The Daath Chronicles- The Complete Series

by Eliza Tilton

  “We have no lead on my grandfather. What if they’ve killed him?”

  “They won’t,” Lucino said. “We’ll find him.”

  He spoke with determination, and when I looked into his deep blue eyes, I believed him.

  Hadda hopped up and down, a sign something bad headed our way. I’d learned to trust her instincts more than my own.

  Lucino pulled up the oar and we searched the water.

  “I don’t see anything,” I said.

  “Neither do I.”

  Hadda squawked again, this time louder.

  “Hold on!” Lucino shouted.

  A giant purple creature rose above the water. Its tentacles flapped around and the suction cups latched onto the boat. Lucino whacked the squid with the oar as it slid its bulbous body over the ledge.

  “Get out!” I kicked it with both feet, holding onto the edge of the boat for support.

  The squid slid over Lucino and opened its mouth, a mouth full of rows upon rows of jagged teeth.

  No.

  I lunged at the squid while Hadda flew above us, squawking. The squid latched onto Lucino’s chest and a curdling scream left him.

  I flung away the tentacles near me and punched the squid’s eye as hard as I could—something Grandfather told me. It retreated, and I punched again, harder.

  “Get away from him!”

  Hadda clawed at the squid, and it slowly retreaded back into the water.

  “No!” I ran my hands over Lucino’s wound, trying to stop the blood.

  “I’ll be fine.” His face twisted with pain.

  Three of the squid’s teeth remained lodged in his left side. “I need to remove these teeth.”

  Lucino grimaced. “Do it.”

  I took a breath, readying myself, then gently grabbed the first tooth.

  Lucino nodded and I yanked.

  A fountain of blood rushed from the wound, and Lucino’s eyes rolled back into his head.

  I grabbed his face. “Lucino, talk to me. Lucino!”

  Light exploded in the sky, surrounding us. I squinted as the boat spun around and around, fast, flashes of color blinking in and out. I held onto Lucino and Hadda, hugging them both to my body, reluctant to lose either of them.

  Creator, save us.

  Different colored lights zipped past me. No sea, no sky, just endless lights. My stomach dropped as if we were falling, and dizziness filled my head. Anymore of this and I would vomit. I shut my eyes, unable to look at the brilliant scenery, and prayed and prayed, hoping whatever was happening to us would end

  We landed with a thud.

  I opened my eyes and a man with an enormous nose and dark green skin hovered over us. He wasn’t human.

  “Hmm,” he said. “This is unexpected.”

  I held Lucino and Hadda tighter. We were in a dark room that smelled of rotten meat and held tables with strange contraptions and bottles steaming with different colored liquids.

  “Where are we?” I asked.

  The man frowned and scrunched his face. “Mirth.”

  Mirth? Lucino’s homeworld?

  Lucino grunted beside me.

  “Move aside,” the strange man said, but I couldn’t release Lucino from my arms. “You prefer he die, hmm?”

  I shook my head and let him take Lucino. Hadda chirped and I pet her head, staring at the room. There were no windows, only cold metallic walls and a plethora of devices that belonged in an alchemist’s shop. How could this happen? I wanted to ask, but was too terrified to move or speak.

  Lucino had only allowed me to see his Reptilian form once, and it resembled nothing like the green creature before me. Where Lucino had smooth jade skin and angled features, this man was fat and haggard with a yellowish green coloring, and a bald, bumpy head.

  He examined Lucino, pressing around his chest, checking his breath and mumbling to himself. With a metal prong, he plucked the squid teeth out and dropped them on a silver plate. Then he reached over to the nearest table and took a glass tube filled with an orange liquid and dumped it over Lucino’s wound. The mixture bubbled on the skin.

  Lucino lay still.

  Creator, blessed and true, let the light of your healing powers reach us. Even though I was a world away, I prayed The Creator would hear my plea.

  I sat, silent, stroking Hadda and watching Lucino’s face. His head tossed and turned, and I wondered if he would ever wake.

  Lucino’s caretaker said very little to me. He stitched Lucino’s wounds. Instead of using needle and thread, he had a small black instrument that mended the skin together with fire. The pain must’ve been intense, but Lucino didn’t react.

  “Will he be all right?” I left Hadda to stand beside Lucino.

  “He will live.”

  “Thank you.”

  He put his instrument down and shook his head. “You being here will cause many problems. What to do? What to do?” He stood and walked away.

  I followed. “I won’t cause any trouble, and as soon as Lucino wakes, we can be on our way.”

  “Hmm, trouble. This is not good.” He paced back and forth.

  “What’s your name? I’m Jeslyn.”

  “Romulus.” He scratched his head. “Think. Think.”

  “Romulus,” I said, walking very slowly. “How did we travel here?”

  “No time to talk. I must hide you, you and . . . what matter of creature is that?” He tilted his head at Hadda and pointed. “I don’t know this animal.”

  I stepped into his view, blocking Hadda from his sight. “She’s my bird.”

  “No,” he grumbled and moved me aside. “Not a bird. I know every bird in your world. All creatures were catalogued within the first century.”

