I gestured at her, and told Zayn, “High Empress, Norla Canor.” I directed him to Syde next. “Emperor Consort, Syde Canor.”
The way they stared at him, really bringing forth the intimidation, had Zayn moving to bow. I pressed my hand to his chest and shook my head. “No.”
Norla studied our interaction with a calculated expression, noting me stroking Zayn’s cheek in reassurance to silently convey that he hadn’t made a misstep—it was them pushing him toward taking that action. It was what they did.
“Mr. Riene,” was all he got from her as a greeting.
“Nice meeting you,” he told them sweetly, and with far more politeness than they deserved.
They both gave a slight nod, clearly not sure what to make of him.
Then Norla told me, “In regard to the deference protocol, you are in a different boat, Vaxan.”
“I think not.I don’t believe standing on ceremony for this particular meeting will serve any party well.”
Syde arched an eyebrow. “You wish to speak plainly?”
“Openly without being constrained by ceremonial restrictions.”
He eyed Norla for her permission and she gave a barely there nod.
He twirled his hand. “Fine. As you wish, then.”
“Very good,” I responded.
“You stated that you’ve come here to ask a significant favor of us,” she said.
“Yes.”
“We have already pardoned you for revealing a concealed Basilisk ability—vibrational tracking—to outsiders. That was only because you were able to gain the favor of esteemed and very useful assets in Cassius Ashmoor and the Commander of The Shadowed. In addition, you convinced us not to mobilize against the threat that Winter Nox poses to the supernatural world by providing proof that supporting him would lean very much in our favor, where we would be duly rewarded as you’d make our support known to Sylas Morgrave, the political force that is Velra Nox, along with sought-after sorcerer Kai Hunter. They are all just a single message away now for us to call upon for anything we need.”
“Due to my actions and connections, you have done very well. I have more than outperformed what you wished of mewhen you sent me to Loxley Academy to secure deeper alliances that were built on more than just tentative handshakes.”
I caught Zayn’s eye, and thankfully I saw that he really did understand this was all just manipulation of Norla and Syde, that it didn’t infringe upon my loyalty to our foursome, nor my genuine love and care.
These two before me—my so-called parents—just wouldn’t understand that.
“Even so, another ask is verging on discourteous brashness, Vaxan,” Syde commented.
Norla sighed with notable impatience. “Make your ask.”
“I need access to the collective power of our people with respect to vibrational tracking—only that, and only temporarily.”
A shocked curse slipped from Syde.
Norla raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
“I believe you heard me all too clearly.”
“For what purpose?”
“To locate Winter Nox in Sanctus, and then decimate the construct.”
“You want to risk our entire population to rescue a lover of yours?” Syde demanded.
“My relationship with him is irrelevant. Doing this will prevent him from being used to bring forth Ruxnoth’s endgame wherein he will lay waste to most and subjugate the rest. Us included. And furthermore, there will be no risk to our population. The risk will be entirely shouldered by me. I will merely draw from you all, and should I be targeted and harmed in the process by the enemy, or should it overload me, that will stay with me, not travel down the conduit connection to you all. It will be cut off at the source of the wielder—me. It also won’t be a power drain to draw only from the vibrational tracking ability we all bear.”
Norla shook her head. “There is still risk involved. I won’t sanction it.”
