Trinity
Authors: Clare Davidson
Tags: #fantasy, #fantasy adventure, #quest fantasy, #ya fantasy, #young fantasy
‘Trinity’ by Clare Davidson
Draft Five
2012
Trinity
Clare Davidson
Smashwords Edition
This is a work of fiction. Names,
characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the
author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to
any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely
coincidental.
Coyright 2012 Clare Davidson
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment
only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people.
If you would like to share this book with another person, please
purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading
this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your
use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your
own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this
author.
This book is dedicated to Tom and
Eleanor. I love you both.
Table of Contents
Extract: Earth Angel by Ruth Ellen
Parlour
****
Chapter
One
“
Kiana, are
you even listening to me?”
Kiana peeked over the top of
her drawing board and smiled innocently. “Of course I am,
Ducarius.”
The old man pursed his lips and
peered at Kiana, forcing the young girl to stifle a laugh behind
her hand. He always seemed to be annoyed with his pupil.
Kiana looked back down at her
artwork: a detailed charcoal castle. It stood on a tall hill,
surrounded by a grey stone wall. She had never seen it before,
except in her dreams. From her apartments in Blackoak Tower, she
had only ever been allowed to see the sky.
“
If you
were
listening to me,
what was I saying?”
Kiana rolled her eyes, placed
the board and charcoal stick on the plush two-seater and stood.
“How can I concentrate when I have a new Guardian arriving
today?”
“
Kiana, we
really
must
continue our lesson.”
She folded her
arms across her chest and stared down at him. “Why, Ducarius? I’ll
still be here tomorrow. And the day after that. And the day after
that. I’m not
going
anywhere.” She was painfully aware of the petulance in her
voice. “Besides, what’s the point anyway? You fill my head with
history, reading, writing, philosophy and art,
every day
. Why?”
Ducarius threw
his hands up and stood. “You are the physical embodiment of
a
goddess
, Kiana.
Those are all things you should know.” As he spoke, he glanced at
the tapestry of Miale’s symbol—a golden chalice—that hung above the
oversized fireplace.
“
But
why
?” Kiana turned her
back on him and looked out of the open doors that led to her
balcony. The sky was a deep, endless shade of blue. “I will
never
use any of
it!”
Because I’m stuck here.
She looked round sharply as the
door to her chambers clicked open. It was always locked, confining
her within three simple rooms.
Marcas, her favourite Guardian,
stepped in and gave Kiana a charming wink. “Your new Guardian is on
his way up.”
She smiled sweetly at Ducarius.
“Can we stop our lessons for today? I promise I’ll concentrate
tomorrow.”
Marcas nodded at Ducarius.
The old tutor sighed and
muttered something under his breath as he gathered up the pile of
heavy books. “Fine, fine. I’ll see you in the morning.” He touched
his fingertips to his forehead and inclined his head ever so
slightly towards her.
Kiana returned the gesture. She
kept her eyes fixed on Ducarius until the door was closed behind
him. She shivered at the heavy clunk of the lock.
“
Are you well,
Kia?” Marcas said.
Kiana grinned and half-ran,
half-skipped the handful of paces to Marcas. She flung her arms
around his chest and gave him a hug. “Yes.” She tilted her head up
so that she could see the amused twinkle in his hazel eyes. “Are
you? I hardly get to see you anymore.”
Marcas nodded and used his
knuckle to tap her lightly under the chin. “My promotion keeps me
busy, you know that. Besides, in a few moments you’ll have a new
Guardian to entertain you.”
Kiana released him and wandered
across the cold stone floor. She stopped in front of the vast map
of Gettryne that hung on the wall. Several copper pins protruded
from the map, marking the villages, towns and cities that each of
her Guardians had come from.
She plucked a fresh pin from a
leather bag that hung from the wall and turned the cool metal
around in her fingertips. The tower’s blacksmith had crafted each
of the pins individually for her. He had obviously put a lot of
effort into each one, even though Kiana had never been allowed to
meet him. The one that she held was exquisite: the copper curled
round into a spiral, creating a nest in which sat a sparkling green
stone that she had been told was an emerald.
“
I wonder
where he’s from…”
Kiana looked back at the map.
The greatest concentration of pins rested in and around the city of
Ironhold, which lay to the southeast of the tower. She tapped the
top of the pin to her lips and then dropped it back into the
bag.
With a dramatic sigh, Kiana
swirled round towards the window, holding the full skirt of her
gold surcoat so that she could hear the swish of the crisp fabric.