  First century? I didn’t have time to think on what that meant because he was moving closer to Hadda. “She’s just a large bird.”

  Hadda squawked and flapped her wings.

  “I must inspect it,” he said.

  I didn’t like the strange excitement in his voice.

  “No.” I dashed to Hadda and blocked her.

  “Move away!”

  “You won’t touch her.” I balled my fists, ready to defend Hadda if he came any closer.

  “Leave the bird alone, Romulus. I’ll find you something else to dissect.”

  Lucino.

  Romulus turned around, not surprised at hearing Lucino’s voice. “This is a new discovery. All creatures must be catalogued and dissected. This is—”

  “I know the rules,” Lucino said, sitting up. “But you will not touch that bird. Hadda belongs to me.”

  Belongs to him? What is he talking about?

  Romulus grumbled. “You take too many risks.”

  Now that Hadda was out of danger, I went to Lucino. I wanted to throw my arms around his neck and shower him with kisses, but the cautious look in his eye held me back.

  “How are you feeling?” I lightly touched his hand.

  “Not at my best.”

  He stood, grunting. Lucino’s posture straightened and he marched to Romulus, one hand on his wound. Romulus’s shoulders slumped and he backed away from Lucino.

  “What did you do?” The anger in Lucino’s question sent a shiver through my body.

  “You insisted on going alone. I had to take precautions.”

  Lucino’s hand snapped out at Romulus and he lifted him off his feet. “Answer me.”

  I was in shock at Lucino’s strength, but I noticed the same red haze surrounding him like it did when he fought the large bird.

  “I placed a home spell on us. If you were gravely injured the spell would send us both here.”

  “Fool.” He lowered Romulus to the ground. “Why not the lab on Dune Island?”

  “Without knowing your injury, I wouldn’t know if I had all the
right supplies to treat you. This was the only way to keep you safe.”

  “How did Jeslyn return with me?”

  Romulus scratched his chin. “It’s possible if you were touching, the spell would have returned you both.”

  It was my fault. I had held onto Lucino and Hadda during the explosion.

  “We must hide her,” Romulus urged. “Before she’s seen.”

  Lucino nodded and walked to me. He reached out his hand and touched my cheek.

  “Give us a moment,” he said to Romulus.

  Romulus left the room and my heart started an erratic thumping.

  Lucino’s other hand grasped the other side of my face. His eyes were blue and bright. He brought my face to his, kissing me feverishly. My body relaxed and I wrapped my arms around his waist.

  He broke away and touched his forehead to mine. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “If I had known Romulus’ plan, I would’ve been more careful. You should not be here.”

  I let my fingers explore his back while his breath blew against my face. “Am I in danger?”

  He nodded.

  I bit my lip so I wouldn’t let the tears fall, but they slipped anyway.

  He lifted my chin, kissing each drop of sadness. “Don’t be afraid. I won’t let anything happen to you. I swear it.”

  I met his gaze, and for the first time, I saw the boy I’d always known was there. I knew with all my heart that whatever was going to come next, we would survive it.

  Together.

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Avikar

  When we emerged from the tunnel hours later, the sound of battle had disappeared. None of us spoke about what happened, but Ginna’s soft sobs said enough.

  A brook ran past the hidden entrance. All three of us stumbled out of the cave, then raced to the water’s edge to drink. The cold, crisp liquid saturated the dryness in my throat.

  I couldn’t tell where we were or what direction the king’s castle lied in. “Ginna.” I crouched by her side. She sat, hugging her arm to her chest. “Do you know where we are?”

  She looked past me.

  Raven seemed even more lost. I understood their pain and I would let them grieve, but not now. We needed to keep moving.

  “We’re near the king’s borders,” Ginna finally said.

  “How long until we get there?”

  “If we walk through the night, we can reach it by morning.”

  I didn’t think any of us would fall asleep after what happened. I held my hand out to Ginna. “Then we keep walking.”

  She took my hand and I helped her stand.

  Raven sat by the brook, staring at the water, a blank expression on her face. Knowing the loss destroyed every emotion she felt broke what little resolve I had left.

  I placed my hands on hers.

  The last time I had spoken to her, we fought, and we had fought about Cael—an argument I wished we’d never had.

  What could I say to her? How could I convince her to get up and walk when I knew the pain forced her to stay? Raven wasn’t weak, and sometimes I thought she was stronger than I was. I squeezed her hand, telling her I wouldn’t let her go through this alone.

  While Ginna had cried the entire time, Raven didn’t, not even one tear.

  Raven stood, putting her hands on her daggers. “Let’s go.”

  And so we walked, sometimes in darkness, sometimes by moonlight. We didn’t talk about our loss or what steps we could have done differently. Cael was gone, and the truth of that was more than any of us could bear alone.

  Purpose and grief bound us together.

  Our attackers would feel our blades, and Cael’s sacrifice would be the beginning of our victory over the war and the shapeshifters.

  Epilogue

  Jeslyn held my hand as we slipped down the corridor, her new fire-hued hair flowing around her shoulders. Romulus’s guise was supposed to hide her human form, and it did, but now her striking hair and smooth olive skin made her one of the most desirable Reptilians I knew.

