The Chronicles of Lorrek Box Set

by Kelly Blanchard

  However, Roskelem was taken back when the prince of Cuskelom placed both palms on the table and leaned into his face—his features hardened with seriousness. “Magic is not a tool you can buy, and it is not an object you can summon at will. It is a part of an individual's soul.” Loroth didn't believe this as much as Lorrek did, so he said the words he knew his cousin would use, hoping that Roskelem would listen. “If magic is infused into you, you are not gaining power of your own, but you are mixing your soul with another, and that person might still have control over his or her magic regardless of the body it is in. Do you really want to be a puppet for a sorcerer?”

  Loroth pushed away from the table and stood still to give Roskelem time to contemplate his words. He took the moment to reflect on his own motive for being here. Lorrek always described magic as part of an individual's spirit, but Loroth knew magic was not natural to him, so his cousin had to be wrong on some level. He didn't know how King Sindric had managed to infuse magic into him, and he sensed Sindric was the only one with any real answers. He was tempted to inform the king of the situation here in Jechorm and allow him to come and handle the situation before it became a mess in untrained hands, but he trusted Lorrek's judgment. His cousin was wise when it came to magic. He knew what he was doing.

  “You don't understand.” Roskelem's voice drew Loroth out of his thoughts, and he found the king shaking his head in frustration. “Nobody understands!”

  Recognizing the potential for danger if Roskelem’s anger erupted, Loroth pulled up a seat and sat down then leaned toward him. “Then tell me.”

  Roskelem looked up at him, surprised by the invitation to speak without being judged.

  Loroth encouraged him with a nod.

  <~>~<~>~<~>

  In the garden, Therth watched Atheta meander through the small piece of paradise in this land of glass and steel. He noted the way the shadows from the trees darkened her features, but it could not dim the light in her eyes or her small smile as she reached out to a low branch to slip under it to the other side. “You coming, or do you plan to stand there like a statue?” Her voice jerked him out of his thoughts, and he ducked his head, embarrassed that she had caught him staring, but he hastened to catch up.

  Wandering around the trees, beneath low branches, and past bushes of flowers down the path of lush green grass that silenced all footsteps, Therth followed Atheta deeper and deeper into the garden. Eventually she came to a low but long, thick branch and hopped onto it like a side-saddle. She smiled at his confusion as he approached her and took in the strength of the branch—surely it wouldn't hold him if he joined her.

  “I like to sit here and think.” She lifted her gaze up to see the sunlight shining through the windows and through the layers and layers of branches. She looked back down at Therth and smiled. “Everyone else likes to walk near the stream, and there are nice benches there, but...” She lowered her gaze as she trailed off, and Therth stepped forward.

  “You don't like to be where everyone else is.”

  She glanced back at his face and smiled as she nodded. “Yes.”

  “You like time alone to think before you make a major decision or have to give a grand speech.” He grinned at her then tested the strength of the branch. Determining that it could hold him, he hopped on beside Atheta then caught her puzzled look.

  “How did you know that about me?”

  He smiled then leaned close to her and spoke in a low voice. “I doubled as Theran a few times, remember? I remember all those times when I tried to discuss important matters with you, but you'd throw your hand up in my face,” he demonstrated the sharp gesture but with a funny look on his face, “and told me how you needed time to think 'or else'.”

  Atheta laughed as she remembered this. “Ah, but I do believe you forgot to inform your cousin because the very next day Theran did the same thing, and I...might not have been too gracious to him.” She snuck Therth a shy look only to smile when he laughed.

  “He probably deserved it.”

  Atheta chuckled, and a comfortable silence settled between them—just like back when she had thought he was Theran. She still wanted to figure out which instances had been with Theran and which ones were with Therth, but she knew that might be a long process. For now, she wanted to know, “What will happen when we leave here? Am I to marry Theran still—now that I know of you?”

  Therth lowered his gaze as he dangled his feet off the side of the branch. “I...I don't know.” He had to be as honest as he dared, but if he said more, he knew he might break Theran's trust and forever ruin a happy marriage.

