Chapter 38

He did not know why he was nervous, but as Amyr waited for the walkway between the two ships to pressurize so that Taeron could enter, his stomach was in knots. A hand on his shoulder calmed him, and he did not need to look to know whose hand it was.

What do you fear?

Amyr was going to deny that he feared anything, but lying to Jeshed was as useless as lying to his own mother. She had never been fooled. He and Taeron had spent almost the whole of their lives together except for those years that he had caused their separation with his idiotic attempt to humiliate Taeron that resulted in his own disgrace and enslavement. Most of their lives he had scorned and mocked Taeron for the circumstances of his birth, and now Taeron had risen above Amyr in status.

I am afraid that seeing what was taken from me and given to him will anger me.

Did he take anything important from you? Amyr was considering Jeshed's question when the door slid open.

"Hey, is he on board yet?" Quynn stepped into the bay and Amyr no longer needed Jeshed's hand of support because the answer had come to him. That battle suit made his heart skip a beat and blood rush to parts of him that should not have the strength to be affected by her after the last few days closed away in their bedchamber in what she called her real honeymoon. Amyr knew what was important and it wasn't anything Taeron had gained from his father.

She came to him and slipped her hand in his. "You're not nervous, are you? He is still Taeron, no matter how many titles get tacked on before and after his name."

How did she know him so well? He leaned down to kiss her, but the door slid open and Taeron stepped in from the pressurized walkway. Amyr recognized the clothing he was wearing because it was the ceremonial knee-length tunic that he had worn when he had taken Taeron's oath to be his imperial guard. He supposed there had been a ceremony to send him on his way, but judging from the state of the blood-stained garment, it had been marred by violence.

Amyr could see that Taeron was reluctant to greet him and he could sense his anxiety, so he stepped forward to drag him into an embrace to show him that he felt no resentment. At first Taeron stood still, but then he put his arms around Amyr to return his hug.

"I see that you are wearing my clothing," Amyr remarked with a chuckle after stepping back to look at him. "Are you paying me back by ruining my best tunic?"

Taeron looked down at the stained garment. "I had not intended to, but if you consider this reasonable recompense for all the work my mother put into the clothing you destroyed on Norvana … "

"By the gods, don't let her think that could be true!" Every time Larya saw him before she left for the surface she had berated him for ruining Taeron's clothing.

"I have one tunic to wear for my marriage ceremony, the one that my sisters sewed for me that my mother brought to me from Ulfynaeus. I did not tell her you that you had already tried to wear it."

"Gods' damn, very fortunate for me!"

"But I had better be wearing it when I exchange vows with Princess Dijana," Taeron warned Amyr. "Or I imagine that Stryfe will let my mother know who is to blame." He put his hand on his shoulder. "You are well, my prince?"

"More than well. I think I have your sister to thank for that." Amyr's gaze followed her as she moved past them to enter the codes to close and retract the docking walkway before releasing the other ship.

"Damn right, dear husband, and don't you ever forget it," she said over her shoulder.

Taeron now smiled and relaxed. "I am happy that you have joined my expedition, but surprised after what the emperor did to you and my father."

"You did not really think Lord Duo was going to shirk his duties just because my father is a canyon beast's ass?" asked Amyr with a laugh. He rubbed his hands together. "Did he entertain your lovely mother? Lord Duo suggested that she pay him a visit and I think it was one of the first ideas he has ever had that she thought had merit."

Taeron joined him in laughing and then he stopped abruptly. "Her visit has opened the gates of the netherworld for me." He paused and then said. "She has befriended Queen Neria."

Quynn came to them and after hugging Taeron, she hooked her arms around both of theirs to lead them to the passenger deck. "The words 'Larya' and 'friend' do not belong in the same utterance."

Jeshed had silently observed them, but he now moved closer. "I do not understand your meaning. Do you dislike our mother, Taeron?"

