Chronicles of the Half-Emrys Box Set (Books 1-3)

by Lisa Rector

  Yes.

  The man… Einion… tried to reassure her.

  “I’m Einion and this is Trahaearn, as I mentioned before. We saved you and healed you. We’re here to help, err… well, and figure this out. Why don’t you sit, and I’ll make you a bite to eat. Our camp is a couple of yards that way.” He indicated the direction upstream. “I have food in my pack.”

  Rhianu looked at the man. Her intuition told her she could trust him. I’m supposed to do this? Her stomach grumbled in answer.

  Yes, Aerona said.

  As Rhianu walked with Einion to his camp, she held her hand to her forehead—as if bracing her head would steady her thoughts. Aerona relayed a constant nag of information. Rhianu sensed… anxiety… from her dragon?

  I don’t care if you have memory loss. You’re not failing this mission. You’re Rhianu—fierce and brave. You’re the Vessel. The Dark Master sent you on this mission. You have to attain the good graces of the prince here and find the way into Gorlassar. Does any of this sound a gong in your brain? Your mother gave you a portion of her light to disguise your darkness. It’s a guise—a ruse. You have magnificent power. You still carry the Master’s essence and can call on the power when needed. Please tell me you remember.

  Calm down, you’re giving me a headache! First, help me understand. You’re my dragon and can communicate through my mind. How? How could anyone have another voice in their head and stay sane?

  Have you forgotten that much? We don’t have time for the basics. Your dragon stone gives you the connection.

  All right, let me think. I’m not doing anything rash.

  We trust each other. Our bond is stronger than anything. You have to believe me, Rhianu.

  All right. All right!

  Rhianu glanced at the man walking beside her. She could tell he was tense—alert—waiting for her to panic again, but he looked boyish and innocent—harmless. Rhianu looked away. I’ll go with this. I’m going to see how this unfolds.

  Good.

  The sudden terror when she woke seemed foreign to her. Perhaps a Rhianu who wasn’t a blubbering idiot would not have reacted that way. Overwhelming heat from a sweep of shame passed through her body. She resisted the urge to break down in tears. Be strong. Her gut told her she was brave—had been brave—though nothing of this current situation hinted about what kind of woman she was. The Vessel. The Dark Master. What does any of this mean?

  Steady, Rhianu. You can rise above this. We’re right where we’re supposed to be. You can trust me, Aerona said.

  Rhianu stumbled on a root in the dusk and cried out when a small pain shot through her toe.

  Einion grabbed her by the elbow. “Easy. I have you.”

  His brown eyes filled with concern, and they flickered over her face. A few damp curls clung around his forehead.

  “How are you almost dry?” Rhianu asked. Though her cheeks burned, she was unable to take her eyes away from his.

  “How rude of me!” His dimples showed with his smile.

  Heat, radiating from his touch, spread across the surface of her skin, evaporating the moisture in her cold clothes. Her tangled mess of hair, which hung limp down her neck, completely dried. Rhianu reached up, smoothed her messy locks, and twisted the long length in her hands. Embarrassed, she dropped her gaze.

  “Don’t worry. I know where you can clean up. It’s on the way to Terrin, that is, if you want to come with us,” Einion said.

  They reached the place by the stream where a pack lay, along with some bedding.

  “It’s somewhat chilly this morning, and you seem”—he paused, gauging her carefully when Rhianu shuddered slightly—“to have forgotten how to stimulate your body’s inner energy for added warmth. I suppose with memory loss even the basics can be forgotten.”

  He doesn’t know that before the transition, you never had any light to heat your body. Your body regulated like a normal mortal’s. You wouldn’t know how to do that anyway, Aerona said.

  Really? That skill would be useful.

  We lived in a realm that was like a molten furnace. You didn’t need to heat your core.

  Oh.

  Einion pushed broken branches and dry brush into a pile. “Trahaearn, light please.”

  Trahaearn breathed a gentle stream of flame onto the tinder until it crackled.

  Einion rubbed his hands together. “My mother didn’t find out she was half-emryn until she was eighteen years of age. She met my stepfather, Aneirin, and he taught her all about being an emrys and all about how to use her light. I can help you out until you remember how to project your light again.”