  She regarded him. In a sense, she didn't know him at all, but then again, she felt as though she had known him for years. He looked exactly like Theran, and at times he acted like him—or at least like how she imagined a sober Theran would act. She ducked her head as she looked at her feet dangling off the branch.

  For once, she didn't want to think of the complications of Therth's existence—but then again, she wanted to go to King Sindric and Prince Theran and demand why they had thought it fit that she remain ignorant of Therth’s existence. No matter how many times she played in her head different scenarios of her arranged marriage with Theran, she had to wonder, “How long would they have kept the secret? Would you have had to double as my husband once I was married?”

  Therth sighed. Here they went again, but then Atheta surprised him with a sarcastic laugh.

  “In a way, I don't blame my father for craving such control. If you have no say in who you marry—or whether they love you or not—then what is life?”

  Her question caught him off guard, and Therth gave her a puzzled look. “Princess, there is more to life than simply marriage and love—”

  “Oh, I know, there is murder, lust, greed, and power, and countless other things—” When Therth seized her small hands in his much larger hands, she looked at him with surprise and watched as he slid off the branch but continued gripping her hands. Startled, she searched his face and saw him struggling to express something. “Therth, what—”

  “No, Princess, listen...” Therth shook his head and tried to calm his racing heart. He licked his lips then locked eyes with her. “Love and lust...that is not all there is to life. There is more. There is loyalty, courage, right and wrong, strengths and weaknesses, lessons to learn and promises to keep. It is not about greed or power—unless you are discontented with where you are in life.” He didn't know where his words had come from, but it hurt him to see her thinking such dark thoughts, and he wanted to keep her away from that as much as possible.

  Atheta sighed and rubbed her forehead. “Therth, do you know why my father is the way he is?”

  “You mean so controlling?”

  She nodded. “My mother—she loved him at first, but he was not supposed to be king. He had an older brother, who was groomed for the part and became king, but he only reigned for a year before he suddenly died. Then my father had to become king, and then he changed...”

  Therth listened as Atheta opened up about how her family had changed and how her father came to this point in his life. However, as he listened, he couldn’t help but stare at her and admire her for her courage to mediate between her parents. And suddenly he realized that he shouldn’t have come to Jechorm because now, nothing was ever going to be the same when they returned to Cuskelom. He wasn’t sure what that meant, but it frightened him. However, Atheta’s voice soothed him, so he kept silent and listened, letting go of Lorrek’s plan, of Loroth’s suffering, and of all thoughts of consequences.

  He just listened.

  Segment 10

  Within the realm of magic, Lorrek came to a halt at an operation room where he found Verddra, Radella, and Inecha, and he paused to oversee the procedure. He noticed the magic taken from Inecha flowed to Radella rather than through the cables, and he narrowed his eyes, wondering why the Jechorians were keeping their promise to Verddra but not to anyone else.

  “Do you know her story?” A sudden voic
e whispered in his ear, and Lorrek pulled back sharply, only to relax when he saw the glowing presence of Radella—separated from her body. “Princess Inecha—do you know why she is here?” When Lorrek shook his head and looked back at the procedure, Radella followed his gaze. “Her mother was a simple commoner, and she fell on hard times, so she came here to Jechorm because she heard it was the land of opportunity. When she came here, they told her she fit the part perfectly, and a couple had already singled her out as a surrogate mother...”

  Lorrek gave Radella a sharp look. “Inecha's mother is your mother.”

  “We are half-sisters, yes.” Radella bowed her head but then looked back at her half-sister. “But after I was born and given to my parents, my birth mother caught the eye of Prince Damaen of Talhon, who insisted they marry, and so they did. Inecha was born first, and then her brother, Kinnard, and when Damaen's father finally died, the High Court agreed to crown Damaen on one condition—he had to divorce his wife on grounds that it was an unlawful marriage.”

