Heiress of Light: Magic Reborn (Reverse Harem)

by Ashlyn Allbrook

  “In due time.”

  I walked further into the room, and my men filed in behind me.

  “So what happens next?” I asked.

  “Now you merge with the Kingdom of Darkness.”

  My men circled around me, with Liam in the front. His jaw tightened as I said in a tight voice, “That won’t be happening tonight or ever.”

  “But it’s the way it’s meant to be,” she said. “You can’t fight it, Elena, just like you couldn’t fight your need for your guards. You can resist it, but you will succumb to it.”

  I remembered my dream, when I was standing on the steps of a temple, wearing a dress like this one, waiting to merge with the Kingdom of Darkness. “No.”

  She laughed.

  “I think that’s our cue to leave,” Liam said. All five men started backing up, and I backed up with them. I wasn’t sure that running from a goddess was possible, but I was willing to give it a try.

  We made it out the main entrance to the top of the steps.

  “Elena,” a voice called out from the shadows. “You’re a hard woman to track down.” A chill ran down my spine when I recognized it.

  “Leonardo,” I said. “You’ve wasted your time. This isn’t happening.”

  He stepped out from behind a pillar, his sword drawn. He was a good-looking man, and he knew it. He wore it with an arrogance and a schmoozing charm that usually got him what he wanted—and had been pissed when I hadn’t fallen for it.

  Now he swaggered toward me, his cape blowing behind him as he pressed his hand to his heart. “I’ve been so worried about you, my love. Never fear, your guardsmen will pay dearly for kidnapping you and putting your life in danger.”

  “They have protected me, and you know it.” I fisted my hands at my sides. This dress wasn’t meant to be worn in this temperature, and my nipples hardened. The moonlight shone on me like a spotlight, and the look on Leonardo’s face as he stared at my chest hinted that he noticed.

  “They’ve used you for your power,” he said, his gaze still on my chest, but it was obvious he meant it as an insult to me. He took two steps forward. “I know that you’ve released all five elements, and now it’s time for you to rebirth magic into the world and merge with the Kingdom of Darkness.”

  I tried to hide my horror. “You will have nothing to do with the magic inside me, Leonardo. My guards will see you dead first.”

  He laughed. “If they survive.” Then he made a gesture, and twenty guards stepped out of the shadows.

  “We can handle this,” Matthew said, lifting his sword. “Twenty is nothing.”

  “There’s another way,” I said. Then I held out my palm and focused on making heat. A glowing red ball appeared, and I threw it at Leonardo.

  He ducked, but the ball hit one of his men, and his clothing burst into flames.

  “Beautiful!” Leonardo said. “You’re more perfect than I imagined!” Then he waved his hand forward. “Attack!”

  His men advanced, and Dax and Tobias positioned themselves around me, putting me at the rear again, as they met with a clash of swords. I formed another fireball and threw it to the rear of Leonardo’s men, setting another man on fire.

  The swords were flying so quickly I had a hard time keeping track of my men, and I didn’t dare throw another fireball for fear I’d hit one of them.

  Several of Leonardo’s men started to get past Dax, and Dax tried to intercept them, but one of Leonardo’s men stabbed Dax in the side.

  I screamed. “No!”

  Dax continued to fight even though blood seeped through his shirt.

  Leonardo walked around the pillar. “Elena, you can save your men. All you have to do is agree.”

  “No!”

  “Then my men will slaughter yours.”

  “It looks like my men are holding their own,” I said. And they were. Other than Dax, they were on the offensive and had already taken down enough of Leonardo’s men that they were five to ten now.

  “I will never join my kingdom with yours, Leonardo. Never.”

  “Then your men will die.”

  “If my men die, you’ll die,” I said.

  He laughed. “Are you threatening me, Elena?”

  “Yes, Leonardo. I am threatening you. You’re forgetting that I’m the one with magic.”

  “Magic you don’t know how to use yet.” He grabbed my arm and dragged me to the entrance of the temple.

  “Elena!” Finn shouted.

