“During your Proving, you will come face to face with your demons. All your fears of inadequacy, self-judgment, and all of your failures. You will not pass your Proving until you come to terms with who you are at the very core of your being. And for most, it’s a deeply disturbing and humbling experience. It’s why Darius didn’t want to see you at first. He couldn’t face you.”
Allie held on to Emma’s hands as if they’d keep her rooted in this moment, so she didn’t have to move forward. She could almost hear the clock ticking.
“And on top of all that, you will have to conquer your power, each of your gifts, and master the art of being a Syntrophos.”
Allie took a deep breath, trying to still her racing pulse. "And how long do I have to prepare for this impossible task?"
"Your Proving will take place within the year."
What happened in the four years Allie and Aidan spent apart? What led Aidan and Naomi to make the decision to join the Milan Initiative? Find out in the dual point of view novel, Emerge: The Betrayal (book 5), coming soon.
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History of the Indriell Queens
Long ago, before the most primitive of mortal man existed, a mighty race of humans inhabited the earth.
In those days, the Power was pristine and the forest city of Indriell was the greatest in all the world. Governed by the beautiful Indriell Queens, the city prospered. Queen Fáelynn reigned for centuries, preceded by her mother, the Dowager Queen Alyvia and her mother, Celyn, and her mother, Ashlyn. All royal daughters of Indriell, ruling in an unbroken line of succession stretching back further than living memory.
As Queen Fáelynn’s reign drew to an end, she prepared to pass the kingdom to her only daughter, the Lady Eiselynn, first princess, fifth of her line.
She was a shy but powerful young woman who dreaded the day she would be named and forced to marry Lord Teigan. He was her equal in skill, but a man she could never love.
One morning, she rode through the meadows and came upon a young farmer. She watched as he called upon the power to plow his fields. He was not strong, but the intricacy with which he handled his task was breathtaking to watch.
She absently mimicked his simple manipulation, reaching out to his more refined touch. He saw her and inclined his head in respect, but continued working. Mesmerized, her curiosity grew and he responded to her curiosity with his own. He was confused when she fumbled with the simple chore.
As their power mingled, she felt a jolt of surprise from the contact that was far more intimate than anything she had ever experienced. His eyes widened in disbelief when her strength bolstered his, while his delicate simplicity corrected her firmer hand.
In that moment, she reached for him, knowing he was the one she would choose—had she a choice. She could see the same realization burning deep within his silvery eyes. As their power flowed, isolating them from the world, an unbreakable bond formed between them. It was as if they had always belonged together.
For months, they met privately and their love grew strong. She knew Ían could be a compassionate ruler. Despite his limitations, he was capable of the most astounding feats. Somehow—impossibly—he was learning. She wanted to present him to the council as her equal, but she feared their response. As months passed, the queen grew suspicious and sent Lord Teigan to follow the princess.
As Eiselynn retreated to their special meeting place, she was unaware that her betrothed and his manservant, Tomás, followed. When she eagerly leapt into the arms of her beloved, Teigan was furious to witness her betrayal. Heedless of the bond that united the lovers, he attempted to drag her home. Enraged, Ían stepped between them and a brawl ensued.
A powerful connection formed between the angry men. Ían felt a surge of strength rise within him but his opponent recoiled from the invasion, as if an agonizing pain reverberated through his mind. When the extraordinary link subsided, Ían rose, profoundly altered. Somehow, he had taken a portion of Teigan’s ability for his own. He swiftly brought the stunned man to his knees, thrilling at the strength that now made him Eiselynn’s equal.
As they fled, Teigan demanded his servant’s silence, but the incident intrigued Tomás. He had lived in subjugation all his life, treated like a simpleminded child, never allowed to make his own decisions, while Ían had simply taken what he desired.
That night, Tomás discovered he was very much like Ían—he could learn.
For months, he practiced until he was prepared to choose his first victim. He preyed on those weaker than himself, and never failed to defeat them.
