Something she hadn’t seen previously.
“You’re getting to be like me now with your control over the Bind’s magics.” Adrian spoke up with an intrigued look as everyone shared the memory. “Gaining my control since we all became unified at Wahdi Atlamenta.”
“I still can’t portal without all of you directing the process – etheric magic eludes me,” Rhennic spoke solemnly as he gazed back at Adrian, “but yes, I’m getting far better at controlling the rest when I have a mind to.”
“What about Chambord? How is it?” Layla asked, watching him.
“Bad news, though not the worst.” Rhennic spoke as he reached up and stroked her hair. “The outer turrets of the fortress took stiff fire during the fight, though not much of the rest of Chambord was blasted, thank goodness. It seems Hunter’s target were Chambord’s lands – all the orchards and fields were razed for miles, on purpose.”
“Hunter didn’t just want to battle your kin,” Dusk spoke up now, continuing his line of thought from before, “he wanted to destroy something your people love; specifically, theaurumpear orchards, didn’t he? Striking at your heart rather than destroy the fortress like any normal military commander might have. A personal attack meant to break you.”
“Actually, yes.” Rhennic’s blond brows narrowed now as a light of understanding flared in his storm-bright eyes. “Theaurumpears are a symbol of hope to my people, and to people all throughout the Twilight Realm – priceless. Hunter must have wanted to destroy that hope, so he fixated on razing the orchards. The palace may be a long while before we can get it all repaired, which will be both costly and take time, but the orchards…” Rhennic shook his head. “I don’t know if they’re salvageable. Which must have been Hunter’s intent – to destroy them permanently, something my people are beloved for. And something that I love, personally.”
“We’ll help restore your lands and the palace when all this is over, Rhennic.” Layla spoke up then, smoothing her hands down his chest and his quilted silk robe. “Once we kick Hunter’s ass, we’ll rally every ally we have to restore Chambord, I promise.”
“That would be nice.” Rhennic sighed again as he kissed her brow, though Layla felt him darken as a thought suddenly moved through the entire Bind – doubt that they could actually win against Hunter. “But right now we have bigger things to manage. One battle’s been fought, but we’ve got more on the horizon… and I don’t think Hunter’s going to take it any easier on us here at the Paris Hotel than he did at Chambord. And probably a lot harder.”
“Was Hunter at Chambord?” Layla frowned, wondering if her nemesis had made a personal appearance during the battle.
“I don’t think so. At least, not as you’ve described him, Layla, either in human form or Dragon.” Rhennic spoke with a frown now as Dusk went to Layla’s breakfast table and poured a stiff glass of bourbon for Rhennic and one for Reginald, returning and handing them off. As their knot broke up, giving Rhennic more room, Dusk retrieved everyone else’s bourbons and handed them around.
“If Hunter was at Chambord,” Rhennic continued as he gazed around the group, cradling his bourbon, “then he wasn’t showing his true face or Dragon form. A few of the Intercessoria stationed there managed to make it out and report to me just now at Reginald’s rooms. They said that after we abandoned the battle, fifteen of my Lightning-Strikers who got blasted out of the sky but weren’t dead were captured inside a crystal dome. Something happened that the Intercessoria couldn’t see, and then those fifteen flew off willingly with the rest, through portals in the sky. I’m assuming Hunter made a brief appearance to Bind those fifteen while they were incarcerated. But he didn’t join the actual battle – perhaps he’s saving his strength for attacking us here on solstice.”
“Or he’s planning more attacks in the meantime.” Layla spoke darkly, hating that she had to think those thoughts but knowing that with Hunter, anything was possible.
“There is that.” Rhennic spoke just as darkly, though he was back in battle-commander mode at last. Just then, the Dragon mantle clock in Layla’s rooms chimed six, and everyone startled like a shotgun blast had gone off. Layla wondered if they all had PTSD now from Rhennic’s battle as they glanced to the clock, Rhennic heaving another sigh. “I should go help my Storm Dragons settle in and process everything from today. A lot of them lost family or comrades in that fight, and I also need to meet with my generals, the ones who are left.”
