Select

by Patricia Reding

  The twins stared at one another.

  Dixon frowned at Lucy. “Are you sure about this?”

  “I’m pretty sure. I was dead and . . . now I’m not. I know it may have been only seconds here, but you can believe me when I say that I felt my spirit depart.”

  “I saw it,” Mara muttered, as though to herself.

  Lucy nodded. “I’m afraid there’s not a great deal more that I can tell you about all of this,” she said to the twins.

  “Where did you say you got such an idea?” Mara asked.

  “From Ehyeh himself. But I learned something more about the girls’ powers from a resource that Basha and Therese,” she gestured their direction, “found the last time they were at the palace.”

  “What was that?” Basha asked.

  “You brought back a book entitled, When the Two May Overcome. Do you remember?”

  “Yes, that’s right.”

  Lucy turned back to the twins. “From that book I read something you girls must understand and never, ever, forget—or take lightly. And that is this: there will be a price to be paid every time you exercise your power.”

  As the twins glanced at one another yet again, an expression of confusion on the face of each, the door burst open once more.

  “Lucy!” the newcomer, an Oathtaker, Dalton, cried. “You have to come!”

  She jumped to her feet. “What is it?”

  “That woman you brought with you here from the city to help you with all of the books and to pack up—”

  “Saga?” she asked.

  “Yes! She’s— She’s dead! She was fine just a few minutes ago. She asked me to have Adele make her some parsnip root tea. I returned with it and gave it to her and then, minutes later, she doubled over in pain. The next thing I knew, she seemed to have a . . . a seizure of some kind. And then she couldn’t breathe! And now, she’s— She’s dead! I don’t know what could have happened.”

  Lucy dropped her head in her hands, shook it, and then looked back up at Dalton. “I’ll be right with you,” she said. “Would you kindly wait outside for a minute?”

  He stepped out.

  She turned back to the twins. “The price has been exacted.”

  Eden’s brow furrowed.

  Reigna shook her head. “I don’t understand. What price?”

  Crouching down before her, Lucy whispered, “Whenever you use your power, Reigna, to bring someone back from the dead, an innocent person will die. It may be someone you’d least expect, or can least afford to lose. It may or may not appear to be due to natural circumstances. I don’t know. All I know for sure is that the person will be in your general vicinity.”

  “But—” Reigna pulled back, in thought. “Anyone? Any time? You mean I could bring back . . .” She paused, thinking. “Could I bring back our mother?”

  “No, I’m sorry, that you cannot do. You must be able to touch the person’s body, and you would have to act to bring the person back to life before sunset on the third day following his—or her—death.” Lucy patted her shoulder, then turned to Eden. “As I said, if you do indeed possess the power that I believe you have, you should know that anytime you use your power, someone will . . . return to life.”

  The twins both stared at her.

  “How is that possible?” Eden asked.

  “With Ehyeh, all things are possible. So, remember that the person who comes back may not be someone you’d want back. And you should know that neither you nor your sister will be able to undo what the other, with her magic, has done.”

  Eden shook her head in disbelief. “You mean they’ll crawl out of their grave somehow and—”

  “Actually, Eden, I believe it will be more a matter of their deceased spirit taking over the life of another.”

  “So . . . I’d be responsible for the loss of that life, as well?”

  Lucy nodded, wincing.

  Mara grasped Lucy’s arm. “Are you sure about this? It sounds . . . preposterous, to say the least.”

  “As sure as I can be without asking them to test their powers.” She turned back to the others. “Now listen, everyone, this information must stay within this group. Imagine the requests—the demands—others might impose on the girls if they knew.” She turned back to the twins. “For your part, do you know how Dixon has always said that ‘doing a good thing is not the same as doing the right thing?’”

  “Yes,” they answered, in unison.

  “Well, keep that in mind when you’re tempted to use your abilities. I know you did so innocently today, Reigna, but because you brought me back to life, Saga is dead.”

