The Coming Dawn Trilogy

by Austen Knowles

  They were soon far above the clouds and flying to the east. Cobaaron held its mane, and steered the beautiful creature taking them to the Escape Mountains. They swerved to the south once they were away from the fire. The winged horses were flying in several V-shaped formations so they could ride in each other’s current.

  The landscape changed from rolling hills to wide snowy plains and then to white-capped mountains taller than the clouds. They flew through the mountains for quite a long distance until they began to gradually descend.

  They dropped with a rough landing on the unforgiving terrain. Cobaaron hopped down, and then helped Ky slide off. Ky immediately set Huntra down. Cobaaron walked to the front of the gorgeous creature and gently put his hand on the short snout as he pulled its head toward him. They bumped foreheads. Cobaaron then said something to it so softly Ky couldn’t hear. He then petted the bridge of its nose.

  Winged horses dropped all around them, stopping long enough to let the warriors and women dismount. Then they flew off.

  Cobaaron clapped his hand to the side of the winged horse he was talking to, and it flew away.

  “What did you say to him?” Ky asked.

  “I thanked him,” Cobaaron said with a shrug. “I don’t know why they came to our aid, but I’m thankful, and told him so. They don’t understand words, but they do touch.” He smiled and watched it fly away.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  The abandoned city of Coontosh, within Escape Mountains, rung with the low clinking of wooden chimes. Thousands of hollow sticks hung among globs of clay on the ceiling of the cave; tiny birds called bluebeards, built them to warn of impending danger if creatures climbed walls to snatch their eggs. In the soft wind, they clunked together mixing with the sound of the beautiful songbirds’ melody, which hushed only when Huntra stalked them.

  Like most other cities there was a common gathering area that was quite spacious. All the surrounding tunnels and rooms were cleared as women made a feast for the men to celebrate the victory. Soon, everyone gathered around to eat. The warriors cheered for the women dancing, and to no surprise the women were happy to oblige.

  “Come Ky,” Cobaaron said as the men were distracted by an erotic shimmy of women’s hips and seductive charms.

  Cobaaron took her hand, and led her out of the small city. “I brought you to this place for a reason, Ky,” Cobaaron said once they were alone, and the sounds wolf whistles became distant.

  They headed into a room that looked as if a blizzard of thick snow was fiercely blowing. The deeper into the storm they walked the stiller and lighter the flurries fell. Cobaaron reached out, and snatched some of the substance that drifted to the floor. He took Ky by the hand, stopping her, and then gently put it in her ears. “Can you hear me?”

  “I can. It’s muffled.” She reached out fingering the cotton-like substance. On the ground were small chimney-like plants puffing out the fibers.

  Cobaaron caught more of the cotton and put it in his ears. He held her hand and led her on. They took a few more steps before they reached a very thin tunnel they had to squeeze to get into. As they continued down the tunnel Ky could feel her body getting lighter. By the time they emerged into a spacious cave, Ky was floating. There was little gravity inside the cavern.

  Thousands upon thousands of silver hair-like strands flew in the air by either flapping like wings, or slithering. They glowed a shimmery white, and twinkled as they moved. They were beautiful and mesmerizing.

  “This is breathtaking, Cobaaron,” Ky breathed in. She couldn’t stop staring.

  “This is why this mountain is called Escape.” Cobaaron shook his head as if trying with difficulty to get his words out. He swallowed hard. “These are dreams. Each is imprinted with everyone’s dream. Once you touch it, the strand becomes your dream.” Cobaaron reached for the wall then pushed, boosting himself up to the ceiling. He cupped sand that was on the ceiling, and held it in his hands as he tried making it hot, but he wasn’t warm enough. “Come here.” He held out his hand. Ky floated up, and came to him. They sat, upside down, and he put sand in her hand. She made it glow warm. “Will you make me a flat bottle?” he asked.

  It took Ky some time to heat the sand to glass, blow it into a sphere, and then flatten part of the surface as a face on one side. Then she made a small hole on the top. She let it cool before handing it to Cobaaron, and then she made a stopper as he asked.

