Ascension (Unbound Prophecy Book 1)

by J. L. Jackola

  “I’ll lead the way.” As he reached his hand out and ran it along the curve of her jaw, she closed her eyes and heard him say, “I hope you can keep up.” She felt him shift and caught his trail, following close behind, not sure how this was happening but hoping the calming spell would remain when they reappeared.

  Sinow didn’t think when he led Violissa to the groves. He’d been overcome with the feelings she’d stirred within him. He hadn’t felt this at peace since before the ascension. Hadn’t been able to control the anger that seemed to spew from him every waking moment. Now he had that control; she’d given him balance, even if it was only temporary. He felt grateful to her, for her. He’d wanted so much to grab hold of her and kiss her, but at that thought the fire rumbled within him, and he knew it would be some time before he ventured to that point. He understood that somehow, although unspoken between them, there was a desire to get to that place about which the prophecy had spoken, that place she’d distanced herself from for so long. Now it appeared she was ready to accept him although their union would be slow and would require patience. He knew it in his soul and in his heart. Somewhere in her transformation, he sensed regret in her decision to put him off. He’d seen it in her eyes, in her actions and heard it in her words.

  He didn’t think when he stepped closer to her, simply let instinct take over in place of the Darkness she had somehow calmed in him. When she had touched his hand, the intense need that coursed through him threatened to release the ire within again. The sadness in her eyes, the level of need to right what had been done, poured from her. Deep down the desire to protect her and to take away her pain reared itself up and forced the ire back down. This was why they were now standing in a barren grove with the wind stirring the new grass, moving its blades along the stumps of those lost trees as if mourning their absence. He did not expect to see what he did, hadn’t quite believed what she’d told him, but the tears in her eyes burned straight into him, twisting like a knife. He’d known he had to bring her here. She needed to see the damage and repair what she could of it.

  He also didn’t expect what happened next. It happened so quickly. They arrived within seconds of each other. As he took in the carnage, she reacted first. “Stop!” she screamed at a woodcutter slamming his axe into the side of the massive oak far across from them. The axe turned a vibrant green, the man screaming in terror, dropping it as it shattered to pieces in midair. The green had lingered on his hands then turned a vibrant blue as her Light magic took over where the nature powers had started. He was screaming and rubbing them on his pants as the blue hue continued up his arms. When he saw Sinow, he froze. Violissa must have gotten control of her power as the climbing Light magic began to fade. The man paid it no heed as he trembled in fear of Sinow. He and the other four with him dropped to their knees in terror as they averted their eyes from his. The rage tore through him at the thought of this all occurring without his knowledge, but mostly at the image of Violissa’s eyes welled with tears. He lost all control as his power tore from him. A thick black haze swarmed up around him and with a quick blast of power all four were lifted, rings of flames around them burning their skin slowly. He pulled the man who’d dropped the axe over to him with a flick of his eyes. All four were screaming in agony. He silenced the other three with a wave of his hand and loosened the flames around the one in front of him. His eyes burned with the Darkness within him.

  “Who sanctioned this destruction?”

  The man seemed confused through his terror and whispered, averting his eyes as he did, “You, my liege. We had sealed orders from the throne.”

  Sinow seethed as a roar escaped his throat. The flames picked back up, and he tossed the man in his fiery ball back toward the other three. They were all now screaming silently in terror, their circles growing smaller as the flames enclosed them.

  Sinow, Violissa’s soft voice spoke in his head. He closed his eyes at the warmth the sound brought to him. Let them go, they’ve only followed orders. This is not their battle. Control it, Sinow.

  He took a deep breath, the soft scent of lilacs enveloping his lungs. He calmed some, she was right. His point was made; they did not need to die. He released the men, letting them crash to the ground where they remained, too fearful to move. Violissa moved next to him, and he heard her whisper a soft spell, a healing spell. The men looked up at her, then back to the ground to avert meeting Sinow’s eyes, for they knew it was death to brave looking their king in the eye without permission.

