The Legends of Regia Box Set: The Complete Series. Books 1-7

by Tenaya Jayne

  "Nothing is my fault?" she repeated. "That's certainly true! If you didn't kill innocent people and dump their bodies in a shameful pile in the forest, we wouldn't be having this conversation!"

  Both elders blinked at her, clearly shocked. "How do you know about that?" Fer demanded.

  "We do what we have to, to protect the Heart and our people," Pru insisted.

  "Well, you're about to answer for it! And you better be careful how you treat me, all of you. Leramiun, King Leramiun, will be very displeased when he learns what you've put his queen through."

  Shi marched to the flame and put her hand in it to prove her point. "I am not rejected! And the vampires are coming. Get used to it. Everything is about to change."

  ****

  It was an even longer and even more arduous meeting than he had anticipated. Everyone was upset by his news. Leramiun realized he should have known how thrown off balance they would be and just how long it would take them to accept it.

  "Sire, if you truly intend to set up a residence there, so close to the Lair, I must insist you have security established."

  "The point is to be private. The werewolves won't know I'm there," he argued.

  "But if they learned, your life would be threatened every time you went there. And your queen. She would be in danger of being used as leverage against you."

  "No, that can't happen!" Quinn interjected loudly. Everyone looked at him. He blushed brightly. "They're right, Brother. Protection must be in place."

  Leramiun sighed, seeing they were right. "What should I do? The Dryad warriors have been effective protectors, albeit misguided."

  "You must have a guard, sire."

  "That's not enough," Quinn said. "A handful of royal soldiers can't stand up to an onslaught of wolves."

  "What about the sand?" Leramiun asked. "We could bring it in and run it around the outside of the Dryad's area."

  Everyone looked around at each other nodding in approval. "That would be effective, sire. When shall we begin bringing it?"

  "Tomorrow." Leramiun stood up and stretched. "Now we go to exact judgment for the innocent dead. Prepare the Crimson Brotherhood. Today they carry axes, not swords."

  Chapter 8

  It was out of her hands. Shi sat next to her trunk and waited for Ler to come. She was the only Dryad who was able to be still. Everyone else was in a tizzy. The warriors prepared for battle at the prompting of the elders, despite what she said. The breeders moved back and forth, talking non-stop, and the Verdant huddled together, trying to cope with the bursting of their sheltered bubble. And Shi was alone. But strangely, she didn't feel as alone as she used to. Her memories of Ler came back to her like a series of bright flashes. She gently ran her fingers over the ridges of his bite mark and smiled to herself.

  She rested her head back and realized just how tired she was. She hadn't slept in such a long time. Shi dozed off in the afternoon sunlight.

  Yelling and the scuffle of running feet jostled her awake. Shi got quickly to her feet, her heart in her throat. Beyond the sound that woke her came the vibrations through the ground, shaking her roots. She ran to see, but as she pushed through the crowd, a strong arm wrapped around her, lifting her off the ground, and hauled her back.

  Shocked, she looked up into the face of Ree. "Not you," he said roughly. "The enemy can't have you."

  "They aren't our enemies!"

  Ree snorted derisively. Shi kicked and scratched at him. He quickly wound a vine around her hands and feet and dropped her on the ground.

  "Let me go! I order you!"

  "Shut up, or I'll bind up your mouth as well."

  He stood guard in front of her. She shut up, but only so she could hear. The vibrations on the ground grew stronger and stronger and then stopped abruptly. Shi ducked down to see through the mass of legs in front of her. Through the tangle, Shi saw the glint of metal, dark gray metal clad feet. Soldiers, she thought. Ler's soldiers. Then she heard his voice.

  "Dryads, I am Leramiun, King of Regia. I am here to offer diplomacy. Like it or not, you are a part of this world. One piece of a whole. You are subjects to the crown. And you have broken laws. Perhaps laws unbeknown to you, but be that as it may, I know you can decipher the difference between right and wrong. And killing innocent people is wrong. I am obligated to bring judgment against you on behalf of the dead."

  "We don't recognize your authority!" a warrior's voice rang out.

