Chapter 64
The trip to the heart of the Calabrian Empire took many days, and for the greater part Dijana remained in the small cabin that had only a narrow bed set on the floor. If the princess' ship were any indication, Varoonyans saw no value in providing comfort while traveling in space. The artificial gravity system did not work well and Dijana frequently awoke from sleeping to find herself floating. The Varoonyans left her alone because they had discerned Kai's marks on her and she had come to realize that they feared the warlord as much as she did.
Soon after departure, Dijana had learned that Cydeara was a lying, scheming female. She had said that she was leaving her fleet behind, but the ships traveled with her, and just out of range of Bayman, she ordered their commanders to maintain their position as she continued on to Calabria alone. Dijana was afraid of what she had planned for her, and she berated herself day after day for letting the Varoonyan convince her to do something she knew that she must not.
As they neared Calabria, Dijana left her cabin to see the planet with its smaller satellite moons, all three vibrant blue and green spheres in the distance.
"We are being hailed from the moon called Ulfynaeus," said the man navigating the ship.
Cydeara took the only other seat in the small control center of the ship, and then signaled to the navigator to open the communication.
"Identify yourselves. You have entered Calabrian space."
"Princess Cydeara of Varoonya. I am answering the call of the emperor to present myself to Crown Prince Taeron."
A moment's pause ensued before they received a reply from the moon. "You have not sent advance notice of your intention as specified in the emperor's message to all worlds. You must land on Ulfynaeus before you can go on to Edgeland Fortress."
Cydeara opened her mouth to speak, but the communication closed on the other end. "Arrogant Calabrian bastards. We will go to Edgeland Fortress with or without their approval."
But they did not have a chance to act when a dozen Calabrian warbirds appeared before them.
"They have sent an escort," commented Dijana.
The glow in her crimson gaze was dangerous when Cydeara looked at her and Dijana wished she had remained silent. Better yet, she should have stayed on Teralon. Her parents would have discovered what had happened to her many days ago and she had little doubt that they would follow. She could not know if the Varoonyan fleet would allow them to pass and with their inability to contact Calabria, they might be destroyed. Why had she come here with these people? Why had she trusted Varoonyans? Was she so desperate to be with Taeron again that her own people should suffer?
Having little choice, the Varoonyan ship followed the fighters to the landing field on the moon. An administrator was waiting for them to disembark and he greeted Cydeara with respect before escorting her to the governor's palace. Dijana had never ridden a horse before, so she walked with the men who made up Cydeara's personal guard. She was wearing one of Cydeara's garments, an unadorned black tunic of animal skin over one of her own undershirts that reached her knees. She wore a pair of Cydeara's boots and not only did she have difficulty walking in the high heels, they were too small and pinched her feet. She had balked at the garments that the princess ordered she wear because the smell reminded her of Kai, but Cydeara warned her that she should keep her identity secret if the emperor truly did not want her on Calabria. Dijana worried that Cydeara had her own reasons for keeping her identity secret.
By the time they reached the palace, Dijana was so nervous about meeting Taeron's father that she was trembling and she was glad that she was following behind the princess where she would not be noticed. They had agreed that she would not reveal her identity, that she would remain quiet among Cydeara's guards and the Calabrians would assume that she was a servant. Dijana did not like hiding her identity after having done so before, but she saw merit in Cydeara's plan. As a servant, she would be ignored in the wake of the beautiful Varoonyan.
But the governor did not step out into the palace courtyard. Instead a woman with fiery, curling hair moved towards them. Dijana could see immediately the resemblance between her and Lady Quynn and the scribe, Stryfe. She was older, but still very beautiful and she smiled pleasantly as she approached the Varoonyan princess. She did not bow and scrape to Cydeara and Dijana could see that she was annoyed..
"Princess Cydeara, I am Lady Trynity of house Maxwell, the wife of the governor of Ulfynaeus, Lord Duo, the imperial guard of Emperor Trey. The candidates wishing to be presented to the crown prince must first contact the governor at Edgeland Fortress to determine their suitability. Lord Apolo then informs me so that I might properly welcome them before sending them on to the planet. I was not informed that you would be attending the emperor's court. I have already sent a message to the surface to warn … I mean inform them of your arrival."
