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

by Tenaya Jayne

  He held his finger to his lips as they rounded the corner and stopped near the doorway that led to the gathering place of Copernicus’ slaves that he’d visited just that morning.

  “Stay back until I’ve made it safe. If something goes wrong, bow down and blend in with the slaves. Act like one of them until you can get out.” His voice was barely audible, even right next to her ear.

  Redge tied a black scarf around the lower half of his face and pulled his hood down farther. Only his eyes were visible. He crossed under the threshold and melded into the shadows on the stairway. He slunk silently to the upper room and held still in a dark corner. Most of the slaves slept on the bare floor, while some sat and rocked slowly. The moonlight shone through the single window and onto the heads of two of the believers who talked quietly to themselves. Redge scanned through the dark space, looking for the third. He couldn’t see him anywhere.

  He darted through the shadows and came up right behind one of the believers. One of his knives sank deep into the vampire’s back, just under the ribs. The knife in his other hand bit handle-deep into the side of his neck. Blood sprayed across the other vampire as Redge pulled his knives back out. The other believer stumbled backward, trying to get away, and was dead before he hit the ground, one knife in his heart, the other in his ear.

  Those asleep roused in confusion. In a moment, everyone was on their feet. A warm golden light stretched through the space. Everyone turned. Journey stood in the doorway, a flickering orb in her hands. They moved aside for her, and she met Redge in the middle of the room.

  “Where is the other believer?” Redge demanded.

  “He left to report to Copernicus.”

  “Listen to me,” he said, adding an edge of authority to his voice “I used to be one of you, but now my slave mark has no control over me because of her. This is Journey. She is a Storyteller. She can help you regain control of your own will… Maybe you came to Copernicus willingly, maybe you were forced. I don’t care. Who among you would free yourselves and help stop all of this?”

  Every person raised their hands and said, “I,” or “I would.”

  “Okay. Open your minds and your hearts to her and listen well.”

  Journey tossed the light orb into the air. It hit the ceiling and broke apart, scattering glittering light particles that winked and floated like dust motes through the air. One low slow note sounded in her throat, and she turned in a full circle. Everyone’s mind relaxed open to her into the sleepy semi-conscious state she used as her medium to paint with. She raised her voice a few octaves and turned in another circle, looking into each heart.

  A single golden thread pulsed out from every chest and hovered lazily in the air over Journey’s head. She reached up and gathered them in her hands, beginning to lace them together. She used only the best attributes in each person: courage, honesty, kindness, goodness, and love. However small the seeds might be, she fed them, and they began to grow. Their hearts turned to soft clay in her hands, and she deftly began to re-shape them. She didn’t turn them into anything they weren’t, just what they were always capable of becoming. She sloughed off the hard edges placed there by bitterness, disappointments, and loss.

  They all looked up as the story began. Her hum became a real song, and the ghostly tapestry manifested in the room. Every person saw themselves, like a player on a stage. She sang them a story of a wondrous time of peace and prosperity coming to Regia and how they could all be a part of it, if only they would set aside their prejudices and fight together for an ideal.

  The story took time, each person profoundly and intimately affected.

  Journey exhaled as she finished. It was the best and hardest work she had ever done, and now she was exhausted.

  Everyone looked around in wonder as they came back to full lucidity. A few rubbed at their slave marks.

  “Did it work?” someone asked. “Are we free?”

  “I don’t feel any different. My mark is still there.”

  “What is going on here?!” an angry voice yelled from the doorway.

  Everyone turned. The last believer had come back. Before he could do more than yell, the slaves rushed on him and swallowed him up like a tidal wave. Redge pushed forward through the mob. They backed away from him as he looked at the believer, stomped to death on the floor. He checked to make sure he was really dead and then looked back to Journey.

  “I guess it worked,” he said with a broad smile.

  “I fear,” Journey spoke up. “The effects are temporary.”

  “Let’s leave while we have the chance!” someone else said.

