Immortals of Indriell- The Collection

by Melissa A. Craven

  “I do not think I can manage it, my strength is gone. Why would you have a harem maid? You are a harem maid.”

  “We must leave now.” She ushered Naeemah from the burial chamber. “I have a horse for you and your bags are packed with gold and provisions. My father awaits you beyond the southern gates. He will escort you to your father’s ship.”

  “How have you managed this?” Naeemah commanded.

  “I am to wed Aurangzeb.” She held her head high.

  “They have placed you beside my son?” She studied the naive girl. “Grandfather has returned, then?”

  “He arrived not long after your death, in the guise of my young uncle and advisor.”

  “You must listen closely.” Naeemah mounted her horse. “Grandfather cannot be trusted. He chose you because he believes you are weak and easily manipulated. He chose you because you are the opposite of me. Do not let his assumptions ring true. The job you seek is a difficult one and it can destroy you.”

  “I am strong, Cousin.”

  “Be good to my son. He deserves to know the love his father and I shared. If I hear otherwise, you will answer to me. Do not waste his all too brief life for your personal gain.”

  “He will be a great man.” The girl smiled proudly. “And I will do everything I can to see him happy.”

  “See that you keep your word.” With that, Naeemah rode into the night, toward the northern gates—away from her waiting uncle.

  The desert sands swirled in Allie’s mind, turning into a cloud of cold white snow.

  Naeemah meandered the streets of Kathmandu searching for the bazaar to purchase supplies for her journey.

  As she wandered through the stalls, she felt him. He was very old and powerful … and curious. She darted down a side street.

  Surely father has not sent someone for me already? But the man was absolutely determined to find her. She slipped through the market, but he stayed close on her tail. As it started to rain, she turned and caught a glimpse of him. He was handsome, but it wasn’t worth the risk. She would find her supplies in another part of the city.

  Allie’s heart sank at the look of anguish on Gregg’s face when his young Complement evaded him. Naeemah hadn’t recognized him.

  Mount Everest loomed before her now and Allie couldn’t fathom where Naeemah might be going. She walked for weeks, through the cold frozen Himalayas, never encountering another soul, until an Immortal girl began following at a discrete distance.

  She was small and timid, never venturing close enough to be a bother until one night as Naeemah slept, she crept into her camp.

  The girl drew a sword, resolved to challenge Naeemah at her most vulnerable, but she didn’t find an unwitting opponent.

  Naeemah leapt from her bed and they circled each other. The feral, unkempt girl launched an attack without preamble, her unsettling eyes glowing like molten lava in the night. She was just a child, but she was vicious. Allie was sickened by how swiftly and brutally she brought Naeemah to her knees, her blood staining the snow scarlet.

  The girl bent to cup Naeemah’s skull and Allie cringed at the deadly shrieks that pierced the night. Her head throbbed with an echo of Naeemah’s anguish and the dark shadows sent her into oblivion.

  When Naeemah stirred, she felt cold, hard stone at her back and the scent of mildew filled her senses. A fire crackled in the next room, bringing little warmth to her meager pallet on the floor. Her eyes snapped open and darted around the monk’s cell. Pain flooded her mind as tears of loss streaked her face. She wasn’t alone. Another Immortal lurked nearby. Naeemah rose cautiously, feeling the absence of her gift like the loss of a limb.

  Dark obsidian eyes full of concern peeked into the room.

  “Where am I?” Naeemah asked.

  “Shaoshi Mountain,” Ming Lao answered. “Was this your destination?”

  “Yes.”

  “My husband, Jin Jing, and I found you at the base of the mountain not long after you were attacked. We brought you here to recover. Abbot Jing Zong has cared for you. He will provide the respite you need at this difficult time.”

  Allie watched the weeks pass as Naeemah learned to live without her gift. She trained with Jin and Ming under Jing Zong’s tutelage and found her strength again.

  “Thank you for allowing me to stay,” Naeemah said after a hard afternoon of sparring.

