Nectar of War: The Song of Verity and Serenity (The Nectar of War Series Book 1)

AMIAS HERACLES TORANDI

I seize falling to the floor as a searing pain shoots through my shoulder and down the entire right half of my body. I try to speak, but it feels as if my throat is closing with each breath I take. Then the pain moves, it navigates from the right half of my body and to the left, taking over my entire body. I try to grab something, bang anything, but I cannot. There is no purpose in moving a muscle; no matter how hard I try, the numbing sting will not allow it.

“Amias, Laven! What is happening?” Roaner bellows across the bond.

I cannot respond even if I try my hardest.

The door to my chamber bursts open. “Amias!” Hua shouts. “Amias, wake up!” She holds on to my shoulder, shaking me. Her knee barely grazes my skin, and I hiss in pain at the slight touch.

Hua’s hands find my face. “Are you hurt? You must wake up, look at me.”

The moment I open my eyes, I am begging for air to enter my chest as I desperately need a deep intake of breath. I look down at my arm as I gain back the strength within the right side of my body, and then the left. The pain is disappearing, and as it leaves, sweat begins to bead down my chest and neck.

“What happened?” Hua panics while looking over me, touching, exploring for a wound.

Sitting up, I look down at my hands—slowly opening and closing them.

“By the Gods, Amias, do not ever do that again.” She shakes her head, gripping onto the long strands of my hair. Her forehead presses to my own as I still try to understand what has happened. “Are you hurt?”

“I do not know . . .” I touch my shoulder and leg, grateful to perceive something other than agony.

“What the fuck just happened? Laven! Amias!” Morano is now screaming for answers.

Whatever I felt, they must have felt it too.

“I do not know.” I simply respond because that is the only answer I can form.

“Why is Laven not responding?” Roaner stresses.

There are loud drums from afar. Hua and I lift our heads at the sound. It gradually grows in capacity, rumbling through the night, and echoing off the walls. The beat does not signify danger.

I rush to the window seeing the ship from afar; the horns bellow out, moving across the sea and toward land.

“No,” I shake my head. “Hua, it is not me that is hurt.”

I dress at a speed quicker than I have ever moved.

Hua shadows my frantic path. “Then what was that?”

“That ship,” I nod to the windows as I tie my trousers. “That is the ship Laven left on. Something is not right.”

She grabs my arm, and I turn to her. “What you felt,” she nods.

“Whatever happened to him, I went through it too. So did Roaner and Morano.”

Her head shakes as she endeavors to understand. “How?”

“I do not understand yet, come.” I nod my head forward for her to follow me. “There is a possibility that it is linked through the bond, but I cannot be too sure yet.”

“Amias, if you do not tell me what the fuck is going on, I swear to the Gods I will–”

I quickly interrupt Morano. “It is Laven. He is hurt; I will let you know what is happening after I see he is fine.”

The bond goes quiet.

We have not felt uneasiness like this since the day Laven was taken from us for prison.

The moment we are outside, I see them lowering a boat to get across the sea quicker.

“My Lord, may I help?” I turn to the servant; it is Maivena’s father, Naius.

“Yes,” I nod. “Please,” I urge him quicker.

He kneels before the sand; his hands glow in a bright misty blue before disappearing beneath. His eyes close as he whispers low words of Old Voschantai tongue that I do not know. This language is much before my time of birth, even before Naius, who is centuries old.

My eyes widen as I watch the water turn to stone. It spreads from the beginning of the sand to the ship, creating a long path sturdy enough for them to cross over. Blue, thin spheres begin to spin beneath his palms before skipping over the water. The further they move, I notice the water still wholly, stopping the ship from swaying as the guards try to recede with Laven strapped to a cot.

The men far out in the sea stare down at the stone path, only frustrating me with their hesitance.

“They will have to rush,” Naius calmly announces. “I will not be able to hold this for long. Poseidon is not fond of it when I do this. I do wish for my sleep this evening.”

“Come, Alexanti! There is no time to yield!” I yell over the water and above the drums.

“Papa!” I rotate to the distant voice approaching, it is Maivena rushing to her father. Naius is still kneeling, his hands have returned to the sand, holding the path as the men run across. “What are you forcing him do?” She snaps, her glare blazes in my direction.

Something in her eyes flicker as she stares through me, and both Hua and I step away not knowing what she can do.

“It is fine, my girl. I proposed my aid.” He tries to calm her.

“Maivena, I would never force your father to do something he did not request to.” I speak in an attempt to diffuse the mounting situation. “He is only helping get the men across, and we are done from there, I promise.”

Her eyes are still ablaze, and Hua quickly speaks. “It’s Laven; he is hurt.”

Maivena looks to the men who stop next to me, carrying Laven on the cot he is strapped to. As I look him over, blood has seeped through his thickly bandaged right shoulder. His black and silver-streaked hair is soaked in sweat, and his once brown skin is paling . . . and fast.

