Reclaiming Mystique Page 5

  “Yes, Father,” Naria rasped, her head on fire. “Demons hate the light.”

  “Finish your exams and meet me by the red cell before the dinner bell. And Naria, don’t disobey me again.”

  She sought her father’s guest room for a much-needed short rest to regain her strength. When she woke, she found the room empty. Though it was later in the day, she had thought Carinna might stop by to visit. No matter, she told herself. Quickly preparing for her exams, Naria ate a light meal and gathered a small satchel containing her books.

  She left the Lysst moon by way the large, dark blue circle on the ground called a transector. Mentally powered transports, transector circles connected the moons of Dark World to each other and the planet. Stepping inside of the circle, she envisioned a similar circle on Fer closest to her university. She appeared there in the blink of an eye.

  Walking the familiar path to the Haunted Library, she smiled at the large writhing man-serpent seated upon the entrance throne.

  “Good day, young shayna,” he hissed and bowed his head in deference to her station. The equivalent of a princess, a shayna was the daughter of a demon lord, his son called a shade. Lord Demise was thought extremely lucky to have not one, but five shaynas born during his last fertile cycle.

  Demise had a few shades and shaynas born four hundred cycles ago, but they had long since left his keeping and now worked throughout Dark World. Naria knew them only by sight. Her half-sisters by Lordess Xeche had grown up alongside her on Arnth, the pleasure moon.

  Demise, however, had seen the wisdom in separating Naria and Carinna from Arnth after Xeche’s third attempt on their lives. He’d had since raised them on Fer and Lysst. Her half-sisters and Carinna had come into their dark gifts many cycles earlier. At four and twenty cycles of age, Naria knew she had little time left to enjoy her studies on Fer.

  Naria joined her fellow students in the testing room and took her exam. She completed it with ease, awash in tales of the legendary Ragil Horde—ancient demon kings of Dark World and their soldiers the Cazeth. She reveled in the many eras of darkness that existed throughout the history of time.

  Naria loved learning about the past almost as much as she loved reading about the System beyond Dark World. Only the academics at university understood her thirst for knowledge. But even they had no desire to leave Dark World.

  Naria breathed each day in hopes of one day leaving her planet. The cold and the constant agony echoing in the very air she breathed took its toll. A proper shayna would would revel in the darkness swirling about this place. Instead she felt a sense of wrongness when around others “of her kind”.

  She desperately wished to understand her place, because she had a bad feeling it wasn’t meant to be lived on Dark World. She thought she would find her answers out among the stars. There had to be more to existence that what lived in darkness.

  “Ahem.” A test monitor frowned at her, and she flushed, hoping she hadn’t given away any sense of mental distress not associated with the exam.

  Naria finished her exam in record time and turned it in. Then she waited while her instructor passed her with honors.

  Her teacher, a Zethythal, infamous for their small, blocky forms and indistinct features constantly moving around their faces, had a mind that absorbed knowledge like a sponge. Only the Zethythal could work in the universities and learning centers. Demons and devels had more important work to do.

  “Zeth,” she said respectfully, “what do you know of life outside our world?”

  Her instructor blinked, one eye level with her chin before it moved again. “Why do you ask, Naria?”

  “Father has a new prisoner with extraordinary mental abilities. I thought this talent rare, even unheard of among offworlders.”

  “Hmm. Most offworlders have no psychic talent. There are a few variances in the System, however. It is not inconceivable that a few humans have been gifted beyond that of normal men.”

  “So you know of no particular race renowned for such an ability?”

  “None that exist in this plane.”

  An odd answer. Naria would have questioned him further but another student approached with a question.

  “Thank you, Zeth. I appreciate your time.” She nodded respectfully then turned and left the building.

  She liked Zeth. He had spoken to her father on her behalf, expressing his desire to keep her on at Haunted Library, but to no avail. Her father would not have a demon, especially his daughter, working on Fer. He absolutely forbade it.