  “No!” Redge said harshly. “You’ll ruin your chance at full freedom. Stay together. Act as though nothing has happened, and you’ll get your chance to free yourselves permanently. Don’t try to rebel until you see her again.” He gestured to Journey. “When you see her again, then your time will have come. Remember my words. Remember her song.”

  He picked up the body and carried it over his shoulder. Journey followed him. He didn’t make any attempt to hide the body; he left it in the next alley. They went back to the castle.

  ****

  This is where I want to stay, Journey thought, as she rested her head on his shoulder. He’d dozed off, sitting with his back against the bed’s headboard, one arm draped around her. She stared at his relaxed profile, noting the wear and tear of years, and again, she grieved the loss of them. There was so much going on that they hadn’t had the time, or perhaps the presence of mind, to talk about the things she felt they needed to.

  He was a guy, and he was acting like one, she mused. He didn’t think there was anything to deal with or overcome between them. They had love and passion and what else could there be? They were together, and that was that to him. He would ask her to stay with him. She knew that; it wasn’t a question. But could she? Even if she could, would Regia’s leaders let her? Would they give her citizenship? Perhaps if she proved useful enough. Guilt began to poke at her. Just one more day to get through. If they could kill Copernicus, then she could focus on helping Regia as a whole, form a plan to stop the annihilation that was coming from the wizards.

  Not that she had the answer. She wished desperately that she did, but all she had was the bad news. All she could offer them was knowledge, and perhaps a chance.

  Her heart began to ache. She closed her eyes and focused on healing herself. The moisture on her cheeks alerted her. One tear fell on his chest, rousing him from sleep. He pulled her closer and kissed her temple.

  "Why are you crying?" he asked softly.

  She wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. "I'm overwhelmed. I need to focus on feeling one thing at a time. There's just so much…"

  "I know. I promise you, when all this is over, we'll go away together for a while. Just you and me."

  She sighed. "I fear it's going to be a long time before you can fulfill that promise, if you can at all."

  "Hey, it's going to be all right. I know our plan will work. We proved it tonight."

  "Yes, I believe it will work. But what about after? The future of Regia is shaky."

  "We'll figure it out. I know we will. I can't believe my world is about to die, I won't believe it," he said fiercely.

  She laced her fingers through his. "I understand your feelings. But if there is no hope, will you leave Regia with me?"

  He looked at the far wall, his deep-water eyes slipping, unfocused. He was quiet for a moment. She waited for his reply with her heart in her throat. Then he closed his eyes and let out a ragged breath.

  "And what of my friends? Will they be welcomed in your world, too?"

  "I don't know." The truth brought her sorrow. "When, if I go back, I'll have no standing, no status, and no livelihood. I will be convicted and punished for breaking the law…for coming back here. I'm pretty sure I could work a deal for you, but beyond that, I wouldn't have the influence. I'm sorry."

  He was quiet again for a little while.

  "I love you,
Journey. And I would follow you anywhere, but I don't know if I could abandon my friends, my world, to save myself. How could I leave in the moment I might be needed the most?" He leaned forward and put his head in his hands. "If… If we can stop this from happening, will you stay here with me?"

  "I," she said slowly, "I would like to." He looked back at her, and she grimaced. “I’m sorry. That was less than the answer I know you wanted. I just don’t want to lie to you.”

  “You’re going to leave me again? You always were?”

  “No! I didn’t have a plan when I came here, except I had to warn you. I had to try to save you. I didn’t have any idea that you would feel anything for me anymore. I didn’t know if you had found love with someone else, or if you had found your destined life mate. Perhaps you had four kids, I didn’t know anything!” her voice rose. “I risked so much!”

