by Isu Yin
www.EvolvedPub.com
~~~
ROTA FORTUNAE
Grims’ Truth – Book 1
Copyright © 2017 Isu Yin & Fae Yang
Cover Art Copyright © 2017 Briana Hertzog
~~~
ISBN (EPUB Version): 1622538641
ISBN-13 (EPUB Version): 978-1-62253-864-5
~~~
Editor: Lane Diamond
Interior Designer: Lane Diamond (Images: Briana Hertzog)
~~~
eBook License Notes:
You may not use, reproduce or transmit in any manner, any part of this book without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations used in critical articles and reviews, or in accordance with federal Fair Use laws. All rights are reserved.
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only; it may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please return to your eBook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
~~~
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or the author has used them fictitiously.
We’re pleased to offer at the end of this book not one, but TWO Special Sneak Previews you’re sure to find of interest. First, be sure to move on to the Special Sneak Preview of the second book in the “Grims’ Truth” series, Conundrum, available at this link:
CONUNDRUM by Isu Yin & Fae Yang
~~~
Then, check out the preview of the award-winning Shadow Swarm by D. Robert Pease, an epic fantasy loaded with memorable characters and an unforgettable journey, available at the link below the cover.
SHADOW SWARM by D. Robert Pease
For the unusual, the undesired, the unheard, and the unaccepted. Within every soul is a message waiting to be told. Within every world we may hope to find a glimmer of ourselves, and we hope you find the representation you deserve in ours.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
BONUS CONTENT
Dedication
Map
Chapter 1 – Beyond Eternity
Chapter 2 – Beginnings & Ends
Chapter 3 – The Rebellion
Chapter 4 – Grave Reminders
Chapter 5 – Solaris & Ulnaire
Chapter 6 – Smoke & Mirrors
Chapter 7 – The Old World
Chapter 8 – Empty Like Me
Chapter 9 – Heart of the Storm
Chapter 10 – The Tainted
Chapter 11 – Fight or Flight
Chapter 12 – Red Roses
Chapter 13 – Lost Fragments
Chapter 14 – Devoted Chaos
Chapter 15 – Missing Pieces
Chapter 16 – Crystallized
Chapter 17 – The L.o.A.
Chapter 18 – The Unbreakable Bond
Chapter 19 – Grim Encounters
Chapter 20 – Buried Truths
Chapter 21 – The First Seal
Chapter 22 – Blindsided
Chapter 23 – Odds are Bleak
REFERENCE GUIDE
Book Club Guide
Interview with the Authors
What’s Next from Yin & Yang?
SPECIAL SNEAK PREVIEW: Conundrum (Grims’ Truth – Book 2)
Acknowledgements
About the Authors
More from Evolved Publishing
SPECIAL SNEAK PREVIEW: Shadow Swarm by D. Robert Pease
Everything that has happened—is happening—will happen again. This is the law of the universe, the beginning and end of a story told to me by someone so bright, I was merely a shadow by comparison.
In order for you to fully understand, I must spin this web from the middle—the day of my seventh birthday.
The Age of the Ancients dwindled in the Empire of Mu. With time grew the population of the lesser beings, the Rahma. Being lesser both in strength and mind, the Rahma depended upon us Ancients for support. Our mere presence extended and improved the lives of the Rahma people. It seemed only natural for Ancients to rule the twelve kingdoms, yet two Rahma kings ruled the second kingdom, Nex.
I resided in Nex, a kingdom divided by a wall. The twin rulers each ruled their own city and created their own laws. One side of the kingdom prospered while the other, Macellarius, suffered. My brother, Abyssus, and I grew up in Macellarius. We knew very little of the struggles in the community, as our father never let us experience the true suffering of commoners, but we saw it from the palace.
The people’s cold stares called to us from below. They wished for us to ease their suffering, but we were children, and we played no role in our father’s rule.
I often wondered why they loathed him.
If only then I had known the truth of our presence in Nex, I might’ve been able to rewrite our fate and the history of the empire.
Fate sat at the wide balcony and peered through the balusters at the idle marketplace. The community, like the palace, sat dull and lifeless.
In spite of her tender age of seven, Fate had already spent many turns viewing the community outside the palace. For every twenty-five of the Rahma’s turns, she—and all of the other Ancients—aged only one turn. Thus, the seven-turn-old, who had only lived in the palace for two of her turns, had spent fifty Rahma summers and winters in Nex.
This left for her an odd, glaring question: What happened during the first five turns of my life? Where did those memories go?
Fate watched the community every day, asking herself that same question. She remembered her first day in Macellarius, and often discussed it with her brother. In that memory, she and Abyssus gazed upon a forest of glowing trees.
She remembered the trees singing and whispering to her. They told her secrets and stories, but those secrets had dissipated long ago.
Neither she nor Abyssus recalled how they first moved to this bleak palace in Macellarius.
Since sharing this fact with each other, and given the five ‘lost’ turns that had vanished from memory, they found it difficult to trust others. This included their father, King Neco, though Fate remained compliant because he proved nothing but kind. He provided them every necessity, and adored them as any loving father should.