  Rhianu stood stiffly, unsure what to do. Einion fished in the pack and pulled out items to make breakfast—a battered pot and oats in a sack. He walked over to the creek for water. The dragons sat near the fire and watched in silence.

  Aerona interrupted her observations. Rhianu, I’m going hunting. You’re in good hands. I promise. The beat of Aerona’s wings flared the fire as she took to the air.

  Sure, leave me here!

  “Where’s she going?” Trahaearn asked.

  “Breakfast,” Rhianu failed to hide the bitterness in her voice.

  Trahaearn jumped into the sky and called after Aerona. “Wait for me!”

  Einion returned to the fire and held the pot near the flame, but he didn’t set it down. He added the oats and held the handle.

  Odd, Rhianu thought. A memory surfaced of a woman boiling a pot with her bare hands, and she flicked candles to life with one twitch of her fingers.

  Emrys can walk through flames if they want. Their affinity for light translates into some interesting abilities, Aerona said.

  Rhianu sat on a log and drummed her fingers over her thigh. Why did you leave me alone with him?

  Use this time to your advantage. Turn on your charm.

  Aerona! I just met him.

  The sun hung above the horizon, and the early rays peeked through the leaves of the trees. Rhianu turned her head away from the glare and noticed Einion staring blankly into the fire.

  Hanging to his shoulders, his unruly, curly hair was as brown as his eyes. He seemed carefree, and young, but his eyes gave his youth away. They were untarnished from the world and filled with excitement, but Rhianu sensed apprehension coming off the man. Aerona said this was the Prince of Terrin? What was he doing out here without an escort and only his dragon?

  Einion leaned against one of the boulders near the campfire. His well-formed shoulders and leg muscles bulged beneath his woven garments, reminding Rhianu of her brother. My brother? She had a flash of herself embracing a young man with equally sculpted muscles. She could even recall the grip of his arms around her body.

  Yes, you have a brother. And take a good, long look at Einion now and secure your virtue. You made Meuric a promise. The mission is to gain the prince’s grace, not to fall in love with him.

  What promise?

  Not to fall in love again.

  Again?

  Long story. It would only trouble you. Later. I’ll fill you in later… deer.

  She cursed inwardly. This is a mess. Romantic interest in this stranger was the last thought on her mind. Does Aerona know something about my inhibitions, or lack of them, that I don’t?

  Well, she’d bridge the silence. The stranger was being too polite, setting Rhianu’s nerves on edge. “Where are you from?” She wanted to find out as much as she could from Einion before she proceeded any further, mission or no mission, so Aerona claimed.

  “I was born in Rolant, funny enough.”

  He chuckled to himself, though Rhianu had no idea why that would be funny.

  “My father, Lord Brenin, was mortal and my mother, Ahnalyn, was half-emryn,” Einion said. “They were from Terrin. My father was killed in battle, and my mother was captured when she was several months pregnant with me. Aneirin, my stepfather, rescued my mother, and she gave birth to me northwest of here in the treetop village of the Eilian.”

  “Taken captive? Ho
w awful! By who?”

  “The ruler of Rolant at the time, Lord Caedryn.”

  Rhianu flinched as if punched in the stomach. Caedryn—that name made her mouth run dry and her blood boil.

  Einion’s eyebrows lifted, and Rhianu knew he sensed a reaction before she could control herself.

  It’s because the emrys can perceive emotion, Aerona interjected.

  This one memory came back to Rhianu. The Betrayer—that certainly was familiar. Caedryn. Had he left such a mark on her that he was not easily forgotten?

  She shouldn’t let this half-emrys read her so plainly. Her spine ran cold. Now she understood why Aerona cautioned her against falling in love. Love had nearly destroyed her. Rhianu took a slow, deep breath and regained her composure.

  “Did I say something wrong?” Einion asked. “Are you well?”

  “Just a memory coming back. I am well.”

  “The oats are ready.” Einion gave her a wary eye. He handed her the pot with a spoon. “I don’t have another bowl. Eat half, and I’ll finish the rest.”

