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Fate’s Song
ISBN # 978-1-906590-70-3
©Copyright Jessica Jarman 2008
Cover Art by Skylar Sinclair ©Copyright June 2008
Edited by Christine Riley
Total-e-bound books
This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.
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Published in 2008 by Total-e-bound eBooks 1 The Corner, Faldingworth Road
, Spridlington, Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, LN8 2DE, UK.
Warning: This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has been rated Total-e-burning.
FATE’S SONG
Jessica Jarman
Dedication
To Jen--who always appreciated, or at the very least listened to, my stories. I love ya, sis.
Prologue
Death stared Kaelen in the eye and promised to be long and painful. He refused to cower before it. What he’d done was in defence of the weak, the helpless. He’d had no choice but to act. However, his motivations would not sway the Queen. She ruled with an iron fist, and it was going to squeeze the life out of him. Despite his imminent end, he regretted nothing. He may have taken a human life, but he also saved at least three others. Pride and honour would hold him upright during the judgment of his crime.
Kaelen drank in the sight of the Great Hall. This would be the last time he saw it. Flowered vines crept up the ancient stone walls and clung to the ceilings. Normally blooms painted the greenness of the leaves with a multitude of colours. Today, however, every blossom squeezed itself into a small tight bud, almost hiding behind the foliage. Nature mourned the loss of one of her protectors. Kaelen drew in a deep breath. The sweet, earthy scent of the realm seeped into his body, into every cell, and offered him a small measure of comfort.
He surveyed the faces of the thousands who gathered to watch his fall from grace. How often he’d been among them, judging the guilty in their midst. Most wouldn’t make eye contact, glancing quickly away as his gaze settled on them. Murmurs drifted on the air as they discussed the situation. They didn’t like it, having to judge someone of his standing. One man, however, met his gaze boldly with a smirk kissing his lips. Darrick. His cousin.
Kaelen clenched his jaw and inhaled sharply through his teeth. Hard facts rushed through his mind. The realisation of what would follow his demise hit him. With him dead, Darrick was next in line for the throne. While the Goddess had cursed Kaelen, she’d smiled on the fate of his kinsman. The thought of his cruel, remorseless cousin as King made his chest tighten. Despair gripped him. What would happen to his people? The peace they enjoyed?
A trill of music vibrated through the air, signalling the entrance of the Queen. All bowed their heads as she passed. Kaelen lowered himself onto his knees and focused on the ground in front of him. He remained so as the Queen’s chancellor read the charges against him.
“Kaelen of Fey, you are hereby charged with tampering with events in the human world by causing the death of a mortal and using your healing powers on humans. This has changed the delicate fabric woven by the Goddess and Fate. According the laws of our people, this is punishable by death. The method of which is to be decided by our Great Lady.”
The expected punishment, being read in that awful, droning voice, made Kaelen cringe and his stomach clench. He’d been contemplating his death since being in confinement yester-eve, but hearing the words spoken aloud made it all the more real. He would die. Soon.
“Kaelen, rise.” The Queen’s voice rang through the large room, dancing along his spine.
She sounded sad, he realised. Her usually vibrant tone resonated with mournfulness. This was difficult for her. Kaelen held that close to his heart, took a deep breath, and obeyed her command.
On his feet, he lifted his head and met his Queen’s wide silver eyes.
“Have you anything to say?”
He shook his head before responding, “I told your men everything yester-eve, Lady.”
“You took a human life. You claim it was necessary. How so?”
Damn her. She would make him relive it all again. He fought against the sick, acidic churning in his gut. Forcing his mind to focus only on the facts, not the emotions fighting to surface, he stated the bare details.
“The man was about to torture and slaughter two children and their mother, who was with child. I acted on their behalf.”
“It isn’t your place to act on their behalf,” she snapped.
“I should have watched him butcher them? I’m sorry, Lady, I have neither the willpower nor the stomach for that.”
“You should have walked away.”
Most of those viewing the trial flinched at the harsh tone of their sovereign’s raised voice. Kaelen stared at her a moment, wondering if she was truly so heartless. Or was she truly grieved at what she’d have to do? He shook his head. It mattered not.
“Again, knowing what he would do, I could not.”
“And how is it that you came across this…situation?”
“I know not. I was in my bedchamber sleeping. I dreamt of this woman and must have dream-ported.”
“Had you ever seen this woman before? Ever been to her residence?”
“No, Lady.”
“You have no great psychic gifts, Kaelen.”
He shot her a sardonic smile. “I’m aware of that, Great Lady. I don’t know how I was able to see what was happening and travel there.”
However, he certainly had a few ideas. He slid his gaze to his cousin. Darrick appeared bored with the proceeding, but Kaelen noticed his clenched fists. Yes, Darrick knew something, but what?
