Chapter 54

"Are you headed to the surface so soon? Three days is not long enough to rest after a space voyage that long."

Taeron had been swinging two long swords, the one the emperor had given him and the one he had received from Lady Arora's hands upon becoming an imperial guard. The practice was grueling, and when he finished, the pain was excruciating, but he needed to let out his anger somehow and torturing his body gave him some relief.

Lord Duo was waiting for an answer, so he stopped and sheathed both swords before taking a cloth to dry the sweat from his face and wipe down his arms and chest. "The wounded are settled in Lady Trynity's infirmary, and I need to give my report to the emperor." He glanced at his father with his brow raised. "When we arrived on Teralon after an equally long trip, we were forced to swing our swords and take our battles to the air with winged warriors in the harshest of conditions."

"You know that is not what I am really talking about."

Taeron had been avoiding this conversation since his return. His father was most comfortable talking about battle strategies anyway. "Most of my men have already returned to the surface, so the emperor will be expecting me soon. I need to tell him what Staefyn has done and that Kai is on Calabria."

Although his father had been enraged to hear what had happened to Quynn, he refused to disobey Trey by going to the surface to attack Guerani Palace. To his surprise, his wife agreed with him because she did not believe a Guerani with Staefyn's powers would harm anyone, that he might even be cursed if he allowed harm to come to her when she carried a Guerani child. The ancestors had surely punished Dax for all that he had done and Staefyn would not wish his fate.

Taeron was about to slip on his plain tunic, but he noticed with annoyance that there were a handful of females watching. "Gods," he muttered. Since his return there was no dearth of them crossing his path, offering to serve him, suggesting ways to please him in which he had no interest.

Lord Duo looked in the direction of the females and gave them a scowl that sent them scurrying away. "You should have brought the princess back."

"She did not wish to come," Taeron said bitterly before jerking on his tunic.

"Trey is not going to like what happened to you," predicted his father. "The natural state for a Calabrian male is to be bonded. Trynity thinks that unbonded males give off some sort of scent that attracts females and judging by the reactions of the females here, she is right. They have been neglecting their duties because of you."

Taeron frowned as he thought about what he could expect in the imperial city.

His father smiled sympathetically. "After his anger abates over that Teralonian princess' rejection, he will probably make another attempt at matchmaking, but this time he will choose a Calabrian female that will do her duty."

"I have no interest in any of the imperial females." The idea of tying himself forever to one of those self-serving women at the emperor's court made him clench his fists now. "I cannot imagine being bonded to a female that is only doing her duty."

"They wanted you when they knew you were bonded, so now they will want you even more." Lord Duo chuckled. "Trey will be inundated with requests and, of course, your mother will want to have a hand in choosing your bride."

"I don't want a bride," Taeron reiterated. "I want Dijana." He looked at his father, hating that he should have this conversation with him after feeling as though he had failed as a mate. "Why did she reject me, father? I thought she loved me."

He blew out his breath and put his hand on Taeron's shoulder. "Stryfe told me what happened, and I cannot say that I am surprised by the end result. She has been deeply shamed, Taeron, and she does not feel worthy of you."

"There is no female who is more worthy." Taeron was angry that she could think so little of herself. "I love her! I don't care who she is or what happened to her!"

"But she does," Lord Duo pointed out. "I understand her more than you ever could, Taeron. I had convinced myself that I was not good enough for Trynity and you know what became of that. By the gods! Do you know how long pride kept me from my true mate? The two of you have yet to learn that there is no room for pride in your feelings for one another."

"I would not wish to wait that long to claim Dijana," Taeron said with annoyance as he thought of the years that had separated his father and his mate. Then he added, "But I will if I must."

His father leaned to touch his forehead to Taeron's. "You must move forward with your life, Taeron. When I tried not to, I cheated both you and me of years together that we can never get back."

