by S K Wee
Dancing Through Dreams
Whispers from Beyond Trilogy
Book One
A Return to the Spectrum of Color Universe
By S K Wee
Cover art – RM Gauthier Designs
Editing – Silvia’s Reading Corner
Map Design – Benjamin Alderson
Text copyright 2018 S K Wee
All Right Reserved
Original first draft—NaNoWriMo 2016
This is a work of fiction, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is purely coincidental
Other books by S K Wee
Absence of Color, Spectrum of Color Book One
Color of Evil, Spectrum of Color Book Two
Whisper of Color, Spectrum of Color Book Three
Full Spectrum of Color, Spectrum of Color Book Four
Coming Soon
Dragonkin, Whispers from Beyond Book Two
Marked by Fate, Whispers from Beyond Book Three
A New Contemporary Mystery
Larkin’s Landing, A Tombora Springs Mystery
Paranormal Romance
Nun Worth Keeping, Team Zero #1
Dedication
The entire Whispers From Beyond Trilogy is dedicated in memory of my father. Edward was born on Oct. 5, 1918, and I would like to honor him during what would have been his
centennial year. The first volume, Dancing Through Dreams will be available as an e-book on Father’s day.
I would also like to pay tribute to a few of the other fantastic men for Father’s day. First and foremost is my husband,
Jeffery, along with my two wonderful brothers, John and Jeff. Their continued support means the world to me. I also have two ‘sons’ who chose to join our family, Gary and Kelly. To all the terrific men in my life, thank you for being a part of my journey!
Preface
Though the Spectrum of Color Series was complete, the next generation in the series wanted their stories told as well, thus the Whispers from Beyond Trilogy was born. The first book, Dancing Through Dreams, begins approximately ten years after the events of Spectrum of Color. Each book in this new trilogy is a stand-alone story but would be more enjoyable if read sequentially.
Of course, I would recommend that readers begin the journey with the Spectrum of Color Series before venturing into the new tales of the Whispers Trilogy. Enjoy!
Table of Contents
Dancing Through Dreams
Dedication
Map
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Epilogue
About the Author
Glossary
Map
Chapter 1
Academy of Mandalay, North East Mandalay
As the days grew shorter, Kurush knew that winter would soon be upon them. Though he always looked forward to the first snows of winter, he was worried that his new Sar’s Day pastime would soon be gone. He and his best friend, Seisyll, built a small tree house just outside and to the north of the Academy gates. It was there that they ran to every Sar’s Day immediately following the services at the church.
This would probably be the last of the season since the snows and cold would keep them inside the gates. Not only them, but also the others that they came here to watch. Just as they climbed up into their little hideaway and got comfortable, they heard the others arrive. There were all sorts of giggles and laughter as the group of eight girls from the Academy began to remove all their clothing to play and bathe in the spring-fed pond, which just so happened to be right in front of Kurush and Sylly’s tree house.
As he leaned back against the branch preparing to fully enjoy the show, Kurush couldn’t help but smile. He was really going to miss this particular event throughout the winter months.
“There’s that snobby Malini, Kappy. I don’t know why she thinks she so much better than everyone else . . . she sure doesn’t have very big breasts to go with that ego.” Sylly was always complaining about Malini. They didn’t get along at all. Kurush liked her well enough though if he was just looking for female attributes she really wasn’t the first he would look at.
“At least her’s are bigger than the elf, Ha-yun’s. I wonder if all elf maidens have such small breasts. I remember that your aunt Huhana’s were of a decent size.” Kurush had met Sylly’s aunt quite a few times and though he hadn’t yet been interested in the size of female breasts at the time, he remembered her as being extremely beautiful and graceful.
