Chosen: Book 1 in the Ancients of Light series

by Heather Fleener

  Kendrick, peril from the Elite forgotten, rushed at Lorcan angrily, “What have you done to her? No witch would choose to remain with the Vampire, not of her own accord.”

  Lorcan’s unyielding hand, pressed to the center of the male’s chest, stopped his forward progress. With an easy shove, Lorcan returned the witch to his former location before nodding to Colm; the confidence in the vampire’s eyes rubbed Kendrick further, “Colm, bring Kaitriana.”

  Kaitriana had made her way down to the entryway, worry marring her expression. Through the panes of glass that overlooked the grounds, she had spied the large group of the Witch loitering beyond the gates. When Colm appeared back inside the doors she anxiously hurried to his side.

  Despite the tense situation outside, Colm smiled appreciatively at her appearance. Kat had changed from the dress she had worn earlier and was a vision in a navy hued gown of silk with flowing gossamer skirts. Colm noted that it was a recreation of the gown she had worn the first eve of her arrival, only that the color was blue and the Warrior Caste symbols that adorned it were in glittering silver. Her hair fell in heavy waves, gleaming black, down to her waist. She had a headpiece fashioned of ornate silver scrolls and sparkling navy gems resting high on her forehead that kept the tumbling curls back from her face. The witch had chosen Lorcan’s colors. He would be pleased and the showing of solidarity with their leader pleased Colm as well.

  Raising a questioning gaze to his, she placed her hand on his arm. Her voice interrupted his musings, “What is it Colm? Is Myrrdyn here?”

  She sounded hopeful at the mention of her grandfather’s name; he hated to disappoint her. Shaking his head in answer to the second question, Colm offered explanation to the first, “They want you back lass. The stories of your return have circulated and they are aware that you are under Lorcan’s care. They still believe you to be their Chosen.”

  Kaitriana frowned a bit at the last statement, puzzled. She still believed her to be their Chosen as well, though if Colm’s words were any indication the vampires did not. She shook it off; she would get answers to that later. The current situation required her full attention, “Has Lorcan bid me to him?” At Colm’s affirmation, she turned one last long gaze at the gathering through the window and nervously smoothed wet palms down her skirts.

  Lilly appeared at her side and after acknowledging Colm’s greeting, placed a light hand on Kat’s shoulder. Offering a squeeze of reassurance and her support, she questioned, “Shall I go with you Kat?” At Kat’s quizzical look, Lilly winked, “I am curious to see if any one of those witches might have some ruby slippers. Some of us are rather fond of shoes, you know.” Kat’s face brightened over the teasing camaraderie of her friend. In unison the party of three rejoined Lorcan at the gate.

  The sudden appearance of the witch in question brought silence to the crowd; they had been growing unruly in their discontent over the delay. The utter quiet of the scene increased Kaitriana’s anxiety. It escalated further when both Kendrick and Lorcan simultaneously made move towards her. Lorcan’s icy gaze fell to the male witch, as the vampire’s hand fell possessively to Kat’s shoulder.

  She eyed each of them, pondering how best to ease the tension that was thick between the two. Knowing she need tread carefully lest she cause a battle to begin at the gates, she smiled affectionately to Lorcan first. Unable to resist the urge, she reached out and let her fingertips trail down the side of his chest. His answering smile was warm; his ire over their earlier dispute dismissed.

  Given the tenderness she found in his gaze, she suddenly felt rather confident in her place at his side and in her ability to handle the challenges of facing her kin. She took a step beyond Lorcan, her expression fixed with a smile of greeting for her old acquaintance, “Kendrick, tis good to see you once more.”

  Kendrick moved closer, his eyes examining her for signs of abuse. When he was satisfied with her condition, he reached for her hand and squeezed it tightly. A myriad of emotions played over his face - disbelief, joy, confusion. His voice was awestruck when he finally found it, “Kaitriana, you have returned.” Kendrick continued to look at her in wonder as though her reappearance defied the laws of the very Heaven they believed in.

