Rhuul’s Flame
Realms of Possibilities 1
Nulli Para Ora
Published 2013
ISBN: 978-1-62210-002-6
Published by Liquid Silver Books, imprint of Atlantic Bridge Publishing, 10509 Sedgegrass Dr, Indianapolis, Indiana 46235. Copyright © Published 2013, Nulli Para Ora. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.
Manufactured in the United States of America
Liquid Silver Books
http://LSbooks.com
This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.
Blurb
Of all the species of the twelve realms, Rhuul is unique. The product of two races who despise each other, he is reviled by his family and unwelcome in his homeland.
Exiled, he finds himself in a new realm with beings he’s never seen before. They’re not important; only his destiny is. Driven to prove his worth, he seeks to rule a realm of his own. Nothing will stand in his way, and no one will change his focus. Or so he thinks.
When a mysterious woman calls out for help through his dreams, he searches her out. When they meet, she’s unlike anyone he’s ever encountered. Can they set aside their beliefs to work together? Can love bloom when their ideals are exact opposites?
Dedication
For Georgia.
Thanks for introducing me to Rhuul and trusting me to tell his tale.
Acknowledgements
To Jen: You made Rhuul deflower me in a special way. Thank you.
Chapter 1
“In accordance with the decree issued by Iethro, ruler of the realm of Karn, you are hereby exiled. Your kind is prohibited from Karn for all time. You may not pass through any way gates, nor make any entry into the realm ever again.” Braka, royal guard captain, looked down his nose and sneered, his long white canines glistening in the bright blue glow of the way gate behind him. Way gates served as fixed, magical portals between the twelve realms, allowing passage without the potential dangers of a failed conjuration.
The polished silver metal of Braka’s armor shone in contrast to the deep purple of his scaled skin. He stood tall, his posture rigid as he flexed his clawed fingers around the hilt of his scimitar. The blade was enchanted, sporting magical runes that gave it a soft glow. One slice and the victim would be in searing pain as they bled out, unable to fight back. “Do you understand, Paralta?”
“That is not my name. I am Rhuul. You would do well to remember that.” Rhuul separated his feet and allowed his arms to hang loosely at his sides. His bronze skin tingled as magic stirred within him, coursing through his blood like wisps of warmth. He opened himself to the sensation but kept his gaze fixed on the guard in front of him.
“Watch your tongue, Paralta! It may not be your name, but it is what you are.” Braka looked him up and down with his golden eyes before the defined muscles of his jaw flexed beneath the skin. “They should have killed you at birth. Look at you, with those disgusting wings and strange skin.” Unlike normal Eidon, Rhuul had wings, part of his Celestan heritage. Where Eidon skin was purple, his was bronze-colored and smooth, lacking the scales and horns of his father’s race.
Heat flushed through Rhuul’s body as he called upon his magic, conjuring swords into his grasp. His hands felt hot as the weapons took their places in his palms, as if they were just as angry as he was. He took a step forward, his body tense. He spread his wings behind him and held them as high as he could, noting the difference in his balance with their weight at his sides. “I am not an abomination, no matter what my grandfather says.”
“Oh but you are a Paralta, and Iethro does not claim you as his kin. Only your Eidon half is of any value. Your father was worthy of so much more. To be shamed with your existence is incomprehensible. Why would Veen lie with a—a Celestan.” The guard captain spoke the word as if it was unclean in his mouth and eyed Rhuul’s wings with contempt. “Now put those weapons away before I—”
The way gate behind him crackled and popped as another Eidon appeared. She stood tall, dressed in regal yellow robes. She stepped forward with an air of grace and stood next to Braka. “Am I interrupting?”
“My lady.” Braka bowed his head and sheathed his weapon, using his magic to make the blade disappear, only to reappear on his back in a hiss of air.
Rhuul moved his gaze between the two Eidon, his grip on his weapons unchanged. He expected Braka to make a move, and he’d be ready.
“I bring a message from my brother.” The Eidon female’s gaze traveled over Rhuul’s body. She frowned, pulling the six black horns of her brows down toward her nose, and shook her head, as if she was unimpressed. “He says you are still allowed to use the family’s name.” She turned and approached the way gate as soon as she uttered the last word. She moved swiftly, but controlled her steps, appearing to glide more than walk.
“You tell my father, dear Aunt Shiel, that I have no use for the name of a family of cowards.”
“Show her respect, Paralta!” Braka’s golden eyes flickered with malice. In an instant, his scimitar materialized, locked tight in his fist.
Rhuul’s instincts demanded he act. He visualized his strikes. The image of Braka’s head at his feet brought a smile to his lips and a burning need to drive his swords into the guard’s flesh. Stay in control. Your time will come. His thoughts were always at war with each other, his Eidon half the calculating thinker, his Celestan half the instinctual beast. At least that was what he was always told. With a deep breath, he clenched his teeth as he made his weapons disappear. Folding his wings tight to his back, he turned and walked away.
