The Quest for the Heart Orb (41 page)

Marene’s eyes narrowed on him, but Bredon didn’t appear to mind in the least. “Of course, Bredon,” she said finally.  “The rest of you may leave.  I suggest you immediately begin preparations for the return of the pyramid.”

Zakiel, Karma and Kapia bowed and left without another word, and Bredon approached Marene.  “I’ve had an idea, Marene,” he said.  “I’m not sure it’ll work now, since the Djinn won’t be able to make a new tear, but I think I’ll share it anyway, just in case.”

“What is this idea, Bredon?”

“Not so fast.  Answer a question for me first.”

“All right.”  She sounded bored, but Bredon knew her interest was as sharp as a knife.  He felt it.

“If I knew of a way to protect Rathira from the Djinn forever, and if I could help you implement it, would you allow me to stand at your side when you rule?”

“Perhaps,” Marene said, hiding her surprise reasonably well, though not from Bredon.  “What is your idea?”

“I’ve discovered that the energy of a tear can be…converted, if you will, so it can be used to gather the essence of Rathira to create a shield that will prevent any new tears from being made.”

“And what do you know of such magic?” Marene asked sharply.

“Nothing,” Bredon replied blandly.  “It was the plan of Vatra Gariel, but he couldn’t make it work.  Could you do it?”

Marene considered that for a few moments, then shook her head.  “I have enough power to accomplish such a feat, of that I have no doubt.  But drawing on the essence of Rathira requires a connection that Zatroa does not have.”

“But you are of Rathira,” Bredon said as though surprised.

“Of course I am,” she snapped.  “But the task you speak of requires a much stronger connection than any one person has.”

Bredon heard the lie and carefully hid his relief.  He already knew that Zatroa lacked a connection to Rathira.  That Marene now lacked that connection as well was what he’d needed to know.  He put his frown back on and furrowed his brow.  “I don’t suppose Zatroa will unmake a tear created by the new scepter.”

“Of course not,” Marene said testily, and Bredon knew her patience was at an end.

“I have a connection to Rathira, Marene,” he said. 

“Your point being?”  

“What if you send the power of Zatroa through our connection to me, and I use it to create the shield.”

“Even if you had any magical ability, which you don’t, you are nowhere strong enough to withstand that much power,” Marene said. “You’d burn to a cinder in a moment in spite of the protection I’ve…I could provide for you.”

Marene’s eyes flashed red at her own error, but Bredon pretended not to notice, just as he pretended not to hear the lie, or see the new and completely unexpected truth he’d accidentally discovered.  He could not allow himself to react, or to be sidetracked.  “What if I had the power of Vatra?”

“Vatra?” Marene asked in genuine surprise. 

“Zakiel cannot use Vatra’s power for himself, but he can grant me temporary use of it.”

“Why can he not use it for himself?”

“Because he pushed too hard and nearly killed himself,” Bredon replied.  “With Vatra’s power, and yours, I should be strong enough to accomplish what must be done.”

“Will Vatra’s power keep you alive?” Marene asked as though only mildly curious.

“Yes, of course,” Bredon replied.  “And don’t forget, Vatra has a very strong bond with Rathira.”

“Perhaps he should grant Vatra’s powers to me,” she suggested.

“Neither Zakiel nor Vatra have a connection with you,” Bredon said.  “I do.”  Then he sighed heavily.  “This is the only way, Marene.  Zakiel will loan me Vatra’s strength so that I can withstand the power you send me.  Your power will make me strong enough to use the energy of the tear to create the shield.  If you have another idea, then I am more than happy to hear it.” 

“Why would Zakiel grant Vatra’s strength to you?”

“Because Kapia loves me, and he won’t want her to suffer if I die.”  Bredon narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest as he studied her silently.  “Don’t you trust me, Marene?” he asked in a dangerously soft voice.  “I thought we were working together, on the same side, now that we’re connected.  If that’s not so, simply kill me and be done.”

“We’re connected, that’s true enough,” Marene said.  “But are you really on my side, Bredon?”

“Of course,” Bredon replied as though insulted by the question, giving silent thanks that she could not discern his lies as he could hers.

“And will you remain on my side after the Djinn are dealt with?”

“I’m not stupid, Marene,” he said, dropping his arms to his sides in a show of impatience.  “I realize that my death means nothing to you, but your death means my death.  I’d much rather be alive and at your side when you take over Rathira, than dead.”

