Discovery: Altera Realm Trilogy

by Jennifer Collins

  She took a jagged breath. "That bitch just tried to kill me...three times."

  "You're exaggerating," Noelle said quietly.

  "No. No, I'm really not. First she threw me off a cliff, and then she put me in the middle of a cavern with a hundred-foot drop on each side. And last... oh, that was the best. She tried to drown me in a plastic box filled with water!" Syney yelled. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself a little.

  "Really?" Noelle asked.

  Syney nodded and paced the hallway in front of them.

  "Well, that makes no sense. You wouldn't know those spells at all. You haven't been trained," Noelle said with concern.

  "I really don't think she cared," Syney said with an angry shrug.

  "How did you survive then?" Hunter asked.

  Syney stopped pacing and looked at him. "Well, at the cliff I thought of the story you told me at the naming ceremony, and I just kept picturing the net and praying." She looked at Gabe and walked to stand in front of the Vampire. "But for the other ones, I somehow had this voice in my head that told me what to say. Amazingly that voice sounded like yours. Care to tell me why?'

  Gabe stared at her, unmoving.

  "Um..." Noelle cleared her throat.

  "Yes?" Syney asked, looking to her.

  "Well, Vampires can do that. They can read minds and...put messages into them. That's how they compel people to do things," she said, sounding a little unsure.

  Syney looked back at Gabe. "You fed me the spells to beat the tests." It wasn't a question.

  "Yes," he said simply.

  "How did you know them?" Hunter asked.

  "Oh, no, no, no," Syney said, looking over to her Protector. "You don't get to ask questions. I asked you, point blank, what I needed to know about Vampires when we first met Gabe, and you mentioned nothing about their being able to get into heads!"

  "I didn't think it would matter," he said.

  "Really? You didn't think... Oh, Jesus! " She shook her head and sighed. She looked up at Gabe and tried to send him a thought.

  He glared back at her for a moment before cocking his head to the side. "What are you doing?"

  "Mentally telling you to go to hell. What? You're not getting into my brain right now?"

  "Princess, I can't read your mind."

  "But Noelle just said you could."

  "The Vilori and Blocadrian lines were always immune to a Vampire's... powers," Hunter said sternly. "Which is why I thought it didn't matter."

  She squinted her eyes at Hunter then turned back to Gabe. "Is that true?"

  He nodded.

  "Then how could I hear you?"

  Gabe shrugged. "Reading a mind and implanting a thought are two very different things. I wasn't sure it would work. I took the chance."

  Syney sighed, some of her anger fading. It really wasn't Gabe or Hunter she was mad at. "Thank you then...for taking the chance."

  "How did you know the spells?" Hunter repeated his earlier question.

  Gabe looked at him. "I used to know some Magic Users back in the day. I picked up a few things."

  Hunter eyed him suspiciously but didn't ask anything else.

  Syney watched the exchange and felt her mind go blank. She needed to sleep. The morning's event had taken whatever little energy she had gained from the night's sleep, and she was back to empty...and soaking wet. She sighed. "I'm going to go take a shower, dry off, and go back to bed." She looked at Noelle. "Only wake me if the world is ending. Sound good?"

  The girl nodded. "Got it."

  Syney smiled and turned, then headed down the hallway again. After a moment she turned back around. "Am I anywhere near my room?"

  All three shook their heads.

  Noelle pointed in the opposite direction. "It's on the other side of the palace."

  "Super. Lead the way."

  Cass

  When Cass had heard about the tests that morning, she felt an uncomfortable sensation fill her body. They were pretty advanced tests—not those for someone who barely knew anything about the Village. But then she heard that Syney had passed with flying colors, and the uncomfortableness was replaced with excitement. She must be the One. No one could deny that fact now.

  Cass looked at her mother and took a sip from the soup in front of her. Lunch with her mother and sisters was a tradition. They even had a separate room just for the occasion. It was one of the only intimate moments she shared with her mother and Adanna. The two were always so distant from her and Helen, sharing their own little secrets with each other. Cass always felt left out of that relationship when she young, until she had formed her tight relationship with Helen. But this tradition was the only thing all four of them did together on a regular basis.

  "It's pretty exciting, or at least I think so," Helen said, taking a sip of water.

  "What is that, dear?" Mellisandrianna asked with her patented bored tone.

  "I think she's talking about that Syney girl," Adanna said.

  "That's Princess Syney now," Cass threw in quickly.

  "Oh, right, right," Mellisandrianna said. "I'm sure 'exciting' could cover it."

  "It was...unexpected for her to pass those tests. I thought for sure she would fall on her face," Adanna said.

  "Not so unexpected for the Chosen One," Cass said, sending her sister the sweetest smile she could muster.

  "It is done. She passed, and her claim is legitimate," Mellisandrianna said sternly. Her tone indicated that the topic of conversation was done.

