“What’s going on?” he hissed back, slipping an arm around her waist and pulling her close.
“Not here,” she murmured and spun around to face her brother and sister-in-law.
“There have – been reports of the killer roaming the city. One that glamours and Dad thinks he might target us next,” Kaylan lied. “Elijah was just overreacting. You know what he’s like.”
Tell them you’re sorry! she snapped.
Elijah frowned then forced a smile. “Right, for a minute there I thought Ena was going to attack us,” he said. “I’m sorry, Ena. Really, I am.”
Alex’s face softened, but the anger didn’t fade. “Why haven’t I heard anything?”
Kaylan waved a hand dismissively. “Oh, you know, me being the oldest and all. Dad probably didn’t want to worry you.”
“Sorry again.” Elijah took Kaylan’s hand. “Excuse us.” He dragged her through the garden until they were a good distance away from Alex and Ena. “Please tell me what the hell is going on,” he muttered. “You look like you did ten years ago. Alex and Ena are together. Did you cast a memory spell again?” He really hoped this was all just part of a spell gone wrong or part of a nightmare he’d soon wake up from.
“No, I woke upstairs. Elijah, I saw my mother.” She smiled. “The last thing I remember is us being on our way to the great hall and you were in some kind of trance. Freya must’ve done something. I think we’ve been dragged into the past.”
His brow creased. “That’s not possible.”
She put her hands on her hips. “Do you have a better explanation?”
Elijah shook his head. “But why?”
“Maybe instead of bringing our father back to life like we thought, Freya came back to save him.”
“I don’t believe Freya’s revenge story for one minute. I think she came back to find the book.”
“Good point. Then we have to find it before she does.”
“She must have brought us back to the day your family was killed.” He rubbed his chin. “Alex and I sparred together that day, which means we only have a few hours before…”
“Kaylan, it’s six o’clock. Why aren’t you getting ready for the party?” a voice called.
They both turned to see a beautiful redheaded woman standing at the patio doors. “Come along, Kaylan. You and Elijah can see each other later.”
Kaylan froze beside him. “Coming,” she called back and said, “We need to find the book. Let’s go find my father.”
“Kaylan.” Elijah gripped her shoulders. “I know how hard this will be for you, but you know we can’t change what happens tonight.”
She took a deep breath, let it out. “I know. Let’s go.”
They hurried into the mansion. The atmosphere inside the old house felt happier, more peaceful compared to the present-day dwelling. They headed straight to the study. Inside sat High Lord Edmund Avilion himself.
“Dad!” Kaylan went over and threw her arms around him.
Elijah smiled. It felt good to see his former mentor again.
“Kaylan, what are you doing here?” Edmund asked in surprise. “Shouldn’t you be getting ready for Alex and Ena’s party?”
“Edmund, we know about your affair with Ena,” Elijah came out and said it.
Elijah, we can’t change the past! Kaylan said.
We’re not changing it. Not yet, he insisted.
Edmund flinched. “How?”
She pulled away. “It doesn’t matter. Dad, you need to tell us the location of the Amaranthine Chronicles,” she said. “I know you erased my memories but the book is in danger, and we’re the only ones who can keep it safe.”
The High Lord’s back stiffened “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Dad, please.”
“Edmund, listen.” Elijah went over and put his hands on the desk. “If you don’t let us help you, everything you’ve worked for, everything you’ve built in this city will be lost forever.”
“Ena cast a spell to bring us back in time. She–” Kaylan started to say, but Edmund raised a hand to silence her.
Elijah frowned. No, Freya was the one who’d cast the spell, but they couldn’t tell the High Lord the full truth.
“Enough!” Edmund said. “I know you’re telling the truth, but believe me when I tell you that I can’t tell you where it is. The book stays hidden until it is needed. That’s the only way it will reveal itself.”
“There must be some way of finding it,” Kaylan insisted.
“That’s all I can tell you. It’s somewhere here in the mansion, that’s all I know. I never use it,” Edmund replied. “I secured it after some pages were stolen, but now its location is secret, even from me.”
There was a knock at the door.
“Go, get ready for the party,” Edmund told them. “Whatever you do, do nothing to change what happens here.”
Kaylan hesitated, and Elijah saw the longing in her eyes. She gave her father one last hug before they left the room.
The study was in darkness as Kaylan and Elijah stalked inside. After being forced to go through a gruelling evening of watching Alex and Ena celebrating their marriage, Kaylan was desperate to find the book and get the hell out of there. As bittersweet as it was being with her family again, Elijah knew she wanted this to be over with.
The only light came from the mass of orange from the chandelier in the hall that sent prisms of orbs around the dark room. White light flooded the room when Kaylan turned on the switch to the chandelier hanging overhead.
Elijah scanned the bookcase. It was better to hide something in plain sight, so maybe the book was out in the open.
For a moment, he tried calling on his other senses, then remembered he no longer had them. Strange, he’d wanted to be rid of the beast for so long. Yet now he would have been grateful for it.
Kaylan fumbled around the desk, emptied out drawers. “Damn it, it must be here somewhere!”
“They were trying too hard,” Elijah mused. “Perhaps we should let things play out and see what happens.”
