Immortals of Indriell- The Collection

by Melissa A. Craven

  BIRTHDATE: Spring of 5700 BCE at midday. I will never forget the moment she drew her first breath.

  BIRTH STATUS: Natural Born daughter of Queen Eiselynn and King Ían

  COMPLEMENT: King Alexander, The Scholar, bonded since 5,088 BCE

  APPEARANCE:

  EYE COLOR: Rudraksha (Cinnamon in color)

  HEIGHT: 5'0"

  HAIR COLOR: Blond, threaded with gold and silver

  ETHNICITY/CULTURAL INFLUENCES: Indriell heritage and later, Sumerian and Greek influences

  CURRENT LOCATION: Unknown

  OCCUPATIONS: The Last Queen of Indriell and the general of her own army. Responsible for the end of The Great War. Seer and Prophetess.

  HISTORICAL BIO: Immortal history remembers Alísun as the legendary young hero who led her kingdom to peace in a fairytale version of true events. But she was a just ruler who made difficult decisions that ultimately kept us off the endangered species list. Her most heartbreaking decision was banishing the afflicted mortals born out of the destruction of war. We banished our own son that day, and I can attest to how difficult that decision was for her. In the final years of the kingdom of Indriell, Alísun did what she could to ensure our survival. Her last decree as queen was to dismantle the kingdom and its cities, erasing any sign that our nation ever existed. With a heavy heart, she dissolved the realm and the sovereign rule of our family, ceding the world to the mortals who outnumbered us. We retreated quietly from our palace home, but many sought to place her back on the throne, even against her will. We knew we would never have a moment's peace unless the Immortal world forgot about us, so I used my gift to make us as a long forgotten legend and the Indriell line died with us.

  CURRENT BIO: Coalition captive. I have not seen my wife since the day she was taken in the winter of 259 BCE.

  ABILITIES: My dear wife and Complement is a gifted Seer. Her knowledge comes to her in the form of prophecy only she can truly understand. She was born during the Great War and has only ever known the corrupted power. But she never developed the magnetic sickness that plagues most Immortals. Alísun can also manipulate the perception of time. She can make it seem as if time flies or moves slowly. It is my one comfort, knowing she cannot feel the weight of all the time she has lost since she was taken thousands of years ago. She also draws strength from the passing of the seasons. She is at her strongest in spring and summer, but her weakest time is in the depths of winter.

  WEAPONS: After The Great War, Alísun never fought with a bladed weapon again. She retired her sword and only fought with a quarterstaff. She never wanted to cause bloodshed ever again.

  TALENTS/SKILLS: She has always been a talented artist and an amazing cook. I miss her home cooked meals ... and the sound of her laughter.

  KNOWN ALIASES: Alísun's notoriety faded as the generations passed and we were assumed dead. She never sought the public eye again. For much of our married life, she took the Greek name, Thalia.

  TOP SECRET NOTES: Not many know that Alísun and I survived the tumultuous years after The Great War and the final days of Indriell. Those who do know of our survival have assumed that Alísun was taken by the Coalition and I have let them believe their assumptions are true. She is captive. But our single greatest enemy holds her fate in his hands. He will not release her so easily. But one day soon, she will be freed and I will no longer live this half-life I have known without her.

  ~ ~ ~

  Alexander: The Scholar

  AGE: 8,871

  BIRTHDATE: I think I was born sometime around 6,855 BCE, give or take a few centuries either way.

  BIRTH STATUS: Natural born son of Indriell's most noble house

  COMPLEMENT: Alísun, the last Indriell Queen, bonded since 5,088 BCE

  APPEARANCE:

  EYE COLOR: Star moonstone

  HEIGHT: 5'8"

  HAIR COLOR: Black threaded with silver––not because I'm old, but because I am Indriell royalty.

  ETHNICITY/CULTURAL INFLUENCES: Indriell heritage, but I have been heavily influenced by every major culture of the world.

  CURRENT LOCATION: If I told you, I'd have to kill you.

  OCCUPATIONS: The Last King of Indriell and The Scholar. I don't recall ever having another job, but it is possible I worked for a living at some point in the past and I just blocked it out.

  HISTORICAL BIO: See my personal journals, volumes 1-417

  CURRENT BIO: I live all alone on a remote island in the South Pacific... Just kidding. I live with my oldest granddaughter and her family along the coast of Viña Del Mar, Chile. I spend my time fishing and wandering the beach with my two great-grandchildren. It is a happy life, but I miss my wife terribly. I know we will see each other again some day. Every event I witness, every bit of knowledge I gain is one step closer toward the day when our family will be whole again. I live for that day. And for now, it is enough.

  ABILITIES: My gifts are of the scholarly sort. I can understand and speak almost any language. I have the gift of total recall for anything I've learned or read throughout my life (but somehow I still can't remember where I put my car keys). I see all the important moments of world happenings as they happen. Sometimes I am there to witness it. Other times, I simply see it happening before me, like a vision. I have been known to retreat into my visions, leaving me in a comatose state for weeks at a time.

