Table of Contents
Epilogue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Acknowledgments
Also by Samantha Britt
About the Author
Envisioned
Immortal Chronicles Book III
Samantha Britt
Envisioned: Immortal Chronicles Book III
Copyright © 2017 Samantha Britt
Cover art by Ampersand Book Covers
ISBN-13: 978-1977947871
ISBN-10: 1977947875
All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction.
Any resemblance between actual events or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental or used fictitiously.
For my Family
You all helped make this dream come true.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Also by Samantha Britt
About the Author
1
The Grecian sun blasted rays down from the cloudless sky above, and the normally reliable Mediterranean breeze was nowhere to be found as Darcie stood in the middle of the immense field of grass. Using the back of her hand, she wiped away the beads of sweat gathering just over her blonde brows. Despite the uncomfortable conditions, she did not glance away from her opponent. Not even for a second.
“You can do this. Focus. And stop getting in your own head.” The exhausted girl heard the meant-to-be-friendly advice, but the words only grated her nerves. She wanted to throw a clump of dirt at the vampire standing on the sidelines.
Concentrating on the athletically-clad warlock across from her, Darcie eyed his posture and attempted to gauge when his next strike would come. She shifted her feet to the right, seeing him trace the movement with his cunning gaze.
Alexander was not pleased with the stalemate. “Stop dancing around, Darcie,” he instructed. “Advance.”
Unable to let the incessant nagging go, she continued to look forward but threw her words to the side, “I am trying.”
Stop interrupting me every five seconds, and I actually might be able to make some progress.
“Try harder,” he replied with zero empathy. “Do you think Adir is going to let you take breaks in between his attempt to abduct you?”
He did not wait for her to answer the question. “No, he will not. Henry,” Alexander addressed the opposing warlock. “Stop holding back.”
Henry’s auburn head tilted forward in acknowledgment before his eyes locked back on Darcie. He did not look particularly friendly before, but after Alexander’s command, his determined expression made him look even less so.
Crap.
Darcie bent her knees, lowering her center of gravity to allow for better balance. Whatever Henry planned to do, she knew she needed to be able to stand her ground against it first. Only then would she worry about counteracting whatever spell he sent her way.
Making his decision, Henry extended his right arm and spun in a circle, looking like an Olympic shot putter. The purple flame from his palms formed a solid sphere just before he launched the attack. The spell moved quickly. As it started its descent, Darcie realized the ball was much bigger up close. Her nerves went haywire.
Focus, she told herself. Just block it.
Darcie held out her arms, rotating her wrists to make her palms face out. Furrowing her brow, she worked to create a shield out of the traces of magic residing in her veins. She bit down on her lip when the effort only provided puny sparks of light; she did not notice the coppery taste of her blood.
Come on, she willed warmth into her hands. Come on!
At last, a faint outline of a shield appeared. The size might have been small–only about the circumference of a large pizza–but it was a shield, nonetheless. Thrilled by the accomplishment, Darcie stared happily at her creation, taking in all of its little details.
I did it!
After weeks of trying to conjure any sort of physical manifestation of her powers, Darcie finally did it. She finally managed to use her powers.
And I did it all without her.
Darcie was so preoccupied with patting herself on the back that she barely heard Alexander’s warning.
“Duck, Darcie,” the vampire shouted. “Lift the shield.”
Confused, she looked over at the vampire and detected his urgency. His eyes were wide with worry. Instinctively, she did as he said and angled her arms higher but made the mistake of not heeding the first command. Darcie turned to the side just in time to see the purple sphere collide with her measly shield. The impact of the spell reverberated through her hands and down her thin arms. Instantly, her defense shattered, allowing the sphere unhindered passage directly towards Darcie’s head.
Bracing herself, she crossed her forearms and placed them in front of face. She cowered beneath the useless protection of her mortal body, praying for a miracle.
Fortunately for Darcie, her fragile body sustained no damage from the sphere’s impact.
Unfortunately for her, she would have a nasty bruise on her backside from the graceless landing.
Flopping up and down until the momentum left her body, Darcie stared blankly up at the cloudless sky, wondering how she ended up on her back. If anything, the orb should have pulverized her face.
A throat cleared beside her. Darcie lifted her heavy head and met the frustrated, icy blue eyes of the duel’s spectator.
Alexander’s lips turned down. “You were not focused.”
She groaned and dropped her head back onto the grass. “I know.”