At least, he adored Fate. He often held her close, and liked watching her as she slept. He spent more and more time with her as the turns went by, regularly separating the siblings.
Fate meandered the palace hallways, dodging bustling servants as they decorated for her party. They strung tiny white lights through each room to cast away the shadows. The people of Mu feared the darkness but, more importantly, they feared the Grim.
Fate thought of this as she stepped into the main hall, staring up at the lights. She’d first learned of the Grim when she and Abyssus began searching for the truth of their origins.
The siblings possessed traits passed on through few Ancient families. These special families, the Elementals, were born with only one ability. Strangely, Fate and Abyssus carried several of these traits. They could conjure up electricity like the Feh, and darkness like the Grim, but their dark hair and violet eyes served as a symbol of the Capital Royals, the Iu—Masters of Body.
Fate and Abyssus most relied on their darkness. All darkness elementals connected to the Abyss. If they called to the shadows and submerged themselves in the vision of space, the Abyss would respond and allow them to manipulate the shadows.
Fate had always wondered how she and Abyssus managed to acquire such a wide range o
f abilities. She especially questioned their darkness.
Could we be like the Grim? Will we also leave this world?
Abyssus stepped beside her, taking her by the hand. He shone a radiant smile to quell her discomfort. His presence always soothed her, even when she feared the worst. “Sis, the party will start soon. Come with me. Let’s go see the decorations in the yard.”
When they crossed through the doorway to the backyard, they spotted a member of Neco’s private guard, Ignis Firmus. He carried a table in each arm and set them up on the lawn in the yard.
Abyssus rushed to Firmus’s side and the tall guard stopped to greet him.
Firmus spoke softly, his expression lightening. “Good evening, Abyssus....”
He had a strange habit of trailing off mid-thought, which often brought Fate to believe he might be restraining something.
He soon resumed his greeting with a bow of his head. “...and Lady Fate.”
Fate grasped the open air in search of her brother’s hand. When she realized how easily he’d left, a hollowness grew inside of her. She accepted the bond between Abyssus and Firmus but refused to accept that Abyssus so easily told their secrets to an outsider. She liked keeping their secrets—they made her world with Abyssus feel safer and more special.
Firmus nodded towards the doorway. He knew about Fate’s distaste for him but never attempted to win her favor. As long as Abyssus loved him, he could overlook everything else.
Fate spun on her heels to meet with her father. For once she almost felt grateful for King Neco’s summoning. She quickly followed him to avoid further complications with Firmus.
The guards opened the front doors and let in a crowd of finely dressed nobles. The guests greeted Neco upon arrival and exchanged jokes.
Aside from the tactless yarns, Fate also struggled to understand her father’s glances. Every so often, his emerald green eyes beheld her in a strange and captivated manner.
She curtsied to the guests to distract herself, but none of the guests showed any interest in her. They seemed more interested in Neco.
Nevertheless, he soon grew tired of greeting and passed the responsibility to the guards and servants. Once they assumed their positions, he joined the celebration in the yard.
Fate waited in the hallway and watched the lights, preferring observation to participation. Without Abyssus, she lacked the motivation to socialize. She hoped he would find her so they could separate from the rest of the party, because something about it made her uneasy.
Finally, he returned, dragging Firmus along with him.
Fate scowled at them. “Must you bring Firmus everywhere?”
Abyssus asserted, “I must! Firmus will get lonely, after all.”
“I’m sure.” She reminded herself that she liked Firmus and Abyssus, and even liked seeing them together. She simply feared that Firmus would take Abyssus away.
Firmus paid little attention to their commentary. He watched the entrance, where a woman in a fur coat greeted a huddle of interested guests.
“Oho!” She swung a long sleeve and swept a piece of brown hair from her cheek. “Really, you’re all too kind.”
Firmus often appeared more brooding than he intended, but when he saw the woman, his gaze grew darker, even haunted. “Fortuna?”
The striking woman cast a glance over at Firmus. Her golden eyes glowed like embers, a distinct trait of the Ignis Family. She turned her head, and her diamond earrings twinkled in the light. A bright smile formed on her full lips, and she giggled almost in mockery. “Oh, dearest Firmus, how dreadful you look.”
Fate wondered which part of Firmus looked dreadful. He stood tall and robust, a revered soldier even at a young age.
He ignored the woman’s comment. “Fortuna, you were invited?”
She snorted, flapped her hand, and crossed through the room to him. “Oh please, it would hardly be a party without me.” Her eyes moved over him slowly. Moving closer, she readjusted his grey sweater. “Ooh, look at you, so rugged. Honestly, what have they done to you? You look like you haven’t eaten properly since you left.”
He brushed her hand away. “What are you doing here?”
She looked into his eyes but said nothing in response. Instead, she turned to Fate and leaned down, exposing a great deal of her bosom.
“You must be Fate.”
Her flaunting astonished Fate, who had never seen such a seductress before, though she had heard of such women.