  Her smile broadened at Kendrick’s obvious acceptance of her; there was much to tell her family of witches. Her sudden delight at being in the company of them was obvious, as she explained, “Tis no miracle Kendrick, I never perished. I was but…indisposed…for an extended period.” Lorcan scoffed at her understatement and she shot him a quelling glance. Kendrick’s hand closed tightly on hers and he was tugging her forward, away from Lorcan as she was attempting to explain, “I am still adjusting to this world and my place in it.”

  In his excitement Kendrick was neither registering her words nor conscious of her resistance to his pull. Stretching their joined hands skyward, his voice rang out to the witches, “The Prophecy is alive!” The joyous cry that resulted was overwhelming to her acute senses and Kaitriana jerked her hand from his in reaction. She was flinching in response to the noise that continued to grow, splintering the quiet night.

  Lorcan’s concern had him stepping forward; he witnessed her distress and his instinct was to protect his female. He wondered how quickly the Witch would forsake her and their celebration once they realized she was no longer solely their own. Dealing with the aftermath of her devastation over the disloyalty of her kin would fall to him. Despite his worry for her, it was then that he noticed Kat’s attire and a smile tugged at his lips.

  The little one pleased him greatly and possessiveness surged through him. Lorcan took position at her back, his murmured praise only for her ears, “Your beauty is breathtaking, Kaitriana. Perhaps I should require that you wear my colors every day.” Stroking a hand lightly over her hair, he saw the tension ease from her shoulders as she found comfort in his close presence.

  The boisterous noise at the gates had drawn more of Lorcan’s warriors outside. Their tempers were rankled at witnessing the claiming of the girl they had come to think of as their own. All wondered when the little vampire would dispel the Witch of their notions and make her new nature known.

  Kendrick mistook her withdrawal as hesitation to face the large crowd. He quickly reclaimed her hand, pointedly ignoring the possessive growl the action brought forth from Lorcan. Kendrick swept his other hand towards the gathering. Gazing at the group his pleasure at their joy was etched on his face. He offered explanation, “You are their hope Kat, when all hope had been lost. Accept their welcome as is your due.”

  Her gaze was drawn back to the witches as the crowd continued to revel at her appearance. The recounting of her destruction of the forces of the Dark en mass had bolstered their belief that the fulfillment of the Prophecy was upon them; the end of their long suppression by the Dark had begun. Kat extracted her hand once more, causing Kendrick to direct his full attention back to her with a frown over her behavior. Wondering at the possible reasons for her reluctance, he looked from her to Lorcan and then back.

  “Kaitriana, have you chosen to stay at this Coven?” he said the word as though vile. “Were you waiting for us to come and claim you?” Before she could answer, he gave her a contemplative stare, the thought just entering his mind, “Or is the fulfillment of the Prophecy is to be found here?” Glancing back meaningfully over his shoulder to the increasing Vampire presence in the courtyard, Kendrick continued, “If you intend to join with one of these warriors, he should make home with you at your Caste. One such as you has no place in a Vampire coven. It is beneath you Kaitriana.” His words drew growls from more than just Lorcan this time.

  The Vampire in attendance possessed the sight to view the marking on Kat’s neck while the Witch did not. They understood the significance of the scar and that the girl would remain. She was theirs; the mark indicated Lorcan had claimed her. All had heard the question and were not shocked when she cast a sidelong glance back to Lorcan. A telling blush filled her cheeks even as she reprimanded the Witch lead
er for his insult, “Your disdain is unappreciated Kendrick. I have been well cared for by these Vampire. None here are beneath me.”

  In slow realization, Kendrick followed the track of her gaze, her admonishment barely even registered over his shock. His gaze sought hers and he bellowed his outrage, “He cannot be the one Kat; Lorcan is not a true Vampire. It is a well known fact that he is not even fully accepted by their breed.”

  Even though she was obviously distraught over his slanderous characterization of the vampire in question, Kendrick continued irately, “Lorcan was born a witch, but he has repeatedly spurned his true kin. He was tainted by their blood and he suffered the loss of his magic as a result. He is not worthy to fulfill the Prophecy!”