Her change in words was not a mistake. She made no secret of not trusting the Varoonyan and Dijana wondered what she had been told. Had Cydeara lied about her reason for coming to Calabria?
"Am I a prisoner?" inquired Cydeara.
"As you will be unable to leave the planet and you will not be allowed to move about without the escort of an imperial warrior or two, then you may consider yourself a prisoner until I receive word from Lord Apolo that you may continue on to Calabria." Lady Trynity's smile was no longer welcoming. "Your fleet has been tracked since you left Varoonya. The emperor will be interested to know why you stopped at Teralon."
Cydeara's brows drew together. "I have only peaceful intentions on Calabria," she stated. "Have not all females been invited?"
"Your warlord has been gathering dissenters in the Guerani Hills to challenge the emperor," said Lady Trynity coolly. "I am sure you can see how your arrival with an armed force might be considered threatening."
"I would speak to the emperor myself now!" declared Cydeara hotly. "I do not have to explain myself to one such as you!"
"One such as me?" The governor's wife folded her arms across her chest. "I should like you to clarify your meaning."
"A Calabrian female," she said scornfully.
The other woman pursed her lips for a moment and then she said, "I fear that you are misinformed about Calabrian females. They have a great deal of power. My men will escort you to your 'guest' chamber, but we have other accomodations for your men." She glanced at Dijana who quickly lowered her gaze. "This female may remain with you."
Without another word, she turned on her heel and after signaling to a couple of men wearing the red and blue tunics of the imperial house, she crossed the courtyard and disappeared through the door to another wing of the palace. Cydeara had no choice but to follow the guards, but she turned and nodded to Dijana to accompany her. Gritting her teeth against the pain of her feet, she limped after her and they seemed to walk an equal distance from the landing field through the winding corridors of the governor's palace before the guards opened the doors to a chamber.
Once they had gone through the doors and closed them, Cydeara made a sound of exasperation. "How dare they accuse me of conspiring with Kai!? I hate that bastard! Because of him my brother is dead and I have lost my place in Varoonya." Her crimson eyes were flashing and she looked at Dijana. "Perhaps they will let you move about as you wish since you are not Varoonyan. Tell them that you are unwell, and they will take you to a healer. You might be able to find a way for us to escape."
Dijana wanted to refuse because her feet hurt. The boots were too small and the heels were too high and she had been looking forward to taking them off. With a sigh she hobbled to the door and when she opened it, she almost shrank back at the dark look the imperial warriors gave her.
Swallowing her fear, she asked meekly if she might be allowed to leave the room, and because her feet hurt, she did not feel as though she were lying as she asked to see a healer. One of the men told her to follow him and on the way, he sent another guard to take his post. He did not speak to her and he walked so fast she was barely able to keep up. If Cydeara thought she could memorize the corridors of the governor's palace, she would be disappointed. They passed through several wings, went through others and she thought they might have backtracked, but she was so confused by the maze that she realized she must be mistaken.
By the time they finally came to an arched door and he led her through, she had been ready to ask to be returned to captivity. Although the imperial did not show on his face what he was thinking, Dijana was sure that he had taken unnecessary turns just to confuse her. The room to which he had escorted her was enormous, with several tables covered with transparent pots. There were strings from corner to corner near the ceiling and crisscrossing the room from which hung drying leaves. Against one wall she saw machines that were hooked to a complex array of crystals, and on the other wall there were several small, narrow beds.
Dijana had thought to be taken to a local healer and had hoped to leave the palace, but she was surprised to see the governor's wife speaking to a woman dressed completely in black that reminded her of the warriors that had been among Taeron's personal guard.
"You have nothing to be concerned about, Falida. As your body adjusts to the changes the child brings to it your appetite will return. What you are experiencing is perfectly natural." She put her arm around the shoulders of the woman nearly shrouded in a cloak and Dijana could see that she was weeping.
