Discovery: Altera Realm Trilogy

by Jennifer Collins

  Syney smiled. Small victories.

  Leaf

  Standing next the door to the lower dining hall, Leaf watched the silent exchange between Syney and Mellisandrianna. She was a unique girl, but he was starting to see why Hunter was so apprehensive about her different attitude. This was an old Village with an old way of life. But maybe her new way of thinking and acting was what she was meant to bring to this place, he thought.

  "Anything interesting tonight?"

  Leaf turned to Hunter, who had just walked in. "Just your princess making waves."

  Hunter immediately stiffened and scanned the room for Syney. He sighed heavily when he saw her sitting with her handmaiden. "Has she been see—"

  "The queen's already seen her."

  "Great. I think she's trying to make my job harder. Gets up from sleeping and thinks, Hey, how can I get the queen to hate Hunter a little more?"

  "You done self-loathing?"

  "It's more of a pity party."

  "It's annoying." Leaf patted Hunter on the back. "Now let's eat."

  "You're not going to actually sit with her, are you?"

  Leaf gave a stiff smile and walked over to get some food. He headed to Syney and gave a short bow. "May I join you?"

  Syney lit up a little and nodded. "This is Noelle."

  "Leaf. It's a pleasure," he said, nodding to the young blonde and taking the seat across from her.

  "Hi," she said quietly.

  They all ate in silence for a few moments before Hunter placed his plate down across from Syney and sat down. Leaf felt the side of his lips twitch into a small smile.

  "Hey, there," Syney said, smiling at her Protector.

  He nodded a hello. "Did you get some sleep?"

  "Uh-huh," she said around a mouthful of pullum.

  "I'm impressed that you found your way to the dining halls," Noelle said, her voice still quiet and a bit uncomfortable.

  "I almost didn't. Some guy helped me once I gave up." She downed a good amount of liquid from the large brown mug she had grabbed with her food.

  "Did you get a name?"

  "Um, no. But he's up there, so I'm guessing that he's royal." Syney gestured to the upper dining room. "And pretty hot too. Kinda like a knight in shining armor mixed with Prince Charming, including the cocky smile."

  "That's probably Prince Brian."

  "Cocky smile give it away?"

  Noelle nodded. "He's...pretty easy...to pick out, you know...um."

  Both wolves scoffed at the "easy" part, and Syney laughed at their reaction. "I guess he has a reputation. And you're too nice to admit it," she said to Noelle.

  She shrugged. "Is it bad to not spread gossip? I don't really know him personally, so I can't make a judgment."

  Leaf glanced up. There were only a few royals still looking down, interested. Noelle seemed like a nice girl, but nice never lasted long in the palace. He wasn't sure whether nice would work for Syney either. She needed someone to help her within the court. He actually had helped pick Noelle for Syney. Most of the girls chosen for the pool had been in the palace since they were children, but Noelle had been here only for a few years. She had lived outside of the Village even. Leaf felt that would benefit Syney, help her understand things even outside of the Village, but Noelle seemed too scared to give much information. He needed to push her a little.

  "Do you know many handmaidens?" Leaf asked.

  Noelle looked up at him and nodded. "A few."

  Leaf gave her a kind look, one he didn't give often. "And how many of the ones you know have had some kind of relationship with the prince?"

  Noelle visibly swallowed. "A few."

  "Then it's not gossip, now is it?"

  She bit her lip. "I guess not." She took a breath and looked at Syney. "He's a whore."

  Syney laughed. "Got it."

  "Got what? I do hope it's not contagious," Gabe said, sliding into the seat next to Syney.

  "Just keeping up to date on my reputations. What are you doing here?" Syney asked.

  The Vampire shrugged. "It's boring in my room. What are you doing sitting with the common folk?"

  "It's boring up there," Syney said, matching Gabe's lazy tone of voice.

  "You're all they have on their minds."

  "That I can tell without reading them. Are they ever going to stop staring?"

  Leaf suppressed a laugh. Attention was what a Magic User craved. It was a welcome change.