  “The Temple accepts all who come, but especially Immortals in need of a safe haven,” The Abbot said.

  “I feel for the first time in my life like I can handle anything. Like I am finally enough. I have a confidence in myself and in my abilities, which I never had before.”

  “You are yet Unproven, child?” He looked at her as if he saw something she did not.

  “Oh no, I’m not ready—”

  But even Allie knew she was ready for her Proving.

  “It is time.” Jing Zong nodded. “Long past time, I imagine.” He gestured toward the temple gardens and Naeemah’s eyes went wide with fright.

  “Now? No, I—”

  “No one is ever truly prepared for this moment, but it must happen, child. If you will allow me to guide you, I will stand in for your mentor.”

  Allie observed from a distance as the abbot led a frightened Naeemah into the temple gardens where an eerie golden light descended. For hours she struggled, screaming in agony from a torment Allie could not comprehend. The gardens blazed with a brilliant fire radiating intense heat. Finally, lying in a heap amidst the swirling ash, Naeemah rose from her misery, putting everything behind her. She left the gardens, forever altered—like the Naeemah that went into her Proving was a child. This Naeemah was an adult. A formidable one.

  “I hope this helps you understand how important our gifts are?” she said softly as Allie blinked in surprise.

  “It does.” She shuddered. Coming back to the present was always a shock. “She just took your gift? Just like that?”

  “I was once able to defy gravity,” Naeemah said. “Not that I could fly. Think cheesy martial arts movie and you’ll get the general idea. I was able to reconnect with my gift in time, but it has never been quite the same. I am more fortunate than most in my position.”

  “She’s just out there somewhere with your ability?” Allie was horrified by the idea.

  “She no longer has anything that belonged to me. A stolen gift does not often survive the trauma of an attack, and unfortunately, the girl did not have the stamina to sustain my gift and it died. That’s why so many Immortals continue to prey on victim after victim, effectively chasing their next high.”

  “She stole your gift for nothing?”

  “Several months later, the girl was brought to justice. She was raised by a family of men who abused her in the worst ways a woman can be used. She experienced it for years until she was finally strong enough to fight back. She escaped and retreated into the wild where she took care of herself the only way she knew how. I could hardly blame her after hearing the awful details of her life,” Naeemah said. “I begged the Senate to give her the help she needed because even the best of us struggle through difficult times. I’ve shown you one of my greatest mistakes so you can learn from it, Allie. I was still a child in many ways when I left Agra. I was far too inexperienced to travel alone and I paid the ultimate price for that mistake. I would give anything to have what I once had … lame ability or not.”

  Allie flushed, tears of shame pricking her eyes as she saw how utterly disrespectful she’d been about her own emerging gift.

  “Naeemah, I am so sorry!”

