Forsaken Secrets: A slow-burn new adult fantasy romance (Isle of the Forsaken Book 1)

by Olivia K Moto

  Eli nodded. "Lynk told her."

  He said that as though she knew who Lynk was … just how much had Eli told her?

  "I see." She turned towards me. "I'm so sorry, Kaiya. This all must be a bit of a shock for you."

  I nodded, looking between the two of them. Did she know about my magic? No. Eli wouldn't have told her something like that …

  "Is Uncle around?" Eli asked.

  Mrs. Harlsted shook her head. "No. He's off doing errands. Kaiya, I'm cooking roast frell and lemon bread tonight. You wouldn't want to join us, would you? Eli, here, said you saved his life. Dinner is the least we could do for keeping our favorite nephew alive. Besides, you promised …"

  I smiled and held up my hands. "No, no. It's okay. You know how it is with the Season coming up. I need to get home to my aunt as soon as I can. Besides, Eli has given me a job and tools to repay the supposed life-debt."

  "I see. Well, you'll need to come over sometime. I'm still a little miffed that the two of you met without me!"

  I made a non-committal sound, then looked to Eli. He'd better do something and fast, or we'd end up married before the Season was over.

  He winked at me, then turned to his aunt. "Do you know anything about those little pearls everyone is carrying around, Aunt?" I grimaced at the term. How people treated them as though they were simple jewelry was beyond me. Did they not know? I wanted to ask Mrs. Harlsted, but Eli had intentionally used the pearl phrasing, so she must not know.

  Her eyes widened briefly before she nodded. "Yes. They've become quite popular lately." She glanced outside at the church across the street. "And since the Sir Litsor came as the new vicar, they've become even more precious. I think he might use them as some sort of reward for his parishioners? I'm not sure — but I see more and more people carrying rosaries of them around."

  I cringed. Could that be why there were so many people at services that morning? Gods … had it really just been that morning that we'd been here?

  I looked over to the counter and saw Eli's note and the money still in a pile by the register.

  "Did we leave enough for the supplies?"

  She looked over, confused for a second, then smiled and nodded. "Yes. You actually left too much. I need to sort through it this afternoon and get the change returned to young Eli here."

  Eli narrowed his eyes at her. "Just keep it! We took food, too, so that'll cover the difference."

  She huffed, but nodded.

  "Where do you get the rosaries from?" Eli asked.

  "Mr. Harlsted is actually hoping to get more today while he's at the shops in Ellesmere. We had a rush for more this week."

  Ellesmere? Of course. I should have known. If there were some sort of black-market dealings, it would have to happen down there. "Do you know where the shop is?"

  She shrugged. "He found out about it through a friend of a friend when the pearls started getting popular. You could probably ask when he gets back?"

  I started to reply, but Eli interrupted. "Thanks, Aunt. I think we'll just try to meet him there."

  Mrs. Harlsted clucked her tongue, then motioned towards the counter. "Well, if you're going down, there's some food back there for you. It's the same as what you took this morning, but I'm sure you're both hungry."

  My stomach let out a very unladylike rumble at that, and I coughed to cover it. Eli's lips quirked as he bowed deeply to his aunt. "You're the best."

  "Oh, you." She shushed him and went back to work, a smile on her rosy cheeks as she dusted and organized the shelving.

  I couldn't help staring at Eli as he wove through the shelves towards the back, fixing displays as he passed. He looked completely at home here.

  We got to the kitchen, and I groaned at the sight of a fresh loaf of bread and sliced meat. Gods, I was hungry. Lynk had distracted us when we got to the ruins and we hadn't even eaten our other meal! Eli had pulled the sodden mess out when Renhira dropped us off and neither of us had wanted to risk it.

  "Thanks, Eli."

  Eli smiled as he cut into the fresh loaf and placed the slices on the counter, covering them with sliced meat and some fresh vegetables. He passed me a set of two halves, and my mouth watered as I brought it to my lips.