They fell silent when the side door to the palace opened where Lady Trynity housed her infirmary. She exited with Chaela and headed towards them. "Amyr has pulled himself out of the trance," she announced and Taeron saw that Chaela looked as if she considered it her fault. He could not blame her for not being able to keep Amyr in a serene trance when her Guerani powers were still new to her. He had been impressed that she was able to take Amyr away from reality even if only for a few days.

They could have elicited Yori's help, but they had feared how Amyr would behave in the trance, and they did not want Yori to see his father so agitated. There were no secrets from Quynn's son, so Taeron explained to him what had happened to her and told Yori, as much as himself, that Staefyn would not hurt her, that he was a powerful Guerani. Yori had not responded but he did not react with the panic Amyr had, and since their arrival on Ulfynaeus a few days ago, Yori remained at his father's bedside.

"He wants to speak to you, Taeron," Chaela told him.

He headed to the infirmary immediately and found Amyr sitting up on one of the narrow pallets on which Lady Trynity's patients rested, Yori fast asleep with his dark head resting on Amyr's shoulder, his small arm across his father's wide chest. The boy was probably exhausted so Taeron did not disturb him.

"I want to thank you," Amyr told him softly so that he would not wake his son. "I had completely lost control. I think Staefyn wants people to be unbalanced around him and I played right into his hands."

"Then I imagine he was not happy that I ended the communication mid-sentence," Taeron said with a half-smile. "Quynn has been at his palace for a few weeks already and she did not look any worse for the experience." The bruise on her cheek had looked fresh and Taeron could imagine that her sharp tongue had caused it. At least she had not shown any sign of being Kai's thrall.

"Your sister is a strong female," mused Amyr.

"You are taking this well," Taeron remarked. Then again, he had learned to cope with his separation with Dijana when they were bonded. He was finding it even more difficult now that they were not.

"I had time to think about what I saw and what I did not see. Staefyn healed Quynn so efficiently that I am amazed at his power." Color rose to Amyr's cheeks. "I was jealous to see her in his arms, but upon reflection, I did not see anything in how he held her to justify it."

"I worry what Kai will do to her," admitted Taeron.

Amyr did not agree although Taeron thought he had considered the same thing. Instead he said, "You are going to the surface today?"

"At equal suns." He had avoided returning to Calabria long enough. Both he and Stryfe had duties to return to and he could not put off facing both the emperor and his mother with the news that he had failed in starting his house.

"Can you wait until high second sun?" asked Amyr.

Taeron frowned thinking that Amyr wanted time to ready himself for the trip to the surface. "You should not accompany me until after I have spoken to your father to get his permission for you to return. My father has given me the crystals to take to Edgeland Fortress to repair communications, but he will not disobey the emperor to do it himself. Once he receives word from your father to attend him, he will bring you to the surface with him." Taeron was sure that Trey would not balk at doing so when he sorely missed the counsel of his imperial guard and friend.

"I understand, but you must wait before leaving." Amyr was hiding something, but Taeron knew he would not reveal it even if he pressed him. A few hours would make no difference since nobody knew when to expect his arrival.

Shortly after the point when the suns were at equal distance on both sides of the horizon, the reason for Amyr's request became apparent when Taeron was informed of the arrival of two large transports. His father sent him to the landing field to meet their guests and Taeron was delightedly surprised to see the markings of Bayman on the ships. He was even more pleased to see Shamara step off the first transport, and he hurried forward to pull her into his embrace.

She held him tightly. "Oh, Taeron, I have missed you!" She was smiling as she gripped his arms but leaned back to look at his face. "What have you done? You have gone and made yourself the lord prince!"

His cheeks were burning. "I did not ask for the honor."

"There is no man more deserving."

The voice had come from behind Shamara, and Taeron went to the woman who had exited the ship, and dropping to a knee before her, he bowed his head. "Welcome to Ulfynaeus, gracious lady."

The emperor's wife put her hand on his head and when he felt her fingers sifting through his hair, he thought of the many times she had done so when he was a child. "Lord Prince Taeron, you honor me."