"I thought I would be happier! I cry all the time and I am too weary to do anything but lie upon my couch sleeping."
"Is your mate displeased?" asked Lady Trynity.
"No," sobbed the other woman, Falida. "He is very happy, but he is worried that we have angered the gods by allowing you to help us."
"And now you can tell him that all is well." The healer raised her head and looked in Dijana's direction. "I see that someone else needs my help. You may come to see me as often as you wish, Falida, but I think that soon enough these symptoms will pass and you will feel better than you ever have."
"We thank you for all you have done for us!" They walked to another door and Dijana realized it was the door that the governor's wife had taken to reenter the palace. Dijana knew that the wife of Taeron's father was a healer, but she did not think the woman still practiced her art.
As she now approached her, her brows arched in question, Dijana suddenly felt panic because of her deception knowing that if she did make her way to Taeron, he would learn that she had lied again about her identity. He could never trust her!
"You arrived with Princess Cydeara," stated Lady Trynity, her assessing green gaze moving rapidly over her. "You are not Varoonyan. If I were to guess by your facial structure, you are Teralonian."
Dijana nodded, glad not to have to lie. Perhaps if she pretended she could not speak …
"I don't really need to guess. I am quite certain that you are from Teralon." She swept out her arm to indicate that Dijana should sit on a padded bench that was high off the ground. Dijana had to use a step to climb up to sit and her legs dangled off the floor.
"Because you are with the Varoonyans, you must have been enthralled. I am quite curious about the physiological changes that take place when one has been enthralled. But you have sought me, so I should help you first. What can I do for you?"
She felt silly telling her that her feet hurt. Lady Trynity removed her boots and as she inspected her blistered feet, she shook her head. "These boots are too small." She tossed them aside. "Surely you have more suitable footwear."
Dijana swallowed. "At the ship."
"Ah! You speak!" The healer straightened and Dijana found herself eye to eye with her. "I shall send one of the men back to the Varoonyan ship for your things." When she moved to the door leading to the courtyard to speak to one of the men guarding the door, Dijana looked around the strange room. She remembered Taeron speaking of Lady Trynity and how she wanted to help her, but Dijana was afraid to tell her who she was. If the emperor did not want her on Calabria, the wife of his imperial guard would put her on a ship and send her back to Teralon.
Lady Trynity returned and she had a small stone pot with her. "I have a cream that should soothe your feet. Ulfynaeus is rife with medicinal flora, so I think the gods meant for me to live here."
Dijana was surprised when the other woman began to apply the salve to her foot, but the cream tingled and she sighed with pleasure. Dijana decided not to speak, thinking that the healer might suppose that was a symptom of being enthralled. She did not want to lie and knew she might be forced to do so if the healer asked her questions.
When she finished applying the salve, she moved away to wash her hands, and when she returned, she was carrying a small tube with a long needle at the end. Dijana shrank back, but Lady Trynity smiled reassuringly. "Do not worry. I am not going to do anything that you do not consent to. I wish to study your condition, and to do that, I will need to take a sample of your blood."
"How … how will you do that?" she asked as she warily eyed the needle. She was beginning to feel light-headed.
"I will put this in your arm and blood will flow through the needle to the reservoir. Afterward, I will place the blood in my genetic analyzer to compare and cross-reference with other samples I have taken. That way I can eliminate the properties that I have already studied to see if there is something that was added to your blood by the enthralling process."
Dijana blinked at her in confusion. She had not understood anything she said after she announced her intention of putting the needle in her arm. Her stomach as churning unpleasantly and she began to feel dizzy.
Lady Trynity laughed softly. "My son, Stryfe, has a similar reaction to drawing blood. If you look away, you do not need to see it."
"I...I have seen blood before," said Dijana.
"Of course you have." She raised the needle and she gave her a questioning look. "This is to help you."
