Chapter 4
“Ireally wish I could go with you on this trip.” Jazmine glanced up from Nojan’s desk in the lab and let out a long sigh. “What if I promised to stay on the ship?”
“Are you out of your mind?” Nojan snorted. It was a good thing Marek was up at the mansion. He would flip his shit over his woman asking to go back to Vanfia. The king had a death warrant on her head.
“Nope. I know I should be, but honestly, Rantel isn’t that much of a scare.” She shrugged and brushed her long blond hair behind her shoulder.
Nojan turned and averted his eyes from her. She was beautiful, no doubt, but her breasts seemed to have grown since she first arrived, and for some reason, they were an obsession to him. Notherbreasts, per se, but breasts in general. It had to be because the women of Vartik were lacking in that area completely. They were as flat chested as the men, and though he’d grown up with it, there was something inside of him that longed to experience a woman who had them.
“It’s not the king you should be concerned with, Jaz. It’s the hordes of armies he has and the weapons at his disposal.” Nojan pulled a few devices off the shelf nearest him and placed them carefully into the large duffel bag that lay open before him.
“All we would need to do is lay out a big-ass saucer of milk, and everyone would drop to their knees and start licking at it wildly.”
“That almost sounds hot.” He glanced over his shoulder and smirked.
Marek walked in and put his hands on his hips. “What sounds hot?”
“Ah, shit.” Nojan shook his head, zipped up the bag, and moved toward the door. Walking to the mansion would be better than taking the tunnels. He was soon to head out on a week-long journey to Vanfia inside a closed space. He needed fresh air and space for as long as he could access it. “You tell him, Jaz. Save me.”
The laughter that followed him caused a smile to lift his lips. He tugged the large bag over his shoulder and walked to the mansion with his heart set on adventure. He was surprised to find Kara sitting on the stone bench just in front of the house instead of packing.
“Hey.” She glanced up and brushed her long brunette hair behind her ears. She looked so much like their mother and, unfortunately, like every other female on Vartik.
Nojan couldn’t help but wonder who their parents might marry her off to. Being given a wife and having to live with her in the mansion was one thing, but beinggivento a mate and then being carted off to another part of the planet away from home? Away from family?Hell no.
“Why aren’t you packing?” Nojan paused beside her and reached out to tuck a wayward strand of her hair behind her ear.
She swatted at him, forever refusing attention. “I’m not going.”
“What? Why?” He dropped his bag and moved to sit down beside her. “Are you ill?”
“Not quite.” She shrugged and crossed her arms over her chest. “Father has decided that only you’re going on this mission, but that the rest of us can join you when we head toward Danzmin.”
“Why aren’t we just going to Vanfia to get the oracle and then straight on to Danzmin to collect Caleb? The more time we let lapse, the worse it’s going to be in bringing the guy back from whatever black pit he’s stuck in.” Nojan ran his fingers through his dark hair and let out a growl. “It’s a fucking waste of time to come back to Vartik with the oracle. And if we know where he is, then why do we need her?”
“King’s orders, and honestly, you need her because Danzmin is a vast land of darkness. You could spend all of eternity searching for him and never find him.” Kara glanced over at him. “Listen to me clearly. I’ve pinpointed the oracle. She’s being kept at Rantel’s castle and is the servant to his daughter, Demaylia. From what I gather through various conversations I can pick up on, she’s hideous to look upon. Don’t hurt her feelings though, got it? She needs to trust you in order for her to follow you.”
“Hideous?” His insides cringed at the thought of having to live in a world with a face that caused others to turn in disgust. Nothing could be more heartbreaking to a woman.
“Yes. I wish I could see her, but a bright light blocks her.” Kara smiled. “It is because she’s an oracle who’s yet to embrace her gift. It’s a beautiful thing, and yet, I know she’s suffering greatly.” Kara rubbed her chest as her smile faded. “When I concentrate on her, I can almost feel the suffocating weight of wanting to die. She’s been emotionally and physically beaten down into almost nothing.”
“That’s horrible.” Nojan reached out and touched his sister’s arm. “What race is she, and how will I know that I’ve found her?”
“She’s Territhian, just like Jazmine. I don’t have any physical indicators, but again, she’s the servant to the princess. Get to the castle and use your hypnosis on who you must to gain access to her.” Kara stood and brushed off her violet dress. “If nothing else, look for a human girl with a broken spirit and a trinket around her neck. It should be a mark of her future.”
“A mark of her future? Like what? An all-seeing eye or something?”
“Perhaps. You’ll know it when you see it. It’s a powerful gem that she wears, but please, please, please remember not to hurt her feelings.” Kara gave him a hard stare.
“Will she self-implode?” Nojan stood and picked up his bag as she popped him in the stomach.
“No. She’ll die a little more inside. I can’t bear the thought of feeling that.” Kara nodded toward the mansion. “Come on. Let me walk you up to the meeting room. Father is already there, filling in the rest of the family on how this is going to work.”
“Without me?” Nojan gave her an incredulous look.
“You’re late. As per usual.”
“Brilliance takes time.” He chuckled and opened the door for her. He couldn’t help but let his thoughts dive into what a hideous Territhian might look like. All of them that he’d ever seen in books were beautiful creatures, feminine women and masculine men. It would be interesting and perhaps a little heartbreaking to see an ugly one.