"I am happy that you are safely returned, gracious lady." Taeron looked up at Lady Arora's beautiful face and found that she was smiling down at him, her golden eyes misty. He loved this kind and gentle woman as much as his own mother, and he ached to think of the pain he now knew that she suffered from those that reviled her for who she was and what had been done to her. "Does the emperor know that you are returning?"

"I am going to surprise him," she said with an mischievous smile. Then she leaned in to whisper, "Perhaps you can keep him from taking his medicine."

"Mother!" Shamara was laughing although she pretended to be scandalized. She looked at Taeron. "My sisters and brother have remained on Bayman. Dagan grumbled about being in charge of the imperial nursery, but in truth I will have to think of an adequate way to reward Vanik who has committed himself to the safety of the emperor's children." She winked. "I think he has his eye on my sister, Ginaesa."

Was Ginaesa old enough to take a mate already? Scarcely younger than Staefyn by a year, Taeron supposed she was although he had not seen much of her since she had been a small child when he entered his imperial training.

Lady Arora took Taeron's arm before he could struggle to remember the names and faces of the other three children all having been born in his absence from the palace. "Now take me to my son."

She had not seen Amyr in several years, so he did not need to be Guerani to sense her eagerness, and she was delighted to discover that Chaela was on Ulfynaeus as well. Lady Arora was in full command of her powers and she rarely pried by warding herself from the thoughts and feelings of others, and Taeron did not tell her about Kaerwen because he did not know what Chaela would wish her to know. What Taeron knew now made him wish he had given Balak and Avar slow and painful deaths. Because he knew the reunion would be difficult, he escorted Lady Arora first to Lady Trynity who greeted her warmly before taking her to her private sitting room that overlooked her beautiful garden.

Shamara followed him from the room when he hoped she would remain with her mother as he went to escort Chaela to her. "What is wrong, Taeron? My mother is too polite to find out for herself, but I think you are hiding something about Chaela." Shamara was frowning at him as she tried to keep up with his long strides. "You are very obstinate and I cannot read your thoughts."

Taeron frowned at her. "Why are you trying in the first place?"

"What has my sister done now?"

Stopping, he turned to face her. "Chaela is very dear to me, Shamara, she has always been so. You will find that she has greatly changed since her time on Teralon." Taeron did not want to speak the words, so he reached down to take her hands and he guessed what she sensed from his touch by the shock and then sadness he saw in her eyes.

For a moment she was speechless, and then he saw her tears. "My heart is full for my sister. If only we could have known what Avar was doing to her, you could have taken her from that horrid place sooner."

Taeron shook his head sadly. There were moments that he blamed himself for his single-minded drive in routing the Varoonyans. He could have returned Chaela to Calabria then and Avar could not have stopped him. Why had he not realized that Chaela had needed his help when she had been so uncharacteristically quiet when he had embraced her upon leaving?

Sighing he said, "There is no one to blame but Avar. He was a greedy, selfish bastard." Knowing what he had done to Dijana, Taeron wished he had not balked at killing the queen's son. Then again, the sword to his heart would have been too quick a death and he had Neria to thank for taking a proper vengeance on him.

They encountered Chaela standing outside the infirmary, so Taeron assumed she could sense their approach and was waiting for them. Shamara went to her and as the sisters hugged, Taeron went into the infirmary to tell Amyr that his mother had arrived. Amyr had already finished dressing and was waiting for him.

"Of course, you already know it."

Amyr grinned at him. "I am liking these powers more and more. I can stay a step ahead of you, brother."

Taeron snorted derisively and Amyr laughed.

Shamara and Chaela had gone ahead, so they walked slowly through the palace to give Chaela time to be with her mother, and by the time they came to the chamber, they had been joined by Yori who had been sent by his grandfather with the news that he had a visitor.

"My grandmother," he announced with a bright smile. Taeron shook his head as he realized that Yori had already somehow contacted Lady Arora. He knew he was right when the door opened and she held out her arms to her grandson. Yori threw himself against her as if he had known her his whole life.

