not to mention the ring Odwill had given him had a hawk matching the emperor’s last name. Chalice had too much faith in seers to disregard such an obvious link.
“You must really want those rights.”
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Dahla nodded. “We manufacture ships and need the mining rights in order to harvest the mineral that keeps them in the air.”
“Providing the guy isn’t too hideous, you have yourself a deal.” If the emperor turned out to be a dud, Chalice would be free to go to a different planet.
Dahla pulled a device out of her pocket. She pushed a few buttons before turning it to Chalice. “Here’s a picture of him.”
The gorgeous man had lush black hair, cold black eyes and a cruel tilt to his mouth. He practically screamed master. Chalice readily agreed. Now he could only hope he would meet the other man’s criteria.
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About the Author
Amber is one of those quiet people they always tell you to watch out for. She lives in Dallas with her husband, two sons, two cats and one extremely stupid dog.
Email:
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Amber loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at
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