by A. W. Cross
Cloe linked her arm with mine. "Trust me, it's spiked and she's already had a few."
We laughed. "Well, I suppose I'll have some catching up to do."
The Marquis walked alongside us, while my father and Samuel disappeared into the study.
"Will those two ever stop working?" Bernice complained.
"I'm afraid they are cut from the same cloth, my dear Bernice." I offered, "but you have me!"
"Yes, yes I do. We are truly surrounded by the most genuine of friends. Come, let us toast to our friendship!"
Cloe gave me a sideways glance but immediately appeased our host.
In the main room, a twelve-foot tree stood, completely decorated to the season. I reached out to touch this and felt its vibration go through me. It was still alive, and it gave me a sense of relief to know my friend hadn't just chopped it down with no regard.
When we walked into the sitting room, there was a smaller tree and General Jensen, who looked just as dapper as ever in his more casual attire.
He moved to greet me, taking my hand in his, kissing the top as he very slowly let it go, sending a warm welcoming sensation throughout me.
"General." I said. "You made it after all."
He didn't know if the holidays were going to be possible with our group. The Secretary of Defense was keeping him quite busy and it seemed he barely had time for himself, yet alone a gathering among friends.
"You must know, Miss Lily..." His voice trailed off as the others comfortably congregated around the fire, talking amongst themselves. He gently led me by the elbow toward the window, staring out into the beautiful blanket of snow. "Miss Lily, I've developed feelings for you. And if I may be so bold, I'd like very much to court you, formally."
My heart skipped a beat or two and I was sure my face was flushed beyond recognition. "I too have developed feelings for you." I boldly shared. "There was a connection from the moment I met you, only I wasn't too sure what it was then. But since spending more time together, I've come to realize that I truly admire you as a person and your heart. I've grown an attachment to you, that I've never experienced before. And I knew my feelings were strong when we almost lost you."
He smiled as he cupped my hands in his. "Yes. I completely understand. De Pierre tying us up to go after you all… well I knew then; just how important you'd become to me. I found the sheer will to overcome the setback because I needed to ensure your safety. I couldn't bear the thought of losing you."
He kissed the top of my hands again, and suddenly, I felt my heart pounding uncontrollably. My senses were heightened, and I started to glow.
Glow! Just like when in the presence of the grimoire.
"What on earth?" I said out loud.
Bernice and the others rushed to my side.
"Oh, dear," Cloe said, pressing the back of her hand to her mouth.
Bernice looked the other way, making me even more nervous.
The Marquis leaned in and whispered to the General who was also starting to glow.
"What's happening?" I demanded.
And that is when I noticed. Both women were not nervous. In fact, they were excited. Laughing, smiling.
Bernice straightened up as best as she could. "The two of you are kindred spirits. You're a match."
Cloe chimed in. "When elementals form a deep connection, their energies unite. Like a mating of the cosmos." She said trying to keep a straight face. "It means, you, my dear friend Lily, are in love with the General and he with you. And you've openly revealed your feelings to each other."
We both stared at each other's glowing forms.
I was trying desperately not to look too shocked, but it was difficult. All of this magic wasn't proving to be too easy for me.
And out of nowhere. The typically cool and collective, the poised general did something completely unprecedented. He took me in his arms, finding my lips.
Without hesitation, I welcomed his warm embrace and kiss. Losing myself momentarily in the sweetness of his taste.
The air felt so light as if we were floating.
I dared not open my eyes, not wanting to find out if it were true and worse, not wanting to let this moment go.
Alas, the kiss had to end. And we both took a step back. "Wow!" I said.
He smiled. "Precisely."
Bernice and Cloe were holding each other in their arms, while the Marquis stood back with a gleaming smile.
"What a sight to witness." He said, through his heavy Castellan accent. "Two powerful elementals, falling in love."
"Yes!" Cloe added. "I suspect this will introduce an entirely different level of magic; we personally have never seen."
Bernice didn't say a word as she nodded in agreement.
Whatever it meant; I didn't know. All I cared about at that moment, was the man who stood across from me. He held my heart and I his.