  Ky smiled enjoying seeing he was asking her to put so much effort into something that she knew he was going to give her. He pushed off the sandy ceiling bringing her with him, and then told her to take a dream and put it in her bottle.

  Ky gently pinched a dream that was slowly flapping its way in the weightless atmosphere. She carefully slipped it into the jar. Cobaaron, who couldn’t handle as much heat as Ky, asked her to seal the two pieces together. When she tried to hand it back to him, with the dream sealed inside the jar, he shook his head not wanting it.

  Then Ky saw it: her former self. Kylie was home, getting ready for the day, sitting on the floor in front of the mirror listening to music. Ky watched herself putting on mascara, and curl her eyelashes without a care.

  “You’re beautiful, Ky,” Cobaaron said, watching over her shoulder.

  “Not as beautiful as you made me,” Ky confessed.

  “I don’t think so,” Cobaaron replied.

  They watched Kylie stand and then talk to her roommate Gale, in the messy area of their living room. She couldn’t hear anything, but Ky guessed they were planning on sharing a ride to class. As suspected, Gale and Kylie dashed out of the apartment and jogged down the stairs before getting in Gale’s black classic convertible.

  “What is that?”

  “A car,” Ky said simply.

  Cobaaron twisted the jar so he could see more clearly. They watched as they drove the few short blocks to the campus, while Cobaaron kept saying, “That is so odd. How is it doing that?”

  A few minutes later, Kylie was in her first class, but it wasn’t how Ky remembered it. “This is my class, but not a subject I was studying. Am I still there?”

  “You were never there. This is a dream. Your dream is continuing without you. You can keep this to watch your old life,” Cobaaron said, and lovingly gazed at her.

  “This is amazing.” Ky smiled at Cobaaron. “And so are you. I love you so much.”

  “I’m glad you like it.” He cleared this throat. “But as I was saying there is a reason why I brought you here. Dreams are curious things. They flutter into your ears, help you fall asleep, and take any dream you would have had, and replace it with the dream its holding. Then two dreams escape the other ear when the dream is complete. It doesn’t take long. Only a few hours.”

  “That is fascinating, Cobaaron. This world is full of amazing things. Like this zero gravity.” They were floating in the middle of the cave.

  “I don’t know what zero gravity is,” Cobaaron said, and smiled.

  “Never mind. It’s hard to explain, like cars,” Ky said, and faintly laughed. “But anyway, thank you for my dream. I’ll cherish it.” She moved to kiss him, but he stepped away.

  “No, don’t kiss me Ky. This is hard enough.”

  “What do you mean? How is this hard?” Ky asked.

  “I’m letting you go, Ky. Dreams can also be digested. The dream you’re holding, the life you were living, you could digest it. As a Star, you would fall asleep and dream that life until the day your dream passes away with you as an old woman. You would fall in love, have children, and live a life without peril. I want you happy, Ky. You don’t want to be here where your destiny is planned out and fraught with danger. You wanted nothing to do with the prophecy. I can’t always protect you in this world. But I could lock you safely in a tomb, and let you sleep peacefully.”

  “You don’t want me?” Ky asked, and blinked. Instantly tears fell and ran down her cheeks.

  “No, love. Don’t cry.” He wiped away her tears, looking as pained as she felt. “I’m
trying to do the right thing. I could never want you to leave me. I secretly hope you say no, but I’ll understand if you can’t stay. Most Stars would do anything for this opportunity. Some have died trying to get here. You don’t want to face this destiny, and in this world you will certainly be in danger. But if you chose your dream you would have the life you say you want. You asked me when we first met how to go home. This is the way—the only way. You can go home and you will forget about me. I’d gladly live a tortured life of loving you but feeling the bitter agony of not being able to touch you, make love to you, or hold you again if it meant I could see you happy. I’d visit you often and mourn you like a widower, because I could never wake you. I’d take your jar and keep it for myself, because I could never truly let you go. I’m sure I’ll sorely regret taking you here later, but you said you didn’t sign up for this. You’re not here by choice, unless you decide now to stay. I just want you happy and as your husband I’m trying not to be selfish, when I debated never telling you about this place. Truthfully, I hope you choose me, even if loving me in this place is hard, because I am desperate to be with you, Ky. You are the one true love of my life. No matter where you are that will never change.”