She poured out the last drawer and dumped its contents on the now cluttered desk. “Don’t be ridiculous. We have to find it before – before…” A tear dripped down her cheek and he knew she was finally starting to break.
He wrapped his arms around her and simply held her, muttering nonsense as he ran a hand through her hair.
She always remained so strong. That was one of the things he’d always admired about her. Yet no one could stay strong forever.
When she stopped crying, Kaylan wiped a hand over her red eyes and sniffed. “Thanks,” she paused. “I always wondered what it'd be like if none of this hadn’t happened. Life would be so different. We'd be married now and…” She shook her head.
“I wouldn’t be a beast either,” he mused.
Kaylan touched his cheek. “I like seeing you like this.”
“Like what?”
“Like you don’t have the weight of the world on your shoulders,” she replied. “Maybe we weren't sent back here to find the book, maybe –”
“Kaylan, you know we can’t stop what happens. Believe me, I wish things could be different too but…”
A scream echoed through the house as the clock chimed midnight.
Elijah knew it was time and hurried after Kaylan as she stormed out of the room and bounded up the staircase. Part of him wanted to stop her, to prevent her from seeing the awful sight playing out upstairs, but knew he couldn’t keep her from going through that pain again no matter how much he wanted to.
He followed her into her parent’s room, watched Ena stab Edmund and saw the slumped and bloodied body of Diamante laying by the bed. A shadow moved and they saw the face of Freya standing there, bloody knife in hand.
Kaylan gasped as she met her sister’s gaze. “You! You did this to them!” she screamed. “Why?”
Elijah caught hold of Kaylan before she could lash out at Freya.
“They wouldn’t give me t
he book,” Freya said simply. “Besides, I was tired of them.”
Ena let out a strangled cry. “He’s dead! What have I done?”
Freya went over, pulled a knife and stabbed Ena in the back of the neck with a syringe. “Doesn’t matter now. I have what I came for.” She held up a small opaque crystal. “I’ll be seeing you, sister.”
Light enveloped Freya’s body, but Kaylan pulled out a knife and hurled it at her younger sister in fury.
Freya screamed, stared down at the knife in her chest in shock before bright light flashed around them.
Elijah blinked as he found himself back in the great hall, relieved the spell had reversed itself.
“Kaylan?” he called and breathed a sigh of relief when she appeared beside him, staring at something in the hall.
Freya slumped to the floor, knife embedded in her chest. The other Avilion let out a scream of frustration as the crystal vanished from her palm.
“You should know by now you can’t change the past.” Kaylan smiled at her sister.
Freya glared up at her. “I’ll kill you for this.”
Kaylan shook her head. “No you won’t. Because you still need me to find the book. I’ll be seeing you, sis.”
Elijah watched as Geth threw his travel dust around them, and knew there’d be hell to pay for what they’d just done.
Continues in The Final Battle.
THE FINAL BATTLE
THE AMARANTHINE CHRONICLES BOOK 3
BY TIFFANY SHAND
Copyright © 2017 Tiffany Shand
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior written consent of the author, except for brief quotes in reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. People, places, events and situations are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or historical events, is purely coincidental.
Cover Design by Melody Simmons ebookindiecovers.com
Chapter 1
Kaylan winced as bright light flashed around her and Elijah. She glanced around and saw that they had reappeared in the great hall of the High Lord’s mansion. Her sister, Freya, glared at them from across the room.
“I think we’re back,” she murmured and shook her head, trying to get rid of the memory of witnessing her parents’ final moments and the shock of discovering Freya had been behind it.
Elijah breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness.”
Freya staggered, clutching her side as blood dripped down her dress from where a long, silver knife embedded in her abdomen. “Kill them!” she screamed.
Three shifters appeared, advancing towards them, fangs and claws extended.
Kaylan glanced around the room for a possible escape route. To her disappointment, there was no sign of either Geth or Sierra.
Elijah growled, his own fangs and claws emerging as he braced himself for an attack.
They were trapped.
Kaylan reached for magic, but it felt weak and sluggish as she tried to conjure a fireball. Damn Freya for dragging them back in time. It would take a few hours for her powers to recover, since the spell had sucked so much of her energy.
Elijah punched the first shifter that came at them.
Kaylan tried to take flight, but her ability wouldn’t work either. A chandelier sparkled overhead, sending prisms of dancing light over the dark oak floor. Kaylan raised her hand, mustered all the energy she had and hurled a fireball at the ceiling. The chandelier exploded, crashing to the floor and sending crystals and bits of plaster flying. She grabbed Elijah’s arm, dragged him across the hall and out onto the corridor.
“Nicely done,” he murmured.
Two guards, also known as Glistans, stood at the end of the hall. They fired streams of energy towards them.
My powers are too weak for me to fly, she said.
Elijah picked her up, and using his speed, he shot down the corridor.
She clung to him as they blurred. We need to find Geth and Sierra.
We’ll worry about them later. Let’s just get out here, Elijah replied.
No matter which way they turned, guards and shifters came at them from every direction.
Head for the study, Kaylan suggested. Dad always said it was the safest room in the house.
