The Elemental Diaries - Complete Series

by Andrea Lamoureux

  “Then go tumble with her.”

  I winced inwardly. Wrong choice of words judging by the heat now in her eyes. “That’s… it’s not what I meant.” Why was this so hard?

  Blaise raised her chin, defiant… waiting. Her luscious lips curved downward.

  I reached forward and slid a finger across those lips. In the blink of an eye my own lips replaced that finger.

  The kiss was intense… ravenous, as though it would satisfy both our hungers.

  It ended as quickly as it had begun.

  “I have to go,” Blaise breathed. And then I was standing on the wrong side of the closed door.

  I left frustrated and alone. I did not slumber well that night.

  The Guard, along with some of the most favoured courtiers, dined with the king and queen the night after we’d returned home.

  Elly did not attend. The wound on her forearm wasn’t healing properly according to Blaise. Infection had set in. The healer worked hard to fight it, but she would likely loose part of her arm.

  “I’ve been given a new task,” Blaise revealed as she sat beside me, picking at her piece of apple pie.

  “Have you?” I set my fork down and turned to face her. “What task?”

  “I’m to collect taxes from the outlying villages. With Reynard.”

  I breathed deeply and counted to ten before replying, “We only arrived home yesterday. Constable Bouvant would send you out so soon? When do you leave?”

  “Tomorrow.”

  I slid my chair back and stood up. I strode to where Constable Bouvant sat close to the rulers. He chuckled at something Ger had said from across the table. I tapped the constable on his shoulder. “A word, sir.”

  He eyed me before wiping his hands and excusing himself. Once we’d exited the hall so we could speak in private, he crossed his arms. “What’s so important you can’t wait until we’re on duty?”

  “You’re sending Blaise to collect taxes tomorrow. Her friend will likely lose her arm, and we only just returned home.”

  The constable flicked his eyes over me, and I saw the man who’d once been Terra’s best soldier. “The king trusts her with his coin, and she agreed to go. Not that I owe you an explanation.”

  I was taller than him, but he made me feel small. Still, I didn’t back down. “Send me in her stead.”

  The constable breathed through his nose and closed his eyes, releasing me from his wrath. “You’re needed here, in case more vermin show up in the name of Vesirus. I trust your comrade told you about that.” He opened his eyes again, they’d warmed a little. “And you are to help with training some of the new soldiers. You’re a knight. You don’t get to do the menial tasks.”

  “She deserves better than this.” I still fumed.

  Constable Bouvant ground his teeth and moved closer to me, that steel creeping back into his gaze. “Stand down, Sir Sepheus.” He moved past me and muttered, “Maybe you need some time apart.”

  I was too furious to return to the hall. The feast was nearly over anyways. King Corbin would forgive me. I’d rather be rude by parting this way than saying something I regretted in front of the rulers.

  So I went to the room Elly rested in.

  The healer answered my knock, her mouth set in a thin line. “She’s resting.”

  “I can watch her until Blaise returns.”

  The healer looked me up and down. “But you are a man.”

  I put my hand on the door to open it wider. “I am a knight and her comrade. It offends me to think you believe I’d cause her any harm.

  I held her stare, a battle of wills.

  She backed down. “Fine. I’ve left some tea. Don’t give her too much at once.” She picked up her pack of supplies and said, as she moved to pass me, “I’ll return tomorrow to remove her arm.”

  I paled. “It can’t be saved?”

  “It’s either her arm or her life.”

  My tongue suddenly wouldn’t work.

  “Good evening, sir,” she huffed and marched off.

  A pallet sat on the floor along one wall. Elly lay in the bed across from it covered in white cotton sheets. I took a seat beside her.

  She cracked her eyes open a bit. “Sepheus, what are you doing here?” she asked, sleep making her voice rough.

  “I’m taking care of a friend.” I picked up the cloths from the bedside table and pressed it to her forehead.

  She managed a soft laugh. “What’s the real reason?”

  I sat back. “I’m waiting for Blaise, but I am concerned about you. How’s your arm?”