“What happened to him?” I walk toward the palace, and the carriers urgently pursue behind me.

“There was a rouge aboard our ship. It was hiding; Laven walked in unaware just hours ago. The rogue clawed him before–”

“Wait,” Maivena runs over. “You will not want to keep him strapped to the cot, it–” her words are cut off as a guard swiftly backhands her cheek. As I reach out, her father appears behind her from ascension. He catches Maivena’s head before she hits the sharp rock just below. Her gentle, frail body collides with the ground, and blood begins to form on her lip at the contusion.

She gives a weak smile to her father, his anger is rising within; quickly, she shakes her head, not wanting this to transpire any further.

Maivena sits up, hiding her face. I gust over to her, tearing cloth from my undershirt to rid the blood from her face. “I am all right,” tears threaten to rain from her eyes as she chokes out her words. Her father wraps his arms around her tightly; that is about the only thing he is allowed to do. He cannot lay a hand upon the guard, not ever. But I will let him it if he tries.

“You do not speak over us.” The guard’s finger points at Maivena. Her father is shaking, threatening to phase into his Wolf that I know could be lethal after seeing the magic this man possesses.

“So help me God, Amias. If you do not kill him this instant!” The mind link between Laven and I loudly erupts.

Laven begins to yank viciously in the cot holding him down, he may be weak, but I have no second thought that this man will rip through the straps. The men struggle to hold him, and in their endeavor to calm him, they only make the situation worse. “Alexanti,” Laven looks up at him, raging. “Touch me once more and I shall kill you the moment I am released from these fucking fastenings.”

None of the men touch him again as he continues to thrash about.

One band pops, and I stand here; hoping he escapes to get his hands on this man.

Before Laven can fully tear loose, Hua’s hand is already around the guard’s neck. He gasps for air as she pushes forth the strength of her Wolf. Her hand tightens, and I wince, hearing a tendon snap in his neck—the sharply pointed length of her claws break through his skin.

“Let me make this very explicit,” she wrenches his face, which is turning dark red, down to her own. Her Wolf’s dark purple eyes stare deeply into his own. “I will drag your body into the sea and hold you there until you drown, lay your hand upon her again, and I will have your limbs torn off by the Water Dragons!” I jump as she throws him, and his spine collides with a nearby tree.

Her head turns in the direction of the other guards, and they flinch. “That message goes for the rest of you.” They nod simultaneously, having no choice but to agree with what she has said.

“No, he does not get the alternative to live. Drown him in that fucking water for all I care.”

I try to push out Laven’s thoughts and focus on Maivena but he is loud in his demands.

“Maivena, what were you saying?” I ask, wiping the blood from her chin.

“No,” her father interjects. “I am sorry, I cannot allow her to help if this is how she is treated when she speaks.”

Maivena tries to put in a word, but her father’s fear is evident. “No, Maivena. I will not allow it.”

I look to Hua for help, and she shakes her head.

“Respect his wishes.” Her voice is low as she speaks through our bond.

With a glare, I watch the guard who is still struggling to get up from his crash with the tree.

“You just could not keep your mouth shut and your hands to yourself.” He flails beneath my shoe as I press into his neck. “If he dies, you die. And may the Gods help you when he tracks you down.”

“Come!” I shout to the men as I storm to the palace. Hua stays back to walk Maivena and her father to the servant grounds.

I reach my hand out to the cot, ascending us from the shore and to Laven’s chamber.

*  *  *

Carefully, we transfer him from the cot and to his bed. He is panting heavily, tugging at the cloth wrapped over his shoulder that is covered in blood. I can smell the healing herbs mixing with the copper scent of his blood; the more he tugs, the stronger the smell becomes.

“Stop before you make it worse!” I grab his hand, and his claws grow. His left arm swings up, attempting to death grip my neck in his forearm.

The men rush over, pinning down his only strong arm as the one that is bitten lays limp.

“Laven!” I grip him by his neck. “I swear, if you try to kill me, it will be the last time you ever try.” His eyes begin to fade in and out from heterochrome hazel and blue to silver. “This is not you; it is the disease. We are getting help.”

Quickly, I see it. I see his death in my arms and my jaw tightens as I swallow that hard lump growing in my throat.

There is no help.

There is only waiting for the disease to fully overcome him and his soul is taken away by Hermes after his death.

I turn to the door as I hear Hua approaching; Maivena walks in after with a large wooden box in her hands.

“I would like to help. If I am allowed.” A bruise has grown on her face, I reach to heal her before Laven can see, but Hua’s voice quickly flows through my mind. “Do not. If you or any man in this room reaches to touch her or interact, I am afraid it will scare her off.”

I nod and move back to where I was previously standing.

“What about your father?” I ask.

