Empire's Son: An Epic Science Fiction Novel Series

"As you know, we administer the bond that connects a Protector to his charge. Everyone believes the reason for this is to create a link so that the Protector can always sense his charge at all times. If there is an emotional spike of concern, the Protector can react immediately to go to their charge's aid. If the charge becomes lost or taken against their will, the Protector can home in on the charge's location and mount a swift rescue."

"Yes, of course," Rainus said. "Everyone understands the importance of the bond and why Protectors are preferable to just a bodyguard."

"But there's more to it than that," Shiperii continued. "As I think, you probably have already suspected. You're not a stupid man, Majesty, and you've had your fair share of Protectors over the years. They do what they can to hide their extra abilities, but sometimes situations make that impossible."

Rainus grunted. Yes. He had had his suspicions for years now about the extra capabilities of his Protectors. That they seemed to heal faster than normal, or managed extraordinary feats of strength that even an Endurance Dome-ni could not explain. But he'd only caught a few glimpses over the years, and most of the time, he'd been in mortal peril and had written his observations off as just being under too much stress and not understanding the situation correctly. In the end, Rainus decided it didn't matter if his Protectors were keeping secrets about their abilities from him since they always kept him alive and well.

"Yes, and I've heard rumblings about it from others, but it's hard to talk about the Protectors when they are nearly always in earshot, but then I suppose that's one of the things you rely on to keep the secret."

The Director gave a grim smile. "And the fact that when they use their abilities most of the time, it's in extreme situations of stress. Most charges and those in the situation are too distracted to see what's really happening. And most of those making a move against Protectors don't usually live to tell the tale. And others just assume the Protector has a Dome-ni that explains their enhancement."

Realization settled over Rainus as he recalled several incidents where he'd seen something quite curious indeed. "But they have every physical enhancement, don't they, even the ability to heal rapidly without a Remaker?"

Shiperii nodded. "Indeed."

Rainus digested this information and immediately understood the benefit and the reason behind the secrecy. Protectors didn't just have their own Dome-ni ability to rely on––whatever that might be––but all the physical abilities of agility and endurance, making them more flexible, faster, stronger, and able to physically endure more than many other Ethians. And it seemed they also could heal quickly without the use of a Remaker.

"Do they show any other enhanced Dome-ni's other than the physical?" Rainus asked before Shiperii could continue. He figured if they were being open about this, he'd get as much information as he could.

"It depends," the Director answered. "Some manifest an ability for quicker thinking and logical skills than they had before the bond, but nothing that would register as an actual Dome-ni level talent. They tend to manifest a higher mastery of their original Dome-ni, but not always. The consistent change is always in the physical and the healing ability. It is why it's worth the risks for some to take on such a bond, and how our Protectors have been so successful at protecting their charges over the centuries."

"Yes, I could certainly see the appeal. There are many people in the Empire who would love access to that kind of power. There are those frustrated at the limitations of what they were born with."

"And that's why we have need of secrecy. We have limited access to the bonding agent, and there are risks to a Protector during the bonding process, and especially in the severing, it is a concern for caution and informed consent."

Ranius's mind whirled with the new information. It was nice to have his suspicions confirmed, though this was a little more than even he had thought. Rainus then remembered his son's words from before. "And somehow Adar has that bond too, the kind of bond the Protector would have instead of just being a regular charge. Is that this double bond you were referring to?"

Markus nodded. "Yes."

Fear surged through Rainus. The risks were something he knew well. Every charge was informed of the possible failure of a bond and what that might mean to the charge and his Protector. Always, the risk was far heavier with the Protector side of the bond. It was part of the accepted deal made between Protector and charge.

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Thankfully, Rainus had never had any issues with that in any of his bondings, but he'd heard horror stories from those who had. Just this past year, Prince Hevion had taken on his second Protector, who had died within minutes of being bonded, and the Prince had suffered weeks of illness that had him laid up for nearly a month. And now Adar had somehow taken on the Protector's side of the bond?

"How significant is the risk to Adar with this double bond? It took, didn't it? Markus seems fine enough," Rainus said as he sized up his son's appearance, and indeed, Markus hadn't been this hale in a long time.