“Kappy! Why on earth would I even notice that? But you are right about Ha-yun’s. Elves don’t mature like humans do. I mean, I did, but I am only a quarter elf. Full-blooded elves mature slower but live a lot longer than humans. I wonder if I’ll live longer than you? Where is Pritha? She’s the one with the biggest chest. Oh, there she is. She’s under the water but just wait until she stands up.” Sylly seemed extra excited and Kurush felt the same. The anticipation of seeing Pritha rise from the water was excruciating. He felt his groin tighten in anticipation of seeing her glorious breasts.
“Wow! There they are, my friend, in all their glory. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful in my entire life. I think they’re even larger than last time. Look at the water glistening as she moves. Oh, my. . .” Just then, Kurush heard the branch at his back crack and before he realized what the sound meant, the whole branch let loose. Though he tried to get a handhold on the nearest branch or limb, he could not maintain a grip and felt himself go over the edge. His last thoughts were of Pritha’s bountiful endowments.
*****
The library was eerily quiet as Frankie made the rounds through the various sections. Usually on Sar’s Day, there were many students that would come in to get extra help with their studies, but today the weather was too nice for anyone to waste indoors. This was possibly one of the last warm days of the season. Just as she was about the close up the room, she heard someone run up the stairs toward the door.
“Aunt Frankie! Come quick! It’s Kappy, he’s been hurt.” Frankie quickly followed Dankal. Though he wasn’t truly a nephew by blood, he and his brother, Seisyll, were raised by Frankie’s cousin and were close to Frankie and her husband, Twig, all the while they were growing up.
“Where is he, Dank? At the infirmary?” Frankie asked as she ran to keep up.
“Yes. Twig is already there and told me to run and find you. It looks like Kappy broke his leg and he was unconscious. He had blood on his head also, so he must have hit his head. I didn’t get a chance to find out any more than that.” Dank was winded, and Frankie still had a hard time keeping up with the lad.
It wasn’t very far to the infirmary and even before they got there, Frankie saw a group of girls outside the doorway. Curious. She wondered why they were waiting there.
“Director Frankie, we would like to speak with you about the invasion of our privacy. We want to file a complaint against both of those boys.” Young Malini stood in front of the angry girls with her hands on her hips.
“I’ll listen to your complaints after I check on Kappy. Please wait for me in your dorm. I’ll be there shortly.” The girls seemed to look to Malini for their response. She looked like she would say more but
nodded and they left for their dorm.
When she entered the infirmary, she noticed Sylly right away. He was sitting with his head down in shame. Frankie could see his colors felt of fear and guilt, different from his usual bright colors of intelligence and honor. Frankie had the ability to see people’s emotions through their surrounding colors, which were visible to her.
“Sylly, what is going on here?” Frankie wanted to ease the poor boy’s fear. Though she didn’t know what had caused it, she knew that Sylly was a good boy with good intentions.
“Aunt Frankie, I’m so sorry. I know we shouldn’t have been there. But we were just so curious. When we really liked what we saw, we kept going back to see more. We didn’t mean any harm, we really didn’t.” Sylly apologies meant little to Frankie since she still didn’t know what had occurred.
“Sit here and wait for me. I’m going to check on Kappy and then we’ll talk. Don’t worry, it’s going to be all right.” Not knowing what else to say, Frankie patted his shoulder and went into the next room.
Twig stood over Kurush with his eyes closed. Frankie knew the stance well. Twig was healing whatever he could find. Frankie moved a chair over near her husband. He would need to sit and rest once he finished. She looked her half-brother over and saw that he had quite a few scrapes, but they had all been cleaned and were no longer bleeding. The head wound looked a little more severe, but she didn’t think it was life-threatening.
After several more minutes, Twig came out of his healing trance. Frankie reached for him and guided him back to the chair. “Please, sit down and rest. How is he? What happened?”
“Hello, sweetheart. As to what happened, I know little more than that he fell out of a tree. His injuries have been seen to. The right leg was broken in two places from his fall but is well on its way to being mended. I can work some more on it later. His head wound caused some swelling near the brain but should be as good as gone by tomorrow. Other than that, he has a few scrapes and a lot of bruising but should be good as new in a week or so.” Twig closed his eyes with a deep sigh. Frankie could tell the process of healing wore him out.
