"You obviously know who I am." Queen Galena lightly pressed on the woman's throat. She had to be careful. It didn't take much to crush a windpipe and Queen Galena needed the woman to be able to speak. "Who are you? What are you?"
"I'm human. You can't touch me," Jade said with a brittle, raspy voice while she pushed against Queen Galena's foot.
"Your home is filled with magic. A human yielding true magic is impossible. What are you?" Galena used more force. Jade's eyes grew large and wide with the effort to breathe, and her face flushed blue.
Perhaps she is simply a human, Galena thought. But the smell of magic and power permeated the air. Magic felt foreign and out of place in this world of plastic, concrete and metal. It was obvious that nothing was as it appeared in Jade's home.
After a minute, she released some of the pressure on Jade's throat, and words escaped from the redhead's mouth. "This is not pure magic. I only deal in herbs and natural remedies."
Out of the corner of her eye, Galena saw the abominations move towards the front door. She turned towards them while keeping her foot on Jade. "No one leaves." Knowing her intent, her shadows blocked the door. Queen Galena returned her attention to the oddity before her.
"What are you?" Galena asked once more, her impatience growing.
"I'm human," the woman repeated, gasping for breath.
Queen Galena picked up Jade and spun her around. She covered Jade's lips with her own, and the Jade's eyes widened, this time from shock instead of pain.
Her lips were warm. They tasted of fear, fey, and magic. She was deliciously not human, Galena thought as Jade tried her best to escape Queen Galena's grasp. Whatever Jade was, she tasted immensely powerful.
As Queen Galena fed, she became aware of something piercing her skin. Somehow Jade had shifted her fingers into talons, and they were lodged in Galena's shoulders. If she hadn't been feeding, that would have been very painful. But with such a strong source of magic, Galena felt no pain. She felt nothing but ecstasy.
Galena watched as the woman's brown-tinted skin turned pale. Jade's short, kinky hair grew straight and long past her shoulders. Her ears extended and grew pointed. Lastly, her dark brown eyes turned red.
She had the red eyes of fey royalty.
The red of a queen.
Understanding dawned. Jade was not only an elf. She was also a shapeshifter.
Galena knew of only three shapeshifters, and they were all queens. Any other fey, she'd kill for what they'd done here, but she needed to know what and who Jade was.
She released the rogue, and Jade fell to the ground gasping.
Giddy from the magic, Queen Galena counted to five as she brought herself back from the intense high of the stolen magic. She turned to face the others in the room. What in all the realms had Jade been doing? She knew these were humans; but one had hair of snakes; another seemed to be morphing into a cockroach; and another was cursed and wilting, decaying by the second, a phantom sucking away her life.
"Were you experimenting with magic to make other shapeshifters?" Queen Galena asked the rogue.
Jade never looked up or bothered to answer the question. She cowered on the floor, chest heaving as she struggled to breathe. Still something told Queen Galena to fear her.
Always one to listen to her instincts, she kicked the rogue in the stomach and once in the head to make doubly sure she wouldn't get up.
She'd get the answers she needed from Jade later. Now, she had to focus on everyone else in the room. Galena had never seen anything like the living horrors in front of her. Not even in the torture chambers of the weavers.
It was old dangerous magic that had turned these humans into abominations. She stared at them each in turn, using the new wave of power she'd stolen from the rogue to render the atrocities powerless. She'd have to take them to the fey realm and study them. Until then, they'd be lifeless automatons, doing what she willed them to.
All but one.
"What are you? You are not like the rest," Queen Galena asked. The boy who appeared humans. The others huddled behind him as if he were the leader. As if he could protect them.
"I asked you a question. Why are you here?"
"We came here to force Crazy Jade to make us better." He met her eyes with steely defiance. His hands were balled into fists at his sides.
"Us? Is there something wrong with you also?"
"No, there isn't anything wrong with him. This is my son." William stepped between Queen Galena and the boy. "He shouldn't be here."