  “What else do you want from me, Journey? Beyond what I have already given you? I killed my own father to save your life, and I lost you because of it. I gave you my soul, and you took it with you. I have nothing to offer anyone else. All of me lives in you. It always did. I was faithful to you, when all I had was a phantom that haunted my dreams at night… Then you came back here, and you showed me your truth that night…the night I thought I was dreaming, but you were there. If you wanted to or not, you let go of control and showed me what was inside you. Our love is not in question.” His angry expression softened, and he smiled a little bemusedly. “I’m your slave, remember?”

  She snorted and then shook her head. “I’m sorry. Don’t be angry with me. I’m afraid.”

  “Afraid of what? War?”

  “No,” she whispered. “I’m afraid of losing you again. Afraid I was always doomed to lose you in the end.”

  “This has no end. I told you, you hold my soul. When I die, if it’s tomorrow or the next day, or a thousand years, I will be with you, and so will my love.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Copernicus rolled Forest’s portal ring between his thumb and index finger, his mind swirling. One more day. Just one more, and he could leave behind all of this mediocrity. He would be the king, and he would make sure no one could stand against him. He’d already disposed of the Rune-dy, and they had been his greatest threat inside Regia. But he would make sure the wizards, the greedy, evil wizards would not breach the wall he would build around the world. He was the savior.

  Rahaxeris wheezed from the corner. Copernicus looked over at him. He was getting worse. He would die soon. A sharp pain struck him in the heart. It wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted his father’s love and support, but he didn’t know how to get it. And since he didn’t have Rahaxeris’ love, he had no choice but to leave him hobbled.

  Forest. He still had Forest. He comforted himself with that thought. Grasping power had robbed him of Shreve, and his fantasy of a relationship with his father was gone, but he had Forest… and her baby. They were all mixed and spliced. Quite the family they would be.

  He closed his eyes as he waited for the next round of reports to come in from his believers and for Redge to bring him his victory insurance. He thought about Forest while he waited. His sister, his queen. He’d make her pay for the pain her mate had dealt him, but then, when she’d felt the sting enough, he’d forgive her. He ground his teeth together as he thought about the way she’d react when he finally did kill Syrus. She’d cry, no doubt. He would punish her for that, too. Then everything would be okay.

  He opened his eyes and glared at the follower, who had just come in and bowed before him. “King Copernicus,” he said.

  “Is everyone ready?”

  “Yes. The slaves are all assembled at every location and waiting. When will we have our portals?”

  “Right now,” Redge said, coming into the room. He bowed his head and held out a handful of silvery balls on chains and placed them on the middle of the map laid out on the table. “It was not an easy task. I got as many as I could.”

  Copernicus stood and counted the balls. “Good. There are enough.” He moved closer to Redge and looked down at him, calculating. With one finger, he pushed down on Redge’s slave mark.

  Redge winced, and sweat beaded on his forehead.

  “I’m ordering you to tell me the truth. Do you know what happened to Shreve?”

  “No, my lord.”

  Copernicus sighed and went back to his chair. “Fine…fine. Take those,” he said to the believer, pointing at the pile of Ends. “Make sure every location has one.”

  “Yes, my king.”

  Copernicus turned his full attention on Redge as the believer left. “What did you see in the castle? New security? Anything I should be aware of that might trip us up tomorrow?”

  “There are extra ogres at the entrances, but nothing beyond that.”

  “You will stay here with me, now. You can replace Shreve as my right hand.” He smiled then. “Have you been having nightmares about Forest?”

  “Yes, my lord.”

  His smile broadened. “Good. I think I may have been wrong before when I said you would never see her again in this life. I hadn’t anticipated losing Shreve then…But then again, I’m not sure I’ll keep you alive after tomorrow. We’ll see. I have to admit I prefer real allegiance over the obedience of slaves.”

  Rahaxeris groaned from the corner. “Forest is dead. You killed her.”

  Copernicus rolled his eyes. “Take him outside,” he ordered Redge. “See if the sunlight might help him feel better. I would like him to live a few more days at least, so I can show everyone how I conquered the Rune-dy.”