Elijah darted up the stairs, making Kaylan’s head spin from the force of their speed. It felt much more nauseating than flying.
They had almost reached the door to the former High Lord’s study when a male shifter charged towards them.
Elijah gripped Kaylan in a bone-crushing embrace as the shifter slammed them against the wall. He grunted, and Kaylan yelped from the impact. Bits of stone and dust flew down from where their bodies had formed an outline in the brickwork. The air left her lungs in a whoosh as she gasped for breath.
The shifter stared at them; his mop of black hair fell almost his shoulders and his golden glowing eyes fixed on them.
She heard Elijah’s sharp intake of breath. “Michael?” he asked, brow furrowing.
The shifter’s eyes widened and turned to a shade of brown. “Do I – Elijah?” His claws and fangs retracted. “Is it really you?”
Kaylan winced as Elijah set her down but didn’t let go of her. She knew she’d have bruises despite his body shielding hers. “What’s going on?” she asked. “Do you know him?”
Despite Elijah being a shifter himself, Kaylan had never considered the possibility of him knowing some of her sister’s other creations.
“Yeah, we met when I was first captured,” Elijah murmured and shook his head.
Michael hesitated and glanced behind him nervously.
“Michael, listen to me. Freya is the one responsible for changing us. You have to let us go or she’ll keep hurting innocent people,” Elijah said. “We’re fighting to put an end to this chaos.”
“What good does that do to me and all the others who have already lost their lives?” Michael demanded.
“If you kill us, then you will be a prisoner to my sister’s will until she kills you. Or you could do the right thing and let us go,” Kaylan said.
Michael hesitated, ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t care what happens to me, but Freya will punish the others if–”
Elijah punched the other shifter in the face, the loud crack of bone and cartilage sounded. “Now you won’t have to lie.” He grabbed Kaylan’s hand and dragged her into the study. The door banged as he bolted it shut.
Kaylan let out a breath she hadn’t realised she had been holding. “You never mentioned that you knew other shifters.”
“I thought they were dead,” he admitted.
Two stunners were pointed at them as a man and woman leapt out from behind the desk. The woman had long, blonde hair and blue eyes and the man had dark skin and a long braid down to his shoulders.
“It’s us. Put your stunners down,” Kaylan said, relieved to see Geth and Sierra unharmed.
“Phew!” Sierra breathed, lowering her weapon. “Where have you two been? We couldn’t find you anywhere.”
“We’ll explain later. Let’s just find the entrance to the passage and get the hell out of here,” Elijah said.
All four of them scanned the room, searching for a way to open one of the mansion’s secret passages.
Kaylan desperately tried to remember anything from her fragmented memories of where the passage might be. She pictured her father sat at his desk, remembered all the times she had sat there with him as they talked or did paperwork together. She spotted a blue book on the top shelf. Strange that Thedric had kept it since he’d got rid of most of her father’s things after forcing his way to power.
She reached for it and pulled. A load groaning sound echoed through the room as the door began to open.
“Hurry!” Elijah snapped.
He shoved Kaylan through the opening, followed by Geth, then Sierra, and slammed the door shut behind him.
Kaylan fell onto a cold, dusty stone floor and
winced from the impact. If she didn’t have bruises from the shifter hitting them, then she would have them now. “What are you doing?” She scrambled up, brushing dust off her jeans.
The door behind them violently shook as an explosion went off.
“How did you know?” Sierra stared at Elijah.
“I could smell it. Same stuff they used the night they kidnapped me and forced me to change into a shifter.”
“Here is a more important question: how the hell do we get out of here?” Geth demanded. “Before we get blown up?”
“This tunnel will lead to-” The cackle of laughter cut off Kaylan.
“Now, now, sister. You’re not going anywhere.” Freya’s voice sent a chill down her spine.
The other side of the passageway vanished as did the one behind them. With a groan, the walls started closing in around them.
Elijah growled, pushing against the wall as the others did the same. Kaylan glared up at the ceiling as the walls pushed the four of them closer together. “You’re not going to find the book, Freya!”
“Oh, but you see, dear sister, you don’t have any other choice,” Freya said. “Where is my crystal?”
She winced as the walls edged closer still and met Elijah’s gaze. She thinks we have the crystal! she said.
“We don’t have the crystal, Freya,” she admitted.
“Liar! You took it from me, I know you did!”
“We didn’t take it. It disappeared when you tried to take it out of the past,” Elijah snapped.
Geth, got any travel dust? Kaylan asked.
Not much. Not enough for all of us, Geth said.
Given how close together we are I don’t think that’s the problem! Kaylan groaned as the moving stone slab shoved her against Sierra. “Do it!”
Geth fumbled in his pocket, pulled out a handful of silver dust that exploded with light.
“No!” Freya screamed.
Kaylan yelped as she fell onto the floor, landing on top of Elijah. He caught hold of her before she could hit the ground. She scrambled up. Glancing around, to her horror, she saw they were back inside the great hall. Portraits lined the walls and the strong smell of polish filled the enormous room with its high vaulted ceiling.
The Amaranthine Chronicles Complete Series: Betrayed By Blood, Dark Revenge, The Final Battle Page 12