  “And let me guess, he agreed because he treasured the crown more than love.” Lorrek narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms as he watched the procedure.

  Radella nodded. “Inecha and her mother were exiled, but Kinnard was allowed to stay as a potential heir to the throne. Since then Inecha's mother has died, and Inecha came here for work.”

  “And Verddra found her and knew it was a perfect match for you. Her power is so closely related to yours that it is most natural,” Lorrek assumed.

  “But it's not enough.” When Lorrek gave Radella a puzzled look, she nodded. “My half-sister is a sorceress, but she is not powerful. Her power won't be enough to wake me from my slumber.”

  “Wait—you want to wake?” Lorrek furrowed his brows as he gave Radella another look. “I thought you wanted your mother to leave you alone.”

  Radella chuckled. “Because I knew that once she learned that someone had communicated with me, she would try again—harder and harder than she's ever tried before.”

  Lorrek frowned. He didn't like being tricked, but he had sensed during all this time in the magic realm, unable to reach anyone else, Radella knew more than most. He folded his arms and scowled at her. “What would it take to wake you?”

  Radella glanced his way with lifted brows then looked back at the procedure. “A magical individual, a fierce spirit, and an individual open for change.” With that, she turned back to Lorrek. “Now, Prince Lorrek, do you not have another purpose than overseeing this procedure?”

  Before Lorrek could comment, she gestured, and he was yanked back into the cables speeding down to an unknown destination. Twists and turns, ups and downs, through walls, ceilings, and floors until finally the cables were exposed, and Lorrek stabilized his presence in order to survey his surroundings.

  He frowned at what he saw.

  A massive domed shaped room spread out before him with multiple levels of catwalks crisscrossing every which way. People in white, “Like Kyra,” walked around carrying tablets, taking notes, and checking readings on holographic monitors.

  Turning around, Lorrek's eyes followed the cables until they finally ended, plugged into the armor of Guardians. He floated back and realized that on each level of the catwalks on this specific wall there was Guardian armor—all plugged into the cables fed by magic. Lorrek narrowed his eyes when he saw a pair of scientists approaching one suit of armor, and he drifted closer to observe.

  He listened as they discussed technicalities then watched as the woman reached forward and pressed several buttons on the Guardian armor. To Lorrek's surprise, the armor's visor lit up, and it lifted its head and stepped away from the wall, and he remembered Pelham boasting, “They are our finest piece of technology.” When Lorrek had first heard that, he thought the man had been joking. However, seeing the Guardian come alive powered by magic, he knew something was amiss because he had seen the aborted babies, and he recalled what Radella had showed him about them.

  “Your assignment.” The lady handed the Guardian a small tablet, which the Guardian took, looked over, then handed back to her as the lady's companion woke several other Guardians.

  The lady locked eyes on the visor of the first Guardian. “An uncontrolled fight seems to have broken out in the fighting arena. I want you and a few others to contain the situation. Use whatever force is necessary, but do not kill the subjects.” She nodded to the others.

  “Yes, ma'am.” They saluted her sharply then turned on their heels and marched down the catwalk.

  Lorrek smiled because he knew that they were speaking about Vixen and the fighting match he had arranged in the arena. He reached through magic to Vixen's mind. “Expect extra company soon. They're sending more Guardians your way.”

  <~>~<~>~<~>

  “Perfect.” Vixen replied mentally after hearing Lorrek’s voice in her head. “I was getting a little bored.” Drawing out of her thoughts in time to block a punch from Adonis, Vixen grabbed two blades from her vest but didn't throw them. Instead, she flipped them in her hands, so the blades rested against her forearms, and she struck out at Adonis.

  He blocked, dodged, and deflected as he retreated out of the designated ring. Erita and Skelton had already breached the 'single ring per fight' rule, which had earned the attention of the Guardians. They were warned to stand down, but the magic users were halfway across the room throwing blue fiery orbs at each other and sparring with conjured orange magical blades. Neither one paid the Guardians any mind.

