by Jasmine Walt
Then Garuda had managed to use his sharp razor claws to hack away at the coils enough to free one of his hands to clamp it around the Naga’s neck, just below its hood with its venomous teeth, keeping it at bay. Just as his breath began to thin out, he had fastened his broad hooked beak, which was almost as long as his head, around Shesha, and in a final rush of strength, bitten his way right through the tough scales and skin and insides of the serpent, tearing him in two. As Shesha’s coils loosened, Garuda had freed himself and pushed up to the surface, gasping for breath, but victorious.
Still, his right wing had taken a nasty beating in the fall, and while it was on the mend, he wasn’t sure if he would fly again. The Nagas had outnumbered the Bird People two-to-one. The fighting between the two species had been fierce. While each of the Bird Men had managed to kill more than their fair share of Nagas, they had been well matched. The Nagas had put up a strong fight, poisoning more than half of the Bird People. Seeing Shesha dead, and with Shaitan having vanished from the scene, their morale had plummeted and rather than fight to the last, most had chosen to retreat. The entire fight had taken less than a half hour, and yet the toll had been high.
This fight is far from over, she thinks.
The remaining Bird Men had sworn vengeance and were regrouping to go after the Nagas at their home base on Saturn to wipe them out.
Yudi smiles down at her and pushes a strand of her hair behind her ear.
“How do you feel?”
“I am fine.” She smiles back.
He touches her left side lightly where a massive bandage is wrapped around her waist.
“I am fine, really. It just looks a lot worse than it seems.”
“Are you sure?”
“I am. It’s time for me to really live. To travel around the universe without the worry of running into that monster.”
“To find yourself.”
“To find myself, but you are not alone anymore. You have Yana, and Garuda will stay with you to help run Arkana.”
Disbelief echoes in his voice. “Can you imagine? Me? Running Arkana?”
“All that responsibility! What were you thinking?”
“I am sure I’d be quite good at it, with Garuda’s help, of course,” he hastens to add, looking at the Bird Man, who has raised an eyebrow at his confident tone.
“Aren’t you the modest one?” She grins. Some things didn’t change.
Yudi removes the Isthmus from his right wrist. “Here.” He holds up her wrist and snaps the bracelet into place. “For luck!”
“I have Artemis.” With a happy shake of her head, she pats the hull of the spaceship next to them in the docking station. At Tiina’s touch, the pink light at the front of Artemis’ hull blinks to life, and a light purr emerges.
Yudi’s brow furrows. “Does she think she is a cat?”
“Only when she is around me. If it hadn’t been for her, I’d have plunged right off that hilltop and…” She shudders letting her imagination complete the rest.
“I still don’t know how she knew where to find you.”
“Perhaps Mimir told her.”
“Perhaps,” he agrees. “Thank you for saving her life, Artemis.” Yudi pats the hull next to where Tiina’s hand is placed. “I will owe you forever.”
Silence resonates around them, and then a second light, an indigo one this time, glows next to the pink on the ship’s siding.
Tiina raises her eyebrows. “Well, I’ll be! I have never seen her do that before.”
She touches the Isthmus on her right wrist. It feels right, gives her courage. Happy, she is ready to leave. After rising on tiptoes, she kisses Yudi full on his lips, and feels a familiar quick pull in the depths of her womb.
She backs away. Putting a finger on his chest, she says lightly, “You had better go get that Academy in order. It’s barely a week to term and you want things in top shape before the new ones arrive.”
“Guess I am going to have my hands full.” He replies, his voice light, yet hitching on the last word.
“I guess you are.” She agrees
“Bye, Tiina.” He seems about to say something more, then steps back as if changing his mind.
“Don’t forget us, Tiina,” Garuda echoes Yudi.
She smiles and turns away before her will to leave weaknes. Running up the short walkway, she enters Artemis’ control room. Yudi’s eyes follow her all the way. He doesn’t take his eyes off her.
Barely has Tiina touched the controls when the lights on the control panel fire up, the powerful light switches on in front of the spaceship. With a low, smooth, almost feline purr, Artemis slides out of the docking bay.
Glad to be once more at the controls and setting off on an adventure, she grins. With a whoosh, Artemis changes shape. When she settles down, her exterior is sleeker, like a powerful sword. The nose of the ship swoops out, as if to lance through any barriers; the sides are tapered with flowing, arching wings that fold over when not in flight, and she has a smooth elongated tail.
Slim as a silver ring, yet spacious enough to hold all my foolish dreams. If only it were always this simple, to keep going from adventure to adventure and never reach the end.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING ME
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Glossary
Avatar — An avatar refers to the incarnation of a divine being in human form, but with a higher vibration than humans
Garuda a.k.a Bird Man — Bird Shifters
Mahabharata — One of the two major epics of ancient India
Nagas — Snake shifters
Shiva — In Indian mythology, he is said to be the Destroyer or Transformer of Evil. He is one of the Holy Trinity of the divine.
