Read Skybuilders (Sorcery and Science Book 4) Online
Authors: Ella Summers
Skybuilders (Sorcery and Science Book 4) (25 page)
Despite the priest’s warning at Winter’s Gate, Ariella hadn't seen a single Selpe soldier since coming through the portal to Laelia. The Gateway was empty—though now that she thought of it, that was kind of odd. There was always someone there, an Elition guard or two at the very least. Always. But they hadn't seen a single human since stepping through the portal. They had seen very few Elitions. Even the halls of the palace were practically deserted. As Ariella reached the doors of the assembly chamber, she only hoped she’d find King River inside.
Only one person was inside the torchlit room, and it wasn’t King River. Muse, an Elition Cipher who served as one of the high king’s advisors, sat in the only occupied chair of sixteen at a round table of red-brown walnut. Stacks of papers were piled all around her. The steady scratch of pen against paper echoed off the high walls, making it sound as though at least a dozen people were writing in sync. Ariella approached the table, and Muse’s bronze eyes turned up from the paper to look at her.
“I need to speak to King River,” Ariella told her.
“He left a note for you,” Muse replied, nodding toward a sealed brown envelope at the table’s edge.
Ariella picked it up and brushed her finger across the smooth white seal. Humans sealed their envelopes with wax; Elitions did it with magic. As soon as her finger touched it, the seal faded, melting out of existence. The lower half of the envelope fell open, revealing text written in King River’s hand on the other side.
Ariella
, it read.
Come to Orion at once.
She turned the paper over a few times, looking for more, but that was everything. Which could only mean that whatever King River had to say was so sensitive that he would not write it down—not even in a sealed envelope. Sighing, she tucked the letter into her jacket and headed toward the Orion portal. When she'd thought about a relaxing spot for a break, the capital of the Selpe Empire had most certainly not come to mind.
* * *
526AX August 23, Orion
King River was waiting for Ariella at the Orion palace. While the other members of the Selpe Advisory Council all had monstrous villas along Imperial Lane, he had only a modest apartment inside the palace. He once explained that he had no need for a house in a city that would never be his home; he didn’t care to spend a second longer than necessary there.
Despite his high position in the Selpe government, he was still Elition. He often said he only felt at home in Elitia. Ariella knew the feeling, for it was one that most Elitions shared. The moment they stepped foot outside of Elitia, the urge to return grew steadily stronger, calling for them to come home. Staying away for a week was difficult; staying away for a month was downright painful.
It was a wonder Silas had managed all those years as Ambrose Selpe’s bodyguard, and at least then he'd been only a quick jump away from home. She had no idea how he would manage on another world altogether, completely cut off from Elitia. A tear rolled down her cheek, shed for a man who might never again see his own kind. She quickly brushed it aside. Silas could take care of himself. She had to believe that.
“King River,” Ariella said, bowing before launching into her tale.
Standing on the black and gold carpet in his living room, he listened in silence—the perfect audience. His fingers did flex when she came to the part where Silas and the Selpe brothers disappeared through the portal, but he said nothing until she had concluded the report.
“The Selpes have already given up Hayden and Ian for dead,” he told her. “The official line remains it was an accident in the Oasis lab.”
“They could be responsible.”
“Perhaps, but all we know at this point is that someone—maybe Lady Cassandra—hired the Helleans and the Crescent Order to get Hayden and Ian through that portal to…another world, you say?”
“According to one of the assassins, yes. And I think Silas knew it too. There was something in his eye as he turned to go through the portal, as though he didn’t expect to see any of us for a long time—if ever again.”
“And still he went after them.” King River nodded, the hint of a smile on his lips. “Good. If anyone can keep them safe, Silas can. Wherever they ended up.”
“You don’t believe they were brought to another world?”
“I’m not sure what to believe. Such things are mentioned in our old tales, of course, but those are stories of long ago. I cannot say whether they were meant to be literal accounts or just metaphors.”
“Silas told me that he's been to another world,” she said.