  THE CAST OF CHARACTERS

  Adele, former maid to Rowena and then Lilith, joined Mara when the twins were infants, now head of the compound kitchens

  Adish, one of Kader’s men who infiltrate the compound

  Adli, former Chiranian, convert to Ehyeh’s ways, forges documents for those seeking to infiltrate Chiran

  Akka, one of the three lords of Sinespe, the underworld, along with Daeva and Sij

  Baird, Hedda’s neighbor, husband of Devan

  Bane, the dog—err, wolf—Jerrett adopts that is connected to him by attendant magic

  Basha (Constant), Therese’s Oathtaker, her blade is Honora

  Bernard, long time doorman at the palace of the Select in Shimeron

  Bisma, Tanith’s assistant

  Borka, one of Kader’s men who infiltrate the compound

  Broden, cousin to Reigna and Eden and the son of Lilith and Zarek

  Caden, son of Nina and Jules

  Calandra, youngest daughter of Nina and Jules

  Cark, head of Camp Cark in Chiran, husband to Chaya

  Carlie, oldest child, and daughter, of Nina and Jules

  Celestine, a barmaid at The Clandest Inn, an Oathtaker, cousin to Dixon Townsend, married to Ezra

  Cenka, Tanith’s assistant

  Chance, Little Creek resident who entertains the crowd with impersonations of the village personalities and with animal impressions

  Channer, in charge of the sanctuary in Barton Lake

  Chaya, wife of Cark

  Chenkow, head of Public Conveniences at Camp Cark in Chiran

  Creovita, also known as Ehyeh and the Good One, creator of all

  Daeva, chief lord of Sinespe, the underworld, assisted by Akka and Sij

  Dagon, one of Zarek’s soldiers

  Daker, the charge of Donovan, resides at the compound

  Dalton, a Little Creek resident

  Devan, Hedda’s neighbor, wife of Baird, deceased

  Dixon Townsend, former Oathtaker to Rowena Vala (Reigna and Eden’s mother), married to Mara, his blade is Verity

  Donovan, Oathtaker to Daker, resides at the compound

  Dorn, a Chiranian soldier that tried to kill Felicity when Lilith rampaged through Oosa in search of the infant twins

  Drake, husband to Maggie, helped Mara and Dixon when the twins were infants, deceased

  Eben Taft, a Council member, a scientist

  Eden, ‘she who is but is not,’ of prophetic fame, born of Rowena’s seventh pregnancy but is not her seventh-born child, Reigna’s twin, Mara’s charge

  Edmond (Chantray), Dixon’s former friend, assisted Lilith to find the infant twins

  Ehyeh, also known as the Good One and Creovita, creator of all

  Ellian, the charge of Farrell, a compound resident

  Ephemeral, also known as Effie, queen of the flits

  Erin, a Chiranian refugee, sister to Nina

  Ezra, Oathtaker, innkeeper of The Clandest Inn, a spymaster, husband of Celestine, a healer

  Farida, a slave woman in Chiran given by Zarek to Broden

  Farrell, Oathtaker to Ellian, resides at the compound

  Felicity, Select, Alexander Trumble’s charge, has visions of events as they occur

  Fidel, one of the oldtimers who were among the first to recognize Reigna and Eden as fulfillment of prophecy, specializes in prophecy

  Fleeting,
also known as Fleet, king of the flits

  Flutter, a flit

  Gonen, Zarek’s secretary

  Grace, wife to Martin and adopted parent of Seth, deceased

  Grik, an officer of the Chiranian guard, friend to Cark

  Gunter, a friend to Trumble in Little Creek

  Hagar, Cark’s housekeeper

  Harold, owner of the Little Creek meat market

  Harper Larkspur, Council member, a legal expert

  Hazel, Trumble’s assistant at the Little Creek sanctuary

  Hedda, Mara’s mother

  Jabari Creed, Jerrett’s chosen name while in Chiran

  Jack, Mara’s long ago love interest, father to Jo’s son, Seth

  Jacob, attendant at the lodging house at sanctuary in the City of Light

  Jamison, one of Ezra’s spies, he tried to protect the infant twins from Lilith, deceased