  “Go, but be warned, this work was not sanctioned by me. Let it be known that any who touch these woods will feel the wrath of my power, and the Light Queen will not be here to save them. Go now before I change my mind.”

  They scurried off through the forest, bowing and saying their praises of thanks as they backed away.

  Sinow looked down at his hands. They were shaking slightly as it had been hard to pull back that need to decimate.

  “Thank you,” he said, turning his face to her. She nodded silently, her attention elsewhere. He studied her; the wisps of golden hair that caressed her ivory cheeks, her full, pink lips quivering with her despair. She was exquisite. Everything about her called to him through every fiber of his body. Her smell, her voice, her appearance, it was as if she had truly been created for him with all his needs and desires in mind. The demon within him began to rear its head once again. He was having trouble being so close, trouble with the feelings that were flooding his heart. She looked at him. The tears that were behind those emerald eyes had spilled over and were now streaming down her cheeks. She seemed so vulnerable. The sight calmed him once more; he wanted nothing more than to take her to him and hold her in his arms. The need to protect and comfort her was overpowering and in that instant he could truly see into her soul, see what she needed more than anything and knew he would give it to her. He reached his hand out to dry her cheek, and she leaned into it, closing her eyes.

  “Sing,” he said. “I’ll shield the area, so no one will know. I’ll be the only one to hear.”

  She opened her eyes and smiled warmly at him, the sparkle returning to them.

  “Do it now before my bad side comes back,” he said, returning her smile. She blinked her eyes slowly and breathed in deep, backing away from his hand. She turned as he created a shield around the open space, the woodsmen had not run far enough as their curiosity had bested their fear, so he threw out a spell to temporarily deafen them to protect the sacredness her people had for her voice. He didn’t think she’d object to them witnessing. A little awe at the Light Queen’s powers would do them good. She was a myth to most of them, so this tale would enrich those myths.

  The breeze quieted as did every normal sound one would expect to hear in a forest. It was as if every living creature and plant knew something special was about to happen and were waiting with anticipation. Then she began to sing. It was a sound unlike anything he’d ever heard before. It was so different from what he’d heard at the ascension; he couldn’t even compare the two except for the beauty of the voice which had no rival. This song, if that’s what one called it, was in a language completely foreign to him. It sounded ancient, far older than either of their tongues. The words didn’t seem like words but more like sounds. It was as if she were singing to the spirits of those trees in their own tongue. That was indeed it, he realized, she was speaking to the trees, calling them back home. It was a hauntingly beautiful sound.

  Sinow walked around to see her face, to watch her. Her sight was removed, focused on something far beyond his vision. A look of serenity filled her face as the singing continued. She bent down and placed her hands on the stump closest to her and a green aura filled the stump then spread across until it had reached every stump in the grove. She rose and stretched her arms high to the sky, the green rising with them, filling the empty space around them. Then she spread her arms before her and sang a long steady note. As she did, the ground shook slightly, and the s
tumps began to lengthen. Watching, it almost looked as if it were the soul of a man diving into the rising wood. There were no words to describe the power of what he was witnessing. Violissa stopped singing.

  She smiled and looked up again. “Welcome home,” she said. Sinow looked back up from her face, watching as branches sprouted from the massive trees that had appeared. Blossoms and leaves sprang up from the new branches. The trees shook their tops in unison as a woman might shake out her hair when freshly washed. Then to his amazement, the trees bowed down to her. A breeze picked up the falling flowers and moved them to her head where they wove in a crown around her hair.

  She touched her hand to the crown and smiled then she looked at Sinow again. He felt the wind knocked from him as their eyes met.

  “Thank you,” she said to him. “The balance has been restored.”

  He would have replied, but he suddenly sensed Council coming toward him.

  “Someone’s coming,” he said quickly. “They probably noticed the magical disturbance. It’s best that I be here alone to explain it.”