Shiperii's face darkened. "There's still a risk of bond rejection. There always is the first five days, but I just received a health analysis from the Caretaker who gave the Heir a full medical scan, and so far there seems to be every sign the bond has taken without ill effect."

Rainus blew out a sigh of relief. "Well, that's good, at least. What's this business about Markus's death affecting Adar?"

"If one of the double bonded dies, then so does the other. It defeats the entire purpose of what we do here, and why we have a rule against it, even though it was how we originally started the bonding process in the Protectorate's inception nearly a millennium ago. Through trial and error, we realized that a single bond was much safer for the charge.

"And before you ask, Majesty. Once in place, a double bond is impossible to sever without killing both parties. So now, unfortunately, we are left with the task of not only making sure the Heir gets protection, but his new Protector as well." Shiperii shot Markus a withering look.

His son stood there like a stone wall, seemingly impervious to the glares he was receiving from both the Director and Commander.

"I won't apologize for saving his life," was his son's reply. "And I can take care of him myself. I'm also a free agent. You're the one who kicked me out of the Protectorate, remember?" Markus shot at the Director.

"Yes, Nador. I am aware of how good you are. I signed off on your graduate exams after all," Shiperii replied in a cutting tone. "But it's not just you anymore. The Heir is now a part of the equation, and considering all the trouble he's already had and now the vulnerability through the double bond, I would be remiss in my duty if I did not take steps for extra protection beyond a single compromised Protector.

"And yes, I did kick you out of the College for exactly this kind of renegade behavior. But there is no way I am allowing a double-bonded pair to run around the Empire without being under the direct supervision of this College. Your bond came about from our bonding agent, so whether or not any of us like it, you are now back to being a full member of the Protectorate.

"Which means we have to retract or cover up your recent expulsion and figure out how to explain your sudden bonding to the Heir without raising suspicions that will expose the fact that you and the Heir now share a double bond." The Director let out a frustrated sound as he sat back in his chair.

"This is a disaster. Along with a long string of disasters, this whole week has been, and don't get me started on the shield dome being down and the yavit storm blasting the College. And what exactly are we supposed to do with Prince Zorren?"

"Where is he now?" Rainus asked.

"We decided to put him into a forced coma." Dexter was the one to reply. "He received injuries while underground, and even though they aren't an immediate threat to his life, they are serious and require Remaker treatment as soon as we can get him to the Repository. But that's not going to happen until the storm dies down. We figured he would be combative if he were to wake, so the reason for the forced comma."

Rainus nodded. "That was the right thing to do, Commander. We have enough problems to worry about right now. But as soon as it clears up enough, Prince Zorren needs to be transported to the chalet with a dedicated Caretaker and Remaker, and a full assault team to keep an eye on him. I will speak with the Emperor and see what he wants to do from there."

Both Shiperii and Dexter looked relieved at having Rainus taking charge of what was to be done with Prince Zorren.

"And where is Captain Hame?" Rainus asked.

"He's dead, or at least we think it's him." Markus said. "There's a body in an MX4 suite down in the caverns with a bashed-in head. We didn't stick around to check his identity chip, but I'm sure Dexter will send down a retrieval team when things calm down to confirm it."

Rainus felt surprise rush through him. "Surely, Adar didn't do that?"

"No, we are pretty sure it was Zorren," Markus said.

"I thought they were supposed to be on the same side?"

Markus shrugged. "All I know is what Adar told me. That a man in a full armored suit came into the cavern he and Zorren were fighting in and started shooting at Zorren, not him, so Adar took the chance to get away. Surprisingly, if it weren't for Hame, Zorren probably would have killed Adar before we could get down there––for whatever that's worth."

Rainus raised an eyebrow at that. "Well, that's an interesting twist I didn't see coming. I'm glad Hame did the right thing, regardless of his reasoning."

"Zorren probably screwed him over somehow, and he was getting revenge." Markus muttered to himself more than to the room in general.

Rainus turned back to Shiperii. "It sounds like you three need to figure out the finer details of my son's new responsibilities. I'd like to go and speak with Adar. Where may I find him?"

"He's in the main conference room down the hall. Jamiss can show you," Dexter said.