  The first bite made me forget everything. "GODS, this is delicious!" I took another bite as quickly as I could, already regretting the loss of the first sandwich. It might have been worth eating soggy …

  Eli just laughed. "She's a magnificent cook, isn't she?"

  I nodded and stuffed the rest of the sandwich down my throat. Eli had already prepped a second set for the both of us. He wrapped it in wax paper and then a plastic sack of some sort before slipping it into his pack. "This time it's protected in case we decide to go on a little dive."

  I smirked at him and stared at the new pack he carried. This one was a deep red with a brown leather flap on top. "How many packs do you have?" I asked, my shoulders oddly empty without mine. It had been too soaked to use.

  He just shrugged and motioned for us to leave. I took a deep breath and followed him.

  "Where are we going?" he asked.

  I motioned towards the end of the road. "Why, to Ellesmere, of course!"

  He grinned at me. "Sounds exciting."

  "It isn't exactly safe … the entire area is a giant maze of ruins and it's full of thieves and criminals. Or so they say." I waggled my brows at him, and his smile just grew.

  "Well, I did say I was craving some adventure, didn't I?"

  I laughed. "So you did."

  It wasn't like we had any other options, anyway. The longer we waited, the less likely we could find something on who was behind the pearls.

  30

  Kaiya

  We crossed the archway at the edge of Ellesmere and looked around. So many doors were covered by yellow paint, each one a home under quarantine …

  Gods. This round of the plague had been brutal on the Ellesmerians.

  It was hard to imagine that this was the Capital's bustling shopping district before the Fall — a place where the merchant class thrived.

  Now it was just a collection of ruins turned homes. A few intrepid shopkeepers had used the ruins on the main thoroughfare to construct more permanent stores, but most hawked their wares from inside sun-faded canvas shelters smattered randomly along the dusty street.

  A robed figure stepped out of a shop across the street, and I tugged on Eli's sleeve. "Look! It's the vicar."

  He motioned towards a crumbling stone fountain to our right. A statue stood at the center … .a behemoth dragon with wings unfurled, almost completely obscuring a robed stone figure to its right, and providing the perfect hiding spot for us.

  The tribute to the Druid and the Drake was one of the few still standing in the Empire, let alone Gleyma, though I'd never been able to figure out why they'd given the Drake wings like a full dragon.

  We rushed over and crouched behind it, our knees almost touching. The vicar, completely oblivious to us, walked towards the crumbling archway with a pep in his step, his fingers convulsively rubbing one of those damn rosaries.

  Did he know what those pearls were? Gods, I hoped not. Surely a man of the gods would stay away from them if he did?

  I let out a relieved sigh when he moved out of sight. We could have lied if he'd found us, but I'd prefer to avoid that confrontation, if at all possible. I didn't need rumors getting back to Aunt Grace.

  Eli tapped my shoulder. "We safe yet?" That dimple in his cheek peeked out and his black hair fell forward to cover his forehead as he stared pointedly down. Our eyes met and something hot passed between us. I swallowed hard and followed his teasing gaze … .down to his lap … that I'd somehow sat down on.

  "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to -- " Heat flooded my cheeks, and I stood up, brusquely shaking my skirts and straightening my hair.

  He chuckled softly, the sound like honey on my frayed nerves, and pointed to the statue. "I haven't seen one of these in a while."

  I nodded. "When
the Druid and Drake went missing during The Fall, the Empire tried to tear it down like they did all the mage statues. The Ellesmerian community must have hid it away, though, because this one just disappeared. When it popped back up, the news spread across Gleyma, even to the Ridge, and we all expected someone from the Empire to come take it down. But no one has come yet …"

  "Why, though?" Eli gestured to the dilapidated surroundings. "You'd think whoever had it would've sold it."

  "I think that back then the Druid was their claim to fame — the legendary healer and his dragon — born of a merchant in this little part of the Capital. So they stored it away. I have no idea why they'd pull it out now, though the legend has gotten more popular again lately."

