The Dawning of Fate
Chapter 29

I did as she bid and flew fast. The crevice separating the two halves of the planet was nothing compared to the rift that split open within my chest the moment I left my mate alone. Every beat of my wings was heavy with what felt like a betrayal, widening the breech until it felt as if I couldn’t breathe. Every instinct in me rebelled. My drakul raged within my chest. It felt like he was thrashing and fighting to break free of confinement but only my will kept him contained. I deserved his anger and I would use it to fuel my own.

As the battle came into view, I saw all of the carnage. Amondis swung his sword in an arch, splitting the body of one of the creatures while using his other to drive the hilt through another monster’s chest. Kyrin and the one called Bevtor fought back to back, beheading and disemboweling the Forsaken while covering each other’s blind spots. Many of the grotesque creatures were already dead, but my would-be comrades were not without injury. I saw the scratch wounds and bite marks lining not only their bodies but my wombmates’ as well. The sight merely served as added sustenance to the fire ablaze within me. I allowed the rage to flood my veins and it burned hot. I sucked in a breath as I felt the rush of power overtake my body. I’ve never experienced anything like it.

“You will not suppress me any longer, boy,” my drakul commanded. “Now, use me and take me back to my mate.”

I didn’t waste time with questions, though I had many. Gripping the pommel of each sword that was strapped across my lower back, I pulled them free and watched as the micronanites folded back to reveal the weapon. Tumerian metal was the most sought-after material in the galaxy. Not only was it the strongest, but it was also the only metal that was both easily malleable and self-conducting.

I allowed all of the emotions that I’d been battling since we arrived here to surface and released them with a roar that made the creatures and men alike pause in their assault. I dove in a spiral, folding my wings to increase my speed. When I neared the surface, I flared them, spreading my arms as I allowed the momentum to carry me toward the ground. Flesh parted easily and hot blood splashed on my body. I reveled in their deaths.

They would replace no mercy from me for the slight they caused. My mate stood alone and frightened in the darkness because of these creatures. She’s had to run for her life because a warlord sought that which was not his to take. My al sisi has had to remain strong and courageous as obstacle after obstacle line her path. No, they nor Dronan would receive any forgiveness. I will slaughter all that stood in her way, every obstacle in her path so that I may continue to see her smile and hear her musical laughter. My hearts cracked all over again at the memory of her tears. Those were not of joy, I knew and it pains me. All of it. I allow all of it to fuel me as I took off heads and severed limbs until none of my enemies remained standing before me.

“Bevtor,” Kyrin called, winded as he approached the other male. “Would you care to explain to me why these creatures resembled..” He trailed off as if lacking the courage to even voice the thought.

He was right. The creatures we felled looked very similar to the People of the Xoid. The only differences lie in their sickly thin bodies and charcoal-black skin. Though these creatures appeared quite mindless.

“They were once our people, yes.” His admission was grim. “They lost themselves after the war. I am not exactly sure what’s causing it.”

“But you have your suspicions,” my wombmate guessed.

“Yes. Our planet’s heart is slowly dying and somehow it is making our people sick, starting with those of us who haven’t returned from the Abyss. The sickness starts slow, eating away at the mind before moving on the body until all that’s left is blind rage.”

“You have seen this happen?” Kyrin questioned, his face pinched with worry. “This is-”

“You will inform me of the rest when I return. I must leave,” I told Amondis, already unfurling my wings. He gave me a sharp nod, though the look in his eyes when they caught mine was cautious. I would address that later.

“Go to her, Azandum. She waits,” Kyrin said. Needing no other encouragement, I took flight and shot off in the direction of the ruins.

The landscape passed by in a blur until the broken peaks and crumbled walls of moonstone came into view. The ruins appeared to be the remains of an esteemed abode that one stood here. I’d found evidence of such during my investigation of its safety. I dived, angling for the spot where I left her. Upon landing, I replace her missing but before I allow panic to set in, I inhale deeply to catch her scent. She’s further within the ruins. My head shakes, wry amusement twisting my lips. My curious mate. I wouldn’t scold her but she should know better than to wander off into unknown territory.