The Trimurti (three forms) — The great trinity; a concept in Indian mythology in which the cosmic functions of creation, maintenance, and destruction are personified by Brahma, the creator, Vishnu, the maintainer or preserver, and Shiva, the destroyer or transformer.
About the Author
I am fascinated by the unseen in the real world and in relationships. I write fast-paced urban fantasy with a paranormal twist. My stories feature intense love-interests, kickass heroines, moody heroes and surprise plot lines.
Married to a filmmaker and fellow author, I live in London and am the proud owner of a mononym twitter handle @laxmi
For more information about Laxmi Hariharan:
@laxmi
laxmihariharanauthor
www.laxmihariharan.com
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Netherworld
The Chronicles of Koa, book 1
K. N. Lee
Netherworld © 2016 KN LEE
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons
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Netherworld/ K.N. Lee. – 1st Ed.
Created with Vellum
About the Book
Angels protect us, demons seek to destroy the balance, and one half-blood is torn between the two worlds.
Introducing Koa Ryeo-won, a half-blood vampire with an enchanted sword and a membership to the most elite vampire castle in Europe.
A vengeful demon threatens everything Koa has worked hard to protect. Not even Halston and his legendary infinity gun can stop him, but Koa's mother might be strong enough to do it--if only her curse can be broken.
There is one vampire that can help.
First stop, the Ivory Tower, where only the most notorious supernatural beings are kept. But even that won't be enough. Koa must prepare herself to return to the place that nearly killed her. The Netherworld.
1
THE CLOCK STRUCK MIDNIGHT, and for once Koa didn’t have anyone to track…or kill.
A buttery aroma wafted into the air as Koa opened a bag of freshly popped popcorn. There came a low purr from behind and she glanced over her shoulder at the stoic black cat that sat on the countertop.
“Smells good, Raven. Doesn’t it?”
Raven stared back with her ethereal green eyes. The cat blinked, and licked her paw.
Koa shrugged and blew her dark blue bangs out of her eyes. “Fine. More for me.”
Through the archway and into the grand hall, Koa walked through the large empty manor. There was a chill in the air, but Koa didn’t mind as she wore nothing but a black lace panty and bra set. The sound of her soft footsteps echoed, and she found herself humming as she always did.
She didn’t pay any mind to the gothic statues that glared down at her on either side of the wide corridor. There was a time when Koa had been frightened by her father’s relics. As a girl she would avoid walking down the hallways at night for fear that they would awaken and grab her with their cold stone hands.
Now, Koa was used to the statues of angels and demons. She barely glanced at them anymore. Such things were a part of her daily life and she no longer feared their artistic replicas.
It took her a few moments to cross the cold marble floors to the large den she had converted into an entertainment room. Koa used a remote to turn off all of the lights. She lit a scented candle just as Raven brushed past her leg. She rubbed her soft fur onto Koa’s bare flesh.
The scent of vanilla made her smile.
Koa flopped onto the plush sofa and put her feet up on the ottoman. She sank into the cushions and closed her eyes in bliss. “Halston has given me a few nights off.” She turned on her television. “Finally, I get to catch up on some reality TV!”
Raven seemed to roll her eyes and Koa grinned. “I know,” she said as she relaxed her back on the orange pillows and popped a handful of popcorn into her mouth. “I can be such a girl sometimes.” She laughed to herself. She was happy. Life had been so busy lately with the rise of supernatural crime that a single moment of solitude was rare.
Koa glanced at Raven and held her arms out. “Come sit with me.”
Raven snuggled next to her and rested her head on Koa’s lap. Koa smiled and stroked her black fur. Sometimes it seemed as if Raven was all she had left in the world, besides Halston.
Koa just started to crunch on a kernel when she heard the faintest creak in her hallway. It was so faint that she almost didn’t catch it. She didn’t want to catch it. She wanted the night to go smoothly, but it was the way Raven’s ears perked up that confirmed that Koa had indeed heard something.
Scrunching her small nose, Koa grumbled and put her bowl of popcorn down on her glass coffee table. All of her senses were heightened. There was a definite warning deep in the pit of her stomach. She sniffed the air. There was the faint stench of coal and something rancid.
Odd, she thought, frowning. She had smelled that distinct odor before. It was not from this world. Very odd.
Raven looked down the dark hallway and made a low sound of warning deep in her throat. Her black fur stood on end. Koa shushed her with a hand.
She came to her feet and headed toward the sound. She could feel that someone was there. Like the telling smell of oncoming rain, Koa had an uncanny sense of knowing when something bad was about to happen. She hoped that this time she was wrong.
Her heart thumped wildly in her chest. Her one day off, and someone decided to bother her. Raven lowered her head and waited back on the sofa.