“Has he? Well, as I’m sure you’ve gathered, Silas is very old. He’s seen things that few Elitions currently alive ever have. Or ever will.” King River folded his hands in front of him. “We just have to trust that Silas will keep Hayden and Ian Selpe safe and help them find their way back here. In the meantime, I don’t think the Selpes need to know that the brothers are anything but dead. It wouldn't stop what is happening here now, and if any of them were responsible, they might try again.”
“And what is happening here?” She was almost afraid to ask.
The faint smile crumbled from his lips, displaced by a grim scowl. “The rulers of the Selpe territories will soon be convening to select the next leader of the Selpe Empire.”
“The territory rulers? I thought the Selpes followed a line of succession,” said Ariella.
“They do, but in this case there are two individuals with an equal claim to the throne,” King River explained. “Ambrose Selpe’s niece and nephew, Veronica Frostwater and Aaron Pall. They are the two candidates the territory rulers must choose from.”
She tried to keep her voice steady as she asked, “Aaron Pall?” She could feel time creeping slowly toward that frightful foresight, the first of many nightmares.
“Yes, he's Ambrose Selpe’s nephew,” King River told her. “Veronica Frostwater is an accomplished mistress of manipulation with many allies. She was the clear favorite. Until today, when Aaron pulled suddenly into the lead.”
“What happened?” Though she'd foreseen Aaron on the Selpe throne, she could scarcely believe it would come to pass.
“Aaron would claim it's his charm that is finally winning them over. Really, it is his repugnant schemes,” Isis said as she entered the room. Her ponytail was lopsided and caked with dirt and blood. What remained of her bodysuit gripped her body in black strips, as though it had endured a thousand lacerations.
Ariella reached out to embrace her, but Isis only recoiled, avoiding her eyes altogether. She noticed that her friend was also avoiding eye contact with King River. And she was keeping a good distance from Davin, who had walked in behind her.
“What’s going on?” Ariella looked at Isis. “I just came from Winter’s Gate.”
Isis’s shoulders slouched, as though a tree had just fallen upon them, burying her alive—but just barely alive.
“They said you were with Jason. There were dead Selpe soldiers everywhere. What happened there?”
Isis’s pained expression said she'd rather be set on fire than talk about it.
“My son has done something horrible,” King River declared with a hard look at Davin.
“How is this
my
fault?” he growled. “I didn't tell Aaron to send thirty Selpe soldiers to Winter’s Gate.”
“No, you only allowed fifty into the Gateway,” countered King River.
Fifty Selpe soldiers in the Gateway, waiting there for Isis and Jason the moment they came through the portal. Ariella wasn’t sure even the Elite Phantom could fight his way out of that. She turned toward Isis, but her friend had retreated to the corner. Her back was pressed against the wall, which seemed to be the only thing keeping her on her feet.
“Isis,” said Ariella. “Where's Jason?”
A tear slipped from Isis’s eye.
“Isis?”
She shook her head. “Gone.” Her voice shook and cracked. She sat down on the floor and buried her face in her hands. “And it’s all my fault.”
What's coming next?
Masquerade
(Book 4.5) is coming in November 2015.
Ensnared
(Book 5) will be out before the end of the year. It's the longest novel in the series so far and will feature Jason and Isis in prominent roles.
If you want to be notified when I have a new book—and to get other goodies like early review copies—head on over to my website to sign up for my mailing list at
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If you enjoyed
Skybuilders
, I’d really appreciate if you could spread the word. One of the best ways of doing that is by leaving a review wherever you purchased this book. Thank you for your invaluable support!
Books by Ella Summers
Sorcery and Science
2.5
Menace
3.5
Revelations
4.5
Masquerade
[November 2015]
5
Ensnared
[December 2015]
Dragon Born Serafina
Dragon Born Alexandria
1
Magic Edge
[November 2015]
And
more books
coming soon…
About the Author
Ella Summers has been writing stories for as long as she could read; she's been coming up with tall tales even longer than that. One of her early year masterpieces was a story about a pigtailed princess and her dragon sidekick. Nowadays, she still writes fantasy. She likes books with lots of action, adventure, and romance. When she is not busy writing or spending time with her two young children, she makes the world safe by fighting robots.
Originally from the U.S., Ella currently resides in Switzerland. She is the author of the epic fantasy series
Sorcery and Science
and the urban fantasy series
Dragon Born.