Dream of Us

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Dyani’s POV.

“We best make sure that doesn’t happen then,” I tell him.

“He won’t find out, we can use this to our advantage,” Denali says and turns his gaze back to Chogan. “How did you get involved with Inteus?”

“Five years ago, he forced me to sign up for his military by threatening her life. When I found out he saw ‘potential’ in me, I was transferred to the palace. I was made Deputy General and my sister, Sylvia, was imprisoned in his dungeons as insurance that I wouldn’t betray him,” Chogan tells us.

“We won’t let anything happen to her,” I promise him.

“We’ll get her back, but we’ll need your help getting into the castle,” Calian says.

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“Lieutenant General Michonne to see His Majesty King Inteus,” Chogan stares his rank at the bold gates of the fortress.

“What’s in the van, Deputy General?” One of the officers questions.

“A couple empty crates, I’m here to collect weapons and ammunition for the Telasis compound.”

Chogan told us that each of the compounds where my mates were being held have names. The one where Nuka was being held, and where Chogan was based, was the Telasis compound. According to Chogan, no one contacted King Inteus to say the compound was under attack. Apparently everyone was too scared that he might shoot the messenger. With any luck, the King is completely unaware that Nuka has been freed and our bond is reunited.

There’s a pause. I focus in on the sound of my mates’ steady breathing to calm me. We’re each seated in a crate. I don’t like tight spaces at the best of times, so being shut in here and smuggling into the castle fortress is not ideal.

“Want to check them?” Chogan offers dryly, irritation clear in his voice.

The guard clears his throat awkwardly. “No, all good. Go on in, Deputy General.”

The van pulls forward and I breathe a sigh of relief. We go over a speed bump and drive for another few minutes before the engine cuts out. I hear the roll of the van shutters being raised and light seeps into the crate through the cracks.

“Everyone out,” Chogan says quietly.

Cautiously, I lift the lid of my crate and get to my feet. My mates and Sian climb out of their crates too. Chogan helps Sian down from the back of the van. Calian jumps first and reaches for me, helping me down. I look around, taking in our surroundings.

I’m not sure what I expected from the fortress, perhaps some medieval touches like chains hanging from the walls, cages for people he has tortured, decapitated heads speared on sticks, that sort of thing. Frankly, it is very dull. It looks like a plain compound. There is barbed wire at the top of the enormous walls that surround it, and guards patrol with more of those scary-looking guns.

This man is seriously paranoid, he must have made a lot of enemies in his time. I wonder if all of this is really for me and my mates, or whether there are others who want him dead. I wouldn’t be surprised.

It is hard for me to process that the man we are trying to take down is my biological father. I always thought growing up that I wanted to meet my biological family. My foster mum is great, but you always wonder, you know? Knowing that my mother died makes my heart ache, I would have liked to have met her. Inteus, however, he is no father of mine. I feel nothing towards him.

“He will most likely be in the throne room, that’s where he spends most of his time,” Chogan tells us as we head through a back entrance into a large hangar. “He likes to sit on his throne and terrorise his subjects. However, the room is protected by a mage’s enchantment, I’d need to arrange a meeting with him to get inside.”

“He won’t suspect you suddenly arranging a meeting?” Denali asks.

“He wants me keeping tabs on Nuka, he’ll be angry that I’m here and not back at the Telasis compound. I’ll need a good reason for leaving the compound and coming here.”

“I thought replenishing firearms was a good excuse.”

Chogan shakes his head. “He’ll wonder why I didn’t send a lower-ranked guard to do that.”

“What if you tell him you’ve captured one of us?” Calian suggests.

“That could work,” Nuka pipes up. “If he thinks I’m still incarcerated, he’ll want us split up.”

“How will you have caught us, though?” Denali questions.

“Through me,” I offer.

“Dyani could pretend she’s still clueless about us,” Sian suggests.

“Didn’t the guards see her when you were breaking out Calian? They know she’s working with Denali,” Chogan notes.

“Then use me as the bait,” I tell them. “We’ll pretend that I don’t know the extent of my powers, that’s how you were able to capture me alone. They won’t believe that you managed to take both Denali and Calian down together.”

“How were they able to do it the first time?” Chogan asks, confused.

