by Lyra Shanti
The River of Time
Book Four
of The Shiva XIV Series
by
Lyra Shanti
Copyright © 2017 Lyra Shanti
Published by Create Space/Amazon
Cover Art by Timothy Casey
All rights reserved.
ISBN-10: 1978159978
ISBN-13: 978-1978159976
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
This book is dedicated, as always, to my beloved Timothy and my forever sis, Juniper. Thanks goes to my wonderful Indie Author community, namely my fellow Indie Fabs: Renee, Jeannie, Aliya, Joanne, and Eva! You are all my shining lights in the darkness!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Trust in Time
The Princess
Couples
Awakening
Plans in Motion
Rendezvous
Time Standing Still
Hints
Choices
Underneath
Leap of Faith
Into the Deep
The Key
Reflection
Acceptance
The Promise of Home
Embracing the Past
The Dome
The Call of Destiny
The Battle of Tirlen Beach
The Queen of the Deep
Transcendence
Glossary
More Books by Lyra Shanti
Author Bio
Chapter 1: Trust in Time
“The red dragon took many shapes in her lifetime, but most often, she took the form of a Hunian woman named Siya. Regarding her body as a necessary counterpart to her beloved King Adin’s flesh, Siya molded herself to fit him perfectly - in both body and mind. She never once thought about her own desires or feelings, only his needs and wants. Even after he soul-married Sri Unda, Siya still loved him, deeply and truly.
“It wasn’t until he was murdered that she lost her control. At first, she became cold and numb to her pain, but after the initial shock, she found herself ripped away from reality. She could not stop screaming, and could not be silenced or consoled. She blamed, not only the ones who had killed her beloved Adin, but all who allowed it to happen. She especially blamed his soul-mate, Sri Unda, whom Siya believed could have foreseen and prevented his murder.
“Soon, the once unstoppable, powerful dragon found herself facing such extreme anguish, she was unable to fight the madness that wedged into her psyche.”
“Alright! That’s enough,” Ayn nearly shouted.
“I’m sorry, my King, but you wanted to know about her, did you not?” Zasaban said with a calm voice.
“Yes, but… that’s enough about her for now. Can we not just skip to the parts about how Adin came back to life? That’s what is missing from the books we already have in his tomb. That’s what I care about. Do not forget we are searching for the cure for Plasma Sickness and cannot waste time with… the personal details of Adin’s life. All that matters is how Sri Unda possibly brought him back from death, and that’s why I want you to translate this old book!”
“Yes, my King,” Zasaban replied with a raised brow.
Holding the ancient book he had been reading to Ayn, the red-skinned sorcerer, who had first appeared in Deius with Zin three years ago, walked over to his king and gave a half-bow. In the span of three years, Zasaban had quickly gained favor with Ayn, offering himself as an adviser, as well as a teacher of ancient languages and histories. Ayn was more than happy to have the help, especially after the departure of Meddhi. He was quite relieved to have Zasaban, a trusted friend and mentor to Zin, helping with the daunting task of finding a cure to Undaniasis as it spread across the galaxy.
Zin had left for Ohr a few months’ prior, having finally decided to meet with his planet’s over-controlling Prime Minister, Kurin Vax. The Ohrian people had once loved Zin - their new, young and handsome king - but Vax had spun Zin’s flight to Deius to seem as though their king had abandoned them in their time of need. Adding insult to injury, Vax also claimed that Zin had run from his impending marriage to Vax’s own daughter, Miara, who was quite the media darling, and adored by most Ohrians. Despite Zin’s initial popularity, in the span of three years, Vax had managed to paint their new king as a selfish, clueless boy who wanted nothing more than to escape his responsibilities with his old friend, King Ayn of Deius.
Ayn actually agreed with Zin’s selfish reputation, but he also knew the truth of the matter. Zin had indeed escaped, but only barely with his life. If Zin hadn’t left his home planet when he did, he most likely would have been sent to the mysterious underwater infirmary known as The Dome, and would have joined his sick and exiled mother in the process. There was no definitive proof that Zin’s mother was one of The Dome’s “patients”, but it seemed to be where all the clues pointed.
In the three years Zin and Zasaban had spent on Deius, Ayn did everything in his power to help them find exactly where The Dome was located. He even gathered a secret task force together with Pei, his First General, to seek information and report anything they could find about such a place. The problem was The Dome was rumored to be so far under the deep oceans of Ohr, it was nearly impossible to find, making such a place difficult to navigate without the possibility of certain death. However, General Sterek, Ayn’s General of Technology, was helping Pei with a new type of ship that could travel down fathoms previously unreachable. It was a long shot, but Ayn believed it was worth a try.
In the meantime, Ayn was busy helping Minister Baran with the now Krian controlled Xen. Freeing their slaves and stabilizing their lawless society was no easy task, and Baran welcomed all the aid he could get. Ayn was more than willing to supply Baran with Tah soldiers, though Ayn believed a full re-imagining of Xen’s government was necessary.
