Song of Storms (Song and Storm Trilogy Book 1)

by Kayla Maya

  Day five and Bryn decided that with her ever-growing hunger pangs and her constant dehydration headache, she would try and find a way to escape. She could not be happier knowing that the mask was with Hailey and that they would no doubt be in Boreal right about now and waiting for Bryn. The thing was, she had no way of escape. So far. She began to pace back and forth, angling her head left and right to the point where her neck cramped to try and find her way out of the cell. She continued to search for a way out that day until Jonas had shown up with a five-course meal, trying his best to thwart her plans for wanting to escape. Of course, she had denied him and turned her back to him, doing her best to control her rumbling stomach.

  Day six came and went, except it was Queen Elora, who had turned up with another tray more extravagant than the first one the day before, complete with fancy fruit and a glass of what appeared to be red wine. Her stomach had rumbled from the scent of the food, but once again, Bryn had declined, and Queen Elora had thrown the food to the ground and stamped on it twice for good measure before she left. After thirty minutes, the guard that harassed her often returned, this time grabbing her hair and tugging it, taking a few strands with him as she fell in a heap, the guard laughing as he tossed the handful of hair to the side.

  Day seven was more peculiar. A guard had shown up, but in the form of a handsome young man wearing a cloak and hood, the only noticeable distinction was the crow pendant that swung from his chest. North. Bryn’s blood began to boil from his betrayal, taking Lord Anderson, Jonas’ side instead of hers. He had whispered sweet nothings to her, made her feel loved and special, made her feel as if she had fallen in love with him. The problem was Bryn was still in love with him, and she knew that there was something that he was not telling her. Still, she rocked back on her heels and prepared for her fate as North removed his hood, his eyes red-rimmed as he reached out, fingers gripping the bars of her cell.

  “Bryn? It’s me, North.” His voice soothed her, but it also irked her for feeling as she did for him still.

  She remained silent.

  “I know that you might hate me, but you have to understand.”

  Silence.

  “Please. Just hear me out.”

  “You have five minutes.” Bryn’s voice was shaky, her insides quaking as her heart threatened to tear out of her ribcage. “Starting now.”

  “I had nothing to do with your capture. I swear. I had no idea. Lord Anderson lied to me; Sister Grace lied to me. I never wanted you to get hurt; I promise you that. When Lord Anderson approached me, he…he had a stone with him. Used it to manipulate me.”

  “What’s sad,” Bryn said. “Is that I trusted you.”

  “You can still trust me. I wouldn’t hurt you.”

  “But you did. Where those things you said to me even real? Or was that too all a lie?”

  “No, Bryn. Those words were true. I do care for you. Deeply. I may even love you.”

  Bryn had frozen. Those words were all she had ever wanted to hear, but now, after everything that had happened, it felt as if a rock had fallen to the pit of her stomach. She felt like she was underwater, her head bobbing on the surface as waves crashed into her from every angle, threatening to drown her in its endless abyss. No. She would not let those words define her; she would use that as a weapon to further her magical abilities, to harden her already hard shell of an exterior.

  “Be up tonight at midnight. I will do everything in my power to get you out of here. I promise. Please, just listen to me. I will get you out,” North’s head swiveled to the side when he heard footsteps coming down from the steps.

  “Why should I trust you?” Her voice was harsher than she intended, but she was not going to back down now. Not as long as she was stuck in this cell, waiting for her chance to escape. From her own hands and not by someone who had betrayed her. “Give me one reason.”

  “Because I love you.” Bones! Why did he have to use those words against her? She opened her mouth to speak once more, but North spoke over her. “Because I am also the only one who can get you out of here.”

  Bryn did not want to accept it, but what other choice did she have? She sighed and agreed to his “master plan,” and he rejoiced by a small laugh of glee as he replaced his hood and turned to face the guard. The guard nodded at North, who nodded in return and left, leaving Bryn all by herself, alone in her cell once more. Bryn turned around in her corner like a dog trying to find its favorite place to sleep. Once she was comfortable enough in her corner, she allowed herself a little bit of shut eye.

  CHAPTER THIRTY – FOUR

  Midnight came sooner than expected. Bryn was wide awake and pacing her cell. The chains wrapped around her wrists rubbed the skin raw once again, fresh blood dripping down her arm to the floor where it created its own little puddle. She could hear a cough emanating from down the hall, no doubt another prisoner who was wronged for doing nothing if not trying to cause treason against King Frederick and Queen Elora. As a matter of fact, Bryn began to suspect that it was the queen who ran the shots rather than the king. Anticipation wormed its way into Bryn’s mind, her body humming with her magic as it tried to escape and bring down the wrath of hell upon the small city of Skeg.

  She heard a metal door open and then clang shut. Soon after footsteps came and then Queen Elora appeared, her blonde hair flowing down past her shoulders and her painted lips pursed in a thin line as she regarded Bryn, sitting in a corner like a wild animal. Bryn’s anger started to boil once more upon seeing the Queen of Skeg, but her mouth stayed firmly shut as she too regarded the other woman. Soon after, Jonas appeared beside Queen Elora, face just as sour as he sneered at Bryn from across the cell.

