Ascension (Unbound Prophecy Book 1)

by J. L. Jackola

  “Don’t blame yourself, Violissa. We think either the magic of the boundary muted your awareness to what was occurring or that perhaps there was a powerful spell placed upon it so that you wouldn’t be aware. There was no way you could have known what was happening if that were the case. The fact that you had any type of reaction shows how powerful your connection to the land is. It just wasn’t enough for you to understand. If anyone is to blame, it’s Sinow.”

  She stood straight and gathered her emotions, her face flaring with sudden anger. “I think it’s time a meeting was called. Please send word to the king.”

  Daneele nodded and knowing better than to reply, shifted.

  After Daneele left, Violissa remained, sitting for a long while in the grove. Under the shade of the trees, she spoke with the spirits of the lost trees she could see through the border. She calmed them and promised to restore them to their original beauty. She’d find some way, she knew she couldn’t walk through the border, she’d risk being seen and she was sure Sinow would feel her presence. She had half a mind to do so but decided to wait. She’d speak her mind to Sinow when the time came. For now, she’d heal what she could from here.

  She sat down, crossed her legs and laid her hands on the dry, brittle grass, digging her fingers into the soil below. She closed her eyes and began to sing a low soft song of healing and resurrection in the language of the land. To anyone listening they would have been entranced by the sheer sound and beauty of her voice. It was an eerie, mysterious sound that only the land could understand. The forest was silent of any noise, even the animals paused to listen. The massive trees around her seemed to bow down in respect to their queen. From her fingers a deep aura of green spread. It cascaded through the grass around her, flowing around the trees and on through the border beyond. On the other side of that border, the grass returned in spaces where it had been trampled and blackened. Violets bloomed below the dead stumps that had been left behind. A field of flowers appeared throughout the grass. If anyone had been working there at the time, they certainly would have made flight at the sudden renewal. As her song finished, she removed her fingers from the soil and opened her eyes. Satisfied that she’d done what she could, she rose and placed a hand on the tree next to her. “I’ll bring your brothers back, I promise,” she whispered to it, leaning her head against its bark. Then she shifted to plan for her meeting with Sinow. At her departure, a breeze rustled through the leaves of the trees. To anyone nearby, it sounded distinctly like they were talking to one another.

  Twenty-Three

  Tynan looked around. He was no longer in the glade but had stepped into another land. He was in a meadow, no trees to be seen for over a mile. He knew he had to head north but didn’t think it wise to shift. He needed to preserve all the power he could and didn’t want to risk shifting somewhere that would put him at a disadvantage. What would cause such a situation, he couldn’t imagine. There were no inhabitants in the Lost Realm; his grandfather had seen to the extermination of every species in this realm except for the Lightbearers. The theory was that the Lightbearers had shepherded all those who’d remained in their main city out into the country and sparsely populated areas of their lands. So, it stood to reason there would be nothing left to bother Tynan. He rubbed his arm under his cape to calm the goose bumps that had risen on his flesh. This place was eerie, even for a Darkbearer.

  He would have to walk. No one knew where he was or what he was doing so he had all the time in the world to wander. And wander he did. The sun was almost down by the time he reached his destination. He’d have to shift back, or he’d be gone far too long to go unnoticed. That and he didn’t want to pop back out while the axe men were there. No need for witnesses to his little adventure. Just as the final bit of daylight was waning, he came across what appeared to be remnants of a very large castle. This was it, the main seat of the Lightbearers before they were pushed from this land. He looked around, the hairs on his neck standing up. He didn’t understand the reaction, but the place gave him the chills. He had the feeling that somewhere on the other side of the remains, someone was watching him.

  “Shake it off, Tynan. You’re just delirious from walking so long. Besides, there’s nothing here that I can’t easily destroy,” he said as he pulled the scroll out from his cape, gently unrolling it. This had been the find of his lifetime.

  The scroll was the most valuable piece he’d found in his quest for the Lost Realm, for in it contained information on a lost book said to be hidden within the realm, The Book of the Bound. He’d been fascinated when he first came across it. Even the title of the book spoke of power. However, whoever had written the scroll hadn’t known much about the book. That’s when he’d dedicated his time to finding every piece of knowledge he could find on the book and the Lost Realm. What he’d finally found had astonished him, so much power contained in one book, power unlike any other king before them had ever had. Absolute power that would destroy his brother and the Light realm, and he was the only one who knew of it.

  On the back of the scroll, written in the tongue of the ancient language were coordinates. A simple guess or precise directions to where the book was believed to be kept by the ancient Lightbearers, he didn’t know. He surmised that at some point there had been an attempt to obtain the book that had failed badly. There was a possibility that his grandfather’s attack on the realm had not merely been about the prophecy. The man may not have been so crazy after all if he’d known what Tynan now knew.