More importantly, however, Ayn was spending much of his time and energy on rebuilding his own planet. He had picked up the pieces left behind by the tyrant Yol Notama and was now focused on finding a cure to the rampant Plasma Sickness, which still lingered amongst his people no matter how many hospitals or medical facilities he had erected. Even the stingy Deiusian nobles were supportive of his decisions when it came to Undaniasis. The problem wasn’t lack of funding, it was that plasma seemed impossible to control or change, especially once it entered the bloodstream, attacking the body on a cellular level.
Far away in his thoughts, Ayn released a deep sigh.
“What are you thinking about, Your Majesty?”
“I don’t know… about everything. And please, Zasaban, I told you… call me Ayn.”
“I apologize, Ayn, but you are still a king to me, and to all your subjects.”
“Yes,” smiled Ayn,” but you are more than just my subject, Zas.” Sitting on a reclining chair in the newly rebuilt library within the temple, Ayn relaxed his arms on the chair and said, “You are my adviser and teacher, and good friend. And even though I was a little frightened and wary about you at first, the truth is, over these few years, I’d say you have become invaluable to me. So… I think it’s safe for you to call me by my name.”
It struck Zasaban that Ayn had become quite a confident man, and king, in a relatively short time. Ayn seemed, with his majestic blue robes and reclinin
g on the golden armchair, to be a man who had matured well beyond most his age. Zasaban wasn’t sure if he’d helped Ayn’s maturity or if the young king’s wisdom had always been there. Either way, he was pleased to hear Ayn considered him a good friend.
“I am glad you feel that way, Ayn,” he said while putting away the old, author-less book about the dragon, Siya. “But I will only use your birth name while speaking with you in private. For the sake of safety and propriety, I will continue to call you The Bodanya, or Shiva, when we are in public.”
Ayn sighed, then said, “Yes, I suppose.”
Zasaban smiled as he carefully placed the Siya book on its proper shelf. “Ayn…” he said as he sat down on a chair across from his king.
“Yes?” Ayn replied, still somewhat lost in thought.
“I was thinking… if we are truly searching for ancient texts, which could help us discover exactly how Sri Unda manipulated plasma, and how she may have brought back Adin from death, then we need to find the lost scrolls of Sri Unda herself. I believe they were discovered by the Hessen family a few hundred years ago… at least that is the rumor. Have you asked the doctor about this?”
Ayn shifted in his seat and said, “Yes, I have. He tells me he has no idea where those old texts are, and that all of his family’s fortune and sacred artifacts were brought to Governor Seith’s, but were lost in the fire at his mansion… which I suppose was my fault.”
“What do you mean, Your Maj… Ayn?”
“Well, when I was a slave at Seith’s, I sort of... set everything on fire with my plasma ability… when I still had it.” Ayn gave Zasaban a sheepish half-smile.
“I told you before, Ayn,” Zasaban sternly replied, “you still have such power within you, even if it is no longer reliant on your past bond with Axis. It is now up to you to find the plasma connection within yourself. Trust me, it is still there.”
“I really don’t think so…” Ayn muttered as he rubbed his forehead, pushing back his long bangs of shiny black hair. “Truthfully, I haven’t been able to conjure plasma the way I used to… and I’m actually glad. This way, I won’t accidentally set fire to anything.”
Smirking, Zasaban shook his head and said, “Ayn… it wasn’t your fault. Please stop blaming yourself.”
“It was indeed my fault, Zas, since I could never seem to control my annoying power, but thank you for humoring me, my friend. Anyway… about Lius, he told me the only thing that survived the fire was Sri Unda’s book about regeneration, which he used to resurrect Meddhi and... the woman who still sleeps.”
“I suppose you are referring to Pira?”
“Well,” Ayn said with a slight grimace, “I hesitate to call her that. We don’t really know if the woman’s body contains Pira’s soul… or if it is merely a shell, kept alive by a machine.”
Noticing how uncomfortable Ayn seemed with the subject, Zasaban apologized for bringing it up.
“No,” said Ayn as he stood to his feet, stretching his arms in the air, “you may ask anything at any time, my friend. I just… wish I had an answer for my wife, and for you as well. Every day, Ona works on figuring out how to wake up her lost, sleeping mother. She and Lius are searching daily to understand Sri Unda’s medical research, not only wake Pira, but to possibly end Plasma Sickness once and for all. Unfortunately, I fear that scientific research is not enough. There’s something missing, Zas… and it’s up to you and I to find what that hidden element is.”
“Does your instinct tell you it is a spiritual element?” the red-skinned wizard asked as he too rose to his feet.
“No, not exactly,” Ayn replied with folded arms and concentrated eyes, “but I feel what we are missing from the equation isn’t in the book of regeneration that Ona and Lius have been studying. It’s… I don’t know, Zas. It has something to do with Adin’s death, and rebirth… I know it. And Sri Unda must have written about it somewhere. There must be an answer to why plasma has caused such harm, and how to reverse it. I just have to find out where that answer is hidden.”
“You will, Ayn, and I will help you do it. As a Hunian, and possibly the last of my kind, I believe in destiny. Do you?”
