Immortal Essence Box Set: Aligned, Exiled, Beguiled (41 page)

Frank reached and grasped the thin, leather-bound hilt of the sword, pulling it from the snow. Lifting it into the air, he recognized one of the symbols etched in the cold, blue steel. It no longer glowed.

“What do you intend to do with that?” Dervinias asked, moving out into the open, a few feet from Frank. 

Frank watched the alien progress—slowly. Dervinias stalked him. Now, though, he had an alien weapon. Frank hoped this sword would kill it. Murderous thoughts of slicing off its head riddled him with excitement.

“Oh, you know. Destroy you and your kind,” he seethed, cutting the air in front of him with the sword. He wanted it to light up, like it had for Michael, but it didn’t. He liked the feel of the supple leather in his hands and its weightlessness. “Are you ready to die,
alie
—” Frank didn’t get any further because Dervinias was upon him, his large hands circling Frank’s neck. With a quick twist, Frank’s neck broke.

Damn!
He was
surprised his life didn’t flash before his eyes. Only darkness.   

56.  The Promise
 

Dervinias wrenched the Ostwallow sword out of the dead alien hunters’ grasp, thoughtful. An evil smile crept over his lips. The sword was a weapon
meant to be wielded
by a Formytian. Each Ostwallow chose its guardian, to be used for the good and honor of those sworn to protect. This one had chosen Zaren, yet it’d come alive for Michael. Strange. And now the boy was on Kelari. 

He whipped and slashed the blade, admiring its death song. It wouldn’t come alive, but that was of no concern. What mattered—?

A high-pitched ping . . . Damn it!

Hesitantly, he answered. “Your Highness.”

“Don’t say another word. You’ve failed! Give me one good reason I shouldn’t kill you.”

“Because I have a plan. And it’s going to rock the very foundation of Kelari.”

Beguiled: Immortal Essence #2

Preface

Under The Bridge

The dream was venom to my sleeping soul.

It wouldn’t stop.

Night after night.
Like the rising of Kelari’s suns, the dream was consistent.

Always exacting.

Always relentless.

Always unwavering.

An alabaster door loomed before me. I shivered involuntarily. Doors! Behind them lay the unknown. The door shimmered open and I stepped through without holding my breath like I normally did. There wasn’t any point. I knew I dreamed. The outcome couldn’t be altered.

One overwhelming emotion permeated. Terror. It saturated the air. Dense, like the molten lava dribbling down the side of a distant volcano. The fear wasn’t mine though. I scanned my surroundings for the offender generating the sensation, but saw no one.

Above was darkness. No moon. No stars. Only emptiness. Raging fires dotted the otherwise barren landscape like potted plants. Some of the fires rose into the sky. Others roared low, smoldering against the shadowed ground.

Directly in front of me stretched a bridge over a vast ocean of lava. I ambled toward the center, treading carefully. The lava roiled and hiccupped far below. Heat rose and struck my face, but the bridges’ surface was cool against my hands.

Movement caught my attention.

Something swam in the lava.

It was long. Half of its body covered with scales while the other half moved like a billowing red curtain. The creature burst into the air. I choked on a scream, falling back, slamming my elbows against the bridges’ floor.

The thing, a ferrikat, ascended higher and higher, passing the bridge and continuing upward. I noticed the “curtain” was actually fiery hair attached to a head. It had a face, which arched toward the dark sky.
One nose, one mouth, and two eyes.
The lids were shut, and long ruby lashes rested against its porcelain cheeks. Clavicle bones protruded at the base of the neck, where shoulders attached to arms attached to hands attached to long fingers, hung at its sides.

A
female, I realized, trying to chew away my shock. I knew
ferrikat’s
existed, but they were rarely ever seen. 

From the waist down the body was that of a fish. Scarlet, magenta, orange, and fuchsia scales sparkled or burned. Her tail splayed wide, and was shaped like a dolphin. Abruptly the she-fish stopped, and hung in the air, like a perfectly placed painting. Her face tilted downward, slowly. Familiarity blew through me like a warm wind. The ferrikat opened her eyes.

I knew those eyes.

1. Two Princes

Wishes are like the wings on a butterfly—frail and easily destroyed.

Still, as I watched Kelari’s second sun sink into the Alayeahean Sea, I offered one.

“I wish to find my parents.”

In answer, a frothy wave slapped the sand. Its edges clambered between my toes, a cooling balm, before retreating. I stepped back.

When it came to the sea I was a lurker, an admirer, definitely not a partaker. Though I did love the sound of the surf as it broke along the shore. The sea baffled me. An entity I didn’t understand and had no control over. The waves, the tides, and the creatures beneath . . . all of it left me frightened.

I closed my eyes, and took a deep breath, the salty air clinging to my insides. The wind whipped against my braid and sent my light dress skittering around me like a dancing kite.

Behind me, over the grassy hill, sprawled my family’s castle. Beyond, spread wide with verdant greenery, orchards, and vegetation, was Alayeah. A lush and vibrant countryside kept clean by solar powered energy produced in our city above the clouds, Nimbus. The two entities were separate, but each was intrinsically necessary to the other’s survival. One teaming with rich color, beautiful landscapes, and all manner of life, the other metallic and industrialized.

In between the crashing waves I heard the
chk-chk-chk
of beetles, the buzzing of insects, and the
mawarrr-mawarrr-mawarrr
of the tsar monkeys.