Maivena still smiles given her previous encounter. “I will speak with my father; he will be fine.”

She looks over Laven’s face, and his eyes are already fixated on her. I step forward, knowing he is not exactly in the right mind; his Wolf could become fatal. He could live with himself if he hurt me because I can hold him off, but not this fragile woman. His woman.

“I thought you would never come.” I say to Maivena.

There is a gentle shrug she gives as a piece of her response. “Laven is kind to me, the least I could do is try.” Maivena looks at the long claw marks in his chest and she drifts to his right shoulder that is deeply bitten.

She opens the wooden box, pulling out a small glass concealed with a cork. There is an oil in the glass that she pours into a tiny bowl; she places droplets of some form of water in the bowl before swirling everything inside it.

“What is that?” A guard asks, and I have the ever-growing urge to smack him.

Maivena’s bright green eyes lift, looking directly at him. “Poppy, jasmine, and willow oil.”

“And that?” He asks, his eyebrows furrowed at the glowing, blue bits she puts into the mixture. It is spun together until it is dissolved, the oil and water begin to sparkle in the bowl.

“Moss, from the Tree of Gods.” She calmly responds.

“What will this do?” Hua asks.

“The poppy, jasmine, and willow will put him to sleep.” Maivena answers. “The moss will heal him.”

There are legends about that tree, not only legends—many if not all stories have been proven to be accurate that the Tree of Gods has healing capabilities like no other.

It is sacred to Old Quamfasi and guarded by them every moment of the day.

Maivena hovers above Laven; he intakes a sharp breath at her gentle hand lifting his neck.

“I am sorry, I must help you lift your head.” Her voice is gentle as she speaks.

Trust me; it is not the pain he is feeling. I stifle my laugh.

Then it occurs to me . . . this is the first time she has ever touched him.

She is holding a petal from a poppy flower above him; her finger probes his mouth open as she places the petal beneath his tongue.

The laugh I am holding almost erupts at how he quietly groans at her touch. Hua smacks my arm, and I clear my throat.

“What is funny about this?” She asks.

Then, I remember, I have not told her what we now know. “I will explain later.”

“Why is he allowing her near him so simply?” A guard retorts.

Laven’s only functioning hand softly grabs Maivena’s hand that contains the mixture she is trying to give him. His eyes cut at the man, and he deeply growls at him.

Even in this state, he knows her.

“Shh,” Maivena quiets Laven.

She helps him to drink the concoction, and it is only seconds before he is fading away.

The men move from the bed as Laven sleeps, and Maivena begins to clean his wounds. Her shoulders rest when I dismiss the guards, and I question just how much damage they have inflicted on our servants.

I sit down in a chair near the bed. “Would you mind telling me exactly what the Tree of Gods’ moss can do?”

“No, I do not mind,” she shakes her head as she continues to clean the gash across his chest and shoulder. “What do you want to know?”

“Why not topically put it on his wounds? Why have him drink it?”

Maivena finishes wiping away the excess blood on his skin and around his wounds.

“You can do both; with the extent of his injuries, I made sure to have him consume it and receive it topically. It will move through his bloodstream, cleansing it before the infection can spread any further. A rouge bite deeply affects the mind; the moss will cleanse his soul. After I finish cleaning his wound, I will topically apply it, I would have threaded his lesions, but he is already healing on his own—at a languid pace. The moss will get into the abrasion and discharge the infection. So this wound will need to be cleansed frequently.”

Hua steps closer. “Will he be fine tomorrow? He is not going to die, is he?”

Maivena pushes the glowing moss into his lacerations. It is almost as if it is alive; specks of light flicker through the blue moss like stars.

I lean in closer, staring unbelievably at the particles of this sacred tree.

“Watch it,” Hua teases, “it may poke your eye out.”

Smirking, I look back at her as she also stares in amazement.

“No, Laven will live. He will need to rest the next seven days, as much as possible. He will be weak for quite some time, and his connection with his Wolf will need to be strengthened. Someone must watch over him in the nights to come to be sure he is healing and not fussing with the bandaging. Half of his body is completely weakened; that will also take time for strength to rebuild.”

Hua smiles. “You seem to be the only one capable out of us three.”

Maivena is hesitant to respond. As she looks down at a sleeping Laven again, she nods.

“The connected chamber is for times as this,” I begin. “You can stay in the chamber through that door, since it is the closest you can reach him. But, for now, I believe it best we stay here through the night. I will be down the hall in his study, as it seems I will be taking over more for the next week.”

Hua stays with Maivena in the large chamber, urging her to sit by the fire and warm her thin frame.

Laven will argue with me over this decision, but it is indeed what is best. Maivena has healed him like no other I have seen, better than our doctors. She will continue to help him, treat him, and care for him as he needs for the next seven days. Either he agrees or not.

She may also be the cure to this disease that we have been looking for.