  WEAPONS: My mind, but if I must fight, I prefer the Haladie, double bladed knife or the Egyptian Khopesh.

  TALENTS/SKILLS: Don't tell my wife, but in her absence, I've grown fond of making my own beer and knitting (it keeps my hands busy so I can think). I also like to think I have a small talent for writing the occasional humorous story or antic.

  KNOWN ALIASES: The list of all my aliases is pretty great.

  TOP SECRET NOTES: I can't live without books, chololate cake, Chai tea and tshirts. I am also the proud father of four children–– the doting grandpa of four bright young women, and the great-granpa of two little boys who try thier mother's patience––especially when I give them cake and caffine.

  I watch over my family every single day, living for the time when we will all finally be together.

  ~ ~ ~

  Immortal Lexicon

  Ouroboros serpent - The immagery of a snake eating its own tail represents immortality and the natural cycle of destruction and rebirth all things experience. Even those who live forever cannot escape this law of nature.

  Indriell - Ancient civilization of Immortals ruled by the Indriell Queens.

  First Princess - The natural daughter and heir of the ruling Queen

  The Enlightened - A group of lesser Immortals who discovered how to wield more power than they were born with.

  The Great War - The war between the Immortals of great power and the Enlightened.

  Complement - Each Immortal has a Complement. A soul mate––a person who exists only because they do.

  International Senate - The governing body of the Immortal world.

  Chief Justice - An elected office held by four Immortals (two bonded Complements).

  Coalition - The opposing force that believes the Immortals should be controlled, used and eventually extinguished.

  Margrave - The governing body of the Coalition, much like the Senate.

  The Marches - (March - ess) Ruler of the Margrave, an inherited title.

  The Afflicted - The first mortals born to the Immortal race after the destruction and chaos of The Great War. Their mortality spread like a disease among the children born after the war.

  The Banished - Those afflicted mortals who were banished by Queen Alísun, the Last Indriell Queen. Immortal birthrates began to increase after the banishment and the race recovered from the brink of extinction.

  Natural born Immortal - An Immortal born to their Immortal parents.

  Bonded Immortal - An orphaned Immortal who has formed a powerful bond with their adoptive parents. (The bond can be any sort of family bond and not just a parent/child bond.)

  Awakening - The
painful rite of passage a young Immortal experiences when their powers manifest.

  Proving - (Proven) A second, painful rite of passage an adult Immortal will experience when they have reached their full potential and have learned to master their abilities.

  Unproven - A young adult Immortal who has not attained their Proving yet.

  Immortal death - Immortality lies within the Complement bond. A bonded pair can be killed if they are mortally wounded with the same weapon and their hearts are removed from their chests and burned to ash in a violent ritual.

  Magnetic sickness - During The Great War, the power became corrupted from the use of unnatural weapons created with the power. The earth was forever altered from the earthquakes and famine that followed this destruction. As a result, the Immortal race developed a sickness when exposed to a natural magnetic field. The phenomenon severs access to their power and leaves them weak and useless.

  The Pure power - The natural power Immortals wielded before The Great War.

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  Keep reading for Emerge: The Volunteer (An Immortals of Indriell Short Story)

  Her ancient Mayan family struggles in the modern world but ...

  Is the cost of living forever worth her sacrifice?

  Santi is a young Immortal on the brink of setting out on her own, but her family is drowning in debt and overwhelmed by the stress of living paycheck to paycheck with no end in sight.

  When Santi meets the indomitable Immortal, Livia, head of a company called Soma, she is ready and willing to accept her position as one of Livia's most trusted agents—along with the income that will save her family's home.

  Among the most technologically savvy of her kind, Santi must prove her worth.

  But Santi has no idea what she's volunteered for.

  EMERGE

  The Volunteer

  An Immortals of Indriell Short Story

  Melissa A. Craven

  Midnight Hour Studio

  Atlanta

  EMERGE: The Volunteer

  Copyright © August, 2016

  By: Melissa A. Craven

  Midnight Hour Studio INC

  Atlanta, Georgia

  All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  For more information contact: Hello@Melissaacraven.com or visit the author’s website at www.melissaacraven.com

  Cover design by: Rachel Bostwick

  Edited by: Robinoo

  Interior design by: Melissa A. Craven

  ASIN: B06Y1FTLDV (ebook)

  ISBN: 978-1544940854 (Paperback)

  First Midnight Hour Studio Print Edition: August, 2016

  CHAPTER

  ONE

  “Why do I even bother?” Santi tossed her portfolio on the backseat of her ancient beige Volvo––a hand-me-down from her truly ancient abuela.

  Another patronizing interview with a mortal who couldn’t see past her youth and inexperience to notice she had fire and drive with a thirst to prove herself. All he saw was a desperate young Latina girl carrying a mountain of student loan debt. He couldn’t see the young Immortal woman who had to figure out how to finance the rest of her eternal life.