  The book was heavily guarded by ancient magic, magic he was hoping was diluted from the lack of Lightbearers in the realm and by time. No matter, he had to try. If he failed in his attempt to break through to the book, he was sure no one would miss him. But if he succeeded, no one would ever forget him. He looked at the coordinates in relation to where he stood. It looked as if he stood outside a garden of some sort. There were broken fountains and several ceramic tiles that peered from the underbrush that had grown to cover the area. According to the coordinates, the place for which he was looking was on the other side of the main building. He walked farther on, losing all but a tiny shaft of light from the sun. The moons were barely slivers, providing little light. He threw a ball of light up above him to guide his way. As he walked on, he finally came to the spot. He wouldn’t have known it was so except for the tingling sensation he felt from the magic that emanated below. He bent down close to the ground and felt around. Yes, this was it. He could feel wood beneath the undergrowth and heard the hollow reply to his knock on it. He wondered why it would have been left so unguarded until he saw the giant column that had split to pieces on his left and worn-down bricks that lay a little beyond the wood. It had been enclosed at one time. He imagined there may have even been guards posted outside the columns for extra security. For once, time was on his side.

  He stood up and blasted the wood with a bolt of power. It splintered around him revealing a stairwell that ran beyond his eyesight. Tynan drew the light he’d created into the stairwell then began his descent. He kept his guard knowing that something this valuable could not be unprotected. The stairs kept going for what seemed forever until he finally stepped onto firm ground. He wrinkled his nose at the damp earthy smell that encompassed the space. Flicking his hand to spread out the light, he looked around, expecting to see the book but instead finding only an empty cavern. Well, almost empty; to his left and right lay the bones of the previous guards.

  “So,” he mumbled, “I am in the right place.”

  He laughed at the absurdity of the dead guards. Even locked away in a realm where no one existed, they had been left to protect the book. Tynan didn’t know if they’d been immortal or not but couldn’t imagine any immortal with the patience to suffer an eternity in this damp hole. It would be enough to make him surrender his life to the Fates.

  He walked around the cavern, looking for any sign of the book, but there was nothing, just dirt everywhere. He pressed his hands against his
temple in frustration.

  “Think, Tynan, it’s got to be here, they couldn’t have moved it.”

  But what if they had and maybe that was why no one had bothered to ever come looking for this realm? He roared in frustration and threw a rage-filled force of magic at the ground causing fragments of rock and dirt to explode all around him. “Curse it,” he muttered as he brushed the dirt from his eyes. He couldn’t believe he’d been such a fool to think he’d outsmarted everyone. He took one last look around in frustration and turned to extinguish his light when a glimmer from beneath the ground caught his eye. He looked closer. Yes, there was definitely something there. Tynan waved his hand, causing the loosened ground to move aside. Below it all was a box lined in gold leaves, a tattered green cloth slightly encasing it.

  Tynan almost fell to the ground and cried at the sight before he contained himself. He tore the lid from the container with a flick of his finger. The book was within his grasp. Its worn leather cover revealed its age. The thickness of its pages the only indication of the priceless amount of information it contained. Without delay, Tynan gestured for the book. It lifted from the box, hanging in the air before him. He waited momentarily for any spells to activate that may have been sprung with its movement. When nothing came, he breathed a sigh of relief and reached out with both hands, pulling the book toward him. The ground began to shake, dirt and rocks rained down on him from above. A protection spell had been activated at his touch. He had mere seconds to flee. Tynan gave it no more thought but quickly shifted before the spell could grab him, keeping him trapped in the cavern for eternity.

  In mid shift, he realized he’d been too late. The outer part of his right arm was caught in the power of the destructive spell. He focused all his energy on shifting, the rest of his body protected as it had been far enough from the emergence of the spell. Pain tore through the arm that was still caught within his shift. It took every ounce of power he had to keep his body from being sucked back into the cavern. He felt himself tiring and, gathering all his energy, sent one more force of power forward. It worked. He heard the tear of his robe, felt the rip of his skin as he completed his shift. Landing in the open field where he’d first entered the realm, he dropped to his knees and clasped his arm, all the while never releasing the book from the grasp of his other hand. Blood seeped through his fingers. He’d lost a lot of flesh, but the bone was still intact. He would heal, be it slowly. He conjured some cloth and bandaged the wound as best he could, then gave himself a new robe. It would have to do until he returned home and could concentrate on healing himself. No need to bring attention to it by leaving the blood soaked and damaged robe on. He looked closer at the book; it didn’t look like anything other than an ordinary old book. He’d expected something more ostentatious given its contents, but considering its origins that would have been unexpected. He sighed deeply; he’d finally found it. Power beyond any imagined was contained in the words of this book, and he was looking forward to reading each one of them. Perhaps it would even hold some spell to hasten his healing.

  Tynan rested until he felt his strength return and felt he could go on. He didn’t want to stay in this blasted realm any longer, so he stood, holding the book tight against him. Opening the gateway again, he stepped back through to Tenebron then quickly shifted back to his room where he collapsed, never noticing the meadow of violets that had sprung below his feet before he left the glade.

