Prince's Fire (10 page)

“This is the path to what I want to show you, Gitana.”

70 Cara Carnes

She followed quietly, not sure what to expect as the path led uphill to an open area with flat stones set apart every few feet in symmetrical rows. The field went on in all directions as far as the eye could see. “What is this?” she asked.

“Memorial stones for those that died during the attacks,” Fiona said. Her voice cracked with emotion as she stared out at the field of stones as far as she could see. Resembling Arlington National Cemetery, but it was larger and more populated. Tears welled up in her eyes at the sight of so many people killed by the same ones that had stolen her family from her, robbed her of a real childhood.

“I have been doing some research, trying to figure out which familial line you would have been from. The blood Val drew the other night from you has helped,” Fiona continued.

“Really? I didn’t realize he did that.”

“He probably didn’t think anything of it since it’s standard practice when someone is ill here.”

Gitana wasn’t bothered by the loss of blood, but it did surprise her that they were more advanced than she had thought. “This doesn’t exactly look like a technologically capable place, no offense. You can analyze blood samples?”

Fiona laughed. “We are quite advanced, actually, and have found that this existence is the best one. We are capable of many things here, and you will soon learn them all, since you are intended to be one of the queens.”

Queen. She still couldn’t believe it was true. She’d run the title in her head for the past week, but it didn’t feel real. How could she be expected to lead an entire world? “What did you find out?” She didn’t want to get her hopes up that she had family here, but a small part of her leaped in excitement at the idea. What would it be like to have an elder family member, a real blood relative that knew her parents? She had so many questions she wanted answered about them.

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Shana drew her into a warm hug. “It’s okay, sweetie. Whatever she found out, you’ve had family all along: me.”

Fiona touched her arm, and a calming sensation came through her similar to the one Cal had used before. It was easy to forget that Fiona possessed powers as well. “I did not mean to upset you.”

Gitana shook her head. “No, please. What did you find out?”

“You already know your parents passed getting you to safety.”

Her gaze slid slowly over the field as she wondered if they were out there, and if they had been placed beside each other. Had they been leaders of some type? Had they been respected by the people? She didn’t even know the belief system of her own people. How could she lead them? Unease threaded through her and choked her self-confidence. What kind of queen would she make?

“The perfect kind.”

She briefly regarded Fiona and then stared back at the field. She had to get used to Fiona’s mind-reading abilities.

“Do not question your ability to lead our people because you were born to do so.”

Fiona’s compassionate smile lit her face. “Sorry, I forget myself sometimes. People’s thoughts are often louder than if they speak.”

“That must be hard to deal with.”

“It could be worse. Both Cal and Jax have stronger abilities than I do in that element, so I’m sure I have no reason to complain.”

Looking around, she realized she had yet to carry any of the burdens for the people she had met and the world she was supposed to rule. She might have had a rough life on Earth, but it was nothing compared to the battle these people had fought and the loss they incurred.

“You have an uncle,” Fiona commented.

72 Cara Carnes

“I do?” The idea of a blood relative from this world added a sense of balance to her life.

Like she truly belonged here.

“Yes. I have been unable to reach him so far, but he lives with others in the outer regions of Mysk, and they choose not to seek the protection of the royal family.”

“Why would someone do that?” Shana asked.

“I’m sure they have their reasons,” Gitana said. “Maybe being here and seeing all of this is too painful.” Her gaze traveled once again across the expansive field of memorial stones.

“Especially if they lost those they loved. It’s emotional for me, and I don’t really have that much of a connection to it.”

Fiona nodded. “Some do not have the luxury of running away.”

Gitana followed the woman’s gaze and saw a lone figure sitting on the hilltop at the other end of the field. A large memorial of some sort jutted from the ground. “What is that?”

“That is the memorial to the king and his brother, Lucian’s father, that died protecting their people,” Shana replied.

“Mother comes here each day when she thinks no one will see her. It is believed by our people that the link to a loved one’s soul is strongest here,” Fiona said.

