by Claudy Conn
CONTENTS
Copyright
Author’s Note
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Epilogue
About Claudy
Riding the Veil
Copyright © 2018 by Claudy Conn
Edited by: Alicia Carmical
Cover Artist: Dawn Sullivan
All rights reserved
Published in the United States of America
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Names, characters, and events depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, places, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.
Author’s Note
A long, long time ago, Greek Gods were a thing of legend.
The Gods grew weary of humans and spent less time in their world, making worlds of their own, however, there were many who had mated with humans, remained with them, with the families they created.
During that time, Apollo and his followers retreated to his magical and hidden island, Devos, and there they lived in virtual peace.
Boredom set in and some of the lesser ‘Gods’ and demigods returned to Earth for their entertainment, and in so doing caught the eye of a very powerful billionaire. He was a recluse but wielded might from his secretive establishment. He hated all supernaturals and set up his own ‘watchdog’ force to find and capture any and all of these magical beings.
He also began experimenting on the immortals because he wanted immortality for himself.
During his raids, which came to be known as the ‘Purge’, his militia came upon Jacinta’s family—a family of immortal witches.
Jacie’s father, a powerful warlock, managed to get a magical call for help out to his friend, Apollo. Jacie’s mother was able to hide her child beneath the floorboards and spelled it so that no human could find her. Jacie, however, was able to see between the cracks. She was only ten years old as she witnessed her parents being tortured, and then killed by beheading.
Apollo arrived. Too late to save her parents, too late to spare her the trauma of what she had just seen and heard, but in time to save her.
He immediately shifted her to his island of Devos and made a personal vow to stop this man who had dubbed himself ‘The Big Man’.
Apollo and his son, Retaal, began training a group of supernaturals to free the demigods and magical beings from The Big Man’s hidden prison, and to put a stop to his secret militia.
And so their story begins.
~ Prologue ~
JACIE STOOD ON THE CLIFFSIDE and looked out over the dark blue ocean with its breaking waves crashing against the rocks. Foam spilled over the huge boulders reaching skyward, and spilled from the breakers onto the sandy beach below as the tide came in.
The view was exquisite, one of her favorite on Devos, which was blessed with so many beautiful spots. Here, the sounds of the living ocean made her yearn for more than the quiet life she had been raised to appreciate. She told herself she was being selfish, that another would feel privileged, and…yes, she felt lucky and privileged, yet lately, Jacie was restless. She felt as though her nerve endings were on fire to do, to find, to see, and be so much more than she was. After all, she had been trained by Apollo himself to be a warrior, and she had passed every course with aces! She wanted to use her magic, her fighting skills, and her many abilities, but on Devos, where all was calm and serene, there was no opportunity to do more than practice those skills.
Here on Devos, they were all protected from the elements and the world of humans. She should be thankful, she told herself, and yet…Jacie wanted more than protection. She wanted to live. She wanted to travel. She wanted…?
Right, she thought, as though Apollo would ever let her out of his sight. He was always talking about his duty to keep her safe, just as her parents would wish. Well, she couldn’t be cocooned any longer. She was bored out of her mind.
A long strand of red hair whipped across her face. She twirled and braided her long hair away from her face. It was a sloppy braid, but it would serve. She smiled to herself as she thought how Retaal had always told her she had the temperament of a redhead. “Well, ya,” she had always answered, “I am a redhead.”
The sound of leather sandals scraping on pebbles made her turn and watch to see who was approaching. Most of her friends had gone to the Pavilion for the music festival. Only a few had remained behind for mock jousting and karate.
The sound, his sound, was familiar, and she began to smile even before he arrived.
Years had passed since the day he had come and saved her, taken her away before she could view the bloody beheaded bodies of her parents.
Years of nurturing had muted the sounds she had suffered that day.
He had been there for her, for each step of her sad way, and she looked sweetly down the curving path as she awaited him.
All those years ago, Apollo had become savior, ruler, guardian, and he had always stood as a beloved friend. There were times in those first weeks when nightmares plagued her and she would wake in a fitful sweat to find him there with a cool rag, cooing to her, soothing her as though she were breakable. And she had been.
Apollo was the one who had made her strong.
For a flash of a moment, she saw the dear faces of her parents, drawn in pleasurable laughter. Laughter had always filled their home. That was all gone because of what humans had done that ugly day.
She blinked and made the memory of that awful day vanish, just as Apollo had taught her to do. He would tell her, “Think only of the good times when they were with you. That is what they would want.”
Gods? Perhaps. Apollo standing there with the glow that always surrounded him, certainly made him look like one.