  Cass shifted uncomfortably at the silence that covered the table. She'd had a thought the night before but needed her mother's permission, which wasn't something she wanted to ask for. But this was the best place to ask, with her sisters there as buffers. There were always times when Mellisandrianna could be intimidating, even to her own daughters. "So, Mother, I was wondering something," Cass began.

  Mellisandrianna looked at her youngest daughter. "Yes?"

  "Um, well, I wanted to continue some studies on our magic."

  "OK. I will speak to Reameus."

  Cass nodded. Reameus was the head of their education system. He ran all of the lessons concerning history and magic within the palace. "Or maybe I could, if it's all right, do a sort of independent study. Maybe go through the secured section of the library."

  Mellisandrianna was silent for a moment while Cass practically held her breath. "Those texts are rarely studied, and if they are, it is only by the elders."

  "I know, I know. I was just thinking that, now that Syney is here, I might look into a position on the Elders' Council in the future. And I really want to...immerse myself in the magic. Those books will really help, I think," Cass rambled. She wanted to tell her mother the truth. That she was fascinated by the magics that were lost. That she thought that by going through the secured texts, those locked away by magic, she might find a connection to those lost magics. She might even be able to bring some of them back, like Becca had.

  "I'm not sure how comfortable I feel about that," Mellisandrianna said, turning back to her food. "Those texts are locked away for a reason."

  "They're not dangerous, Mother. "

  "They might be. They breed ideas—ideas that led to the beginning of this Great War that we are fighting."

  "But they are our history. And I want to learn from our history."

  Mellisandrianna looked back at her youngest daughter and narrowed her eyes. "You are so determined on this issue. Reminds me of myself at your age." She smiled, not something Cass had expected. "I'll allow it. But only the histories and lower-level spell books. I believe the journals should stay locked away."

  Cass smiled back at her. This was what she wanted. She was fine with not getting into the journals. Every Magic User in the Royal Court and every Lycin in the Royal Guard were required to keep a journal. It was originally meant as a more personal history for the Village, but they were all put under lock and key in the Great Library. The personal experiences of some long-dead people wasn't what C
ass really wanted anyway. But the histories and spell books—that was her goal, and somehow she had gotten it. "Thank you so much, Mother."

  "No need to thank me. It is your right as a seated princess to have access to those books."

  "Really?"

  "Of course. Anything any of you need, it's always yours."

  Cass and Helen exchanged looks. This wasn't the mother they were used to.

  "Adanna, I do need you to run a few history lessons for...Princess Syney. Before claiming her place on the throne, she would like to learn more about the Village and its people," Mellisandrianna said, shifting her attention back to her food.

  "Lessons? Like private lessons?" Adanna asked. "Why not just send her to class with the children? She has the mentality of one of them."

  "Mother, I would like to give the lessons, if that is all right," Helen said, rolling her eyes at her younger sister. "It would give me an opportunity to get to know her a little better and brush up on my own studies."

  "I wanted Adanna to do it," Mellisandrianna said quietly.

  "But she doesn't want to, and I do," Helen said, with just enough force to be heard but not enough to be taken the wrong way.

  After a moment of silence, the queen finally agreed and pushed back from the table. "If you would excuse me, I have a meeting with Vasclineda."

  Cass perked up at this. There was only one reason her mother met with the high priestess. "Will there be an announcement later?"

  "You'll have to find out later," Mellisandrianna said, as she headed out of the room.

  Cass looked at Helen. She doubted it would be her sister, since she was almost guaranteed the high priestess job. Although she doubted it would be herself either. Normally pairings were done in order of oldest to youngest so that would mean Adanna would be next. But she could still hope. Maybe it was her time. The thought made her heart skip a beat.

  Syney

  Syney slowly awoke and stretched out. It was no longer light outside, but according to the odd clock on her wall, which was all symbols instead of numbers, it wasn't too late at night. She wasn't used to telling time in this place, but she was pretty sure it was only seven o'clock, and she was very hungry. She slipped out of the bed and headed over to her drawers. She pulled them opened and noticed all of her human clothes were neatly folded. She assumed it had been Noelle who had unpacked them, or maybe there were clothes fairies. Hey, at this point she figured anything was possible. Along with her clothes were some other ones she never had seen before. They were all neutral colors—tan, brown, white, and black—and the pants all looked like leather, or at least pleather. She shrugged and pulled out a pair of black pants and a tan sweater. She should at least try to fit in since she was now officially stuck here. Once dressed, she went out into the hallway but stopped, realizing she had no idea where to go to get food. Everything she had eaten so far had been brought to her room by Noelle. There had to be a place to get some food around here, though. She looked down both ends of the hallway and settled on going left. She passed a few people along the way, some wearing similar clothes to her own and others clad in cotton pants and T-shirts like the ones Hunter always wore. All of them wore a look of wonder when she passed by. She threw a "Hi" or a quick nod in their direction and received whispered voices and even some gasps in return. She shook it off. There was nothing she could do about how everyone saw her, so there was no use getting uncomfortable about it.

  After almost a half-hour of walking endless halls and large rooms Syney finally gave up and sat down on a set of stairs.

