A Blue Star Rising
Page 1
Also by Cecilia Randell
The Adventures of Blue Faust
A Girl Named Blue
Behind These Blue Eyes - A Between the Adventures Novella
Beyond Blue Frontiers
For a Pixie in Blue
A Blue Star Rising
Wild is the Blue (coming February 2019)
The Forgotten Trilogy
A Forgotten Goddess
The Legends That Remain (coming December 2018)
The Final Melody (coming January 2019)
Blinded Beauty (as part of the Realms and Rebels boxed-set)
A Blue Star Rising
Cecilia Randell
The Adventures of Blue Faust:
The Beginning of the Rest, Finally…
Copyright © 2018 by Cecilia Randell
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All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotes in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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eBook Published 2018
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Editing by Heather Long and Jennifer Hinson
Front cover image by Katrina Curry, Crimson Phoenix Creations
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Published by Blue Wren Publishing
author@ceciliarandell.com
Created with Vellum
This one is for all of you out there who never gave up on your dream.
Contents
Maps
Preface
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Epilogue
Glossary
About the Author
MAP OF THE WORLDS
Preface
Many believe that Earth is the only world with life. Others believe that there is life out there, but it is so far away and so alien to us that we will never understand it. Both are wrong.
Somewhere amidst the universes is a world called Karran. This world has a unique trait. It has what the natives call “thin spaces,” where time and space between it and other worlds become disrupted, allowing travel. One such world is Earth.
Whether human life began on Karran—traveling to Earth through the portals—or on Earth, traveling to Karran, is not known, though many suspect Karran to be the origin point.
There are other worlds as well. These worlds all contain areas where the energy corresponds to those “thin spaces.” They also contain humanoid life, supporting the “Karran first” theory. Some have advanced civilizations—have even developed space travel and open trade with other worlds. They formed an alliance to advance and support the welfare of these worlds. Others are still relatively primitive and thought to be too dangerous to deal with openly. Earth falls among the latter.
While those on Karran have developed methods to control the thin spaces and portals between the worlds, these can still sometimes activate on their own, transporting accidental travelers. One such “thin space” is near Austin, Texas, and one such traveler is Blue Faust. These are her adventures through the universes.
Prologue
DEMIL
Demil shut off the monitor and leaned back in his chair.
It was late, nearly 23:00. His office, tucked under a small bar in the central entertainment district and secure behind three checkpoints, was swathed in shadows. A lone lamp provided just enough light for him to read the papers scattered across the surface of his desk.
He favored the dark; it helped him think. He preferred organizing his thoughts on paper. His printer beeped out an alert, and he rose to collect the latest report coming through, this one from an agent on Turamm. That made six incidents total—including two deaths—scattered over four planets. He still wasn’t sure if they were connected, but there were too many similarities for him to dismiss them.
Scanning the highlights of the report, he suppressed a sigh. They’d just finished cleaning up the Prizzoli mess, and now he had another mystery on his hands. Why can’t we just have the usual cases of bribery and assassination for a few more months?
They needed a team on this now. The Order had hesitated too long with the kidnappings associated with the crystals of Padilra. He still thought many of the deaths could have been avoided if he had stepped in sooner. Or connected the dots more quickly.
He shoved aside the thoughts. Regret and supposition were useless. He needed facts, which meant more feet on the ground looking for the cause and verifying if these incidents were connected or isolated occurrences.
The latest report described more of the same symptoms noted in the other incidents: tremors, bleeding from the ears and nose, headaches, and stomachaches. In two previous cases there had been hemorrhaging in the right hemisphere of the brain—neither of those victims had survived. If the incidents had all been in one area, he would have suspected an outbreak of some sort, but the victims were too scattered for that to be viable.
A new detail jumped out at him. The agent had noted a faint tint of green on the tips of the latest victim’s fingers. He hadn’t been able to get a clear shot of them—he’d only had access to the recovery room at the hospital for a few moments—but it was a new piece to the puzzle. Some poisons could leave traces like that…
Demil made a note to have blood-analysis reports secured where they were available.
He rounded his desk and sank into his chair. He knew who he wanted on this, but he hesitated to call them in. The girl wasn’t ready, and Mo’ata had made it clear that for the foreseeable future he would not be accepting any assignments that took him away from Karran, or her. Felix was being stubborn as well, refusing to report back to his unit now that the Prizzoli assignment was over. There had already been two calls from General Audal’s aide insisting on the return of their man. Demil had instructed Felix to put in for a leave, at the very least.