“We were teenagers, we didn’t know the extent of our powers yet,” Denali says defensively.

“I don’t like using our mate as bait,” Calian protests.

“We don’t have any other ideas, this is all we have,” I argue.

Chogan nods in agreement. “And we need to act fast. King Inteus will hear that I’ve returned soon, he’ll want to know why I’m here.”

“Okay, let’s put this plan into motion.”

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“Deputy General Michonne to see His Majesty King Inteus,” Chogan states his rank and reason for being here again.

The two guards standing in front of the throne room doors eye him with interest. I’m stood behind him, my hands chained with silver, or rather zinc, which looks very much like silver. I can see the enchantment barrier on the doors, it moves like a murky haze, making the wooden carvings on them blurry.

“Reason for visit?” One of the guards asks.

“I have his daughter, Dyani Decoteau.”

Both of the guards look at each other. They lean around Chogan to look at me and check that he isn’t lying.

“Fuck,” one of them hisses. “Fine, go on in.”

They push the door open, and the barrier is temporarily broken. Chogan and I step inside without issue. Sian and my mates are going to try and break in after us, while we distract Inteus.

I keep my head lowered and subtly look around the room as Chogan leads me up to the throne. I make a mental note of any windows and exits. The room is incredibly boring apart from a couple of ornate pillars. There are ten guards stationed on either side of the room, standing fierce with guns.

Twenty guards, no problem.

“Your Majesty,” Chogan greets the king.

I can’t resist lifting my head and looking at him. I have no memories of my family; I have no idea what my biological father looks like and I’m curious to know the face of the man who tried to ruin my life.

He looks old. I know him to be in his fifties, but he appears much older, weathered by his own bitterness and cruelty. His hair is a shocking white and slicked back from his face with too much product. It is obvious that he is someone who frowns a lot, because there are deep-set lines on his face around his eyes and between his eyebrows. His lips, thin and pressed firmly together, form a pinched mouth.

His merciless brown eyes, like two bottomless pits, land on me and widen in surprise. He rises from his throne with a start.

“Dyani?” He murmurs.

Chogan stiffens in front of me. “I caught her outside the Icknesis compound, Your Majesty, when she and Denali Enger were breaking out Calian Montoya.”

“Why in God’s name did you bring her here?” The King booms, his face turning an unattractive shade of puce. “Do you not think her mates will come after her? She’s like a honey pot, you’re drawing Denali and Calian right to me!”

Behind us, the throne room doors shake. Inteus is too incensed to notice. I take comfort in the fact my mates are going to be in here any minute.

“My apologies, Your Majesty, that was not my intention. We managed to apprehend your daughter and I thought you would want to know.”

The King paces up and down in front of his throne.

“You should have called or sent a guard as messenger! There was no need to physically bring her here.” The King stops and glares at me. I feel nothing as our eyes meet. “She...she can’t be here,” he stutters, faltering upon meeting my eyes. “Get her out of here.”

All of sudden, the doors burst open behind me. I pull on the chains around my wrists and they snap easily, falling to my feet. I run over to my mates; they hold out their hands for me. I grab hold of them and immediately close my eyes, forming a circle with them. It takes only seconds to build our magic between us.

I can hear Chogan and Sian taking out the guards around us. A few bullets are fired our way, but they bounce off our magic like they’ve hit a solid wall, they mushroom and fall safely to the floor. Together, we send a pulse of energy radiating outwards, it knocks the guards off their feet, giving Sian and her mate the opportunity to knock them out and remove their guns.

We drop hands, breaking the bond. In unison, we turn around to face the King, who stands pale and silently quaking in front of his throne. Sian and Chogan flank him from behind, leaving nowhere for him to run as we approach.

“Mages! Mages! Where are you?!” He yells.

“There is no point calling for your mages, Your Majesty,” Chogan spits. “They are not stupid enough to go against four celestials.”

“You can’t kill me!” He shouts desperately as we close in on him. “Dyani, I’m your father, you can’t kill me!”

I stop in front of him, sending daggers to the man who claims to be my father. The man who used my mother’s dying breath to steal my memories. The man who has kept my soulmates locked up for ten years.

“You are not my father.”

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