Treyan's Promise | The Empire Saga Novella #2

Chapter One

The humid body heat within the overcrowded nightclub slowly melted the ice in his glass. Treyan sighed as he looked across the room and wondered how long he had been sitting by himself. Not that he wanted any company, he thought as he glanced over his shoulder for the umpteenth time. He knew he hadn't missed her- he would have known the minute she arrived- but he kept getting a nagging feeling that something else was amiss.

That's when he noticed him sitting at the other end of the bar.

He had noticed Treyan as well.

At least Treyan had made the attempt to blend in with the club-goers, whereas the minion simply sat there while dressed in a vibrant plaid suitcoat of oranges and yellows over corduroy pants of an equally garish green. He wore sunglasses while inside at night, had no drink in hand, and made no acknowledgement of anyone that approached him. Typical of one of his brother's mages, he considered as he finished the last of his drink. He had only crossed paths with a handful of them on this side of the Key, but their presence seemed more threatening as of late.

Reylor must have figured Treyan was getting close to the Empress.

His brother's inability to leave well enough alone should not have surprised Treyan either.

Standing from his bar stool, he inched his way through the crowd towards the opposite end of the bar. He knew the minion noticed him, since he indiscreetly averted his attention from Treyan's. Even when Treyan leaned in next to him against the bar, motioning for the bartender with his empty glass, the minion refused to look in his direction, keeping his gaze steadfastly focused in every other direction.

"Busy night tonight, eh friend?" he asked over the roar of the crowd.

The mage betrayed himself by glancing at Treyan out of the corner of his eye.

"So, what brings you here? The drinks or the scenery?" he continued, unfazed.

Without a word the minion abruptly rose from his seat, as if he was eager to abandon his new company. Treyan quickly reached out a hand and grabbed onto his forearm with an inhuman strength that would have broken the bones of a mere mortal.

"Going somewhere... friend?" Treyan asked in their native tongue.

"As soon as I have the Empress, I plan on it," the minion snarled in the same language, finally turning to face the prince. He looked Treyan in the eye this time, peering over the rim of his sunglasses. If there were any doubts before, one look into the eyes of a banished Empire-born would confirm that this individual was not here on a mere vacation. The red irises almost glowed in response to his mood.

Treyan smirked in response, but just as he was about to retort, the bartender came over and interrupted their exchange by placing a plain white napkin on the bar top between them.

"What can I get you?" she inquired in a painfully strong Boston accent.

To avoid getting kicked out of the establishment for fighting, he let go of the minion's arm, straightened his shirt, and turned his attention towards the woman working behind the counter.

"I'll have a vodka and soda, and my friend here...." Treyan turned to his new acquaintance, but before he could take his drink order, he had stormed off through the crowd. Treyan tried his best to keep an eye on him but knew his efforts would be futile. Not matter what, though, the minion would not leave without first sighting the Empress, and as far as Treyan could tell, she had yet to appear.

But then again, he may have spoken too soon.

He sensed her before he laid eyes on her, like every nerve within his body was suddenly painfully aware of each sensation he was experiencing. It was as though the very air he breathed was both suffocating and life-giving, and his heart resounded within his chest in time with a beat belonging to another. He didn't need to look because he knew it was her the moment she entered the room. Unable to help himself, however, he watched her from over his shoulder, the dark-haired, dark-eyed goddess who seemed to float into the room with a flock of giggling quarter -centennials surrounding her. Even in the dim lighting of the bar, her smile shone like the suns he remembered from home.