Kings of Ghumai- The Complete series Box Set

by D N Meinster

  The Powerless King. That's how he'd be remembered. He was certain of it. His father had been the Great Unifier, and he was going to be the unworthy follow-up. The failure that couldn't even stop one man.

  Shine grabbed the hilt of the sword on his waist and considered impaling himself with it. It wasn't the first time the idea floated through his head, but he always rejected it. If he died, the throne would fall on the shoulders of Slythe, who was too young to rule. He would not let this responsibility fall to his brother. Had Leaf survived, he might be a suitable heir. But Leaf was gone, as was Aergo.

  Shine felt Narai caress his hand as he held it on his blade. She was the other reason he was not ready to depart this world. He would not leave her alone to be the second widowed queen.

  "Do you feel the weight of Ghumai on you this morn?" Narai asked, lifting his hand from the weapon and turning him around so they faced one another. She was dressed in a flowing violet gown that made her appear twice as wide as she actually was. Her brown hair was cut short, as always, and her face was a warm red without powder.

  Shine wore his father's green coat, which he could hardly fit into without gaining some pounds. He squeezed Narai's hand and looked into her eyes. "I feel it every day."

  Narai leaned into his ear. "I will carry this burden with you." She kissed his cheek and they both stared out the window of their bedroom.

  "When I was younger, I wanted to live on these islands. I loved coming to them. You can actually hear the waves here, where in Kytheras, they are overpowered by all the noise. My father was always in a pleasant mood when we came here as well. He could be my dad and not just a king."

  "We are not taught desire in Belliore," Narai said. "We are only taught to pursue answers for those questions that lack them. Leaving there is unheard of. Love is secondary to planned procreation partners. But I do not regret my choice, even though it has led here. I would rather live a lifetime on these islands with you than spend any more days in Belliore."

  Shine ogled Narai as he digested this information. His wife rarely talked about her old kingdom and its odd customs. Each fact she relayed to him fascinated beyond measure. "No power of lightning here. No mechcars. You really prefer it?"

  "You're here," she said.

  He ran a hand through his short, silver hair. He hadn't been pleasant company since they'd arrived, and yet she acted like he was the same here as he was back in Kytheras. "I suppose not being under Neanthal's rule might affect your preference."

  "I didn't even consider that."

  Shine let go of Narai's hand. "What do you think he's planning?"

  "To kill us. To rule the rest."

  "Nothing else?"

  "Do kings usually have a grander purpose?"

  "My father did."

  "One of the few," Narai replied.

  "King Treatis," Shine said, recalling Ghumaic history.

  "That's going back a ways."

  Shine knew Neanthal wanted the throne for more than power in itself, but he couldn't begin to describe why. And he hadn't a guess as to what the Beast wanted from it. "Whatever he wants, we cannot let him get it." Shine kissed his wife's cheek and left the bedroom.

  The conversation with his wife had cleared his mind and he felt more motivated than he'd been since he'd inherited the title of king. The pressing matter was the assassin, but Neanthal was more important in the long run. They needed a plan that would take them back to Castle Tornis and remove the usurper. They could not allow daily distractions to consume their rule.

  Shine's High Council consisted of the Grand Mage, the Queen Mother, the Head Guardian, the Queen, and two representatives of the Twilean people. They were scheduled to meet at midday, meaning he had an entire morning to get through. He could've stayed with his wife longer, but he didn't feel like waiting around in his room, so he headed downstairs.

  Slythe nearly slammed into Shine's stomach as he rushed up the stairs.

  "What's the hurry, little brother?"

  Slythe kept running as he shouted back, "They're not right!" He ran into his room and locked the door.

  "Who's not right about what?" Shine continued his trip to the first floor, though he wondered what had gotten Slythe so excited.

  The main floor of the manor had gotten brighter since they'd moved Aergo's body to the basement. His corpse hid there, waiting for that time when it could be properly buried in Terrastream. They'd considered shifting there at night and burying him in secret, but they worried what would happen if they were spotted, or if his grave was found. It would likely be dug up and desecrated by Neanthal's followers, and they could not allow that to happen.