  To his surprise, rather than heed the wisdom of his words, Kat moved backwards until she was fixed against the wall of Lorcan’s chest. She snarled at Kendrick when she finally spoke, “And you are worthy to divine the meaning of the words of the Prophecy? Tis odd, is it not, given that I am the Chosen? You are but a male witch temporarily occupying the seat of a Queen and you know not of what you speak, Kendrick. Tis only your opinion and your interpretation of the Prophecy, and you have wasted my time with your visit.”

  Lorcan was pleased with her loyalty and his arrogant nod of agreement was emulated by his men. Slipping his arm around her waist, he cemented his claim to her for all in witness. The weight of his gaze fell back to Kendrick and triumph lurked in the depths; the satisfaction on his countenance grew as he ran his fingertips lazily over the mark at her neck.

  Kendrick was disturbed by her words and Lorcan’s familiarity with the girl. She was certainly not in possession of her wits and he attempted to wrench her from the other’s hold. “Kaitriana, when Myrrdyn returns he will explain this to you. A match between you and that… male…is not acceptable,” he sputtered the words as though the correct description for Lorcan had momentarily escaped him. His next words were forcefully malicious though, “Lorcan denounced his Witch heritage in favor of the Vampire. He is nothing more than a foul blend of the two species and will never be given full acceptance by either.”

  Her laughter was surprising, but there was an edge of temper in it that Lorcan immediately recognized. He wondered if she was about to give Kendrick the same lesson she had Gareth when he had confronted her. Given the insults being hurled his direction, Lorcan could not deny that he would love to see his little beauty set the arrogant warrior on his ass.

  Kaitriana brushed off Kendrick’s reaching hand irritably, “Lorcan is the Warrior of Light. Do you not find it odd that this ‘foul blend’ is the most powerful warrior in the Realm? He bows to no one, not even Myrrdyn.” She was done with the games and purposefully curled her upper lip back to expose her lengthening fangs. Pinning the male witch with a flickering dark gaze, she snapped, “If Lorcan is incapable of fulfilling the Prophecy then you have prematurely given hope back to your people. I am no longer Witch but a foul mixture as well, you pompous fool.”

  Kat purposively tapped a nail against one of her fangs with her sarcastic taunt, “If your beliefs are true, I cannot fulfill your Prophecy. Tis a shame that your Seers did not advise you of such before you created such a spectacle, wouldn’t you agree?”

  Lorcan experienced great satisfaction over his little lass placing ownership of the Prophecy squarely back on the Witch. More notable was that this time she excluded herself from that grouping. The way that Kat was handling herself and her sudden apparent acceptance of her Vampire nature pleased him more than he could have anticipated.

  He barely had time to appreciate the import of such before Kendrick howled at him, enraged, “What the hell have you done to her? You transitioned her to destroy the magic of the Chosen, to kill the Prophecy!” Kendrick drew the broadsword at his hip.

  In response to hearing Kendrick’s disparaging remarks and the aggression the witch was now exhibiting, Lorcan had finally had enough and moved his hand to his weapon. He was stepping around Kaitriana and readying to put a blade to the fool’s throat when she moved quickly to intercept the witch. Blue light fully encircled both hands and she raised them in Kendrick’s direction before Lorcan had chance to murder him over his offense. She was biting the words off in her irritation, “Lorcan did not do this to me, Kendrick. I must insist that you conduct yourself with a modicum of respect given that you and your group currently occupy Lorcan’s land.”

  Kendrick broke off abruptly upon witnessing the light. The crowd had noticed her magic as well based upon the general murmur that swept through them. He tempered his tone lest he fall victim to the power that was quickly becoming a story of legend in the Realm, “Kat, you are Vampire and yet you have magic in you?” At her plain nod he resheathed his sword, his expression baffled, “How is this possible?”

  As she sensed his immediate threat to her vampire was over, she quelled the light in her hands. Shrugging delicately, she offered only, “It is what I am Kendrick.” Waving her hand towards the group she commanded, “Disperse this gathering, send them back to their homes. If Lorcan is agreeable, you may enter and I will answer your queries.” She looked back to Lorcan seeking his approval.

  Kendrick argued, “The Warrior Caste, your Caste, needs bear witness to this, Kaitriana. If you are still of magic then you remain our responsibility and the Caste shall determine the best course in this. I will send the others away but the Warrior Caste stays.”