This girl, David Faust’s daughter, was inconveniencing him. Shoving aside a short stack of folders, he dug out an image captured on the group’s return to Tremmir as they’d exited the Ministry’s headquarters. She was mid-stride, head twisted to the side, mouth stretched in a wide smile. Mo’ata and Felix—two of his best agents—flanked her, the piquet cubs perched on their shoulders. The young man who had accompanied her from Earth was just behind her and to the side, the Prizzoli and Ministry agents on either side of him, with Zeynar off to the left.
Demil smirked. If the Family head knew this picture existed, he would surely do all he could to see it destroyed. Zeynar gazed at Faust’s daughter, and even in the surveillance sna
pshot, his expression bordered on adoration. Demil’s attention went back to the girl. She was wide-eyed, innocent—maybe even naïve—and almost certainly idealistic. Not a combination that appealed to him, especially in an agent, and one that usually created more trouble than it was worth. But she’d also shown she could keep her head and work with a team. He’d keep his promise to Mo’ata and allow her a chance.
However, none of this solved the immediate problem. He needed a team to investigate this newest development. He flicked the photo aside, stood, and made his way to the main floor of the bar, mentally sorting through which of his agents were available. Not many, and not the best.
The bar was crowded, but it was a calm night—no one was brawling. He nodded to the bartender and slid into his booth. Jana and Scott took up their posts, preparing to block any unscheduled visitors.
The door opened and a deep laugh rang out. A slender, dark-haired man entered. Niall. Hmmm… A new agent, but he had shown a proficiency in infiltration. With some backup, he would do.
Faces crowded into his mind. Agents he’d recruited, mentored, and sent out on assignment. Agents who’d never made it back. And behind them, the first face, shrouded in shadows. One he refused to recall.
A mug of foka was set in front of him, just the first of the night. Sometimes he lamented that his metabolism precluded an ability to become drunk. As he sipped, his gaze snagged on a rounded backside and travelled up to rove over flame-red hair twisted into tight braids. Sienna. Their eyes met, and her lips curled up in invitation.
There were always other ways to forget. He tipped his head, and she slid from the stool, sauntered past his guards, and slid into the booth to sit beside him. Yes, there were other ways to forget. He’d get Niall on the case tomorrow.
Chapter 1
BLUE
A hand, large and hard with calluses, flattened over Blue’s belly as a sliver of sunlight cut across her face. The scent of pine and herbs surrounded her, seeping into her very being. It was the essence of her clansman, and she never wanted to go a day without it again. She drew in a breath, sighed, then snuggled back into the heat of the man behind her. A hard length pressed against her backside, and she smiled. Maybe they’d have time for more than cuddles before the day had to begin…
A loud knock sounded on the connecting door, and Mo’ata groaned behind her. Blue cracked open an eye as Forrest rounded the foot of the bed and stared down at them. For a moment his expression was somber, brows drawn together in the slightest of frowns. Then Mo’ata curled around her, half tucking her under him, and ground out, “Too early. Go away.” Then he mumbled something in Tormani—the clan language—that sounded suspiciously harsh.
Blue squeaked as the air was crushed out of her and glanced back at Forrest. Mouthing “Help, I’m being smushed,” she freed a hand and waved it at him. She didn’t like that look on her Forrest, and soon, very soon, she would find out what kept putting it there.
His expression softened, and after a moment he grinned. Then two piquet cubs, each now the size of a very large house cat, leaped from behind Forrest and onto Mo’ata’s back, crushing Blue further into the mattress and squeezing the last bit of oxygen from her lungs.
With a laugh, Forrest grabbed her hand and pulled her from under Mo’ata. She landed on the room’s rug with a soft thud and grinned up at Forrest. “Thank—”
His gaze slid from her face and down her body, heating as he took her in. Blue took him in in turn. He’d dressed already, but maybe…
Then she remembered she wasn’t wearing anything and lay practically spread-eagle on the floor. With a chirp that sounded remarkably like the sounds the cubs made, she rolled closer to the bed and grabbed the edge of the sheets, tugging until she was at least partially covered.