Taeron swung to look at Jeshed and Amyr sensed anger that Jeshed could even accuse him of such a thing. "I love my … our mother!" Amyr was surprised that he would consider Jeshed a brother and Taeron noticed his start. "She will, indeed, be our mother for I have persuaded her to accept him as such."

Jeshed was ecstatic with joy, but Amyr caught Taeron's smile and he realized that Jeshed was probably going to regret Larya's intrusion into his life. He could not think of a more controlling female.

"If Dijana's mother has become Larya's friend, then she is either a godly saint like Apolo or something the likes of which Calabria can do without," remarked Quynn.

"The latter would be true," Taeron told her as they stepped into a private cabin. A large bed took up nearly the entirety of the space and Amyr wondered if Taeron realized it had been taken from the shuttle he had gone to Teralon in to claim his bride. Amyr knew that Larya had a hand in having it put on that shuttle so that Taeron could continue his mating initiation in comfort on the return trip to Calabria. Quynn had rescued it from the burned out shuttle.

"Perhaps it will get the use intended now," Amyr remarked with a sly smile.

Taeron snorted. "I doubt you will give me a chance to use it."

Quynn stretched up to kiss his cheek. "You have no use for it now, anyway, brother." She grabbed Jeshed's arm. "Let them talk. They either have much to say or they are going to stare at each other soulfully."

Amyr went to his wife and bent to touch his forehead to hers. "I shall save all my soulful glances for you, my beloved."

"See that you do." She gave him a lingering kiss that had Amyr wondering when they could put that bed to use and not for sleeping. "After plotting a course I will double check all the systems and that should give you guys enough time to say what you think needs to be said." She wrapped her arm around Jeshed's. "Come on, dragon boy, I might need your help."

"I am no longer a dragon," Amyr heard Jeshed complain when they stepped into the hall. "Why do you say such silly things? I am Taeron's brother, and your brother as well."

"I am still not sure about calling you 'brother', dragon boy." Their voices faded and then he was left with Taeron, so he turned to look at his former imperial guard. For a moment, neither spoke, and then Amyr noticed that he carried two swords. "Now you carry a sword of my father's house," he pointed out. "And I only have the swords Meridon gave me which I cannot use well."

Taeron drew the sword of Lord Duo's house and offered it to Amyr who hesitated to accept. In another time, he would have been offended that Taeron offered him his sword since Taeron had taken almost everything from him. But that time was past now and Amyr was honored because he knew how much the sword meant to Taeron who had trained long and hard to earn the right to carry this sword to protect the emperor's heir. The sword he was holding out to Amyr had been blooded again and again when he defended Shamara, then Amyr and he had used it to liberate Teralon from the Varoonyan invasion. The stones had been added to the hilt when Lord Duo claimed him, and when it had been done, Amyr had scoffed although he had been jealous. Taeron had been too happy to care about his opinion and Amyr was glad because he had been an ass.

Now he looked at Taeron's face. "You do not need to do this. I will use the swords Meridon gave me. Darlac told me that he would teach me when we reach Teralon."

Taeron pursed his lips for a moment and then said, "Don't you think you should learn to use a sword before a battle? You wish to be my guard, so you need a sword to fight with on Teralon. When we return to Calabria, if you still wish to, you may make an oath to me before the emperor, and then you will receive your own sword."

He reached out to take the sword, but Taeron seized his hand and he was afraid he had misread his intentions until Taeron said, "You have much training to do and time will pass too quickly before we reach Teralon. Before then, you must learn to wield my sword as you never learned to wield your own. "

Amyr met his gaze, then bowed his head. "I will not shame you." He surprised himself by adding, "My lord prince."

Raising his head, he was dismayed by the stricken look in Taeron's eyes. Only Taeron would feel more honor to be the imperial guard of an unworthy crown prince instead of the lord prince commander of all of Calabria's warriors. Amyr drew Taeron down onto the floor where they sat cross-legged facing each other. Closing his eyes, he concentrated to take them far away from the ship and the guilt Taeron could not hide from him, guilt he had no reason to feel, not when Amyr had never felt more content with his life.