  I reached up and touched the coarse wing. What would it have been like to see, let alone ride a dragon? "That staff he's holding was said to be a relic carved from a tree in the Druid Forest on the Forsaken Isle. It would be worth a fortune to any of the collectors here."

  Eli looked like he was about to respond when a throat cleared loudly behind us. "Eli? Kaiya?"

  Damn. I recognized that voice …

  "Uncle!" Eli said, bowing deeply.

  Mr. Harlsted stood there, eyebrows raised as he rubbed his curled mustache. "And what might the two of you be doing here … alone?"

  "It wasn't what it looks like!" I assured him, cheeks warm as I thought of that moment on Eli's lap.

  "Aunt Harlsted told us you might be here, so we thought we'd come find you," Eli interjected, shooting him that winning smile of his as he looped his arm through his uncle's elbow. "Miss Maderoth, here, was simply telling me the lovely history of this statue while we waited."

  Mr. Harlsted was having none of it, though, and pulled himself free. "And why were you coming to find me?"

  His brown eyes drilled into mine. We'd planned to follow him to the shop. Or, if that failed, to ask around. But we were caught. And there was no way I could lie to the man who'd helped raise me for the past decade!

  Wincing, I leaned in and whispered our plan, careful to leave out all but the essentials.

  When I finished, his face was pale. "You will follow along and let me do all the speaking. Do you understand? That shop is no place for the two of you."

  I nodded.

  "Say nothing. That means you, Eli." He glared at the younger man.

  Eli smirked and rubbed the back of his neck, but nodded.

  We wound our way through the tents until finally we stood in front of a small building. The right wall was all one color — a pale yellow sandstone. Likely part of the original dwelling. The rest, though, was a patchwork quilt of bricks of different colors, shapes, and sizes. The owner must have taken apart the stones of different ruins and used them to build his store.

  Mr. Harlsted gestured for us to be quiet, then slipped through the wooden front door. I followed behind him and was immediately assaulted by the scents of stale tobacco and dust. A tall spindly man with sharp features, cropped pale hair, and narrow blue eyes stood behind the counter.

  He grunted when we walked in, but continued his conversation with his customer — a woman barely visible behind the tower of crates in front of the counter.

  I couldn't help contrasting the proprietor and the whole shop with the Harlsteds. Where their shop was warm and welcoming, this place was dark and left me feeling on edge. The shelves were fully stocked, but dust covered most of the items.

  Mr. Harlsted strode towards the counter and motioned for Eli and me to wander the rest of the store.

  Most of the aisles were empty, except for some random bits of fabric and a few food items.

  However, along the back wall was an open doorway. A shorter man dressed in burgundy livery stood there, blankly staring at the front of the store.

  What was back there that someone had to stand guard?

  Eli tugged on my arm, and we walked over. The man stepped away instantly.

  So if he wasn't guarding the area, what was he there for?

  We stepped past him and into a small room. A large lyphos lamp dangled from the ceiling, sending flickering shadows to illuminate shelves upon shelves of artifacts, old machinery, and books.

  "Wow! Look at that!" Eli said, dropping my arm to gesture at a small table in the center of the room.

  Atop it were objects of different sizes spread out haphazardly. In the middle of it all was a large, shiny, black cube with windows cut into every side.

  Inside of it was what looked like a chunk of pink coral.

  What was that?

  I walked up to it and as soon as I reached out, the coral burst into flames, brightening the room further.

  "What in the seven hells?" Eli said. "Didn't you learn anything from those relics in the caves? What if it's twisted?"

  He was right. I grimaced and stepped away. The coral didn't go out, though, and I couldn't help wondering what its purpose was.

  Relics using elemental magic were rare and very valuable, though this one was obviously faulty.

  I desperately wanted to reach out and look at its korra, but that man stood outside the room, and the last thing I needed was to be caught using my magic.

  "How is this even possible, Eli? Does the Empire never come here to collect?"

  He chuckled. "It's a black market, Kaiya. They probably own at least part of it, if not the whole thing."

  Of course. It was a brilliant way to let people work outside the law, while also being able to easily keep tabs on everything.

