Blakeshire (Insight #9)(31)
I was speechless. Was he saying that because I died in some weird way in the past that caused a loophole—a way for them to embed Willow next to Drake? If so, all I could say to those other kings was, well played. By doing that, they not only jacked up me and Drake, but also Willow and Landen; well, they gave us doubt.
“I can’t really do much about the past, now can I?” I boldly managed to say.
“Oh, but you see, that is where your answers lie. You have to go back to that moment, recover what you lost…and when you do, jealousy will leave you. And of course, you will have changed the game in so many ways.”
“Sounds like a lot of work to get over jealousy. I think I can manage without looking for a vessel of mine that can be nothing more than ashes at this point.”
Slowly, he stepped forward as he let his crossed arms fall. “This is not the first time that you and Drake have chosen to put on a show for all those who care to watch—having them believe that you are enemies instead of soul mates.”
“And why would we have done that, then, if there was no Willow to contend with?”
He gazed at me witheringly. “I heard what you said to Willow a few days ago, how you fear that if you completely commit to another soul that you will lose yourself and give evil every reason to take that away from you…tell me how deeply you believe what you said to her.”
I swallowed nervously, hating that this guy had been watching any part of my life. “Deep.”
“Our deepest fears resonate from past lives. They are often altered as the soul tries to unlock them. You feared that before, and before you chose to play a part and act as if there was no devotion to be found.”
“Didn’t work out so hot then, did it?”
“It worked beautifully for a while, but Drake was betrayed just before your final act, and because he was your vessel he did not find rest leading the sovereigns to continue their pursuit across several lifetimes.”
I couldn’t even fathom what I was up against. “Was that by luck, or can they see the future?”
“When you are around for a few eternities, you can almost guess—predict is probably a better way to say it—what will occur, so yes then, they did plan to challenge you in every way, in every lifetime…but you see, now they are all addicts; they have forgotten the ploys they had then, the details of them. Now they just know who they want to end, and how they plan to do that in the short term.” His eyes rapidly moved across my focused image. “Karma is eternal law. You see, when sovereigns dwell on this plane they adapt to the time cycle. They forget the deeds they have done and underestimate the memory of time. Drake was forced into a situation to fake love, and now with his true lover he will fake hate and that will bring him nothing less than supremacy over his enemies.”
“We have to fool them,” I said quietly as my eyes widened. “We have to make them think that the damage they have done is permanent.”
He nodded once, then moved closer. “Righting wrongs is never an easy task to conquer. Find your beginning. Find it in that palace. Trust your heart and soul.” He reached for my temple, and when his skin touched mine I felt a burn, followed by a sick dizziness. “Now, you will be able to sense your traitors.”
“What did you do to me?” I mumbled as I swayed.
“Rest now.”
And with that, my eyes fell shut.
Chapter Seven
Drake
Someone shaking my shoulder woke me out of one of the best dreams I’d ever had in my life. Zander. I clutched Madison to me in an automatic defense; he just smirked and nodded his head, telling me to meet him downstairs.
I tucked Madison in, rushed through a shower, and put on the clothes that my brother must have left out for me before going downstairs to meet him.
“I give you a promotion, and you decide to take the morning off?” I teased. Right then, I heard an alarm going off in the kitchen and took off in that direction. Preston, my near infant brother, had turned the burners on the stove on, and had pans sitting on all of them. I rushed to him and turned the heat back and the fan on before opening the back door. I turned to him and signed, “What gives? Hungry? Just ask me.”
He grinned at me and signed, “Pancakes.”
Zander was leaning in the doorway, shaking his head. “Are you ever going to use words with him?”
“I do on occasion,” I said as I pulled out a stool for Preston to sit on and searched for something to give him to drink. Preston had only gained the ability to speak and hear recently, something I didn’t want to think about now. “You ready to tell me why you took the day off?”
“Not day; afternoon. Preston wanted someone to take him home. My new boss Chrispin gave me that job.”
Must mean Chrispin trusted him. I felt a wave of guilt. When I left to come to Chara last night I thought Preston was in Chara already. Even as crazed as I was, I doubted I would have left him behind. He was like a son to me. Every move I’ve made since he was born was done to protect him.
“How is everything there?” My dimension was far ahead of this one in time, so I had no doubt by now Alamos had figured out I had abandoned ship.
“Quiet for the most part,” Zander said as he stared at me.
“Anyone recognize you?”
“Only as a warrior.”