I followed her scent and as I got closer, I began to feel her presence within my chest grow stronger. It hadn’t occurred to me to use our bond to replace her. I still wasn’t accustomed to all the nuances of the connection, but now that I focused on it, I realized how easily I could track my mate. She could never be lost to me because she was everywhere within me. I tracked her down only to replace her crouched beside a still figure.

“I’m glad you made it back safely, babe,” she announced when I arrived, not even looking up to ensure that it was him. He hadn’t even made any noise in his approach.

The drakul purred within me. His presence now felt consuming, as if there was no separation between him and me. I felt whole in a way that was foreign to me. It was as if a limb that I never knew was missing but now that I have it, I could not bear to part with it.

“Our mate is far more intelligent than you. She feels us keenly. I long to bury my length in her sweet heat. Take her. Here and now.”

“Cease. I will not. Have you no respect? You wish for me to stain her flesh with this filth?”

“What better way to celebrate a victory than to sink into her hot cuntflesh whilst bathed in the blood of our enemies?”

I did not respond. In truth, his idea has my haju lengthening as need wound itself through me. Instead, I drew closer to her and saw that the figure was a female of the Dregmon people. I had met a male of the race during my lunars as a mercenary. We had worked together to hunt down the owner of a beast fighting circuit. The man owed a debt to my employer. My assignment was to warn of what would happen should his debt go unbalanced. The Dregmon’s was execution, though for an entirely different employer. Both of our missions were completed that day.

Looking at the female now, I take notice of the slender rows of appendages that lie flat against her skull. They were the staple of her people. At the end of each was a sharp metal tip as a covering. Derma, the mercenary, had no such thing on his. Nor did he have the non-uniform spots that framed her eyes. Instead, he has stripes of white and his skin was the color of the golden sands of his homeworld whereas this female has coloring similar, if not a few shades lighter, to my own. Perhaps the females have different colorings, as was the case with many races. I couldn’t help but notice the dark bruising and hastily patched-up wounds that dotted her frame. Her fingers were full of scraped, raw skin and damaged nail beds.

“How did she come to be here, Echo?”

I wished to grab her and take her away from here. This female was of no concern to us but I could already see that my mate would not like that. When she looked at me, I froze at the sight of her eyes. The normal ash color was rimmed by a glowing ring of violet that was slowly bleeding toward her iris. The result made it a swirling mixture of the two colors. Her eyes were taking on the coloring of the females of Tumeria, but how was that possible? It shouldn’t be. Worry pinched my chest. We needed answers but had no time to search for them.

“I heard something crash and then you know the noise someone makes when they’re in pain? I heard that too so I came to—-What? Why are you looking at me like that, Zan?”

The fact that she could see my expression at all spoke volumes. I crouched down to her level and took her face in my hands. “You are changing, my al sisi.”

At the sound of my voice so close, the Dregmon jerks and stumbles to her feet, opening the wounds that were beginning to heal. Her eyes were as wide and as green as the forests of Icturi. The green iris was surrounded by a black abyss.

Echo pulled from me as if she was about to go toward the female, but I held her back. The female was feral and afraid. Regardless of the fact that my mate wanted to help this female, I would kill her where she stood if she harmed my lifemate.

“You don’t have to be afraid of us,” Echo encouraged. The female’s body jolted and she hissed in pain.

“My al sisi stood by when you collapsed, female. Not many would be so kind. You have the look of a being who could use some kindness.”

Her eyes squinted at me. “A2?” She croaked. I keep my face carefully impassive. “Amondis?”

Echo gasps, her head snapping around to get a look at me. “It’s her! It has to be Tahla.” I inclined my head slowly. I was coming to a similar conclusion.

“Are you the one he calls Tahla? His mate?” I watch as the spots on her face become alight with a fleshy color like Echo’s tongue. The light scent of her pheromones reaches me.