  Shine opened the front doors and found Rant on the other side. His body was slumped over, like he'd fallen asleep while he was standing. "You awake there, Rant?"

  Rant looked up at him, his eyes more bloodshot than usual. "Have you seen Amelia?"

  "Not yet," Shine replied. "I'm sure she'll be at the meeting later, though."

  Rant grunted and walked away from the King.

  Shine watched the white-armored guardian with a raised eyebrow. Rant was not the most respectful of the bunch, but he had treated Shine with an unmatched kindness since they'd arrived on the Islands. The brevity and behavior he'd just encountered were more reminiscent of his manner from years ago.

  The King closed the doors of the manor and glanced at his throne on the balcony. It'd been a coronation gift from the Twileans, who'd constructed it from palm wood. There'd never been a seat like that on any of the Islands, and though Shine greatly appreciated it, he'd never used it. It sat vacant on the veranda, and he thought it more of a monument to his father than as an object meant to be used.

  Continuing down the steps and into the sands, Shine spotted Pila weaving around the palm trees. The mage had changed her hair into silver in honor of the fallen king but had recently altered it again. It was now striped in every color of the rainbow, from red to purple, which hardly matched her burgundy attire or turquoise staff.

  "Amelia!" Pila squeaked as she sped in circles. "Amelia!"

  The Grand Mage was in demand this morning. Why had nobody been able to find her? Had she gone missing?

  Shine's stomach cramped at the mere consideration of her absence. The only reason they might one day take back Kytheras was Amelia. No mage, not even a sin mage, could challenge her power. Neanthal himself had run from battle rather than confront her. She was their only chance of salvation. There was no way she had disappeared, was there?

  Shine hurried over to Pila. "Has Amelia gone missing?"

  Pila ignored the question, instead continuing to scream "Amelia!"

  "Pila!" Shine shouted back. "Pila!" But the mage wouldn't even acknowledge him. He backed away, concerned that he'd already run into two people acting strangely. This was not the morning he was expecting to have.

  Shine made his way through the grove, pausing only when the sounds of the waves reached his ears. He let the concerns he had drain away as he concentrated on the gentle rhythm of the Unending Seas. But no sooner had he let it overcome him did he notice that something was absent. The squawk of gulls and the buzz of flies permeated the air, but the splash of swimmers and the laughs of children were absent.

  It'd only taken a deck or two after their arrival for Kytherans to begin to enjoy the new atmosphere. Some had decided to live camped out on the beaches rather than spend their days in the shacks that the Twileans offered. He was glad they had taken to it, though he worried what it might mean when it came time to fight once again. But it was well past sunrise. They would be out and about by now.

  A shuffling in the surrounding brush caused Shine to withdraw his sword. A giant of a man emerged from the greenery, his curly red hair and beard intimidating when he wasn't smiling. Shine knew the man as Raust Skrell, but his jovial demeanor was lacking, replaced by deadened eyes and drool dripping from the side of his lips.

  "Not Amelia," he grumbled. "Where Amelia?"

  "I have not seen her," Shi
ne replied with his sword at the ready.

  But Raust sauntered away, and Shine dashed through the remainder of the brush and onto the beach.

  Shine gaped at the scene, and slit the tip of his index finger on his sword just to make sure he wasn't dreaming. As the blood bubbled up from the cut, he tried to make sense of what he was seeing.

  No one on the entire beach was moving. They'd all been frozen in place. It was almost as if he'd stepped into a painting, where the scene depicted swimmers mid-stroke, bonballs stuck in mid-air, and others burrowing into the sand. Time itself seemed to have frozen in this segment of Ghumai, though Shine was free to move about as he scrutinized his surroundings.

  Was this the work of Neanthal? An ordinary mage wouldn't be capable of this sort of magic.