He had told her over and over, “No one can hurt you now. I am so sorry I didn’t arrive in time to save them…”
She had been ten years old then. Her father had been one of the most powerful warlocks in the human realm, matched only by her mother’s softer magic, and yet the humans had come and destroyed their peaceful existence.
She had slept from one hour to the next in those early months, then suddenly realized that she had to honor her parents by growing up strong and finding these humans…to exact her revenge.
Over the years, she trained as one of Apollo’s soldiers in his incredibly powerful army. Her parents’ deaths had made him realize they had to protect their own. She was Apollo’s right arm, and she was his to command. All the while, she felt frustrated. She felt Apollo’s army was only meant to show force, not to use it. He had no intention of killing humans if he could avoid it. But she loved, admired, and respected him. How could she reconcile her need for revenge against the humans…with his wish for peace?
She watched Apollo now as he approached and smiled a welcome.
Time had not withered or changed him. He was amongst the oldest of the immortals and was considered by all to be a formidable force.
He was a legend, one of the original G
ods of old. He was the archer, the healer, and the giver of medicine to man, but when man turned on him and his kind, Apollo forgave them. How could he? she wondered. She couldn’t. No, she couldn’t forgive. She wouldn’t forgive. Humans were creatures who destroyed everything in their path. They deserved to be swept away. Earth and all its creatures needed saving from them.
Apollo’s approach was always commanding. He was so very tall, so very erect, and with his dark blond hair swept back, away from his handsome face, he did indeed look like a God. His silver eyes glittered, and she knew he always saw everything he needed to see. He was here for her for a reason.
Oh yeah, she thought eyeing him, Apollo had purpose in the way he moved.
He smiled softly as he came to stand near her and take her hand. “My daughter, my sweet Jacie, do you know why I have come to talk to you?”
She eyed him ruefully. He did not usually come to the point as he just had. His habit was to exchange amenities first. This time, he dove right in.
“How can I? You are, as always, unfathomable.”
He laughed. “Am I? Well, I shan’t waste time then.” He sat on the stone bench near the cliffside and motioned for her to join him.
She eyed him and said, “Ah, so I need to be sitting for this?”
He chuckled and shook his head as he waited.
She sat beside him and he took her hand. “My dearest girl, I know you want to spread your wings. I know you think I don’t believe you are up to the task ahead, but I have thought about this a great deal and you are correct, it is time for you to spread your wings, those wings you are forever trying to use to get off the ground. I do understand. However, you must remember…” he touched her back, “you know, Jacie, you don’t actually have wings and thus, you could crash and burn if you attempt more than you should all at once. Do you understand me?”
Jacie’s blood pounded in her head. Finally! “I think so…I am a rookie and you want me to keep my place. But…” She wanted to be given a mission. It was what she needed. What her heart demanded. Apollo had been stubborn about her returning to Earth to help locate and free Retaal. He was afraid she would go after and try to destroy The Big Man’s secret militia. In his ancient eyes, she was but an infant. He continually made the point that she was only twenty years old and had not even reached her immortal witch’s majority of twenty-five. Too young, he had said only last week, telling her she was also too inexperienced.
Well, she had no idea what had changed his mind, but she was damned glad of it.
She threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you!”
He hugged her back and then held her at arm’s length. He steadied her by her shoulders as he followed through to add, his voice low and grim, “Jacie, I know you are wondering why—why now when I have been so adamant about keeping you here with us on Devos.” He released her shoulders and looked out to sea. “Sometimes we are given hard choices. This is one of those times.”
“What do you mean?”
“Jacie, it isn’t that you aren’t ready, you are. You have been for some time. You are an amazing force, but my inclination has been to keep you here, safe on Devos.”
“But you think the time has come for me to take on a mission?” she urged. “I can use my skills to save your son. Apollo…I know I can,” Jacie said with some determination.
“No magic. Humans are capable of tracing much of a witch’s magic. Also, he has paid spies, humans, in the city, ready to inform him of anything ‘odd’. So, I don’t want them to notice you. I need you to keep a low profile,” Apollo said quietly.
She interrupted, “I can cloak my magic. I have been working on it and have it nearly down pat. Sometimes, not so, but mostly. At least I have found a way to cloak most of my uncomplicated spells.”
“Even so, I want you to avoid using magic unless it is life or death. Are we clear on that?”
“Yes, sir,” she said quietly.
“Then, yes, you are ready and you know what you have to do. Jacie, we—no, I will be depending on you. I don’t know how they captured Retaal, but they did. Damn, yes, he is reckless and stubborn, and though skilled, I am concerned that he hasn’t managed to free himself yet. I am proud of him. He could have killed them all when they had him cornered…but instead, he allowed them to take him.” Apollo stopped and stared into the sky. “I have tried many avenues to secure his freedom, but thus far, those attempts have not been successful. There is something about The Big Man’s prison…”
“Let’s not call him The Big Man. Let’s call him by his given name,” Jacie interrupted.