“He called me his mate?” Immediately after, alarm widens her eyes and she takes a step toward us. My instinct forces me to twist Echo out of the way. However, upon seeing the female stumble and lean into the pillar for support, I didn’t see a reason to be so cautious. I still would not let my guard down though.

“He cannot be here! You must warn him. I know that you must be the brother he spoke to me about at length. Tell him that he must run. The warlord has called for his head for the betrayal. A2 has a bounty on his head, dead or alive.” Tahla was panting heavy breaths when she finished her warning.

Echo turned her worried eyes toward me. I shared the sentiment. Too many problems were associated with this planet. Now that we’d found the female, we could be on our way off the wretched rock.

“I will take you to him.” She looked as if she was about to protest but it never left her.

Echo stepped out from behind me. “How will you fly while carrying both of us?”

Amusement twists my mouth. “You underestimate my strength, al sisi. Or you overestimate yours. Either way, it will not be a struggle if that is what worries your brow.” I smooth the crinkle of flesh between the hairs above her eyes.

Her cheeks tinted. “Whatever. How are we doing this?”

I lifted her and she coiled herself around my body as if it was second nature. The position left my hands free to help the Dregmon female. I release a low growl of frustration at my inability to seek comfort in the well of her delicious heat that was pressed into my stomach.

“For someone so adept at shielding his emotions, you project them quite loudly.” Her inner voice held a hint of teasing.

I lifted Tahla in my arms, careful of her wounds, and began a slow flap of my wings. I would not do a hard flight so as to not worsen her injuries. If she was as important to my wombmate as Echo was to me, I would expect the same courtesy to be extended to my mate.

“Only you are aware of such things, Echo. Therefore, I think your argument is from a skewed perception.”

She snickered softly, resting her head on my shoulder. Warmth blossomed in my chest, spreading out until it encompassed my entire being. Once we were safe, I would ask her to perform the Joining with me. It was the ultimate commitment between two Tumerians. A sudden sense of anxiousness bubbles up within. I knew that Echo and I were lifemates, but that was never really her choice. It was Matu’s will, not our own. This would be a decision made of our own free will; a choice to stand with each other through all battles to come. Would she choose me? I would choose her even if she wasn’t my mate. Echo was kind and understanding. She was accepting but also fearlessly assertive when it came down to something that was important to her. I love her and I give honor to Matu each day that she’s in my life.

I could feel the tension in the Dregmon’s body and knew it was from fear. I did not fly as high as I would have if it was just my mate and me, though I did fly high enough that the blackened sands of the Abyss did not stir. When I arrived back at the scene of battle, no man was in sight, only carcasses.

“Oh, God. I’m going to be sick.”

Echo’s shock reminded me that somehow she could still see now and I so easily forget that my mate was not born a warrior nor had she ever seen the aftermath of battle. She hails from a peaceful planet and a life of relative ease. I flew further, spotting the tracks in the earth that led to the three men as they sat, likely taking a rest after the confrontation.

They each looked up as I approached but it was my wombmate who stood. I could feel his anxious energy from here. As I landed, he came to me but he only had eyes for the female who was failing at an attempt to stand on her own. I held her in place as she began to tilt. Upon seeing it, Amondis’ rumble was nothing less than a warning. His eyes, still slit from battle, zeroed in on where my hands rested on her arms.

Echo snorted a laugh. “This looks familiar.”

My grin matched hers. “That it does. Wombmate, if you wish for me to remove my hands from the female, yours must take their place. Otherwise, she will fall.”

“I will not,” Tahla protested hotly. It was ignored.

He stepped forward cautiously as if she might deny him. I have never seen my wombmate approach a female without his usual cocksure swagger. My perception of the female shifted. She must be quite important to him. Was it possible that she was his mate? Two mate bonds when there haven’t been any in thousands of lunars? I glanced at Echo. Was it possible that she truly was as Kyrin said? A herald of change?