Ascension (Unbound Prophecy Book 1)

by J. L. Jackola

  Tynan had truly angered him. He usually blew Tynan off, but this time he’d gotten under his skin. It wasn’t just the conversation or the issue about Violissa’s land but something about the way Tynan talked of her. There had always been some part of Sinow that seethed at the sound of Tynan speaking her name. Anytime he talked about her, it sent Sinow’s blood boiling. Maybe he was over analyzing it. He probably was; this wasn’t about Tynan. It was about Violissa and his buried desire for her. There had to be something he could do to reconcile his need for her with his Dark powers.

  He walked over to a chair and sat, propping his feet up on the desk. That was it really. All was fine until the conversation had turned to Violissa, until he’d spoken her name. Even the thought of her caused such a reaction in him, that instinctual need for her that filled him any time her name was mentioned. It was something his new powers hadn’t been able to dissipate. Every fiber in him had been changed with the ascension, but the thought of her pulled some of his old self back. He’d avoided thinking of her these past few moons for fear that the internal battle he’d experienced the first few days would come back. He closed his eyes and pictured her, his heart racing, the fire within him flared but didn’t overwhelm him. He ran his hand through his hair and let out a small sigh of relief. Maybe he wasn’t completely lost to the Darkness after all.

  Tynan stormed through the grounds surrounding the castle. So Sinow wouldn’t take his advice. Didn’t have the nerve to do what needed to be done. Anger seared through him at his brother’s words. He knew his place, his rightful place. He took a deep breath and calmed that rage within him. If Sinow wouldn’t agree to tear those woods down, he would get it done himself. He needed that land, needed the trees gone. It was his only way of locating the spot, of finding the entrance to the Lost Realm. There were only a few viable areas he could determine would allow one access and the other two were inaccessible. Those woods were the only place in the Dark realm he could find any link to it, and from what he’d calculated those trees were considered sacred because they served to protect the entranceway from anyone trying to gain access. With what Sinow had discovered of Violissa’s nature powers, he was sure the magic in that land was even stronger than it had been. Gutting it would be the only way he could get through.

  He stared ahead, thinking on how to circumvent Sinow and his Council until a mischievous smile grew on his face. He had it, he had his way in, and Sinow would never be the wiser for it. Even if he did find out, by then it would be too late. He’d have his treasure, his key to Sinow’s destruction and there was nothing Sinow or his weak Council would be able to do about it. He laughed a deep vicious laugh that would have sent chills down the spine of anyone listening and then shifted to his rooms to continue plotting.

  Twenty-One

  The sound of the massive tree’s fall echoed through the forest and shook the ground below Tynan’s feet. He rubbed his hands greedily. This was it, the final tree had been felled and Sinow and his Council hadn’t been aware of any of it.

  He turned to the men around him who had so quickly wiped out the grove that had been standing since the creation of their world. He had taken every precaution to ensure the workers did not reveal his secret. This wasn’t hard considering mortals were terrified of Tynan, just as they were of Sinow and his Council. Tynan had only to give the order as a directive from the king, and they knew not to spread word of their work. There were penalties to spreading rumors, especially if they involved the king. Initially, he had been worried that the Fates would be cross. Worried they’d strike him down before he could get to his goal. But nothing had happened. Either they didn’t care, or they were looking the other way on his indiscretions. If it were the latter, he wondered what fault lie at the feet of Violissa and Sinow that the Fates had chosen to let him continue his endeavor knowing the result. The Fates didn’t like it when their prophecies were toyed with. History was littered with many a cursed man who’d gone against them. This time it looked as if the Fates were smiling down on him.

  “Be gone, now!” Tynan shouted to the men with a wave of his hand. They quickly scattered out of the now barren grove, leaving their equipment behind. They’d return to fell more trees tomorrow. No sense in stopping the progress just because he’d found the spot. He didn’t want anyone who might come snooping to discover his true intentions so he’d have them expand the clearing toward the west. They’d cleared all they could on the eastern edge, the boundary hindering their path. He smiled. Soon even the boundary wouldn’t make a difference to him. Soon, very soon.

  He waited until the men were gone, listening to ensure there was no one left in the immediate area. No one who could bear witness to his actions. He walked slowly forward, holding his hands out before him for any sense of the magical shield that lay beyond. His father would have laughed at him saying Tynan was fooling himself to think he had enough power to sense such a thing. His father would be wrong. Tynan had learned long ago to hide his true abilities, to make himself look constantly inferior to Sinow and even the Council. They believed him meek and useless, always badgering him for his lack of power. He’d suffered the indignations, letting them assume he was weak, knowing one day he would be the one laughing when they all saw the true depths of his power. No, he was not as powerful as Sinow, especially after the ascension, but he did have enough magic and skill to hold his own. He continued to move forward, feeling for the barrier that he knew was within his grasp. There. His fingers tingled briefly as they passed through it. He’d found it. He laughed wickedly, pulling his hand back just so that the tips of them were tingling. Then he slowly straightened his hand until his palm was now tingling as well. He breathed deeply and began to mutter the incantation he’d pieced together.