“Scaredy-cat,” Koa mumbled.
Koa softly tiptoed into the darkness. She now wished that she was properly dressed. She didn’t want someone catching her in her underwear. She sighed. She was probably overthinking things. Two-hundred-year-old French manors tended to creak in the night. Koa should have been used to the sounds after all these years of living there.
The truth was that Koa was still afraid of the dark, and with good reason. She froze when something crashed to the floor. She quickly pressed her back against the wall and waited. One of the statues had broken.
Voices.
Koa cursed in her head. Someone was definitely in her house. Her breath quickened. Koa could hear Halston’s voice in her head, telling her that it wasn’t worth it—that she should run. She didn’t run.
Instead, she peeked around the corner of the wall and saw flashlights. The harsh, fluorescent light pointed in her direction. Two men. Bald and big. They were dressed in black with tattoos all over their pale white faces and scalps. They clutched silver-barreled crossbows.
Koa’s face paled. Their black eyes searched her hallway.
No, Koa thought with cold realization. Her skin crawled with dread. It’s not possible. “Syths,” she whispered in a hiss. They heard her. Four black eyes looked up and met hers.
Koa pulled back. Her pulse raced. These were creatures of folklore and mythology, but Koa knew the truth. Such creatures did exist. It was just that they shouldn’t be in the human world. She gulped. Something was definitely wrong.
“Shit!” No time to run now. Boots stomped down the marble floor. Dread washed over her, making her skin feel prickly.
Two Syths, equipped with crossbows. Koa knew what those arrows were laced with. Her stomach pumped with anxiety. Why were they in her house?
Raven came around the corner and leisurely sat in the middle of the hall. Koa’s anxiety was replaced with fury. No one had ever invaded her home.
Koa glared over at Raven.
“Fine. Just sit there and let me do all of the work,” she said to the black cat. Koa yelped as a large hand reached for her long black and blue hair. She grabbed the hand and with a push off the ground, she leapt.
Her feet climbed up the air as if by invisible stairs. With a surge of energy, she took flight. She grunted as she lifted the large man’s weight off the ground and flew upward. He used his other arm to direct the point of his crossbow at her.
Koa’s eyes widened and she pursed her lips. She saw the red poisonous bolt ready to be released. The second Syth waited below as Koa went higher and higher up the tall, vaulted ceiling. It was cold up there, and pitch black, but Koa could still see the Syth’s illuminated face.
An arrow zipped past her and she gasped. “Come quietly, Koa, and we won’t have to hurt you,” the Syth below shouted. “Our master doesn’t want you dead. He just wants us to bring you in.”
She snorted. “No thanks. I like my world just fine.” Koa looked down at the Syth whose hand she held. It was rare to see one of his kind.
His lips curled into a malicious grin. “Yes, come quietly, my pretty,” he whispered. His voice was like nails on gravel. “You know you don’t belong here with the humans…”
Koa gazed into those soulless black eyes and felt her stomach churn with dread. They were like small, black beads. The tattoos around his eyes were inscriptions of a dialect that didn’t exist in this world. Someone was letting rogue nephilim out of the Netherworld.
“And neither do you,” she said and with an evil grin, she let go of his hand.
He cried out and fell nearly fifty feet. Koa heard a satisfying crunch of bones. She smirked. Still, it
wasn’t enough to kill a Syth. Those bones were probably regenerating already. Koa hadn’t encountered many since she’d become a Netherworld agent, but Netherworld beings were extremely hard to kill.
Koa darted away from another arrow and into the darkness of her empty manor. She stood on the ceiling, upside down, yet defying gravity as she looked down at the two shadows below. She considered all of her options. She could fly out of that window ahead or she could go back and kill them.
Syths were dangerous. She couldn’t let them get away. But her weapons were in her vault. In order to reach her vault, she would need to go past the Syths. How silly of her to think that she was safe. Not even her home was sacred anymore.
Nearly five years as an agent in Halston’s Netherworld Division, and Koa was still caught off guard.
Koa frowned. Halston was right. She should have moved a long time ago. She could already see Halston’s self-satisfied smile. She hoped she’d make it out alive to see that smile again.
Something caught her attention: a glittering light below. Raven’s green eyes glowed.
Like a bolt of lightning, Koa shot through the darkness to Raven. Determination filled her veins. She could make it. She had to.
Bolts bounced off the walls and sparked along the floor. Her heart pumped, but her face was set with purpose. She smiled when she saw her Lyrinian sword lying on the floor, like a beacon of hope in the darkness.
The second Raven stepped away from it, Koa grabbed the silver hilt. A jolt of power slammed into her palm and flooded her body. She gritted her teeth and embraced the euphoric pain the sword caused her. The blade shot out, lengthening from the size of a small dagger to that of a full-sized sword. The jagged blade was a dark metal, rippled with black engravings.