The shift into the trance disoriented him at first, and when he opened his eyes he saw Taeron smiling as if in welcome. How did Taeron recover so quickly? Amyr had practiced this very skill with both Apolo and Yori, but he still felt a little dizzy while Taeron looked as though he had only stepped from one room to another.

They stood alone together in the trance, and Amyr had expected to bring them to Norvana, but they were instead in the practice court at the imperial palace where Taeron had spent so many, many hours honing his skills while Amyr honed his own with the females that had come to watch. Although he was perplexed, Amyr thought it was an appropriate place to be after spending so many years avoiding it.

Between Yori and Jeshed, Amyr had learned to use the magic to which he had been born, magic, Apolo suggested, that had initially been denied to him by the ancestors because of the warrior blood of his father, blood of the man that had nearly destroyed their race. Now his skill was such that he and Taeron could spend far more time in this trance than which passed in the real world. Quynn would not be happy, but she would be far less happy if he had his head lopped off in battle because he was not properly prepared.

They trained undisturbed for several days in which Taeron instructed him in more advanced attacks after which he taught him parries that he did not think he would need on Teralon but which would be handy to have on Calabria during the inevitable attack by assassins. When Taeron was satisfied with his progress, they learned to combine their strengths which meant that Amyr had to become faster to keep up with Taeron and Taeron needed to learn to accept the help of his Guerani protector. After a couple of weeks had passed in the trance, Jeshed entered to inform them that Quynn had finished plotting the course and she would appreciate it if Taeron left her chamber so she could rest. But Amyr sent him back with the message that she would have to actually rest and he would spent time with her later.

Quynn did not appreciate his response, so when Jeshed returned only moments later, she was with them. They had to stop fighting when she suddenly appeared, hands on her hips. She had changed into another of those tempting gowns her mother had provided for her marriage five years ago, so her intention was crystal clear.

"I don't take rainchecks," she said with a proud lift to her chin. "Are you coming back with me or not?"

Taeron sheathed his sword and folded his arms over his chest. "Your mate has much work to do," he admonished his sister. "I have much work to do with him." He turned his head to look at Amyr who was considering which was more important at the moment. How angry would she be if he stayed and how disappointed would Taeron be if he left? "If you wish to return with my sister, then I will work with Jeshed. He knows your magic."

Amyr almost agreed, but he did not want to lose Taeron's respect after all the work he had gone through to earn it. "I will go into battle with you, not Jeshed." He went to Quynn and put his hands on her shoulders. She tilted her head up for a kiss, but he did not appease her because he knew it would not stop at just a kiss. "I must do this."

She sighed and snapped her fingers. Before his eyes, she had changed into the alluring gown she had worn as Mordrad's summoner and he nearly cursed her. The impudent female knew exactly how that gown affected him!

"Jeshed knew you would say that, so I am going with him." Giving him a saucy smile over her shoulder, she approached Jeshed who transformed into his dragon form. He gently lifted her so that she could scramble upon him to sit just behind his head before he leapt into the sky.

"I wish he would not do that," he muttered as he watched the dragon grow smaller as he flew away.

"Jeshed will be an advantage for us," Taeron commented as he watched the dragon circling above. He smiled when arcs of flame shot out from Quynn's hands. "I think she is a little angry."

Amyr smiled as he watched. "I hope she leaves some fire for later."

By the time Jeshed landed and transformed into a man again to inform him that they were approaching Teralon, Amyr estimated that they had been in the trance for at least a month although the trip to Teralon only took several days at hyperspeed. Taeron was not completely satisfied with Amyr's skill – Amyr decided that Taeron was not satisfied with anyone's skill, including his own – but they had learned to work together. Amyr tried to get him to replicate his holy magic, but with him denying the existence of it, he did not even want to try.

From time to time he caught a glimpse of Quynn and Jeshed, and he saw Quynn casting fire which seemed to grow in intensity each time she did it. She had returned with Jeshed and Amyr saw that she was carrying a wooden staff that was carved with symbols.