  She hesitated before taking the handle.

  “Go ahead, it won’t burn you,” Einion said.

  “Thank you. I regret coming upon you like this. I wish I could tell you more.” The first spoonful of oats slid down her throat and landed with a thud in the pit of her stomach.

  “Well, I can tell you a little. Given the amount of light you carry and the color of your hair and skin, you’re a half-emrys, though I cannot tell you from where. The only other one I know is my mother and naturally me. I can tell you a couple of emrys left the dragon realm long ago. My mother’s mother is accounted for and is now dead. You must have come from the other emrys—Siana. Her father is Urien. To this day, he does not know what became of his daughter. So if you are descended from Siana, then I wonder if she’s still alive. Do you remember anyone by that name?”

  Rhianu blinked. She did! Siana was her mother.

  Don’t tell him! Aerona interjected.

  Why?

  I don’t want him to learn too much about you. Go with the memory loss.

  Rhianu shrugged. “I wish it meant something.” She beamed her best apologetic smile at him.

  They finished breakfast, and the dragons returned. Trahaearn was groaning under a full belly. If Rhianu had ever seen an annoyed dragon, she imagined it would look like Aerona now.

  Rhianu laughed. “What did he do? You look as if you could bite his head off.”

  Young dragons—I don’t have patience for immaturity, Aerona said.

  Einion laughed too. Apparently Aerona’s face expressed exactly her mood. He whispered to Rhianu, “Aerona can’t take such a young, spirited dragon. I know how much of a handful Trahaearn is.” He winked at his dragon. “I don’t mean to be indelicate Aerona, but how old are you and Rhianu? The knowledge might help her memory.”

  Not a word! Rhianu said.

  “A lady never tells,” Aerona replied.

  Einion held his hands up in surrender. “Fair enough. I’ll believe that you both are wise beyond your years.” Einion winked again, this time for Rhianu.

  She blushed and immediately chided herself.

  Your feelings are certainly interesting, Aerona said. All these years of feeling your cold-hearted interior as razor sharp as your exterior… you’re dropping your guard… a lot.

  What? What are you talking about? Rhianu asked. This exchange between her and her dragon was becoming easier, and her head was not forcefully pounding. She understood the bond they shared even if she couldn’t remember their past.

  I suppose this works for the plan, so I’ll do my best to ignore your unusual feelings. You must win the favor of the prince, but don’t become too attached.

  Whatever you say. But I assure you, my embarrassment was unintentional.

  You need to distance your task from your emotions. The Rhianu I know would never put her heart in a vulnerable position to accomplish a goal for her master.

  He’s an emrys! I can’t hide my feelings from him.

  Yes, you can. You have practiced your whole life to hide how you feel from those around you.

  I’ll take your word for it.

  You can do this.

  If I had my memory, I’d know how. Can’t you tell me how to do that? You’ve been in my head for how long?

  Over three thousand years. I can’t give you specifics because now you carry the light, but your mother said wielding the power is all in your thoughts. You learn control by practice.

  “Can you tell us where you’re from, Aerona?” Einion asked, interrupting them.

  Let me handle this. I have a perfect story, Aerona said. I had a while to think of one. “We came from across the wilderness.”

  “I knew it!” Trahaearn exclaimed.

  Aerona huffed but continued. “We escaped from a ruthless man—Lord Meuric.”

  Meuric? That’s my brother.

  Shh! Let me finish. This is all fabricated. “We were held prisoner for thousands of years in one of his underground caverns. He controlled us with an evil power.”

  “Evil? How’d you escape?” Einion asked.

  “A pressure eruption split the cave wide open, and lava and gas escaped. We were in a cave in the back of the chamber, which filled pretty fast. Rhianu was on my back while I flew near the ceiling, waiting for an exit. We should have died, but the blast of lava stopped spewing forth long enough for us to fly out of the gap. We had a narrow escape. Many others were killed, men and dragons alike.”

  “More dragons and half-emrys?” Trahaearn asked. “How awful to think that more of our dragon brothers perished!”