  “No apologies. It won’t be long before you truly appreciate your gifts. In time you will understand, and you will respect what belongs to you.”

  ~~~

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-SIX

  “Concentrate!”

  “I. Don’t. Know. What. I’m. Doing!”

  “You have no patience!” Emma’s glare mirrored Allie’s. Their feisty tempers made them a good match.

  Since the nigh
t of the Van Gogh opening, every time Allie walked into a room, the lights flickered, and after two days of skipping school to work with her mentor, it wasn’t any better.

  “Let’s take a break and try again later,” Emma said.

  “Fine!”

  “You’re expecting too much too fast, Allie. When the time is right, you’ll come to know your gift, but you can’t force it.”

  “I need a distraction!” Allie threw her hands in the air when the kitchen lights glimmered like a strobe light.

  “I’ll make us lunch, and then I’ll show you a story of my life as a young lady. And I use the term ‘lady’ loosely.”

  “Cheers to that, I’m starving!” Allie said.

  “As a child of twelfth century France, I was the apple of my father’s eye, my mother’s pride and joy, and my brother’s precious baby sister. So naturally, I was spoiled rotten.” Emma smiled ruefully as she bustled about the kitchen. “I grew up in a castle in Orlèans, where my Lord father was the master of the land. We were a happy, proud family, but I was taught we were superior beings, and it was our responsibility to govern the simple minded creatures of the mortal race that existed only to serve us.”

  “No, Mother, I will not marry that old man!” A young Emma bristled as she paced her bedroom behind the thick stone walls of her father’s castle.

  Allie blinked, watching as a spectator.

  “You must, child,” her mother said. “He is not long for this world. In a few years, he will be gone and you will be a titled woman in your own right. By then you will be ready for the Proving with all the comforts you could desire.”

  “I don’t care about titles!”

  “Daughter, you must learn to stand on your own two feet!”

  “By marrying a sick old man and taking his money?”

  “Marriage is the only way a woman can advance herself in this world. You will accept his proposal tomorrow night!”

  “I’d rather die than prostitute myself to a mortal!”

  “Do as you’re told or leave this family. And then we shall see how you manage a proper life without a husband!” Her mother stormed from her rooms.

  “That’s the problem. I do not want a proper life.” She watched her brothers wrestling in the yard below. “To be born a man! No one would ever question my desire for an exciting life.”

  Allie sympathized with the young Emma. To be born a powerful, independent Immortal at such a frustrating time for women, must have driven her mad.

  Fine, Mother! The hard way it is. She grabbed her pack and took only what she needed. Centuries passed as Emma struggled to make her way. Allie watched her adventurous mentor grow into a jaded woman. She eventually found the exciting life she sought, along the Barbary Coast of Northern Africa. She was taken captive aboard a pirate ship and earned the respect of the crew, fighting to become one of them. Not long after, she became their leader. In time, she filled her ranks with strong Immortals.

  “Captain, why waste our time with such a little ship and its worthless cargo?” Her quartermaster asked. “We earn gold with slaves.”

  “I have my reasons.” She issued her orders to take the small merchant vessel. “Be wary of the Asian woman, she is powerful.”

  Emma boarded the ship last and sought her captive, who faced the twenty sword points of a fearsome Immortal crew.

  “It is to be a fight between us then?” Ming Lao spat.

  “That depends. What is your position here among these men?”

  “The captain is my husband.”

  “The child is yours? You raise him on the seas among mortals?” The women spoke in tones mortals could not hear. Two of Emma’s men brought forth Ming’s young son. Allie was shocked to see it was Daniel.

  “You deny him a proper father?”

  “You harm my husband or my child and I will drag you to the bottom of the sea and leave you chained there for an eternity!”

  “You are in no position to make threats.” She took a step toward Ming’s husband, held captive by her men. Without a backward glance, she slit his throat and threw him into the sea.

  “Xavier!” Ming cried in anguish, fighting the men who held her back.

  “Choose your husband’s more wisely.” Emma turned to leave. “A mortal father isn’t worth your tears, boy.” She brushed past Daniel without a backward glance.

  “What was that all about, Captain?” her quartermaster asked.

  “We were not meant to consort with mortals. The woman needed to learn that lesson.”

  Even more centuries passed as time and again, Emma returned to the seas, pillaging along the Mediterranean coasts, gathering Christian slaves to deliver to the markets of the Muslim world still torn asunder by the Crusades.

  Allie followed her mentor across deserts, marching slaves to the Arabian Sea and onward to India. Emma no longer had a conscious as she lined her pockets with more gold than she would ever need. After delivering her cargo to the slave markets of Bombay, she took advantage of an opportunity to raid a fleet of the Mughal Emperor’s ships.

  She hid her treasure like the pirate she was, and went back for more, only this time she attacked the wrong ship.

  “Let us see how you do at the markets, shall we?” The Coalition captain snapped a magnetic collar around Emma’s pale throat. She feared she faced an eternity in one of their prisons, but he simply sold her at auction, leaving her shackled by the collar that rendered her weak and useless.

  She arrived at the palace in Agra, where Emperor Jahangir ruled. Years passed behind the harem walls where she served as chambermaid and dancing girl, the collar forever at her throat.

  Just as Allie caught sight of Naeemah, the colors swirled in her mind and she was back in the kitchen with her mentor.

  “My time as a slave taught me much needed humility.” Her face flushed in shame.

  “Clearly you have redeemed yourself.” Allie reached to squeeze her hand. “I did not realize Ming Lao was Daniel’s mother.”

  “He knew me for the murderer I was the moment he laid eyes on me. Somehow he forgave me. Ming Lao, on the other hand, tried to follow through with her threat when we met again. But in time she, too, forgave me.”

  “Perhaps it’s long past time you forgave yourself?” Allie said softly.

  “Let’s just get back to work, Sparky.” She winked.

  “Har, har.” Allie wanted to cry when the lamps flickered the moment they returned to Emma’s office.

  “Allie, that lamp hasn’t worked in weeks. It’s not even plugged in!”

  “What?”

  “It seems we’re finally getting somewhere.”

  “So what do we do? How do I ... what should I—”

  “Let’s try relaxing, shall we? Take this and concentrate.” She pressed her burner phone into Allie’s hand.

  She took the phone and closed her eyes, concentrating on that elusive thing that was always beyond her reach.

  “Just let it happen,” Emma said.

  Allie exhaled, feeling the heat of her power stirring. She focused on the object in her hand and the warmth of her power rising in her core.

  “Quite impressive,” Emma hummed in satisfaction.

  Allie wasn’t sure what she expected when she opened her eyes but she expected something.

  “What am I missing? And why are you positively beaming with pride?”

  “The phone doesn’t have a battery!”

  “Huh?”

  “The phone, the lamp—they’re working without a power source. You are the power source! It’s like you’re a solar panel.”

  “Of course!” Allie gasped as everything slid into place in her mind.

  “You’re absorbing solar energy, and as your gift emerges, your body is trying to use that excess energy.”

  “That’s actually kind of awesome! But now what?”

  “It’s just a matter of experimenting and letting your instincts guide you. I’m so proud of you!” Emma pulled her into a warm embrace.

  “Em
ma, you’re pretty good at this mentor thing.”