If she thought about it, she would refuse, so Dijana thrust out her arm and she tightly closed her eyes. She would do it for Taeron. If the healer could help her, she would do whatever she asked. "I will do it."
"You will feel a little prick and it may sting a bit."
When she felt the prick, Dijana gasped and the room spun so rapidly that she fell back on the padded bench and the world skewed strangely before everything was black. She did not know how long she was unconscious, but when she awoke, she was no longer on the bench. She was on one of the narrow beds and the Varoonyan clothing had been removed to be replaced with a shapeless garment that opened in the back. A light blanket was covering her, and she was horrified to find herself nearly naked. She could hear talking from the far side of the room and she recognized the healer's voice.
"... and if he finds out, well, I don't think we need to discuss what will hit the fan, do we?"
The voice that responded sounded far away so Dijana knew she was communicating with the planet. "My son has been dragging his feet, and Trey has been urging him to accept his fate. As much as I despise house Caron, his marriage to Keilana would be beneficial to us all."
Dijana knew they were talking about Taeron and her heart plummeted as she realized that she would not have a chance to present herself, that he had already chosen.
"There is no way that is going to happen now," Lady Trynity said.
"Trey will not want to fight a war over Taeron's choice of a bride."
The healer made a sound of disgust. "He fought many a war over his."
The man to whom she was speaking and who Dijana realized must be Taeron's father, Lord Duo, made a sound of annoyance. "Trynity, comments like that are why he doesn't like you at his court."
"Well, I have every intention of coming to the surface very soon, so I leave it in your capable hands to inform him of my arrival. Do not tell him anything else because that Neanderthal cannot comprehend anything about women. I don't know how Arora puts up with him."
"He already asked why Larya flew out of here like a bat out of hell on the first transport to Edgeland Fortress." Lord Duo laughed. "Arora appeased him by telling him that she was going to prepare his marriage garments, and when he told her it was about time, Arora told him to stop pestering Taeron, and after that there was a lot of arguing that, of course, ended with Arora leaving as well."
Lady Trynity snorted with laughter. "I hope she took his medicine with her. I have no intention of bringing him any." She paused and then said, "Do not speak to Taeron about any of this. We do not have the right to interfere."
"You know me, babe. I am not going to interfere in his personal life. I have always left that to Larya and she has done an admirable job."
There was a moment of silence and then Lady Trynity said, "She is awake. I have made arrangements for the children to stay among Meridon's clan while I am on the surface and Darlac will handle any emergency that arises."
Darlac? Dijana struggled to sit up, panicking because she was sure that Darlac would recognize her.
"I love you, babe. I have missed you and I will be glad when we can be together again. Watching Taeron's lukewarm courtship has made me long for some of your fire."
"I love you, too. Only a few days, Duo, and then I plan to knock your socks off, so get some rest and drink plenty of fluids."
He laughed. "Now I am wondering why I didn't hop on that transport with Larya. Oh, I remember why. I made that trip with her a few weeks ago, and I never want to do it again."
The healer was laughing, but Dijana was looking around frantically for the clothing she had been wearing, and not finding it, she clutched the thin blanket to her neck as Lady Trynity approached the bed.
"I thought you might sleep another day. You must have been exhausted."
"Another day?" Dijana's voice was hoarse.
Lady Trynity handed her a cup of water which Dijana promptly drained. "Princess Cydeara accused us of doing you some great harm." The other woman rolled her eyes. "I informed her personally that you were ill and she still insisted that we take you back to her room, but I thought you should stay here as long as she wanted you back so badly."
"She must be worried about me." Dijana did not know what else to say.
The healer pulled a stool near the bed and sat down. For a moment she merely stared at Dijana and her quizzical gaze unnerved her. Then she said, "I am not sure if you have come with a purpose or whether you were fooled into accompanying Princess Cydeara."
"I … I don't know," Dijana told her honestly.
Lady Trynity sighed. "This will be much easier if I stop dancing around the truth. I know who you are, Princess Dijana."
Dijana gasped. "Did I speak in my sleep?"