  Janine, Rowena and Lilith’s sister, a fourth-born of the Select, resides in Chiran with Zarek, a follower of Daeva

  Jerrett, also known as Jabari Creed, Oathtaker, husband to Velia, father to four boys

  Jo, Mara’s sister

  Joel, a Little Creek resident

  Joseph, one of Ezra’s spies

  Jules, head of compound security, married to Nina, father to Carlie, Caden and Calandra

  Kader, heads a group that infiltrates the compound

  Kayson, an Oathtaker at the compound, a healer

  Kegan, an Oathtaker, one of Ezra’s assistants at The Clandest Inn, a healer

  Leala, one of the oldtimers who were among the first to recognize Reigna and Eden as fulfillment of prophecy, specializes in history

  Lel, one of Kader’s men who infiltrate the compound

  Lilith, also known as Semira, Rowena’s sister, a sixth-born of the Select, tried to murder Reigna and Eden when they were infants, Broden’s mother, Marshall’s former charge, follower of Daeva, deceased

  Lucy Haven, unofficial compound leader, Oathtaker, Counsel member, helped Rowena, her blade is Vivacitas

  Mae, Rowena’s mother, deceased

  Maggie, wife to Drake, helped Mara and Dixon when the twins were infants, deceased

  Malefique, the human form taken together by Daeva, Akka, and Sij

  Mansur, Marshall’s chosen name while in Chiran

  Mara Townsend (formerly Mara Richmond), Oathtaker to, and regent for, the twins, Reigna and Eden, married to Dixon Townsend, her blade is Spira

  Marshall, also known as Mansur, former Oathtaker to Lilith

  Martin, husband to Grace and adopted parent of Seth

  Mildred Crane, a Council member, in charge of health and healing

  Mott, one of Zarek’s soldiers, in charge of the slave women

  Mouse, the slave woman in Chiran chosen by Broden

  Nadira, a Little Creek resident

  Nancy, a barmaid at The Clandest Inn

  Nibal, one of Kader’s men who infiltrate the compound

  Nina, a Chiranian refugee, earlier the wet nurse to Reigna and Eden, married to Jules, mother of Carlie, Caden and Calandra

  Ophelie, Chaya’s childhood nanny

  Pestifere (Brother), chief priest in Chiran, Zarek’s closest advisor

  Piers Hamilton, Council member, specializes in matters of business and finance

  Platon, previous infiltrator of the compound who provides information about it to Kader

  Raiden, Oathtaker, assists Trumble

  Raman, Oathtaker, resides at the compound

  Reigna (whose name is derived from the word reign), seventh-born daughter of Rowena, Eden’s twin, Mara’s charge

  Robert, a Little Creek resident

  Roko, a member of the Chiranian guard, assistant to Grik

  Sabra, Tanith’s personal maid

  Sally, Rowena and Lilith’s sister, a fifth-born of the Select, resides in Chiran with Zarek, a follower of Daeva

  Samuel, cousin to Jules, works with compound security

  Semira, Lilith’s chosen name when she was in Chiran

  Seth, Jo’s son, Mara’s nephew

  Sij, one of the three lords of Sinespe, the underworld, along with Daeva and Aka

  Skylar Hadwin, a professor, the most renounced historian in Oosa, a member of the Council, currently in charge of the Office of Records at sanctuary in the City of Light

  Striver, tutor to Broden in Chiran

  Taniel, Tanith’s carriage driver

  Tanith, Chaya’s mother, advisor to Zarek

  The Good One, also known as Ehyeh and Creovita, creator of all

  Therese, Rowena’s sister, aunt to Reigna and Eden, a third-born of the Select, Basha’s charge

