Immortals of Indriell- The Collection

by Melissa A. Craven

  “Oh dear me? Have I struck a nerve?” she asked dryly.

  He fumed as he pulled her car into the garage where Sasha waited.

  Aidan furiously punched a code on a hidden keypad and Allie’s jaw dropped when the floor opened to reveal a staircase leading far underground. When they finally reached the bottom, she stumbled over the uneven ground. The natural tunnel was cavernous and cool. Huge stalactites hung from the ceiling, and stalagmites lined a well-worn path into the distance.

  “You have a friggin’ bat cave?”

  “I suppose it is kind of our lair,” Aidan muttered, still bristling.

  “We’re all connected through these natural tunnels,” Sasha added. “You’ll have your own entrance soon.”

  “Where does it lead?”

  “We just follow the tunnel for a few miles to the common room.”

  “And I guess we’re walking?”

  “Oh no, dear one, we’re running.” Sasha grinned.

  “Right.”

  “Let’s just start with a jog.” She pulled ahead, coaching Allie to follow. “Don’t shy away from the temptation to run faster.”

  Soon Allie was flying along the tunnel, her feet barely touching the ground. Sasha left them far behind. The girl was fast!

  Allie felt so alive as she ran, pushing to see just how fast she could go—her blood thrumming vigorously through her veins. But much to her disappointment, they soon slowed.

  “That was fantastic!” They had arrived at a massive carved wooden door that led to a vast hall. The groin vaulted ceiling towered overhead, and the walls were intricately carved with relief sculpture.

  “Welcome!” Gregg greeted her warmly.

  “This place is amaz—” she choked. Her eyes darted to Aidan’s in a silent plea as her empty stomach heaved.

  “Time to eat.” He ushered her into the adjoining dining room.

  “Slow down, Lex.” He held her back when she lunged for the buffet. “You have to learn to cope with this.” He gave her one tiny triangle sandwich.

  “Why do I have to wait?” Graham complained as he followed them. “I’m starving!” He rounded the corner just in time to see Allie attack her food like a rabid beast.

  She flushed in shame, stifling a sob as she gagged in her urgency to get something in her stomach.

  “Out!” Aidan snapped.

  “I get it, Allie.” Graham threw his hands up in earnest. “The first few days blows.”

  “It’s okay, let’s just eat,” she said.

  “Excellent! I’m starving.” His cornflower blue eyes sparkled with gratitude as he grabbed a huge platter and helped himself. For some reason Graham never showed his discomfort like the others. It was still there, but it was more like the way Sasha was with Aidan.

  “The insatiable hunger eventually passes, so I’m told, but I’m pretty sure they’re just lying.”

  Allie managed to get through the meal, retaining most of her table manners, but not without great effort. Aidan was right; she had to get a grip on this.

  “Ready?” Naeemah asked. Allie noted the other pairs breaking off from the group and reluctantly followed. Naeemah’s office was spacious with high ceilings, stone walls and a circular alcove with books lined to the ceiling. Two sleek desks faced each other along the far end of the room, opposite a large fireplace. Brightly colored rugs covered the stone floor where a pair of glass doors led to another room.

  “Breathe, Allie, I’m not going to throw you to the wolves today,” Naeemah said.

  “Right.” She exhaled the breath she was holding.

  “Please have a seat.” Naeemah gestured to the plush sofa. “How are you coping today?”

  “Well, I think.” She squeezed Naeemah’s hand affectionately, pasting on a smile when she withdrew from the contact.

  “I’m so sorry, it isn’t you, sweetheart.”

  “It’s okay.” Allie shrugged.

  “No, it’s not. When my son hugs me and I recoil, I feel like the world’s worst mother. I can see the hurt in his eyes and it breaks my heart. It’s been that way since he was a baby. I always hoped I would acclimate to his power the way Greggory has, but it is still there—this uncomfortable barrier between me and my child.” She wiped furiously at her tears.

