by C. A. Worley
Lying there, Eden’s worried mind continuously ticked through the possibilities, sorting and cataloguing what she knew of Kellan and of wolves in general.
The wolf would not tolerate anyone harming his mate. It did not mean he could ensure Nora’s wellbeing. It was possible no wolf would dare cross Kellan by physically challenging Nora, but if she was perceived as weak, she would not be respected.
There could be dire consequences if the wolves found out Nora’s lifeforce was in a state of constant drain and no one had warned the king. Lies of omission were, after all, still lies.
Edward had ordered his children to keep Nora’s condition quiet, fearing blowback from the Burghards. Eden did not agree, but she kept her opinion to herself. She never went against her father in front of her sisters. She adored the man, and he was often very open to her ideas.
However, at the time, Nora was only fourteen and her state of deterioration could be exacerbated by family discord—or so they believed. Emotional upheaval could be physically taxing, especially to an elemental.
Eden and Evelyn agreed long ago to never lay unnecessary burdens at Nora’s feet. Her uphill battle to live was burden enough.
Edward alleged if the wolves knew the truth, Nora could be challenged or, at the very least, undermined. She would be viewed as frail and wolves were not keen on following a queen who was sickly.
Eden also kept her mouth shut because she believed the point to be moot. Being Kellan’s true mate, Nora’s lifeforce would be tied to his. Theoretically, this would solve the problem of her constant drain of energy. Kellan was going to unknowingly save Nora.
Eden had been confident in her assertion. For over five years Eden did not doubt; she knew Kellan was the answer to Nora’s problem.
Except, as the wedding date neared, so did the reality that there was no way to know for certain. Only after Nora and Kellan were mated would they get their answer.
Eden debated approaching her father again and asking if he would change his mind. He may have ordered them to keep their mouths shut, but Nora was now twenty and would be a married woman tomorrow. She may not find following her father’s orders quite so easy as when she was young. It was certainly the case for Eden.
More and more Eden found herself questioning everything, especially her father. He would often laugh when she pushed back on something, telling her she was acting like her mother.
Eden didn’t know what to make of his comments, to know if he was being complementary or not. She barely remembered her mother; Elora had died when Eden was only four.
It was while she was trying to picture her mother’s face that Eden heard Nora cry out from her room next door.
Nora often had vivid dreams and would talk in her sleep. This sound was different. Nora’s cry was one of distress.
Though she hid it, Eden could tell her sister’s anxiety over the coming nuptials had gradually increased over the past year. It would all come to a head in the morning.
Eden jumped out of bed, forgoing her robe in her haste. She was in her nightgown but there were no guards near their rooms, so it wasn’t likely she would be seen.
She ran to the small door separating their quarters. As she reached for the handle, she felt a sharp pain in her palm. She turned her hand over, checking for injury.
The crescent on her palm was giving off an odd silver glow, flickering like a flame from a lit candle. Eden closed her fist, not trusting her eyes. Before she opened her hand to look once more, Nora whimpered.
Ignoring her birthmark, Eden flung open the door and dashed into the room, coming to an abrupt stop when she saw Nora sitting up in the bed. She must have woken.
“Nora?” Eden whispered, moving slowly towards her sister, not wanting to startle her.
Nora’s eyes opened, and Eden gasped. They were shining with silver. Nora did not have silver eyes.
Eden’s palm throbbed. She looked down and the silver glow was still there. She was about to shout for her father when Nora spoke in a voice so deep and low Eden could have sworn a demon was in the room.
“No Gwydion, no demon, no Northland beast. When you search your truth, look to the East.”
Eden balked, nearly not believing what she’d just witnessed. She stayed still, waiting for Nora to say or do something more. Instead, Nora closed her eyes and fell back onto her pillow.
“Nora?”
Nora did not respond. Her breathing was slow and even. She was asleep. Eden debated waking her, but decided Nora needed to rest before tomorrow’s travels to the Northland.
Eden couldn’t reason Nora was dreaming, not with the silver light emanating from Nora’s eyes, her altered voice, and the odd glow of the crescent on Eden’s palm. She didn’t understand the connection to the mark on her hand, but she knew exactly what her sister had just done.
Nora had given Eden a portent.
Her father told each of his daughters how their mother had done the same, time and again. He taught them to trust the magics as they manifested, to accept and have faith in them. They were their mother’s daughters, and powers they could not fathom ran in their blood.
Had he not prepared her for magic’s possibilities, Eden would be scared out of her mind. Nora had never prophesied, had never spoken in a riddle as their mother had done.
She pushed her sense of logic front and center, fixating on reason. A portent was a gift, one given only when needed.
Eden knew better than to question or be surprised by Nora’s revelation, not that she knew what it meant. The question now, was what to do with it.
Presages rarely came in any form other than a riddle. Their mother had predicted many things in her short life, but none of the messages were clearly interpreted.
Edward told Eden it was the counterbalance of being blessed with sight. Eden wasn’t convinced such power was a blessing. It was usually only after an event took place that the words were truly understood. How very useless.