“You had a shield,” his pitch rose an octave. “Why didn’t you use it?”
“I tried.”
“No, you did not.”
She sighed. “I got distracted. Okay? It was the first time I was able to conjure a protective spell. I was excited.”
Alexander did not accept the excuse. “You were reckless. Henry’s spell could have done serious damage.”
“Lucky for me, I have you and your crazy vampire speed to save me,” she rotated her neck and gave the man a grin. He did not share
her amusement.
“Darcie,” he dropped his neck back and gazed at the sky as if searching it for answers. “What am I going to do with you?”
Sensing he did not plan to let up on the lecture any time soon, Darcie pushed herself off the ground and into a sitting position. She was still too woozy to stand. “I’m sorry,” she provided, hoping it would alleviate his frustration. “I will try harder to stay focused.”
“But,” she added on with a happy smile. “You have to admit, that was some pretty awesome progress.”
“Yes,” he allowed. “But you can’t let such a thing distract you from the task at hand. Who is to say you won’t manifest a new spell in the middle of a conflict? Would you just stand there in awe over the achievement, or would you use it?”
“I would use it,” she said. Obviously.
“Then practice that way, Darcie,” he said. “How you practice any task is how you will perform it in real life. Develop the habits now in this low-risk situation.”
She knew he was right, but she hated the way he was speaking to her. It was not like she was a dumb kid. She understood the seriousness of her reality. “I got it, Alexander,” she replied, gritting her teeth. “It won’t happen again.”
Rocking back and forth, she used her body’s momentum to help her rise to her feet. From across the field, Henry raised a hand in apology. Darcie lifted one back and waved, assuring the warlock she was unharmed. Wanting to be done for the day, she turned around and started walking back towards the mansion. Using his speed, Alexander caught up to her and matched her stride, but she did not acknowledge his presence.
The pair walked in silence, and Darcie found herself impressively occupied with the endless field of green before them.
“Don’t tell me you are mad at me,” he said, finally noticing her cold shoulder.
“Nope.” Her tone was sharp.
“Are you sure?” he asked, the words dripping with doubt.
“Yes.” She would not give him the satisfaction of more than one-word answers.
“Darcie.”
“What?” She stopped walking. “I’m not mad at you. No way am I irritated with how you heckle me day in and day out while I train. Nope. It doesn’t frustrate me a bit. Happy now?”
Instead of spouting a stream of apology, Alexander rolled his eyes. “I forgot how irksome teenagers could be.”
Darcie clenched her jaw, but she resisted the impulse to stomp her foot. “Maybe you should do yourself a favor and appoint someone else to be my shadow. I swear, it’s like I can’t go anywhere without you being there.”
“It’s part of the deal, little one,” he replied, unaffected by her irritation. “Des and I agree that you need to be guarded at all times. And since Des finds himself preoccupied with strategic meetings, that leaves you with…” Alexander trailed off and gestured to himself like he was revealing a grand exhibit.
“Give me a break,” she muttered. Rather than continue standing there in the hot sun, Darcie resumed her path to the air-conditioned home. Once again, Alexander accompanied her.
Only this time, he did not let a tense silence settle between them. “Perhaps we should solicit another warlock or witch to assist Henry. He seems well-versed in protection charms but appears to lack the ability to instruct you in attack spells.”
Darcie shrugged her shoulders; she knew Alexander was not really asking for her input.
Though, if he were, she would say Henry was perfectly capable of teaching her offensive uses of her power. She, however, was unable to bring them to fruition. For a reason which continued to remain hidden, Darcie still struggled with tapping into her abilities.
Alexander sighed, sounding exhausted. “I wish I could just get ahold of Jennifer. Surely, she knows how best to instruct you in such things.”
Darcie’s spine grew rigid after hearing her mother’s name. Trying to come off as indifferent, she asked, “Haven’t managed to find her yet, huh?”
“No. She is proving herself extremely difficult to locate, but do not worry,” Alexander said, peeking at her sideways. “I will find her.”
“I’m sure you will,” she replied. And Darcie was. There was not a doubt in her mind her vampire companion would eventually figure out where her mother was. What she did doubt was if Jennifer Abernathy–if that was still her last name–would actually come to her daughter’s assistance. The teenager suspected the woman who abandoned her at the age of five might not be too eager to rush back to her side.
As always, Darcie’s mind began conjuring different excuses for what could have motivated her mother to leave Brunswick. Did she have an affair? Did she not want to be a part of the family?