  She lifted her bandaged forearm. Red streaks crept from beneath the cloth wrapped around the wound. I noted the sheen of sweat on her face. Fever had taken hold. She lowered her injured arm and accepted the tea I handed her with her uninjured one. “I’m going to lose it thanks to the filthy bastards,” she scowled.

  “You’ll do fine with one arm.”

  “It’s my sword arm.” She sipped the cup of tea, to hide the tears threatening to fall.

  I took the cup back from her and set it down. “So we’ll train you to use your other arm.”

  “Thank you for trying to make me feel better. If only you could bring back that poor priestess too.” She swallowed and then continued, her voice stronger. “I wish those two sacks of scum were still alive so I could kill them again.”

  “You killed them both?” I didn’t hide my surprise.

  “I had help, but yes.”

  I patted her hand, the one she’d be keeping. “I’m sorry the priestess was lost. You did good nonetheless.”

  “I know.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “These are dark times. People are acting in the name of the Dark Lord… the Dark Lord, Sepheus.”

  “Anyone who worships Vesirus is a fool. We will annihilate each and every one of them. Most of the people of this realm are devoted to Celestia,” I said more to myself than her. “I doubt many would turn to the Dark Lord.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  Before I could answer, Blaise entered the room. She froze when she saw me beside Elly. “You left the feast early,” she said to me, smiling at Elly as she picked up her arm to inspect it. She sighed and set it back down softly.

  “I was angry,” I explained.

  Elly’s eyelids fluttered shut and her breathing deepened. Effects of the tea.

  “What are you doing here?” Blaise asked, pulling out her sack from beside her pallet. She’d have to repack it. Even though she’d probably just unpacked it from her last quest.

  “Why did you agree to go on a menial errand with Reynard so soon? Aren’t you happy to be home?”

  She busied herself with stuffing a pair of breeches and a tunic into the sack. “Of course I’m happy to be home, but King Corbin trusts me with this, with carrying his coin. I’m not going to refuse.”

  “I should go with you.” I walked over to stand over her.

  “No, stay. Ensure nothing like this,” she waved her hand at a slumbering Elly, “happens again.”

  I sighed, crouching down to take her hands in mine. “Be careful. There’s a chance you could end up collecting from one of the Dark Lord’s devotees.”

  She squeezed my hands. “I’ll be fine. I’ll be back before you realize I’m gone.”

  I brushed a strand of hair off her cheek. “I doubt that.” I didn’t want to let her go. I needed her to keep the darkness at bay. But we had our orders, and we couldn’t ignore them.

  Her amber eyes sparkled as she pressed her lips to the back of my hand. “When I return, let’s go for that walk.”

  I could only nod as Elly stirred in the bed.

  Blaise glanced at her sack. “I should finish packing and get some sleep. Will you watch out for her while I’m away?”

  “Of course. She’s part of The Guard. She’ll be back to her own duties by the time you return.”

  Relief softened her features and she let go of my hands. “Thank you.”

  Hope, she’d given me hope. Maybe she w
asn’t ashamed to be with me. Something inside my chest, my once cold heart, warmed.

  As I wandered back to my own room, I couldn’t help but smile.

  Chapter 18

  I turned nineteen at some point over the winter.

  Elly’s arm had been chopped off at the elbow and cauterized. She tried to hide her self-pity, but it simmered beneath the surface anyways.

  I paid her visits while she healed and, once she was well enough, I began training her to fight with her left arm. She often stormed off the training field, frustrated. But she always returned the next morning, more determined.

  When I wasn’t training with Elly, I trained young soldiers alongside Ger. We hadn’t discovered any other worshippers of Vesirus. Perhaps the two who’d raided the Temple and killed the priestess had been the only ones foolish enough to turn to the Dark Lord. I believed that to be the case until spring, when everything changed.

  Blaise and Reynard returned with sacks of coin a few days before King Corbin and the queen were to set off for Noctis De Celestia in Aquila.

  They had arrived in the middle of the night while I was asleep in my room. I heard the news in the morning and intended to ask her for that walk later that night. After she’d had time to settle in.

