The Elemental Diaries - Complete Series

by Andrea Lamoureux

  The bright, full moon overhead, cast a silver sheen over the landscape before me. Stars sprinkled the black velvet sky with brilliance. The scene stole my breath from me. “Oh Celestia, I never got to give my thanks. You know I’m grateful for all you have given, don’t you?” I whispered. Of course, I heard no answer, but I hoped next Noctis De Celestia, I would be able to give my thanks properly… at one of her Temples.

  I pushed myself off the grass and took one look back at the kingdom I’d never left. While I wouldn’t miss all of the cruel people within Solis, I would surely miss my dear Addy—and Peyton, and my father too. I wiped away a tear and marched into the woods with resolve. There was no time for regrets.

  The protruding roots and fallen branches scattered on the floor of the woods caused me to stumble more than once. I prayed to Celestia I wouldn’t get lost and pushed on through. I heard night animals’ whine and squawk as I rushed between the crooked trees. I pulled my cloak tighter around myself and hurried on, not letting myself stop to wonder what made those sounds. I slowed to a walk to conserve my energy when I was a fair distance from the palace, but still kept a steady pace.

  After walking for what seemed like forever, I began to worry mayhap I was lost and would die out there in those woods. But then the glowing lights in the distanced snatched my fears away. I quickened my pace, praying it wasn’t some trick of the mind.

  It wasn’t a trick, though. I saw a clearing in the trees and halted. I almost laughed with glee, for before me shone the torchlight of Lottenheim.

  I checked my hood to make sure it still hid my face and hair before walking onward into the little village I had heard much about but had never seen with my own eyes.

  The village seemed to be in a lull of slumber, with not a person in sight. I thought perhaps I could find a barn or a shop of some sort to sleep inside for a bit before first light. Once people began to wake for their day’s work, I would seek out a carriage and offer its owner the gold and silver I’d brought in exchange for passage to Terra.

  I wandered down the cobblestone street and around the corner of a building and actually came across a wagon, unhitched and abandoned for the night. Perfect, I thought to myself. I’ll find somewhere nearby to rest and return here before dawn and wait to speak with the owner of this wagon.

  I yawned. My eyelids felt heavy as bricks. The very idea of sleep compelled me. I edged my way further along the building in search of a resting place, but suddenly, the scraping sound of footsteps caused me to freeze.

  My heart thundered, and I tried to shrink against the wall as a dark shadow fell upon me. I held my breath, about to peer over my shoulder, but before I could, a large THUMP cracked me on the back of my head… and then darkness enveloped me in her unrelenting embrace.

  Chapter 12

  I awoke with a fuzzy feeling in my head. Confused, I opened my eyes. Sunlight peered in through the shutters of a large bedchamber. White blankets covered the soft bed beneath me. I turned my head to the side and searched the room. Tapestries of grotesque, bloody battle scenes and paintings of naked women decorated the walls. I wondered what type of person would keep such vulgar décor in their bedchamber.

  My head pounded. I touched my fingers to the back of it and felt a lump beneath the dried blood stuck in my hair. Someone had pulled the hood of my cloak down. I stuffed my hand in the pocket of my dress. The coins I’d taken with me were gone.

  Who did this to me? I quickly sat up and regretted it immediately, because my head pounded even harder with the motion.

  “I wouldn’t do that, if I were you,” a deep voice boomed from across the room.

  I turned my head and met eyes with a large, burly man. He watched me like a hawk watched its prey. He wore a red velvet coat with golden buttons down the center; something only a wealthy person could afford, I noted. Tufts of hair stuck out on the sides of his otherwise bald head, which reflected the light. A bushy beard matched those tufts. His pudgy face shone with perspiration as he eyed me. Noticing I was studying him, he cracked a big grin.

  Sweat coated the back of my neck as panic rose within me. “Where am I? What happened to me?”

  The man chuckled and stomped closer. He was at least a foot taller than I. “You’re in my manor. I’m Lord Algor. My most favoured servant has brought you to me. Welcome to my home, lady. And who might you be, to have been out all alone at night? A servant escaped from the kingdom of Solis perhaps? Hmm? Answer me, girl!” He’d grown hostile quicker than a heartbeat.