  “Yes, you’re right,” she replied thoughtfully. “Goodbye, Sinow, and thank you again.” She started to shift.

  “Vi,” he said.

  “Yes, Sinow?”

  “What you did for me today, well, thank you. You’ve no idea how much I needed that.”

  “I think we know each other better than we imagined, Sinow. Until we meet again, goodbye.”

  “Goodbye, Vi.”

  Keary and Faolan shifted in as Violissa vanished. Sinow could still smell the lilacs in the air.

  “Sinow?” Faolan asked as he looked around searching for something.

  “We sensed a magical disturbance in this vicinity from Light magic. Need we ask, Sinow?” Keary said knowingly.

  “No, you need not, everything is under control.”

  Keary looked at him and then the understanding showed on his face.

  “The Light Queen was here on our lands? Why were we not informed, Sinow?” Faolan asked.

  Sinow snapped back quickly, “I do not need your permission for any decisions I make, Faolan.”

  “He knows that, Sinow,” Keary replied, stepping in. He knew it didn’t take much to send Sinow over the edge these days. “It’s good form to warn us though, as a precaution. May we know what happened here? As I see no damage, it doesn’t look like you were fighting and as you’re fully clothed, you weren’t having fun either,” he said with a sly grin. “May I inquire as to why there was such a massive amount of Light here?”

  “You may not, but I’ll tell you anyway. Someone authorized the clearing of these lands under my name.”

  “What? That’s impossible. This land is protected under the treaty.” Keary was the expert on all aspects of the treaty. “No one would approve such a thing.”

  Faolan looked around, examining the situation. “It doesn’t look like there was any damage done here. How do you know this to be true?”

  “Because I witnessed it with my own eyes. The trees had been felled. I think the land had been stripped as well, but this,” he swept his hand, gesturing to the grass and flowers, “was here when I got here.”

  “Violissa?” Keary asked.

  “Yes, I’m sure of it. Flowers aren’t a norm for our lands. I think she did it somehow through the barrier. She certainly didn’t cross the realm border before I brought her here. I don’t have any idea how she did it nor does it concern me. The trees she brought back today, that’s the disturbance you felt. I tried to shield it but didn’t realize it would be so powerful. I was too distracted to reinforce the shield.”

  Faolan stopped him. “She brought the trees back to life?”

  “No, Faolan, she brought the trees back where before they had been felled. Amazing as it sounds, she took the dead stumps and re-created all of this.” He opened his arms and turned to emphasize the breadth of what she’d done.

  “Amazing. Truly a nature queen unlike any of which the legends have spoken.”

  “You’ve no idea,” Sinow stated as an image of Violissa filled his head. It didn’t send his blood boiling as it would have earlier, whatever she’d done to him, the calm had remained. “Regardless of what happened just now, the importance is that I did not authorize any destruction of this land.”

  “No, you didn’t, and neither did we. So, who did, Sinow?” Keary asked with a note of knowing in his voice.

  “I have my suspicions, but I’ll handle it myself.”

  Keary grabbed his arm. “Something needs to be done about him, Sinow. You have a soft spot for him, and he’s taking advantage of it. Don’t let him blindside you.”

  Sinow looked at him. “Be glad I’ve better control than I had before, Keary, or you’d be across the forest right now tending to your bruises. Don’t test that control.”

  “Just watch your back, Sinow, that’s all I’m saying.”

  Sinow stormed into his brother’s room. The topless woman on top of Tynan jumped up and screamed. Sinow muted her scream with the flick of his hand. His brother sat up, buttoning his pants. One of Tynan’s vices was women. He was always biding his time with one. It was a vice Sinow did not share; he had no time nor taste for them. He only desired for Violissa, a need he’d had since before he’d even met her, and no one else could satisfy that need, so he’d never even attempted. It certainly made him unique, but the Council made sure his people were fed a different story. It wouldn’t do well for his image if the truth got out. His brother, on the other hand, made up for his lack.

