Page 69 of The Omega Slave

Kamir straightened and turned to Elainore, who was watching the discourse with utter glee. He turned to Tam. “We’ll take her with us, but we need to find Jael as well.” He looked at Moxie. “He hasn’t gone back to the palace, has he?”

“He told us what you were up to and went to find you.”

Kamir’s throat was tight. He could sense Tsaria, but he had no way of finding Jael. He looked at Veda. “I promised Jael would always have a home with us. PlayShyannevery day if he liked.”

Veda put a hand on his shoulder. “And he will. I—”

“Did you say Jael?”

Kamir turned to stare at the boy, who had sat up. “Yes. If he agrees, he will be Tsaria’s and my adopted son.”

The boy chewed his lip. “How’d you meet?”

Kamir burned with shame, but it was his fault to own. “Tsaria met him when he was in my palace dungeon. His ma wasattackedby the guards.” Kamir paused. She’d been raped, and he would make sure that never happened again to any prisoner. “Tsaria was in the next cell, and when my sister—” he gestured to Veda “—rescued Tsaria, he brought Jael with him.”

The child got to his feet, and no one stopped him. He hopped a little to straighten up because one foot was so twisted he could only walk on the edge of it, and understanding flooded Kamir. “You’re Mouse. Jael told me about you.” It had to be him.

“I suppose you could be lyin’ about him, but that’d be too clever for the likes of you,” Mouse said disdainfully, and Veda tried unsuccessfully to hide a smile. “But yeah I know Jael, and ifhe’s gonna live with you, he might see we get fed better. I’ll show you where they’re gonna meet the rest of the sand people.”

Elainore screeched behind the gag, but no one took any notice as Mouse led the way. Kamir wanted to move faster and tried not to stare as children scurried out of their way as they hurried. Elainore dragged her feet so much trying to delay them that one of Veda’s men simply stopped and threw her over his shoulder.

The stench worsened initially, but then the tunnel grew wider, and Kamir realized it was also getting easier to see and another man blew out his torch, as they no longer needed them. They must be nearing the exit. Elainore started choking suddenly, and Veda’s man carrying Elainore set her down none too gently and she doubled over but stayed on her feet. The man loosened the gag a little so she could breathe. Kamir had a feeling he would need her to bargain with.

Kamir took in a breath of cleaner air and Tsaria seemed to almost slam into him. Not bodily, and he still couldn’t see him, but joy and relief surrounded him. Then a fire lit his insides, and he knew his dragon was ready. Another moment and he stepped outside onto a rocky outcrop and his heart dropped.

At least forty or more of the sand people faced them. Most were in traditional loose-fitting pants, some still wearing the uniforms they had used to imitate the guards in the palace. One was holding Tsaria with a sharply curved blade to his throat, and another had a struggling Jael.

Tam stepped forward, but Kamir shook his head. This was his to do. “I believe we are at an impasse,” Kamir addressed the one standing between the two holding Tsaria and Jael. “My name is Kamir, and I have the power to grant you land and water.”

“We know who you are, and what you’ve done,” the man spat and stared at Elainore, who was standing just behind Veda, the guard at her side. Kamir had a moment to realize that she was nolonger gagged and tied, when the guard pounced and had Veda by the throat, his blade pinching her neck.

“Remy?” Veda managed to get out as his arm tightened. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“Serving me,” Elainore replied for him, and Kamir took in the almost dazed expression on Remy’s face and swore, remembering how she had commanded Gabar. He had looked at her in the same manner. He should have blindfolded her.

“Elainore,” the man of the sand breathed out, almost worshipfully, and Kamir’s dragon roared. He wanted to end Elainore, but Kamir couldn’t risk it with a blade to Tsaria’s and Veda’s throats. Elainore moved quickly to join the man, and Kamir stilled as he saw an image in his mind of Elainore as she was with her illusion, as everyone else saw her, but then as he stared the illusion fell away and she looked as Kamir saw her now.

He knew his dragon was sending him the image, but he didn’t know how he knew that, or why the image mattered. Then he inhaled sharply as the image of Elainore morphed into a huge serpent, flashing slitted ruby eyes, saliva dripping from two fangs as it slithered toward Tsaria, and in that instant he knew she was going to kill him. Kamir’s vision bled away to black and white and his dragon roared in his head. He knew the change was coming and that he could do nothing to stop it, but then he heard the gasps of everyone as his vision returned to normal.

He knew he was still a man and felt immense satisfaction inside him. His dragon had done something, but he couldn’t see what—

But then he did as the man standing looking so adoringly at Elainore gasped sharply and recoiled. A murmur rose up amongst the rest of them and two or three next to her stepped back.They could see her.See what she was.

He heard the grunt from Veda as Remy dropped the blade he was holding and stepped back in horror. “Veda,” he whispered. “I—”

“No matter,” Veda clipped out and joined Kamir. She gazed in disgust at Elainore.

“She has created this illusion to entrap you,” Kamir said loudly. “She wants the throne of Rajpur, not land and water for you. You have been fooled.”

The man holding Tsaria lowered his blade, and almost as one, the sand people moved back. Elainore saw that her people believed Kamir and shrieked. She lunged for Tsaria in a move that could only come from her creature, and Kamir’s dragon roared. Red flames erupted from Kamir’s mouth and seemed to spear Elainore. Her illusion wavered again, the woman, then the serpent, but then the flames roared and took hold, her scream rising until the flames turned blue and she was engulfed. Her cry was cut off, and the flames vanished. When the smoke cleared, Elainore was nothing but a pile of ash.

Kamir ran. He met Tsaria in a tangle of arms and lips, and then a smaller body slammed into them and Kamir bent, lifting Jael with ease and bringing him into their hold. “I love you,” Tsaria vowed, tears in his eyes. “I knew you would come.”

Kamir pressed a kiss to his lips and chuckled as Jael squirmed between them. “I always will. I love you with all my heart.” He smiled down at Jael, who had stopped protesting at being held. “Well done, my son.”

Jael’s mouth fell open, but Tsaria laughed. “Our son needs a bath.”

Kamir sent a runner to the palace for as many carriages as he could get down here. He was ecstatic to have everyone safe, but he had no intention of leaving any of the children, many of whom had injuries, in this disgusting place. Many lookedlike Mouse, with birth deformities that often meant the children were rejected as some of the older people still believed it was a mark of a demon. He watched as Tam gently rounded up as many as possible and Kamir promised the local shopkeepers coin for clean water and bread. It would keep them going while he worked out what to do.

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