Chronicles of the Half-Emrys Box Set (Books 1-3)

by Lisa Rector

  Aneirin stepped forward and took the stone, which had a thin silver chain attached to it. He draped the stone, huge in comparison to Meinwen’s tiny body, around her neck.

  Meinwen fluttered her lashes and looked up at Blodeuyn.

  “She says she’s hungry,” Blodeuyn replied to some unheard statement.

  Meinwen’s little body lit up at those words.

  Aneirin just laughed.

  The End.

  Chronicles of the

  HALF-EMRYS

  Book 2 The Two Masters

  A novel by

  Lisa Rector

  The Two Masters

  Copyright © 2015 Lisa Rector

  All rights reserved.

  First Edition

  Cover design by Cindy Canizales

  Cover photos by Shutterstock

  This novel is Reader Rated (RR) for ages 15+ for mild sensuality, violence, and torture; also contains brief (nonsexual) nudity.

  Choose the light or choose the darkness, but you cannot have both.

  As a half-emrys, Einion can wield the powers of light and darkness in the mortal world. But having known only the light’s purity in the immortal realm, Einion fears the dark power that leads to corruption. Despairs over his heart increase his uncertainty, and Einion is thrust on a path where he must face his worst fears to save the one he truly loves.

  Rhianu, a ruthless Dark Emrys, stumbles into Einion’s life only to be challenged by her versions of good and evil. Her heart is torn between power and love, between the past and the future. Familiar with betrayal, Rhianu must follow through with her master’s deceptive plan—no matter what the consequences or what her heart tells her.

  To Elena and Jillian

  —Though you continually push me to the brink of madness, it’s always worth it to be your forever mom.

  Always.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Epilogue

  PART I

  INNOCENCE

  CHAPTER ONE

  FOR GLORY

  Impatience teemed in Rhianu while she stormed down the long, winding tunnel miles under the mountain Uffern. Her heavy steps fell with purpose, and her thick cloak swirled behind her. She carried no torch. Rhianu had traveled the dark passage countless times in the past thousands of years, and she could do so with her eyes closed. Dangerous drop-offs and steaming rivers of underground lava marked the way, but she strode the tunnel without a pause in her step, feeling the wall’s edge with her dark energy, like groping fingers guiding her in the shadow.

  Sweat drenched Rhianu’s black, studded bodice and leather pants that graced her muscled body. Her blood-red hair trailed down her back and stuck, matted to her neck from the humidity. She wrapped her fingers around the cloak at her throat, loosening it, and unsticking the cumbersome fabric from her skin. Rhianu wished she’d left this annoyance on the surface. Heat in the passage made breathing tiresome, but she’d grown used to the discomforts from her master’s service.

  Her master—the Dark Master—had requested her presence, and so she came. Rhianu had two more chambers to pass through—the one with the well and the final chamber where he dwelt.

  A faint glow behind Rhianu captured her attention. Why can’t that woman hurry up?

  Siana had been summoned as well. Her golden-blonde head rounded the corner. Rhianu’s benevolent mother had green eyes and fair skin as smooth as the day she was born—all characteristics of an ageless emrys. Siana’s steps slowed as she carefully navigated around a sheer ledge. Since the final two chambers held no danger, her mother crunched louder on the gravel, catching up. The torch glow showed off her mother’s delicate frame of slender curves in a soft, woven dress.

  Rhianu’s lips curled with disgust.

  Many years had passed since the Master last asked Siana to grace his presence. Rhianu couldn’t guess why he asked Siana, except he must need her powers as a Daughter of Light.

  Mother and daughter were as different in abilities as they were in looks. Siana was a Child of Light, an immortal emrys. She could hold no darkness, and this made her useless as a vessel for the Dark Master.

  Useless. Rhianu scoffed. But she was a half-emrys, born from a mortal father and this immortal mother, and initially carried darkness and light along with the capacity to wield either.

  Making a complete transition, Rhianu had chosen the darkness and therefore carried no more light. She became the receptacle the Dark Master imbued with his power.

  They reached the well—a pool of water encircled by a waist-high stone wall in the center of a cavernous room. The glassy surface kissed the basin’s rim. Defying the mountain’s furnace around them, the well magically cooled the room.

  Rhianu paused long enough to see her mother run her fingers over the well’s edge. Cursing, Rhianu snatched Siana’s hand off the well. A searing sting shot through Rhianu’s olive-colored skin. Her mother’s touch always burned. Darkness could not touch light without pain, but Rhianu didn’t flinch, only dropped Siana’s hand. “Don’t dare look into that accursed thing. I forbid it.”

  Siana spoke with deplorable sweetness. Her mother could never be angry with her, not even after seasons of abuse. “You have no reason to fear the well. I do not desire to look into its depths. I’ve seen all that I ever care to see from it.”

  “I do not fear,” Rhianu said. What a preposterous idea.

  The blonde woman touched Rhianu’s upper arm as a motherly token. Rhianu shrugged her off and brushed past Siana to her master’s chamber.