  "You look lost."

  Syney looked up and met the most amazing blue eyes she ever had seen. And from there, her view only got better. She smiled as she looked him over. His dark-brown hair was on the longer side, falling just below his ears, and his face had to have been modeled after a Greek god. He was the most handsome man she ever had laid eyes on, but the gleam in his eyes made her believe that he also knew that and played it up as much as he could. "I am very, very lost," Syney said, standing up.

  He smiled, and the room lit up. "This place can get pretty confusing. Where were you heading?"

  "I'm not entirely sure, but I do know I'm hungry, and there has to be food somewhere around here."

  He laughed. "Yes, and you were actually pretty close. Come on."

  "I'm Syney, by the way," she said, falling into step with him as they headed up the stairs where she had been sitting.

  He shot her a smile. "I know."

  "Oh, yeah, of course you do. Sorry. I'm not used to everyone knowing who I am."

  They reached the top of the stairs and headed to a door on the left. "This is the dining hall. They serve food three times a day," he said, pulling the handle and leading the way into an expansive room filled with long wooden tables. There was a large opening in the center of the room that looked down into another large room below, with a grand circular staircase descending into it. On either side of the room were two areas filled with all different kinds of food. There were people milling about, eating with one another other, grabbing food, and chatting relentlessly. On the exact opposite was a small table with only four chairs. Queen Mellisandrianna sat in one of the center ones with Adanna to her right. The two were the only silent ones in the whole room.

  Syney turned to her mystery man. "You found me food. I think you're my new hero."

  He laughed. "I've never been a hero before." He leaned closer to the point where Syney could feel his breath on her ear. "I think I like it." He gave her one more million-dollar smile before walking away from her.

  Syney smiled after him and didn't realize until he had joined a few other men sitting at the end of a nearby table that she didn't even get his name. But she did get a warm fuzzy feeling when she looked at him. He was absolutely gorgeous, and those types of guys never had noticed her before. Now this was the type of attention she could get used to. Yet now she was standing alone in a large room filled with people watching her, almost waiting for her to make a move. She scanned the room but didn't see Noelle or Cass anywhere. It felt like the first day of high school—the only difference being she was pretty sure these cliques were way harder to get into. Avoiding the food (all she needed was that awkward moment with a tray of food), she walked around the tables, waiting for a friendly face or smile to call her over. By the time she reached the center of the room, the looks and whispering had picked up. Syney sighed as she gripped the marble railing and she looked down into the lower room. It was also filled with long wooden tables, although they seemed much less polished, and instead of chairs, they had benches. There also seemed to be less food out along the walls, even though there were more people. It seemed wrong, and then she caught sight of some familiar faces and it felt even more wrong. She sent a wave down to Noelle when they caught looks. The blonde smiled brightly and got up from her table.

  "Thought you might sleep for days," Noelle said when Syney met her at the bottom of the stairs.

  "I was thinking about it, but hunger won out. The food looks good."

  Noelle smiled and nodded. "Um...but you should eat upstairs. Down here is for...non-royals and Royal Guards."

  "Is that a rule?"

  Noelle took a deep breath and looked up to the room above. Syney followed her gaze to see a few dozen people staring down at them, still waiting for her move.

  "Come on. I'm hungry," Syney said, walking over to one of the displays of food. She grabbed a plate and heaped food onto it. She wasn't sure what most of it was, but it looked like food she was used to: chicken, fruit, and potatoes. Once her plate was full, she followed Noelle back to the table where she had been. "Hi, everyone," she said, sitting down on the bench. The girls at the table, all handmaidens Syney guessed, looked back at her with a mixture of emotions. They seemed happy, probably because she was there in the Village, but also scared to death, probably because she had chosen to sit at their table.

  There was a pick-up in the murmuring around them and then an almost deafening silence. Syney loo
ked around, finally settling her gaze on Queen Mellisandrianna, who was now looking down on her. Syney shot her a smile and took a bite out of a blue potato. The queen's eyes squinted, and she turned and walked away.

  Syney snickered internally and looked at Noelle, whose eyes were wide. "What?"

  Noelle gave her a small smile and turned away.

  Syney shrugged and noticed they were mysteriously alone at their table. "Where did they all go?"

  "Away."

  "That much I got. Why? Do I...do I smell or something?"

  Noelle's lips thinned out into a straight line. "They're scared to get in trouble." She shifted to face Syney. "Royals don't mix with us down here. They don't want to get caught in the crossfire of anything."

  Syney sighed. "Well, that's just stupid. There's no difference between me and you."

  "Yes, there is."

  "OK, you happen to have been born not royal, and I happen to have been raised human. But that doesn't make me better than you. And please don't ever treat me like I'm better than you." Syney stopped noticing that her voice had been rising. "I don't care what they do," she said, gesturing upstairs. "I'm not like them. Got it?"

  Noelle stared at her for a moment before turning back to her food.

  "We cool?" Syney asked.

  "I'm still sitting here, aren't I?"