Forsaken (Fated Saga Fantasy Series Book 8) (3 page)

“Twenty-four hours, Jae,” she stated coarsely. “To tell me
everything
I want to know. Or you will suffer my wrath. Fully. And unconditionally.” She spun around and disappeared inside.

Jae sank to the floor, his mind spinning out of control.

What the hell just happened?

And what the hell had Amelia Cobb done to Juliska Blackwell? She’d called her a murderer…

All he knew of Amelia is that she was the leader of the banished and Juliska had kicked them out because she and her followers were about to start a war. At one point, the Svoda had believed she and her followers might be responsible for the Scratchers… obviously, this was not the case.

Whatever this was, it
was nothing to do with that conflict.
This
was personal.

And Amelia was dead, so Juliska would not have her revenge and others would pay for that now. Most likely his family. He had just one single day before he became a murderer.

Either he gave up the banished camp and everything else Juliska wanted to know, effectively signing all their deaths, or he refused her and she ordered him to tell her anyway, before forcing him to kill his family… starting with his sister.

One. Single. Day.

He wished his life had not been spared.

He wished Amelia had never taken him.

He did not deserve to live, and now, this time tomorrow, either his friends or his family would pay the price.

#

Juliska burst into her private quarters. Enraged. Ready to demand answers.

She unlocked the life-sized trunk at the back edge of her wall, opened it, and stepped inside. Her room of candles.

She needed to speak with Fazendiin. Right now.

He
would
answer her questions. Right now.

Amelia was to be hers.

They had agreed upon this. Amelia and her fellow butchers deserved proper punishment for their crime. So why had he allowed Colby to kill her? And why had she not been informed of Amelia’s demise?

Juliska lifted her hand to spark the wick to life, but her hand shook and she let it fall to her lap. She hadn’t gone through everything she’d gone through to see Amelia Cobb, or anyone else responsible, not pay the price for what they’d done. They needed to suffer for what they took from her. And they had not suffered nearly as much as they deserved.

She lifted her hand and lit the candle. The wick caught and burst into flame.

Her breath caught, a shadow catching her eye, but it was not from inside the flame.

Her penetrating gaze swept across the dimly lit room.

“Who’s there?”

No one replied. No one showed themselves. But she swore she’d seen something moving.

This was impossible though. She’d recently enhanced the magical protections around this room to keep everyone out, but her.

Her glare slipped back down to the flame.

A wisp of hazy white flew by her. 

“Who’s there? Show yourself at once!”

He did.

Her reply froze in her throat; wild eyes looking his ghostly figure up and down.

“Wh-what is this?” she finally stammered out. “You’re dead.”

“Yes. I am.”

She took a fleeting glance at the flame in front of her. This was not a vision. This ghost was real… and the last face she wanted to look at right now. 

“Why are you here?” she demanded unkindly. “Come to gloat that I didn’t get my revenge on Amelia? Wanted to rub some salt in my wounds?”

“Wounds that should never have been created,” he replied.

“Screw you. How dare you show yourself to me, alive or dead?”

“Because it is time.”

“Time for what? To remind me what a lying, cheating coward you were.
I curse the day I met you Colin Edward Gillivray.
”

The ghostly spirit hovered, his gaze saddened, but determined.

“I know you do, but I will always love you, Juliska. For all your faults. For all your imperfections. For all your sins.
Even beyond my end.
”

She wore a callous, icy stare. “Still protesting your innocence?”

He smiled weakly. “Think of me what you will. Although I will always love you, my purpose today is not for you. But if I can save you…” he stopped, with a ghostly shake of his head. “After today, everything changes. After today, all will know
why.
And after today they will know how to stop you.”

“Things change when I want them to,” she spat out angrily. “They…
all of you
will pay for what you’ve done.”

He ignored her venomous warning. “You’ve been cheated out the life you deserved. Not by me. But you chose your path, and what to believe. You will have to deal with the pain, Juliska. And the consequences of your choices. Your actions after this moment decide your fate. All I can do is show you the truth.
You
must choose to believe it.”

The flame pulled Juliska Blackwell’s mind into a vision.

Her first true vision in years and one she would not soon forget.

CHAPTER THREE

“Banon Havelock asked to see me.” Juliska Blackwell bowed her head just slightly in greeting to the Banon’s assistant. Pantin Rowley, a wiry young man who nodded expectantly in return.

“Have a seat, he’s in a meeting and will be done shortly.”

Just minutes later the door opened and Viancourt member Tanzea Chase stepped out. Juliska jumped up. “Vian Chase, hello.” She smiled respectfully in greeting.

Something about Tanzea always gave her pause. And it wasn’t the smell of mothballs which always seemed so permanently attached to her, but rather a feeling Juliska could not quite place. Tanzea was a cantankerous woman who believed in speaking her mind, but had been serving in the Viancourt for over five years and deserved the proper respect regardless of her outward smell or demeanor.

Demeanor she never directly aimed at Juliska herself… she was always cordial, but at the same time, it always felt like the woman was searching for something. Or waiting for something. Other than a prophecy- what almost anyone else wanted or expected- Juliska could not imagine what.