  “Yes, many of us were prisoners—those of us that still carry light. Meuric used us as an army to conquer the land they call Morvith. He has many Dark Emrys who willingly follow him,” Aerona explained. How’s that? Does it sound believable?

  I suppose. How much of that’s true? Rhianu asked.

  Very little. Aerona stated.

  “Where did the other dragons go?” Einion asked.

  “They fled in many directions. Most were too injured to fly far. We thought crossing the wilderness would be the best way to ensure Meuric never caught up with us again. In our haste, we were snared in the storm you rescued us from.”

  “Dreadful,” Trahaearn muttered. “Dreadful. Well you’re safe now.”

  Yes, safe, Rhianu said.

  What they don’t know won’t hurt them, Aerona replied.

  What I don’t know hurts.

  You’re safe with me, Rhianu. I’ll never let you down.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  TO THE TREES

  What are these dark emrys? I’m unfamiliar with the term,” Einion said.

  “Emrys who don’t possess light. They serve the Dark Master,” Aerona answered.

  “You mean Cysgod?” Einion asked.

  “He is known by many names. Dark Master, Cysgod, the First Evil… the Shadow,” Aerona said. “One and the same. The Creator’s brother.”

  “How’s it possible that emrys serve Cysgod? Why?” Trahaearn asked.

  Aerona growled under her breath. “They’re half-emrys who have undergone the transition. They’ve murdered in cold blood, becoming dark. I do not know why.”

  Trahaearn’s pupils enlarged, rimmed by his red irises. “And their dragons?”

  “Their hearts always follow their riders’ hearts. They’re dark and cold. They kill without remorse and relish it.”

  Trahaearn hid his head under his foreclaws and moaned. “That’s a fate worse than death.”

  Easy, Trahaearn. I know it’s tragic, Einion said.

  It’s horrifying! We must do something.

  The high council in Gorlassar must know of the half-emrys descended from Siana. The race would be nearly as old as the emrys. Hundreds of thousands of them could dwell in Morvith. We can’t do anything about it now. I’ll talk to the High Emrys and see what she has to say.

  Einion, you’re so wise. That’s why you’re my rider
.

  Aerona’s story needs more elaboration. Parts of the story could be truth. Dragons didn’t lie, at least not the dragons in Gorlassar, but the dragons in Morvith were an entirely different case if they followed a dark rider following a dark ruler. Einion didn’t like any of this. They were just learning all the capabilities of the half-emrys. After hearing about this new complication… How many Dark Emrys were out there? Einion didn’t want to start his reign in Terrin with this problem. Potentially, if Rhianu made it across the wilderness, what would prevent the Dark Emrys from following?

  I don’t like your suspicions, Einion.

  But they’re probably accurate.

  That’s what I’m afraid of, Trahaearn said.

  “Aerona, your story is worth consideration, especially while we learn more about Morvith.” He looked from Aerona to Rhianu. “I’d like you two to try something. Aerona, you know you can push memories into Rhianu’s mind, and Rhianu can push back in return. I didn’t suggest this earlier because I wanted Rhianu to stabilize after her injury. But—”

  “You want me to push the memories that we share back into her mind?” Aerona asked.

  “Yes, but only one at a time. I don’t want you to overwhelm her system. Do the most recent. Your escape from Morvith, for example.”

  “Okay. Rhianu, are you ready?” Aerona asked. “You should see pictures with your mind and feel emotion.”

  Rhianu gulped, but nodded. “Will it be painful?”

  “It shouldn’t be.” Einion said. “It should be as simple as reminiscing.”

  “I’m beginning.” Aerona shot them a look that said hold your tongue.

  Rhianu folded her hands in her lap and closed her eyes. Einion stared at her lashes touching her face. Statuesque, Rhianu looked as if the world had not just dealt her a cruel hand.

  Her face contorted, and she cried out, falling backward off her log. Aerona howled with a ferocity that filled the air.

  Einion leaped forward and cradled Rhianu’s head. “What happened?” He grabbed her arm, supporting her shoulder, and pulled her back onto the log. Trahaearn, that shouldn’t have happened.

  Rhianu buried her head in her hands. “Sharp, stabbing pain—behind my eyes.”