  “He knows it’s involuntary. And I promise I won’t hold it against you,” Allie said.

  “You shouldn’t have to deal with this too.”

  “I’m no stranger to it. At least now I know why people react so strongly to me. You’ve watched Aidan suffer in isolation all his life, but it doesn’t have to be like that. I have him. He has me.”

  “You wonderful girl! You have no idea what your friendship has meant to him! He was always so reckless before—angry and always in trouble. Just don’t let it go any further than friendship. He is head over heels for you, but you have so much on your plate and you are both so very young. Don’t get too serious too fast. But let’s get started, shall we?” she finished in a rush.

  “What do I have to do?”

  “Just watch while I tell you a story, and then we might do some yoga later.”

  “One of your animated stories?” Allie asked eagerly.

  “I have something even better to show you today. We’ve discussed how Immortals often share common abilities, like the way we appear to age normally. We can also share our experiences with loved ones in a very special way. Some of us are more talented than others, and I happen to be quite talented in this arena.” She smiled mischievously.

  “How would you like to learn my story by experiencing it through my eyes? You will feel the hot desert sand between your toes and you will smell the brine of the Arabian Sea.”

  “Live history? Let’s do it!” Allie said eagerly.

  “Alright, but let’s dial it back a notch. This is similar to hypnotism so I need you relaxed with an open mind.”

  “Got it.” Allie settled back on the couch, taking a few deep breaths in an attempt to curb her excitement.

  “I’m going to share some of my life as a young girl, which I hope will help you understand that we have all struggled through these early years.”

  “Close your eyes,” she hummed, and Allie immediately complied, not entirely of her own volition.

  “That’s it. Now just watch the colors.”

  Allie found herself in a whirlwind of yellow, orange, russet red and deep violet—the colors of the desert.

  “Naeemah, come here child,” her mother called urgently as the wind stirred the desert sands. “Stay close to me.”

  “Mother, please, I am no longer a child. We have traveled this cursed desert for weeks and still you refuse to give a reasonable explanation. Please, why have we fled our home like thieves in the night?” Allie moved with Naeemah, experiencing everything just as she had in the distant past. The desert sand was gritty on her face and she could feel the hot dry air move through her lungs. She was Naeemah, and she was in awe of her mother, Hatshepsut—Pharaoh of the ancient world.

  “Quiet, daughter,” the woman now known as Nadira reprimanded sharply. “Your grandfather has caused great turmoil in the palace treasury. The Sultan has ordered the execution of all the men of our family. We’ve no choice but to leave my beloved Egypt.”

  “Where will we go?”

  “Across land and sea, to India, to make a new life where history will not repeat itself.”

  Mother and daughter faded into a dark void where Allie floated alone and frightened, reliving the scariest moments of her Awakening until she caught the unmistakable scent of the ocean.

  “We’ve come so far,” Naeemah sighed wistfully at the sight of land in the distance. Allie could feel the steady rocking of the ship as they sailed closer to shore.

  “Yet we still have much further to go,” Sayid added.

  “Father, can’t we stay here along the coast? It reminds me of our home in Alexandria when I was just a child.”

  “I’m afraid we have other plans. We must continue on to Agra to win fav
or with the young Emperor Jahangir. Perhaps we can return to the coast someday to live a simple life of your choosing.”

  “Why are wealth and nobility so important to Grandfather?”

  “You have never lived without either, but my father lived many long years as a slave to mortal men masquerading as gods. He cannot bear the thought of returning to such a life. We must respect his desires as much as our own. We will be happy in Agra, where I hope to watch you grow into the powerful independent woman you will soon become.”

  Father and daughter sank slowly beneath the waves that carried them toward their future, but Allie knew what to expect this time as the darkness washed over her.

  “Aunt Zahra, I haven’t stepped outside the walls of our villa in almost a year! At least you have been allowed to visit the marketplace with Mother upon occasion!” Allie could feel her desperation. The months of sedentary isolation were getting to the young, adventurous Naeemah.