“Who are you?” She’d intended to ask what a regal woman like Fortuna meant by visiting the palace, and why she, unlike the other guests, took the time to acknowledge Fate’s presence.
Unfortunately, Firmus interjected. He put his hands on the woman’s shoulders to restrict her movement. “I apologize. This is my sister, Fortuna.”
Fate glanced between the siblings, astonished by their difference in temperament. “Sister?”
A man’s boisterous greeting echoed through the main hall. “Oh, what a surprise!” His sudden outburst drew the attention of the Ignis siblings to the entrance. He jumped up and down, forcing his way through the crowd.
Fortuna groaned. “Ohh, here he comes.”
The man approached, panting and pouncing wildly at Fortuna and Firmus.
Fate struggled to see him clearly because of his wild behavior. When she finally examined him, she almost couldn’t believe her eyes. “Are there—” She shook her head. “—three of you?”
By chance, the man mirrored Fortuna with a proud chortle and a flip of his hair. “Three of me? Praise be, whatever would the world do?”
He looked so much like Firmus that Fate checked them twice.
Fortuna elbowed the lively man against the ribs and cleared her throat. “As I’m sure you can see, this is our brother, Fortis.” She scanned Fortis from head to toe and pursed her lips. “Look at this fool, so dandy. Firmus, this is precisely what I expect of you. Take away some of his bliss. He has more than enough as it is.”
Fate carefully examined the three Igni. “You’re triplets?”
They nodded in unison, but each responded differently. Firmus narrowed his eyes, Fortuna sighed, and Fortis beamed.
As far as Fate knew, it shouldn’t have been possible for an Ancient couple to bear triplets. All Ancients were supposed to be born with their mate. Essentially, they were twins.
The Elders called them ‘Bound’—one soul split in half, an inseparable bond that could extend into many lifetimes.
Since the early decline of the Ancients, there were rumors of Bound being separated. Many Ancients died of illness when they could not find their other half, yet none of the triplets appeared ill.
A crack echoed through the hall, and Fortuna turned sharply towards an old woman by the door to the yard.
The woman cracked her cane against the tiles again.
Giving a partial curtsy, Fortuna excused herself. “I have some business to attend. I will be seeing all of you later.”
Firmus’s gaze trailed after her with suspicion. He looked at Fortis next and relaxed with a sigh. “Did you leave the King’s party?”
Fate repeated his words in her head: King’s party. Considering Fortis didn’t serve in Macellarius, he most likely served in Nitor. That suggested Neco had invited his brother to the event, a very odd occurrence for two quarreling kings.
Fortis flapped his hand. “That I did! I heard there was a striking woman approaching the palace but I never imagined it would be Fortuna.” He trailed off and shook his head to draw himself back into the conversation. “Anyhow, where’s little Abyssus? I thought you two were an inseparable force.”
Firmus darted off without warning, surprising Fate with his sense of urgency. His need for Abyssus often proved greater than hers. Sometimes Fate even wondered if Abyssus and Firmus were Bound. She tried not to think about it because it meant she was separated from her intended mate. Those thoughts would only concern her.
Will I die?
She fidgeted uncomfortably and focuse
d on Fortis.
He grinned the moment he regained her attention. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Fate. I am honored to have your company during this important occasion.”
“You might be the only person who thinks so,” Fate said, saddened by her revelation.
He crossed an arm over his chest and bowed to her. “Lady Fate, if you wish, I would be honored to celebrate with you.”
Her face burned as she let out her hand to accept his offer. Deep down, she wondered if Abyssus felt the same way about Firmus. Of course, Fate’s reaction to Fortis differed from their bond. She admired his aura without falling victim to it. The same could be said of her feelings towards Firmus. Fate, like Firmus, cared little for anyone other than Abyssus.
Fortis led her across the yard, and they sat down on the edge of a fountain to view the drinking adults. Though he didn’t say so, he seemed to share her distaste for the party.
She kicked her feet back and forth. “You are from Nitor?”
“I serve in Nitor, or at least, I am Niteo’s personal guard.”
“You must be close to call him without a title.”
“Close?” Fortis winced. “I’m not sure. Titles are only appropriate when I’m addressing someone who has earned my respect.”
Fate considered that for a moment. “Are you suggesting I’ve earned it?” She wanted to ask why Niteo didn’t deserve his respect, but decided it sounded rude.
“You have, at least, not lost it.” He folded his hands and flames ran along his skin. Fire elementals struggled to survive in the cold so it was odd that the triplets even lived in Nex.
Neco approached the fountain and shortly stood before Fate, offering his hand. “Come with me. We still have guests to greet.” Shifting his view to Fortis, he said, “I believe my brother has arrived. He will be looking for his guard.”
Fortis grimaced, furthering Fate’s suspicions about his relationship with King Niteo.
“Looks like we’ll have to reschedule our date,” he said. “I look forward to speaking with you again, Lady Fate.” He stood and bowed a last time. “Happy birthday. I will bring a gift when I find you. I left it with the king. All the more reason to find him, no?”