My home, I thought, fighting tears. Since my return to Kelari, even the little things, like the smell of the brackish sea, made me cry.

A burst of wind rustled my hair. “You alright, Venus?” Zaren was suddenly there. Precisely when I needed him. He’d used the kelvieri form of traveling, Britorent, which allowed him to get where he had to go quickly.

Zaren’s strong arms wrapped around my waist, and I leaned into his solid chest. Lemons and honey—Zaren’s scent made my insides gooey. Every time he was near, my pulse quickened, while my body relaxed. Loving him, and being loved by him, was more amazing than I ever imagined.

“I’ve been better, but thanks for asking.” I turned and my heart fluttered. His eyes, a bright green, like a flawless four leaf clover, took all of me in.
Forever my Formytian, my personal guardian.
Forever concerned. Forever perfect.

“We’ll find them, Princess.” His soft lips parted and he pressed them to mine. A kiss meant to be chaste. I needed more, and poured all of the heartache, sorrow, anger, pain, and fear into my response. My hands glided over his sleek, black Formytian uniform and I wrapped my fingers in his dark hair. Sensing my need for more he deepened the kiss, parting my lips with his. Hungry to be as close to him as possible, I stood on my tiptoes. A rumble reverberated at the back of his throat and sent tingles down my spine.

After several glorious minutes, he said, “Venus, my Princess . . .”

I didn’t let him finish, and pulled his lips to mine. Technically he wasn’t my personal guardian anymore. I’d released him from his oath on Earth. I’d meant it, and made the order official within days of our return to Kelari. Official or not, he continued to be by my side. And secretly I was grateful.

I felt Zaren smile. In reply, I tugged his succulent bottom lip into my mouth. He groaned louder this time, and my heart raced.

“Thank you,” I said, after several more minutes.

“For what?” he asked, the words breathless.

“Being you,” I replied, placing my head against his chest. If only life were this easy all the time. In Zaren’s arms, listening to the waves and the sea birds, I could almost forget. Forget I’d been on Kelari six weeks and in that time discovered much about the plot against me, including the necklace Amberlee gave me for my sixteenth birthday. The irrihunter charm had been dipped in eremite spider venom, which was why I’d passed out. But I still didn’t know where she or my parents were. The one good thing that happened since my return was the relationship between Zaren and I.

Without him I might have died from grief.

In a remote part of my mind, tucked away in a tiny box, were my memories of Michael. I hadn’t seen him since the night he returned me to Kelari, after my exile to Earth. The night I became an immortal, a kelvieri. The night Michael professed his love for me. I hoped he was okay. Zaren seemed certain he was, but I worried.

“What are you thinking about?” He kissed the top of my head, and I snuggled in closer. I didn’t want to ruin the moment by confessing my thoughts of Michael.

“Just anxious,” I said with a sigh.

He pushed me back, examining my face. “We will find your parents. I’m sure once the King of
Canaru
sees you’re serious about putting his son Palmo to death, he will tell us the truth. I know it.”

If only I held Zaren’s convictions. “I hope so,” I responded, drinking in the angle of his jaw, his flawlessly aligned nose, and full mouth. He recently cut his dark hair, which made his eyes seem even brighter, more exquisite.

“Are you admiring me?” he asked with an embarrassed laugh.

I snorted. “What?” I slapped his arm lightly. Sometimes I wondered if our differences in age mattered. If he thought I was a silly child. But, as he said before, when you can live forever, fifty years is no time at all.

“Have I told you how beautiful you are?” He brushed some hair from my face and I let my worry slip away momentarily. “Your eyes match the sky. A vivid and endless blue.”

My cheeks flushed at the compliment.

He kissed me lightly. “I’ve got to go.”

My face fell. I hated being away from him. When we were apart, loneliness occupied my thoughts. But I was a big girl now, an immortal,
a
kelvieri. Though I liked having him near, and he liked being near, it wasn’t such a necessity anymore. Occasionally, since he kept his post as my personal Formytian, the other guardians demanded his assistance. I had to be okay with our time apart. And, most days, I was. I appreciated all he did. 

“I’m sorry,” he said, rubbing his hands along my arms. “Two new Formytians are at the castle. They must be trained.” He lifted my chin so I had to look at him. “Will you be alright?”

I swallowed. “Of course.” I plastered a smile on my face. “The Chans asked me to join them for their meeting tonight.” It was an important meeting too. Several small uprisings had broken out on the mountainous border of Alayeah and
Canaru
. In the meeting tonight, we would discuss how to handle the rebels. Most of the chancellors and counselors, the Chans as I liked to call them, alleged the uprisings were because of small indiscretions between landowners, but some thought it was more. They believed war between the two countries was imminent. For those reasons, the Chans sought to speed up my marriage to Palmo. We’d been betrothed since his birth, and though it was discovered the king of
Canaru
, and even Palmo, was behind my exile, the Chans believed a marriage would smooth over any animosity. It was a ridiculous notion, and I intended to make that clear tonight. There would be no marriage. 

“I’ll stop by before it’s over and walk you to your room.” He stroked my lips gently with his thumbs. Zaren knew how to ignite my body.

“Sounds
fabu
.” I shut my eyes, leaning into his hands. He kissed my forehead and released me.

I watched him take a few steps before he used Britorent and disappeared. Exhaling heavily, I turned to the sea. Both moons reflected off its surface, their mirror images shimmering. The meeting would start soon. I needed to get to the castle.