He smiled. “Very well. He, Roger Crawly, aka The Big Man, has a many faceted prison under his apartment building. He must have great pull with the politicians in NYC…all over the world in fact, in order to keep his operation secret. We know his prison is called the Lower Planet.”
“Yes, I know all that…” Jacie interrupted again.
He put up a warning finger and she bit her upper lip.
“My last mind-link with my operative left me to conclude that you and he can work together on the inside. He managed to get enlisted into Crawly’s militia, and I managed to give you an exceptional sharp shooter’s past in their records. That will allow him to recommend you to the militia’s local commander.” He shook his head. “If Retaal hears, or sees you are there for him, he will do anything in his power to escape, though I hope he won’t have to kill the humans guarding him, which he will do before he allows anyone to harm you.”
“I will rescue him,” Jacie said resolutely.
“I didn’t want the pressure of this assignment to be on your young shoulders, but I have come to see that you are equal to the task. As you say, you have a way of cloaking some of your magic and that will aid you.” He raised his hand. “As of now, what we know is that the Lower Planet is virtually impenetrable by magic. How he has managed to operate without any the wiser…allowed me to conclude that various low level officials are being well paid to look the other way.”
“Yes, and the fact that humans hate supernaturals and want to wipe us off the face of the Earth doesn’t hurt his cause,” Jacie huffed.
“Yes, many humans do hate us, but more worship money above all else. It is a wonder I still have such hope and affection for the violent creatures.” Apollo sighed. “This is your first mission. Don’t take chances, Jacie. I know you are impatient, don’t let that get the best of your better judgment…”
“Which brings me to my question, why me, why now?” Jacie asked.
“Jacie, we know they have three powerful witches somewhere in his secret prison. He is forcing them to use their magic to maintain the prison in a spell…”
“With cloaking or wards, I suppose,” Jacie said, and nodded.
“Indeed. Why you? You are the daughter of a powerful warlock and a formidable witch. I believe these three witches were a part of your parents’ coven. I am hoping you will be able to break through their cloaking spell and get to them, rescue them and bring them here. They might not trust anyone else, but they might trust the daughter of Sean and Bethany McGalie. Ah, that is an advantage.
“You will need to do more than save Retaal. You need to find, free, and deliver the three witches here to safety.”
“If he has three members of my parents’ coven, I know the only way he convinced them to work for him was to threaten members of their families or the remaining coven members. I know that in my heart.”
“Then your job will be to find who he is threatening and get them to safety. You have quite a job, Jacie, but when you free Retaal, he will be able to help you.”
“No, I don’t need to work with your son on this. It is my mission, and these witches and their immediate intimates are mine.”
Apollo eyed her and didn’t argue the subject. “Time will tell. Indeed, you are already thinking like a warrior,” Apollo approved.
“I will have to break some of your rules,” Jacie said, eyeing him for a reaction.
“Perhaps not.
I still hope we can abide by my early rules. We don’t kill humans. We find another way to overcome their attacks. However, matters have become dire. This militia person…The Big Man, has become more vicious over the years. He is a murdering and mindless individual. I still maintain we need a peaceful solution, but the time has come for us to show him that we have a might they don’t want to poke. If we accomplish that with a minimum of violence, that is all well and good, but too many of our own suffer at their hands.”
“Tell me about this Crawly creep,” saying this made Jacie grin.
Apollo touched her nose with affection. “Indeed, evidently he came to New York City when he was just a boy. We are unaware of the circumstances, but we know he had his first billion by the time he was thirty.”
Jacie grinned. “Well, you’ve got the right girl for that. He and the people who follow his orders are lesser beings, humans who are violent and disgusting. They are selfish, cruel, and ruthless, and I am going to enjoy engaging them in this fight.”
“Careful, Jacie. Humans—many of them, are also capable of great love and kindness. Learn to know who is who, my little one.”
“I won’t dishonor your code. I won’t kill humans unless it is absolutely a matter of life or death for one of us. Just tell me what you need me to do first and I will do it.”
“Ah, the plan, eh? Well then, first, don’t go marching into their arena with hate driving you. Remember, we are better than that. Yes, they came after us during the Purge, but supernaturals did damage during that time as well.”
Jacie shook her head and interrupted, “They—humans started it. They were so afraid that we would use power over them, they tried to eradicate us. They are the ones that began ‘the killing time’, not us.”
“Indeed, and we could have beat them, destroyed their forces into submission, but Zeus, being the great leader he is, made us see it wasn’t necessary.”
“So, now we are scattered, forced to hide who we are, where we are…” Jacie responded angrily.