Gitana remembered some of these traditions as they spoke. Nana had done a good job drilling them into her head. Only if she had realized the importance of the lessons at the time, maybe she would have retained more and been here sooner. “The D’kalhiks must pay for what they have done.”

Fiona regarded her and Shana for a moment then nodded her head. “I agree. I do not believe it wise to keep your presence here unknown to our people. After waiting so long, they deserve to know one of the chosen ones has finally returned to us.”

“How do we tell them?”

“We let your light tell them.”

“What does that mean?”

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“I’ll show you.” Fiona smiled and extended her hand.

Gitana wasn’t sure what she meant, but took the hand she held out anyway. When Shana did as well, she found that the three of them had been taken to a different place. “I really need to learn to do that.”

“Yes, Gitana, you do. But we will teach you shortly,” Fiona said as she began moving.

Gitana followed, the rich soil beneath her feet seemed to beckon her touch, and the air surrounding her seemed to wrap her within a cocoon of welcoming sensations.

“Where are we?” she asked.

“This monument is our people’s eternal light for the chosen ones.”

She looked ahead and gasped. Eight large pillars formed a circle, each one emitting a large beacon of bright yellow light. Brightly colored flowers surrounded the base of each pillar, and swords hung from the monument itself as high up as she could see. She walked forward tentatively. The vegetation around the area surrounding the structure was more abundant, denser, and larger. It felt right to be here, wherever she was.

“Each pillar represents a chosen one, and each sword is the vow of a warrior’s family to protect her once she returns to our people. Never again will we allow her to be taken from us.”

Tears welled up in her eyes as she stepped onto the surface of the monument. How could strangers have cared for her enough to have erected a structure this massive for her?

The shock and joy of finally having somewhere she belonged was almost too much to bear.

“This is unbelievable.”

Shana hugged her close, tears also rolling down her sister’s cheeks. “Oh honey, I can’t imagine how this feels for you.”

“We have a home,” Gitana whispered against Shana’s shoulder.

“Yes, we do.”

74 Cara Carnes

Relief and joy mixed with the overwhelming shock that this was for her. She and the other chosen ones. She looked around, absorbing the contours of the structure and admiring the detail used in creating it.

“The power of the gods keeps the lights burning, and it can be seen from a great distance away. Even the farthest planet of our system can see these lights.”

“How does this show I am here?”

“When the princes were children, the queen brought them all here. They professed their promise to the people that gathered that they would always protect them. Then they pledged their sword arm to their chosen one. This is what activated the lights you see now.”

Shana wiped away the tears slipping down her cheeks. “This is so beautiful, Gitana. I can’t believe this is all for you.”

Gitana shook her head. “It is for all of the chosen ones.”

Chosen one. The word had filled her with unease upon hearing it the first time. But this structure showed the people’s hope and confidence in her and the others. She owed it to them to do her best. They were her people.

“You are the first to come back to us, and we must let any of the others within the reach of these beacons of light know it is safe to return. We must let our enemies know we will no longer cower to them.”

She agreed with Fiona. She wanted to restore a sense of security to the people of Mysk and destroy the D’kalhiks. The memorial field alone proved they had sacrificed too much already, they deserved a sense of normalcy. “So how is that done?”

“If you stand in the middle of the monument and make the same pledge, the gods will hear it and change the color of the beacon.”

Pledge to the people. Gitana wracked her memory for any pledges she had been taught by Nana, but came up with nothing. She looked at Shana, hoping she remembered something.

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“Don’t look at me. The only thing I remember having to say every blasted day Nana was around was that damned sentence I couldn’t understand.”

Oh my God. How could she have forgotten it? It had been so ingrained, they had even said it when Nana left them alone for weeks at a time. She moved to the center of the monument and noticed the pillars seemed to grow closer as at the top.