“Tell me, Bredon, why do you suddenly want power?”

“Who says it’s sudden?” Bredon countered.  “After spending so much time with you I find that Kapia is…disappointing.  I want more.  Do you object?  If so, tell me now and I will return to my original plan and marry Kapia instead.”

“I would not do that were I you, Bredon,” Marene warned.

“Why not?” Bredon asked.  “If you will not let me stand at your side, then I don’t see why I shouldn’t do what I can to help myself.  If Zakiel dies, I could even be King one day.”

“Not if I kill your bride.”

Bredon widened his eyes as though surprised, then he let a small smile play on his lips.  “You cannot tell me you are jealous, Hara Marene.  Not of Kapia.”

“Of course not,” Marene scoffed.  “My reasons are my own, Bredon, but trust me on this.  If you wed, your bride, no matter who she is, will die before you have a chance to enjoy your wedding night.”

“Is it the wedding, or the wedding
night
you object to?”

“I care not how you spend your nights,” Marene said, her lip curling disdainfully.  “But do not make the mistake of engaging in the binding ritual of marriage.  Willingly attaching your soul to another when you’re connected to me would be a mistake.”

Bredon hardly needed to hear that small confession to fully understand so many things, but the confirmation of his suspicions was welcome.  “That would be no hardship, except that it will prevent me from marrying into the royal family,” Bredon said.  “Of course, once you rule, the royal family won’t matter so much anyway.  So I must ask again, do you object to having me at your side?”

“No, I do not,” Marene smiled, stepping closer to him.  “Are you sure that Zakiel will loan his powers to you?”

“Positive.”

“Excellent,” she purred.  Bredon hid his revulsion when a fresh stream of yellow saliva ran down her chin as her focus was diverted from maintaining her appearance.  Maybe she wasn’t as powerful as she thought.  He hoped that wasn’t the case. 

Marene’s smile faded suddenly, her gaze sharpening on him.  “This plan of yours requires that both Vatra and I give you our power,” she said.  “That will make you quite formidable.”

“Not give,
lend
, and only for a short time,” Bredon said, shrugging easily though inwardly he rolled his eyes.  It had taken her long enough to see the obvious.  He’d begun to think he’d have to spell it out for her.  “If we don’t do this, the Djinn will invade Rathira and we will all die.  Even you can’t fight them all, Marene.”  She glared at him, her eyes flashing red again, but this was a very important point.  “This is our only option.” 

“No, it’s not,” she said.  She began tapping one blackened talon against a yellowed fang while she thought.  Bredon remained silent, letting her think, hoping she’d soon come to the right conclusion because his patience was wearing thin. 

“Be honest, Bredon,” she said finally, “do you really believe that you’re capable of manipulating magic of any sort, let alone the vast amounts required to create this shield?”

“No,” Bredon replied at once.  “I have serious doubts about it, to be honest.  But what choice is there?”

“I will create the shield,” Marene said.  “You will take Vatra’s power and act as my connection to Rathira.  Agreed?”

“Agreed,” Bredon replied, not quite daring to meet her gaze for fear she’d see the triumph he was trying so hard to hide.  “I’m relieved we have a plan.”

“Yes, but only if the Djinn create a new tear,” Marene said quickly.

“Yes, of course,” Bredon replied.  “If.”

“Wait,” Marene said suddenly.  “I have a condition.”  Bredon looked at her calmly, though his heart suddenly skipped a beat.  “After Zakiel shares the power of Vatra with you, I will assess your strength.  We will proceed only if I’m convinced you’ll be able to withstand the forces you’ll be subjected to.  After all, if you die in the middle of this, I will lose my connection to Rathira and there’s no telling what would happen then.”

“Of course,” Bredon said.  “I’ve no wish to die, Marene.”

“I’ve no particular interest in seeing you die either,” Marene said, leaning toward him.  Bredon managed, barely, to keep from flinching back.  Instead, he forced himself to lean toward her in return, then frowned as though struck by a thought.

“Marene, my knife, the one you used to track me with, will it still work?”

“Work?”

“Does the dark magic you placed on it still work?”

“Of course,” Marene sniffed haughtily.  “My magic never fades, Bredon.”

“Excellent,” Bredon said, smiling.  “It occurs to me that I should return that knife to Kapia, after telling her that the dark magic has been removed from it, of course.”