He focused back on his Queen and realised her gaze had followed his. She turned back to Kaelen with a nod and continued.
“Not only did you cause the death of a human, you used your powers to save the life of the unborn child. Without your aid, she would have died. You have meddled with Fate. Perhaps the child’s soul was not meant to be in the world during this lifetime.”
“Or perhaps it was, and that is the reason I was there.”
She acknowledged his logic with a raised brow.
“The necessity of your punishment pains me, but the law is the law. Kaelen of Fey, you are…”
“Wait.”
Kaelen stiffened as the loud voice croaked throughout the Great Hall. Maraana the Elder pushed her way through the crowd. She was the most respected and feared of the Fey. While their kind aged slowly, and a person several centuries old could look to be thirty, Maraana was clearly an old woman.
Long white hair hung down to her waist, wrinkles coursed over her complexion, and she had a staff she leaned on for support. Kaelen couldn’t even take a guess to how many lifetimes the woman had lived.
She rarely left her dwelling, preferring solitude. For her to be here, among the entire Fey society, something was wrong. He couldn’t suppress the mass of dread that filled his body and soul. He forced hi
mself to inhale deeply. Whatever it was, he would find out. Whenever Maraana the Elder spoke, all listened.
The old woman bowed her head. “I apologise for the interruption, my Queen, but it is most important that I speak with you. This man will not die.”
Kaelen shifted his gaze back to his Lady. Pale faced, she stared at the elder a moment before nodding. Maraana crossed the room until she was next to her ruler. The Queen leaned down until her ear was near Maraana’s mouth. He watched as she talked furiously, not allowing the other woman to get a word in. The Queen’s responses were limited to the occasional nod.
Finally, the women separated and straightened to full height. The Queen turned her gaze on Kaelen. Maraana stepped back slightly and focused her eyes on him as well. By the Goddess, what was going on?
The Great Lady addressed him, “It is clear that we do not know all the details of the situation. Because of this and the fact that you acted in defence of another, the death sentence will not be carried out. Therefore, Kaelen, you are hereby banished from this realm.”
The pronouncement, like a physical blow, caused him to stumble back.
“But, Lady, the laws are clear on this crime.” Darrick stepped forward, his face blotched with crimson. “You cannot change that simply because the old woman says no.”
The Queen turned towards him. “You are speaking out of turn. Perhaps, you forget who rules here, Darrick.”
“My apologies, my Queen.” He bowed his head and stepped back.
“Don’t make that mistake again.” Her voice, lined with steel, brooked no argument.
Kaelen struggled to draw breath into his lungs. Banished. He was banished. Relief should be flowing through his veins, but he felt strangely empty. Shock, he decided. Shock had numbed him.
“No one in this realm is to speak of or acknowledge Kaelen until announced otherwise.” The Queen addressed the others before turning back to him. “Kaelen, you will be welcomed back into our midst when you have the love of a woman, a true mate, who can accept who and what you are. She must be accepting of all you have done.”
What in all the heavens was she talking about? Love? How in the Goddess’ name could he get the love of someone if none could acknowledge him?
“The assembly has leave to go. I’d like a moment with Kaelen before he departs.” The crowd dismissed with a wave of her hand.
He watched as his people left, eyes averted, avoiding the sight of him. A trio of males wasn’t as paranoid about following orders. They stood near the end of the exiting procession, staring openly at Kaelen. His heart constricted at the sight of his closest friends. Rhys, Leilen, and Dermet each lifted a hand and touched his fingertips to his lips before closing it in a fist above his heart. A sign of loyalty.
Kaelen quickly glanced at the Queen to gauge her reaction to their blatant disregard of her orders. A ghost of a smile touched her lips as she studied them.
“Thank you, gentlemen, that will be all.” She waited until they had left and turned her smile upon Kaelen. “You are lucky you have such loyal friends.”
“And unlucky you have taken them from me…Auntie,” he snapped. He had no audience now.
She walked to stand in front of him. “Would you rather that I’d taken your life? You’ve been given a chance, nephew. Embrace it.”
Anger spurted through him, heating his blood. “I am separated from our people, our women. I can come back only if I receive the love of a true mate. A chance? A chance at what? I’ve looked into the Waters; I have no true mate in this life,” he ground out through clenched teeth. “You have sentenced me to live my life in solitude until death.”
She reached up and cupped his face in her hands. “Not if you make the right choices.”
Choices? What choices did he have? She’d taken them all from him. Hopelessness filled every pore. He’d resigned himself to death. Now he had a future—an incredibly uncertain future.
The Queen’s laugh trickled from her full lips. “The future isn’t as bleak as your expression tells.” Her fingers caressed his face in a maternal manner. “You have changed the course of your life with what you have done. Your actions, your defence of that woman and her children, determined your fate.”