Mo’ata’s head appeared over the edge of the mattress, grinning widely. “Now shopa, you know you have nothing to be embarrassed about. Forrest and I have seen—”
She slapped her hand over that grinning mouth. “I know. It’s just—and you’re both— with the sun, and I don’t—” She stopped. Nothing that came out of her mouth was making any sense, so there was no point in talking. And he was right, they had both seen her in all her glory, as she liked to think of it. But despite the fact that they had formed their own little prida—that she had married them—this was the first time they had both been there while she was naked. Not that she really minded. It was just new, and she hadn’t prepared herself very well for this new thing.
But maybe…
“As much as I appreciate where this conversation may be going, there are plans for the day,” Forrest said, breaking into her wayward musings. “Time to get up.”
Blue pushed aside the images of bare skin and sleek muscles that had crowded in on her, and she twisted, keeping one eye on Forrest while she attempted to tug more of the sheet free. “I thought we had the day off,” she said.
They needed that day off. She had been meaning to lounge in bed until her stomach drove her from under the covers and then maybe do some shopping. Actually, shopping definitely needed to be on the list. She was supposed to go with Jason to a gathering tonight, and nothing she owned was even remotely appropriate to wear. Those were supposed to be the extent of her “plans” for the day. Blue was not happy with someone adding to those.
It had been twelve days since they’d returned to Karran. The few days of rest they’d received on Padilra were all they’d been given. Since then, it had been nonstop meetings, debriefings, and lectures from officials that she only half-understood. She hadn’t even had a chance to meet with Dean Gravin or respond to Dorani Faust’s invitation for a visit. Hell, she still had no idea what to respond with.
They were also still looking for an apartment, one big enough to hold five people, two animals, and a beast-mount. Even as large as Tremmir was, space like that was at a premium, and the task was proving much more difficult than she’d thought. Not that she’d ever apartment-hunted before…
“Hey, they’re good plans, I promise. Just the three of us,” Forrest said, kneeling beside her. “We need this, Blue.” His brows pinched, and that solemn look returned. “With everything that’s happened, I feel like all I’ve gotten are stolen moments. We need to figure out how this is really going to work.”
“This?” she asked. Her stomach tightened.
Mo’ata pulled his mouth away from her hand. “Our prida.” He scooted to the foot of the bed and stood in all his glory. “And Forrest is correct. We have things to settle and discuss, and it should be just the three of us for this conversation, for now. Felix and Levi are aware of our plans, and are taking care of some things themselves. Also, I have some spots in the city I’d like to show you, both of you. Favorites of mine. We are stealing the day for ourselves.” He stood there making no move to cover himself, hair wild and tattoos covering his arms and part of his chest, and the scar—acquired in a sparring accident on Padilra—slicing across his left cheek. In that moment he was a true barbarian.
My barbarian. Blue grinned. He wasn’t one, not really, but maybe with a loincloth…
He turned away and strode to the bathing room, and she sighed. The back was as good as the front.
Forrest snorted, and her attention shot to him. The pinched look was back, and his smile was tight. “What?” she asked. Well, she had wanted to get to the bottom of what was going through his mind, and now was the perfect time. She rolled from beside the bed and wrapped the sheet around her shoulders. Then she snuggled into Forrest where he now sat on the floor because… well, because she could.
She loved that she could do that. It still wasn’t quite real to her. Forrest was hers. She could touch him—kiss him—whenever she wanted. She could take his hand or grab his arm or run her fingers through his hair. She could climb into his lap or tickle his side.
When he remained silent, she decided to do just that. He squirmed away and laughed, his head tipped back and the gold curls of his hair bouncing. He was in need of a trim, but she was b
eginning to get attached to the shaggy look.
Forrest wrapped his arms around her, trapping her own to her side, and pulled her into his chest so that she was snugged between his legs. “What?” she asked again and rested her head against his shoulder. She breathed in, and there it was, the subtle scent she’d discovered to be uniquely Forrest. Unlike Mo’ata’s pine and herb, Forrest’s was faint, not something you would notice unless you looked for it. Blue had.
She inhaled again and tried to break it down. It had become a game to her late at night to isolate just what made up that scent. If warmth had a scent, she thought this was what it would be. Like fresh bread, or popcorn, but sweet, like vanilla, underlaid with the bite of a slight musk. She took another breath. Or maybe that was cinnamon? And the musk was more of a woodsy scent, like sandalwood…
“Are you sniffing me?” Forrest rested his chin on her head. She didn’t need to look up to know he was smiling.
“Yes. I’m trying to figure out what you smell like.”