  “Our time will come,” Zahra answered calmly.

  “To what end?”

  “My father has a plan for us, child. You must be patient and learn to do as he has requested.”

  “Perhaps if I understood why I must appear so young, I could accomplish the feat.”

  “It is not for you to ask questions. Do as you are told, and when the time is right, you will understand.”

  They faded like ghosts, but Allie found herself in the same room several years later.

  “As a gift to my wife, Zahra, the Empress Nur Jahan, I give my third son, Prince Kurram, to her lovely young niece, Naeemah. They will be wed this day,” the Emperor commanded.

  This has been grandfather’s plan all along! Naeemah realized in a panic. This is why he wanted me to appear as a young girl. First, he places Zahra on the throne, and now, surely he will remove Kurram’s older brothers from the line of succession and I’ll be next!

  She nearly fainted as she approached her husband to be. He is just a boy!

  Allie felt her paralyzing fear but she fell once again into a kaleidoscope of colors.

  “I am Prince Kurram no more,” her husband sighed sadly as they laid his father to rest beside his brothers. “Today I am Emperor Shah Jahan and I name my Chief Wife, Naeemah, Empress Mumtaz Mahal, Chosen One of the Palace, for the day my father forced us to wed was the day I truly began to live.”

  Allie grew dizzy from the web swirling in her mind until she felt Naeemah’s boiling, white-hot rage.

  “Granddaughter, you must produce an heir! The throne will never be secure until you have a son!”

  “I will not deceive my husband!”

  “We have the skills to persuade the world to believe you are with child, there is no deception,” he argued. “The child will be his!”

  “But it will not be mine!”

  “Sayid, speak with this stubborn daughter of yours!”

  “Naeemah, please consider this logically?” her father asked patiently. “The child will be of Kurram’s blood, a legitimate heir. His mother will be a concubine who would never have been allowed to raise him. You will be doing the boy no harm.”

  “If I agree to this deception, I will raise him as I see fit and there will be no further meddling in my affairs, is that clear, Grandfather?”

  “You will show some respect—”

  “No! It is you who will show some respect! You may have placed me on this cursed throne, but I am the one who bears the burden of responsibility for it! You will do as I say or I will see you exiled from this court!”

  “Very well,” her grandfather agreed stiffly. “It seems your mother has taught you some of her old tricks.”

  “Indeed she has,” Sayid murmured appreciatively. “Nicely handled, Daughter.”

  “Is this what you really want, Father?”

  “Prestige in this life shall give us comfort and peace of mind for many generations to come. But it is not worth the misery I see on my daughter’s face now. I would give it all away to see a genuine smile.”

  “This is not the life I would have chosen for myself, but I love my husband and our people. If there is to be a child, perhaps I can find happiness there.”

  Allie was overwhelmed by Naeemah’s sorrow when the void returned sending her into a spiral of gray.

  “Mother!” her children chorused as she entered the palace nursery.

  I love them so much!

  Allie watched Naeemah’s six children swarm around her. She intended there to be only one child, but her eldest brought them such joy, she couldn’t resist the opportunity to fill the palace with children.

  It will break my heart to leave them, but it is time.

  As much as she loved her husband and their family, her people and their court, there was a gaping hole in her heart and she knew it was time to leave.

  I’ve set everything in motion, she sighed as her youngest daughter chattered away. I must leave tonight.

  Allie’s eyes snapped open and she blinked, disoriented to find herself back in the present.

  “Naeemah!” she gasped. “How did you leave?”

  “The Empress died in her sleep that night,” she said sadly. “Kurram was grief stricken by my death. He retreated into a year of secluded mourning and spent the remainder of his life building a mausoleum. It still stands today.”

  “Mahal?” Allie whispered.

  “Yes, my wonderful husband built the beautiful Taj Mahal in my honor.”

  “How did you escape the city?”

  “That is a tale for another day. Now it is time for yoga. Follow me please,” she instructed, every inch the teacher.