  Lorcan and his Elite all caught the slight stiffening in her posture and the slow intake of breath. Her anger was readily apparent in the simmering darkness in her eyes. When Kat centered her full attention on Kendrick he too took note of the change of color and frowned over it. His frown deepened over the deadly authoritative tone of her answer, “You, dear Kendrick, occupy my seat at the head of the Warrior Caste…my seat…by birth and by right. Be mindful of it, else I may be inclined to hand you your head and assume my place.”

  The reports of the magnitude of her power when she had taken down Rhydach’s holding were inconceivable, so she was undoubtedly strong enough to make good on her threat. Kendrick softened his response, “Kaitriana, be reasonable. What will Myrrdyn say of this? You must come with us and we will fix this. You are not in your right mind. With the magic in all of the Castes, there must be a cure for you.”

  Kendrick’s words confirmed Lorcan’s earlier concerns. With her blood being mixed with the Vampire, the Witch would deem her a lesser being. Kaitriana would no longer be heralded her as their champion. For this reason, regardless of her powers, Lorcan also believed that her part in the Prophecy had been destroyed. She would be rejected since she was a mixture of the species rather than being accepted as the one to unite the two Factions to bring the end to the Dark.

  Lorcan had seen enough of the badgering of his female. He interjected, “Kendrick, she does require a cure.” He added the next, more for the benefit of his people than conveying any fact, “She is fully Vampire, the Witch power merely lingers. Her power can be tamed; it will diminish if she reins it in and gives herself over to her Vampire nature. Kat has chosen to stay with me and in doing so she is relinquishing her kinship with the Witch faction. This is as it must be. There is no need for her to return to your Caste. ”

  Both males’ claims had her brows shooting skyward. She wasn’t in her right mind? She was so incredulous over the blind ignorance of the two that she almost laughed. Her gaze fell on Lorcan and then Kendrick; these two warriors should have been her strongest allies and both were failing her. That neither could understand that her blending made her more capable of uniting the factions, not less, was her frustration. Kat believed herself equally both species; she would not be forced to choose one over the other but would remain loyal to each. Calmly, though her eyes now bespoke of a deep wound, she gave her attention first to her male, “We discussed this Lorcan, I am the Chosen.”

  At his unblinking stare, she shrugged away and separated herself from him by a few paces. Kat gazed back and forth between the two men. The hostility
of her tone warned against interruption from either, “I am not broken; there is nothing wrong with me. I am a perfect blend of the strongest traits from each species. I am complete and formed the way that was destined, else I would not exist. Why does each of you want to fix me? That you are incapable of embracing me for what I am is the very reason there is a rift within the Light. Your mindsets are what require fixing. You are what is broken.” Kaitriana kicked at the ground and shrieked in her fury, “I am amazing and you arrogant asses are too feeble minded to realize it!”

  Lorcan’s expression was thunderous as he strode in her direction. Her hand rose to ward him off, her eyes blazing, “Figure it out Lorcan. When you can love me because I am a witch and not in spite of it, I will give you back a place in my heart.”

  Before he could respond, she pinned Kendrick with a sinister look, “And when you Kendrick, and all of the Witch, can accept the dual nature of your Chosen, I will offer my strength to you.” Her gaze swept to encompass the beings of both factions on the surrounding grounds. She had lost her faith and trust in all of them.

  Kaitriana’s voice elevated to reach all in witness, “Until then, I have no need to be bothered by the presence of any of you. Until your minds are no longer plagued by the ignorance that sets you from one another, I have no role in the Light for either Faction.”

  Lightning split the sky; she was quickly reaching a lethal state in her rage. Recognizing the dangerous escalation in her power, Kat shadowed away without sparing a glance for either leader. A tremendous bolt of light scorched the ground, marking her exit.

  Less than a minute later, Lilly strode to the center of the small group at the gate and leaned over to inspect the burnt ground. She then stepped up to the still dumbfounded Lorcan and Kendrick. Disgust full on her face, she dropped her hands to her hips and rolled her eyes at them as she chided, “No ruby slippers here, just a lot of supernatural jackasses.” She shadowed away, amused over their disbelieving faces and the din of the chaos that had erupted in the wake of Kat’s magnificent departure.