"I don't think I can imagine what a Guerani village must have been like," commented Taeron aloud. "Did they ever speak?"

Amyr shrugged as he watched his mother cover his son's face with kisses. "I doubt they had a reason to."

Shamara came to them. "They probably laid around all day in a trance." She threw her arms around Amyr and hugged him. "You have always been an annoying brother, but I am so happy that you are back!"

"And I do not know how I have lived these last few years without you nagging me about my behavior."

Lady Arora came to Amyr, and as she put her arms around her son and began to weep, Taeron stepped away to give them privacy. When they went into the chamber, he closed the door and went in search of his brothers.

Stryfe was putting the finishing touches on his manuscript detailing the imperial actions on Teralon while Jeshed paced as if he were caged. Lord Duo had forbidden him from shifting to dragon form on Ulfynaeus because he feared that clansmen might try to hunt him. And since taking to the skies was his way of easing his anxiety, he needed to do so because he was anxious for Quynn and nervous about spending time with Lady Larya. He was afraid that the woman he now considered his mother would find fault in him, so Taeron could sympathize after spending his life pleasing his mother. After all that she had suffered, Taeron had wanted to make her happy.

Jeshed had spent the last couple of days in Lord Duo's company and while Taeron's father was not initially comfortable with the shapeshifter, he soon warmed to him. Jeshed was a sweet, naïve young man and when Lord Duo remarked that Lady Larya was going to eat him alive, Jeshed was horrified by the imagery his dragon's mind had conjured until Stryfe explained that his father meant that Lady Larya was not going to literally eat him being that she had a marked preference for spiced grubs and had never eaten animal flesh, either cooked or raw. But he had better plan on her controlling every aspect of his life. Jeshed did not seem as bothered by that warning as he should have been.

"Lady Arora and Princess Shamara will be accompanying us to the planet along with three dozen soldiers from Bayman."

"Three dozen." Stryfe whistled and Taeron took it as sarcasm. "How did King Dagan manage to part with so many?"

Taeron chuckled. "Dagan has more imperials on Bayman protecting him than he sent to us. The only warrior from Bayman I would consider worthy is Vanik and he has remained on Bayman to play nursemaid to both Dagan and the imperial children. I will thank King Dagan for his gesture all the same."

"I think you are getting the hang of being lord prince," Stryfe remarked. He nodded to the open window which overlooked the courtyard where Taeron had been swinging his swords. "I heard what father told you and he is right. First, you are going to be as sought after as that shipment of tea that is going to the surface with you, as if females needed another reason to flock to you. The emperor has probably already made an alternate plan in the event Princess Dijana were killed before your return to Teralon. At the least, he will use your availability as an excuse to invite the houses to offer their females and that will attract unbonded males to offer for the females you reject."

Taeron was about to tell him he would reject them all, but Stryfe continued and he suspected that his brother was already privy to the emperor's plans for him, especially since Stryfe had known all along why his union with Dijana had been so important. He should not be upset that his brother was so loyal to the emperor that he would keep information from him, but a small part of him wished Stryfe would warn him.

"If you recall what happened to Shamara and how disappointed the emperor was in the result of that fiasco, he will barter your freedom from the matrimonial shackle to the most worthy Calabrian imperial house."

Frowning, Taeron remarked, "You make it sound as if marriage is an unpleasant state. Your parents are not unhappy; my mother has never been happier with her shackle and I know that the emperor will be overjoyed to be reunited with his. I had looked forward to spending my life with Dijana."

"Well, you had better put that plan behind you because I doubt that Trey will be predisposed to considering Princess Dijana any more."

Taeron knew it was true, had known it when he left Dijana behind. "I still want her." Taeron's anger had abated and he wished he had not behaved so erratically before leaving Teralon. "If I give her time..."

"She had her mind made up," Jeshed spoke up. He opened his mouth to say more but Stryfe glared him into silence. Taeron probably did not want to hear whatever Jeshed had gleaned from her thoughts when what she had said to him hurt him enough.