  I blinked fast, starting at his shout. “I—I…Yes, I’m a servant. The woman I worked for died of some sort of condition. You see, she was very old. I had nowhere to go, so I came here to look for work,” I lied, not wanting him to know where I was truly headed. The story came upon my lips easily.

  “How fortunate am I that Winslan has brought you right into my hands? What a good servant he is, always looking to impress me.” He didn’t wait for my answer. It seemed it pleased him to hear his own voice. “In the next room, you will find a wash basin and a new gown. Wash your wound and don the dress. I won’t have you looking like,” he gestured toward me with a pinched expression, “that, in my presence. You belong to me now.” His malicious laugh filled me with a sense of dread.

  I looked away.

  I surprised myself when I found my voice again and actually had the guts to protest. “Sir, I—ah—I thank you for the offer, but I really hoped to find a lady to care for, as that is my expertise. I’ve never served a lord before.” I hoped he bought my excuse. I didn’t feel comfortable serving a man, though I wouldn’t admit it. My gut told me he enjoyed my discomfort.

  He came at me, so close to my face that I could smell his foul breath. It smelled of rot and fish. I held my own breath to keep from gagging. He grabbed my shoulder hard, forcing me to look into his cold, green eyes. “Don’t test me, girl! You’re nothing but a servant, and you’ll do as I say, or Celestia help you…” Whatever he’d been about to say, he stopped himself. “Go! Get washed up. I will return soon.” He let me go and strode out of the room. I heard a key turn after the door shut.

  I flew off the bed to the door and tried to turn the knob anyways. It wouldn’t budge. He’d locked me inside. I was trapped like a bird in a cage.

  I decided to wash. The water would help to refresh me. And I couldn’t go around with my hair caked in blood once I figured out a way to escape.

  I dipped a linen cloth into the basin of cool water and cleaned my face and the back of my head, trying to be careful with my wound, while getting as much dried blood off as I could.

  A pale blue dress lay on the marble counter beside the basin. I refused to wear it. I wouldn’t obey this monstrous man’s commands. Sure, I hoped to find employment as a servant once I got to Terra, but this man wasn’t treating me as a servant, he was treating me as a slave.

  No, I resolved, I must plan my escape and continue my journey to the Kingdom of Earth. I shuffled over to the window and looked down. It would be too far of a jump, even if I managed to get through. I squinted to see as far into the distance as I could. Not a soul was in sight. Nor could I make out any other buildings No one would hear my screams. I sank down against the wall and cried with defeat. What had I done?

  What felt like an eternity passed. I began to wonder if Algor might not return that day. And then I heard the door click.

  I rushed to the edge of the bed and sat, holding my head high with defiance. I would not let this crude man bully me.

  Algor entered, leaving the door open behind him. His hungry eyes roamed over me. I forced myself not to look away, telling myself I must remain strong.

  “I see you’ve taken my orders to clean yourself but not to change your clothing. You disappoint me, but no matter the wrapping. The gift inside is the same. It will be coming off anyways.” He licked his lips.

  A lump as hard as coal settled in my stomach. I shrank back onto the bed and pushed my knees up. “Don’t touch me.”

  He laughed, a lou
d bellowing sound that came from his belly, and then he launched himself at me. His hand grabbed my tangled hair, and he pulled my head back, so I had no choice but to stare straight into his face again. His wretched breath made me want to hurl, but I kept my eyes open wide and willed myself not to cry out at the pain.

  He leaned in to smell my neck, causing me to shrink away. “You don’t tell me what to do. You’re mine now, girl.” His lips curled in a sneer as he spat out the last word.

  He grabbed my ankle and slid his other big, rough hand up my leg, letting go of my hair.

  I did the only thing I could think to do. With my free leg, I kicked him with as much force as I could, right in the jaw.

  He fell back, the sneer wiped from his face.

  Wasting no time, I jumped off the iron-framed bed and bolted to the open door.