Her thoughts moved on to fantasize about their impending reunion. Would it be tearful? Joyous? Or full of pent-up anger? Darcie could not be entirely sure, but she suspected the latter to be most likely.
“I wish you would just tell me about her,” she said, filling the conversational void as they entered the mansion and ascended the stairs. “It would be easier than waiting.” While Darcie did not know the reason behind her mother’s abandonment, she recently discovered the woman was actually a member of the supernatural community. A half-breed, to be exact. She still struggled to wrap her head around it. Jennifer Abernathy was a witch, and she left her daughter without any information about the powers destined to reveal themselves.
Instead, she took off into the proverbial night and left Darcie with her unsuspecting father. John Abernathy was as normal as normal could be. There was no way he was set up to handle his daughter sprouting supernatural powers. From where she stood, Darcie considered her mother’s actions negligent.
“I understand your anticipation. But, believe me, it is a story best told by the source herself. It is not mine to share.”
She groaned as she listened to Alexander’s conviction-filled statements. The vampire meant what he said; he would not disclose any information about her mother.
Aside from the part where he already revealed her to be a witch, of course.
“Fine,” she took the refusal in stride. “Whatever. It is not like it matters anyway. I have Henry. He is plenty of help.” She chose to ignore her companion’s subsequent skepticism. She had bigger things to worry about than a potential reunion with her mom. For example: figuring out what happened to Bella and saving her.
Thinking about her lost friend immediately dimmed Darcie’s mood. It had been two weeks since Adir escaped the dungeon–fourteen days since she had a vision of him attacking Bella on her balcony–an entire fortnight since there was news about the missing immortal.
Too much time had passed for any of Darcie’s anxiety over her friend to lessen. She desperately wanted to learn something–anything about what might have happened to Bella. And it was that desperation which motivated Darcie to throw herself into training with Henry. Alexander had wanted to wait until he found Jennifer, but the teen refused to delay. She needed to practice and hone her abilities, especially if she had any chance of helping to rescue Bella.
“I can see the gears working in there,” Alexander said, reaching over to lightly tap Darcie’s forehead. “What are you thinking?”
She cleared her expression, hiding whatever thoughts were openly displayed for anyone’s observation. “Nothing,” she answered as they arrived on the third floor. “Just looking forward to my next sparring match with Henry.”
“Humph.” He looked her up and down. “Good. I am glad to see you are planning ahead.”
“But,” the addition kept Darcie from veering off to the right to return to her room. Alexander’s eyes gleamed. “Perhaps we should get you a helmet, first.”
2
The immortal family sat at a long table in the mansion’s dining room. The cherry wood was freshly polished, reflecting the light from a low hanging chandelier. Darcie might have believed they were preparing to have dinner if she didn’t already know immortals did not need food for sustenance. That, and the fact there wasn’t a single dish to
be found.
After weeks of experiencing the situations, Darcie quickly recognized she was in the middle of a vision. Confident her presence would remain unknown as long as she was careful, she walked towards the end of the table nearest to her. She sat down in the high-backed, velvet-cushioned chair at the head of the table. The position gave her an unobstructed view of Thane, who sat directly opposite of her.
“Well,” the eldest brother’s voice filled the room. “Is no one going to say anything?”
“You invited us here,” Eshe murmured, taking care to not upset her brother-in-law.
“Yes. But no ‘Hello, Thane. How are you feeling brother? Do not worry, we are working to find your missing wife.’” The statements came out shaky, like Thane was seconds away from losing his control.
“We are working on it, Thane.”
“Not hard enough,” he roared, crushing Lome’s statement under his heavy stare.
“I have summoned a pack of werebeasts to our home,” Des said, unaffected by his brother’s crazed state. “They will be enlisted in the search, but they need to scent Bella’s belongings before they can begin.”
“I thought I told you I did not want this left in the hands of half-breeds,” Thane spat the last word like it tasted rotten on his tongue.
Des did not balk. “This is not being entrusted to anyone outside of this family. I am simply using any means at my disposal. To not do so would be unwise.”
Thane’s eyes narrowed. “Those means could very well be working for the enemy. No,” he shook his head, staring directly at Darcie without seeing her. In anyone else’s perspective, it looked like he focused his attention on the wall behind her. “I will not allow it. Only you and Lome may search for Bella.”
Envisioned (Immortal Chronicles Book 3) Page 1