  I planned to tell her how much she meant to me. How she’d been a speck of light against the darkness inside my heart.

  But on the day I planned to reveal my heart to that fierce, beautiful woman, my world turned upside down.

  Elly didn’t need me for training anymore. I was confident she could kill with her left hand now. And Ger and I had given our trainees the day to rest after getting beaten up and knocked down the three previous afternoons. Constable Bouvant had us guarding the gate instead.

  I had busied myself with polishing my sword while Ger leaned against the wall half asleep when two riders came cantering up.

  Ger was instantly alert and had his hand on the hilt of his sword. I dropped the polishing rag and pointed my sword forward as they halted their horses.

  Both riders were covered in filth. Dirt caked the face of the male with ebony hair. His tunic and breeches were faded and torn, so was the female’s riding dress. The woman’s hair had come loose from its braid, and strands stuck to her sweat-coated face. I took in the bright red shade of her hair and wondered... could she be the lost royal from Solis?

  The woman swung off her horse and clasped the front of my uniform so fast I didn’t have time to react. Her emerald eyes flashed bright and wild as she said in a hoarse voice, “Take me to your king.”

  The black haired male had dismounted. He and Ger had both unsheathed their blades.

  “Please,” the woman begged. “I need to warn your king. I’m trying to save this kingdom!”

  I cocked my head at her. She could be a mad woman—or she could be Queen Adelaide’s cousin. Maybe she was both. I eyed Ger and the man she’d come with. Both waited, ready to strike at the first sign of threat. I rested my gaze back on the freckled woman. “Might you be Zephyra Caldura?”

  She lifted her chin a little. “What does it matter if I am? We’re all doomed anyway unless you take me to King Corbin.”

  She hadn’t denied it. If she was the missing royal, King Corbin would wish to speak with her. I turned my gaze to the ebony-haired man. “If your friend gives up his sword, we’ll take you to see the king.”

  She released my uniform and nodded to her friend. “Give it to him, Percifal. We’ll get it back after we see the king.”

  Percifal flipped his sword over and handed it hilt forward to Ger. My friend kept his unsheathed but lowered it.

  We escorted them to the throne room.

  King Corbin took one look at the pair and bellowed to the courtiers, “Leave us!”

  The lords and ladies lucky enough to live at court scattered and disappeared through the exits and out into the corridor. Before long, only the four of us stood before the rulers. We all bowed respectfully.

  I was about to explain the interruption when the woman met the king’s eyes and said, “I am Zephyra Caldura, and I have come to warn you of an evil meant to destroy your kingdom and the rest of Sarantoa.”

  Queen Nicola froze beside her husband, but he simply tapped his short, pudgy fingers on his knee a few times before stating, “You’re the lost royal from Solis. Your kingdom’s been looking for you.”

  “Did you not hear the rest of what I said? Your kingdom’s in danger.” Her eyes bore into his, unblinking… unfaltering. She was used to dealing with royalty.

  “Speak to the king in such a manner again and I’ll throw you in the dungeons regardless of your status,” I warned, but King Corbin held his hand up to silence me.

  Percifal shot me a glare from the other side of Zephyra.

  “Tell us then, what is this evil you speak of?” King Corbin pressed.

  “You must not travel to Aquila for Noctis De Celestia. King Zaeden has joined forces with Vesirus. He’s marching toward Terra with an army as we speak.” Still as a statue, she waited for him to answer.

  Everyone except Percifal had lost their tongues. The queen appeared absolutely horrified. She was buying the story. Ger likely felt the way I did. The warning was absurd. The Dark Lord of Mnyama wouldn’t bother with a mortal king. Yes, he had followers who’d committed hideous acts in his name, but Vesirus himself…

  As if King Corbin had read my mind, he asked, “Why would the Dark Lord help King Zaeden? I’ve heard King Zaeden wanted to go to war with the rest of the realm after we refused to back him on his foolish conquest against the island, Gwon, but I never imagined he actually had the balls to come after the other three kingdoms.”

