7 Part 7

After placing a few calls and reassuring Crete and Tori's parents Roni on the first flight to Edinburgh, Scotland and then an airborne jump to Inverness. Neither man wanted to be on an airplane but it was required by the law to check in when entering international clan space. Even the king couldn't get out of protocol. They didn't expect to see anyone at the airport when they landed. Walking off the terminal a face greeted them that shocked the hell out of them.

How he got past security they could only guess, but he stood out like a zombie amongst the living. His body stood directly in their way clutching his side as a warm coppery pool formed at his feet. It was Christian Verail, Rharonis's first commander. Both guys looked at the man staring back at them like death warmed over and said 'shit'. The hardened warrior stumbled forward till he collapsed into Crete's body. Crete grabbed ahold of his shoulders to hold him steady. Hefting him under his shoulders Crete half carried the man out to a seat and sat him back into it with a grunt. Pushing his palm against the steadily flowing wound Roni focused his dying commander's gaze on his face.

"My god man what happened to you?" Leaning in close to his face Roni struggled to hear Christian thru his labored breathing.

"The council...Palturn...took half...went to your...chambers...attack...some new weapon...wants to take over. They, they have a...woman...not safe milord...fae and rogues..." Christian's lips bubbled over with blood as he gripped onto Rharonis's jacket with his bloodied hand, his other giving one last salute before slumping over in the chair. Roni's face turned red with anger and sadness as he let the man's body relax into the chair. "That fucking bastard! He said something about a girl and a weapon." He looked over at Crete wondering if he was thinking the same thing.

"He means Autora doesn't he?" Crete asked in a hushed tone. Rharonis nodded at Crete who flexed his jaw and swallowed. "Aw hell, you've got to be fucking kidding me. She had better be alright. They do anything to her they will certainly have a weapon cause she will eat them alive." Pulling his phone from his pocket Rharonis flipped thru his contacts and called the one male he hoped to never have to again. When the voice on the other end answered Roni switched over to his royal persona and spoke low so his voice didn't carry over, not even to Crete's ears. Shutting his phone with a sigh he looked to his fallen commander and spoke a small incantation sending his spirit free and his body to disintegrate into ash.

"To go to the council now would be what they would expect. My contact is meeting me at my hidden home. There's a much bigger plot than just kidnapping your sister. What I'm grateful for is that they did not know my intentions towards her. I only told a reserve few of what I planned to ask her. If they knew I'm afraid we'd already be too late to save her from the fate I fear they are trying to accomplish. We've done what we can for him now. Come on let's get going."

Shouldering the resentment that was building up inside him Roni carried on. He squared his shoulders and looked up at Crete as they exited out of the airport. It was certainly obvious they were going to need to make some allies out of the local lairs as well as scope out how far the corruption has seeped. At least half the council had come from Palturn's recommendations. Hell he had been the chief advisor to his father. If Palturn had chosen those that were on his side then there would be no council. They were coming after the crown.

His home away from the castle was a quaint wine covered cottage buried in the back of a grove of redbud trees with a decent sized hill overshadowing it. The stones making up the walls were thick and varied in color. It was very warm in the winter and cool in the summer. He couldn't have chosen a better hide away. It had been abandoned and in disrepair when he had found it on one of his flights. He spent five years doing the repairs himself. It was going to be a beautiful home for children to run around in and grow up. Beautiful dark haired babies crawling and flying over this enchanting land.

The two of them landed in a small clearing just as a small pop sounded in front of them, a lithe figure standing at the entrance to Rharonis's home. Chuckling Roni shifted and clapped the man's shoulder.

"Amras you sneaky fuck, you certainly know how to make an entrance." A deep lyrical chuckle stirred the air between them as the other man returned the gesture making Roni wince a little. The man's figure belied his actual strength. His grin was a little feral as he looked over his king. He took notice of the dark circles under his eyes and the weight settled along the straining muscles in his neck. "And you my liege look like shit. Let's depart into the house where you can ply me with a bit of brandy and the mess you've gotten yourself into now." Turning all three of them make their way into the warm rustic antechamber bright sunlight streaming thru the green foliage covering the windows. Heading to the study off from the main hall Roni pulled down a decanter of amber liquid and poured three snifters worth handing each man a glass. "To the crown and its continuation, may its lines be ever fruitful." Amras toasted heartily swallowing the burning drink in one gulp. The other two raised theirs before knocking them back, the sound of clinking glasses settling as Amras studied the two dragons.