  Ha! I thought. Thank goddess he isn’t bright enough to close the door behind him. Perhaps he thought I wouldn’t fight back—a mistake on his part.

  As I got through the door, I heard him call, “Winslan!”

  A tall, lanky man with chestnut hair, about my own age, slid to a stop in front of me. I had no idea where he came from, but he must have been close by, guarding the bedchamber. He smiled at me before he grabbed my arm and twisted it behind my back. So this was my captor, here to take me once again.

  “Oh, no you don’t,” he said to me before calling out, “Master Algor, what would you have me do with her?”

  Algor limped out of the bedchamber, rubbing his jaw. “Take her to the dungeon! I will have to have my way with her once she’s weakened. So disappointing; just like all the others.”

  Just like all the others? He’d captured other women before me?

  “Yes, Master, as you wish.”

  Winslan hauled me down the staircase, keeping my arm pinned behind my back the whole way. I swear to Celestia, had he not had me in such a position, I could’ve gotten away from him. I daresay, he must have known it because he never once loosened his grip on my arm.

  “Ow! You’re hurting me!” I cried out. “Please! Let. Me. Go!”

  “Sorry, lassie, it’s either you or I.”

  “Surely it would be only a mistake if I escaped from you. I can see you’re not all bad,” I pleaded, hoping he did have some goodness in him.

  “Nay, you’re wrong. I’m all bad. That’s why Master Algor took me in when no one else would have such a thief in their household. I owe him everything. Besides, he would indeed punish me if you escaped. Ah! Why am I telling you anything? You’re nothing but one of my master’s prisoners. Stupid girl, wanderin’ the streets alone in the dark. What did you expect would happen to you?”

  I bit my lip as I tried, and failed, to choke back a sob. I was so naive to think I would make it outside of the palace walls. My royal sheltered life hadn’t prepared me for the dangers lurking in the shadows.

  He all but dragged me as we descended further and further down and away from the light. We reached a dark opening lit only by a couple of wall torches. The smell was foul… the air stale and cold. My eyes adjusted, and I saw iron bars as we stopped in front of a gate. Winslan pulled a key ring off of his belt and fiddled with a lock until the iron gate swung open with a whining sound, as if it hadn’t been opened for many seasons. He shoved me inside, my hands and knees smacking against the cold, slimy floor.

  I said the last thing I could think of, praying it might change his mind. “Please, I’m Zephyra Caldura of Solis—cousin of Queen Adelaide. She’ll be looking for me, and she shall reward my return generously.” My head hung low. Thieves loved coin. I could promise him more than his master would ever give him.

  “Ha!” he spat with disbelief. “Even if that were true, and not just some petty attempt to get me to let you go, it wouldn’t matter. My master doesn’t need any more wealth, he needs entertainment. And if I were to take you to Solis and ask for the reward for myself… I doubt we would even make it there before Master Algor had us hunted down and slaughtered in a most gruesome way.”

  He didn’t give me a chance to answer. He left me, taking my last hope with him.

  I lay down on the cold stone floor, utterly defeated.

  Chapter 13

  When I woke up on the hard floor, I had no idea as to how long I’d slept for. There was no way to see the light of day in that horrid dungeon. I dragged myself up slowly, my muscles aching, and made my way to the back wall. I felt a crunch beneath my feet and looked down. My stomach lurched. I had stepped on the bones of some other poor soul.

  “Hel—lo?” a scratchy voice from somewhere in the dark called. Panic rose within me. I’d assumed I was alone in this dungeon. I had neither seen nor heard anyone else when Winslan had thrown me inside.

  “Who’s there?” I scanned the dark cell, holding my cloak tightly around me.

  To my surprise, another woman limped out of the shadows, dragging her feet as though the effort of walking was too much for her. She looked like a skeleton with skin draped upon its bones. Her dark eyes were sunken in, and the bones of her cheeks protruded sharply out of her face. “So… they’ve caught another.” She stared at me with blank eyes. She shook herself as if finally remembering her manners. “Forgive me. I’m Meleini, but please call me Mel.”

