Vindicate (Insight #5)(81)
“I’ll tell you what,” I said all too calmly. “I’ll handle Beth. You find these words. When the kingdom is yours, we will worry about the next step.”
“How long do we have with this mourning that is in place?” Landen asked.
“I think they said a month,” I answered.
“At the speed of these trials, that may be enough time,” Drake mumbled.
“Why do the trials matter?” I asked.
“How can they not matter? Being a king is a full-time job – twenty-four hours a day, three hundred and sixty-five days a year. Every trial pulls me away – one way or another, it distracts me, and I can’t do both.”
“But we’ve got Marc,” I argued.
“Are you serious?” Drake said, looking at the frozen image of Marc in the doorway. “Do you not see the look of disdain on his face – the absolute disgust for the role he was asked to fill?”
“Yeah, it looks familiar,” I said as I stared into his dark eyes. “Look, Stella is pr etty much here full-time. That lo oking glass has her attention. He won’t go far from her and standing in your place allows him to not feel useless. If you asked him h e would do it.”
Landen nodded to agree.
“I’m not going to ask him to die for me – for him to take the chance that someone would kill him, thinking he was me,” Drake argued.
“I think he has come to terms with that if not, he would have found a way out of that suit by now,” I maintained .
Drake lost himself as he stared at Marc. I wish I could feel him. Feel the gratitude I was sure he was feeling.
“So, that gives us a plan of action on what’s going on here, but what’s going on there?” Landen asked, looking to Draven and the others.
“You know what? I don’t know. I don’t clearly understand this Escort thing or how they attract the dead…but they need help with that. They need people who are used to the supernatural.”
“Are they th e heirs to Donalt?” Drake asked as I caught him gazing at Madison.
“No, those three are in Chara, and I d on’t know what to make of them. I don’t think they have said one word to me beyond the oldest one telling me that ending Donalt’s existence was fine with him.”
“They definitely got his attention,” Lande n said, raising his eyebrows. “’Father, temp t me not’ – those are strong words.”
“I think The Realm is some kind of connection,” I mused. “Madison really made me think when she asked me how I didn’t know we were living in exile –that on the other side of that Realm is our home.”
“Home for you, maybe,” Drake said shortly. “Remember, I’m an Escort, too, apparently.”
Landen tensed again. I tried to rehash what I said that could make his emotions spark, but I didn’t get it. I wanted to sit down with him a nd talk out everything he saw in The Realm . I didn’t want him to face whatever was going on in his mind alone.
“I don’t believe any of that,” I said absentmindedly as I gazed up at him. “I just think that there is a balance of good and evil in every soul. That some are tippe d too heavily to the dark side .” Escorts are not all bad, I thought to myself , as I remembered a wave of energy absorbing my soul. The crisp sent of peppermint came to mind. I swallowed nervously. I felt like I was missing something. And the way Landen was a cting was not helping me soothe my uneasy emotions.
“I think it’s going to take me some time to absorb this…” Landen said quietly. “I could swear I have read about something like this in other dimensions,” he reached for me to come to his side. “I’m interested to see where August stands with this.”
“I think he’s home. He wouldn’t talk to you about it here – you know that.”
“That’s fine. I’m starving any ways, and I could use a shower.”
“Tell me about it,” Drake said, pulling his open shirt closed a little more.
“Have dinner with us,” I said, staring at Drake.
“No,” he said evenly .
Landen let his hand fall from around me when he felt my determined anger. I stepped forward and poked my finger in Drake’s chest. “After everything you put me through – you owe me dinner. These people ris ked their life to wake you up. You would still be trapped in some seductive dream if it weren’t for them. You are going to take a shower. Get in that string, and come to Chara and act like the grateful man I know you are – and you are going to enjoy it – do you hear me?”
Drake looked over me at Landen, I’m sure to see if he was OK with that invitation, then down at me. “Fine, Love, dinner it is,” he sighed. “Though I’m sure that will be hours away,” he said, glancing across the room. “There is no telling how long this discussion is going to last.”
“We are going to cut it short on the grounds that both of you need to be fed.” I looked at Draven and the others. “They need a place to close their eyes in peace tonight.”
“Good luck with that,” Drake said as he nodded his head and time resumed.
Landen left my side and went to Brady. “Are you all right? Where does it hurt?”
Brady looked up at him, trying to understand how Landen was at his side so quickly. “Fine,” Brady said, standing up straig hter. “It’s gone now.” He glanced at Olivia; she had already lost every expression of pain in her face and was running to Chrispin, who was still in the doorway. Once in his arms, he pulled her from the room.