  Oh no. Shi trembled inside.

  Everyone lifted their voices in agreement.

  Ler shouted over them. "There's no reason to bring this to bloodshed! Our peoples are connected."

  "Let me go, Ree," Shi said sternly. "Or, I'll start calling to him. If he sees me tied up like this, he'll advance his forces."

  Ree looked down at her, then away. Every soldier took one menacing step forward.

  "I want this to be peaceful!" Ler shouted. "Don't force my hand."

  The moment teetered on the edge of a knife. Shi held her breath.

  "Warriors, stand down!" Fer's voice called out.

  Shi exhaled. The crowd parted as Pru came toward her.

  "Let her go," he ordered Ree. "We will talk to this king."

  Ree's jaw pulled tight, unwinding the vines reluctantly. Pru pulled her to her feet and marched her next to him, his wrinkled hand clasped painfully on her arm. Ler's eyes fell on her, rage flaring in his gaze at the rough way she was pulled along.

  "Unhand her," he said through clenched teeth.

  Pru shoved Shi at him as though she were a piece of trash. "Thief!" he accused. "You snuck in here and took one of our pure ones like a bandit."

  Ler tucked her protectively against him. "Perhaps. But you have stolen more than I. You have taken the lives of more than a hundred. And now blood must be paid. Blood for blood."

  Fer turned to the people. "Go back to the Heart while we discuss matters."

  The elders came close to Ler.

  "Shall I leave you as well?" Shi asked.

  "No. You're queen. I need your help with this."

  Ler looked back at the line of soldiers and nodded. They stepped back a few paces. Shi looked at them, feeling a sense of dread and awe. There must have been hundreds. The front line, different from the whole, had burnished red metal armor, while the rest had silver. Those in red gave Shi a deep tremble of danger. They carried weapons obviously designed for hacking, flat blades on poles.

  "You are the leaders?" Ler asked Pru and Fer.

  "We are the elders."

  "You gave your warriors orders to kill any passersby, or did they decide that on their own?"

  Fer and Pru exchanged a nervous glance.

  "There is a great difference between following orders and acting alone. You understand?" Ler said.

  "They were following orders, mine explicitly," Fer stated.

  "You are taking full responsibility?"

  Fer closed his eyes for a second, and then he looked up and lifted his head defiantly. "I take responsibility."

  Ler pointed at Pru. "You shall no longer have any authority over your people. And you," he said to Fer, "shall die. The blood will be paid. And your warriors shall be granted clemency. Do you agree with this, Shi?"

  Pru and Fer looked at her, their eyes pleading. She wanted to say no. But she couldn't. Ler was being more than merciful. She thought about the dead again and felt maybe he was too merciful.

  "I agree," she said quietly.

  "Go and tell your people what is to happen," Ler said to the elders. "Say your goodbyes. Execution will be at nightfall."

  Pru and Fer turned and walked back. Ler turned to his men and gestured for them to come closer. The front line of red circled close around them.

  "Stay here. Make sure nothing happens. Stay on your guard."

  "Yes sir," they chanted together.

  Ler pulled Shi through the thick of soldiers. They fanned out into the trees around them and after a moment, she couldn't see them anymore. She held herself together by shee
r will. Ler looked at her for a second and then removed the armor covering his chest. The second it clanked to the ground, he pulled her hard against him. She buried her face in his shirt and sobbed.

  "I'm sorry, Shi. I'm so sorry."

  She shook her head but couldn't speak. He anchored her as she cried herself out. Finally, her voice came back.

  "Everything's so ugly."

  "Yes. It's a bad day. But the outcome is better than I dared hope for. I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to sound—"

  "No. I understand. And you're right. You were so merciful, Ler."

  He kissed her. Nothing more than that. Just a kiss that lingered, comforted, and loved.

  "I brought you something."

  "What?"

  "Your crown. I had it made special by my master jeweler this morning."