Eden tucked the blanket back around Nora’s body and kissed her cheek before returning to her own room. The pain in her palm had diminished, but it was not entirely gone.
She tossed and turned most of the night, unable to stop the ideas running rampant through her head. She debated the merits of telling her family what occurred in Nora’s room.
Eden decided to keep it to herself. Tomorrow was Nora’s wedding day. Her father and younger sister had enough to deal with as it was. They could discuss it after life went back to normal. Besides, years could pass before she ever knew what Nora’s words meant.
She had no way of knowing Fate would reveal the meaning in a matter of days.
* * *
Eastland, Kingdom of Prajna
Viktor stood on the stone balcony outside his chambers, staring out at the ocean below. He loved the reflection of the waves as they undulated in the moonlight. They were his one constant companion in this lonely existence.
He often stood in this spot when he wanted to be alone with the ocean. He gave much consideration to his people while listening to the water crash against the rocks.
Tonight, however, it wasn’t only his subjects on his mind. Tonight, The King of Prajna was in need of counsel—something he would never admit aloud.
Viktor was rarely indecisive. In fact, he typically made decisions swiftly, without a hint of emotion. His apparent aloofness in front of his fellow Prajna had earned him his nickname.
The Heartless King, they called him. To other factions within Imperium, this would be an insult. To vampires? It held a hint of admiration, though it was rarely spoken in his presence.
It wasn’t that vampires were unfeeling. They, in fact, could feel deeply. It just wasn’t a trait they wanted in their leader.
Most were old enough to remember the unrest in the Eastland before Viktor’s rule, and could describe in detail King Nikolai’s inability to control his impulses.
Viktor’s rise to power was a bloody one. Taking the throne from his father had been difficult. Killing him, nearly impossible. But the son
refused to allow the sins of the father to further taint the kingdom.
Unfortunately, the darkness had already taken root. There hadn’t been a true-mating since the day Viktor removed his father’s head over a century ago, and not one live birth in the last twenty.
The vampires were similar to the wolves in that they were able to mate with another who was not a sieva—a true mate. Fortunately, though, Prajna did not need to imprint in order to produce young.
Bonding to one’s destined other half was, of course, the preference, but not everyone was fortunate in their search.
It only took a blood exchange to mate. It was a blessing to those unlucky souls who never found their sievas.
Vampires had extremely long lives, so they often waited many centuries in hopes of finding their fated mates. It was simply a matter of waiting for the mate to be born. Without any live births, however, the odds of finding one’s mate were virtually obliterated.
No one had been able to figure out the reason behind the vampires’ misfortune. Luka, Viktor’s younger brother, suspected their father had cursed them all with his deeds.
Viktor did not dispute Luka’s inference, though he couldn’t discount himself as a contributor to cursing the Prajna. Taking a life when not in self-defense went against their strict laws. Taking the life of one’s father, the king, no less, surely warranted nature’s rebuke.
Viktor raised the tumbler in his hand to his mouth, the spirits within a sore substitute for the blood he craved. Perhaps he should call for Bianca again. Her blood would never satisfy his growing hunger, but her body could provide a distraction. She was most agreeable when tied down.
The mark on his left hand flared at the mental image of Bianca chained to the wall in his feeding room. It had been making itself known for the past five years, acting out, much like a youngling throwing a tantrum, each time he touched any female who was not his mate.
It was only getting worse.
Viktor had gone half a millennium without so much as a twitch from his cicatrice. Why now, when he was finally ready to come to terms with his obligations, did it come to life?
It was a complication he did not need. Unfortunately, it was also one he could not ignore. Once a cicatrice had awoken, only the blood of his true-mate would quell the desire to feed.
As he swallowed the last of the liquor, he decided a visit to the temple was in order.
Chapter 2
Westland, Kingdom of Gwydion
Five nights later, Eden awoke in a panic. She’d had another nightmare. She couldn’t remember anything, but she felt nauseous. She’d been doing this every night since Nora left with her new husband.
Evelyn had joked Eden was having an allergic reaction to Nora’s absence. Eden felt she may be right.
She knew there was no use trying to sleep, so she put on her robe and went down the stairs to see if her father was still awake. Judging from the light coming from his study, he was up working.
He had been acting differently since Nora left, especially the past two days. He was distracted.
When Eden approached him about it, he waived off her concern. But Eden knew something was weighing on him. His refusal to share his burden hurt her, but she forced herself to be patient.
Once she was close enough, she could see the door was cracked. She heard voices coming from inside. It was the middle of the night and a visitor in his study could only spell trouble.
Before she could knock, she heard a male say, “Sir, we are no longer alone.”
“What?” her father responded.
“There is someone in the hall, my lord.”
Eden wondered how the man could possibly know she was there. She hadn’t made a sound.
The door opened, and she was surprised to see one of the Burghards standing there. They were always easy to spot with their beautiful blue eyes.
“My lady,” he greeted and stepped aside.
Eden entered and walked to her father’s desk. He sat on the other side, rubbing his temples as though they pained him. There were several parchments on his desk. The wolf must be a courier.
“What is the matter?” she asked her father.