  “Sinow, what a surprise,” Tynan said with a sneer as the woman ran past Sinow and out the door, holding her dress in one hand and her breasts in the other. Thankfully, she wouldn’t cause too much of a disturbance as Tynan’s quarters lay on the outer edge of the castle.

  “Why do you disturb me so, Sinow? It’s quite hard to function the rest of the day when interrupted like that. I’ll have to go find myself another wench now.”

  “I don’t think that will be your main concern, Tynan,” Sinow answered, the fire beginning to blaze within him. He held it at bay for the moment. “I thought I told you there would be no expansion of the realm on Cirillian territory.”

  “You did. Why do you ask?” Tynan nervously replied as he got out of the bed and pulled a shirt on. “Brother, you look upset, have I done something to offend you?”

  Sinow didn’t answer but continued his control of the conversation. “Then tell me, Tynan, why were men ordered to cut down the ancient groves on the eastern border? And why were they under the impression that I ordered it?”

  Tynan looked at him curiously. “Really, they were? I’m sorry, brother, but I explicitly told them the venture had been called off. It’s true I did make an initial request, but when you expressed your objection to the idea, I called it off.”

  “You planned all of it before the discussion with me? You even hired men to do the work?” Sinow felt his control loosen. “How dare you! You are in no position to begin ventures on my behalf, Tynan.”

  “Brother, now don’t go and get all upset. I know how busy you are. I simply thought I’d do some pre-planning for you, save you the trouble. Clearing those woods would have allowed camp set up for our troops…”

  Sinow could hear no more; he lost control and sent his fury at his brother. Tynan was sent flailing across the room into the wall behind him. Paintings and stone fell from the wall with the force. As Tynan lifted himself up, pieces of the brick behind him crumbled to the floor.

  “Thank you for restraining yourself, Sinow,” he said as he popped his arm back into its socket. Sinow took brief note of the extreme pain the arm seemed to be causing Tynan, then let it go. Whatever pain he was feeling was well deserved.

  “You are in no position to make decisions for me or speak on my behalf, Tynan.” He took control of his desire to throw his brother out the window
and continued. “What you did was out of line and could have had dire consequences for the treaty and the land.”

  Tynan interrupted him, still dusting the rubble from his clothes, “You sound as if you’ve fixed whatever damage had been done. I take it there wasn’t much, that you stopped them in time.” He raised his eyebrow as if expecting Sinow to disagree, but Sinow merely said, “It has been taken care of with the help of the queen.” He instinctively chose not to say her name, something about Tynan’s reaction to Violissa always disturbed him.

  “Violissa?” he asked snakelike. “She was here, on our land?”

  “On my land,” Sinow corrected. “That’s not your concern today, Tynan.” He walked over to his brother and lifted him by the collar. A subtle choking sound escaped Tynan’s throat as Sinow looked him dead in the eye. “I am the only reason you have not been banished from these lands, Tynan. The Council has no fondness or need for you. I have no need for someone who does not know his place. Stay out of realm business, Tynan, or you will no longer be welcome anywhere but the Banished Realm.” He dropped him, turned to walk out of the room then stopped and looked back at him, “Oh and keep your whoring to a minimum. Have some respect for the dignity of my crown. Otherwise, I may be forced to burn away any need you have for women.” A burst of flame filled his hand where it lingered until he turned it to smoke. Then he walked out the door.

  As the door shut behind him, he heard his brother mutter, “At least mine gets used. Someone in this family needs to act like a real man.” Sinow balled his fists tightly and suppressed the urge to crash back through the door and beat the hell out of Tynan as he had done when they were children. Tynan always knew Sinow’s weak spots, what few he could find, and would remind Sinow of them constantly. He usually let it roll off his shoulders, assuming it was his brother’s way of compensating for not being king. Today, however, he didn’t have a sense of humor about it.