  He pulled a small cloth pouch from a pocket in the side of his boot and placed it in her hands. She undid the drawstrings and pulled the crown out. Shi held it gently, dazzled by its simple beauty. The silvery metal reached up in a perfect imitation of branches, the center set with a pale aquamarine stone that resembled the moon.

  "Do you like it?"

  Shi snorted. "Silly question."

  "It's a tribute to the night we met."

  "Put it on me." Shi bowed her head. "How does it look?"

  Ler had that same dazed look as the first time he saw her. "Gorgeous."

  Shi clung to him, knowing it was a stolen moment and it couldn't last any longer.

  "I have to get back and see how everyone is taking the news. They might need me."

  Ler kissed her again, swiftly and passionately. "Go," he said. "You're already a good queen."

  He watched her go, remembering too late that he was going to tell her about the shadow sand.

  Chapter 9

  Shi walked slowly into the congregation of her people. The elders had already told everyone what was to happen. Pru stopped talking as she approached. All eyes fell on her with many different emotions. Some looked on her with pity, others with interest or trepidation, and a few with anger and accusation. Shi didn't try to cluster in next to the Verdant. She looked pleadingly at Shea. Shea held her face blank for a moment, then everything softened in her eyes, and she reached out to Shi. Shi clung to her for a second then faced everyone solidly. They all noticed her crown.

  Pru cleared his throat and continued. "We have feared it may one day come to this. And now the Heart is discovered. I think we might never again have peace."

  "It's all her fault!" Ree said, pointing at Shi. A few others murmured their agreement.

  Shi stared them down. "How do you know my relationship didn't just save all of your lives?! That Leramiun didn't show you mercy and not take one life for every life taken because of his love for me?"

  "That is…probably true," Fer conceded.

  "You must all accept that Leramiun will be here often, to be with me. And you should be grateful. He is good and kind. He is not going to harm us, or the Heart. In time, he will come to understand the responsibility of caring for the Heart. I will teach him. The Heart will be better protected than ever before. I promise."

  As night kissed the sky, Fer said goodbye to everyone in turn. The mothers took their children away from Fer's tree and tried to lull them to sleep. Everyone else gathered around, sober or crying. The soldiers followed behind Ler. Shi was grateful Ler didn't address everyone again. He looked at Fer and simply asked, "Are you ready?"

  Fer nodded and climbed into his trunk. Ler pointed at Fer's trunk and three of the red soldiers came forward and surrounded Fer. They lifted their terrible hacking instruments and began chopping. Four swings each and Fer fell. A cry of sorrow rang out as the Dryads mourned him.

  Ler approached Shi. "What should I do now?" he whispered.

  "Leave. Let us see to his body. Come back tomorrow."

  "Would it be crass for me to kiss you before I leave, given the circumstances?"

  Shi smiled sadly. "Yes, I think it might be. Here." She held up her hand.

  He took it and placed a kiss on the back of it. Unable to hold her with his arms, he held her with his eyes. Shi touched his cheek.

  "Go."

  "Until tomorrow then."

  Ler left, along with his men, leaving a handful of them to stand guard outside the boundary.

  Shi turned, her people were looking at her expectantly. She began singing the song of death. Slowly, one by one, they joined her in singing Fer's requiem. They surrounded him and picked him up, taking him to the Heart. It took the entire night for the flames of the manifestation to consume Fer's body. When he was gone, the Heart sent a surge through the wood, giving back a piece of Fer's life force to everyone. The blessing was bittersweet.

  As the dawn broke, everyone, including Shi, climbed into their trunks and slept, exhausted from sorrow and ceremony.

  ****

  Leramiun hardly slept. He lay awake, agonizing over what had happened, questioning if he'd done the right thing, and missing Shi so much it hurt like a fresh wound. He rose early and dressed for the day, unsure how long he should wait to go back to the woods. A special portal would be opened that morning, allowing workers to move in large loads of shadow sand.

  In the back of his mind, he thought about the issue of the wizard, and he wondered what had happened to Helena. He looked down at his floor, all traces of blood had been scrubbed away. He decided to try and find her before he did anything else that morning, but as he went to open his door, there was a knock.

  Quinn leaned against the doorframe, looking tired and irritable.