  Leonardo was stronger than me, and while I had magic, he was right. I barely knew how to use it.

  The goddess was standing in front of the altar, holding out her arms and smiling. “Back so soon, Elena? I knew you’d see reason.”

  “No! I will not do this!” I kicked Leonardo’s legs, but I was barefoot, and it didn’t carry much force. I tried to pull free, but he threw me over his shoulder and continued to the altar.

  I hit his back with my fists, but he dropped me on the steps. When I tried to run away, he grabbed my wrist again and kept me in place.

  “Let me go!”

  I could still hear the clash of swords outside and Liam shouting my name.

  “Not until after our wedding, Elena,” Leonardo said, jerking me closer. He turned to the goddess. “I take it that a goddess can perform a wedding ceremony?”

  She smiled. “Who’s more perfect than a goddess to cement a merger of kingdoms?”

  “I don’t approve of this!” I shouted. “I do not consent!”

  Liam burst through the entrance, his bloody sworn drawn. Two men raced in after him.

  “Liam!” I shouted. “Behind you!”

  He turned and intercepted one man’s sword.

  Leonardo jerked my arm. “Elena, I need your attention up here.”

  I tried to pull free again. What good was magic if I had no idea how to use it? Think of something, Elena.

  I held out my free hand and tried to make a fireball, but Leonardo grabbed my wrist and closed my fist. “Now, Elena. It’s not a good idea to set your new husband on fire.”

  “I’m not marrying you!” I kicked him again.

  He laughed again. “You’re a feisty one. Feistier than I expected. You’re going to be fun.”

  Liam had taken down one of his attackers and was backing up toward the altar while fighting off Leonardo’s man.

  “Can we hurry this along?” Leonardo asked, sounding worried.

  “Elena of Garius, Queen of the Kingdom of Light, do you take Leonardo of Hulon as the King of the Kingdom of Darkness?”

  “No!” I shouted. “I do not!”

  The goddess looked frustrated. “I need you to say yes, Elena. I realize it’s a formality, but I still need it.”

  “No. I won’t give it!”

  Liam was closer now. I focused all my magic on the places where Leonardo held my hands.

  He dropped his hold and shouted, “She burned me!”

  “She does have magic,” the goddess said in a bored tone. “I warned you it wouldn’t be easy.”

  I quickly created another ball of energy in my hand and threw it at the man fighting Liam, setting him on fire.

  Liam ran for me and pushed me behind him, his sword raised as he faced Leonardo.

  “Let’s end this now, shall we?” Liam asked.

  “I don’t sully myself with trash,” Leonardo said.

  “You let your guards do it for you,” Liam said. “Draw your sword, coward. I’m not leaving here until I know your threat to Elena is permanently ended.”

  “Goddess,” Leonardo said, taking a step back. “Can’t you do something?”

  The goddess shook her head. “If you want this, you have to get it on your own. I can’t interfere.”

  Leonardo groaned and pulled out his sword. “Men! To me!”

  Three men rushed into the room and ran toward Liam.

  “Stay back, Elena!” Liam shouted as he intercepted the first man.

  I backed up into the corner, wondering why my other guards hadn’t c
ome in. But I faced a more pressing issue. Since Liam was detained, Leonardo was advancing toward me again.

  I ran around the men who were fighting, and one of them reached out to grab me, but Leonardo shouted, “Leave her to me.”

  I ran straight for one of the fallen men and grabbed his sword, then held it up as Leonardo moved closer.

  “Aren’t you cute?” Leonardo said with a genuine laugh.

  “You won’t find me so cute when I run you through,” I said, though I wondered how well I’d be able to carry out my threat. The sword in my hands was a lot heavier than the one I was used to.

  “Use your magic, Elena,” a woman said, and I didn’t dare risk glancing around to see who it was. It definitely wasn’t the goddess.

  “I don’t know how,” I admitted.

  “It’s in you. Just use it,” she said.

  “Stay out of this!” the goddess shouted.

  Who was she talking to? But the voice was right. The magic was in me now—I just needed to access it.

