Empire's Son: An Epic Science Fiction Novel Series

Excerpt From the Chronicles of Emperor Adar Zahn Tavereus Volume 1 From the Early Years to Ascension Chapter 10 The Second Bond

Earth Addition and Translation © 2278

I had been four months old when I was bonded to Aragon Remeer. Apparently, bonding to such a young charge was rarely done, but because of the then vengeful Empress Hetti and her desire to eliminate her husband's indiscretion, Rainus had convinced the Protectorate Directors of the need for me to have a Protector sooner rather than later. And so King Rainus had willingly given over his bond with Aragon, because a transferred bond was far likelier to take and stabilize with such a young charge than a brand new one.

Now, at twenty-five years of age, I was taking on a second bond, not because I truly wanted to, but from necessity. Yet, from out of this necessity, I received a gift—another person I could rely on to support me and steer me clear of the reckless errors that had endangered my life since returning to Ethia. I had been blessed, not once, but twice with blood blonds that would profoundly transform and enhance my life.

Darkness pressed me from every direction. I stood in a dark void, but the heaviness of it felt suffocating, like it might crush me at any moment. Panic gripped me. I heard a noise behind and whirled around to find an open doorway there. It radiated a white light, and I was pulled toward it as if I were attached to a lifeline that would pull me free from the crushing darkness.

I fell more than stepped through the door, and the sight that greeted me shocked me into stillness. A wave of emotions washed through me as I took in the familiar surroundings.

It was my mom and dad's kitchen from Earth, complete with dark wood cabinets and fern green granite countertops. All the stainless steel appliances stood like quiet sentries at their posts. The dark wood table in the breakfast nook to the right sat alone and bare except for a bouquet of red tulips from my mother's garden in the center. And, of course, the well-used island with three barstools set on my side of the kitchen with the one on the far right out, just a little from the others. It was the one I always use, and its position was like a silent invitation to sit. But I did not, because all I could do was stare.

It was like stepping back in time. A time I had purposely pushed away because it had been too painful to think about. It was from my old life. The one where I had another name, a regular job, and friends and family who loved and cared about me. The one I had given up on coming to Ethia and to save the man who had raised me. I had walked away willingly, but the wound of it was still so fresh, and standing here in this place made it all gush up to the surface, and it was like a wild animal was trying to claw its way out of my chest.

I felt a hand rest on my shoulder to calm me, and then a soothing woman's voice spoke from my side. "I am sorry. I picked this place because you had many warm feelings attached to it. I did not realize it would affect you so much . Should I change it?"

A feeling of warmth radiated out from the place the woman touched me on my shoulder. It quickly rushed through my body to push the raging emotions inside me to the background, and instead, the glowing warmth of how I normally felt when in the kitchen before the truth of my origins had been revealed settled into my chest.

"No, I'm better now. I want to stay here." My voice almost cracked at the last words, but I just kept my tone normal.

The woman smiled. "Then sit. We have much to discuss."

Again, I could not move. This time, I was mesmerized by the woman standing next to me. She was so beautiful it was difficult to take my gaze from her, but to put words on how to describe her was almost beyond my ability.

She was neither tall nor short. She was the perfect height for the woman's slender stature, and there was a knowing that nothing was out of her reach and there wasn't anything she could not stoop to pick up on her own. Her glorious mane of hair that fell down around her shoulders was like a character unto itself, as in one moment, it appeared a blazing red, and with the slightest movement of her head, it would change to a lush, dark brown. I blinked, and then it was a glorious golden hue.

Her eyes were like warm honey, and they were the thing I could not look away from. It was like I was stuck in their warm, entrancing embrace. I could not move. I could not breathe. I could not think.

And then I blinked again, and she was across the room from me. She was standing at the double sink washing a large green tubular thing that looked like it might be a vegetable of some kind. I sat on my stool with my elbows propped up on the island as I watched her intently, though I did not remember putting myself there. Dishes were suddenly laid out around me with foods from Earth I'd been craving ever since my unexpected departure. The smell was intoxicating. My eyes fell on a plate with a cheeseburger and fries that I knew had not been there a few seconds before.

"What is this? Where are we? And who are you?" I gushed out all at once.

A laugh that sounded more like singing came from the woman still washing the vegetables. "You have a lot of questions for a man who should gorge himself on all the things he's been missing."

I looked at the back of the woman as she set aside the green tubular item and reached for another to wash that one, too.

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"This must be a dream. I'm dreaming, aren't I?"

"Hmm… your kind would think of it as dreaming, but I assure you this is real."

"We are really in my parents' kitchen?" I asked as I looked around in wonder.

"The place you refer to is in another time and place. This I recreated from your mind. So it is very much like the place you are familiar with, but it is not the actual place, no."

I felt immediate disappointment. A moment ago, I had the hope that maybe if I stayed here long enough that my mother or Emmaline might walk in, and I could see them once more. But this was not my home.

"Do not despair," the woman said. "You will see your family again, though it will not be for sometime yet."

I perked up at that statement. "I will go back to Earth? Can you see the future?"

"I can see strands of time, but only sometimes. I cannot see everything. Much is still dark for me, but with you, the strands are more defined than most. I can read quite a bit, but it's not wise to know too much of what will come, so that is all I can say."