The other woman laughed. "You slept very soundly. I had several patients in and out of here including an infant screaming with an ear infection and you scarcely stirred."
"Then...then you must have discovered my identity when you studied my blood." Dijana knew she should not have consented to have her blood taken. Taeron would not care if his second mother could help her, not when he was planning to begin his life with the female called Keilana.
Again Lady Trynity laughed. "I could not discover it that way unless I had some blood to reference it with and when your mother was on Calabria, she refused to offer a sample."
"Then how … ?" Dijana was sure she had not done anything to give herself away.
"Some of the warriors on duty at the landing field were on Teralon with Taeron and they sent word ahead informing me of your arrival. To be sure, while I was testing your blood and you were asleep, I asked Darlac to identify you."
"I … I did not mean to lie."
"I do not recall you lying," said Lady Trynity. "I did not ask you for your name, did I?"
"I could have told you," she argued. Dijana felt very foolish for trying to disguise her identity.
The healer waved her hand dismissively. "None of that matters now. I am very curious to know the reason you would accompany Princess Cydeara. Do you know who she is?"
"The sister of Prince Rangyor," Dijana told her.
"And the wife of Warlord Kai."
"Wife?!" Dijana was both shocked and horrified. "Why … why would she bring me here?"
She knew the answer before Lady Trynity told her. "She brought you here for him."
"But she said that she hated him!" cried Dijana in frustration. Would she always trust people without questioning their motives? She would never trust a Varoonyan again!
"And she continues to insist that she was not leading an invasion force, but we have ample evidence from Varoonya that she is. That force has been contained by Bayman whose space fleet is much better equipped to handle them. By now the Varoonyans have been incarcerated, so Kai will be annoyed to find that his wife failed to bring his troops and his … well, I am sorry, but for lack of a better term, his mistress."
"I am not his mistress!" declared Dijana hotly. "He enthralled me! He left me for dead."
"His wife does not seem to care that he considers you his lover."
"I am not his lover!" Tears pricked her eyes. She had once thought she was in love with Kai, but she did not truly know the meaning until Taeron came into her life. "I am his thrall."
"You are not even his thrall," said Lady Trynity, confirming what Cydeara has said on Teralon. "I have compared your blood to that of thralls that have been captured. Since Taeron's return from Norvana, I have been studying the problem from a military tactical standpoint. The men enthralled by Kai had certain changes to their blood at the cellular level and … well, you need not be bored by the technical reasons. If you had those changes, and I believe that you did given Taeron's description, you no longer do. The effects have been completely reversed."
"I fed from Princess Chaela on Teralon," Dijana told her, embarrassed to admit to sustaining herself on the blood of another. "She must have healed me."
"Your blood has more in common with markers I found in Taeron's blood after he returned from Norvana. I had erroneously assumed the change in his blood had something to do with his contact with you, but I think something on that planet changed him." The healer laughed while Dijana's head was reeling with the news she was giving her. "There is something on that planet that has fired synapses to reach different parts of the brain. The odd protein in Taeron's blood is now in your blood. I think he may have healed you."
Dijana was speechless. Suddenly her future did not seem so bleak anymore. She was free of Kai. He could never control her to make her harm Taeron ever again.
"I have further news for you," said the healer after a long sigh. "Have you been weary of late? Have you lost your appetite?"
Looking away from her knowing eyes she said, "I have missed Taeron terribly. I have been sick with the pain that I have caused him. I love him and I sent him away. I should have listened to my heart instead of my father."
The other woman took her hands. "Sometimes we make dreadful mistakes, but this is a mistake that can be easily rectified. Taeron loves you still …."
"I heard you tell your mate that he will choose a wife."
She smiled indulgently, and now she clasped her hands in her own. "My husband will keep him from making that choice, Dijana, until you can speak to him. You have something important to tell him."
"That I love him?" Dijana remembered his frustrated anger the last time she had seen him and wondered if he could possibly still love her as the healer seemed to believe.
"No, princess, you must tell him that you are carrying his child."