The woman surprised her today though, by stopping and speaking.

“Did you know we have something in common?” She spoke with a quiet confidence.

“How do you mean?”

Tanzea responded with something few ever saw. A smile.

“We were both lost ones. On my part, I was found and brought here many long years before you.”

Juliska let out a breath of surprise. “I did not know that.” Perhaps this answered her question of why this woman always looked at her so oddly. Maybe it was this thing they had in common.

Juliska expected her to explain more, but instead, she abruptly turned and left the building. Even the wiry Pantin Rowley didn’t know what to make of the woman and held back an amused grin.

“The Banon will see you now,” he informed Juliska.

“Thanks,” she muttered. She stepped into his office. It was large and yet cozy. Probably a necessity seeing how much time he spent here.

“Ah, Juliska. Perfect.” Banon Havelock grinned widely in greeting and motioned for her to come in and take a seat.

She walked by his desk and took a seat in a plush chair across from him at the fireplace. It was unlit, too warm a summer evening to need it.

“Thank you for coming so late, Juliska. I hate to bother you on your birthday.” He was an older, rotund fellow. And he’d always been very kind to her. She’d often heard whispers from others that she was considered his favorite… whatever that meant.

Technically, she was his employee. But she saw him more like a father figure, especially since hers had passed a year before.

“It’s not a problem at all,” she insisted lightheartedly. “My job doesn’t care what day of the year it is.”

“Twenty-five this year, correct?”

“Yes.”

“I do wish you a very happy birthday, Juliska. You’ll be visiting your family this evening I presume?”

“Yes, I will.”
Unfortunately…
she thought to herself.
Unless I can get out of it somehow.
Why can’t anyone need my services right this minute? An emergency that just can’t wait… never when I need it to. But any other time of day or night…

“Be sure to give your mother my regards. I haven’t visited since…” he stopped, wearing a sad expression on his face. “I’ll have to make the time. Soon.”

“You are the Banon. You’re a
little
busy, my mother will understand.”

“Always busy! But never too busy for friends, or anyone in my charge. Which is everyone.”

Juliska let out a sharp laugh. “Sorry,” she caught herself.

“No, you’re right. Some days it’s like having thousands of children who all need your attention at once.”

She laughed again and bit her lip to stop.

But instead, he joined her. “This is why I enjoy your company. You make me laugh. Older folks around here, they don’t like to hang around youth. Never understand why. You are our future after all… I think they’re all just jealous they can’t be young again.” He tossed her a wink.

She got her laughing under control.

“Where does the time go?” he lamented. “Look at you… seems like just yesterday we found and brought you back to the island. You were just a tiny little thing, only eleven years old. And here you sit before me, all grown up. Gifted. Beautiful. Tell me… any young men out there catching your fancy?”

“Um,” she cleared her throat, her cheeks heating up. “No. I’m quite focused right now though. I’m nearly done my apprenticeship with PanSofia.”

“Yes. And don’t think I haven’t been watching, as I have.
Closely.
”

She took on a worried expression.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean that in a bad way. Actually, quite the contrary.”

“Oh. Well, thank you.”

He winked and leaned back. “Right then. To the reason I stole you away on your birthday. Do you remember that venture I hinted about a few months back?”

She nodded.

“It is officially happening. And as I was beginning to suspect, your mentor, PanSofia, turned down my request for her to join.”

Juliska perked up. She had not been quite as suspect of her mentor turning down such an opportunity.

“She claims she’s too old for such a task.”

“PanSofia? Too old?” jested Juliska. “The woman might look as though she’s aging, but she’s more agile than a Catawitch. And she has no problem riding my…” she caught herself and shut up before sticking her foot in her mouth. “She’s a fine teacher.”

Banon Havelock laughed. Hard. “Oh you are funny, Juliska.”

She never meant to be, and no one else thought so.

“I hadn’t meant it to come out like that, it’s just, she may be in her seventies, but she gets around just fine.”

“Yes. She does, without a doubt. However, this task, though I fully expect it to be uneventful and not dangerous, does have the potential for… difficulty. She thought about it, very seriously. But made her final choice today. The problem is, for this task to proceed, I need a seer. A good one. And frankly, you’re the best. You are good at what you do. I’ve never seen anyone better.”

Juliska opened her mouth, but it took a moment for words to form. “You really think that?”

“Of course. That’s why you’re Second Seer… next in line to serve the Banon, whether that be me,” he hinted strongly, “or someone else after PanSofia decides to retire.”

Juliska had worked hard. Studied hard. And she’d been given the title of Second Seer months ago, but to actually hear the Banon say this overwhelmed her.

He leaned forward and tapped her knee, lovingly.

“I’ve always been very fond of you, Juliska. And you work harder than anyone I know. I don’t need a vision to tell me what kind of future lies ahead for you. I couldn’t be prouder if you were my own daughter.” He let go and leaned back wearing a wide grin.

“Thank you, Sir. That means a lot to me.”

“And if your father were here, I have no doubts he’d say the same.”