  Leonardo was within six feet of me, and he slid his sword back in his sheath. “You wouldn’t run through an unarmed man would you, Elena?”

  Damn him.

  I spoke to my magic. I can’t let him touch me. Help me.

  He reached out to me, and less than a foot away, his hand hit some unseen barrier and bounced back.

  “What the hell . . .” Fury filled his eyes. “Do not use magic against me.”

  Liam had dispatched two of the men he’d been fighting and had one left. What had happened to my other guards?

  I ran for the entrance, sword still in hand, then skidded to a halt when I saw them.

  All four were on the ground, Dax lying in a pool of blood and the others injured and held at swordpoint by four men.

  Dax was dying. My magic could feel it, and I panicked. Lifting my sword, I advanced toward them. “Release my men!”

  “Elena!” Finn called out. “Don’t be foolish!”

  I continued advancing. “I said release them!”

  Leonardo’s men chuckled, and Leonardo followed behind me, saying, “Enough is enough, Elena. It’s time to end this now and accept your fate, or I’ll have my men kill yours.”

  “No!”

  “Don’t do it, Elena!” Matthew shouted. “Don’t marry him.”

  Fury built inside me. “I won’t.”

  “Kill one of them,” Leonardo said. “She needs to learn I’m serious.”

  “No!” I shouted as one of his men lifted his blade and aimed it for Matthew’s chest. I thrust out my hand, thinking I needed to push him away from Matthew, and the man lifted off the ground, flew to the other side of the temple, and fell down the stairs.

  All the men, including my own, stared at me in disbelief.

  I dropped the sword, which clattered on the stone, and I raised my hands. “I said step away from my men.”

  They gave me terrified looks before turning their attention to Leonardo.

  “Kill two of her men!” he shouted, sounding pissed.

  I wasn’t sure I could lift two men at once, so I concentrated on making them both go away. The men lifted their swords, and I pushed my energy toward them—then the floor gave way, and the men fell into the hole.

  Now it was my unarmed men against one of theirs, and Leonardo behind me.

  Finn bolted for a sword, and the one man went after him, but I propelled him sideways until he fell into the hole I’d opened.

  The goddess appeared in the entrance. “Oh, this is more fun than I expected.”

  “Do something!” Leonardo demanded.

  Liam rushed out and pointed his blade at Leonardo. “I hate repeating myself, but in this instance, I will. It’s time to end this.”

  The goddess stepped between them. “I’m afraid I can’t let you do that.”

  “Why?” Liam spat out.

  “I still need him,” she said. Then there was a puff of smoke, and seconds later, she and Leonardo were gone.

  I ran to Dax and dropped to his side. His eyes were closed, and he struggled to breath. This was bad. “Dax?”

  His eyes opened a crack. “Are you safe?”

  I lifted my hand to his cheek. “Yes, thanks to you and my guards.”

  “I failed you, my queen.”

  “No,” I choked out through my tears. “You did not fail me. I love you, Dax. I need you.”

  “I don’t think I’ll be leaving this temple.”

  “This temple is a vile and deceitful place, and you will not be staying here. Have I made myself clear?”

  He grinned and then he grimaced. “You always were bossy. Even when you were a girl.”

  I grabbed his hand. “I order you to stay with me, Dax.”

  He lifted his sad eyes to mine. “I think this is the one and only time I will disobey your order, my queen.”

  “You can save him,” said a woman behind me.

  19

  All of my men came to attention as I glanced over my shoulder. Behind me stood a beautiful woman with long dark hair, wearing a gown like the goddess, but in purple.

  “Who are you?” I asked through my tears. She was the voice that had told me I could use my magic.

  “I am Diana, the goddess of hope. I am here to give you some now, Elena.”

  “Dax is dying.”

  “I know. But it’s not too late to save him. Only you can do it—will you try?”

  I nodded, then turned back to Dax. “What do I do?”

  “The same thing you did when you used your magic before. Tell it what you need.”