  "Good morning, brother," he said sardonically. "I've got a problem."

  "It better be a good one, because I don't know how much else I can handle right now."

  "The wizard, Kracelmunstermier, or some stupid name like that, he says he won't talk to anyone but you now."

  Leramiun groaned. "Has he become violent?"

  "Yeah, look what he did to me." Quinn pulled his sleeve up, hissing in pain. A perfect handprint was burned black on his forearm. "He said I was insolent, and it just took a second, he laid his hand on my arm then poof, he burned me."

  "Damn it, Quinn. Were you insolent?"

  Quinn scowled and shrugged.

  "I need to be with Shi today. We're supposed to start bringing in the sand. Do you think you can oversee that while I sort this mess out?"

  "Sure. I'll gladly see to your blushing bride while you're busy. I'll give her kisses for you, shall I?"

  "No, but you can give her a letter from me. And stop being an asshole."

  Quinn shrugged again and waited while Leramiun quickly scrawled a note, rolled, and sealed it. Quinn put the note inside his vest.

  "Remember, you're to act as a foreman. The workers have their orders to keep the sand on the outside. It should come out like a moat. Don't spend much time around the Dryads. They're mourning the death of one of their elders."

  "No problem. I assume I'll see you there as soon as you're done placating the refugee. You can't leave Shi alone with me for too long. She may decide she's with the wrong brother."

  Leramiun punched Quinn hard in the shoulder. "I told you to stop being an asshole."

  "All right, all right." Quinn rubbed his shoulder.

  "Is it out of your system now?"

  "Yeah."

  "Good. Now get out of here. I'll see you later."

  Leramiun wiped his mind clean as he entered Fortress castle.

  "Your Majesty," an officially dressed vampire greeted him. "So glad you're here. Come with me."

  Leramiun followed.

  "The wizard's power is brutally strong. So far, he has been very diplomatic and controlled, but Prince Quinn angered him yesterday. We have him in the rune room in an attempt to neutralize his abilities. We don't really know if it is effective or not, so be careful."

  Leramiun entered the room. He'd never been in a rune room. The walls were inlaid with stones and symbols. The wizard sat in the far corner, in what looked l
ike a comfortable chair, with a cup of tea on the table next to him. Leramiun could easily feel the power the man held. The air around him rippled. He was dressed in a plain gray cloak, his hair hung long down his back, and he was very tall, even while sitting down.

  "Who are you?"

  "I am Leramiun."

  "Ah yes. The king. I've been waiting to meet you. I am Kracel Murint."

  "My apologies. I've had important matters to—"

  "Yes, of course. Your younger brother told me about it."

  Leramiun scowled at that. "I'm sorry if Quinn offended you. He's young and grieving the recent death of our father."

  The wizard looked at him closely and took a sip from his teacup. "I've taken your measure, young king. I am willing to help you. You are a good man. You have the makings of a great leader."

  "Thank you."

  The wizard's eyes became suddenly bright. "Beware of your brother. He is full of malice."

  Chapter 10

  Quinn bit and drank viciously from Helena before beating her again. He left her unconscious on the floor and headed to the woods. He cracked his knuckles and licked the blood off them, feeling marginally better. Now he was going to go and play with Shi. He knew how to plant himself in a female's brain.

  He strolled through the massive open portal into the forest. The work of carting in the sand had already begun. The line of vampires working had already settled into a steady rhythm. They didn't need any direction. That was fine with him. He didn't want to babysit them anyway.

  He looked around for signs of the Dryads, but nothing and no one moved at all. He walked in, under the dense branches, where everything became exquisitely beautiful. He walked and walked, trying to find his way back to the waterfall. Finally, he gave up and decided to try something else.

  "Shi…oh Shi. Are you here? I've got a message for you."

  He turned around and there she was, standing a few feet away. If he just took one step and reached out, he could catch her. He looked her over lazily. The delicate gown she wore clung to her sexy curves, taunting him. Quinn clenched his fists as his anger and desire rose to the surface. They were alone, or alone enough.