Kaelen frowned. Maraana. Something the elder said was behind this mystery. He looked down into the Queen’s eyes and tried to interpret the meaning behind her words.
“She has seen something.” It was a statement.
“I’ve seen the possibility.”
Maraana stepped out from the shadows. Where had she come from? He’d seen her leave the Great Hall; of that he was certain. The woman made him nervous, uneasy.
“Possibility,” he repeated, hesitant to raise the questions running rampant in his brain. Pushing them aside he simply asked, “Good or bad?”
The elder tilted her head to the side. Her pale, nearly translucent green eyes shimmered with sadness. “That, my dear boy, depends on your choices.”
Chapter One
“You don’t have a choice.”
Abagail Guthrie wound the telephone cord around her fingers as she listened to her sister-in-law rant and rave over the line. She did not need this. She’d come here for an escape, to get away from people, and yet here she was sitting on the phone with Mrs. Uppity.
“Abagail, you have to sell the cabin and split the money between you and your brothers.”
“Darla, Mom left me the cabin, and I will do what I want with it. You don’t have a choice in the matter. Quit pushing me on this.” She ground out every word through clenched teeth.
“I just don’t see how you can be so stubborn about this. Shutting yourself up in that place isn’t good for you. What about when you start touring again? You need to be in the city to work.”
“I’m not touring anymore. A fact that I’ve informed you of numerous times. I can work from anywhere and choose to do so from here. Now, if this is the only reason you’ve called, I’m going to let you go now. I have things to do.”
Darla exhaled loudly. “You are so selfish, Abagail. You don’t think of anyone but yourself. You—”
“Good-bye. I’ll talk to you soon,” she interrupted and replaced the receiver in its cradle.
Rolling her stiff shoulders, she looked at the piano and thought of the piece she was working on. Her head pounded and her entire body ached with tension. A walk, she decided. She needed the relaxation before settling down to work. She grabbed her jacket and scarf off the rack beside the door and headed out.
Breathing in the crisp cold air laced with the tangy scent of pine, Abagail let herself wander among the trees. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d gone outside other than to run to the grocery store for food. She really needed to get out more. Music and composing were eating up more and more of her life. She yearned for something more, something fulfilling. But what? She didn’t have a clue.
Relationships didn’t interest her or fill the void that echoed within her. Sure, she liked sex, but that meant having a man around to distract her. The few relationships Abagail had indulged in hadn’t ended well. Once the men had realised that music was all for her, they’d split. Her last lover said he couldn’t be with a woman who jumped up in the middle of sex to run to the piano because a melody had finally clicked in her head. He made her sound so insensitive. Really, it had only happened that one time! It was just as well, though. She felt nothing more than a twinge of regret when a split up occurred, and the sex had never been that good, anyway.
Shaking the thoughts from her head, she continued through the throng of trees. Wet leaves scrunched beneath her boots and the musty smell of autumn filled her nostrils. Snow would be perfect on a day like today. Just a light falling. Anything was better than the drizzling rain that had persisted on and off the last week. She stopped and closed her eyes. Lifting her face to the air above her, she spun in a circle. Why had it been so long since she’d come out like this? She loved the outdoors, and yet, she kept herself chained inside at her piano. Why?
/> Cold kisses suddenly touched her face. A grin formed as she opened her eyes. Perfect. Large, fluffy snowflakes floated down from the heavens. She laughed out loud, the sound echoing through the forest. Resuming her walk, she soon found herself humming; her heart lighter than it had been in ages. She walked on for several minutes and thought of turning back. No, a little while longer out here in the air would do her good.
Prickles of awareness crawled over her skin, and she stilled. Faint notes of music drifted around her in time with the falling snow. That wasn’t music in her head; it was coming from somewhere.
Tilting her head, she strained to hear, to get an inkling of where it originated. Turning to her left, she began to weave through the trees towards the sound. Abagail’s heart ached at the sound of the haunting music. Her skin tingled as she sought its source. Faster and faster she moved until she almost ran. It kept changing directions. A small part of her brain told her this was foolishness. Chasing a song through the trees! But she couldn’t stop. She had to capture it. Even if she couldn’t find where it came from, maybe she could hear enough of it to have a chance to recreate it.
The music was louder, more intense. Her body vibrated in tune with the melody as she neared its source. Warmth rapidly spread through her veins as her mind wrapped around the sound, or rather the melody wrapped around her mind.
Suddenly she was face down on the damp ground. Damn it, she must have tripped over a log. Lifting her head, she groaned in disappointment. Silence had fallen over the forest like a blanket. Maybe the music had just been in her head. She tried to play the notes in her mind. Back on her feet, she brushed the snow from her body. Getting home quickly was the priority now. She had to get to her piano.
Turning back the way she came, she looked down, not wanting to trip over the blasted log again. All breath escaped her body and the blood drained from her face. It was a man!
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