Tomás took a few select individuals into his confidence and taught his secrets. For years, they worked together, traveling outside the city to select their targets, growing evermore powerful. They called themselves the “Enlightened” and were determined to usher in an Age of Reason.
Eiselynn and Ían were married and ruled together for many long years. The duel faded from memory and Indriell prospered under their reign, until the attacks on the nobility began. They immediately recognized the signs and grew nervous when murmurings of the Enlightened grew louder.
Soon it was unsafe to walk the streets of Indriell as this influential group called for the complete destruction of the nobility, claiming it was time for tradition to die in the name of reason and logic. Time to progress into an age where those who proved capable of learning and growing could be given the opportunity to reach beyond their common birth to become more than the simple minded servants of those born to better circumstances.
As this Age of Reason gained momentum, the nation fell to the Enlightened. Eiselynn and Ían were hidden safely among their advisers, but the world was now at war.
New weapons were created with the power, causing strange imbalances in nature. An odd illness spread among those exposed to these destructive magnetic forces.
For a century, there was little peace among the nation as the Enlightened fought for dominance in the name of their cause. Ían and Eiselynn chose to fight against the overwhelming, unnatural strength of the few Enlightened who had long ago become drunk with a power that was not their own.
Years of war and violence took a toll, and the human race was in danger of extinction. The earth suffered greatly from the effects of such reckless warfare. Destructive earthquakes fractured the land, creating huge oceans. Lakes and rivers dried up, leaving famine and hunger in their wake. Even time was disrupted by the corruption of the power that was once so pristine. The slow tranquil days of the past, when the sun traveled leisurely across the sky, were no more. Now the sun and moon passed swiftly on their journeys, causing confusion among the living.
Tomás took the throne for himself, murdering Eiselynn and Ían in a mad display of violent executions, but their young daughter, Alísun, survived to carry on in her parents’ stead.
In her grief, young Queen Alísun led her forces to victory, capturing the remaining Enlightened and ending the Great War. She was just a child; a child who knew nothing of the power that should have been her birthright.
Out of the ashes, the beautiful forest cities of Indriell were rebuilt and life moved on, but many of Alísun’s generation remained feeble. Her advisers feared the years of violence had destroyed the gift.
On the dawn of her sixteenth year, Alísun’s power awakened in a violent, sudden onset. A rare few of her generation suffered similarly and were limited in ways that baffled their parents, but many remained untouched by their heritage.
Alísun, and those like her, found a way to flourish despite their limitations, but the afflicted children were an anomaly and their lives were taken before they lived a single century.
For years, the births of mortal children escalated while the births of normal children declined. Alísun feared if this epidemic were left to spread, it would eventually leave them extinct.
She ch
ose to banish the afflicted to the furthest corners of the world and within a few short years, the disease died out among those left behind and they finally began to grow in number.
Meanwhile, the banished mortals struggled under harsh conditions as they learned to survive on their own. Life was difficult for them and a hatred for their Immortal brethren was born.
As memory began to fade and young mortals no longer recalled their gifted ancestors, a select few Elders vowed to keep the hatred alive.
In time, the mortal race thrived as they learned a rudimentary way to survive as hunters and gatherers. Immortals withdrew from their once great cities to live among their cave dwelling brothers and sisters, watching over them in secret, protecting them with their powerful gifts. Those who hated the Immortals, hunted them, using their own weapons against them.
As Indriell dissolved into the stuff of legends, the reign of the Great Queens came to an end with Queen Alísun, the greatest of them all. Thousands of years have passed and the Immortal race still thrives, despite the damage caused by one man’s misguided pursuit of Enlightenment.
The power is corrupted and will remain so until a new generation is born with the strength of their ancestors, led by one with an unsullied, natural connection with the power. His heart will guide him, giving him the restraint to wield his power wisely. He will gather his equals and together they will stand against those who persist in the corruption of the natural order. He will be strong and fierce in his beliefs, and steadfast in his love. Born the second child of the seventh daughter of his line, he alone will possess the skills and the knowledge to heal what has been broken. He alone will have the courage to judge unbiased and mete out the ultimate punishment. Until the time of his birth, may we prepare the way and hope for the future of all the races of men.