  "Once they're used to you being here," Noelle said.

  "I hope so," Syney said, stuffing food into her mouth. "This stuff is good," she mumbled around the food.

  They all watched as Syney shoved food into her mouth and swallowed quickly. She looked like a starved dog eating anything in sight and gulping it down. Leaf was almost glad she had chosen to eat down here, now that he saw her here. She was too raw for the palace. Hunter was right; she would be run out if she didn't start accepting the ways of the royals. He made a mental note to speak with Noelle about some palace-edict education for Syney.

  "Hello, everyone. Syney, we haven't been properly introduced." They all looked up at the oldest princess, who was flanked by her Protector, Ember. "I'm Helen. Cass's older sister."

  Syney took her outstretched hand and gave her a smile. "It's nice to meet you, Helen. Would you like to join us?"

  Hesitation filled Helen's blue eyes. Leaf understood her apprehension. Syney was new to the Village, and it was understandable for her to make the mistake of eating below her, but Helen knew the way things were. Finally Helen smiled and sat next to Leaf. "I would be honored." Ember left and returned with two plates of food.

  Leaf stiffened at the closeness of the oldest princess. He and Helen had shared some conversations—nothing too personal—and he had a great respect for her. When she was a young girl, no older than eleven, she had been out with a group of Magic Users on a trip to the great lake, outside of the palace walls. They didn't see the attack coming, and several children lost their lives. Ember had grabbed Helen and taken off, only to be struck down by a black bear. The two fought, Ember being triumphant with two broken legs as his reward. Ember had yelled and screamed at Helen to leave and find shelter, but she refused and even tried to set his legs. They were found an hour later, Helen still caring for her fallen Protector. When Leaf had heard the story—and about Helen's punishment from her mother (never being allowed to leave the palace walls until she turned eighteen)—he had made up his mind about the girl. She wasn't like this place and deserved more respect than the others. But he still wasn't entirely comfortable with such a close proximity to her. He always softened when she was this close, and that wasn't something he should do, or be allowed to do.

  "I've never eaten down here before. I think I might like it better," Helen said. "It's not so...uptight."

  "That's what I think, and I was only up there for, like, five minutes," Syney said, drinking up whatever was left in her brown mug. "This stuff is amazing. Like candy apples." She licked her lips and then the rim of the mug.

  Hunter gave her a look before grabbing the mug and smelling it. "No more of this."

  "Why not? It's good!"

  "It's alcohol."

  "Oh," she said with a giggle. "No wonder I feel relaxed for once and a little tingly."

  "Vinum can do that to you, especially the first time you have any," Helen said with a goodhearted laugh.

  "Enough of it can make you go numb," Gabe said with a smile.

  Leaf stiffened even more. He never would be comfortable around the Vampire. They weren't a trustworthy race. He had run into many during training in the Human Realm and had seen them interact with the human population. Rape, both mental and physical, were commonplace for them. He wasn't comfortable with this one's proximity to Syney, or her unnerving trust of him.

  The Vampire must have felt the harsh silence toward him, because he leaned over and whispered something in Syney's ear. She responded with a laugh and a glance toward Leaf.

  She definitely wo
uld need someone to help her, or she would get herself killed.

  Once they were all finished eating and had suffered through some strained conversation, Helen disappeared and returned with a mug of vinum for everyone. Hunter began to protest, not for himself but for Syney, but she would hear nothing of it. "We should celebrate and have a night of fun."

  "I like you!" Syney exclaimed with a big gulp from her cup.

  "You'd better," Helen said. "We're going to be spending a lot of time together. Mother wants me to give you some basic classes on the Village and magic."

  "Oh, thank god. She gave me you. I was worried she'd stick me with some old guy or your sister, Adanna. No offense, but she scares me as much as your mom does."

  They all stared at Syney.

  She gulped down some of her drink. "Oh, are we not at sharing comfortableness yet?"

  Helen smiled. "It's all right. They both can be very intimidating. I agree."