  “Any last words before you are hung tomorrow?” Jonas’ asked.

  Bryn’s heart hammered in her ribcage as she began to shake uncontrollably. Where was North? Had he not promised to help her escape this vile cage she was in? She had hoped and trusted, and once again, he had broken it. Sullen, she sulked against the slab that was her bed for the last week. Her stomach rumbled, and her lips smacked from how cracked and chipped they were. As she watched, Queen Elora brought out a vial from within her cloak, holding it out to Bryn. The liquid was a sickly green color, the contents sloshing as the queen took off the cork and reached out as far as she could to try and hand it to the Raven Thief. Bryn remained in her seat, refusing to do much of anything, let alone breathe.

  “This vial will solve your answers,” Queen Elora’s voice was smooth like honey, her smile equal to that of a predator. “It will put you to sleep, almost like you’re dead, so you’ll have a painless death.”

  “In truth, you don’t deserve it,” Jonas added. “However, Sister Grace and the rest of the Order of the Crow manipulated you into submission, of following their orders. Therefore, we are going to let you off easy.”

  “So that’s it then?” Bryn asked.

  Queen Elora withdrew the vial. “If you tell me where the mask is, then I will give you the vial.”

  Bryn knew she should have expected that sort of trade. However, she had also known that she wouldn’t have gotten off easily either from this. She sighed and settled back into her slab, crossing her arms as best she could, which was hard considering the fact that her arms were chained to the wall of her cell. Queen Elora smirked as she handed the vial to Jonas, who also smiled as he placed the cork back on it and stuffed it into his pocket. The queen removed her hands from the cell bars, and Bryn noticed that her cell door moved just a fraction of an inch. Her cell was unlocked—no doubt by North himself. Bryn’s hopes soared as she stood up. She allowed her magic to flow through her veins, let her emotions crash into her until she heard the tall-tell sign of thunder steaking across the sky. The ground rumbled underneath their feet, and this time it was Bryn’s turn to smirk.

  “Surely, you must understand,” Queen Elora said. “That you cannot withstand the storm.”

  “No.” Bryn’s voice radiated power, her hair swirling around her face, her fingertip
s sparking as she held out her hand, palm up and finger’s splayed. “I am the storm.”

  Queen Elora and Jonas’ smiles faded as lightning struck the cell wing, blasting a hole in the side. The wind tore at Bryn’s hair, her tattered clothes drenched from the rain, the hail cracking along the floor. Then, just like a gun, Bryn fired a lightning bolt from the palm of her hand to her cell’s bars, watching as it exploded upon impact, the cries of Queen Elora and Jonas as they screeched away from the charred area. They were on the floor, scrambling for purchase as another lightning bolt struck the ground, this time breaking the chains that held Bryn. Her smile was wicked as she held out her hand one last time, ready to strike the two people who deserved to die.

  “Bryn!” North’s voice was far away, yet close at the same time. “Jump!”

  Bryn jerked out of her madness, eyes wide in horror at what she had almost done. She was many things, a thief, a liar, but she was not a murderer. While they both deserved it, their judgment would not be wrought by her, no, it would be something else entirely. Guards stormed what little of the cell block there was, weapons raised as they charged, the queen pointing and screaming. Bryn raced to the jagged hole in the cell, seeing North underneath her with Apollo. The horse neighed, going on two hoofs as it huffed, North trying his best to calm it down before it would hurt both him and the horse itself. Bryn turned back one more time as the guards clambered over the rubble, swords raised and ready to attack. And so, Bryn trusted him one more time.

  She jumped.

  She landed into North’s open arms. He swung her to the side, so she was riding behind him, her hair whipping in her face as they raced through the castle gardens. Arrows whizzed by their heads, the sharp points digging into the ground, and the tree barks. North maneuvered Apollo through the trees as they tore through the ground, kicking up mud and grass before the horse’s hooves hit cobblestone. Guards flanked them on either side, swords raised as they dug their heels into the horse’s sides to try and catch up. North used his magic, causing the guards to fly in the air and away from them. They were drenched to the bone, the cold catching their skin, making gooseflesh to rise along their arms.

  Bryn used her magic once more when guards raced up, swiping with their swords to try and kill them. They were successful at clipping a small portion of Bryn’s hair, her mouth twisted in a snarl. She raised her hand and obliterated the guard, the sinking feeling in her stomach, making her regret her choice. She stamped down that regret and shot thunderbolt after thunderbolt, either killing a guard or scaring the horse into bucking them off. Unfortunately, she had not seen the bowman hidden behind the building until she felt a stinging pain in her right shoulder. She hissed in pain and whirled around to shoot a lightning bolt at him. An arrow was stuck deep in her shoulder, blood seeping from the wound as she tried to crane her neck and arms to remove it from her shoulder blade.

  “Bryn!” North shouted and reigned in the horse. They were hidden deep within the trees of the forest, the rain causing a torrent, hiding them from the guards, or whoever else tried to find them. “Are you alright?”