  As Shine closed in on the shoreline, every head in the area turned to face him. All of these people, their bodies frozen, followed his movements, contorting their bodies so their eyes were on him.

  Shine spun in place, checking to see if every one of these statuesque individuals had locked their sights onto him. All of them had. Not a limb moved below their neck, but somehow they were able to watch him.

  "What's going on?" Shine called out to them. He would not abandon his people, despite the chills running down his spine. The culprit behind this obscene torture needed to be dealt with.

  All of the beachgoers spoke at once. "Amelia."

  The sword shook in his hands as he dared not return it to its holster. If someone was controlling all of these people, they could easily send them to attack him.

  "Where's Amelia?" they all said at once.

  "I haven't seen her," Shine replied.

  They wouldn't accept his answer. Together, they began chanting her name. "Amelia. Amelia. Amelia."

  "That won't summon her!" Shine tried to shout over them.

  None were compelled to stop based on his response.

  Shine wasn't sure what he should do next. Should he find Amelia himself? Perhaps getting Hatswick here might be a better option. Delivering Amelia to this horde was probably not the best idea.

  The King prepared to depart when the chanting ceased. It was once again quiet on the beach. Did they know he was about to leave?

  "Where's Amelia?" a different voice spoke.

  Shine recognized the voice of the traitor. He turned and saw Spira rising out of the sea, her staff aglow in her clutches. He pointed his sword at her when he spoke, "You are not welcome on these islands. Leave now and you will not be harmed."

  Spira cackled. "Are you calling yourself King now, Shine? Maybe you haven't heard that we have a new king. King Neanthal."

  "He has no right."

  "He is a god," Spira shot back. "He has more right than any mortal in all of Ghumai."

  "Why are you here, Spira?" Shine asked, not interested in continuing the debate.

  Spira walked out of the waters and onto the sand, not an inch of her wet. "Are you dumb, boy? Or just acting? I'm looking for Amelia."

  "Why?"

  "It doesn't concern you."

  "What have you done to these people?" Shine demanded to know.

  Spira's jubilant screech echoed across the quiet shore. "Neanthal has gifted me with more power than any mage before. I can impart my will onto any. Let me show you." She pointed her staff at the King, but one of the beachgoers suddenly came alive and sprang toward the mage. Spira was so taken aback that she was unable to prevent the impending collision.

  "Displacing the will of any human is a sin, Spira," Amelia said, fading into being at Shine's side.

  With a swing of her staff, the beachgoer she'd lost control of flew into the air and out to sea. Spira then lifted herself up by seemingly invisible strings, so that it appeared effortless. "Amelia Nasem," she said with an envious rage. "It may be a sin against your goddess, but Neanthal welcomes this power."

  "Did you come here to die?" Amelia asking, aiming her staff at the sin mage.

  "No," Spira replied. "But you did."

  An eruption of sand preceded the arrival of a black-drabbed assassin, who rose from his buried position and stabbed Amelia in the back with two daggers.

  Shine's eyes widened and his jaw dropped as the Grand Mage's body convulsed from the punctures. The back of her dress was almost entirely red before he reacted. With a single thrust, his own blade pierced her attacker in the gut. The assassin fell back, leaving his daggers in his victim.

  Amelia dropped to her knees, but there was still life in her eyes. She gazed up at Spira. almost amused. "Couldn't take me yourself, huh?"

  Spira's enjoyment of the moment ended as soon as Amelia finished the sentence. Prodding her staff gently into the air, King Shine flew back toward the brush. She then raised the rod above her head and bolted toward the Grand Mage.

  Amelia was ready for the strike. Despite her injuries, she shoved her staff into Spira's chin and sent her crashing back into the waters. She then touched the channeling crystal to her back so the daggers fell away, and she closed the wounds the assassin had imparted.

  The Grand Mage stood back onto her feet and made her way toward Spira.

  Spira burst out of the sea and landed in the shallow waters. When she surveyed the beach, she was flabbergasted to find Amelia standing and rushing to battle. "Why won't you die?"