  Twenty-Four

  When Violissa returned, she felt overwhelmed by all that had happened. She didn’t know how to rectify the onslaught of feelings she had at that moment. The anger at what had been done and at Sinow for doing it. The longing she felt to see him, hear his voice, and touch him regardless of what he’d done. She couldn’t balance the anger with the desire. She wandered the castle yard, seeking solace in the land around her, but her peace did not return. Finally, she knew what she needed; a long talk with a voice of reason would help her sort things out. She ran into the castle and through the front hall down toward the back entranceway. When she reached the spiraling staircase, she paused to catch her breath before descending. Running her hands through her hair to catch any strays, lest she look too wild, she began her long descent to the only place she avoided in her castle.

  Cyric was reading what looked to be a dense and extremely boring old book on some history or another when Violissa found him in the Council library. This was not the light, airy and comfortable library that she liked to inhabit but a stuffy, musty and dank one below the castle rooms that contained their research books, as they liked to refer to them. He peered over the edge of the book as Violissa took the seat across from him.

  “Violissa, quite a surprise. This isn’t your usual stomping ground, you know.”

  She looked across at him, knowing he could see the worry on her face. Cyric was the closest to a father she’d had. Although he was one of the hardest on her, he was also one of the most understanding. He and Daneele had always been the ones she turned to for a shoulder to lean on or an ear to bend.

  “What is it, my child?” he asked in that wise voice that revealed his true age. Cyric was the eldest of the Council as well as the wisest, yet no one would know it to look upon him. The blessing of immortality left him looking as youthful and strong as the rest of her Council. He watched her, waiting for her response.

  “I’m having trouble,” she started. “I am so confused by what I feel within me so much of the time.” She knew it wasn’t coming out right and reached for better words to describe how she felt. “Why do I feel like I’m two spirits living in one body? I feel torn by so many things.”

  With that, it all started spilling out. All the pressure, the confusion, the longing she’d had since the ascension came pouring from her lips.

  “I can’t figure out how I have such power over not only our people but the land, the sea, the air, how is that possible? And how do I decide which takes priority? And then there’s this new thing with Sinow. Oh, it’s so frustrating. One minute I want to kill him, to have the trees plant roots through his limbs and crush his head in! The next minute, I…I…I’m longing to be with him…to…love him. I barely know him so how can that be and why is it so confusing?”

  She stopped and took a deep breath, feeling relieved to have so much off her chest. She chewed on her bottom lip, not wanting to look him in the eye for fear of the reaction she knew he’d be wearing on his face. Finally, she leaned back in her chair and looked at him.

  Cyric studied her for a long moment then laughed. “Ah, the Fates have their reasons why females have never ruled, and I do believe I have now discovered those reasons!” He laughed again and put a hand out to cover hers. Leaning toward her, he spoke again, “Child of two worlds, it is expected that you would feel pulled by both. You are special, Violissa, unlike any before you. It is your destiny to unite our world. ‘Born to unify this entire wounded world.’ Your destiny is to rule both land and people, Light and Dark, eventually. Do not fight against your birthright, child.

  “What is good for the land is good for its people, and what is right for its people in turn should be right for the land. When it is not, well now that is where your powers come in to play. You will know why the crops dry up, why the flowers wilt or the trees turn bear. What wonders you will do for both our people and the land itself. Where we haven’t known the land as we should have since the time of the Elvin, you now do. With the union to the Dark King, the balance will be complete. You will unite us all, Violissa.

  “As for the king, I haven’t much advice on this piece as I know little of love and relationships. I do, however, know that you and the king were fated to unite. Those feelings you have are understandable, the Darkbearers have done our people wrong many times, and it is in our blood to fear them. Yet, you are different. In you the Fates have laid the seed of love, you cannot fight it, no matter how much you may want to. Violissa, part of your destiny to unite comes with your union to the king.
Without that, the destiny goes unfulfilled. Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but the Fates usually have their reasons and giving you this longing, as you call it, this desire to look past the indiscretions of his people and him, to love him is part of the plan my dear. They just never counted on the obstinacy, or pig-headedness as I call it, of a young girl!”

  He smiled at her and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. His words made sense, but she couldn’t help but recall the dream and see the error in those last few statements.

  “I wish it were that simple, Cyric, but it’s not. It’s too late now, I’ve made my choices, and they were the wrong ones. Now my punishment is to sit by and watch as my people suffer for those decisions.”

  “Violissa, you can’t know that. The Fates are very forgiving, prophecies can be rewritten…”

  “But that’s my point,” she interrupted, sitting up in her seat. “It’s already been re-written. I’ve seen it myself.”

  “What?” he asked in disbelief. “The scroll is locked away.”

  “One of the Fates told me, and she showed me the scroll.” She went on to describe the dream she’d had those many moons before, feeling the weight of its meaning lift slightly from her shoulders as she spoke of it, the tears escaping her eyes as she did.