The sound of the way gate’s activation was all he needed to hear. He was alone now, a feeling he was used to. In Karn, he was Paralta, an abomination, surrounded by an entire realm of Eidon who wouldn’t even look at him. Now he’d passed through the way gate, his skin still tingling from the exposure to the magic of the portal. Moving through the gate was like being bathed in magic. It deepened his connection to his own, making him feel more powerful, until he stepped through to the other side. As quickly as the magic invaded him, it disappeared, leaving sensitive skin in its wake, the fading remnant of a power barely contained.
“Where the hell am I exactly?” Scanning the area, he took note of the dusty road in front of him.
He’d been outside Karn many times, but this place was unfamiliar. Pale blue wisps curled around his boots, the remnants of silt carried on the breeze. The road before him led into a town. He could see lights and groupings of angular buildings ahead of him.
“Guess that’s as good a place as any.” He gripped the belt at his waist, tightening it against the black leather of his vest. The garment had a deep cutout at the back of the neckline, allowing his wings to remain unobstructed. The front was embroidered with intricate symbols, each adorned with silver embellishments. The top of the vest was secured with a leather tie at his throat. “Now let’s find out where I am.”
He rolled his shoulders, tilted his head from side to side, inhaled deep, and started walking. “Eidon believe they are so much better than every other being. They are nothing! They delude themselves into thinking no others can reach their invented level of status. No other realm can compare to Karn.” His palms tingled, eager to feel the weight of a weapon in his hands. “They would exile me for being what I am. H
ow does punishing me for the sins of my father solve anything?” He trudged on, grumbling under his breath all the while.
The smell of roasting meat mingled with the scents of refuse, smoke, and spices as he moved closer to his destination. He was aware of the aromas, but his thoughts were focused elsewhere. “I will prove them wrong. Karn is not the mightiest of them all. It is not the shining jewel of the twelve realms. Eidon are not the only beings who can obtain and wield power. I will show them. I will show everyone.” He moved with clenched fists at his sides. His steps were heavy, all but stomping the crumbly ground beneath his feet, adding more powdery dust to the winds swirling around him. Even the air seemed restless, matching his thoughts and movements.
“There’s only one way to get their attention. One way to prove how insignificant they can actually be, how meaningless all their pride and delusions of superiority truly are.” His body all but hummed as he tapped into his magic to conjure several gold coins into his pocket. “I will rule a realm of my own.”
There was a freedom in saying the words. The feeling was accompanied by a surge of determination, causing him to flex his fingers at his sides as he reached and passed beyond the outskirts of the town. The buzz of conversations in multiple tongues filtered through the air. He spared a glance at the clusters of severely angled buildings around him. Some of the structures appeared to have been sliced by enormous blades, while others looked as if they were built by clustering like shapes into larger ones. There didn’t appear to be any rhyme or reason to the architecture, much different from the towering spires of Karn.
When he turned the corner at the end of the grouping of buildings, the space opened into the town square. Before he could get his bearings, he was surrounded.
“Choose me! I will be faithful. I will do whatever you ask!” The smaller creature, no higher than his knees, raised its furry arms into the air, eyes wide, waiting to be lifted. A smile revealed the sharp teeth in its short muzzle, and the animal bounced and trembled in anticipation.
“No, choose me! I can sing. I can help with spells!” Another furry critter vied for his attention, only this one twitched, its eyes blinking rapidly.
There were more than a dozen around him, each bouncing and chattering, promising him anything if he’d select them. All but one. Fiends. They’re relentless. Always wanting to be chosen. It didn’t take long for Rhuul to grow weary of their pestering. He lifted his leathery wings wide, watching the small group disperse. “What realm is this?”
“I will tell you if you choose me!”
“Let me tell you. Choose me!”
In a matter of seconds, small, furry bodies clashed, each fighting with ferocity. Rhuul let out a breath and shook his head. He moved his gaze away from the brawl, staring at the fiend standing apart from the group.
“You’re in Akash, stranger.” This one was different than the others. It seemed calm, its body relaxed as it eyed him. “From the look of you, you’re a long way from home.” His charcoal-colored fur was clean and neat in comparison to the others. There was something about the way this one looked at him, something he couldn’t make out.
“Why aren’t you asking me to choose you?” Rhuul walked in the fiend’s direction, stopping just next to it.
“I don’t have parja like the others.” It nodded toward the group of rolling bodies, scratching, biting, and swearing at each other.
“Parja?” Rhuul wrinkled his brow as he thought over the word.
“Fiends thrive in companionship. It creates a chemical in us, one that keeps us balanced. When we go without it for too long, we suffer the effects of parja. The pain becomes unbearable after only a few weeks. If we are without a companion after that, parja reaches its final stage and we die.” There was a slight wistful quality to the creature’s voice as it provided the grim explanation.
Rhuul looked back at the battling fiends, realizing they were fighting for their lives. He scanned the other beings moving around the town, noting the way they ignored the scene playing out. Everyone seemed to be accompanied by a fiend of their own, each creature dutifully following behind or next to its master.
He had never been to Akash, nor had he ever seen a town quite like this one. “What is this place called?” He paused, scratching the back of his neck. “What are you called?”
“I am Ghena, and this town is called Kref. You need to be careful here, stranger. The magister of Kref makes up the laws as he chooses. It is best to avoid his bad side.”