"Does the staff amplify your magic?" he asked her curiously as she showed off the gem on top that she said glowed when she used magic.

"No," she said with a laugh. "But it looks nice, doesn't it? Stryfe provided the runes from an ancient race on Earth and Darlac was kind enough to carve them into the wood. I think it will enhance my look on the battlefield."

Amyr shook his head. "You are not entering the battle." He noticed that Taeron winced and he realized he probably should have thought before opening his mouth.

"You think you can stop me?"

He took a breath to argue, then let it out without speaking and she smiled smugly. "Now, if you boys are done playing, we should get back so that we have time to rest before we reach Teralon." She raised a brow and he knew she was not talking about resting. "Unless you prefer to rest here with Taeron."

Taeron snorted and went to Jeshed. "I think this is where we leave." He reached out to take Jeshed's hand and the two men shimmered and disappeared into thin air.

Quynn walked to him with an enticing sway of her hips. When she reached him, she glanced around the palace practice yard with its high walls ringed with walkways from which the training imperials were observed. Amyr had run up and down those walls so often in the last month that his body had first ached, then screamed in pain, but he could now do the exercises with ease.

"So, is this where you attracted the females?" she asked with a raised brow.

He grunted. "Truth be told, they came to see Taeron and I took advantage of the heat he stirred in them."

Quynn laughed and slid her arms around his neck. "You know that he thinks they used him to get to you."

He leaned down to touch his forehead to hers. "I was only the crown prince. He is a godly warrior without equal. I have his naivete to thank for the scores of females that came my way."

"And I have them to thank for your experience. Is there a nice hot bath nearby to clean all this dirty sweat off?" She ran her finger down his bare chest where it was exposed by his robe, then she hooked it into the belt and managed to pull it loose.

"In my private chambers, my lady." He leaned down to nuzzle her neck near the scar where he had marked her with his teeth. Amyr no longer needed the medicine, and he was saddened that the bond had dissolved, but he could not have imagined the deep feelings he had for her as his Guerani powers evolved.

She made a sound that pleased him, but she pushed him back. "Lead the way, princeling. I have no intention of fulfilling any practice yard fantasies you may have. I much prefer water sports."

Much later he awoke in the bed on the transport and Quynn was gone. She frequently left him alone in bed which disappointed him and yet he knew if she remained, they would never get out. To his surprise, Taeron was sitting crosslegged on the floor across from the foot of the bed. What was even more surprising was that his chin was on his chest and he was snoring softly. Amyr was taken aback because he had spent many years trying to catch Taeron sleeping.

He moved and Taeron's head snapped up with a final snort. Amyr noted the two daggers in his hands which he had drawn immediately upon waking. "Even asleep you are prepared," he noted.

Taeron tucked the daggers away. He had changed into a plain dark tunic that Darlac must have provided for him. "We are approaching the planet. Quynn does not detect any defenses preparing to stop us from landing, but we can assume they will have a great force on the ground. Queen Neria is directing half the fleet to the southern plains where her supporters agreed to gather and we will attack from the north."

"Tell me that it is plains," Amyr said without much hope.

Taeron chuckled. "Marshlands. The inhospitable terrain is too dangerous for her warriors because they are susceptible to the toxins of its creatures, so she asked that we capture all the lands from the northern palace to Nidum, the city surrounding the royal palace where Princess Dijana is being held."

Amyr snorted. "Are you sure she wasn't just trying to rid herself of you?"

"She will have to try harder," said Taeron with a shrug.

After setting down the craft near the northern palace, they secured the former prison of the queen which was not surprisingly deserted. Even as a fortress it was an unpleasant place with few comforts, so after assigning a small force to guard it, Taeron led his men into the marshlands that would take them many days to traverse before they reached Nidum.