—Book of the Indriell Queens – ca. 6000 B.C.E.
About the Author
Melissa A. Craven (the “A” stands for Ann—in case you were wondering) was born near Atlanta, Georgia, but moved to Cleveland, Ohio at the age of seventeen. She still thinks of Cleveland as home, so it was only natural for Emerge to take place there.
Today, she’s back in Atlanta—for some reason she can’t seem to stay away from the ungodly heat that makes her long for things like “lake effect snow” and wind that will knock you flat.
Melissa decided a long time ago that the “life checklist” everyone else was clutching so tightly in their fists, just wasn’t for her. She does everything backwards because she’s weird like that.
She is an avid student of art and design, and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of West Georgia in 2009. She worked as an interior designer for several years, but she’s always thought she might like to be a writer when she grows up.
In her spare time, if she has any, she enjoys shopping for derelict furniture she refinishes to exercise the interior design part of her brain.
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Acknowledgments
I have been waiting three years to write The Heir and it was a blast. Yet, the journey to create this book was a super fast one and quite a personal challenge. I’ve never written a book as fast as I wrote The Heir. I gave myself four months from concept to completion and actually pulled it off, despite the complete mind screw of jumping four years ahead in the story.
My biggest thank you is to my sister, Angela for putting up with my constant “Let me just finish this book and then I’ll do (insert whatever task Melissa has been putting off), I promise.” Now that it’s done, I have a lot of promises to fulfill.
To my family, I could literally never do this without you. A special thanks to my mother, Debby for her hilarious text messages of “I need more chapters” and “are you done yet?” and “WHERE is Aidan?” And for saying The Heir is my best book yet. (To be fair, she says that every time and she’s my mom.) To my Dad. The Heir is dedicated to the very special man who never fails to support me and my crazy endeavors. Thank you for constantly showing me and my sister that we’ll never know what it’s like to have one of those fathers who just doesn’t care. And for teaching me the subtle art of sarcasm ;)
To Jenny, you are the best, best friend I could ask for. Thank you for your encouragement, and for the way we will always pick up right where we left off, no matter how much time has passed or how busy life gets. And for game night. Game night is important.
A huge thank you to my editors. Chase Night and Rebecca Jaycox. I feel like I’ve finally cultivated my dream team. Chase, you’re a tough critic and sometimes I hate you lol, but you’re always right and you always get me there in the end. Rebecca, you’re amazing in the way you pick up on my weaknesses and slay those adverbs we both hate. And you’ve saved my rear end on more than one occasion when I’ve had zero time left in my schedule and feel like panicking. You always come through.
To Daqri Combs at Covers by Combs for the very special redesign on all the Emerge covers. I love your work and appreciate your guidance.
A big thank you to the city of Cleveland and to Kelleys Island especially. The island as it is portrayed in the book is purely fictional, but is based on the real Kelleys Island near Sandusky, Ohio.
To all of my author friends across the world, thank you for your constant support, encouragement and sense of community. The indie community is an amazing place and it is such a comfort knowing I am not doing this alone. To Kelly St Clare, my BFF author friend from down under. One of these days we need to meet for reals. You're a blast to work with and your books are amazing. And to Michelle Lynn, my other author BFF, YABC assistant and PA, you also save my butt, quite frequently. I can’t wait for our upcoming collaboration!
To C.J. Redwine, Author of The Shadow Queen and my YABC mentor. Thank you for bringing me on as the site indie manager and for providing ALL the books. The experience has been invaluable and I look forward to the future of YABooksCentral.com
And most importantly, to my ever growing audience of readers who have waited patiently for each Emerge book, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your enthusiasm and loyalty. I promise there will be much more to look forward to in the years to come.
Finally, I thank God for the constant reminder that I am doing what I'm supposed to be doing. Over the past years, circumstances always bring me back to writing—my favorite thing to do in the whole world.
Emerge- The Heir Page 26