She could see some of her Guardians laughing and chatting gaily
outside. Beyond the chatter, she could hear the annoying chirping
of the crickets that lived in the forest. Kiana had never seen it,
but she knew from the map that was pinned to the wall that it
existed.
Without thinking, Kiana strode
out onto the balcony and tried to carry on up the ramp that would
have allowed her access to the higher level. Two Guardians blocked
her path. Kiana wanted to see the forest, touch the bark of the
trees with her fingertips and see the birds that sang every
morning. She wanted to hear what grass sounded like as she walked
across it and how it felt between her toes.
Marcas’ hand closed gently
around her arm, just above her elbow. “You can ask him where he’s
from when he arrives.” He led her back into her chamber. “Finn is
giving him the grand tour of the tower first. He’ll be here soon.
That’s if he isn’t too scared to talk to you.”
Kiana stared up at him, her
eyebrows knotting together in a frown. “Too scared? Why would he be
scared of me?”
Marcas laughed, letting go of
her arm. “Ever since last summer, Finn has been telling tall tales
about you!”
Her frown deepened. “Last
summer?” Nothing special had happened the previous summer. Nothing
special ever happened.
Marcas scratched the top of his
head and looked away from her awkwardly. “Since you…
blossomed.”
Kiana stared at him for a
moment and then her eyes widened as she glanced down at the slender
curves of her body. She had watched her handmaid’s body change long
before hers had, even though they were the same age. Kiana felt her
cheeks grow hot and turned away abruptly. “What exactly will Finn
be telling my new Guardian?”
“
Oh, you know,
how terrifying you can be.”
Kiana’s lips parted into a
small o. “Terrifying?”
“
How difficult
you can be.”
Her mouth dropped open a little
more. “Difficult?”
Marcas took
hold of Kiana’s hand and twirled her round. “And how much you like
men!” As she came to a stop, Kiana realised her mouth was hanging
wide open. Marcas’ grin grew so wide she could see his crooked
teeth. “
Especially
your Guardians!”
Kiana snapped her mouth shut.
“He won’t believe any of that, will he?”
She jumped as she heard two
sets of approaching footsteps echoing down the hallway.
Quickly, Kiana smoothed out her
clothes, brushed a stray strand of blonde hair behind her shoulder
and took a deep breath in a failed attempt to calm herself as she
waited with a smile for her new Guardian.
As Finn led the smart young man
inside, Kiana looked him up and down. Like every Guardian, he wore
a jet-black uniform made of finely spun wool. Beneath it, she could
see the curves of his strong muscles. He wasn’t tall; however, he
had an air of confidence about him that seemed to drain away as
soon as his dark brown eyes met hers. His face flushed red, which
was an unfortunate combination with his straw-coloured hair.
“
May I
introduce you to the current incarnation of the goddess Miale: the
lady Kiana.” Marcas gestured towards her and gave a knowing
grin.
Kiana rolled
her eyes at the needlessly formal title. The new Guardian would
know
what
she was.
It was only her name that he wouldn’t have known.
“
Kiana, this
is your new Guardian: Nidan Ward.”
Nidan. She liked the sound of
his name. “Finn hasn’t been mean to you, has he?” Kiana greeted him
formally by touching her fingertips to her forehead and then
holding her clenched fist out towards him. She expected him to
complete the greeting by meeting it with his own fist.
Nidan’s cheeks flushed an even
brighter shade of red as he took a half-step back, struck his hand
over his chest and bowed rigidly.
She looked at
Finn and narrowed her eyes. “Finn, what
have
you said?”
Finn held up his hands in a
placating gesture. “Nothing! I swear.” There was a smirk on his
lips that told her he was lying.
Kiana shook
her head and rolled her eyes. “Of
course
you haven’t.” She looked back
to Nidan. “You mustn’t pay any attention to him.”
Please don’t believe anything he might have
said!
“Finn has an odd sense of
humour.”
Finn and Marcas both laughed as
they wandered outside and onto the upper balcony. She watched as
they lounged against the railing, searching the horizon with their
eyes.
Kiana flashed Nidan a smile,
retrieved the pin that she had dropped into the bag below the map
and then looped her arm through his. “Where are you from? Please
tell me you aren’t from Ironhold! I hope it’s somewhere new. If it
is, you’ll have to tell me all about it.”
“
A village
near Lorwick.” Nidan’s words sounded clumsy as they tumbled out of
his mouth.
No other new
Guardian had ever acted so nervously around her.
Should I ask him what Finn said about me?
She glanced briefly at Finn, narrowed her eyes and
then turned back to Nidan, smiling. “Show me.”