As soon as the last of the imperial forces entered wetlands, they were attacked by hundreds of winged warriors hiding in the trees, but there were few imperial warriors that could not deflect the deadly chakrams with their swords and reflexes. The trees of the swamp aided the warriors from Calabria who used them to propel into the air to snatch the unprepared Teralonian forces by grasping their wings and dragging them down into the mire where they were ill-prepared to fight. Jeshed had shifted into his dragon form and Amyr was anxious when Quynn leapt on his back with her staff, but the Teralonian men screamed in fear of the dragon even before Quynn sent a wave of fire through the sky that set ablaze the feathers of many winged warriors.

Amyr had no time to watch her because another wave of winged warriors swooped in from another direction. He had difficulty keeping up with Taeron as he charged forward leading the men, his long sword arcing back and forth with efficient strokes that left the dead and maimed in his wake. The sight of the holy warrior was awe-inspiring and even Amyr gained a surge of strength to follow him into battle. If any warrior came close to injuring Taeron, Amyr cut him down although he was sure that Taeron did not need his help.

The battle raged through the setting of the first sun and by the time the second sun had disappeared beyond the horizon, the fighting had ceased as each army regrouped. While Taeron met with his commanders, Amyr went among the men to use his skill as a healer, careful not to use his magic because it would weaken him. Lady Trynity had taught him to suture, apply bandages and make healing teas. By the time he finished, he was exhausted and he found Taeron sitting on the ground, his back against a tree as his head lolled forward in sleep.

Amyr found a rare dry area and stacked some tall grasses on the spot before waking Taeron long enough to take him to the nest he had made so that he would not be sore in the morning. Taeron made no protest and Amyr could feel that he had been drained by the fighting that day. As he lay beside him, his own cloak covering them, he wondered how Taeron had kept up this pace day after day fighting Varoonyans on Teralon and then on Varoonya. Casting a protective shield over them, Amyr waited until Taeron was asleep before he reached down to lace their fingers and he entered his dreams. Apolo had told him that he would be sickened by what he saw and he had not exaggerated. Taeron's sleeping mind now forced him to relive what he had done that day and if Amyr had not tampered with his dreams, finding a pleasant memory of visiting his mother on Dagmaeus, Taeron would have wakened again and again to escape the horror of the battle. He had been surprised by the grief Taeron felt at killing men he did not know, regret that he must end any life, the same regret Amyr felt as a Guerani.

In the morning he awoke shortly after the rising of the first sun and Taeron berated him for using his magic on him. Apolo had told Amyr that Trey had never known that he had done the same to him, but Amyr guessed that his father probably did and chose not to waste his breath forbidding Apolo from doing something he was going to do anyway. Amyr merely listened and agreed with Taeron that he should not use his magic needlessly, but the following night and many after he gave Taeron a peaceful night's rest.

Their progress to Nidum was slow, and Amyr was glad that Jeshed kept Quynn away from the battlefield on the ground. In the human system she had been trained as a warrior, but her people had developed impersonal methods of killing, methods that were rejected in the binary system. She did not need to see the dead and dying men littering the marshlands that were more often than not feasted upon by carrion creatures of the skies and waters.

After nearly a week of intense fighting, Taeron sent Jeshed south to see what progress Queen Neria and her forces were making. Quynn went with them and Amyr tried not to feel anxious as he hugged her upon her departure, but his heart ached when she stepped away from him. She was a capable warrior in her own right and Jeshed would keep her safe, but he did not like being parted from her.

Another week passed before Jeshed and Quynn returned although Jeshed contacted Amyr with regular reports from the south so that he did not have to worry about her. Neria's forces were commanded by Roehan, a warrior that had been in the northern palace prison during the entirety of the queen's imprisonment. Quynn told them that the queen fought as relentlessly as any of the men, but their initial attack which had been repulsed by the combined forces led by Balak and Avar might have ended the war before it had barely started had Roehan not rallied the men.