  Siana lifted her torch, illuminating the cave’s walls with its scrawled, ancient words, which appeared to be written in blood. Being a servant of the Dark Master required long years of study, but Rhianu needed no more practice. She’d read the symbols countless times and had burned the images into her memory. Fixated on the mission at hand, Rhianu paid no heed to the writing.

  In the room’s center, like a morbid sentinel, stood an altar surrounded by candles on tall wooden pikes. Rhianu herself literally bled upon the altar more times than she wanted to recall. Sacrifice upon it would likely be required this night.

  I do not fear.

  As her mother lit the candles with the torch, Rhianu shuddered. The room was cold—colder than the former chamber. If wicked people thought they burned after death, they were wrong. They froze. The room’s dread climate resulted from the one who dwelt inside because he was evil himself—the First Evil to fight against the Light.

  The Evil did not speak aloud. Rhianu heard him in her mind. Because her master could do so anywhere, he must have needed her to be physically present. The Dark Master beckoned from inside a void—a black wall of swirling energy that guarded an entrance at the rear of the chamber.

  Rhianu… Rhianu, my dark warrior.

  His mental call fluttered her eyelids and drew her shoulders up. Rhianu rolled them down, cracked her neck, and approached the barrier.

  The Dark Master was trapped forever in the chamber beyond. He possessed terrible, unimagin
able power, however one greater than him held the Dark Master prisoner and set the terms of his sentence.

  But his confinement didn’t stop him from sharing his gifts with Rhianu.

  Electricity filled her—pure exhilaration caused her body to tremble. Every time Rhianu used her power, every time she reflected on her abilities, the action translated into pleasure. Rhianu anticipated the rush that would soon come.

  Touch the barrier. Permit me to feel you, her master said, his voice slipping through her like a slithering snake.

  She freely held her palms to the whirling energy and submerged her hands into what felt like a cold, inky pool. Rhianu closed her eyes and waited while her heartbeat raced and pulsed in her temples.

  An icy hold seized Rhianu’s wrists, and the sensation traveled up her arms. As her head fell back, a sigh escaped her lips.

  The connection transmitted endless thoughts in one flash. Her progress satisfied her master. Rhianu relived images of accomplishments as her master’s servant. She knew his probing was unnecessary. The Dark Master knew of her deeds, but he liked to make a show of his power, and he relished the contact with Rhianu, his only consort.

  Rhianu saw the dragon army she had been breeding for thousands of years and her Dragon Riders. The land she conquered lay overshadowed by the dark power, with its people enslaved and working in fear—out of fear of Rhianu’s wrath. She had killed more than one innocent soul during her conquest. Morvith was a miserable place, and Rhianu ruled her country with strength from the Dark Master—in his name.

  Satisfaction at knowing she served him well filled Rhianu’s chest. All for you, my lord.

  Despite the chill of the room, Rhianu broke into a sweat as the Dark Master assessed her willingness for the next step.

  Are you strong enough? Will you follow through unwaveringly?

  Yes. I will do anything you ask. Anything for more power—anything for glory.

  Understanding what her master wanted, Rhianu gasped, and her body shivered as he showed her the plan. He wanted Gorlassar—the dragon realm. He always had. The Dark Master wanted to destroy the dragon species and the emrys who were their guardians. His jealousy and hatred of the Master of Light’s creations tortured him. He had failed in the past and won this abode for his efforts.

  Do NOT fail me, Rhianu, the Dark Master hissed.

  The might of their sweeping empire would eventually lay waste the immortal dragon realm. Rhianu was sure of it.

  A wicked smile crept over Rhianu’s face. This would be a welcome adventure. She thanked his eminence for this opportunity and released her hands from the barrier. Rhianu turned around, concealing her pleasure with innocence.

  Siana stood straight and tall as a calm radiance of light glowed in her eyes. “Why do you want me?”

  “I’ll require your light for this task.”

  “My light… dear daughter, whatever does the Dark Master hope to accomplish? Does he think to exploit my abilities?”

  Rhianu stepped up to her mother and studied her gloriously flawless face. “I’m amazed that you can be so bold after what you’ve been through.”

  “I do not fear you or him. I have only love for you, despite what you might have done to me in the past.”

  “That’s why you’re a fool.”

  “You’re wrong, Rhianu. If you think a new scheme is how you’ll win your way into Gorlassar, you couldn’t be more mistaken. You’ll learn the hard way as you travel down this path, and it will bring suffering, but the choice is yours.”

  Rhianu growled deep in her chest. “You will obey me.”

  “I will give you my light, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  Rhianu’s face tightened, but she relaxed as she gauged her mother. What is this mad woman playing at? “Fine. Let’s get on with this. I abhor wasting time.”

  Stepping over to the altar, Rhianu ordered her mother to stand next to her. This was going to hurt. The pain would come as she anticipated, but her vitality would sustain her.

  Rhianu held up her hands and whispered words from an ancient language taught to her straight from the Evil himself. Her eyes rolled back into her head as Rhianu focused on his power, which flooded every inch of her body. Her goal was to force her master’s essence into the farthest regions of her mind where it would be hidden, but still accessible when the need arose.