“That’s probably best.” Reginald spoke as he nodded at Rhennic. “They’re all situated in rooms now, the ones who aren’t still in the Infirmary. We’ll contact Jenna and find out where your generals are.”
“Thanks.” Rhennic smiled slightly at Reginald. “But I should freshen up before I go talk to my people. Layla, do you mind if I just take a shower here?”
“Sure.” She spoke as she reached out, clasping his hand. “No problem.”
“I’ll have a suit waiting for you, Rhen, so you’ll actually be dressed when you go speak with your clan.” Dusk said now as he took his cell phone from his pocket. Unlocking it, he spoke Amalia DuFane’s name and soon turned away, calling their busy-bee Head Clothier.
Smiling wryly at Layla, Rhennic held her hand as he faced her. “Normally I would invite you in to shower with me, but considering the circumstances—”
“I get it.” Lifting up, Layla kissed him sweetly. “Go get clean. We’ll be out here.”
Nodding, Rhennic cupped a big hand to her jaw as he leaned down, giving Layla a deep, meaningful kiss now. But as wrath and anger continued to churn in his heart from everything his people had gone through today, he soon turned away, clasping Reginald’s hand before heading into Layla’s big white and gold marble bathroom.
As he shut the door, Dusk turned back to the room, hanging up his phone. “Amalia’s on her way.”
“I thought Amalia would have left the Hotel by now with the rest of the non-fighters?” Fury spoke as he ushered everyone to Layla’s parlor now and they took seats with their drinks, eschewing the food for the time being.
“Amalia’s more than she seems, Fury.” Dusk chuckled with a glint in his eyes as he claimed a cobalt blue throne-like chair and sat, crossing his legs and swirling his drink. “Like Rake André, don’t let her caring nature fool you.”
“Rake hasn’t left yet, either?” Layla asked then, having not seen her friend and the Hotel’s Head Bartender and Head Courtier in the past day – though her eyebrows rose to think Rake had stayed behind.
“He wouldn’t be persuaded to leave.” Dusk spoke with a darker tone now, eyeing her as everyone shared their thoughts. “We all know about the Deathkeeper Lineage’s prohibition against Rake using his breath-magic to kill. But like Amalia, Rake is his own creature, and will stay and fight as he wishes – like it or not, the Paris Hotel is his home, just as it is for all of us. It’s the staff’s right to protect it, just as it is our Bind’s right to protect what we love, too.”
“All the same,” Layla spoke with a frown, “I don’t want our friends to get hurt like what happened with the Storm Dragons just now at Chambord. Hunter’s attack was… insanity.”
“It was.” Sharing her thoughts deeply now via his Crystal Dragon resonances, Dusk glanced at Adrian. “Which brings me to a thought I’ve been having these past few days, Adrian, but which was really nailed home just now watching Hunter’s attack on Chambord. We need a better plan than we have, to face Hunter in two days’ time. Seeing how fast and coordinated his Bind-forces were just now… we’ll be toast if we don’t have better surprises up our sleeve for when he arrives on solstice.”
“I was thinking the same thing.” Adrian returned darkly as he crossed one ankle over his knee and settled back in his high-backed chair, cradling his glass. “Watching how they maneuvered, not just like a hive-mind but like each Royal Dragon Bind was fullyinsidethe other’s minds and bodies under Hunter’s command…” Adrian shook his head as he gazed around the group. “We’re learning how to use this Bind to think and fight with it as one, but Hunter’s a master. And I’m certain many of the Dragons he Bound long ago that Rhennic fought just now were similar. Hunter never went after weaklings to include in his Bind. And now we’re seeing why.”
“He wields them as a unit, with him at the pinnacle.” Fury spoke with a glower of distaste. “Dominating them all, in battle or out of it.”
