The God of Life’s fury rang in his ears as scenes haunted him of the night before. “You have defiled that which is sacred. No Meridian shall cause my child’s death without promise of rebirth. Gryffin, I demand justice!”
His gaze turned to his love, and he listened to the sweet sound of her steady breathing. Strands of sleep-messed hair fluttered along the pillow each time she exhaled. As God of Conformance, Gryffin had every right to end him when Taravaughn called for justice. Surely, that was the desired punishment. To sentence him to serve her for the rest of his soul’s existence only echoed Cole’s intent from the start.
As rays of morning sunlight inched up the patchwork comforter, he hitched his knee around her legs and formed his body to hers. How could he have imagined when he gave her the gift of Unsigh so long ago, the time would come when it would save her? In returning Anna’s soul to a previous life, they were blessed beyond his dreams. It freed the binding and... He buried his face in her long waves, and the scent of roses filled him. He had Mianna back.
“Mianna.” His whisper warmed his lips as it pooled against her neck.
She stirred, and he pressed a kiss to her shoulder.
“Cole.” Her sleepy eyes fluttered open but closed as if her lids were too heavy. “Have you been awake long?”
He smiled as the sound of her voice dispelled his troubles. “A while. How are you feeling?”
She brushed his long hair with her fingers. “So tired. I don’t think I’ve ever been so tired.” Her soft voice turned to a mumble. “You couldn’t have given me a better wedding gift but,” she drew a deep breath, “what did it do to me? What does Unsigh mean?”
Cole blinked his gaze to the side. She doesn’t know what Unsigh means? He peered at her cherubic face. Did she say wedding gift? Realization flushed his senses. The gift returned her memory to our wedding night. We truly are starting our life together over as if it were 1613. And never mind the thirty-two years we enjoyed as a married couple.
He pulled the comforter up to her chin and then wrapped his arm around her. “Unsigh means one heart, my love. It joins our passion when you create the symbol, a triangle with your fingers and thumbs, then utter the spell. It’s an enchantment only you can call on.”
“Oh,” she said with a breath. “It’s amazing…really. It’s just…I’m so…”
As she drifted back into sleep, Cole furrowed his brow in thought. Mianna’s spell had never caused her fatigue.
A spray of sunlight pitched across his face as it hit the wide dresser mirror. With a scowl, he squinted at the glare and twitched his hand toward the window. The crepe sheers whipped closed followed by a thick swish from the burgundy drapes. The room plunged into darkness. Dim light from the vanity area competed with the beams peeking through the gaps around the window coverings. He heaved a sigh and sat up, resting his arm on his knee.
Perhaps it was everything she’d been through, and she just needed rest. She’d experienced more trauma in the last week than he had in his sixteen hundred years. Her life as Anna hadn’t been easy—abandonment, loss, and then manipulation by a man whose attention she’d refused. He raked his hand over his scalp. Then, to nearly lose her life while he tried to unbind her soul...
Cole gazed at the petite form beside him. He shook his head and brushed the dark hair from her face. How could Anna’s features be so similar to Mianna’s? The gentle slope of her nose, the curve of her bowtie lips. He tilted his head and gently stroked her cheek with his finger. Or was it love that colored his view? A smile bent his lips, and he touched his brow to hers. No matter the reason. He had her back, and he vowed to never lose her again.
A satisfied grin tugged at Lord Dressen’s cheeks as he looked over the gathered noblemen. Their low voices filled the stately hall. Sunbeams poured through the twelve-foot windows and drowned the crowd in a yellow haze.
With the majority of the Grand Marshals’ court in attendance, the turnout met his expectations. He furrowed his heavy brow and lifted his chin. Cole Shilo, you’ll pay for taking Anna from me.
The dull rumble of conversation subsided as he stepped to the Officiator’s stand and took his chair at the center of the table. He nodded to the two gentlemen at the entrance, and they stepped out, closing the doors behind them.