  Her fingers became lighter, and her toes tingled. Accustomed to being a rampant energy inside her body, the evil power fought against being contained in a small core. Compress! Shrink! Moaning, Rhianu doubled over on the altar, but still she willed the dark matter to obey—this was crucial to the plan. I do not fear!

  Siana moved, and before she made contact, Rhianu rasped and clawed in the air at her mother’s hand. “Do not touch me yet!” The infernal woman!

  Her writhing complete, Rhianu pushed off the altar and swiped at the sweat dripping off her face and between her heaving breasts. A weakened and disturbingly lightened body alarmed her, and at the same time, this new emptiness filled her with a strange freedom. The dark matter had always grounded her and made her feel fortified and solid. Now her own skin revolted her. Not allowing her disgust to deter her, she addressed her mother.

  “Now, you must touch me. You must push your light into my body, into my heart, and through my mind. I must pass as a Half-Emrys of Light.” Rhianu gasped, fought to steady her trembling hands, and straightened her numb legs. Her resolution challenged her exhausted quivering frame.

  “That could kill you,” Siana said. “You’re weak. You don’t have to do this.”

  “I have strength enough for this. The influx of your light will not kill me. Do the transition now, and don’t release me until light courses throughout my whole body.” Rhianu tensed, bracing herself for the affliction that would follow.

  She jerked as a rush of heat entered her flesh upon Siana’s touch. The light coursing up her arms and into her shoulders burned like fire. Tears brimmed in Rhianu’s eyes, and she fought for composure against pain more intense than anything she’d ever encountered. The light’s power entering a body that housed darkness for several millennia would be expected to cause torment just short of death. The agony intensified, the growing surge like a knife shredding her veins one by one. For glory—for power!

  Rhianu screamed and crumpled to her knees, the stone floor jarring her upon impact. Her mother’s grip loosened.

  “No, do not stop!” Rhianu cried.

  Light entered her legs and reached for her toes. Rhianu fell to all fours and retched on the floor with waves of nausea. Her stomach contorted, and her arms threatened to give way. Rhianu’s vision dimmed, and her awareness settled on a moan rattling throughout her head—her moan. Her mother moved her hands to Rhianu’s back. The process was nearly complete. Siana had to push the light around Rhianu’s core and into her mind.

  Almost, almost—

  Rhianu’s body seized as she collapsed on the floor in her pool of filth. Excruciating thrashing of her warrior-hardened body finally ripped her into nothingness.

  CHAPTER TWO

  WAYLAID

  Soaring high above the vast lake on his dragon’s back gave Einion a splendid viewpoint. The early morning sun caused the water to glisten with golden streaks as the wind picked up, rippling the surface and blowing in the chill of early spring. Einion closed his eyes and smiled, breathing in the crisp lake air. The fresh earthen scent of a spring alive with life filled his nostrils.

  Trahaearn, I know we’ll be able to do this, Einion said, mentally sending his thoughts to his dragon. They had practiced all week, and Einion was certain today they would master upside-down flight.

  I have no doubt. Let’s astound the onlookers, Trahaearn answered.

  Einion rubbed his dragon on the back. Trahaearn’s burnt orange scales with golden veining were similar to the color of vibrant autumn leaves caught in the sun’s glare. Though small and agile, Trahaearn was bold and fearless. As an excellent flier, skilled in maneuvering, he was just
the dragon for the stunt they were going to pull.

  Down on the beach a small crowd gathered. Word had spread of Einion’s training escapades, and city folk were coming to watch.

  Einion groaned. Don’t these people have jobs to do?

  He purposely chose the sliver of dawn to avoid people, but the fishermen along the piers gathered in the pubs at night and talked about the prince and his dragon crashing over and over again into the water. The whole ordeal had grown into quite the spectacle.

  Standing out above all others on the shore was an emrys with silver blonde hair. Catrin was a tiny speck from their distance above the water, but even so, she was unmistakable, because Einion, as a half-emrys, could discern her inner light.

  My exquisite shadow—Catrin’s constant presence, as one of his dearest friends, existed in his life ever since his birth.

  Don’t think about Catrin now, Einion. Focus on the task at hand, Trahaearn said.

  Einion shook his head. Sorry, I’m focused.

  The time is right. The wind is perfect.

  Excitement and anticipation multiplied in Einion. His feelings fed off his dragon’s emotions because the round stone that hung from Einion’s neck bonded them together. The dragon stone matched the coloring of Trahaearn’s scales perfectly and allowed dragon and rider to share a mental and emotional connection.

  I’m ready, Einion said.

  Trahaearn’s strong wings stretched wide in the sky as he turned and glided in the air currents above Dillon Sea, a freshwater lake spreading for miles, tucked near the mountain’s edge. The ridge encircling the highlands created pristine conditions for flight.

  The wind increased in intensity, blowing Einion’s unruly hair across his face. Trahaearn angled one of his wings downward in preparation for the execution.

  This is it. Einion swiped the hair out of his eyes. He leaned forward in the saddle and hugged his body against his dragon’s plated spinal ridge. Einion visualized his internal light, his energy that flowed within his being, moving from his heart-center, down his body, and around Trahaearn, securing them together.