  “I’m not even going to pretend to think about this. That girl is Kylie; I’m Ky. We’re two different people in very different worlds. I’m not leaving you in darkness. You’re my husband and I will not depart this world until we leave it together.”

  Cobaaron immediately seized and kissed her. He tightly squeezed her to him, and didn’t let go of her. He showered her with passionate kisses before he whispered, “I’m so glad you said that.” His forehead dropped to hers. He took a deep breath.

  Then his kiss became more zealous. She opened her mouth, letting him take her with greater passion. Her tongue lightly pressed against his, as their lips closed perfectly around one another. He took his time leisurely drawing his tongue around her in delicious slow caresses. Ky moaned. Her sounds seemed to make him realize what he was doing because he broke the kiss.

  “I want you to dream of me.” Cobaaron gently grasped a silver strand that floated. “Take another, Ky. I want us to share our lives up to this point while we sleep.”

  He held out his hand, and waited for her to take another. He then led her out of the cave, to lie on the bed of cotton. The chimneys all puffed until they were lying over a thick layer of fibers that felt as soft as a cloud. Cobaaron drew her closely to him, hugging her with a protective embrace, as her head rested on his arm. His need to keep her, and relief she wanted him, was felt in his embrace. They took the white fluff from their ears. At the same time they exchanged dreams by slipping it into one another’s ears. The silver glowing strand easily slithered into the canal. There was no sensation of Cobaaron’s dream entering her subconscious, though Ky felt herself grow tired.

  “I love you,” Ky said as she gazed into his blue eyes, and let her hand rest draped over his broad shoulder.

  “And I you, Ky.” His words were barely a whisper, and before they could wish each other sweet dreams, they fell asleep knowing when they awoke, their bond would be stronger than ever.

  A Stolen Moment

  CHAPTER ONE

  Ky’s existence in Cobaaron’s dream was as an invisible presence that she was only vaguely aware of. His dream shared the highlights, glimpses, and intimacies of his life. She suffered with him through childhood trials with a distant mother with no maternal instincts. He was left with various women who raised him as caretakers. His older half-sister of twenty-seven years, Luneye, was more parent than his mother. Ky sensed Cobaaron’s closeness to Luneye.

  The earliest five years of his life spent with his older half-brother, Noxis, carried throughout his life. Cobaaron and Noxis shared a bond Onor never had with his brothers. Cobaaron never met his father or Onor, until he was a young warrior.

  While a stud in an army under the command of Lanskyz the Brave, Cobaaron’s father died in combat before he knew him. At nineteen, he decided he needed to be the best to survive a warrior’s life.

  He met Octavos shortly after his father’s death. They were sparring partners, because they both showed exceptional skill. Over the constant years of training, they became great fighters: clever, fast, strong, and lethal. His education as a warrior didn’t end. Lanskyz saw Cobaaron’s potential and tested him further. Lanskyz sent Cobaaron out alone in the wilderness for three years. He lived off the land and fought beasts. By obligation, before he could rejoin the army, he fought a war alone. His wisdom guaranteed victory. When he returned as a respected champion, Cobaaron took his training further. He refused to have his demise be at the hand of a witch.

  Onor, Noxis, Octavos, and Cobaaron were granted a two-year sabbatical. They befriended a witch and learned her ways. It took months to build her trust and it wasn’t until Onor married her that she shared family secrets. After living with Vi for another year, the witch regarded the four men as close family; then they left to her intense displeasure.

  Cobaaron returned to Lanskyz’s army with one goal. To be the greatest warrior the world had ever seen. Cocky and still young, he challenged men of higher rank. It was incredible how the years changed him. His skill improved remarkably. The four men quickly climbed the army ranks each time Cobaaron was undefeated, and he appointed his closest allies in positions accessible and useful to him.