I sent out a vibrational frequency through my touch when I raised my hand to caress his face.
I love you, Brody Jensen.
And he replied, And I love you.
My father and Samuel joined us,
Epilogue
The submerged watercraft was something I’d never fathomed existing. Yet there I was, traveling deep within the sea, as Brody, Cloe, Bernice, and I followed a lead to the New World, where I was from
The Defense Secretary had a mission for us and a few others, to follow a lead to Humerica, where the lanky man from the conference was said to had been last seen.
There wasn’t a lot of information, but our allies in Humerica would be ready for us as soon as we arrived.
“Are you excited to return to your country?” Cloe asked while she brushed her long hair.
“I don’t know. I guess the fact that it isn’t a pleasure trip kind of throws a wrench in it all. Besides, everything is different now. I’m not the same Lilian I was when I left.”
Bernice jumped in. “No kidding. But I suspect your powers might be stronger once you are on your native land. Which I’m eager to see, since you already have proven to be quite the elemental.” She winked.
Brody joined us, giving me a peck on the forehead. “We’ll be arriving in one hour. We’ll be guided into an underwater gate, and then we’ll surface inside a military facility where we’ll be quickly moved in for debriefing, outfitted, and on our way. They’ll assign us a couple of guides, but most of the effort will be ours alone.” He paused. “Are the three of you ready?”
We nodded. But Cloe spoke up. “They aren’t expecting most of us to be women, are they?”
Brody smiled, “Not in the least.”
A huge humph came out of Bernice. “We’ll show them just how much our kind doesn’t care about gender.”
“Oh, come on!” I laughed. “I don’t think they are even remotely worried about that.”
Brody put an arm around my shoulders, “My dear Lily. Always such the optimist. I’m afraid you are in for a rude awakening. The government of your country hasn’t been too welcoming of females within their fold.”
I didn’t want to believe what they were saying, still I needed to consider it. After all, what did I truly know about the inner workings of my birthlands politics? A mere country girl was what I was when I left. All to often caught with my nose stuck in a book, which did raise a few brows among the townspeople.
Books.
The thought lingered in my mind.
The grimoire was simply a conduit to reaching me. It wasn’t truly of magic.
I moved away from the group, taking a seat on the metal and wood bench, attached to the wall. Massaging my temples, I felt there was something we were all missing, and it had something to do with books. Yet I couldn’t figure out what?
“Are you all right over there?” Bernice inquired.
“Fine. Just need a moment.”
And a question formed. “Have there been any female siphons that you’ve known of?”
They all looked to each other, but it was Brody who answered. “No.”
A
sudden ill feeling came over me, and I had to go with my gut.
“Brody get this vessel turned around quickly. We cannot go there. It is the government. Humerica, they are not our ally’s. We are headed straight into a trap.”
Brody didn’t hesitate, he could feel everything I was. An interesting connection we’d formed since revealing our true feelings to each other.
The clanking against the water was eerie as one of the officers moved through the craft asking everyone to keep quiet. Apparently Humerica had technology to pick up on frequencies under water. Of course, they did. I thought.
I moved light footed toward the starboard side of the ship. “Mejico. We can go there. And move by ground through the upper borders, onto the countryside. Yes, it’ll take us longer, but if there is one thing I’ve learned about my country and its relationships with its bordering neighbors, is that they are not all fund of Humerica. With your rank, I’m sure we’ll get some form of protection.”
Brody didn’t say a word, instead he motioned to the captain who moved the levers to his control board around and confirmed our new route.
“Thank you, General.” I said, addressing him appropriately in front of his officers.
When we arrived in Mejico, the Emperor Izto himself, had sent for us. The entire crew sans those who were to stay with the watercraft which I later learned was called a submarine, moved with a caravan of heavily equipped armored vehicles. I was impressed with just how advanced the Mejican military seemed to be in contrast to my own countries.
The hot air moved around us and we all suddenly realized we had too many layers, slowly we peeled these back until we were left with our tops and bottoms, nothing fancy.
We moved onto canoes through an amazing causeway system and beyond the heavily forested area a massive pyramid peeked through.