“You wish to keep an eye on her?” Marene asked sharply.

“No,” Bredon said.  “I wish to keep an eye on Zakiel.  Where he goes, there goes his sister.”

“Yes, I see what you mean,” Marene said.  “If you aren’t with them, we’ll have no way to know what they’re up to.”

“The problem is that Kapia put it into the Cradle of the Moon Orb,” Bredon said. 

“That doesn’t matter,” Marene said.  “The magic hiding that was broken the moment the orb was removed.  One moment.” 

Bredon watched as Marene pulled the scepter out again and began waving it around.  He felt the hair stand up at the back of his neck and along his arms, but was careful not to allow so much as a change in his breathing to reveal his true feelings. 

“There,” Marene said triumphantly, pointing to the knife, still in its leather sheath, lying on the ground between them.  Bredon picked it up and stuck it in his belt without bothering to look at it closely.  It wouldn’t do for Marene to suspect he cared about the object or, worse, his true reason for asking her to fetch it for him.

“Thank you, Marene.  I better go make certain they’re working on recalling the pyramid.”

“Don’t let them dally, Bredon,” Marene warned.  “I want this finished.”

“As do I,” he said with feeling.

“Bredon,” she said, then waited for his eyes to meet hers.  “Do not betray me.  If you do, I will cause you much pain.  Never doubt it.”

“I’m not a fool, Marene,” he said daringly.  He bowed low, held it for a long moment, and when he straightened, Marene was gone.  He released a sigh, then went to find Zakiel.  Things had changed.  Drastically.

***

Bredon found Zakiel, Karma, and Kapia waiting for him in the king’s private sitting room, exactly as they’d agreed upon.  He paced across the room, then spun around and paced back as he struggled to clear his mind and order his thoughts.

“You caught her in a lie, didn’t you?” Kapia asked, her voice providing the calm he needed.

“Yes,” Bredon replied.  “More than one.”

“Come sit with us, Bredon,” Zakiel invited.  “I’ve got some brandy already poured for you.”

“Thank you, Zakiel,” Bredon said, taking the cushion beside Kapia.  He picked up the goblet, but didn’t raise it to his mouth.  Instead, he took a moment to be sure that Marene wasn’t eavesdropping, then he looked up and met Zakiel’s gaze.

“Marene just discovered that unmaking the tear in the pyramid won’t keep the Djinn out of Rathira,” he said.

“Why not?” Zakiel demanded tightly.

“Because the Djinn have just discovered that the new scepter is drawn to Zatroa,” Bredon said.  “Marene didn’t tell me, of course, but I saw the answer when she lied about it.  ShaiTyan will use his new scepter to find the one Marene has, and make a new tear.”

“How is it that they didn’t know this before?” Zakiel asked as he tried to absorb the news.

“Never before have two sacred scepters existed at the same time.”

“Can Zatroa be destroyed?”

“No, and do not suggest that in Marene’s hearing,” Bredon warned.  “If she had the slightest suspicion you even entertained the idea she’d destroy you.”  He picked up the glass of brandy and took a healthy swallow.  “I made a plan with her.”

“Yes?”

“You will loan me Vatra’s power, and Marene will draw on it to create the shield.”

“That won’t work,” Karma said.  “The power of Rathira and the energy of the tear must be woven together to create the shield.  I’ve worked with the power of Rathira enough to know that it will not recognize Marene.  She is no longer of Rathira in any way.”

“No, she isn’t,” Bredon agreed.  “A fact I was very much counting on.”

“I don’t understand,” Karma said.

“First and foremost, Rathira must be protected from the Djinn,” Bredon said.  “The shield is the best, and only, idea I’ve heard that can make that happen.  I think that with Marene’s power, and Vatra’s connection to Rathira, combined with my connection to Marene, there’s a chance we can do it.” 

A long silence fell as Zakiel, Karma, and Kapia absorbed that statement.  Bredon expected an argument from Kapia, and braced himself when she broke the silence. “How did you manage to make this seem like her idea?” she asked.  Zakiel looked at her in surprise.  “I know Marene,” she explained simply.

“It wasn’t so hard to do,” Bredon said relieved by her apparent acceptance of the plan.  “I put forth the idea with myself as the one wielding the power and creating the shield.  She went along with that until she realized that I would be using
her
power through our connection while at the same time holding the power of Vatra.  Then she decided it would be wiser for someone with magical experience to create the shield.”