  Leaf shifted. He shouldn't say anything. He really needed to stay quiet. That was his place. "I think 'scary' is the right word."

  Both Hunter and Ember looked at their commander, shocked.

  Helen placed a hand on his forearm, on top of his gold markings. "They do go down a little sour at times, but they're harmless."

  "Speaking of..." Gabe said, his eyes moving up to the spot where Mellisandrianna had stood earlier. It was empty now, until she came into view, this time with her perfected fake smile.

  "Welcome, everyone. And a special welcome to our newest edition, Princess Syney of House Vilori." There was a round of applause, all directed toward Syney.

  Syney threw a smile around the room. "Is it me, or was that 'Princess' a little strained?" she whispered through her smile to Noelle.

  "More than a little," she whispered back.

  "It is always a joyous time when our high priestess speaks with the goddess Venus and brings news of a new pairing among our people," the queen said. She received some excited noises in response. "It is with pleasure that I am able to announce the pairing of Princess Blaire of House Grendalin and Prince Lance of House Crystallianna."

  The prince and princess walked to join the queen, all smiles and handhold-ing. Leaf always hated the very public way the Magic Users announced their pairings. The Lycins were told with just the two in the room with the high priest. They would have a little ceremony to mark the occasion, just the three of them. Word would spread quickly throughout the Lycin community, just as good news always did; there was no need for a big gaudy announcement. The couple were rushed by well-wishers as the queen backed away to give them space.

  "That's a good pairing," Helen said, bringing the table back down.

  "What's a pairing?" Syney asked.

  Helen smiled. "First lesson, I see. A pairing is a mating...a joining of two people."

  "Like a marriage," Gabe said.

  "Yes, like a marriage," Helen agreed. "Our high priestess speaks of the pairings with the Goddess of Love, Venus, and then passes them on to Mother, who announces it."

  "So...the couple, they don't have any say?" Syney asked.

  "Well, yes and no. You can usually tell when a pairing is going to be announced. The couple usually find each other and start spending more and more time together. Venus and the priestess are really just picking up on the great love they have."

  Syney nodded. "I guess that makes sense."

  "You mean, you actually understand something about the Village, no argument or anything?" Noelle asked, taking a sip from her mug.

  Syney turned to look at her. "Oh, no. Now she's making jokes."

  Noelle smiled at her as Helen gave a laugh.

  Leaf felt himself smile a little. These were good people to have around her. He was OK with that. He was OK with all of this. Except maybe the Vampire.

  Syney

  Syney's first few days in the Village had crawled by, with tests and meeting so many new people. It had been crazy. The next three weeks flew by in a rush of meeting even more people, attending dinners with members of the royal court, taking lessons with Helen, and enduring awkward silences with Hunter. The last one bothered Syney the most. They rarely had long stretches of time together, but even the small moments—walking to dinner or waiting for a meeting—were filled with silence or awkward small talk. They had lost all of their comfortable banter and easy conversation. Syney almost wished they hadn't had that moment on her balcony. It had ruined them and lost her her guide to the Village. Noelle fit the role OK, but she was still guarded about certain subjects, and Syney felt as though she wasn't letting her all the way in and was holding some things back. She always felt Hunter was honest with her, if begrudgingly so.

  She had been in the Village for a week before she went stir crazy inside the palace. She needed air, and not just the air from her balcony. She begged Noelle to take her somewhere outside of the large stone building, but because tensions were still rather high after her attacks in the Human Realm, Noelle had to pass everything by Hunter, who was even more protective than Syney's father had been. Finally he relented and escorted her and Noelle to the Great Garden. It wasn't far from the palace—only a short walk—but once Syney stepped onto the green grass, she felt as though she were in another world. When they first had arrived at the Village several weeks ago, Hunter had insisted Syney put on a cape that he had grabbed at the large wooden doors that led into the Village. He told her to keep her head down as he led her through cobblestone walkways and finally into the palace. She had heard tons of people as they trekked the distance from the wall to the palace, but she hadn't really gotten to see anything. The number of voices had thinned as they got closer to the palace. The streets had become nicer looking as well. It seemed amazing how much stuff there was behind the great walls, and the palace was in the exact center of it all. But the garden—now this was truly amazing. Hundreds of flowerbeds were spread out among large stone fountains and delicate little ponds. This was exactly what Syney needed, which is what she said to Noelle as they sat down on a stone bench near a pond surrounded by exotic pink and purple flowers.