She began to chant the phrase from her childhood, hoping she had the words right. A soft light emanated from the base of a pillar to the left of her. Fiery red in color, it grew brighter and stronger with each passing moment. Shana and Fiona stood beside her. The three of them watched as the light seemed to explode upward into the stars above, changing the color of the material itself to a deep shade of red.

Gitana gasped when she noticed her markings were now etched into the stone surface of the monument, repeated every few inches all the way up. Words were burned under each row of symbols.

“What does it say?” Shana asked.

“Gitana, protector of Mysk and Paradise.”

Protector? Protecting her people would mean being able to wield her powers in the event of an attack. She needed to hone her powers so she could control them like Val. Like Fiona.

A loud boom made her spin around quickly. Fiona stepped in front of her; a soft glowing light radiated from her skin and her fists curled up in anger. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Gitana remembered the freak of nature with blond hair and a body built of solid muscle. Taro. He had killed all of those enemies of Val’s. “Do you know this man?” she whispered to Fiona.

76 Cara Carnes

The man strolled forward, uncrossing his arms. His fingers grazed the side of Fiona’s jaw, and his shimmering eyes held no color to them. “Why are your eyes a different color they were before?” Fiona asked.

The question surprised Gitana. Hadn’t he said no one could know about him?

The man laughed. “I thought you read minds easily.”

“You block me now. How?”

“Ah, my little one, I had not expected you last time. You will never get the chance to read my thoughts again now that I know how you do it,” the man teased. “I hope you enjoyed them while you could.”

“Hardly,” Fiona replied.

Gitana heard the crack in the woman’s voice and wondered if there was something between the two of them. This was someone she didn’t care to mess with. Surely he had a weakness but based on his previous decimation of those creatures, she wasn’t sure what that would be.

“Taro, what are you doing here?”

“Ah, my sweet Shana.” The man walked away from Fiona and embraced Shana in a

firm hug. “I can get by with this since your mate is not around. I merely dropped in to meet the one that lit the monument so easily.”

“Then you should arrange a meeting through her future mate,” Fiona said angrily.

Gitana looked at the man that came to stand before her, his gaze silently assessing her.

“You are one remarkable woman, Gitana. Val’s going to have his hands full in more ways than one, I bet.” The sensual tone to his voice ran through her as she stared at him. Who was this man?

“Gitana, this is Taro,” Shana said. “He resides in the hall of the gods but from what Lucian has told me, he could be an oracle, a god, or just an errand boy.”

“Errand boy?”

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Taro laughed. “That’s a good one.”

“What are you doing here?” Fiona asked once again.

“Just evening things out a bit. I felt you should be warned that those sexy asses of yours are in for one hell of a spanking because I don’t think that Val and his brothers will take too kindly to your little stunt here.” He ran his hand across Fiona’s cheek. “But whoever you are, I will take care of your spanking myself if they need me to.”

Fiona hurled a burst of light at Taro, who was only a foot away from her. Her tiny gasp and wide eyes told Gitana it hadn’t had the effect she expected. “Why didn’t it work on you?”

“Oh, we have so much to discover about one another, little one. What is your name?”

Fiona’s eyes narrowed. “Leave us be.” She turned to Gitana. “We must return to the palace before Val becomes upset.”

“It’s a little late for that. Welcome home, Gitana. I’m sure you and I will get to know each other better soon enough.” Then he vanished.

A glimmer in the corner of her eye caught her attention. Standing at the edge of the monument was Val. The look of anger on his face sent a shiver down her spine.

“What the hell do you think you are doing here?” Val asked as he stepped onto the platform. “Do you have any idea what this will mean?”

“Do not take it out on her because it was my idea.”

“I don’t give a damn whose idea it was, Fiona. It was stupid because now every enemy out there knows you are here.”

“Good,” Gitana said, looking him in the eye. “I refuse to run and hide after everything I have seen today.”

Val turned and ran his hands through his hair, a deep sigh filling the area. Cal and Jax laughed loudly, clearly amused as always at something that only they could find humor in.