"This was the family member with the curse?" Galena asked. "Don't lie to me, because I'll smell it."
William's son spoke again, his voice full of hate. "I can't see you, but I see the others for what they are. You must be like her." He sneered at the transformed elf on the floor. "Able to hide behind something more than glamour."
The boy was much taller than his father, but she saw the resemblance.
Galena smiled. She loved unpredictable days. When humans and fey mixed, you never knew what would happen. "For telling me about the rogue, I'll give you a choice. Die or have your sight taken away."
"What do you mean?" the boy's father asked.
"Humans are not allowed to see us. So I repeat. You die, or I blind you."
The boy, to his credit, didn't try to run. "I don't want to die."
"So be it." She touched his eyes. Using her will coupled with magic, she extracted the fluid that helped him see. His teeth gritted against the pain as she pressed harder on his eyes. When she first tried this, most had died. But she had perfected the technique over the years.
She removed her hand.
When he blinked, she saw that his pupils had changed from black to white, telling her that she'd succeeded.
Queen Galena felt a brief pang of guilt when the boy's father began crying, but she reminded herself that she was doing the boy a favor. She usually killed humans who saw past glamour. With that in mind, her guilt vanished, and she faced her shadows. "We are finished here."
"What are you going to do with my friends?" The boy grabbed her arm, staring at nothing.
"I'm taking them with me. I need to find out what happened to them."
"But they're humans," the boy pleaded.
"Not anymore. I don't know what they are." She removed his hand from her arm. "But don't worry. I'll take good care of them."
CHALCEDONY
"We'll be Friends Forever, won't we, Pooh?" asked Piglet.
"Even longer," Pooh answered.
- Larry Clemmons
Chalcedony scowled as her mother and the others left her behind.
She wanted to be inside with all the action. She had begged for six months to go on a trip to the human realm and hunt rogue fey, but now instead of hunting, she was babysitting
"What's up? You want to play kickball?" the boy asked. His eyes were dark orbs of light, and Chalcedony wondered how many other humans had eyes so intense.
She sighed deeply, wishing again that she was with her mother. "What is kickball?"
"I kick it to you, and then you kick it back to me."
She'd seen plenty of children playing similar games in the fey realm, but she'd never played. There were never any kids around her home to play with. Well that, and they were all scared of her mother's wrath.
Taking Chalcedony's silence as a yes, he kicked her the ball. She ran towards it and struck it so hard that the ball flew over his head and landed several feet away.
"Not that hard. You have to kick it directly to me," he shouted, running after it.
"My name is Coal. What's yours?" he asked, once he returned with the ball securely in his hand.
"Chalcedony."
"Kal-sa-da-nee." He said it slow like he was etching her name in his memory. After he was satisfied, he'd pronunced it right, he dropped the ball and kicked it.
She returned it, and this time it stayed on the ground. Chalcedony had to fight to keep the joy from showing on her face.
"See. It's easy," he
said, triumphantly as if it was his achievement, not hers.
"Are you human?" Chalcedony asked.
Coal ran towards the ball and kicked it hard, but she'd gotten into the groove and stopped it.
He looked at the ball trapped underneath her foot. "I don't know," he answered, gnawing on his bottom lip and looking uncomfortable.
"Why don't you know?" she asked with a mixture of curiosity and confusion. "Is your mother human?" She returned the ball, and as before he stopped it with his foot.
"I'm not supposed to tell anyone this, but you have ears like hers, so I think it's okay." He nudged the ball gently with the tip of his shoe. "Sometimes my mom is normal and she looks like everyone else, and sometimes she looks like you, with white skin and pointy ears."
Chalcedony was about to explain glamour and why his mother could be two different people, when he stopped moving in the middle of a kick.
"What's wrong?" she asked, following his gaze.
The door to the apartment stood open, and Mahal, one of her mother's shadow guards, had an elf with long red hair slung over his shoulder. Her head and torso bounced limply from side-to-side like a dead person as she was carried away.