  "Because Magenine is with me." Amelia jabbed her staff forward, and Spira's own staff broke apart and turn to dust, the channeling crystal plopping into the water.

  Spira looked to the assassin and then to Amelia before she started to fade away.

  But before she could completely disappear, Amelia latched onto one of her dreadlocks and yanked it back.

  Spira became completely opaque as her shifting was interrupted.

  "You taught me that one," Amelia said. With her hand still clutching Spira's hair, she pulled it back and to the side, snapping the sin mage's neck.

  Spira's body went limp and fell forward, and Amelia dragged the body and tossed it on top of the dying assassin.

  King Shine made his way back to the Grand Mage, as shocked as Spira had been to find her unharmed. All of the beachgoers were moving on their own again, though most were dazed from the experience. They murmured and pointed, though none seemed quite sure what had happened.

  "I thought they'd gotten you," Shine stated as he sidled up to her.

  "My work in Ghumai is unfinished," Amelia said. "I wasn't about to let these two cut it short."

  "So you know what we have to do?" Shine asked.

  "I've known since we arrived here," Amelia told him. "It will take time, though."

  Shine nodded, not expecting an easy path back to Kytheras. There wasn't even a bridge left to take them there. But that was a discussion that could be had later, at their planned meeting. "What do you think we should do with them?" He crooked his neck toward the Thalians.

  Amelia bit her bottom lip as she considered their options. "Let's find out what this one knows." The assassin floated into the air in front of her.

  "And Spira?" Shine wasn't sure if they'd need to take precautions with her body.

  Apparently, neither was Amelia. "We'll take the body with us."

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Gravity

  Rikki's lips parted from Doren's, and she gradually lifted her head away from him. But she froze when she noticed a change. Doren's lips had returned to their natural color. No part of his face was bronze, just the usual tan.

  Rikki looked down, checking the rest of him. His chest and his arms were still copper. Only his head was normal.

  Had her kiss cured his face? Or had her emotions unintentionally released a magic that was capable of curing the plague? If she had to guess, it would be the latter.

  But her hand was still on his face and the rest of him wasn't changing back. She'd have to do it again if she wanted to be sure.

  "Rikki," Doren whispered, realizing he could speak again.

  Rikki cut him off, smooshing her lips against his once more and holding them
there for even longer. She thought of her love for him and compelled her magic to save him as she held her lips there.

  When she finally broke away, she took a gander at his chest. It was rising and falling with each of his breaths, without any bronze to obstruct it. Rikki rolled her hand along his chest and then checked his arms. They were almost completely normal, except for the fingertips. They were still copper. As long as any part of him was, then that meant the MR wasn't gone.

  She moved back over to his face and planted another kiss on his lips. This one she held there even longer than the last. She tried to enjoy it, but the practical purpose of the act couldn't be avoided. She wanted it to be purely of emotion, but continued to will the MR away as she held herself there.

  Rikki carefully pulled her lips off Doren's and checked the condition of his body once more. Not an inch of him was bronze, at least none she could see. She reached to lift the cloth from his crotch area, but Doren grabbed her hand before she could.

  "I can look there," he croaked at her.

  Rikki blushed as she grinned at him.

  But her face fell seconds later, as she realized her thoughts had strayed too much. She thought back to the storm and hoped it hadn't broken up in the interim. Aros was still out there, trying to complete their mission. And he must have been doing a decent job of it for Director Talap to gripe about it. Hopefully, she hadn't set him back. But if she had, she'd make up for it. She and Doren would be able to join him soon.

  Aros still felt wet, even though he'd been out of the water for at least half an hour. He wanted to get out of the armor and the undergarments underneath and properly dry himself off. There were only two problems with that. The first was he wasn't exactly sure how to get the armor off, and if he somehow did, how to get it back on. And the second was that he wasn't alone. M'dalla was in the seat across from him, eyeing him and Mr. Kwee with apparent irritation.