  Within a year, Cobaaron challenged and won every fight until he was Lanskyz’s second-in-command and the army feared Cobaaron would challenge the chief as well. But that didn’t happen; a great battle swept the globe, and the army fought a gruesome, bloody battle called The King’s War. A powerful earthquake split the ground swallowing the men, and in the confusion, warriors turned against their comrades; few survived. Lanskyz, known for his bravery, leaped off a cliff pursuing the escaping mad king. Lanskyz died with shady honor for momentary stupidity; but Cobaaron proclaimed that his legacy should be celebrated as fearless.

  Cobaaron commanded the leading army of fifty thousand men. A mere shadow of the former militia, but Cobaaron recruited young warriors and it rapidly grew by legions. His position as chief was often contested; he never gained Lanskyz’s army or status as chief by earning the position. It took several years, and numerous challenges, before Cobaaron proved he was the rightful leader.

  Before he found Ky, blind and naked in the cave, he spent nearly three hundred years fighting. He thrived being the commander, and it gave him a sense of power and pride. Ky could see in his dream the sense of accomplishment at being undefeated. When he found her, his attitude changed.

  She saw him fall in love, and feel emotions he never cared to explore. She watched him struggle, as he felt vulnerable after years of only knowing strength when she nearly died from the poisonous blade. She witnessed him change his entire course of action as commanding officer to bring the world of darkness to a new dawn. The last thing Ky saw before she woke up was Cobaaron giving her the option to return to her old life, and his relief when she refused to leave.

  Ky’s eyes popped open. She watched two silver strands slip out of her ear and flutter in the direction of the weightless cave of dreams. She sat up. Cobaaron was already awake.

  “My life’s longer than yours. I’ve been awake a few hours actually.” Cobaaron rolled to her side, drawing her back down to lay beside him. Ky rested her head on his thick arm. “Your life was rather boring really,” he teased.

  “Because I don’t have gory battles or because I had a stable upbringing?”

  “Both.” He grinned. “No, Ky, I had a good sleep. Your world is amazing. The sun is beautiful. I couldn’t stop looking at the sky. Seeing it while reading your mind was no comparison to your vivid dream. I have a new drive to change this world. I’ll somehow restore the light from this dark existence. I’m eager, and I’m in a hurry now.”

  “I miss the sun, too. I’ll be happy when this is over.”

  “I don’t like to admit this aloud, but you met a new friend recently…a man. Strange
ly, he looks similar to me before you changed me, and his name is Aaron.”

  “Really?” Ky snickered. “Curious because my name is a derivative of Kylie.”

  “Well, you met him in some running sport,” Cobaaron continued.

  “It must be cross country. I signed up for that late.”

  “Your relationship with him was a highlight of your life, so I watched the whole thing in agonizingly slow progression. Watching you sleep with him was torture. I wanted to strangle him, but instead I left. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, to let someone touch you.”

  “I’m sorry you had to witness that,” Ky said, and played with tufts of his hair. “But that isn’t me anymore.”

  “He’s not as strong as I was even before you changed me.”

  “I don’t see how that makes it better.”

  “It does, a little. I’m a better choice. I’m stronger and faster. He’s rather a slow runner.”

  She told him he was by far the better lover and not just for his valor, skill and speed. Then she comforted him until he pretended not to care. But clearly he wasn’t because he continued, “I’m competitive, Ky, and I vowed this other partner of yours will not have you conceive more times than me. When this journey is over, and we’re in the City of Lights, I’ll expect to have two more children than them.”

  “I thought the subject of children was off limits.”

  “I’m stepping down as chief. My destiny is changing. I’m eager to get to Sarnia and then to the City of Lights. The Ash of Gorgeon heralds the new year and the ash will stop us, but once it settles, we should get to the City of Lights easily.” Cobaaron stood and held out his hand. “Come, love.” She picked up the dream bottle, and he hoisted her up when she took his hand.

  “Why would ash stop us?”

  “Volcanic ash prevents men from breathing. It would kill us all. The ash season doesn’t last long, but it is consistent and reliable enough we keep our years by ash time. We’ll be underground for two weeks once the season begins.”