  “Realm long ago lost

  Hidden from all eyes

  Reveal your entry

  To me this day

  That I may see what lies

  Beyond your door

  No matter the cost.”

  The ground below him began to rumble and the sky above darken. He felt the energy against his palm grow until he could see the ripple in the air. The ripples expanded and brightened. The trees on the outer edge of the grove seemed to shiver as a wind swept through them. The ripples ran together and stretched out, forming an entryway which Tynan could barely see. It was more like the suggestion of an entrance, a trick to the eye that one would only catch if paying very close attention. Tynan pushed his palm forward and was relieved to see that it disappeared before his eyes. This was it; he’d gained access. He moved forward and stepped through the entryway, disappearing completely. Silence rang through the glade. Eyes of the animals that made this land their home peered through what remained of their forest, waiting to see if Tynan would re-emerge and if so, what he’d bring with him when he returned. At the spot where the gateway had opened, the grass began to blacken, the blackness spreading quickly through the glade, a sign of the intrusion he’d made on such a sacred spot.

  Twenty-Two

  Violissa sat in her garden, looking out at everything but seeing nothing. She was thinking about the changes that had taken place within her over the past few moons and wondering if Sinow was having the same experiences. She hadn’t had a lot of time lately to sit still and enjoy her free time. There had been endless visits to villages and towns too far to witness the ascension, a rash of illnesses that required her aid, and meeting upon meeting. It hardly seemed as if so much time had gone by. Now she had finally managed to sneak away for a moment of peace. She sat on a stone bench watching two butterflies flit among the flowers. She leaned down and put her finger out to one. It flew onto her hand, its wings tickling her skin. She giggled and nodded at the butterfly before it flew back to its partner. Ever since her ascension, she’d had a connection with all things of nature. Whereas before she’d been able to influence the plants and elements, now she impacted all of nature from the largest animal down to the tiniest insect. She didn’t qui
te know what to make of it but had the strangest feeling that her Council did. She couldn’t explain why, but when the matter came up in conversation, they all reacted quickly by changing the subject. She’d meant to address it but had not had the time. One of these days, she’d corner one of them, maybe Daneele as he had the hardest time keeping things from her.

  She rubbed her arms as a chill settled on her skin. Over the past few days, she’d been feeling ill. She’d have chills or headaches, sometimes aches in her body. She wasn’t sick, immortals rarely fell ill, but she’d let Cyric look over her anyway. He had found nothing. Something was definitely wrong, however, which led her to believe it was more than physical, that she was reacting to something she couldn’t see, as if she had a sixth sense that was warning her of something. What that something was, she had no idea, but if it was affecting her this much, she could only imagine that something big was amiss. Violissa looked back out at the butterflies and moved her hands back to her lap. The chills had gone. She closed her eyes and cleared her head; she needed a few minutes of peace before she went back to the worries of being queen.

  Before long, her mind wandered back to Sinow. She’d thought about him many times since the ascension, and as she did, her fondness of him grew. It seemed ridiculous, especially after their last interaction. She couldn’t help it though; whenever she pictured him, her heart would race, and she’d feel like such a weak child. It had always been that way, she realized that now. When she thought back to before that day in the grove, she saw that she had always been waiting for him. Her heart had never even desired anyone else. It had belonged to him long before the day they had met. The Fates had made sure of it; she’d just been too stubborn to see it. She supposed Sinow may have had the same experience, but now she didn’t know if he could ever get back to that place.

  No matter how often she reminded herself that the Darkness he’d accepted upon his ascension would take away any desire he’d had for her, she just couldn’t make herself stop thinking about him. Maybe he’d mastered his new powers and remained the same just as she had. There’d been such a unique quality to him, as if he had the heart of a Lightbearer in the body of a Darkbearer. She was reminded of her talk with the Fate and how she’d told Violissa that they’d altered his core being to create the chosen Dark half of the prophecy. If that were the case, then he should be able to balance his magic with his heart. There was promise to the idea.

  As she smiled at the thought, a shadow fell upon her, and she knew her quiet time had come to an end. “Daneele,” she said, “tell me I’ve no more meetings to attend. I really don’t think I can take anymore.”