Roehan's army initially fell back, but Quynn reported that the sight of the beautiful queen soaring in the sky slinging her deadly chakrams with unerring accuracy was breathtaking and motivated her men to fight fiercely. Almost daily men deserted Balak and Avar, escaping to the enemy camp where they begged Queen Neria for forgiveness. She appreciated the help from Jeshed and Quynn, but she used them only to frighten the opposing warriors because she would not give up hope that the rebellious males would accept her rule once she had removed Balak to take her rightful place. Thinking of Calabria and the many years his parents fought rebels to solidify his father's right to govern, Amyr thought she was better off burning them to cinders or they would rise up in the future.

When the Calabrians finally cleared the marshlands and were within sight of the walled city of Nidum, Amyr was amazed by the palace tower that seemed to stretch to the heavens. They set up a camp to wait for Neria to drive Balak and his men back to the city and when they arrived, they would find themselves facing the might of the Calabrian Empire.

The imperials needed rest and Amyr was glad to have the time to spend with Quynn free from bloody battles. He was exhausted from his own efforts in fighting with Taeron and healing the men, so the first night with Quynn he had fallen asleep after a chaste kiss that made her laugh. But he awoke with her in his arms and he wasted no time in doing what helped him heal best.

Taeron did not send for him so he spent all day with her and when the first sun disappeared beyond the horizon, Amyr left Quynn sleeping among the furs in his tent and found Taeron sharing a meal with Meridon's men who greeted Amyr with a cheer. He had fought by their side and then bandaged and dosed many of them in the weeks since they had landed on Teralon, so he had come to know many of them very well. After what happened the first time he had been here fighting Varoonyans, Amyr was amazed they could forgive him. Even Andwar and Graegor did not seem to feel any rancor towards him although they had been sold into slavery because their loyalty to the emperor would not allow them to abandon their inexperienced crown prince.

Graegor had been sitting beside Taeron and he made room for Amyr. "Are you rested, my lord?"

Amyr smiled. "Very well." The aroma of what Taeron was drinking had become familiar to Amyr. Behind him in the distance he could see the royal palace glowing as the last rays of the first sun. Soon Taeron would have his mate and he could dispense with the medicine he was taking. "Why did you let me sleep so long?"

"Sleep?" Taeron raised a brow. "That was a lot of noise for sleep."

The men chuckled and Amyr's face grew hot as he imagined how they must have sounded. The first time they had come to Teralon, many females had come to the Calabrian camp, but now there were none so he guessed that they were frightened of the off world warriors or trapped behind the walls of Nidum. Most villages were in the south since the swamps were uninhabitable, hence the reason Neria had been exiled to the dreadful palace in the north. Aside from battling the creatures in the swamp, there was little entertainment to be had for the imperial army.

Taeron reached out to lay his hand over Amyr's and he entwined their fingers so that Amyr could sense his feelings. Taeron was pleased with what he had been doing, his fighting, his healing, his protecting. "Your father told me it would be like this, Amyr. Apolo was at his side in every battle and he did as you do now. Once I never could have imagined you acting as he did, but you have surpassed all of my expectations for you."

Amyr's heart swelled with pride. "I could never allow harm to come to you, Taeron. You are the brother of my heart."

Taeron squeezed his hand and smiled at him. "As you are mine."

"The emperor will name you a warlord," Andwar predicted.

"I think my father will be very proud of the honor given to my clansbrother," added Darlac with a snort of amusment.

The thought of Meridon approving of anything Amyr's father did was laughable. Amyr had spent many hours trying to convince Meridon that the changes his father had made on the planet had improved the lives of everyone, not just the women. He doubted he had changed his mind even slightly, but at least the old man had listened to him.

"Your father will be proud as well," Taeron told Amyr, "when I tell him of how hard you worked with me and how well you performed in battle as my imperial guard."

"Where is the scribe?" he asked. "He should be recording your words." His father could hear praise for his son instead of accounts that had surely disgusted him.

"I am," came a voice from beyond the fire. Amyr turned to see that Stryfe was sitting with Jeshed, the two studying a scroll. Stryfe tapped his head with his finger without looking up. "I heard everything, princeling and I have observed everything. You father will be told."

