“And Barakas, for one, though he’s been rather tame. I wonder if he has his empire yet or if the Seekers have left his bones to the scavengers. Have you ever seen one of their cities? What is it like?”
They moved through one hallway to another. Ahead of them, Dru knew, lay the theater where Sharissa had created and manipulated her fanciful dancers.
The woman at his side shrugged. “I’d rather not say too much. I didn’t care for them.”
“Ugly places of iron and stone sprouting out of the earth like sores, if I remember what you said before.”
She smiled, not wanting the subject to go on any further. “You see why I don’t like to talk about them. Horrible places.”
“Yes.”
“Where are we going, Dru?”
He sighed and squeezed her hand. “I want to show you another side of me. I want to show you the theater I built for my daughter… and my bride.”
“Is it much farther?” She let the comment about Dru’s mate pass, but he could see that it had touched her in some way.
“Not far. As a matter of fact, here it is already!” The theater had actually been farther away, but he had decided to risk using sorcery and have the castle realign itself. The sooner this was over, the better.
Dru had desired the chamber to appear to them in its simplest form… a soft dirt floor and blank curved walls. In some respects, it resembled a miniature version of the room of worlds minus the images covering the walls and ceiling.
“Is there more to it?”
“Much more.” He waved his free hand and a marble floor of alternating black and white squares formed. “I can’t say why we need a separate chamber to do what could be done anywhere, but Sharissa and I have preferred it this way.”
He gestured to the left and the right. A slight tremor shook the room, but his spell still worked. Several figures, some human, some creatures of varying sorts, stood in what appeared to be random placement on the squares.
“Do your people have chess?” He briefly outlined the game.
She nodded, but her eyes were not on him. Rather, the figures themselves fascinated her more. “We have it, but not like this.” Xiri started to walk toward one of the closest pieces on the giant board, a wide, armored figure holding a scepter and sporting a sadistic smile. “These playing pieces… is there something-”
Dru blinked and the board was now normal size. It rested on a glass table that was accompanied by two soft couches, one for each player.
“Why did you do that?” Xiri snapped. She immediately remembered herself and gave him an apologetic smile.
“You wouldn’t like what you saw there. Shall we play a game?”
“A game? Now? When we still have to find Sharissa?”
Joining her, he reached out to run one of his hands in her long hair. “I thought you liked games.”
Her face was stone. “You know!”
He tightened his grip on her hair. “You forget, Melenea, as much as you claim to understand me, I also understand you.”
She laughed. Her form changed without warning and Dru found his hand holding nothing more than illusion. With daring quickness, Melenea took hold of him and kissed him long and hard. Dru finally succeeded in prying her away, his face deepening to a color akin to her hair.
“No, Melenea, not again. I won’t be a part of your world. That’s behind me.”
“If you say so, sweet. Was it that question about those Seekers that told you? I wondered about that when you asked, though I thought you were suspicious before you mentioned them.”
“They only verified that you weren’t Xiri. You played a poor game. Tiny things that you knew that she couldn’t. Rendel and Gerrod being brothers. The worst move yet, you couldn’t even control your own personality. I gave you every chance. Sirvak wanted to tell me that it was under your sway. I guessed as much once I knew that you had gained entrance to the castle earlier, but Sirvak was unable to point you out as an imposter.” Dru turned from her, nearly daring Melenea to do something, and walked over to the chess set. He fingered one of the pieces, the one that she had tried to study up close. “I sent it away knowing you, wherever you were, wouldn’t stop me. Sirvak has suffered too much already and I know you’re to blame.”
“You know, Dru darling, you were always long-winded.” She ran her hands along the contour of her clothing. “There is so much more we could be doing.” Her hands stretched out toward him. “So many games to play.” Melenea blew him a kiss.
A force like a maddened stallion struck Dru, throwing him over the table and spilling the chess set.
Dru rose and smiled. Melenea took a step back.
“Yes, I know that was supposed to be more than an ill wind. The difference between us, Melenea, is that I can talk while I cast protective spells. You merely talk.” He picked up one of the chess pieces that had fallen to the floor. “I’ll ask this only once. Do you have Sharissa?”
“Of course!” She folded her arms and looked at him in triumph. He would do nothing to her if it meant Sharissa’s life.
Dru shook his head. “That was the wrong answer. I said I know you as well as you know me. If you had my daughter, you’d be more eloquent about it. You’d give me some of the fine points of what you’d planned for her.”
Masterrr!
Yes, Sirvak?
Sirvak is yours again! She is Melenea! Beware!
I know that, my friend.
She took Mistress Sharissa to her home! Master Gerrod helped Sirvak to free her, though she fought us, but Sirvak could not get away! Mistress did, though!
Both pleasure and cold hatred colored the spellcaster’s next words. Thank you, Sirvak. Thank you for telling me all of that.
Sirvak is forgiven? The beast feared that it would be punished for allowing itself to be taken over by the enchantress.
Of course. One more thing. Where is the one who came with me? The el-the female.
She wanders at the edge of home, seeking entrance. Masterrrr, her sorcery is strange.
Let her pass through, Sirvak. Guide her to me. I want her safe.
As you command, masterrr. The winged creature broke the link, its task clear to it.
He favored Melenea with a pleasant smile, satisfied to watch her react the way he had the day on the steps in the Vraad city. His silent conversation with the familiar had lasted all of a breath, perhaps two, at most. “You have nothing left to tempt me with, nothing left to threaten me with. Can you give me one reason why I should tolerate your presence here any longer, Melenea?”
His change had daunted her, but he knew that she was far from beaten. Melenea always had one more ploy, one more move.
She did not disappoint him. “Perhaps these?”
In her hand she held two gleaming crystals.
“Where did you get those?”
The enchantress had regained the upper hand and knew it. Dru had not expected to see the crystals he sought. They had, he supposed, been destroyed when Rendel had sprung her trap. “Dear Shari gave them to me, just before the trusting child left me by my lonesome. That was when I left my surprise and also made certain I could reenter your citadel… of course, that little mongrel creation of yours helped to a point. I should have known it would be unreliable in the end, however.”
“Sirvak is very reliable. Your mistake was not realizing how independent its mind is… not like your other self, Cabal.”
She allowed the crystals to balance precariously on the tips of her fingers. “Whatever. Well, darling? Have I met with your expectations? Do you want these little baubles? Should I let them fall?”
Her hand twitched and both stones tottered. At the last moment, she curled her fingers inward, restoring
