burned deep inside of me. I needed it, and I
wanted Cailen to be the one to tell me.
But the moment was not on
my side and Cailen cursed underneath his breath when something in
his pocket chirped. He let go of my hand and rose to his feet. The
thing in his pocket chirped again before he pulled it out and waved
his hand over the screen. A hologram rose above the screen and
Cailen's eyes darted back and forth as he read the words. He cursed
again.
"What's wrong?" I asked, sitting
up.
He shook his head, weary. "I don't
know yet. Something is happening."
"What?"
He sighed and I could tell
he was warring within himself on whether or not to be honest with
me. Something kept him from opening up to me completely and I had a
feeling it had to do with my sometimes volatile behavior and his
utter abhorrence of chaotic emotions.
"Just tell me."
A look like resolve settled in his
gaze, and he put his device away. "You need to know. We've lost
contact with Auru and several ships within the armada. I sent
scouts out a few days ago. One of them just returned."
"So what's going on? What's
happened?"
"I don't know yet. I need to leave for
a little while, but I'll be back soon."
"I’ll come with
you.”
He shook his head. “I
finally get you to agree to come with me, right when I need you to
stay. I don’t know why or how you transported over here in your
sleep, but I’ve been wanting to come here myself for the last few
weeks. Something’s going on, and I think we need to figure out what
it is before we involve the rest of our people.”
“ You think I can find out
better than you?”
“ I do. The Soltakians may
despise you, but they still underestimate you. They may be coaxed
into revealing more information to you than they ever would to me.
Plus, they don’t know I’m in this section with you. I transported
here as soon as I felt your distress, but hid until they left you
in here alone. I’m positive Lastrini will come to question you. It
may be a perfect opportunity to get information out of him. Find
out why we can’t see Ranen, or why no one has heard from the
Emperor except for those stupid recordings.”
I nodded and he leaned over and
pressed his lips against my forehead. He breathed in deeply and
exhaled. Warm breath washed over my face, my nose, my mouth. "Don't
go anywhere while I'm gone. Don't leave me again."
Guilt twisted at my gut.
I'd never thought about what my leaving for Kalhandthar might have
done to him. Obviously, it hadn't been good. "I promise, but tell
me where you're going."
"My ship. I won't be far
and I'm always just seconds away," he paused, "if you will allow me
to transport in your presence." He smirked.
"Of course."
“ And we just need
information.”
I heard the words he
didn’t say as clearly as if he’d shouted them. He gave no warnings
about how angry Lastrini would be for transporting anywhere in The
Block. He wasn’t scared about that. But he was worried about my
temper.
"I do have some control over myself,
you know," I said.
He smiled. "For the sake of the
planet, I sure do hope so."
I punched him on the arm
and he backed away, taking a deep bow and releasing his wings in a
burst of blue and green light.
And then he left, gone with the
melting air, and I was left alone.
Chapter Three
The Emperor’s First
After Cailen left, I got
out of bed and spent several minutes walking around the room. Other
than my sore throat, there was nothing wrong with me. Just as I sat
back down on the bed, Lastrini walked through the wide open doorway
all shoulders and chest and scowl with a soldier on each side. I
recognized one of the soldiers. It was the beast of a girl I'd seen
yesterday with the fiery red hair. What with his attitude and
protection, one would have thought the person he was visiting
wasn't a barely-above-five-foot girl lying prostrate in a hospital
bed.
He stopped a foot away and
leaned down so all I could see were his very dark and serious eyes.
"What were you
wanted Cailen to be the one to tell me.
But the moment was not on
my side and Cailen cursed underneath his breath when something in
his pocket chirped. He let go of my hand and rose to his feet. The
thing in his pocket chirped again before he pulled it out and waved
his hand over the screen. A hologram rose above the screen and
Cailen's eyes darted back and forth as he read the words. He cursed
again.
"What's wrong?" I asked, sitting
up.
He shook his head, weary. "I don't
know yet. Something is happening."
"What?"
He sighed and I could tell
he was warring within himself on whether or not to be honest with
me. Something kept him from opening up to me completely and I had a
feeling it had to do with my sometimes volatile behavior and his
utter abhorrence of chaotic emotions.
"Just tell me."
A look like resolve settled in his
gaze, and he put his device away. "You need to know. We've lost
contact with Auru and several ships within the armada. I sent
scouts out a few days ago. One of them just returned."
"So what's going on? What's
happened?"
"I don't know yet. I need to leave for
a little while, but I'll be back soon."
"I’ll come with
you.”
He shook his head. “I
finally get you to agree to come with me, right when I need you to
stay. I don’t know why or how you transported over here in your
sleep, but I’ve been wanting to come here myself for the last few
weeks. Something’s going on, and I think we need to figure out what
it is before we involve the rest of our people.”
“ You think I can find out
better than you?”
“ I do. The Soltakians may
despise you, but they still underestimate you. They may be coaxed
into revealing more information to you than they ever would to me.
Plus, they don’t know I’m in this section with you. I transported
here as soon as I felt your distress, but hid until they left you
in here alone. I’m positive Lastrini will come to question you. It
may be a perfect opportunity to get information out of him. Find
out why we can’t see Ranen, or why no one has heard from the
Emperor except for those stupid recordings.”
I nodded and he leaned over and
pressed his lips against my forehead. He breathed in deeply and
exhaled. Warm breath washed over my face, my nose, my mouth. "Don't
go anywhere while I'm gone. Don't leave me again."
Guilt twisted at my gut.
I'd never thought about what my leaving for Kalhandthar might have
done to him. Obviously, it hadn't been good. "I promise, but tell
me where you're going."
"My ship. I won't be far
and I'm always just seconds away," he paused, "if you will allow me
to transport in your presence." He smirked.
"Of course."
“ And we just need
information.”
I heard the words he
didn’t say as clearly as if he’d shouted them. He gave no warnings
about how angry Lastrini would be for transporting anywhere in The
Block. He wasn’t scared about that. But he was worried about my
temper.
"I do have some control over myself,
you know," I said.
He smiled. "For the sake of the
planet, I sure do hope so."
I punched him on the arm
and he backed away, taking a deep bow and releasing his wings in a
burst of blue and green light.
And then he left, gone with the
melting air, and I was left alone.
Chapter Three
The Emperor’s First
After Cailen left, I got
out of bed and spent several minutes walking around the room. Other
than my sore throat, there was nothing wrong with me. Just as I sat
back down on the bed, Lastrini walked through the wide open doorway
all shoulders and chest and scowl with a soldier on each side. I
recognized one of the soldiers. It was the beast of a girl I'd seen
yesterday with the fiery red hair. What with his attitude and
protection, one would have thought the person he was visiting
wasn't a barely-above-five-foot girl lying prostrate in a hospital
bed.
He stopped a foot away and
leaned down so all I could see were his very dark and serious eyes.
"What were you
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