by W. J. May
“I don’t believe you. Gotta be some trick.”
“This is very real.” To make her point, she reached back into the big glass jar and shoved the stinky spongy mess in my face again. I’d heard of words coming back to haunt you, but this was too much. I pushed her hand out of the way. Why did my worst nightmare have to be being reincarnated? “Why would you want me to be disgusting scum?”
“Like I said before, it’s the perfect example of something that has a total lack of emotion. Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted to make your mother happy?”
Crap. How could she know that? “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The scum in the amulet bubbled away, turning the liquid a dark khaki green, the color of sewer water.
“Taylor, emotions shouldn’t be something you dread. They should be something you embrace.”
Easy for her to say, she wasn’t raised by a Cruella de Vil of a mother. I could hear her now. “Taylor, I don’t care if you’re dead and in Heaven, you know the rule. No crying—ever!”
I instinctively bit my lip. “Pets love you unconditionally. Caring about people is so painful.” I’d learned about love the hard way. I thought I was going to die when Ryan said he only wanted to be friends. “Love hurts. I see why my mother taught me to stuff my feelings down.”
“Taylor, your mother was wrong.”
Damn, I’m proving Schwartz is right about me. “It doesn’t matter anyway. This whole thing is one crazy nightmare.”
“For the last time! This is real. You’re in Junior Heaven, but not for much longer.”
Chewing on my nails like they were dinner, I needed to prove more than anything this was a dream. An article in the newspaper flashed into my mind. “No, Mrs. Schwartz, you’re not real. I have proof!”
My former teacher’s brown eyes bored into me. “Really? What is it?”
“You look exactly the same as you did when you taught fifth grade six years ago. You told me everyone looks exactly the way they did right before they died.”
Schwartz smiled. “That’s true for children but not for privileged adults like me.”
I tossed the amulet on her desk. “I’m done. This dream is over.”
I ran toward the door, but Schwartz clapped her hands and the door slammed shut in my face.
“Nice try.” She waved her pointer in a circle. “Maybe this will convince you.”
A purple glow filled the room. My body tingled as my skin turned a strange color of green. Something made my nose itch. I reached up to touch it and a gross dark khaki mass was in place of my hand. What the hell? This couldn’t be happening. My legs suddenly grew wobbly. They dissolved into a Jell-O-like goo. I tried to stop them from liquefying, but my fingers were gone. I had kitchen sponges for hands. Schwartz tried to tell me something, but I couldn’t hear her. My ears quickly filled with a gelatinous slime.
The nerve! She was really turning me into pond scum. She didn’t even give me a chance. I opened my mouth to scream. To tell Schwartz she couldn't go through with her threat. Nothing came out.
Silence.
My mouth—everything that used to be me, Taylor Anderson—gone.
The Katran Legacy Series
Nine Lives Part II
A New Adult Release Teaching Celebrity also by Karin De Havin
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About the Author
Karin De Havin writes Young Adult fantasies as well as New Adult contemporary stories from her timber frame home in the Pacific Northwest. She lives with a pair of tuxedo cats that like to help her write by jumping on the keyboard, and her pianist husband who occasionally is known to wear a tuxedo and tinker with the keyboard too.
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Story 12 – Ageless Sea by M.R. Polish
The crash was no accident. Fate carried Brady and his airplane to the isolated island where Karis was banished to live alone. She feared the worst as she sifted through the wreckage, sure that no one could survive. But there he was, barely breathing yet still alive.
The closer she got to him, the more her powers awakened. He was like a magnet she was drawn to. Maybe it was the years alone that left her yearning for companionship, or maybe it was the taut muscles in his arms that beckoned her to come closer, either way she had a hard time controlling her thoughts. She knew things about him that he couldn’t remember, things that were blocked from his memory. He wasn’t from earth either, and she needed his help to save both of their worlds. But the closer she gets to Brady the more she knows her world is with him.
Even with a woman as beautiful as Karis, Brady was well trained, but he wasn’t prepared to care as much as he did. Being an underground fighter made him the wrong man for a future Queen of a different world, and he knew it. But that didn’t stop the yearning he felt deep inside. It didn’t stop his heart from racing when she was around. And it didn’t stop him from falling in love.
Ageless Sea
Book One in the Ageless Series
Copyright © 2013 by M.R. Polish
Cover created by Jenny Laatsch
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the author.
This book is a work of fiction. Any names, places, characters, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination and are purely fictitious. Any resemblances to any persons, living or dead, are completely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
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About the Author
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Chapter One
Shamike (Earth Year: 1922)
“Karis, the council has reached an agreement. You are to be banished for life on Earth.” The council members nodded their heads in agreement as the Commissioner read the verdict aloud. His long blue cloak brushed the ground as he paced the stone platform in front of the stands where the council members sat.