Lord Carrington tugged at his vest as he strode up the center aisle. His trusted friend moved with trained temperance, an admirable trait. Taking his place at Dressen’s side, he leaned in with a hushed voice, “Ninety-nine are in attendance. Lord Standish’s men are the only ones not to sign in.”
“We can do without them. What are twenty-two votes against ninety-nine?”
Carrington nodded and stroked his tailored beard. “One concern I feel I must voice, Kyle.” His brown eyes twitched. “Standish may not hold the court’s majority, but he’s a strong believer in tradition. Tradition and religion go hand-in-hand. The men here control a vote, but many of their wives and family are faithful to the gods, including my own. They practice religious rites that encompass the Shilos as Sentinels. If this isn’t handled with care, it could become nasty.”
Dressen sighed as he glanced at the portraits of Senior Grand Marshals that lined the room. His gaze gravitated to the depiction of Sylis Shilo at the center of the hall. The Founder seemed to watch him, coal hair, onyx eyes, and square features set firm. Dressen sneered. A wizard surrounded by noblemen.
“Sentinels,” he scoffed. “They’re aliens. Nothing more. And their own laws protect us from the powers of their dimension. What superior race agrees to such an arrangement? They’re weak. Their kind has no place on Terra.”
“Nevertheless, the faithful could rise up to protect them.” Carrington looked at his cufflink as he straightened the gold piece. “And I’ll be frank. Even though I see nothing wrong with how you achieved your goal with the girl, many will see it otherwise. Having the wizards bend her will as a servant was one thing, but calling for total compliance pushed the intention of the agreement.”
Dressen scowled. “The Wizards of Shilo Manor accepted my bid as any other. She broke the law and she was harvested. With the new curfew in play, she was no different from the homeless.” He softened his tone. “It was the only way to get her past the idea that my standing separated us. Once she joined the household she admitted wanting to be with me all along. She told me she loved me. Always had. She was happy.”
He looked at his comrade and narrowed his gaze. “Cole Shilo’s desire to have her is what took her from me.” He pointed his finger to accentuate his view. “I know he has her up at that manor.”
Lord Carrington cocked his head. “We have no jurisdiction within the Sentinel’s home.”
“You just deal with the charges.”
“The only real proof we have is the vision you shared from that night she disappeared, Kyle. And that’s another issue. You were only able to share it by way of the magical means Cole Shilo gifted you.” His friend quirked his tan lips. “There’s talk about a loss of integrity at the expense of—”
“A thief?” A growl rumbled in Dressen’s throat as his blood seethed.
“A Sentinel, Kyle. You have to view this from these men’s perspective. I know you’re not religious, but religion is going to play a large part in what they decide.”
“Then use their beliefs against them. Look into the covenants the wizards have made. Their long lives will show something. In eight hundred years, no man can live without error.”
Carrington tugged at his collar as if it had suddenly become too small. “I’ll make the assignment. But how do you expect to get to the girl if she’s up there?”
Dressen cocked his grin. “I’ll find a way. You just call them in for questioning, and I’ll do the rest.”
Read more in the second book of the Cornerstone Deep series, Echoes!
Charlene A. Wilson is an author of stories that take you to other dimensions. She weaves magic, lasting love, and intrigue to immerse you into the lives of her characters.
She
began writing in her early teens when her vivid dreams stayed with her long after she had them. The characters and worlds were so amazing, she brought them to life through her books.
She resides in a small community in Arkansas, USA, with her two beautiful children, husband, and a very chatty cockatiel named Todder.
Author site: http://CharleneAWilson.com
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“This is Meridian, my home. It’s the oldest dimension in the Arched Spectrum of Realms. You might call it the mother of the planes. She’s the original that all others are patterned after.”
--Vincent, The Transformation of Anna
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Cornerstone Deep Series
The Transformation of Anna
Echoes
Destiny
Cornerstone Deep Series Vignette Journal
Aumelan Series
Blessed of the Gods
Coming Soon!
World Beneath the Rock
Waters of Tiger Rod
Kingdom, Rise
One for Kami
The Transformation of Anna (Cornerstone Deep Book 1) Page 20