  Allie gaped as she followed her through the glass doors onto a perfectly manicured lawn dappled with sunlight. They stood at the center of a cloistered path, housing stone benches, sculptures and fountains. Tall trees in the distance spread their branches across the high ceiling. Allie blinked in disbelief at the hazy white clouds floating above.

  “Naeemah! How is this possible?”

  “I detest the underground. Think of this room as a large terrarium, possible with just a little help from Emma, her daughter Hélène, and a host of others. There is a larger terrarium, which Greggory has so charmingly dubbed the ‘Yard,’ but this room is a special gift from him.”

  “It’s amazing!”

  “Shall we begin?”

  “Sure, but why yoga?”

  “The exercise will help you gain strength and flexibility, but it will also teach you focus, which will aid you in every aspect of your training. We live dangerous lives. You cannot allow your emotions to compromise your actions when faced with danger. You must learn to disengage from any distraction. Yoga will teach you that kind of focus.”

  “Come now, Allie, let us see what level student you are.” Her eager grin told Allie this would be no ordinary yoga class.

  ~~~

  CHAPTER

  EIGHTEEN

  The noise is maddening! Allie cranked up the volume to drown out the distractions. “Thank you, Mr. Bach, for your lovely Cello Suites.”

  Her senses were in overdrive and she was desperate for the escape of sleep but found herself staring at the ceiling instead. Naeemah prepared her for this. Apparently, she would feel restless and uncomfortable for weeks!

  Allie tossed and turned, but even the weight of the cool sheet was annoying. Just when she was almost comfortable, a loud clanking sound had her on her feet and across the room in an instant.

  A strange earthy scent hung heavy in the air, and the churning sensation she was learning to associate with her rising power made her head spin.

  “Aidan!” she snarled. He was driving her crazy!

  A shadow moved on the balcony and she flung the doors open. She moved faster than she intended and crashed into him. He flew over the railing, landing in a heap among the bushes below.

  “Ow! Alexis Ann, what’s the matter with you?” His voice echoed in the darkness.

  “Sorry! Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, although I’m starting to doubt if I will
survive you.”

  “Well, you should know better than to sneak up on me like that!”

  She watched him climb onto the porch roof below. With a running start, he made an impossible leap to grasp the iron rail at her feet. He used his momentum to swing into a graceful flip, landing effortlessly at her side.

  “In the last week you’ve managed to break my hand and throw me off a building. Let’s not go for three.” He glowered with that eerie shifting golden light in his eyes.

  “You didn’t break anything, did you?”

  “Just the bushes.” He grinned, instantly forgiving her.

  “I have a door, you know.”

  “Where’s the fun in that? Get dressed. We’re going out.”

  “Aidan, it’s late.”

  “Do I really have to teach you how to stay up all night?” But Allie wasn’t listening; her head was still spinning.

  “Hey, deep breaths.” His tone softened as the odd earthy scent filled her senses.

  “I just don’t feel like me.”

  “It will get better, I promise.”

  “What did you have in mind?” She pulled on her recently discarded jeans and sweater.

  “If anyone asks, I left you alone. I may have promised not to bother you.”

  “Didja now? I hadn’t noticed.”

  “Come on, Red.” He headed for the balcony just as Allie turned for the stairs.

  “I’m so not jumping off that balcony, Aidan Loukas!”

  “Just do what I do.” He vaulted off the terrace without looking.

  She ran to the door in time to see him swing into a wild flip, spinning in the air for a long moment until he landed silently on the ground. His laughter floated up to her—like he did this all the time.

  “You’re going to make me jump, aren’t you?”

  “Yup,” came his soft reply.

  She took a deep breath and gingerly climbed down over the railing where she began to swing as Aidan had. She closed her eyes and went for it. Turning into a mid-air backflip she didn’t know she could do, Allie came to rest in a crouch beside him.

  “Okay, that was actually fun.” She reached for his hand as they ran for the beach. He had a small driftwood fire and a chaise lounge waiting for them.