He stopped pacing long enough to gaze at Karis with his soul-piercing blue eyes. His expression revealed everything to her that he couldn’t say. His voice wavered as he continued, “This is not a unanimous decision, but majority rules.”
Karis swallowed hard and could feel her heart race inside her chest. She glared at the man who framed her into the predicament she now faced. His green eyes seemed to laugh at her as he stared back.
Earth. At least Earth was the most like her world, and they spoke the same language. Although, there were a few differences, such as the fact that the humans didn’t use their inner power for day-to-day interactions. She was accustomed to using her energy for the smallest tasks, and it scared her that she might not be able to use her power for everything. She knew from her father’s stories that Earth wasn’t set up to use inner energy. The humans weren’t there to live, but to learn, so that part of them needed to be suppressed and hidden.
Another fear raced through her mind. How would she blend in with the humans without them knowing she was different? All Shamikas looked human, but her magic and power surpassed anything on Earth. Her immortality alone woul
d cause suspicion. Usually an immortal only died when a person used dark magic against them.
Many otherworldly beings lived on Earth for several years, so it gave Karis hope. Maybe she could do it too, but because of her royal lineage, her powers were a little stronger than most. She hadn’t learned all of her powers, as they were still growing inside her, but her father had high hopes for her. Her ability to heal others was an enormous strength, as was how well she could capture energy around her and use it to her will.
The Commissioner placed the paper with the verdict on the bench where the King sat, then turned to Karis. “You will live your life alone. We have already placed a boundary around an island in the South Pacific Ocean. One that even you are incapable of breaking.”
She moved her manacled hands to her face. How could this be happening? Why didn’t they believe that someone set her up? Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, pooling around the rims. She was barely twenty years old and now she’d have to live alone.
Hands roughly gripped around her upper arms. A masked guard, standing rigid in his green uniform stood beside her. She scanned the council members that surrounded her in the balconies. “Why don’t you believe me? I’ve done nothing to the King.”
One of the members stood and spoke, “You charmed Marin into committing treason against the King so you could regain your royal privileges.”
“I was tricked. Marin asked me to come to his home. I didn’t know he wanted to use my power against me.” Tears fell from her eyes.
The Commissioner cleared his throat and gestured to the man she still glared at. “Marin, the High Councilor of Shamike, has been in good standings with the council for many years.” His full attention returned to her. “Karis, you know with King Parius’s death, and you without a husband, the law states that the next in line would be your cousin. We know how much losing the position of Queen must upset you, but planning an execution against not only your kin, but also your new King, is treason. It is because of your royal lineage that we are not sentencing you to death.”
Marin gave her a slight grin that played at the corners of his mouth. He planned this all along. Everything was his fault, and now she would have to pay the price.
The guard’s grip on her arm tightened as he pulled her away from the arena. Everything became a blur. Karis heard a loud roar of voices as a crowd formed outside the Pentacle doors, waiting for the verdict. When they saw her, a hush fell over them. The once-loved Princess of Shamike was now a banished traitor. Murmurs and whispers of denial floated on the air, reaching Karis, pulling at her heart.
Hot tears fell from her eyes, completely disorientating her vision. She had to rely on the guard, who still held on to her arm, to safely guide her through the throng of people. Someone grabbed at her shoulder. “Karis, no, they can’t take you!”
Karis held her head high but never turned around to look at her friend. “Corina, I have to go.”
One of the council’s small transport cars stopped below the stairs leading to the Pentacle. It was white with blue lights around the bottom. Windows made up the top half of the car, and Karis could see the white interior. The driver stepped out to open the back door, letting Karis and her guard inside. Sitting back in her seat, she looked out the window and watched as the city lights became nothing but blurs as they sped past the Central Square. The bumps from the road meshed with the rhythm of her heartbeat. Thump-thump, thump-thump.
They passed by tall buildings that looked like no more than white smudges to distort her memories from her childhood home. Lights from houses began to line the path they took through town as the evening grew darker. There were a few with a slightly different coloration, depending on who used their powers to light the lamp. Each magical energy created a different effect.
She found no comfort in watching her world slip away. The hour slipped by quickly, feeling more like minutes. The city was behind them and the Shank Sea gave a black watery backdrop.
“Princess, we’re almost to the port.”
She tipped her head forward at the driver. “Why do you still call me that?”
He looked up at her in the rearview mirror, and she could see her own arctic blue eyes staring back at her. “The people believe you are innocent. We love you.”