  “You’re fine for the moment, Violissa, but I do need to talk briefly with you. It won’t take long, then I’ll leave you to return to hiding from us.” He smiled and sat as she made room on the bench next to her.

  “You were thinking about him again, weren’t you?”

  “About whom?” she asked innocently.

  “You know very well whom. You get a faraway look in your eyes whenever the king crosses your mind.”

  She felt the color rush to her cheeks. “Am I that obvious?”

  “No, but I know you better than most. Have you changed your thoughts on the prophecy then?”

  She had known better than to think he of all people would let talk of the prophecy lie. “No, as a matter of fact, I have not. Even if I did, it’s too late now. Sinow is a changed man, as I myself am changed. Two with powers as immense as ours should not be coupled. It goes against the laws of nature. Besides, that is not what I’ve been thinking about.”

  She smoothed her hands along the fabric of her dress, trying not to meet his eyes.

  “If that’s what you tell yourself to get through the day, go right ahead,” he laughed, “Then what about the king were you not thinking?”

  She had to smile. He was always so persistent. “If you must know the truth, I was wondering how he was.” She looked down at her hands, “He seemed so different when we left the ascension, and I know he had a hard time adjusting.” He eyed her with suspicion but didn’t ask. “I suppose you could say I was worried about him. Why haven’t we heard any word from him? It’s concerning not only for his sake but the safety of our people and the preservation of the treaty.”

  “You are right to be concerned but wrong in that we have not had word.” He paused as she stood suddenly and faced him.

  “What? Why wasn’t I told?” Her heart raced at the thought of him contacting her Council. Why had he not come to or called to her? She felt the flush of color on her cheeks again.

  He shook his head and frowned at her. “I’m telling you now. We have not heard directly from Sinow or his Council. We’ve had word from our own people of some concerning changes. This is why I’ve come to interrupt your peace.”

  “Go on then.”

  “We’ve detected activity on the western border that doesn’t bode well. The land within the sacred forests has been damaged. The land appears to be dying, the trees as well. We believe it’s in reaction to some disturbance on the land beyond the Dark border. Only something as destructive as a clearing of the land on the Dark border could have that type of reaction.”

  “Land?” she asked, her voice giving away her concern. The joy she’d felt seconds earlier was replaced with a fear that slammed against her.

  “The Sacred forests, Violissa.” He paused while she caught her breath. He knew how sensitive she was to disturbances on the land. “It seems as if damage has been inflicted on the groves within Tenebron. Loud sounds were reported to us by some locals who had ventured into the groves for spiritual purposes. The land along the border is turning black, and the trees are beginning to show signs of rot. It’s not good, Violissa.”

  “But that doesn’t make sense. The treaty clearly forbids any new building along the borders. Why would they be doing this? And who…”

  “Must you really ask, Violissa? Sinow is the only one with the authority to approve such a thing.”

  “No, he never would.” She heard the doubt in her voice as she spoke the words. She was pacing in front of Daneele, wringing her hands. She sensed him looking at her with concern, his bright blue eyes reflecting the pain in her face.

  “Why not? Is it really so hard to believe? He’s changed, you and Anwell both saw it happen, you said so yourself. There’s a good chance he’s succumbed to the Darkness. Many of them do.”

  Violissa sat back down and laid her head in her hands. After resting it there for a long length, she looked back up at him and said, “That would explain my headaches over the past few days. I’ve been reacting to whatever has been happening in the forest. I should have known.”

  She’d been having headaches for days that would pound her skull, at times causing her to grab something or someone for balance. She’d not told the Council but had confided in Daneele and Cyric only days earlier. That’s when Cyric had insisted on evaluating her but found nothing wrong. Since it was so infrequent they’d chalked it up to a lingering reaction to the ascension. Now she had the explanation. It amazed her that her body was that in tune to the land. A sixth sense indeed. She looked out past her garden and said calmly, “Take me there.” It was not a question but more of an order, so Daneele stood and nodded, then shifted. She stood as well and followed his path until she arrived on the western border.

  She gasped as she shifted in. The damage she saw through the boundary was immense, but the feelings she had from the forest itself caused her to fall to her knees. She felt the pain of the trees, the defeat they’d felt at the axe man’s blade, the hundreds of thousands of years lost with a few strokes. She felt the loss to her core. It was so strong she almost lost her breakfast. Daneele grasped her by the arm and helped her up. She knew he couldn’t see all that she saw, that he could only see the residual damage on their land. She turned to him, legs shaking, tears flowing down her cheeks. “Why didn’t I realize thi
s was happening? I should have known the land was crying out to me. I feel everything that happens to it.”