  ~~~

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  Allie’s phone rattled across the table with a text from Aidan. She was curled up in her favorite chair under a warm blanket, studying for a history exam. The raging blizzard outside was more than enough to keep her securely inside.

  Aidan: Meet me on the beach in ten.

  Allie: You’ve lost your mind. Have you looked outside?

  Aidan: I’ll keep you warm. ☺

  Allie: One blizzard = no redhead.

  Aidan: I’ll play for you.

  Allie: Violin in a snowstorm sounds like a bad idea.

  Aidan: Get your butt down here, Alexis Ann!

  Allie: Yes, because yelling always helps!

  Aidan: Why argue when we both know you’ll cave?

  Allie: Will not.

  Aidan: You’re already getting dressed aren’t you?

  Allie: What, you have me on nanny cam?

  Aidan: I just know you.

  Allie: You better be friggin’ amazing!

  Aidan: Virtuoso Lex! ;)

  She scowled at the arrogant, grinning, winking emoji, that captured him so accurately she wondered if it was a creation of Graham’s.

  Ten minutes later, Allie trudged through the icy snow desperately trying not to slip, only to tumble headfirst into a drift. But warm hands had her back on her feet in an instant.

  “Please tell me how you plan to play that thing out here?” She punched his arm.

  “Ouch! That actually hurt.” Aidan rubbed his shoulder.

  “Skip to the part where it gets warmer!”

  “Look down there.” He pointed to the driftwood fire in their usual spot.

  “That dinky little fire’s not gonna cut it!”

  “Humor me. Please?”

  She stomped through the snow, but when she entered the clearing, it was like an oasis. The wind stopped blowing, the snowflakes stopped falling, and the fire burned hot and bright.

  “Aidan, how are you doing this?”

  “I’m getting better at controlling temperatures without maintaining touch.”