  Naria wandered outside of the Haunted Library around to the light gardens. After her punishment last night, she knew she shouldn’t even think of being near light. But then, Father had demanded she stay away from the light cell. He hadn’t mentioned the light garden.

  Pretending she lived in another world, she moved swiftly through the darkness to the light beckoning her forward. She never failed to find peace and a quiet space to think here. Viewed as an odd collection of horrible life, the green plants and red and purple blossoming flowers attracted few onlookers able to tolerate the bright alien vegetation.

  Naria loved being near the thriving plants. They looked so beautiful, so bright and lively. She studied the purple blooms so like her eyes, so like her mother’s.

  Naria frowned. Lately she’d been dwelling on her mother, and she didn’t know why. She had lived her entire life with the knowledge that Xeche had killed Zena, understanding that death was a part of life on Dark World.

  Fatality came quickly to those who could not or would not defend themselves. Zena had been weaker than Xeche. Naria strove, with her father’s harsh encouragement, not to make similar mistakes. But she couldn’t help feeling close to her mother at times when she felt unable to adapt to her life.

  She cast a subtle look at the male demons making a large circle around the garden. Dark haired with black eyes and pale skin, they at least looked the part of rising demonhood.

  Even Carinna looked like a typical Dark Worlder. She had always fit in much easier than Naria. Carinna tried so hard to be like the others when she had more in common with Naria than she liked to admit.

  Carinna and Naria were probably closer than any two beings on the planet. They shared a liking for each other uncommon in their world. Though Carinna enjoyed her position as a wraith under Lord Feera, Naria knew her sister was uneasy on Lysst. That Carinna could tolerate the light cell showed how different she was from others.

  Yet Carinna worked to serve Dark World and made no waves among those around her. Unlike Naria, who had never made any pretense about liking the planet. Until her punishments became too harsh to bear, Naria had been vocal about her desire to explore the System. Lord Demise had quickly stopped her outspoken truths.

  Naria sighed as she stared at a red blood flower, wishing she could be like everyone else, wanting to be a proper shayna to make her father proud. But what good was a half-breed demon with healing powers?

  Demons fed off of the psyche. They worked to invade one’s thoughts and served as warriors in a militant sense, like her father, as both succubi and incubi, and as wraiths and formless spirits intent on harm.

  Even the devels had purpose, maintaining control over the elements, poisons of the world, and the undead ghouls and goblins that roamed Dark World.

  Naria had no ability to destroy. She might as well declare herself an enemy to the planet than expose her odd gift of healing. Only through relentless determination and practice had she managed to shift into wraith form. Unfortunately she couldn’t maintain the energy to hold the formless spirit, so her one shot at a normal life on Dark World vanished before it had taken root.

  Thoughts of her circumstances depressed her, and Naria found herself thinking about Jace instead. She couldn’t continue to wait for an opportunity to escape with him. The more time that passed, the greater the possibility her father would simply kill the man. Naria needed to create her own opportunity for escape and soon.

  Deciding to take action, she mulled
over a plan as she stood and headed for the nearest transector. She quickly traveled to Lysst and was halfway to her father’s home when she saw Carinna acting oddly.

  Her sister had shed her wraith form and looked around her in a suspicious manner before hurrying into the woods beyond Father’s home.

  Naria started after her, intrigued. What could she be up to at this hour? Carinna should have been working with Lord Feera. She never altered her schedule, so to see her walking outside of Lord Feera’s observatory alerted Naria to be wary.

  Naria followed her sister deeper into the woods then stopped. Carinna hid behind a large rock staring at something. When Naria heard a rustle of movement, she took better cover while her sister shimmered into wraith form. Able to track her sister even in the spiritual realm, Naria watched as an offworlder investigated the spot where Carinna stood silently.

  What in blazes was going on?

  How had an offworlder escaped her father? This man had to be one of Jace’s crew.