  All the other fighters in the arena pulled back to watch and make wagers over the most likely outcome—Guardians against users, who would win? This was a match they hadn't seen before.

  “Security breach in fighting arena. Fighters have lost control—three users and one non-user,” a Guardian spoke into the intercom in his helmet, informing the security center in the building of the situation. He pointed another Guardian toward Vixen. “Stop the non-user. She's not much of a threat. Backup will support us against the three users.”

  The second Guardian nodded then headed toward Vixen and Adonis. Confident, determined steps carried him to the fighters, and the leather beneath the armor on his hands creaked when he clenched his fists as he came closer behind Adonis, who kicked Vixen's knees out from under her, sending her crashing to the matted floor.

  Reaching out, he tapped Adonis on the shoulder, and as soon as Adonis turned to look, the Guardian spun him around to face him fully then punched him in the jaw with a force of magic. While Adonis stumbled back and tried to regain his senses and his balance, the Guardian looked at Vixen and offered a gloved hand. “Come. This ends now.”

  Vixen stared at the hand for a moment then glanced up at the reflective visor of the Guardian. “You seriously thought I was the weakest fighter in this match? You're mistaken.” With a smirk, she grabbed the offered hand but yanked him to the floor. Twisting so that she was on top of him, she slipped her fingers across the sides of her vest to her back and into the bladed knuckles, which she rarely used. Unsheathing the knuckles, she lifted her bladed fists and punched the Guardian across the visor.

  Meanwhile, Skelton shoved a Guardian off of himself and lifted his hands to show that he was finished fighting, and then he joined Erita and Adonis at the ring where Vixen strove against the Guardian. Skelton folded his arms across his chest as he watched her kick, but the Guardian grabbed her leg. She used this as leverage to whip her other leg up to the side of his head. Surprised, he released her leg, and she applied the momentum of the kick to knock him to the ground.

  Skelton frowned. “My bet's that the Guardian is toying with her.”

  Erita shot him a surprised look. “Really? Have you not heard of her? She's Vixen—the assassin!”

  Nonetheless, Skelton shrugged a shoulder. “Still, she doesn't have magic, and we all know Guardians are machines fueled by magic, and nothing can stand against magic.”

  Vixen knocked the Guardian back to the ground, and Erita crossed her arms and lifted her brows as she l
ooked hard at Skelton.

  Skelton shifted his lips from side to side then frowned. “Very well, so she might be talented.”

  The Guardian punched Vixen hard in the gut, forcing her to cry out and double over.

  Skelton cocked a brow as he looked at Erita.

  Erita frowned but then shook her head. “I still say Vixen is better.”

  In the ring Vixen and the Guardian traded strikes back and forth—a punch, kick, tackle. The Guardian moved with precision and strength, but Vixen used her agile and smaller frame to dodge attacks and whip around with her own strikes.

  <~>~<~>~<~>

  Loroth frowned as he sensed Vixen suffer a strike in the fight, and he sent her healing pulses to soothe any aches. During the first year of their marriage, Loroth and Vixen stressed over concern for one another—Vixen worried about Loroth dropping dead when she wasn't around, and Loroth was concerned at the thought of her getting hurt on the reckless jobs she took from time to time as an assassin and a thief. As a compromise, they approached Lorrek and asked him to bind their minds together, so they would know how the other fared at all times. Lorrek did not agree readily but sat them both down for a discussion of the consequences of bound minds—it was a process that could not be undone, except by death, and even then it was dangerous. Sometimes it was better to hope and assume and even fear the worst than actually knowing it, but the couple had been stubborn, and Lorrek agreed. They agreed that Lorrek should have a small connection with them, so they could easily contact him, regardless of the distance between them, if Loroth’s health plummeted.

  The bond had saved Loroth's life more than once, but they also discovered Loroth could pass his healing powers along the bond to aid Vixen as well. He knew she was a skilled and renowned warrior, but he still hated it when she got hurt.