  I tore my eyes from the coral relic and wandered to the shelving on the walls, letting my fingers drift over the book spines and desperately wishing I had enough funds to purchase them all.

  Something tugged at me from the back of the shelves, though, and now familiar with the sensation, I reached back to see what it was.

  The space was mostly empty, but there was something there. It was … .smooth and rectangular?

  Curious, I pulled it out and smiled.

  The small wooden box was covered in gold filigree, and the initials JLM stood raised at the center. Carefully, I lifted the lid and looked inside.

  Atop a bed of green velvet, were dozens of rings and bracelets, as well as a few pendants with jewels at the center. They were beautiful, but obviously costume jewelry. I sorted through them, though, imagining what the original owner had been like and feeling for whatever had tugged at me, when something caught my eye.

  Stuck between folds of the green velvet was an ovular wooden pendant. It was completely smooth and unremarkable … except that when I touched it, all the stress from the day melted away.

  I turned and held it out to Eli.

  He lifted a brow, but reached out for it and gasped when his fingers made contact. "What — is that a relic?"

  "I don't know … it's strange, though. Right?"

  He nodded.

  I walked over to the table and grabbed one of the little magnifying glasses sitting out, then sat down to examine the pendant. I held it up to the fiery light, hoping it would illuminate something in the pendant to explain its odd effect on me. But when the pendant got close to the coral, the fire inside went out!

  Curious, I reached out and touched the black frame.

  The coral burst into flame again.

  I moved the wooden pendant closer again, and again it went out.

  "Do you see this?"

  Eli nodded. "It must be some kind of calming relic? Something to do with the spirit realm?"

  I stared at it, astonished. How amazing was that? I'd never heard of a relic that calmed people before. Who knew what other types had been lost to history …

  "I want to ask how you found it, but let me guess — it just felt right?"

  I looked up and grinned.

  "Well, Uncle Harlsted is talking to the owner now. We should probably go join him." He motioned towards the front with his chin.

  I looked back down at the relic and let out a frustrated sigh before sliding it back into the little jewelry box.

 
It was too bad I didn't have enough money to buy it. I could probably resell it through the Harlsteds for a small fortune!

  Casting one last look at the strange room, we slipped out the door, careful to look nonchalant. The manservant from before was gone, though.

  Perhaps he'd been with the customer from before?

  We stepped up front in time to see Mr. Harlsted arguing with the proprietor. "What do you mean you don't know? You were talking to me about them a few minutes ago."

  I grimaced. The owner just stood there, picking his nails.

  This wasn't going to work.

  I stepped forward, but a smooth, feminine voice came from behind us. "Tiernan. You didn't tell me you had any tempered relics in the shop! What else are you keeping from me?"

  The owner perked up at that, his face turning a deep shade of purple as he stepped around the counter. "I apologize, Lady Frexin. I was not aware that we had any. The only tempered relics I know of are a faulty fire coral, as I told you before."

  A petite hand appeared out of the corner of my vision, dangling that wooden pendant from her index finger. That manservant really had been spying on us!

  Thank the gods I hadn't used my magic.

  Tiernan turned and glared at me. "Was this your doing?"

  "How could it be my doing?" I asked, mind racing as I stared wide-eyed at the strange woman.

  She was an unusual-looking woman; her face a little too sharp to be typically beautiful. And her pink hair curled in tight spirals around her face. I'd never seen anyone with pink hair! Atop her head sat the tiniest hat I'd ever seen, covered with a pair of goggles. They were metal, but the fronts were tinted a deep shade of blue, and it looked as though there were parts with different magnifications attached to the sides.

  Who was she that the owner would be so concerned, though? And what was a proper lady doing in a black market?

  Licking my lips, I looked between the two of them.

  "I — I was just looking at the items on the shelves and stumbled on it."

  Lady Frexin tilted her head to the side and pulled a strange little looking glass from her sleeve. "Girl, stop lying. Who are you? Who did you apprentice under?"