“Sit,” Edward pointed to the chair beside his desk. He would have to share the news with her sooner or later. He may as well do it now.
“This arrived yesterday,” he said, sliding one sheet in her direction. Eden picked it up and read.
The letter had come from King Kellan himself. During a banquet meant to welcome Nora to the kingdom, someone had tried to kill her by putting hellebore in her drink. Hellebore was a plant poison fatal to elementals. Somehow, Nora had survived it.
It was Edward’s worse fear come to life. He’d been on edge since Nora’s departure, but he’d chalked it up to a father’s angst over having a child move so far away.
He’d always known Burghards were keen on contesting weak leaders, but he’d never anticipated such underhandedness. The whole thing reeked of a hauntingly familiar travesty he’d experienced twenty years ago.
Edward watched as Eden processed the news of Nora’s having been poisoned. As usual, she did not react as he anticipated. The only show of emotional strain was her left hand rubbing the skin along her collarbone.
When she finished, she put the paper back on the desk.
“Now this one,” he said, handing her another letter, “which arrived an hour ago.”
Eden read the second letter. This one was from Nora. Her sister tried to be assuring, but Eden knew she must be terrified. The letter was succinct, almost matter-of-fact about the involvement of not only a wolf, but also a demon and a vampire.
Three factions had banded together to end Nora’s life. Eden’s pupils changed size.
Edward knew the moment the implication registered with Eden. He had never kept anything surrounding her mother’s death a secret from her.
She and Evelyn both knew of the dangerous group known as Sephtis Kenelm and their misguided attempt to balance power in Imperium. The brotherhood had been active for over a thousand years.
It was always a group of four working together: one elemental, one wolf, one vampire, and one demon. It had started with good intentions, to topple the corrupt and put the power in reliable hands. Somewhere along the way, the brotherhood’s purpose became twisted.
Years ago, Edward found proof the group of assassins had poisoned his wife, Elora, when she was pregnant, almost killing baby Nora in the process. The group had also killed Kellan’s father, which was why the Wolf King helped Edward hunt them down and kill them.
Sadly, though Elora had prophesied her own death, her puzzled words gave no indication of when or how. Edward took it especially hard, believing he’d failed to protect his wife.
He openly shared what happened with two of his children. Only Eden had ever questioned his decision to keep it from Nora. Though she had concerns, Eden did not defy him by revealing the truth to her youngest sister.
Edward’s only excuse was, deep down, he wanted to keep the ugliness of the world away from Nora.
Sephtis Kenelm was responsible for the hole torn in her soul. He did not want to give them imaginary power over Nora by making her fear those who had wanted to harm her mother and injured Nora in the process.
Now, members of three of the four factions of Imperium had attempted to murder the elemental sitting on the throne of Burghard. He didn’t have proof, but the information in Nora’s letter was too coincidental. He hoped he was wrong, but his gut was telling him the group was still active—and very much a threat to his children.
Eden slowly lowered the letter back to the desk.
“What do we do?” she asked.
“That is the question, isn’t it?” he sighed, leaning back in his chair. “As first in line, Eden, what would you suggest?”
Eden’s palm prickled as Nora’s words from last week came back to her. She kept her fisted hand in her lap, instinct telling her to keep it hidden.
“I think we need to go East,”
she answered.
“To the Temple of Sanctus Femina?”
Eden nodded. The temple was close, due East from their main residence. It was the best place to ask for help or insight.
Beyond the sacred ground was the Kingdom of Prajna. It could be that the vampire member of the brotherhood was hiding in the Eastland and Nora was hinting at it.
Eden doubted Nora’s words would lead her to track down any of the Sephtis Kenelm on her own. Though, it was suspect the portent mentioned three of the four factions, the one left out being the one to the East.
The temple was also the safest place for them to go. Her birthmark lessened its irritation. Yes, that was where they should start.
“I agree, Eden. Theron will need to be informed and I’d prefer to do that in person.”
Theron had been the temple priest for ages. He had his finger on the pulse of every kingdom, and the ear of every king.
He was also keeper of the scrolls, most of which contained prophecies Elora had given throughout her life. Since she had predicted her own death, she may have made other predictions that would be imperative to know, especially now.
“Also,” Edward continued, “you and Evelyn will be safer there. Every being in Imperium knows better than to court the wrath of the Goddess.”
He was right. It was rumored to spill blood on the sacred ground of Sanctus Femina was akin to starting the end of the world. No one had ever dared.
Eden stood. “I’ll leave you to reply to Kellan and Nora. I’ll inform Evelyn in the morning and we’ll pack at first light.”
She turned on her heel and exited the study.
Edward stared at Eden’s retreating back. No quiver had beset her voice, no wrinkles marred her brow. Not one tear was shed over her sister’s attempted murder.
Eden remained, as always, composed, while Edward couldn’t help but mourn the loss of the carefree child she’d once been.
* * *
Eastland, Kingdom of Prajna
Viktor awoke hours before dawn, looking to the empty space beside him, half-expecting to find someone there. He’d been dreaming. He rubbed his face, trying to recall the details.