“I am Rhuul, and I fear no magister. If he wishes to provoke me, I will cut him down.” He lifted his hand in front his chin and made a fist, feeling a quickening in his blood.
“That would be unwise. The magister doesn’t play fair, and he always plays for keeps. You would do well to watch and learn.” Ghena smoothed the fur on his chest and swished his ringed tail from side to side.
Rhuul wanted to argue. He wanted to find this magister and show him just how powerful a half Eidon, half Celestan was. No, I cannot. It was difficult to tamp down his instincts, but he calmed himself and tried to think through his situation. “Ghena, I could use the help of someone like you as a guide. You know the realm of Akash, andyou can provide the insight I need. I do not need a fiend, but if you help me, I will reward you.” Rhuul tapped into his magic, conjuring several gold coins into his open hand. He bent at the waist, holding them out for Ghena’s perusal.
“I cannot eat gold, Rhuul. It is illegal for my kind to have money in Akash. We are seen as servants at best.”
Rhuul curled his fingers into his palm, making the gold disappear. “Then what do you eat?”
Ghena tilted his head to the side, watching with a quizzical expression. He remained silent for a few moments, as if he was unsure of what to say. “If I have the choice, I do enjoy haraka berries.”
Rhuul frowned in confusion and stood up straight. “Haraka berries?”
“Over here.” Ghena led him to a nearby stall, loaded with exotic fruits and vegetables.
Rhuul watched as Ghena pointed to an assortment of plump, purple berries, speckled with sparkling white spots. “I’ll take all the haraka berries you have.” He pulled conjured coins from his pockets and paid for the strange fruits. He passed the parcel to his new companion and watched him eat several berries at once, leaving a ring of dark purple juice around the fur of his muzzle. “You have your berries. What do I need to know about Kref?”
*
Ghena looked up at Rhuul, noting his strange appearance in comparison to the rest of the people in Kref. Rhuul was taller than most. Ghena estimated his height as easily over six feet, with large, leathery wings on his back, their tips resting near his ankles. He was dressed in leather from head to toe. There was no way of knowing what animal supplied the skin, but what was clear were his rippling muscles beneath the garments.
His shoulders, biceps, and forearms were developed, but not massive. The planes of his chest and abs flexed with his breaths and tightened with his speech. Strong thighs and toned legs supported his sculpted torso, completing his long, lean frame.
His skin was bronze and looked smooth. He had a strong jaw with straight, white teeth, his canines slightly elongated. His eyes were the color of dying embers and appeared to smolder when he was angry. There was no hair on his head, save for his eyebrows and thick lashes, which were dark and shiny. What exactly is he?
Ghena wondered about the stranger from the moment he saw him, but up close, he was unlike anything he’d ever seen. His peculiar appearance didn’t seem to bother the females in Kref. Their eyes were glued to Rhuul, resulting in a din of tittering and conversation in multiple languages.
Ghena couldn’t focus on them right now; there were more important things to take care of. He pointed a clawed finger, making a sweeping gesture around him. “This is where the people of Kref come to buy food, trade, and meet. You will find many items here, but we must not linger. It is late in the evening, and you’ll need a room.” He popped another haraka berry into his m
outh, delighting in the sweet juice coating his tongue before he swallowed it down. “There are rooms to rent. This way.” He loped toward a grouping of short buildings, their roofs angled toward the ground.
“Evening?” Rhuul looked up at the orange sky, turning to his right and then his left. There was a sun on each side, seemingly splitting the world in half. “The two suns are high in the sky.”
Ghena stopped in his tracks, pondering Rhuul’s confusion. “Ah, I understand. You’re expecting the sky to darken. That doesn’t happen in Akash. The two suns provide continuous light. Come, you must find a room. If we are found outside after the hour of plenith, the magister’s enforcers will come to collect a tax from us.”
“These enforcers will not take anything from me.” The smoldering look returned to Rhuul’s eyes, and Ghena snorted in response.
“You are not in your realm, Rhuul. Enforcers have binding abilities. They can block your magic and absorb your strength. If you aren’t careful, they could kill you.”
Rhuul’s jaw tensed, the tiny muscles flexing under his bronze skin. “I will not die so easily.” The tall stranger ended his words abruptly, appearing to think on something.
“That’s good to know, but you are not the first to arrive here with those thoughts.” Ghena walked toward the inns, enjoying haraka berries as they went. “Do you remember what I said? Here in Kref, you must watch and learn” He’s going to be trouble.
* * * *
After stopping in two buildings, Rhuul settled on the inn with the least repugnant smell. The first building had an odor he could only describe as rotten, while the second smelled of death.
The third building had a thick, musky aroma. As they made their way up the creaking stairs, he understood why. The sounds of moans and grunts greeted his ears when he reached the landing, reminding him of how long it had been since he’d lain with a female.
Tightening his belt, he tried to block out the noises as he walked down the hall toward his room. One of the doors ahead was open, the sounds of passion rushing out into the hall as if to greet him with an embrace. He couldn’t keep his eyes forward as he approached the entrance.
Rhuul's Flame (Realms of Possibilities, book 1) Page 1