"Alright you two start talking. You wouldn't have called me if it weren't life or death." Tugging at the tip of his long ear he settled into a cushioned high backed chair across from a cold fireplace. With a flick of his fingers a raging fire blossomed amongst the once cold embers. To Rharonis it was no surprise but Crete couldn't hold back a small gasp. He'd been trying to guess at what the man was. Now he knew for sure. He was fae and a tricky one at that because he was free.

"In this matter it's your expertise that I require. I trusted you for other reasons and now I need your trust again and your secrecy. Fuck the fate of shifters and fae worldwide rest on this." The fae arched a brow with curiosity. "You've got my interest peaked now. What has got you in such a state or should I say whom?" Roni glanced at him with mild annoyance and Crete scoffed at how bold the man was. This guy had some balls. "Do I have your word or not?" Roni stared him down until Amras nodded and held out his hand to continue. "It has come to my attention that rogues have infiltrated the council. One of my advisors is a traitor and has overruled at least half the council. How he did it under my nose makes me feel like an utter idiot. He attacked my suite at the headquarters and had tried sealing my death but only managed killing my guards and the captain of my security. I was away visiting Crete and his family. I wanted a first-hand account of Crete's sister's assignment. Why they sent a secretary to do the job of the military we now know why. She found a group of rogues who are being supported and supplied by Palturn and his rogue council. They were the ones who sent her. Unimaginable. I asked her to be my mate and the queen of dragons worldwide. She doesn't have any idea of what she is capable of."

He stood up and walked back and forth agitated. His hair sticking up at different angles after running his fingers thru it. Amras had never seen the king, his friend, look this distraught before, not even when his father had passed away leaving the crown to his youngest offspring. "I didn't think you'd ever take that step. At least not on your own. Figured one day the council would choose for you. I'm intrigued. I'm at your disposal Mon frère. What would you have me do?"

Roni approached his longtime friend and gripped his shoulder. "We need your expertise in infiltrating and hacking. They could have taken her anywhere. We need to know where and what they plan on doing with her. There's not a possibility that they have kept this all quiet to the rest of the clans. Do you have any brethren you trust to join you in this?" Amras brow crinkled as he thought about it. "A brethren no but a sister possibly. I warn you though. She's not allied with the dragons of this world. But she's one hell of a warrior. I'll contact her if I have your word that she works with me and I be her liaison. She doesn't trust earth dwellers." Roni's grip slackened as he contemplated this. "And you trust her with what we've told you? Knowing she couldn't care either way how us dragons land?" Crete looked at the fae skeptically, leaning forward in his chair with the glass tumbler now empty hanging loosely in his hand.

Amras turned his head towards the man and speared him with a calculating gaze. "I trust her far more than I ever would trust a shifter. Other than our king." he spared a glance to Rharonis and continued on. "My contacts don't come by their title easily. She's more of a warrior than I've seen from most dragons and fae alike." Even Roni bristled at the slight insult.

"If you two are done sizing each other up now there's bigger shit we need to deal with." Crete flushed slightly with embarrassment as Amras just smirked but backed down.

"How soon can you make contact with this woman?"

"I'll head out now and send her a message. I should be able to get word back within a couple of hours. I'll contact you immediately."

"You have a day. Either she will be in or not, but we can't wait any longer." Amras stood from his chair and bowed. "I'll return shortly." After disappearing, Crete turned to his king and looked at him closely. "Do you honestly trust that man and his 'contact'?" "At this point he's the sneakiest cleverest man I know. He and his contact are our only chance of finding your sister untarnished." Mumbling under his breath his heart clenching, 'your sister and the love of my life'.