Stryfe turned back to Taeron. "Don't take advice from a shapeshifter who, until recently, snacked on animals larger than we are. He doesn't know anything about females. If you ask him, he won't be able to tell you how they fit together despite Neria's detailed instructions."

"I know how they fit together," retorted Jeshed with a childish pout. "This morning, I saw one of the palace females kneeling before one of the guards and..."

Taeron cut him off. "I think we know what you saw and that is not the proper interaction of which we speak."

Stryfe chuckled. "I wonder what Haedya is up to now. I may see if she has a few moments to spare before I leave." He winked at Taeron. "Seeking her might be less taxing and more relieving than swinging your swords day and night."

Taeron frowned at Stryfe and did not respond. He was not about to sully what he had with Dijana by seeking Haedya to perform her particular skill.

Jeshed scratched his head and Taeron thought he looked like his father when he did it. Had he spent so much time with Lord Duo these last couple of days that he had adopted his mannerisms? His mother was not going to be pleased. "Why did they seem to enjoy the activity if it is improper?"

"Ask Lady Larya to explain," Stryfe suggested and Taeron grimaced as he imagined his mother explaining what Jeshed had witnessed. He had better remind him not to ogle the females in her home.

Jeshed seemed to be affronted. "You mock my mother!"

"I but jest," said Stryfe seriously now. "There are very few women I admire and respect more than Lady Larya. I intend to visit Edgeland Fortress soon to record some of her recollections of the time she spent in the imperial palace during Zeno's reign."

"My mother does not like to talk about those days," Taeron reminded him. He did not want Stryfe upsetting her with his interminable questions.

"If she does not want to talk about it, then I will ask her to tell me about her favorite subject. I am sure she has many stories about your childhood, Taeron."

Not as many as she would have liked, he thought sadly, but Taeron nodded. "You may ask her about it."

Stryfe sighed. "If you are not worried about what she will tell me, then there must be nothing interesting to write about." He raised a brow as he looked at Taeron, and then he shook his head. "What was I thinking? Of course there is nothing interesting."

"I did as I was told," said Taeron proudly and he saw Jeshed nod in agreement. Jeshed would always be his ally.

"Regardless, I am hoping that speaking about you might disarm her enough to tell me about her more interesting time as Lady Xuxa's slave. You know that there are quite a few imperials that dislike her intensely for whatever secrets she seduced out of them to offer to that ambitious female. Xuxa had a stranglehold on the males of Zeno's court, Dax and Zeno included. Her fall from power was very high indeed."

"She deserved her fate," Taeron said. "Zeno returned her in disgrace to her clan for her betrayal. Her brother had the right to put her in the Wastelands, but the Wastelands were blossoming with the gods' favor, so her brother turned her away from their clan and no one would take her in. One day she walked into the Guerani Hills and never came out." Taeron doubted a pampered female like Xuxa could have lasted long in the inhospitable hills. She had probably ended her life in the stomach of a canyon beast, her remains resting in a heap of dung. That would have been a fitting end to such a female.

"I do not need to hear any sordid tales from your mother," Stryfe said. "But I am interested in comparing the role of females under Zeno to that under Trey. Some say that the changes Trey instituted make it more difficult for males and females to interact. The males of the imperial houses overprotect their females and the males have no access to them. Events such as Shamara's courtship and now yours seem to be the only way for them to mingle and soon enough Trey is going to run out of children to marry off." He gave Taeron a half-smile. "Thirty years ago you would not have thought twice about taking Dijana away with you with or without her consent."

"Thirty years ago she would not have had the right to consent," Taeron reminded him. "And she would not have had a male like Roehan to protect her."

"So we have made the full circle. We are back to talking about Dijana." Stryfe rolled up the parchment and tied it with blue ribbons at the end of which would hang the emperor's medallions when he approved the reading. "I have finished. As usual, brother, you are the hero of the story, the liberator of Teralon."

"So it should be," said Jeshed. "My brother is a paladin."

Taeron wished the life of a paladin were not so lonely.