Coal ran towards Mahal. Before he reached the guard, Zanete pulled him away. "What are you doing with my mom? What's wrong with her?"
Chalcedony felt sorry for the boy as he fought uselessly against the strong arms keeping him from his mother.
Queen Galena moved her hands in Coal's direction and the light, so odd looking in such dark eyes, was suddenly extinguished.
He stood still and motionless.
Chalcedony rushed to her mother's side. "What are you going to do with him?" she asked hurriedly.
"He's a human child who can see through glamour, so I'll have to kill this one."
"Wait," Chalcedony said, grabbing her mother's hand. "Can't he come with us? I never have anyone to play with. All of the other fey are scared they'll hurt me and get in trouble." She knew asking to spare Coal's life meant it would be a long time before she would be allowed back in the human realm, but she could not sit back and let him die. He was the only person she'd ever met who didn't treat her like . . . a princess.
"Please, Momma. Please."
Queen Galena rolled her eyes. "Fine, bring him."
The End
Coal's story continues in Coal: Book One of the Everleaf Series
Find out what happens to Andre, Ashley, Sean, and Latreece in Chalcedony: Book Two of the Everleaf Series
Finally, all of your questions about what happened to Jade will be answered in Jade: Book Three of the Everleaf Series
Coming Soon
Keeping reading for an excerpt of Coal.
Stay updated by joining The TRIBE at http://eepurl.com/bjkYQD. You will be the first to know about new releases and you'll have chances to win advanced copies of my upcoming novels, extended content, and other exclusives.
Chapter One
Coal held the newly forged sword at arm's length. The sentient weapon vibrated in his grasp, urging him to attack, but he tightened his sweaty hands around the leather hilt and ignored the foreign impulses. He had been forging swords and practicing with the completed weapons long enough to know when to attack and when to bide his time and let the fight come to him.
Grigory, the master swordsmith, advanced. Coal parried, stepping aside and swinging his sword with all of the skill he'd gained from the two years of working the forge. Grigory fell to the ground, effortlessly rolling beneath the sword before bouncing back to his feet.
"Is she overwhelming you?" Grigory asked as they faced each other. They had been dueling for the past hour. Sweat dripped from Coal's forehead, back, and arms, but just like every other time they'd dueled, the master swordsmith showed no sign of exertion.
"She's restless." Coal wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. "But I'm in contr--"
Grigory rushed forward with an arcing swipe. Coal raised his sword to meet the strike. For a moment, their strengths were equal. His sword vibrated with glee as Coal threatened to overcome Grigory.
Forcing the sword's excitement to the back of his mind, Coal focused all of his strength into his upper body and pushed outward.
Overwhelmed, Grigory leaped back.
During the two years of forging swords and sparring with the master swordsmith, Coal had never had the strength or skill to complete such a move. For an instant, he let himself--and the sword--enjoy their accomplishment.
He was so distracted by his small victory that he almost didn't notice when Grigory spun round, his left leg heading towards Coal's knees. Coal dove away, Grigory's boots just skimming his leg. He rolled over frantically, to find a sword pointed at his neck.
Grigory lowered his blade. "You were distracted."
"I almost had you," Coal said with an intense rush of pride and confidence.
"You did not," Grigory said, scratching the eye patch over his left eye. "You've been slow and lazy all morning."
"But I finally completed the block."
"Not with any speed. You're gaining strength and height, but that's nothing to be proud of. What is the point of winning the bind if you are beheaded a moment?"
Coal let Grigory's words sink in while he caught his breath. "You're right. I've been a little distracted. I'm supposed to meet Princess Chalcedony soon." He glanced at the sun, trying to gauge the time. It hung low in the morning sky, but the springtime rays were much stronger than they were when he'd arrived.
Time for him to go.
Grigory lifted the eyebrow above his remaining eye. The other had been gouged out 200 years ago when he served as a soldier instead of a swordsmith. "How long has it been since you've seen her?"