  Then something totally bizarre happened. Carinna reached out and touched the man, sending him stumbling back in confusion as he looked around him for the source of contact. Instead of sounding an alarm or terrorizing him, Carinna leaned closer to whisper something.

  The Fenturi calmed and walked deeper into the woods, followed by her sister. The two soon disappeared from sight.

  Carinna was involved with a Fenturi. The thought boggled the mind. Now that Naria thought about it, she hadn’t seen this man in the cell with the others. He was definitely the one who’d escaped. Most likely by Carinna’s own hand.

  Pursing her lips in thought, Naria walked quietly back to her father’s house, her mind awash in this newest twist on the prisoners.

  -4-

  Before the dinner bell, Naria stood outside the red cell, as instructed by her father.

  “Stay in this cell and I’ll bring him to you,” he ordered. “This time I want you to get our prisoner to tell you of his past. Make him at least show you a bit of his mental abilities. I am most curious to see where this human comes from.”

  “Yes, Father.”

  “I’m not pleased with your appearance, but I realize it’s part of your ruse. Best you clean up before rejoining us for meal time.” Lord Demise had a reputation for fastidiousness and an almost obsessive desire for neatness.

  “Yes, Father.”

  She entered and sat at the lone table in the rock-walled room. The red cell occupied a corridor parallel to Jace’s cell. She wore the same thing she’d had on when she first met Jace, the torn black tunic dotted with bloodstains from her head wound. She had checked her appearance and knew she looked a fright. With care, she had rubbed some dirt into her hair and onto her face, making sure she looked like a prisoner who had gone without sanitary amenities.

  Excited about seeing Jace again, she did her best to remember to play her part. She could not allow her father the slightest hint she meant to help Jace escape. But she also had to get Jace to trust her without revealing her true identity.

  The door to the cell burst open and Jace flew through the doorway to land at her feet. The door closed behind him with a solid thump, leaving them alone in solitude, the flickering torch on the rock wall the only source of light or warmth in the cell.

  “Are you all right?” she asked as he picked himself up and approached her.

  “Just fine,” he said bitterly, staring behind him at the closed door. She saw his fists curled by his sides and gasped when he turned his head. He had bruises along the right side of his face, as well as a split lip.

  “Truly, you look terrible,” Naria said with all honesty.

  He walked toward her, favoring his ribs with an arm around his midsection. He sat slowly and locked gazes with her.

  After a moment, he said, “You don’t look too bad.”

  “Lord Demise dragged me in here and then left me alone.” She ran a hand through her natty hair. “They don’t seem to believe in bathing on this world.”

  “That isn’t the worst of it.” Jace frowned. “So you haven’t seen anyone or anything aside from Lord Demise since you and I last spoke?”

  “No.”

  “Too bad. I was hoping you might know something about my crewmates.”

  “You are not alone here?”

  He stared at her before speaking, as if weighing his words. “I landed with four others. But almost as soon as we met Lord Demise, I was whisked away to that damn cell. I can only hope my crew are still alive.”

  “You care for them, then?”

  He blinked. “I’m responsible for them. And I won’t let them be used as leverage against me.”

  Naria wondered at the firmness of his words, directed at her. “O-kay,” she said slowly.

  “My crewmates are strong men, each able to take care of himself. Though on this world, I can see why very few make it out alive, or sane for that matter.”

  “I’ve never met anyone that escaped the planet.”

  “I met a man once. He wasn’t too rational, and not many believed his strange tales about Dark World. But having been here, I now believe he was once a prisoner of Dark World.” He stared at her, his gaze roaming over her face to land on her lips. His perusal made her feel funny, and Naria did her best to ignore the quiver in her belly.

  “Tell me about yourself. I know almost nothing about you.”

  Naria had gone over what she would say when she next met Jace. She had to gain his trust and she needed to do it soon. “I’m originally from Seven. I’m a librarian there,” she said with pride, wishing that were indeed the case.