  She leaned back and breathed in the clear, crisp air. "I think I like this place the best."

  "Most do," Noelle said.

  Syney looked around at the twenty or so Magic Users who were milling about the gardens, some even having picnics on blankets. All of the Lycins hung back along the wall of hedges that lined the garden. Still segregated. It annoyed Syney to see this, but she had given up trying to push for a change a week ago. No one wanted to follow her, not even Noelle, who begrudgingly did it anyway. She still ate dinner in the lower dining room with Noelle and Hunter. Occasionally Leaf and Helen joined them, although the two were even busier than Syney was. Gabe usually crashed their dinner and annoyed Hunter while whispering snarky remarks to Syney. The Vampire had grown on her even more during the time they spent together. He was still overly honest, which was convenient for Syney, but he also had this thing that made her feel good with him. He was attractive, and the whole Vampire thing did have its appeal, but it was more of a kinship that they shared. He comforted her when she got frustrated, made her laugh when things got thick with emotion, and most important, didn't make her feel as though she knew nothing, even though she really didn't know much. He also always showed up when she needed him, usually without his chaperone. Poor Herb had requested a new assignment after only two days, and the queen finally relented to letting Gabe walk around on his own. Syney was pretty sure she had done it to shut Syney up. Syney also had to promise to attend weekly council meetings, which didn't seem too bad until she actually went to one—two hours of representatives bickering, Leaf trying to hold the peace, and Queen Mellisandrianna sitting haughtily on her chair. Syney thought about bribing Herb to get him to take back Gabe duty after only a half-hour. The things she did for friends.

  Hunter met her gaze and held it for only a moment before turning away. He could pretend not to watch her, but she knew he always had his eyes on her. A few days before, she had been swa
rmed by people, all innocently wanting to meet her. But there were too many of them, and she got overwhelmed quickly. She looked around but couldn't find anyone she knew. A moment later Hunter swooped in and pulled her out. "I didn't know where you were," she had said. "I couldn't see you."

  "I'm always there. Don't worry," he said simply and led her away.

  She believed that, without any reservation.

  "Is this, like, make-out point?" Syney asked, looking over to Noelle.

  She laughed. "I'm guessing that's a place where people go to...flirt and stuff in the Human Realm. If so that would be a yes."

  "More emphasis on the stuff," Syney said with a laugh.

  "Then yes, but mostly at night for the stuff."

  "Good to know." Syney looked around and caught sight of Prince Brian standing with a group of other younger guys. Seeing him caused a thought to appear in her head—a devious thought, a thought she should have pushed away and hid, but of course she didn't. She was learning the ways of the Village, and one of the vital rules was that if you wanted someone to do something, you needed to give them some inspiration to do it. One of the things she wanted more than anything was Hunter. She wasn't sure what that moment they had shared meant, but she was definitely falling for him. She just wasn't sure whether it was love or lust or something else entirely. But she had to find out. Prince Brian looked up and caught Syney's gaze. She smiled at him—an easy, not-too-bright smile. He smiled back and said something to the other guys before breaking away and heading in her direction.

  "Don't look now, but Prince Easy is on his way over," Noelle said. She looked at Syney and groaned. "And you are nonverbally inviting him over. Why are you smiling at him?"

  "Jealousy is a powerful thing, and I need some power right now," Syney said, not taking her eyes off Brian. "Hi," she said, once he was in front of her.

  "Hello again. I see you've found your way to the garden. It's beautiful, isn't it?" He smiled down to her.

  "Yes, it really is."

  "Would you like to take a walk around? There's a magical fountain at the east end of the garden."