For once, Amyr was not worried.

Andwar chortled with laughter. "Did you include anything about his activities these last few days from sunup to sundown and the hours in between?"

All the men laughed except Taeron who shot a menacing glare at his brother, and Amyr did not know what was so funny until Jeshed communicated to him that Stryfe had written the words of Taeron and Princess Dijana on Norvana. Amyr could well imagine his father teasing Taeron and the latter's subsequent reaction since it probably matched the look on his face now.

"My lord prince, you will soon be reunited with your mate," Darlac pointed out to Taeron. "You must be quite eager."

Taeron's smile faded and he looked at the palace that was now disappearing as the second sun descended towards the horizon. "I hope that we are not too late." Amyr sensed that Taeron was anxious, not just for Princess Dijana's safety, but how they would react to seeing each other after learning the truth. Taeron was unhappy about her deception, and remembering the night on Norvana when she had told Taeron that she did not want to be his mate, Amyr wondered if Taeron feared her rejection. She would not be happy to discover she was tied to the man she did not want. Amyr suspected their reunion was not going to go smoothly and Taeron might need that medicine a bit longer if he used tact and a lot longer if he approached it like a battle.

"Balak needs to keep her alive," said Stryfe. "Even if Neria does fail in retaking her throne, Balak will find it almost impossible to keep his power without Dijana unless he intends to destroy all the powerful families of Teralon. Too many Teralonian males believe religiously in the rule of the female queen, especially since it leaves them unencumbered by responsibility. The best he can do is defeat Neria to rule through her daughter. "

Amyr mused how different Teralon was from Calabria where males had become so terrified of the power females exerted over them that they had subjugated them. Before the emperor's open acceptance of his bond to his mate, few imperials allowed themselves to be enslaved by a female. They purchased females in the many markets across Calabria to serve their needs or captured women from the hill tribes which they bred for males. They had set female newborns in the wastelands where they would either perish or be found by the tribes to be taken in. Several of the women in Meridon's tribe were imperial females rescued from the sands and Amyr could see the features of prominent families in their faces.

His own father's sister had been killed in such a manner by Dax the Demon who had tricked Zeno into saving his own daughter, Amyr's mother. The two females had been born on the same night, and Zeno, unable to leave his beloved wife's child in the sands had exchanged infants with Dax who had proven he had no qualms about dumping females in the Wastelands as if they were refuse. Amyr's mother had reached out to Zeno with her powers as an infant, aided by the ancestors, and the emperor had brought her back to Edgeland Fortress. Dax had pretended to hate him for it, but he had been secretly pleased to have tricked the emperor into saving his Guerani daughter. Amyr doubted he expected that daughter to change Calabria forever.

"We will soon find out whether Balak is as much a bastard as we believe," said Andwar. "Roehan has him on the run now, and he should be beaten back to the palace within the next few days."

His words turned out to be prophetic. Balak and Avar's army straggled back to Nidum three days later and they ran straight into the imperial forces of Calabria. Crushed between the two armies, hopelessly outnumbered, the winged warriors were forced to surrender. But Balak and Avar had managed to escape and must have taken the secret passage into the palace, probably the same passage that had allowed them to escape the Varoonyan occupation. However, this time they would not be able to get away because Neria knew of the passage.

A messenger had been sent to Taeron requesting that he join Neria in taking the palace, but before heading into the passage, Taeron ordered Quynn to return to the ship to ready it for departure because he intended to take Dijana away immediately. They were all anxious to return to Calabria before Staefyn could move against the emperor.

Amyr had only enough time to hug and kiss her briefly before following Taeron into the dark passage that would take them into the palace gardens. He would see her later and then they could put that bed to use properly on the return trip to Calabria since he doubted Taeron would be able to talk Dijana into accepting him anytime soon. The female he had known on Norvana would probably make life very difficult for the gods' blessed holy warrior.