Two Thousand Years | The Empire Saga #1

Chapter Forty-Three

Having been put asleep the only other time she traveled through a Key, Alex thought this was the most bizarre sensation she had ever felt. This wasn't the same feeling of falling she experience when she crashed out of a tree when she was eight or jumped from the quarries when she was a rebellious sixteen-years-old. Caught in a limbo between floating and falling, the air around her was both warm and cool, with a chill yet humid breeze, and though she could breathe, she felt as though the oxygen around her would soon dissipate and the next breath could be her last. It was only an instant, but felt like an eternity, and she held onto Reylor tight during their descent, not only to keep him close after all the effort it took to get to that point, but also to keep herself from feeling as though she was going to drift away into oblivion.

She landed on her side with a hard thud while her arms remained gripped around Reylor's waist. She had shut her eyes tight while falling through the portal, and only when it seemed as though the ground beneath her wasn't going to disappear did she feel safe enough to open them.

The room she was in was dully lit, and she could only see multiple pairs of feet from her current viewpoint. None moved, and she felt as though time itself stopped around her. It wasn't until she released her captive and tried to push herself up and off of the ground that the bystanders moved to her aid.

The healer and Bria were immediately by her side, carefully bringing her to her feet. The Mistress, it seemed, had been reinstated in her absence, but she wasn't going to deny the comfort that came from seeing another friendly face. The healer immediately began checking her over, taking extra concern for the safety of the babies, which gave Alex a moment to assess her own well-being. She ached and felt slightly dizzy, but overall, her feeling of accomplishment sent endorphins through her body like a drug.

She couldn't believe it. Their plan actually worked.

Brushing herself off while the healer finished with her exam, she looked over to Treyan. He and Jamison had detained Reylor once he was released, needing both of them to lift him off the floor and into a standing position. Her husband looked over and his blue eyes met hers. With a furrow in his brow, he silently inquired as to the status of her welfare with his concerned look.

She nodded in response. Now was not the time for a heart-felt reunion.

The banished brother seemed slightly dazed, as though he was still working on piecing together the events that led him to his current situation. It all became clear the moment the Councillor stepped around to face him.

"Reylor the Betrayer, you are hereby charged with kidnapping and assault of the Queen Empress, the kidnapping and murder of a royal Mistress, as well as complete and utter betrayal toward the Empire and the Annals of the Prophecy. What say you in your defense?"

Reylor only smiled smugly while his hands were restrained behind his back. "It's so nice to see you as well, Councillor."

Treyan stepped forward at that. "Have you nothing to say for yourself?" he demanded through clenched teeth.

Reylor's red eyes flared within the room's candlelight as he gave his brother an evil sneer. "Everything I have done has been for the greater good of the Empire."

"Enough of this." Treyan nodded to Jamison. "Bring him to the cell."

"Wait."

Every head in the room turned to look at Alex.

Ignoring their stares, she walked to where Treyan stood before his brother, and coming between them, stood to face Reylor.

"Alex?" Treyan asked, sounding concerned while standing behind her, but Alex only focused on their prisoner.

Reylor's lips curled into his disgusting grin yet again. "Why, Empress, have you reconsidered and decided to give me a par—"

The sound of skin colliding with bone echoed throughout the room as his grin and two teeth were punched right from his face.

Alex never felt better.

Once Reylor was led from the room, Alex was ushered to her own quarters. The healer insisted she rest, and her Mistress was quick to oblige. Initially Alex refused. Her adrenaline was running too high for her to calm down enough to sleep, but once Bria sat her down and began removing her unconventional garments the exhaustion began to set in.

The endorphins were also enough for her to ignore the damage she had done to her hand when she punched out Reylor's teeth, but the memory quickly resurfaced once the healer began bandaging the open wounds on her knuckles. She attempted to scold Alex for acting beneath her place as Empress, but the healer's words drifted away as the fatigue settled upon her.

Treyan returned to her room later that night, informing her Reylor was secured within his cell, using every bit of protection magic he, the Councillor, and any available magic user within the employ of the Empire could put in place. She was already lying down in bed by the time he arrived, and other than asking about the cell's strength and security, she didn't remember much beyond the sense of his presence. She was tired and ached all over and decided she could update her prince about the journey once the suns rose in the morning.

She did remember, however, the kiss he left on her forehead as the coolness of it lingered against the warmth of her Mark.

And she remembered the last words he whispered to her before she drifted away into the sweetest of sleeps.

"Warsuna huna."

Welcome home.