His testimony brought more tears to her eyes, but she brushed them off as they fell with the back of her hand. Would her people survive under the new King’s rule? Her father’s death was sudden, and she had reasons to believe it was deliberate. Her cousin wanted the throne, and now he possessed it. She was convinced that he didn’t have any love for her people or Shamike. Her heart ached for everyone.
“We’re here,” the driver spoke in a near whisper.
It was the only royal portal in all of Shamike, as it took a significant amount of magic to summon the other portals. This portal sat in the middle of three pillars that formed a triangle on the coast of the sea. It was taller than she remembered when she came back from a trip with her father last year. The silver walls shimmered, and under the lights from the pillars, it looked as if the magic that it held combusted and spilt into the air, sparkling with a thousand crystals.
The cold night air rushed across her skin as the door opened and her guard pulled her from the vehicle. She shivered. Her thin, white dress did little to keep in heat. Living in the palace her whole life, being subjected to the cold wasn’t something she had to endure before, and it wasn’t anything she thought of before now. Her petite frame racked with a new tremble.
She could hear the surf crash into the rocky shoreline. The waves sounded angry as they pounded fiercely with each new swell.
“Your things, what little the council allowed you to take, have already been placed inside the portal and are awaiting you on the island,” the driver explained.
She tried her best at a brave smile for him. “Thank you.” Sucking in her breath, she stood taller and walked toward the portal and her new life.
She hesitated in front of the archway. Stars twinkled overhead as if they waved goodbye. Her hand shook as she waved it over the chrome plate that controlled the entrance. It needed magic to open it and even though they banished her, she retained her power; something not even they could take from her. Coming from true royal blood, once she becomes skilled with her powers she would be greater than most in Shamike. It usually took many years of training for anyone to fully understand and use their inner energy.
The door slid open, revealing the aqua-tiled floor and bright silver, shimmering walls. In the middle of the room was a circle of tall pillars. Blue and pink lights streamed through them, shooting straight up into the ceiling.
Once she walked through the light, she would be gone. Magic was the source for each portal letting travelers choose their destination, but this time, the council predetermined and set her destination for her. Since this was the royal portal, the King already infused his power to have the gateway open.
Karis started walking before her legs gave out and she lost all of her courage. She strode through the light with her head held high. She felt weightless, and then there was nothing but blackness.
She blinked several times as shapes formed against a darkened skyline. The wind whipped fiercely, blowing her long black hair around her face, making it look like another shadow in the night.
She curled up in a ball on the beach. Tears streamed from her eyes. Everything hurt, right down to her fingertips, from the emotional upheaval. She laid there and cried, soaking the sand with her salty tears.
Earth, Terpesona Island in the South Pacific
Karis looked around and tried to focus on her surroundings. The warm rays from the sun beat down on her. Its warmth spread over her bare arms like a blanket. Leaves from tall palm trees swayed in the gentle breeze. The metallic aroma from the salty sea filled her senses with a new sadness for home and the fresh scent of Shamike.
She sat up and leaned on one arm, her hand squishing into the soft white sand. A wall of trees and foliage stood about t
wenty feet behind her, and large rocks surrounded an inlet. Waves crashed into them, creating a cool mist on her skin.
Karis pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Resting her head on her knees, she gazed off across the endless ocean. The aquatic blue glared back at her as if to tell her she was unwelcome. A lonely outsider banished, and forced to live in this world.
“So this is home,” she whispered.
She slipped her sandals off and dug her toes in the sand. “At least it’s beautiful.”
Karis tried not to think of how she would never share this world, herself, or a conversation with another person for the entirety of her life. Sucking in a deep breath, she rose and looked around for her things.
“With my luck, they placed them in the middle of the island for me to search for.”
Picking up her shoes, she walked along the beach, lifting her dress as the tide rushed at her ankles. She could feel the familiar hum of her power as it connected with something she held dear—the necklace her father gave her when she was little. The Council forced her to remove it when they took her into custody. She feared she’d never see it again.
Karis picked up her pace, knowing it was close. In her mind, she could see the swirled pendent. She returned her quest to the beach, watching as the waves pounded against the cove. She climbed the rocks and let out a gasp.
It was beautiful. The water that danced in the pool of the cove was clear and perfect. She could see tiny red fish swimming around in a small school. Even as her shadow cast over on the water, they didn’t seem to notice and swam lazily around the edge of the inlet. Large flat leaves hung low over the back of the small pool, creating a tropical awning for shelter from the sun.
Karis smiled as she saw what she looked for. Nestled in the crevice of two boulders was her father’s box. Gold leaves made up the trim around the bottom and engraved on the lid were two stars and a moon. She knew her necklace was inside. Climbing down, she grasped the box and held it tightly to her chest. Even if this was the only thing the council allowed her to have, she was thankful it was this. A part of her father—a part of her.