Ayn sighed and looked at the walls of the library, which were recently re-painted with drawings of old Deiusian Gods and Goddesses from myth and legend. “I’m not sure, Zas. My life has been a crazy, chaotic mess of good and bad, and everything in between. I guess I like to think there has been a reason for it all, but… I also like to think I’m in control to some degree. I’m not sure if there is a predetermined path to follow, if that’s what you mean.”
Zasaban smiled, once again touched by how wise Ayn sounded despite his youthful twenty years of age. “No, I don’t mean that I believe our destinies are predetermined. You see, I feel I was destined to find you, and to help Zin gain the confidence to fight against his corrupt prime minister.”
“Oh, let’s not even start about Zin,” laughed Ayn. “It took how long to convince him to meet with Vax face to face?”
“Oh, give or take a few years…” Zasaban replied, grimacing.
“Yes, and even though I believe him about Vax poisoning and imprisoning his mother, and possibly Raven as well, I think it would have helped the peace talks we’ve had with Ohr over the years if Zin had actually been present at them.”
“Unlike you, my great king,” said Zasaban with a smirk, “Zin, my ever challenging student, has yet to truly grasp the fine intricacies of diplomacy. He’s had a hard time putting on the masks necessary at times for us to achieve our goals. He is forever blunt and quite honest. It is a blessing… and a curse.”
Ayn couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, that is definitely true, and I actually relate to him on that level, I suppose. I mean, when I was a child, I was a bit of a loudmouth who got into everything.”
“Really?” Zasaban said with an arched brow.
“Yes, believe it or not, I wasn’t always so calm and controlled. My Lans, the priests who taught me, had to ingrain into my mind that I needed to be a certain way around others, dignified and polite. However, that sense of decorum didn’t come to me easily.”
“But you learned it was necessary to be a good ruler?”
Ayn sighed, then said, “I learned, to survive, one must sometimes play games… and, as you said, put on masks... at least until the time is right for honesty.”
“I can only hope Zin learns that lesson from you, my king, and does his best to force Minister Vax to resign. He will have to follow protocol, though, and gain favor with his nobles. I can only hope he follows our advice. His very life depends on it.”
“Well, General Pei and his soldiers have gone with him to keep him safe. I am sure if there is any sign of trouble, Pei will get Zin out of there immediately.”
“I hope you are right, Ayn.”
“I usually am, Zas.”
Grinning, Ayn nudged his adviser to follow him through the halls of the temple. “Come now… let us forget all these plans and problems, at least for now. I’m starving, and I am supposed to meet my beautiful wife for lunch! Axis and Srah, and their rather rambunctious children, will be joining us as well. They only have a few more days here before they must return to Sirin. You should really join us, Zas.”
“I don’t know. I don’t think Lord Axis likes me all that much.”
“He just doesn’t know you the way I do. Come on, it’ll be great. We’re having MahMah stew. It’s my favorite, you know.”
“Yes… well... alright.”
“Good!” laughed Ayn as they entered the newly built plasma-elevator together. While they headed down to the main floor of the palace, Ayn sensed that his adviser was deep in thought, which worried him. Despite the wizard’s good nature, he always seemed to be hiding something, and it often bothered Ayn, especially now that he could not rely as much on his mental gifts.
Ayn could still sense many things and felt the plasma coursing through him, but it wasn’t half as strong as when he and Axis were bonded by an ancient power
- one that neither of them truly understood. All they knew was that they still loved each other like brothers and wanted it to stay that way, even if they now lived worlds apart.
Arriving at the palace, Ayn led Zasaban to the dining hall. They were then greeted by Queen Ona, as well as Queen Srah, Lord Axis, and their twin children, Rax and Thali. The children ran up to Ayn, giving him hugs and kisses until he could barely breathe. They were extremely affectionate children, full of life, and it made Ayn laugh with joy. Looking over at his wife, Ona, Ayn grabbed her hand and kissed it. He then pulled her to him and gave her a loving kiss.
“You seem to be in a good mood,” she said with a slightly self-conscious giggle.
“I’m just happy to see my beautiful family! That, and I’m starving! Where is Miss Lahrki? She did prepare the MahMah today, did she not?”
“Yes, Ayn. Not to worry, everything is ready,” Ona replied with a smirk as they walked to the dining table and took their seats. “Oh, I see you are joining us today, Adviser Zasaban,” added Ona, politely. “I’m glad you could make it.”
Zasaban nodded and said, “Thank you, my Queen, I am honored to be among you.”
Axis rolled his eyes, which made Srah give her husband a disapproving stare. The twins jumped on their chairs excitedly, waiting for the famous Deiusian stew that their godfather talked about so highly.
As everyone settled in with their first course of steamed roots, seasoned bean lettuce cups, and various fruits, Ona and Srah spoke about everything from their favorite new dresses to the state of their respective kingdoms. All the while, Ayn and the twins scarfed down their food.
Axis, however, simply stared at Zasaban. He just couldn’t shake the feeling that Ayn’s “adviser” wasn’t quite right. From the first moment he saw the red-skinned, red-haired man, he sensed something odd about the Hunian. But Ayn seemed to trust the wizard completely, and there wasn’t anything Axis could do to get rid of the strange man.