  He helped her down, and she shied away from him. Even though he had stayed true to his word in helping her escape, the hurt of his betrayal was still too fresh in her mind for her to forgive him fully. However, she needed his help in taking out the arrow, and her depth perception was still not all that great. Her swollen eye had almost returned to normal, save for the purple bruise and her closed eye. Bryn bit her lip when North tore out the arrow, using strips of his shirt to patch up the wound before turning her around to face him.

  “Bryn…” a loud noise off in the distance halted North’s next words. Instead, he kissed her, shoving Apollo’s reins in her hand and ushering her up. “Go. They’re coming. You need to hurry before they catch you.” He kissed her quickly, before shoving her away and raising his arms in the air and yelling, “over here! Come at me, you dirty filth!”

  Bryn tried to reach out to him, but North held back, smacking the tail end of the horse. Apollo neighed in response, rearing before he bolted out into the forest. Bryn screamed North’s name before she saw him face off with six guards on horseback, arms raised as the wind tore through the trees. Before too long, the scene before her was distorted as the rain and the hailstorm obscured her vision, and she bounded into the night, her throat raw from calling North’s name.

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  Hello, and thank you for buying my book! You’re amazing, and I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your support. A review would be wonderful, and I would love you for it as every review helps me a little bit, and I love reading them all!

  Stay tuned for the rest of Bryn and North’s epic adventure!

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Wow. Thank you to everyone for following me on this journey. A year ago, SONG OF STORMS began as a small sticky note, with character names and then their magical abilities. Without the help of my wonderful beta readers, which there are so many to count, but you all know who you are! You are the real MVPs. You have all stayed by my side throughout this entire process. I just want to thank you, my readers, for making SONG OF STORMS a major success. Without the constant support of you, I would not be able to get where I am right now, nor would I be able to smile as I write the last sentence of Bryn and North’s story. For now, at least!

  I want to thank my cover artist, German creative, for creating this stunning cover! Without her artistic hand, I never would have imagined the beauty this story could hold. I mean, look at it! The crow, the thunderclouds, it is all magnificent. I cannot thank her enough!

  For my editor, who stayed by my side through the process of editing my manuscript from when it was a wee small thing. When my words were a jumbled mess, like a pile of notes strewn about and she picked up my pieces! She made it glorious, and I truly cannot thank her enough. No matter what I did, she was always there to help with late-night conversations on how to fix something here and there.

  For my formatter, who made this formatting a cinch! From fixing my mistakes in the formatting to creating something completely beautiful and far more creative than I could have ever imagined! I could not have done this without you either, and rest assured, I will forever love your formatting wizardry!

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Her first love has always been fantasy, but bold heroines, forbidden romances, and magic are her favorites. She takes pride in her writing and her characters, especially if she sometimes imagines being the main character.

  Kayla lives in the bustling city of Fayetteville, Arkansas, and shares her life with fiancé and her many assortments of furry creatures, which includes, but does not limit to, cats, dogs, and maybe a ferret named Caesar! When not writing, she can be found reading other authors, if not taking long strolls along the Lake Fayetteville side of town.

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  WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF

  SONG OF STORMS

  Get swept up in these not-to-be-missed extras

  The Magic Systems

  The types of magic systems that are mentioned in the SONG OF STORMS.

  THE WORLD OF SONG OF STORMS

  A Song of Storms guide to the 5 kingdoms of Milieu

  SONG OF CROWS

  A sneak peek of the highly anticipated sequel

  THE MAGIC SYSTEMS

  Cyclone: Storm magic-user

  Zephyr: Wind magic-user

  Galen: Male form of healer

  Galena: Female form of healer

  Psych: A deadly form of magic that infects the magic-user, can control the minds of everyone around them.

  Siren: A female form o
f the magic-user that can use their voice to calm a crowd or anger them.

  THE WORLD OF SONG OF STORMS

  THE 5 KINGDOMS

  ALKALI

  The hottest among the five kingdoms

  Desert Kingdom

  Has produced some of the best wine

  Separated from the rest of the kingdoms due to unknown circumstances

  CAPITAL: Sahara

  CURRENT RULER: Queen Aria

  BOREAL

  The largest of the five kingdoms; heavily wooded

  Composed of mostly dense wood and wide plains

  Home to some of the biggest trees

  CAPITAL: Terresta

  CURRENT RULER: King Andrew

  ARTICA

  The coldest kingdom

  Also known as “The Crystal Kingdom.”

  The smallest out of the five, mostly covered in snow

  Is separated by the Alpines, it’s twin sister region

  CAPITAL: Tunturia

  CURRENT RULER: Queen Brionna

  SERENA

  The kingdom that rests on a plain

  The only country that relies heavily on its mining industry

  Poorest kingdom of the five

  CAPITAL: Midglen

  CURRENT RULER: King Frederick

  STEPPES

  The prairie kingdom

  Home to most trade routes

  One of the wealthiest of the five kingdoms

  CAPITAL: Pampas

  CURRENT RULER: King Austyn