  I placed my hands on either side of his wound and closed my eyes before I spoke to my magic. We need him, Magic. He’s been with us from the beginning, before you were in me. I need him to help me figure things out. I love him, and I can’t lose him like this. Please heal his wound. Please.

  “Elena . . .” Finn said.

  I opened my eyes, and Dax’s wound began to glow. Dax’s back arched and he cried out, and then his body slumped to the ground.

  “I killed him!” I shouted in panic.

  The goddess of hope laughed. “Look again, Queen Elena. You saved him.”

  Dax sat up and I threw myself at him, planting a hard kiss on his mouth. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again!”

  “I don’t know,” he said with a grin. “If it gets me a kiss like that . . .”

  I smacked his arm.

  Liam offered me his hand and helped me up. Then I turned to the new goddess. “Why did you help me?”

  “Because I hate to see my sister meddling in human affairs.”

  “But you’re meddling,” I said.

  “I’m repairing her misdeeds.” She paused. “She loves to create chaos and destroy people’s lives. You will be a good ruler, Queen Elena. I’m trying to help you.”

  “The only way you can help me is to destroy Leonardo.”

  “There is another way,” she said.

  “And what way is that?” Liam asked, sounding skeptical.

  She smiled at him. “Aww, Liam. You bear so much responsibility. Of course you want to save your queen.” Then she turned to me. “Elena, what is the story of the end of magic?”

  “The twin princes. No one knew what time they were born, and they fought over the kingdom.”

  “There was a prophesy, about the rebirth of magic—do you remember it?”

  “Only what the priestess told me.”

  The goddess shook her head with a wry smile. “What good is a prophesy if no one remembers?” Then she narrowed her eyes. “These things like to follow patterns. If twins saw the end of magic and broke up the kingdom, then it stands to reason twins would see it rejoined.” She paused. “The prophesy said that magic would return with the birth of royal twins.”

  I stared at her with a blank expression. “I’m an only child.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  “Of course I am. I have no siblings.”

  “Queen Elena, you have been told a lie. Not
even your father knows that your mother was pregnant with twins.”

  “But I’m an only child. What happened to the other baby?”

  “The midwife told her that one of the twins died.”

  “But why keep it a secret? To what end?”

  “To stop rumors and whisperings, but word got out and people began to question.”

  I put my hand on my chest as the news sunk in. “I had a brother or sister.”

  “Have, Elena. Your sister is alive and living in Capthian.”

  A land that once belonged to our kingdom many years before.

  My mouth fell open. “Then why did the midwife tell my mother that my sister died?”

  “Because the midwife believed in the prophesy. She told her apprentice to take the baby out to the woods to leave for wild animals to eat, but the apprentice ran away with the baby.”

  “What?” I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I had a sister, let alone that our midwife had tried to kill her. I would deal with that issue later.

  “Your sister, Charlotte, grew up in Ostwald, a fishing village on the coast. The apprentice, Beatrice, raised her as her own daughter.” The goddess smiled. “Her hair and eyes are as dark as yours are fair, Elena. Your sister is the true heiress of the Kingdom of Darkness.”

  “We must find her, Liam,” I said turning back to him.

  He gripped my arm. “We will.”

  “She must hate me,” I said, my heart grieving over all the lost time with her. I could have had a friend. I would have felt less alone.

  “No,” the goddess said. “She knows nothing about you, Queen Elena. She thinks Beatrice was widowed and moved to Ostwald to raise her. She knows nothing about her true roots, but she is now facing a journey to magic of her own.”

  “She has magic?” I said.

  “The twin princes both did,” Dax said. “It makes sense your sister would too.”

  “We’ll find her, Elena,” Finn said.

  “And we’ll bind your kingdoms,” Matthew said.

  I turned to Tobias. He grinned. “Where you go, I follow, Elena.”

  “But you’re forgetting part of the story,” Liam said. “The princes ripped the kingdom apart over jealously. They couldn’t unite the kingdom. They destroyed it.”

  “I’m the elder sister,” I said firmly. “I’m the heiress. It’s my right to decide.”