Arazhi by Tamsin Ley

Author:Tamsin Ley [Ley, Tamsin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781950027408
Publisher: Twin Leaf Press

12

Arazhi hurried through the palace corridors to the throne room. The guard he’d spoken to on the tarmac hadn’t had any news of his father; obviously the royal council was keeping his condition secret. It could be good news as easily as bad, thought Arazhi as he burst into the royal living quarters. He wouldn’t put it past his father to hide a miraculous recovery just to keep their rivals off balance.

The royal sleeping chamber was empty when he arrived, but the air still smelled of regeneration fluid. His gaze settled on his father’s resting pod; the green liquid was calm as glass.

Arazhi’s heart plummeted. He hurried to the edge of the pod, looking down at the indistinct blue form beneath the surface. “Father?”

Small ripples disturbed the surface as the blue shape at the bottom moved, but his father didn’t rise to greet him.

Looking around the empty room, Arazhi called out, “Hello? Where is everyone?”

His mother entered from the balcony doorway. “Arazhi? No one told me you’d returned.” She rushed forward to wrap her arms around his waist, then pulled back to look up at him. “You’re so much taller than usual.”

He kissed the top of her head, realizing he was still in his human form. Altering it now would be pointless, so he simply said, “This is the form my human prefers.”

Her eyes lit up. “You found one, then?”

“We can talk about that in a moment.” He wasn’t ready to reveal that the female he’d selected didn’t suit his parents’ purpose. “How’s father? Have the healers made any progress on an antidote?”

She nodded, but worry railed against his Iki’i. “Yes. They’ve halted the poison and Elthos says he will live.”

He narrowed his eyes. “That’s good news, right?”

“Indeed.” She placed a finger to her lips. “He needs his rest. Come to the balcony so we can talk.”

He followed her trail of fear outside to the far end of the stone balcony. A small table beneath the shade of the happa fronds still held a half-eaten meal, and potted yellow kanzo blossoms drooped in the heat nearby.

She took both his hands. “Tell me about your female. Is she carrying your child yet?”

“Why does it matter? If father will recover, there should be no rush for me to produce an heir.” He bent his head so he could look directly into her eyes. “I sense a lie here.”

Her brows knit, and she shook her head. “I’m not lying. Your father will live. But…” She swallowed and tears brimmed in her eyes. “Elthos says he may never again be able to shift out of his current form.”

Arazhi’s stomach squeezed, and the brief moment of relief he’d felt about his father’s escape from death felt like ash at the back of his throat. In their resting form, Kirenai couldn’t easily communicate with other species. Which meant that his damma faced a future bonded to a mate she couldn’t speak with. She’d have to rely on intermediaries. “Oh, Damma.”

She swiped at the tears streaming down her cheeks.

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