  A little over a thousand years ago, Santi’s family lived like kings in Belize. Then the Maya civilization mysteriously collapsed and her parents and grandparents were some of the only surviving Immortals to escape the empire. Of course, they recovered long before she was born, but more recently, they found themselves dealing with a whole new struggle––technology.

  Santi sighed as she leaned against her car, arms folded across her chest, waiting for the Immortal following her to make her appearance. They always seemed to find her at her lowest points. It started just after she received her undergrad in journalism, before she decided to pursue her master’s degree in social and political sciences.

  “Santi.” The Immortal woman nodded as she approached. This one was younger than the others. She couldn’t be more than a few centuries old. She was striking, and formidable, dressed in expensive black clothes with her long, dark hair pulled into a sleek ponytail.

  “Livia.” Santi read the name from the business card the woman offered. Her eyes widened when she realized Livia was the CEO of Soma––the questionable Immortal corporation she’d heard horror stories about in recent years. The corporation that desperately wanted to recruit Santi.

  “We will have coffee,” Livia said. It wasn’t a question. “I only need a few moments of your time.” She gestured toward the coffee truck at the corner of the busy intersection.

  Santi nodded and followed. She’d found it was easier to listen to what they had to say, tell them she’d think about it and then lose their business cards.

  She grew anxious, wondering how such a young woman could head a huge company like Soma. Not that Santi––or anyone outside of Soma––really knew what they did. There were rumors, of course. Frightening rumors, but it was still impressive to see a young woman in such a prominent position in the Immortal world.

  “How many interviews have you had since you graduated?” Livia sipped her strong, dark coffee.

  “More than I anticipated,” Santi admitted.

  “Soma could be good to you, Santi. We are not the despicable corporation most of our kind believe us to be. We need young, educated agents like yourself. I don’t expect you to come to us blindly. But you have my card and if you are interested in learning more, call my assistant to schedule an appointment. I’ll be happy to tell you about Soma. Off the record, of course.”

  With that, Livia turned and walked away, leaving Santi alone in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the busy Atlanta afternoon.

  As she retreated back to her car, she slipped Livia’s card into her pocket ... just in case.

  ~~~

  “Do not worry about us, Lucero,” Santi’s mother said as she fussed with the flowerbeds around the porch of their home.

  Her family always called her Lucero, little bright star, because that’s what she was to them. She was their future. The youngest of her ancient family.

  To think of all the Maya riches her abuela used to tell her about, when they were practically penniless now. All they had was their home and their love for each other as they all held their breath from paycheck to paycheck.

  “I’m not a child anymore, mami,” Santi argued. “I know when you’re stressing. Let me help you.”

  “Lucero, you are barely twenty-five. You may understand technology in a way I never will, but you are not ready for the burdens of this world yet. You have many years left to be a child. I want you to enjoy them, mija.”

  “The modern world is my domain. Please, mami, tell me what’s troubling you.”

  “We are behind with the mortgage. It is nothing.” She shrugged indifferently. “We will catch up, just like we always do.”

  “How late are we?”

  “Just a few months.” Her mother continued to sift through the flowerbeds, searching for anything resembling a weed.

  “How many notices have you received?”

  “Three, maybe four. Abuelo will
have the money in a month or two.”

  Santi hated how hard her grandfather worked. At fifteen-hundred years of age, he shouldn’t still have to work a full-time job as a high school history teacher during the school year and for a landscape crew during the summers just to make ends meet. Her abuelo deserved a comfortable retirement with a little breathing room financially.

  Santi had struggled all of her life, living among such ancient Immortals. For them, time moved slowly—until the most recent centuries. The Industrial Revolution took them by surprise and they’d let the modern world sneak up on them. Santi’s family struggled to keep up with a world they no longer understood.

  When I’m that old, I will never let myself become a burden to my children. The thought shamed her. She loved her family, but they were willfully stubborn when it came to things like interest, bank loans and foreclosures. She feared they would lose the house this time. Santi knew where she could get the money they needed—if she was brave enough.

  “I may have a promising interview later this week, mami.” She felt for the card in her pocket, wondering if she would have the nerve to call the number.

  After Santi graduated from Georgia Tech, she was eager for the next chapter of her life. But in the months since, her life had stalled as she constantly looked for work before her student loans came due.

  “And where is this interview?” Her mother continued sifting through her prized flowerbeds, heedless of the turmoil her daughter struggled with.

  “A company in Midtown,” Santi hedged. She knew her mother wouldn’t approve, but if she could get the money they needed to save the house, Santi was willing to give Soma a shot. She still wasn’t sure what they did; she only knew she’d been warned about the suspicious group, active throughout major cities across the world. Some whispered rumors claimed Soma was a more progressive division of the Senate—the ruling body of the Immortal world––and Soma wanted to take over. Others claimed the corporation was simply corrupt and money hungry.