  Her torn, dirt-streaked ivory dress hung off her frail body. I thought perhaps she may have once been beautiful, but this place had transformed her into something from a nightmare, and I felt a stab of guilt at having to avert my eyes.

  “I look that bad, do I? I suppose I must, for I feel death knocking on my door.” She sighed weakly. “And it’ll be welcomed.”

  I blinked at her. At last, I remembered my tongue. “How—how long have you been down here?”

  “Does snow still cover the ground?”

  “No. “’Tis spring now.”

  “I’ve lost track of how long I’ve been here. As you see, we never see the sun. When I was taken, snow barely covered the ground.” Her bitter laugh sounded like rattling bones. “How did they catch you, sweet… sorry, what’s your name?”

  “Apologies, I’m Zephyra.” I sat beside her and drew my knees up, hugging them tightly. “I came to Lottenheim to find passage to Terra but was knocked out and brought here.”

  “A shame. It isn’t safe for a lady to wander around all alone, you know?”

  “So I’ve learned.”

  “Too late; I suppose we shall both die here now,” she rasped without emotion. I sobbed at her words, but she kept going. “I was engaged to a wonderful man, or at least, I thought he was wonderful then. We were celebrating our engagement at his parents’ manor when he disappeared. I found him kissing my sister in the storeroom.

  “I left without anyone noticing, paid a carriage to take me back to my own parents’ home. The curtains were drawn, so I couldn’t see where we were going, but I felt no need to look; I was in too much misery. Before I knew it, the carriage stopped, and a young man dragged me out by my hair and into this manor. Two men threw me in here and told me I was to be their master’s new play-thing. Apparently, he’d recently lost his last one.”

  “You mean, whoever he’d captured before you, actually escaped?” I gawked at her.

  “No, I mean she died—in here. That’s whose bones these are—the mistresses Algor held before us. I think perhaps no woman has ever loved him, so he locks us away when we refuse to be compliant. I talk to them sometimes. At first, they only listened, but now they talk back to me. I suppose I’m finally losing my hold on my sanity.

  “You’ve joined me down here, though. A real, live person. What’s a curse for you is a blessing for me. You see, I won’t have to die alone anymore.” A weak smile tugged on her lips, and she patted my arm, as if to offer comfort.

  I gaped at her, speechless. This woman was barely holding on to her sanity. I wondered how long it would be before I lost my own. No, I scolded myself. I could not let myself lose sight of reality. I’m going to get out of here.

  I decided not to speak my thoughts
out loud. I didn’t want to give her false hope. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to escape before her life flickered out. Instead, I crawled to a wall and leaned against it, pulling the hood of my cloak up.

  Without meaning to, I dozed off again. My eyes snapped open at the sound of chains rattling as the gate was unlocked.

  An enormous, hairy man with a sword at his belt squeezed through the gate and threw down two bowls. “Here ya go, ya dogs. Dinner’s served! Eat it or don’t, but it’s all ya get today.”

  He pulled a water pitcher out of the crook of his arm, filled two metal cups, and set them down beside the bowls. Whistling, he turned and went back through the gate. I heard a slam and a click as he shut and relocked it.

  I rubbed my eyes with my fists and crawled to the bowls and cups he had left. Scraps from the last meal barely covered the bottom of the dishes. I poked at some kind of slimy, green vegetable and pieces from part of a chicken that had already been picked at. There was hardly enough meat on the bones left to eat.

  I picked up one of the bowls and took it over to Mel. She stirred as I lowered the dish. I guessed she’d fallen asleep too. Or she was too weak to bother moving to take her share.

  “No, no you take both. You should keep your strength up. I’m a lost cause—happy to be gone from this life,” she pleaded with me. Apparently, she didn’t want her portion.

  “But Mel, you’re weaker than I. ’Tis you who should take both.”

  She tossed her head back and forth uncontrollably, screeching, “No! No! You can’t make me!”

  I backed up, horrified by her reaction. “All right. All right. Shh. I’ll eat both.”

  She sunk back down and closed her mouth, satisfied. “Thank you.”

  I scooped the cold vegetables into my mouth with my fingers and sucked the chicken bones clean.