“Whoa.” Escaped from Bernice’s mouth.
“It truly is impressive, I said. It looks like we will be entering one of their sacred temples.” I said, taking in the surroundings. “I hear they have an underground sacred temple and pool.”
Brody leaned in and whispered in my ear, “I also hear their gods can spot an imposter and they take them up to the top of one of their temples where human sacrifices are still offered.”
The thought of a human sacrifice was beyond anything I could imagine. A shiver shook me from the core.
“Well, I suppose we better be as forthcoming as we possibly can.”
He agreed.
We arrived at the edge of the temple and were helped out of the canoes. The men were dressed in regalia with their animalistic headpieces, bare chests and loin cloths, exposing their lean, muscular physique.
“The Shorn Ones.” Cloe said quietly as we moved past the line of men holding adapted weapons that mimicked what probably was their former ones, only now made of precious metals, and decorated with gems so brilliant they caused colored rainbows to bounce off the walls of the entrance.
We walked into a massive room, with pillars of earthen stone, the floor was so shiny it was as if it were in motion.
And there, before us, sitting on a beautiful golden throne with a massive golden sundial etched into the wall behind him was Emperor Izto.
“Welcome, my new friends. We’ve been expecting you.” He said through a playful grin.
A gorgeous woman moved to his side. Her marble blue eyes stared directly at me, as she took the flight of short steps toward me.
She yanked my hand, cupping it in hers. With her closed eyes she breathed in and out until her breathing was slow and even. Then she released it and smiled.
“We’ve been expecting you.”
My companions all turned to me.
“Why?” I said. “Why have you been expecting me?”
She turned without answering my question, and now the emperor swiftly moved toward me. He pressed his golden staff with jewel top tip toward my face, closing his eyes he too took a few deep breathes, and suddenly the room danced in the colors emitted by the gems of his staff.
“Aww. Yes. It is her.” He opened his eyes. “Welcome home, our precious Jaguar Priestess.”
Cloe and Bernice looked at me as if for the first time and kneeled to me. Brody and the others in our small group followed.
“Why? Why are you bowing?” I anxiously pressed, turning back to the Emperor who was smiling. “What’s going on?”
The Emperor took my hand and led me to the steps where we sat on the cold floor. “You are the much-awaited Jaguar Priestess. Your elemental powers are like no others on this earth. We have a prophecy of our people, that you or your kin will be the ones to finally defeat evil. Your elemental powers are great, and we will guide you in how to use these to defeat the Moon God.
I felt lightheaded as my world went spiraling out of control. As if being of magic wasn’t enough.
“Where am I?” I said slowly lifting myself upright.
Bernice and Cloe were at my side. “You understandably fainted.” Bernice said through warm eyes. “We are in the palace.”
“I just don’t understand. This is all so much!” I was starting to panic again.
“Shh shh. No need to get worked up. It’ll all come together in no time. Here, have a sip of water.”
“Where’s Brody?”
“He’s with the Emperor and his elite warriors, The Shorn Ones.”
I suddenly felt as if I were living in the stories of my books.
Mechanical robots, new types of flying machines and submarines. Elemental magic, and now this, a priestess and warriors? Surely, I was living through a dream, I just wasn’t sure what kind.
And I knew I didn’t need to ask, for I was sure I’d soon find out.
To you, the reader, for taking a chance on me. For joining me on this amazing journey. For your encouragement, and your stories; for everybody has one. Most importantly, thank you, for your support. Because without you, writing simply wouldn’t be the same.
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Be well!
R. Castro
www.RosesAreHappy.com
A Note From R. Castro
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Beauty Unmasked by A.W. Cross
Beauty, Unmasked
Copyright © 2019 by Glory Box Press
Published by Glory Box Press
British Columbia, Canada.
[email protected]<
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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. For information regarding permission, write to Glory Box Press at [email protected]
First edition, 2019
ISBN 978-1-9995711-6-0
Cover design by Danielle Fine
Interior design and formatting by Glory Box Press
Editing by Danielle Fine
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.
Created with Vellum
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19