Chapter 26 #2
The pilot took a step back. The scent of fear filled the air. She shook her head and moved over to where her thick coat lay on a couch. The party traveling with her was small. She didn’t need a full battalion to accompany her to the king and queen.
Savadeen would be extremely cold this time of year. Even though she was a vampire and her body could acclimate fine to the weather, this type of cold was something else. She lifted her leather coat and put it on. It was a thick and lined with fur and would be perfect to shield off the chill.
“Our plane would take significant damage. The ground crew is working on clearing the caribou. We should only be delayed fifteen or twenty minutes,” the pilot said.
“You have ten minutes to get this plane on the ground.” Dru returned to her chair and took her seat. She wasn’t going to settle for more delays. The quicker she could make her delivery to the queen, the quicker she could begin her next mission—finding Tomesha.
In the seven hours since she’d left Butterbush, the postmaster had not found Tomesha’s whereabouts.
Dru made a mental note to remove him from his command.
She did not accept failure in anything, and he’d be replaced.
She had a few prospects in mind who would be perfect for that position.
There were trustworthy vampires who wouldn’t let her down.
“Yes, General.” The pilot bowed his head before retreating to the cockpit.
“There will be transport awaiting us,” Orenda said.
“Good. We’re going to make this quick.” Dru turned to Talbot who was working on his tablet.
She’d put him on the search for her mate.
Someone knew where she was. The draft kept extensive documentation on the human-vampire matching.
They kept up on the matches and even released statistical information each year to prove the success of the unions.
Someone had to know something. “Have you discovered anything about Tomesha?”
“Not yet, General. There’s so much red tape to get through. This is not the norm,” he murmured.
Dru scowled. This wasn’t what she wanted to hear. How was it that she was a general and no one would give her the information she demanded? Her position should mean something.
Talbot glanced up at her. “But I’ll continue on.”
She stared out the window and took in the winter wonderland that awaited them below.
Orenda, Talbot, and the few warriors accompanying her prepared for the descent into the cold, remote area.
It had been a long while since she’d visited the royal castle which was located in the Northwest Territory of Canada.
The pilot’s voice came overhead, announcing they were preparing to land.
Dru felt some satisfaction that it hadn’t taken as long as they’d suspected.
They safely landed without incident. Once the doors opened, Dru stood and reached for the heavy leather bag that held the traitor’s head.
She strode to the door and breathed in the frosty air.
She peered around and took in the barren land that surrounded the small airport.
A log cabin positioned off in distance acted as the terminal.
Out on the tarmac were several vehicles with the royal insignia on them. Dru jogged down the stairs of the plane behind Talbot and stalked toward their arranged transportation. It shouldn’t take them long to arrive at the castle—Dorston Keep.
Dru was escorted into one of the waiting vehicles.
The trip to the keep did not take long, for which Dru was thankful.
Her skin crawled at the thought of her mate and wherever she was.
Dru couldn’t get Tomesha off her mind. Worry filled her again.
Was she safe? Was the vampire who had her treating her with respect? Had they laid a finger on her?
Dru bit back a growl. If one single strand of hair was out of place on her mate when she arrived, Dru would burn down the world.
Savadeen was carved from ice and silence during this time of year.
The sky stretched out dark and endless with the faint shimmer of aurora.
They arrived, and the vehicles parked. Dru’s door opened.
She clutched the handle of the bag and stepped from the ride.
The faint snow that drifted in the air hit her like shards of glass.
She scowled at how damn cold it was here.
Great Bear Lake lay beneath the darkened sky, a mirror of black glass, its frozen surface reflecting the jagged peaks and the iron silhouette of Dorston Keep.
The castle rose from the edge of the lake, a beast in the snow. The ancient stone walls were covered in frost, its steeples hovering against the dark morning sky like shadows. Gold banners marked with the royal crest snapped in the cutting wind, their edges frozen in ice.
Dru adjusted her coat, the thick leather helping to shield her from the cold.