  “In exchange for aiding him in conquering all of Sarantoa, King Zaeden is working with Vesirus to bring the dark world here. I don’t believe he could’ve accomplished this without the aid of a mortal.” Zephyra looked to Percifal. “We still don’t know all of the details… like why he’s chosen to attack here first.”

  When King Corbin looked like he was about to dismiss Zephyra’s warning, Percifal interjected, “Your Majesty, if I may?” King Corbin nodded. “I understand this all sounds like madness, but Zephyra’s telling the truth. I’ve witnessed it myself. Phyra, show him,” he urged the Solis royal.

  Zephyra stepped back from the rulers and held out her hand, palm facing the domed ceiling. Her eyes focused on the space above her palm. Flames instantly appeared upon it. They danced along her fingertips like courtiers at a ball. She dropped her hand to her side and the fire disappeared as if it’d never been there. Her skin remained untouched, not one sign of a burn mark as she showed it to us. She had magic. And not just the simple kind. Magic like mine. More powerful than any witch.

  I saw the fear glowing in King Corbin’s brown eyes.

  I moved to apprehend Zephyra, but Queen Nicola spoke before I had my sword out from its sheath. “An elemental.” Zephyra bowed her head to the queen. “No one in this world has had such power for centuries. Why would Celestia gift us with it now?” The queen twisted a piece of chestnut hair around one of her tiny manicured fingers.

  An elemental, is that what I was?

  “I believe you’ve just answered your own question, Your Majesty,” Zephyra replied. “Celestia knew her brother… Vesirus would try and take us from her. She knew he would need to be stopped.” She pled to King Corbin again. “Why would I make this up? If I meant you harm, surely I would have attacked you already.”

  King Corbin looked at his queen. She whispered something into his ear. He took a deep breath before answering. “While I don’t believe the goddess or her brother would bother with our world, my wife makes a good point. We don’t wish to take the chance. We’ll stay in Terra for Noctis De Celestia and will set up our defenses.” His face fell flat as he leaned forward and said, “If you try to harm anyone in my kingdom, I will have you executed, and your head will be sent to Queen Adelaide.”

  “Thank you, Your Majesties.” Zephyra curtsied gracefully.

&
nbsp; “Find someone to assist them,” Queen Nicola ordered me and Ger, wrinkling her small nose. “They’re both in need of baths and clean attire.”

  We bowed again and took our leave of the rulers. Of course the courtiers waited right outside the doors with listening ears. Soon the whole kingdom would know about the elemental who’d come to warn us all. Gossip was the one thing that could be counted on at court. If Vesirus still had worshippers in Terra, they’d be rejoicing.

  I had been so sure King Corbin was going to lock Zephyra up for her power. If my power was like hers, maybe he’d let me live as well. Regardless, I couldn’t imagine sharing my ability with him. He trusted me, and that meant me not keeping secrets from him. If this enemy was truly coming, I decided I’d fight it with a sword.

  On my way to find Constable Bouvant, I spotted Blaise. She wasn’t alone. She walked along the pathway with Reynard, both of them laughing as she leaned in and said something in his ear. My stomach dropped.

  Noticing me watching, Blaise stopped laughing. “Sepheus, I’ve been looking for you.”

  “I’ve been busy,” I said through my teeth. “It looks like you have been too.” I set my sight on Reynard. Of course they’d grown close. They’d spent the whole damn winter together. She’d be happier with him anyways.

  Blaise put some distance between Reynard and herself as she said to him. “Go on ahead. I’ll see you later.”

  I started to back off too, but she grabbed my wrist. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “Vesirus is coming,” I spat.

  She froze, her hand tightening around my wrist. “Are you jesting?”

  “I wish I was. The lost Solis royal showed up at our gates. Turns out she has elemental magic. Apparently King Zaeden is working with Vesirus. He and his army are marching for us now.”

  “But—that’s—you—”

  I cut her off before she could articulate her thoughts. “I need to find Constable Bouvant. We need to prepare our defenses.”

  She finally released my wrist. “Listen, Reynard and I, we’re not—”

  “It doesn’t matter. We’ll all be dead soon if we don’t find a way to stop Vesirus.” I left before she could get another word out.