28. Riggs

28

Riggs

My danged butt was so sore.

If I ever regained my Dragon, I was going to have a great deal more sympathy for those that I carried. Tyrez's muscled neck rising and falling was wearing wicked sores in places where no dude should ever be blistered.

Bree was a continual presence in my mind. She may be out of range of my primary senses, but our link pulsed with heat. Which only added to my discomfort while riding.

When panic spiked from her, I was immediately frantic. I'd been waiting for news from Caliel… but nothing could have prepared me for what she sent to me on a pulse of pure fear.

He got the images of them meeting. But… I need you to take a deep breath before I tell you this.

I involuntarily complied.

Daize just delivered Mykal to Victor.

Before I even had time to fully process what she'd said, wings sprang free from my back.

They caught the wind and threatened to lift me right off Tyrez. Cara, who'd been seated behind me, almost went flying.

As I hurried to fold them again, Tyrez turned his big head to regard me. "Whats is wrongs?" his deep rumble carried on the wind.

Cara clearly sensed my state of chaos. "Take us down!" she shouted.

I grabbed at the neck spikes as Tyrez folded his wings and dove. The swamp spread for miles below us, but he aimed for a rocky outcropping that stuck out amid the trees.

In seconds, he dropped onto it, and I slid off, needing to pace as I gave them the news. My son . In the hands of that vicious underlord. The link between Bree and me was vibrating with our shared horror.

"How did Daize get to Mykal?" Tyrez asked as Cara climbed down.

My heart was pounding, and I couldn't control the spastic twitches of my wings. When I raised a hand to my temple, the fingers had sprouted talons. "I don't know. He was at the Empire palace last night, recruiting volunteers. Did he go back after we returned?"

Tyrez's beast eyes were flashing like mad as he consulted with those back at the Talon Complex. "Dani's gones to Treyton. He mights be the only one who woulds know."

I paced while we waited. And then, Tyrez hissed.

"My son says Mykal went backs for a favorite instructor he wished to gets out of Daize's command."

"And Daize caught him." The Watcher's hair lifted off her shoulders as her energy surged. Not with fear. With anger.

Bree's mindvoice reflected her horror. Caliel got pictures. Of Mykal, bound at their feet.

Images of a child prince, and Daize's cousin, clearly held captive—my voice shook as I passed that on.

Caliel says Daize left Mykal with Victor.

Cara's mouth straightened when I told them. "Daize can't afford to have it get out that he is holding Mykal. So he's left him with Victor."

I swallowed. "What will Victor do to him?"

Her expression was bleak. "I don't know." She met my gaze. "But Caliel has got us what we need."

"He has. But Mykal…"

"Nothing exists in a vacuum," Cara stated. "Everything, now, is interconnected. We need Caliel to bring that proof to Emmanuel at Richin."

"How," I bit off the words, "are we getting my son out of there?"

"We need help," Cara said. "But fortunately, in the meantime, we have someone on the inside."

Caliel. She was talking about Caliel.

"Caliel needs to stay," she confirmed, "Until we can get Mykal out."

She turned away from me and raised her hands. Energy crackled between her fingers.

I battled with my confusion. "What are you doing?"

"You two pick up Bree and Tez. Bring them here. Tyrez can notify Ash, I'll have him with me. I can gate back here and bring you guys home." She twirled her raised fingers, and brilliant strands of energy spun off them as she continued. "Daize is out of control, and it is time the realms know who he really is. I must return, to put wheels in motion." As the gate fluoresced into place, she added, "Now that we can prove your nephew is a traitor, it changes everything. I must schedule a meeting with the Cryptid Council."

With my mind fogged by both my worry for Mykal and Bree's encroaching cycle, I struggled to see the relevance.

It was Tyrez's beast whose talons curled into stone as he said, "Yess. It is times for the Council to decide where their allegiances truly lie."