It creaked as she moved. The traitor’s head weighed down the satchel at her side.
It was a gruesome token of victory that should have had her feeling proud at her accomplishment.
This moment was dimmed by the fact that her mate was missing.
The weight of Tomesha’s absence was heavy.
Her mate should be by her side at this time.
Dru would have been honored for the king and queen to meet her.
To have a union blessed by the royal couple was an honor that she’d live for, but she wouldn’t be robbed of this opportunity.
Once she’d obtained her mate, she’d be sure to introduce Tomesha to the Riskels.
The bond between them was a dull ache behind her rib cage. Every moment they were apart scraped at Dru’s nerves. She promised herself that her mate would not be absent from her side for long.
Dru’s warriors flanked her side as the massive doors of the keep opened. They stalked through them, Dru intent on meeting with the queen who expected them. Royal guards in their armor were posted at the entrance. They bowed their heads in respect as Dru walked past them.
“General. Welcome to Dorston Keep.” A guard stepped forward.
Dru and her warriors stopped.
The warrior, tall and wide, came to stand in front of them. He was a high-ranking guard by the looks of the insignia embedded in his uniform. “The queen awaits you. Please allow me to escort you. She’s in the throne room.”
“Thank you,” Dru murmured.
The guard spun on his heel and led them inside the keep.
More of the royal guards trailed behind their small party.
It was much warmer inside, which Dru appreciated.
The sconces on the walls burned bright with fire, while portraits of past dignitaries lined the way.
Their footsteps echoed on the marble floor.
Every step felt as if she were getting farther away from her mate.
She held back the restrained violence that wanted to be released.
Get this over with, she instructed herself. Deliver the head. Bow down to the queen and king. Then burn the world to find your mate.
At this moment, she couldn’t care less about how she’d be rewarded for completing the quest from the queen.
She hadn’t taken this mission for recognition.
It had been the right thing to do. But it was now done.
She had the traitor’s head, and the king and queen could have closure that a part of the past could be buried.
As she moved deeper into Dorston Keep, the cold seemed to follow her. Not the chill of Savadeen, but the kind that came from within, a fury held too tight. Beneath the weight of her anger and rage, one thought pulsed steady and sharp.
Hold on, miere. I’m coming.
They arrived at a set of massive twin doors engraved with the royal crest. They groaned as the guard pushed them open.
He stepped in and moved to the side to allow her to enter.
Dru and her warriors followed him. The throne room was a cathedral of shadows and power.
Lights from crystal chandeliers throughout shimmered across the obsidian pillars carved from stone.
At the far end of the chamber, beneath a ceiling so tall it vanished into darkness, stood the twin thrones sitting upon a dais of black marble veined with gold.
King Niall lounged in his with his assessing stare, watching them approach. Every inch of him spoke of a predator, a warrior—a king. Beside him sat the very elegant Queen Mira, her blue eyes unreadable as she leaned against her throne’s armrest.
Dru walked with precision straight to the dais.
Her long coat swayed against her legs. She tightened her grip on the satchel which held the stains of blood from the severed arteries.
It had been brutal yet satisfying to cut Solomon’s head from his body.
She smirked at the memory. The rest of him had been burned along with the bodies of the lycans he’d sided with.
It was an all-too-fitting end for the traitorous vampire.
“General Dru Moldark.” The guard’s voice echoed through the room.
Dru stopped at the base of the dais and went down on one knee and bowed her head. Her warriors did the same behind her. The powerful couple before them was due respect. She kept her gaze on the floor and inhaled.
“Your Majesties,” she murmured.
“Rise,” the king said, his voice smooth but carrying the hint of an edge and authority.
Dru stood, her jaw tight. The scent of blood drifted up from the bag. It was the stench of the traitor, and it turned her stomach. Dru met the steady gaze of both king and queen. Mira’s lips curled up in the corner as her gaze dropped down to satchel Dru held.
“My mate tells me that she chose you for a mission,” the king said.
“That is correct, Your Majesty,” Dru replied.