  Footsteps sounded from around the corner and I stopped. Little light filtered this area of the castle, and lying straight against the wall, using the lip to shield us, the guards passed by without noticing. Soon as they rounded the next corner, we ran.

  My father expected me at war, and until I could find a way to keep Jeslyn safe, I had to hide her, and there was only one person I could entrust this task to.

  “We’re here.” I released Jeslyn from my grip and smoothed out my shirt. I glanced back at her. She held her hands in front of her long silver gown. Each time I gazed upon her clear blue eyes and soft, smooth skin, I was enchanted all over again. “Ready?”

  She nodded.

  I pressed the button by the door. Buzzing it.

  “Enter.”

  I stood straighter and entered my mother’s quarters.

  My mother stood by one of her hydranas. The plant moved its bulbous head toward her and she dropped a centipede into its mouth.

  “Hello, Mother.”

  She stroked the plant’s head. “Hello, Son.”

  It had been many months since we last spoke, and our last conversation did not end well.

  “You’ve brought me a visitor.” My mother turned to look at us, her lilac and silver hair braided around her head. The royal crown rested in the middle, the black and red crystals sparkling from the nearby light.

  “Yes.” I placed a hand on Jeslyn’s back. “This is Aurora. She’s from Doniva. Aurora, my mother, Queen Velaria.”

  Jeslyn bowed. “It’s nice to meet you, your majesty.”

  My mother’s eyes narrowed at the gesture.

  “You should remember how strange our brethren from the blue hive are.”

  Jeslyn knew nothing of our customs or mannerisms. I’d only had enough time to go over the basics and a brief history so she understood the backstory I created for her.

  “I see your hydranas are growing.” Mother collected the flesh eating plants from our lands. They lived on worms of all types, and she found their lifelike gestures interesting.

  “Yes, they are, but I know my son, and he cares little for remedial talk. What do you want?”

  “I need your assistance. Aurora is a refugee. Her father is one of the nobles placed in Tarrtainya, and she’s learned valuable information.While I’m at war, I need you to shelter her. If her arrival is discovered, she’ll be hunted.”

  “And what’s this valuable information?”

  “For her safety I cannot say. Can I count on your assistance?”

  She nodded. “I’ll take her on as a maidservant. We’ll need to cover her—she’s far too appealing.”

  A floating sphere appeared in the center of the room. “Queen Velaria, Dauntess Elena has arrived and is waiting in the great hall.”

  “Tell her I am on my way.”

  The sphere popped.

  “Keep the girl in my chambers until I return.”

  When she left the room, I locked the door. “That went better than expected.”

  “She’s very beautiful.” Jeslyn’s eyes watered and she pulled at the front of her dress.

  “Don’t be upset.” I spoke softly and grabbed her hands.

  “You’re leaving me.”

  “I have no choice.” I brought her hands to my lips, kissing her soft skin. “If I could stay by your side, I would, but I can’t.”

  She fell against me, her tears splashing my neck. “Please, don’t go.”

  I wrapped my arms around Jeslyn, holding her tight. I didn’t want to leave her, and the thought of her alone with only my mother angered me to the point of fear. I pulled her away from me and held her face in between my hands. “I know you’re afraid, and I know this world is unlike yours, but you must stay strong for me. Romulus should finish the simulacrum before we reach the Kuu
ni shores. I’ll be back in your arms shortly.”

  When Romulus’s spell brought Jeslyn to Mirth, I knew I couldn’t go to war. The only way to avoid it was for Romulus to create a simulacrum, an exact clone of me, one with the same memories, and speech patterns. No one would be able to tell the difference.

  Jeslyn nodded and wiped away her tears. “Everything is happening so fast. Only weeks ago it was just the two of us, sitting on the white sands, gazing at the sea.”

  “Only two? Have you forgotten about Hadda?”

  A small smile formed on her lips. “And Hadda.” She wiped her face dry, and straightened herself. “Will she be okay in Romulus’ lab?”

  “That may be the safest place in the castle . . . maybe you should stay there.”

  Her eyes widened.

  “Very well.” I drew her back to my lips, kissing her one last time, and touched the locket. “I’ll always be able to find you.”

  “Please be safe. If anything happens to you . . . .”

  “Have you forgotten who I am?” I grazed her cheek with my fingers. “Nothing will stop me from coming back to you. And once I return, we’ll go back to Tarrtainya, together.”

  She stepped on her toes and kissed me once more. “I love you.”

  “And I, you.”

  Acknowledgments

  They say the second book is the toughest, but for me, I feel the adventure is just getting started. Each character is discovering who they are and how they fit into the world around them. I loved sending our group on another wild journey across Tarrtainya.

  Marlene, Marlene, Marlene. You have gone above and beyond what a critique partner should be. You’re always there to listen to my indecisive mind and help push my thoughts into words that rock. You’re a good friend and I hope one day we can meet in the real.

  For Wicked Path I had a new editor, and one who played a vital role in Broken Forest being published, Jessa Russo. Even though my edits had a lot of red—it’s not my fault hands like to do stuff—you’ve strengthened and taught me so much about writing. I’m blessed to share this journey with you.