  Trumble (Alexander), Oathtaker to Felicity, head of the Little Creek sanctuary

  Udell, Hazel’s husband, lives in Little Creek

  Varm, one of Kader’s men who infiltrate the compound

  Velia (Bettina), Oathtaker, wife to Jerrett, mother to four boys, her blade is Justise

  Warner, Oathtaker, compound guard

  Yasmin, a slave in Chiran given by Zarek to Broden

  Yemina, Tanith’s assistant

  Yokel, one of Kader’s men who infiltrate the compound

  Zarek, leader of Chiran, Broden’s father, a follower of Daeva

  A SYNOPSIS TO REFRESH YOUR MEMORY

  Oathtaker

  The Oathtaker Series, Volume One

  Mara, an Oathtaker, trained to protect Ehyeh’s chosen, the Select, those designated to carry His ways of life and freedom through the ages, is drawn from her intended path. She discovers a wayfarer’s hut. Thirteen grut, underworld beasts, surround it. As she kills each, it goes up in a flash of fire. Thereafter left with a single weapon—her Oathtaker’s blade—a weapon infused with a magic that will live for so long as she does, Mara steps inside. There, she discovers Rowena, the current ranking member of the first family of the Select, in labor. Rowena bears twins, though no Select had ever before had twins. She names them Reigna (derived from the word “reign”) and Eden, releases her power as leader of the Select to them, and then dies.

  Though Mara knows of no Oathtaker with more than a single charge, she swears a life oath to protect both infants. In exchange for her vow, Ehyeh bestows upon her, “continued youth” for so long as her charges live, and attendant magic—powers that will make themselves known to her over time. Upon the death of her charges, Mara may begin her life anew, but in the meantime, she may not be unequally yoked—she may not bind herself to another. Ehyeh confirms Mara’s vow with an earthshaking.

  The hut door bursts open and a man, Dixon, enters. Upon finding Rowena, his former charge, now dead, he blames Mara. The two enter into a weak alliance to work together to usher the infants to safety. When they find grut teeth on the ground, they collect the trinkets, as the creatures cannot harm anyone wearing one. Then, seeking to hide all evidence of Rowena, they set the hut, with Rowena’s body inside, on fire.

  The Oathtakers make their way to the home of an old couple, Drake and Maggie. From them, they learn of an Oathtaker-run mission home in Polesk for young women fleeing to Oosa from a neighboring empire, Chiran. As the women often arrive at the place pregnant, or with newborns, the Oathtakers plan to head there to find a wet nurse for the twins. Though tempted, Mara restrains herself from thinking on her past, which seeks to worry its way into her thoughts.

  On Rowena and Dixon’s trail, Gadon and his men, who had called up the grut, arrive at the home of the oldtimers who lead them to believe that Dixon and Rowena had visited them, and that Rowena had born her child. In fear, the oldtimers tell the men that the two left for Polesk. Gadon sends a man ahead, then kills the couple.

  When Gadon’s man intercepts the Oathtakers, they learn that someone from the palace of the Select at Shimeron, home of the first family, enlisted Gadon’s assistance. Mara and Dixon dispose of the man, then stop for the night. Mara, now weary of Dixon’s surly behavior, tells him to leave her. He apologizes for having unfairly blamed her for Rowena’s death, then swears
he would die for the twins. To Mara and Dixon’s amazement, Ehyeh confirms Dixon’s vow with an earthshaking. Since Mara is already the twins’ assigned Oathtaker, the two are troubled as to the meaning of the confirmation. They make peace, then Dixon suggests that his friend, Edmond, might be of help. The two grew up like brothers after Dixon’s father led a successful prosecution against Edmond’s father for treason against the Select. Enamored with Mara’s strength of spirit, Dixon allows her to believe he had loved Rowena, as he thinks it will help to keep a distance between them.