Coal bit his lip while he pretended to think about the answer he already knew. "Two months."
Grigory took the sword from Coal's hands. It would be presented to Chalcedony on her coronation as queen. Magic reinforced the silver shaft, and its black leather hilt emanated heat and welcomed touch. By far, it was the best sword they'd forged.
"Before you go, I have something to ask you." Grigory kept his shoulder-length black hair tied in a low ponytail and his beard trimmed. Both elven and dwarf blood coursed through his veins. As the only known half-breed of his kind, he had the height of an elf and the thick, muscular build of a dwarf.
"What is it?" Coal asked. The way Grigory spoke made Coal wonder if he'd done something wrong, besides being too distracted during the fight.
"I'm getting older," Grigory said. "I need to choose a full-time apprentice, and it needs to be soon. Do you want the position?"
Coal's breath caught in his throat. Had he heard right? "I thought I was just helping out until you found a full-time apprentice?"
"Well, you've passed the two-year audition, and now I'm offering you the job."
"But humans can't do magic." It was one of the first things Coal had learned when he'd arrived in the fey realm eleven years ago. Powerful swords were impossible to make without magic. It made the swords stronger, lighter, and prevented someone else from using it.
"I'm half dwarf and half elf," Grigory said. "For years, my master refused to teach me because he didn't think a half-breed could make a great sword. Now, I am the best swordsmith in Everleaf. It's what's inside that makes a good swordsmith. I believe you could be one of the greats."
Coal had been coming to the forge almost every day for two years, but he was allowed to come and go as he pleased. With a full apprenticeship, he'd eat, breathe, and sleep smithing. He'd have to move out of his home.
"I don't know, Grigory. I need time to think about it." Coal enjoyed forging swords. He especially loved practicing with them, ensuring they would endure battle, but he didn't know if he wanted to make it his life's work.
"Your childhood friend is soon to be queen. She will not have time, or tolerance, for a lovesick human."
Coal was hurt, but not surprised by Grigory's words. No one said anything to his face, but
he heard the servants and soldiers gossiping about him and Princess Chalcedony when they thought he wasn't listening. "You're right, but give me time. It's not easy choosing one life over another."
Grigory's eye softened. "You and the future queen still have much growing to do. Decide soon. I won't wait long."
Coal glanced back towards the rising sun. "It's time for me to go."
Grigory waved his hand as if to swat a fly, before he turned back to the forge.
Bees and butterflies as big as his hands buzzed around Coal's ankles while he walked through a meadow of red, yellow, and blue wildflowers that separated the forge from his home. He felt guilty for not accepting Grigory's offer, but as he approached his home, the guilt faded and a smile grew across his face. He lived in Legacy, the biggest tree in the fey realm, with his best friend Princess Chalcedony, her staff, and a handful of ambassadors from every part of the realm.
At 850-feet tall and ten times as wide as Grigory's modest home, Legacy seemed to be larger than life. Residing inside of a living, sentient thing, made him feel like he was a part of something remarkable. The moment he saw it years ago, Coal knew he'd made it home.
"Legacy." Coal touched the coarse bark of the oak tree and instantly felt the life thrumming inside it. "Is Chalcedony back?"
There are so many here today. How am I supposed to keep track of any one person? Legacy said, its voice full of annoyance. Legacy was neither male nor female, but its voice sounded female nonetheless.
"Come on, Legacy. Is she in her room?"
The tree gave an exaggerated sigh as the breeze rustled its leaves. When last I bothered to listen, she was in her office and she was asking for you.
"Thanks," Coal said, relieved to hear that Princess Chalcedony had returned. He removed his hand and approached the two female sentries guarding Legacy's main entrance. Like all of Everleaf's elven soldiers, they wore a dark green shirt with black sleeves and black pants.
"Where are you going?" asked the taller of the two, who had light green eyes. She stepped in his way, blocking the door. "The servant's entrance is around the back."
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