  “Yes, my lord.”

  Redge leaned down, hooked his hands under Rahaxeris’ arms, and lifted him up. The elf felt like an empty rubber bag. He couldn’t walk, let alone stand, so Redge picked him up and carried him outside. Rahaxeris’ physical state was disgusting, but Redge still preferred his society to Copernicus’. A tiny enclosed yard jutted off the back side of the house. Broken stone work, overgrown weeds, and a stone bench made up the whole yard. He set Rahaxeris on the bench and sat next to him, letting the elf rest his head against his shoulder.

  “Who are you?” Rahaxeris’ voice came out in a wet hiss.

  “A friend of Forest’s,” he whispered. “We’ve met at Fortress. I used to work for her, remember?”

  Rahaxeris lifted his head a fraction and tried to focus his crusted eyes on Redge’s face. He blinked a few times. “Redge?”

  “That’s right.”

  His head rolled back down, his chin against his chest. “Forest is dead…” He moaned. “My daughter is dead.”

  Redge looked around carefully before putting his mouth right at Rahaxeris’ ear and whispering, “She lives. She escaped. I’ve seen Syrus. He has her.”

  Rahaxeris lifted his head slightly, his eyes clearing a little, and his gaze pushed deep into Redge’s, probing and searching. Then he closed his eyes and took a few labored breaths. “You speak the truth… Thank you.”

  “What’s wrong with you?”

  He tilted his head to the side and tapped the cuff on his neck with a shaking, emaciated finger. “Could you remove it?”

  Redge frowned. “If I do, will you be yourself again? Can you end this?”

  “I don’t think I will be myself immediately. It has been on too long. I will need some time to strengthen.”

  “That’s time we don’t have.”

  “Pull out the pin in the hinge. I’ll leave the cuff on. Copernicus won’t notice.”

  Redge looked around again before pulling the pin in one swift move. He leaned over and buried it in the dirt under the bench, making sure the ground looked undisturbed before he straightened back up. Rahaxeris took a deeper breath, and he seemed to re-inflate a bit.

  “Act sick,” Redge said.

  “I will, don’t worry.” His voice was still weak, but it was stronger already. He touched Redge’s throat with his index finger. A buzzing covered his skin where Rahaxeris touched him. “Now, no one can hear you but me. Tell
me the plan.”

  ****

  Zeren unrolled the note Ithiel brought from Forest and Syrus. He read it carefully twice, considering their advice on the prep for Copernicus and his slave army. Zeren was grateful for Forest’s new insight on the enemy’s personality. Almost everything was ready in the castle, as ready as it could be. Every ogre had been briefed and given their assignments. They followed Zeren’s orders without question, as though he was still the king.

  Zeren handed the letter to Ithiel. “See what you think,” he said, prompting the master to read the letter as well.

  He did.

  “I think we should do as she says. I think we should pair as many ogres as we can with a Kata master. Just as a double measure. My men have been practicing neutralizing moves, so they won’t accidentally kill any of the slaves… Despite everything, I’m sure there will be a loss of life on both sides. But we will keep it minimal.”

  “All right. Let’s do as Forest says. I moved the thrones from the throne room months ago and put them in a closet. I’ll have a few ogres get them and bring them back in.” Zeren scratched his chin. “Forest said it should be theatrical. I know where all the tapestries, rugs, and fancy crap Christiana used to have in there went.” Zeren sighed and gave Ithiel an apologetic look. “Well, let’s get this over with. Want to be the head decorator?”

  Ithiel wrinkled his nose as though he smelled something foul. “Aren’t there any women that still live in this place?”

  “Not really. The castle is more of a place of community service now. All the flouncy bunnies have scampered off, not wanting to get their hands dirty with real work. Come on, I remember how it looked. We’ll get it close enough.”

  Ithiel followed Zeren. “So happy I didn’t have to guard Forest today so I could be here for this,” he said sarcastically.