Page 31 of Tamed
Even though Zevon was empathic, Arcon was the stronger telepath, so he took the lead. He moved to sit on the other side of Kendra and rested his arm on the back of the couch.
“Close your eyes and try to relax,” Arcon coached.
She smiled. “Why do people always say that when something is going to hurt?”
“You’re more prepared for this than you realize,” Zevon told her. “Just do what Arcon tells you to do.”
Yeah, she’d gotten good at obeying without question over the past few days. She settled back into the cushions and closed her eyes. Zevon lightly stroked her hair and Arcon gathered her hands between his. She’d grown familiar enough with the way they touched her that she didn’t need to see them to know who was touching her where.
Energy swirled around her hands and flowed up through her arms. Even if they weren’t touching her, she would have known that this was Arcon. Zevon’s energy exploded with sudden bursts of intensity. Arcon’s was more concentrated. It flowed like a massive river, sweeping along everything in its path.
Something shifted inside her and emotions inundated her mind. She gasped then shuddered, unprepared for the sensory deluge. She drew the sensations in like a sponge but didn’t take time to analyze them.
“Go back to the vision,” Arcon coached. “Picture the setting, reshape your surroundings with as much detail as possible.”
She followed his directions, forming the room within her mind, the gleaming floors and gilt-trimmed walls, the gaudy throne perched upon its marble dais.
“That’s Mercelon Palace,” Zevon confirmed. “Now show us the rest.”
She let the memory run through her mind, reviewing what she’d seen and allowing herself to feel what she’d felt at the time. Jevara sneered and yelled, his words caustic and cruel. Jevara shoved Verbet, seeming almost deranged as he shouted right into Verbet’s face. Provoked beyond endurance, Verbet punched Jevara. Even knowing what was coming, Kendra’s stomach clenched as she heard the sickening thunk and watched the blood streaming out across the stairs. Concentrating on what she’d sensed for a moment, she shared those feelings with her mates then eased out of the meld.
“Emperor Jevara is dead,” she said firmly. “Or he soon will be. Do you believe me now?”
Zevon cupped her chin, tilting her head back until their gazes met. “I never doubted that what you told us was true. We are simply trying to establish the validity of what you were shown. Verification is standard procedure for any new seer.”
She released her breath and nodded. He was right. There was no reason for her defensiveness. “It seemed so real when I felt him die. I think it has happened already.”
“As do I,” Zevon told her. “But we need to find out for sure.”
“Do you know anyone who has direct access to Jevara? Anyone who could simply comm him to see if he responds?” Arcon shifted his gaze from Kendra to Zevon and back as he waited for an answer.
“Not anymore. I had to pull most of my spies as Jevara became more irrational.” Zevon pushed to his feet and started pacing as he often did when he was deep in thought. “And now the rebels have become so bold that it has forced Jevara to keep his public appearances to a minimum. He could be dead for months and no one would know.”
“That’s probably what Verbet is counting on,” Kendra muttered. She hadn’t realized this would be so complicated when she first comprehended what she’d witnessed. Even if they could prove that Jevara was dead, she wasn’t sure if it would benefit them or not.
After a few moments of tense silence, Zevon said, “There is one bait that will draw Jevara out of hiding or prove that he is dead if he does not respond. What is the one bait that he is simply incapable of resisting?”
“Conduits,” Kendra guessed. Everyone knew that Jevara coveted the other planet leader’s ability to control power triads. His bloodline had never been able to manipulate magic and he lashed out because of it. He focused his animosity on the Citadel in general and Zevon in particular. The injustice—from his perspective—was not the only reason for the war, but it was a significant factor.
“If I offer to meet with Jevara and promise him that access to conduits will be part of the proposed alliance, he would not hesitate to attend.”
“And when Verbet shows up in his place, we’ll know Jevara is dead,” Arcon concluded.
“It’s not irrefutable proof, but it would be damn suspicious.” Zevon stopped pacing and faced the other two.
“We need to arrange it so the board of governors can watch the meeting live,” Kendra suggested.
“She’s right,” Arcon stressed. “Watching Verbet squirm and make excuses will be much more impactful than hearing about it afterward.”
“I’ll insist on a face-to-face meeting,” Zevon decided. “Interactive comms are hard to fake, but I’ve heard of it happening.”
Arcon stood as well. “I can sense deepfakes. They give off a very different energy resonance than un-manipulated transmission.”
“Good to know,” Zevon grumbled. “Why haven’t you mentioned this to me before?”
Arcon chuckled. “Because you would have locked me in a control room somewhere and told me to verify every incoming transmission.”
“No,” Zevon corrected, his expression completely deadpan. “Just all of mine.” He looked at Kendra and smiled. He was doing that a lot lately. “You did good, mate. I’ll go set things in motion with Jevara, or more likely Verbet. I’ll also notify the governors of what we suspect.”