Page 34 of Risen
A grunt and a pattering sound, as someone blasted a hole in the ceiling and plaster rained down, sending a cloud of dust into the air where we stood.Cicely pulled me closer to where I sensed Robin’s raging red aura, and I knew he was trying to help me use my omega gifts to steady her and give her purpose and focus.He had no idea that I had other reasons for wanting to get closer to the fight.That it wasn’tRobinI needed to reach.
“Prince Iborn, I believe his name was,” the emperor drawled.“What an ugly name.But apparently you didn’t like it either, hmm?Have you really been hiding in plain sight by dressing in drag all these years, since your weak little clan turned traitors and died?Hilarious.”
Something went up in flames, smoke rapidly filling the space.A murmured thought from Cicely told me it was the curtains behind the emperor’s stage.What a jackass, stooping so low as to use Robin’s gender as a taunt.It just made him seem childish and weak.
This is as close as we’re going to get, Cicely whispered in my mind.And I got the adamant note in his tone loud and clear.He had been willing to help me get here, but he wasn’t going to let me put myself any closer to the dangerous stand-off playing out before us.
I nodded my thanks to him and focused on my aura, on the innate magic that lived inside me.My true mate bond to Sadavir was so vibrant and alive, overshadowing everything else.I pushed a wave of trust and confidence his way, then focused past the glowing cord of our bond to the others.I might not be a true mate with any of the others in the court, but Iwasmated and bonded to them in the usual way.I sent tendrils of my power out toward them too, strength, intuition, confidence.
Then I turned all of my attention to the one who needed me the most.Robin.
My alpha dragon was on the brink of completely losing control.Her alpha dominance lashed through the space, and it was a wonder we weren’t all forced to our knees under the undeniable force of it.I could feel the flares in her aura as she struggled to stay in control, and I fought the urge to throw myself on the floor and prostrate myself before her.I tried my best to open myself to her, to ground her the way I knew I should be able to.
I cursed the fact that we hadn’t fully completed the true mate bond.I knew, instinctively, that I could help her so much more just with my presence alone, if only we were connected the way nature intended.The way I was connected to Sadavir.
“Stop wasting my time with your mindless chatter,” Robin snarled.“You have something that belongs to me, maggot.Give me the orb, and I’ll consider killing youbeforeI eat your innards.”
He scoffed.“Oh...this.Yours is it?I wondered how the magic could still be so potent if the dragon it came from was long dead.Thank you for solving that little mystery.”
“Down!”Sanka’s shout came seconds before a bright green flash and a sickly wash of magic, from a spell that felt warped and malignant, crafted from the emperor’s twisted, stolen magic.
Cicely was distracted when a guard with a gun rushed our group.Between the faun, the naga, and the vampire, there was no real threat.But I used their distraction to carefully move a little closer to the stage, slowing to feel my way around a pile of wreckage.Frustration consumed me.If I could just fuckingseewhere I was going, I might actually get somewhere.
I had no chance of carrying out my end of the fae bargain if I couldn’t even see my target.And if I asked Cicely to help, I had a feeling my usually devoted, malleable, rule-breaking faun would refuse.Even he had limits.I was pretty sure he’d draw the line at helping me get myself killed.
“Witch?”
I froze.I the chitter of the rat was nearly lost under the other sounds raging around me.
“Witch, do you need help?”Cheese Crackers demanded, his little paws touching my leg.“You called us.We are here.”
I blinked.“Icalled you?”I whispered, trying not to draw attention to myself since Cicely and the others seemed confident I was safe in my corner and would stay put.
“Yes…”Cheese Crackers seemed a bit confused by my question.“You were distressed.You wanted help.We are here to help.”
Oh, Goddess.My magic.My mother had told me my father was a powerful shaman.We thought that was why I could communicate with the animals—it had been one of his talents as well.But… was there more to it than that?Cheese Crackers had mentioned it before, hadn’t he.He said he would carry my intentions to Robin.And Cicely insisted that the animals had all been clinging to the others, especially Robin, because they carried a part of my aura with them.He thought they were helping me spread my omega magic around the court when I couldn’t physically be with my mates myself.
And now… his theory seemed possible, since the rat was telling me they could sense my feelings and needs without my even trying to communicate…
But how could I use this to help me now?“I need to get up on that stage,” I hissed to the rat, hoping no one else heard me in all the commotion.“But I can’t see where I’m going.”
Vlad’s chitter reached my ears as he swooped past my face with a draft of air.“We will be your eyes, witch.Extra figs?”
A snort of laughter escaped me before I could contain it.“Sure,” I said, trying to keep a straight face.“You can have all the figs you want,” I promised the fruit bat.“All of you can have extra treats forever,” I promised, reaching out my senses to count the animals scattered around the room.“If you can just help me get onto that state and kill the emperor.”
“The gross man with the stale figs and who sucks the life out of my old owner?”Vlad asked, doing another pass.“You’ll kill him?”
I sighed.“That’s the plan,” I mumbled under my breath, attempting to shuffle toward the stage again.
“Ruya!”Josh called to me over the din.“Where are you going?”
My shoulders tensed and I forced them down from around my ears.“Nowhere,” I snapped.“I’m staying out of the way.”I flapped my hand vaguely in his direction, waving away his concern as I tried not to let my irritation and my urgency show.“Stay with Cicely and Sadavir.Please.Don’t split your focus on me.”
I swear I could hear his huff of displeasure even over the blast of magic that went off nearby.But I ignored it, trying not to stumble over my own feet when suddenly… I couldsee.
It was dizzying.The view was what I expect it might be like if you were watching a movie that kept switching camera angles at random.Sometimes it was at floor height, sometimes from up above, the view in constant motion.
It took me a moment to realize what I was seeing.HowI was seeing.My connection to the animals was so strong now that it felt as if I could reach out and touch them.And when I focused, I realized I was seeing through their eyes.The clever rats as they darted around the edges of the room, under fallen furniture and debris.The swooping view from Vlad as he flapped around the space over the stage, looking down on Robin and the emperor.Queen Cat as she silently snuck up onto the stage and hid herself in what was left of the curtains behind the emperor…