  “A librarian, eh? You must know something about this place then.”

  “Actually the libraries on Seven, though comprehensive, don’t say much about Dark World. I don’t think much is known about this place in the System. And I can see why.”

  Jace smiled, soothing her nerves. She had never been very good at lying, but she’d studied enough about the System to sound convincing about planet Seven.

  “Well, having been here, I think the more unknown about this place the better,” Jace said. “What of your family? Aren’t they missing you?”

  “I have a father and a sister. They are still on Seven and won’t think to miss me for a while. I had been planning my trip for some time, hoping to see the libraries on a few of the Motherworlds, Rovi in particular.” She mixed fact with fiction, confessing her dreams of a life outside this dreary existence. “But as we were nearing Dark World, something happened to our vessel. I remember an explosion and then nothing. I woke in a cell alone, with only Lord Demise for company until you.”

  “Really?” Jace seemed lost in thought as he watched at her. “What do you think Demise wants with you?”

  “I don’t know. Perhaps he wants my knowledge of Seven?”

  “That or he wants you, period,” Jace said bluntly. “You’re a very beautiful woman, Naria.”

  She couldn’t help a blush. She’d heard raw and lusty comments from her father’s warriors, but none had ever called her beautiful and sounded sincere. Flustered by his personal remark, she changed the subject.

  “What of your background, Jace? Are you from a merchant vessel? Where do you come from?”

  “I’m in trade, of a sort,” he said with a sly grin. “I come from all over, not claiming one planet over another as home. I’ve no family, only a speedy ship and a band of four crewmembers. We work well together, but I’m not that close to anyone or anything.”

  “I know the feeling. My father and I aren’t close, and my sister is so occupied with her work on Seven that we don’t see each other often. My real love is books. I love my studies.”

  “What do you study?”

  “History, especially. Though I’m just as taken with the different cultures throughout the System. The Rovi are an interesting class of people, as are the Ocaians. And there are several Nearworlds I long to visit. But then, I suppose you’ve been to all of them.”

  Jace smiled. “Including Dark World,
yes, I’ve been to all the planets in the System.” His smile faded and he looked grim for a moment, dwelling on something Naria couldn’t see. Then his expression lightened. “Tell me something of your fascinating studies. Take my mind off this place.”

  Naria smiled back at him. Though her father was most likely gnashing his teeth at what he would consider a waste of time, Naria knew that this time spent with Jace would increase her chances of getting him to trust her. She just wished she knew how long that might take, or how much time her father would give her before he decided to take what he wanted from Jace, with or without Jace’s mind intact.

  As Jace listened to her talk about the history of Seven, he couldn’t stop watching her. Her full lips curved as she spoke enthusiastically about Seven’s dark cycle, sounding as though she were reading from a textbook. The more he listened, the more he thought she might actually be telling the truth about her origins.

  He’d wondered about their earlier meeting and had come to two conclusions. Either she was a Dark World spy sent in to glean more information from him, or Demise had inept demons working for him that had mistakenly thrown them into the same cell. Considering Demise had a cool control and immense mental powers, Jace figured on the former. But seeing her now, being with her, he found it hard to believe Naria might be in league with the demon lord.

  She looked unkempt but still smelled flowery, feminine. Her deep violet eyes looked tired, yet they sparkled as she talked about Seven. Without conscious thought, he looked from her face, down her throat and lower, lingering on the soft contour of her full breasts covered by the coarse black garment she wore.

  Nothing in her clothing should have aroused him, but imaginings of what she wore beneath it tugged at his pain-filled mind. His face felt aflame, his right cheek still throbbing from a thirst demon’s rock-like fist. He knew his ribs had been bruised, if not broken.

  Yet seeing Naria made his aches fade as a sensual hunger encompassed him. Something in his eyes must have alerted her to his need, because when she met his gaze, she faltered into silence.