I considered trying to change her mind. If she could see my future so well, then maybe she could tell me how things go for me in Ethia. How much more trouble would my brothers be for me? Would I really become the next Emperor? And when exactly would I go back to Earth?

I realized, though, that she had told me the most important information of all. I would go back to Earth. I would see my family there again. And that felt like I'd been given the most precious gift of all. So I kept my questions to myself as I basked in the thought that my return to Earth wasn't just some distant possibility; it would really happen. Some day.

I blinked as another realization came to me––I believed her completely. I knew what she said was true and trusted her as if she were a long-lost friend. And yet, I did not even know her name, or why she was here.

"My name is Razivi," the woman replied in answer to my unspoken question. Was she reading my mind?

Yes. I am. I heard her voice inside my head.

How? I asked her back.

I heard the woman at the kitchen sink chuckle. "So many questions. You are a curious one, aren't you?"

"You didn't answer my second question," I spoke out loud as I eyed the cheeseburger. My mouth watered as the aroma of charbroiled meat and melted cheese washed over me.

"Go on. Take a bite. I know you want to." The woman had turned around, and she now stood on the other side of the island, looking at me with laughter in her eyes.

I reached out for the toasted sesame bun. It was just the way I liked it. But stopped and gave the woman a suspicious look. "I'm not going to die from poisoning or turn into something weird if I eat that?"

The woman threw back her head and cackled like a madwoman. It took a long time before she could settle down, and even then she was wiping tears from the corner of her eyes.

"You are suspicious too, even though you already know the answer."

I opened my mouth to say I did not know the answer, but was surprised that, in fact, I did. It had been there the whole time, but I hadn't allowed myself to acknowledge it. I gave the woman a startled look and then turned my attention back to the burger. I reached down to scoop it up, took a moment to savor the smell one more time, and then took a big bite.

Glorious.

Absolutely glorious.

I'm not sure how long I sat there just being in that moment, but it was pure bliss as I let the flavors of the well-done charbroiled burger, tomato, lettuce, pickle, ketchup, and bun meld across my taste buds exactly the way I remembered.

God, I missed this.

"It tastes like the real thing," I managed right before I went for another large bite.

The woman grinned. "It is the real thing, or real enough. I'm glad you are enjoying it. There are so many of your kind who don't embrace the small moments or allow themselves true enjoyment at the moment. It is usually when the time has passed or when something has become lost that they wish for what once was and yearn for it to come again."

My heart felt sad at the truth of her words. They were an echo of the thoughts I'd been having since I'd left Earth. So much I had taken for granted. So much that I hadn't appreciated at the moment. It was agony just thinking about it.

"I do not say this thing to upset you. Just to show you. Sometimes just putting something into words gives us freedom from its cage."

I nodded, not sure what to say or do next. Part of me wanted to finish the burger, and part of me wanted to have a good cry.

"Finish while I answer your second question," the woman said as she lightly laid a hand on top of mine. Again, I felt the strong emotions I was having recede as the warmth came to the forefront. It reminded me a lot of how I felt when I was around Tessa.

"Do you have a Dome-ni? Is that why I keep feeling my emotions change?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Not like you think. I am simply bringing forth your own Dome-ni, and using it to help you access better feeling emotions."

I blinked at her in surprise. A whole new set of questions rose in my mind at that statement. But the woman waved a hand. "You have too many questions and not enough time. Some will just have to go unanswered. Now, back to the one you asked… Why am I here?"

She sat for a moment, as if gathering her thoughts. I took the opportunity to take another bite of my burger. I was surprised to see it tasted just as good as the first bite, and I allowed myself to enjoy a third, fourth and fifth bite as I waited for her to speak again.

"There is no good way to say this, so I will just have to be blunt about it. You are dying. In fact, you are only a few breaths from death. I have taken you out of the time-slip and put you here in this in-between place, so we could speak."

"How?" But I knew the truth. The memory of what had happened filled me. The fight with Zorren. The knife in my side. The agonizing pain as I stumbled into the darkened cave to get away from my mad brother. The moment when I couldn't go any longer and stopped to rest. But I wasn't resting. I was dying. I would be dead very soon. But then I looked up as a thought crossed my mind. "But you said I would go back to Earth and see my family there again. How can I do that if I die?"

The woman shrugged. "That is a true timeline for you if you do not die. But I see a timeline where you die as well."

I immediately latched onto the question I knew she was waiting for me to ask next. "Then how do I live and not die?"

The woman gave me an intense look. "Are you sure you want to live? You have a lot of conflict within you. I see it clearly. A large part of you died when you left that planet you call Earth. That part wishes for a true death. It is calling out to the universe, asking for release."

I looked at her in horror. Was that true? And as soon as I asked it, I knew it was. There was a part of me that just wanted to die. It would be easier than to be where I was. It would be easier than carrying the pain of losing all those I loved. I sat there for a long moment pondering my fate, and I was surprised as I looked deep inside that even though the pain was as strong as ever, I did not want to leave this mortal world––not yet.

"I want to live," I whispered.

The woman smiled, and her honey-warm eyes twinkled with delight. "Then let's begin, shall we?"