“And by the looks of it, I would say I chose the perfect person for the job.” Queen Mira reached out a hand and rested it on Niall’s arm. She graced her mate with a beautiful smile. Her blonde hair was in a sophisticated updo, while she was dressed in the finest gown that money could buy.
Even though the woman was dressed formally, Dru knew the queen. She’d have plenty of weapons on her person somewhere in order to defend herself.
Once a warrior, always a warrior.
“So tell me, General Dru Moldark. What have you in the bag?” King Niall asked.
“I was given two options, Your Majesty. It would seem the traitor decided on his own which I would be presenting to you,” Dru said. She unlatched the satchel and withdrew her grisly prize by the hair. She held the head of the traitor for all to see. His dead eyes stared sightlessly ahead.
The royal couple stood from their thrones. The room was deathly silent as everyone waited for their reactions. They walked down the stairs and stopped a few feet from Dru. Niall’s gaze was locked on the face of the traitor.
“This would be the second time I have looked upon this face in death,” King Niall said. An unreadable expression crossed his face. He turned to his mate and nodded. It would seem that the success of her mission was giving the king something he’d needed.
“I assure you this time, Your Majesty, he’s dead,” Dru replied. “Even all of these years, he continued to betray our kind. He was in league with the lycans.”
“He was once a great man. Someone who was close to me.” The king stood to his full height as a scowl appeared on his face.
“His betrayal cost us plenty.” Dru slipped the head back in her satchel. If what she suspected was true, this vampire had even cost Tomesha her father who’d disappeared during the lycan attacks. This male deserved his death ten times over.
The king snapped his fingers. A royal guard appeared their side. She handed the satchel over to the guard who turned and walked off with the bloody bag.
“You appear to be unsettled, General. I thought you would be pleased that you were able to present such a gift to me and my mate. Is there something else disturbing you?” the queen asked.
It was no surprise that she’d picked up that something else was on Dru’s mind.
Dru’s breath caught in her throat. She was unsure if she should burden the royal couple with her personal issues. She glanced up before deciding it wouldn’t hurt. The queen had asked a question, therefore, she should answer her.
“It’s my mate. She was taken from the Butterbush post.” It hurt her to even admit those words aloud. It showcased her failure to keep Tomesha safe.
“Taken? By whom?” The queen arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.
“I’m told the royal draft guards,” Dru snarled.
The king and queen grew still. They exchanged a quick glance before the queen stepped forward.
“If she was your mate, then how did she match with someone else? Are you certain you were fated? Did you enter the draft?” the queen asked.
“I did, Your Majesty.”
“The science is never wrong,” the king said.
“With all due respect, Your Majesty, this time it was wrong. I know what I felt, and my heart belongs to Tomesha Clay,” Dru gritted out through clenched fangs.
Her body was coiled tight. She glanced at the both of them.
“I’ll find her and will right this wrong.
She needs to be with me and not someone else. ”
“And you’re certain,” the queen asked again.
Dru jerked her head in a fierce nod. She straightened to her full height.
“The draft has never been wrong,” the queen said, “and I hope this will be the only time. I’ll send a message to the draft for confirmation. Please stay the day. Rest. We’ll have answers by nightfall.”
“I must respectfully decline. I need to seek out my mate. I will not rest until she’s back with me. Permission to leave.” Dru snapped to attention. She kept her eyes forward as she waited to be dismissed. If they didn’t, then she would defy orders for the first time.
Without hesitation.
The longer she waited, the longer it would be until Tomesha was back in her arms. The king studied her for a moment longer before he nodded.
“Granted. May the hunt end in your favor,” King Niall said.
Dru bowed again then turned on her heel. She strode through her warriors who parted for her. They followed behind her as they made their way back through the throne room. The queen’s voice followed behind, a soft whisper to the king.
“She’ll tear the world apart for that human, Niall. I pity whoever has her.”
The queen had no idea. Dru was ready to unleash hell upon anyone who stood in the way of her getting Tomesha back.