It was sad to think of him. Gone a year now. She missed him terribly.

“I guess we’re finally at my reason for asking you here. Juliska, will you do this task for me? It means being away from the island for a month. And I cannot tell you in all honesty how difficult the job will be. It could be utterly boring. But if you do this for me, I will consider it a personal favor. I’ll make it worth your while upon your return.”

She looked at him questioningly. There was something he knew… her intuition would bet on it.

He shook his head. “This is why you’re the best. Such intuition. You can read it all over my face, can’t you?”

“No. Not at all,” she lied poorly.

“PanSofia hinted to me today, after giving it much thought, that she may retire soon.”

“She… what? Really? She hasn’t mentioned that at all…”

“I think my asking her to join in on this task made her think about her age. Being a seer… it’s not so unlike being me. You’re on the job twenty-four-seven. She deserves a time of quiet.”

“Yes. Of course. She has been First Seer going on thirty years.” Juliska reeled over what this meant. She knew when PanSofia retired she was next in line to be the Seer to the Banon, but she didn’t think her mentor would ever quit. She was a work until you die kind of woman.

“So?” the Banon looked at Juliska expectantly.

“Sorry, I got lost in thought for a moment. That’s a lot to think about all of a sudden.”

“You don’t have to give me your answer about the task straight away, but I do need an answer by tomorrow night. The task begins in just a few days.”

“That fast?”

“Yes. PanSofia did wait a very long time to let me know she was turning it down.”

“I see. I don’t need any additional time. I will do it. My answer is yes. Whatever my Banon needs, this is what I’m here for.”

“Splendid! I knew you would not let me down. Now… I’ll send you some instructions for preparing, shortly. Until then, have a wonderful birthday with your family. Oh and also, we have to keep this whole thing under wraps for a couple more days. I’m making a big public announcement so everyone will find out about it all at once, right before you leave.”

“Of course. My lips are sealed. And
thank you.
” She arose and nodded a quick goodbye. He walked her to the door. She left, breathless, her nerves a flutter of excitement and anxiety.

When the Banon had confided in her months ago, of this upcoming task, she’d never dreamed she’d be a part of it.

It was a month long quest. In which a select group of Svoda would venture out into the world to search for a potential new home, or at the least, a potential second home. It was no secret that the island was getting a little crowded; their population had grown a lot since their original arrival hundreds of years prior.

Plus there was a small underground of people getting restless. Rumored to want to break off from the Svoda completely and start their own magical clan. No one knew who the instigator of this underground was, but the debates on the subject were becoming more widespread. The Banon and the Viancourt were against this course of action and hoped that by offering them something new, it would settle the issue.

Life on the island was fairly easy, routine and safe, and had been for many years.

But some of the people were getting restless. They wanted to travel and see the world. To see what life off the island was like. They wanted out of the routine. The problem with that being, the more people off the island living in the non-magical world, the higher the chance of their magical secret being discovered.

And if the Banon started giving permission to leave the island, even to just one person, he’d have to give it to anyone that wanted it. As it stood right now, only members of the Viancourt, the Banon or the police (the Balaton), could leave the island without permission. But had to file reports when they did so and it had to be work related.

All others that came and went had to enter via a magical portal inside an old fortress, which extended just off the island. It was not heavily used. But guarded carefully.

Once this quest was over, they might have a second home and people could choose whether to stay or go, or travel between the two. She worried it would not appease those undergrounders that wanted to break off and start their own clan. Not her problem though. She was a seer. The Viancourt and the Banon would have to deal with any rebellious sorts.

She stepped out the building and just as she started down the steps, a carriage pulled up. A man in his upper twenties hopped down, greeting her.

“Hello, Ian,” she returned.

There was a small boy sitting where Ian had just been. Juliska waved and the boy giggled and looked down, shyly.

Ian laughed. “Good kid. Bored though, riding around with me today. My father needed a break from the little tike,” he explained.

“He’s adorable. You’re lucky to be able to take him with you.”

“Very. And he behaves ridiculously well. So I’m very lucky. Anyway… just returning from dropping Vian Chase at her home and figured I’d double back and see if anyone else needed a ride tonight.”

“Actually, Ian, your timing is perfect. I do need a ride.”

She accepted his help into the carriage and told him where to take her. The carriage lurched forward. Even though Ian was always smiling, there was a constant layer of sadness behind it. His wife, Isabella, had died almost a year ago. Not too long after her father. So sad, to leave behind a small child. She wondered how little Ivan handled it. Maybe he was too young to remember. She had nothing to gear early childhood memories by, being that she had no recollection of her life before she was eleven.

Slowly the carriage rolled along the cobblestone streets toward her mother’s home. It was a balmy summer evening, which meant the streets were bustling. Even a bit crowded, it was pleasant to ride in the open carriage and breathe the clean salty air.

The sun was going down. Lanterns sparking to life, casting golden glows down to the cobblestone walkways below. She didn’t understand why people wanted to leave the island. They could live freely here. They didn’t have to hide who they were. And even though it was a bit crowded, it was easy to get to know people.