“I’m going to check with Sylly and find out what they were doing up in a tree to begin with. I have a sneaking suspicion it has something to do with the angry group of girls that were standing outside. They have been going over to the spring-fed pond after services on Sar’s Day to bathe and I would be willing to bet those two found a spot to spy on them.” Frankie was angry with them for committing such a violation. The rules at the Academy were strict when it came to male/female privacy. To break the rules would certainly be cause for some sort of punishment.
Movement from the bed caught her eye, and she moved over to check on Kurush. He was just coming around and seemed to be trying to figure out where he was. “Well, Kappy. How are you feeling? Do you remember what happened?”
“Frankie? Oh, I hurt but I’ll be all right, I think. I fell, didn’t I? Out of the tree. Yes, I remember the terrible snap in my leg, I think I broke it and then I must have passed out.” Kappy’s colors did not show any of the guilt that Sylly’s had. They were only showing his pain.
“Do you think you could explain what you were doing in a tree?” Frankie watched his colors carefully. He was in some pain, that was evident but her question also brought about some guilty shades of color, which was very similar to Sylly’s. At least he knew what they had been doing was wrong.
“Well, I guess everyone is going to know anyhow. We found a spot near the pond to build a tree fort. We noticed many of the girls went over there to bathe after services on Sar’s Day. Frankie, we didn’t hurt anyone by just looking. How are we going to learn these things if we never see them?” His look was one of complete sincerity when he voiced his question. Evidently, the training at the Academy wasn’t as complete as they thought. Frankie had to laugh to herself, though she still knew he had committed a very serious offense.
“I know you’re at the age where you are curious about such things and there may come a time when a girl will actually want to show you these things, but you have to get their permission. You cannot spy on them, it is forbidden. They have a right to their privacy just like the rest of us. Do you understand?” Frankie could see the understanding in his eyes but she still wanted to hear it from him.
“I do, Frankie. I’m so sorry.”
“Ahem.” Twig stood at her side. “Tell me, Kappy, are you sorry for doing it or sorry that you got caught?” Frankie couldn’t help but smile at her husband’s question. She knew without a doubt what young Twig would be sorry about. Her husband would have been right there with them.
After some thought, Kurush finally answered, “I just can’t say that I’m sorry for invading their privacy.” Kappy smiled up at Twig. “I saw some wondrous things. How can I be sorry for that? No, I wasn’t given permission but I’m still happy that I can carry those visions with me for the rest of my life. I’m sorry if I disappointed you, Frankie. From now on, I will play by all the rules, but you’ll never be able to take away what I have seen.” There was a definite twinkle in Kappy’s eyes. When she glanced at her husband, she saw a similar twinkle and knew he was probably trying to envision certain body parts also. Men!
“Well, I’m afraid you and Sylly will be on kitchen duty for a while. At least until I get the girls calmed down. They are waiting for me as we speak to voice their complaints and I will have to mollify them as well as I can. I’m thankful that none of them know that you are my brother or they would certainly call foul more loudly. Rest, for now. I will stop by later to see you.” Frankie gave her brother a kiss on the cheek before she left them and returned to the lobby where the other guilty party was waiting for judgment.
“Sylly, I’ve heard the story and you will be punished with kitchen duty. Kappy will need to mend for a few days, but I expect you to get over to the dining hall and surrender yourself to the head cook for your punishment.”
“Yes, Aunt Frankie. I will work hard, I promise!” Sylly seemed relieved with the punishment. Kitchen duty was meant to be demeaning, but he had always enjoyed the work.
“And, Sylly, remember, I am not your aunt here. I am Director Frankie. I don’t want any of the girls to think I’m giving you preferential treatment.” Frankie left Sylly and made her way toward the female barracks. They were still using the same building she called home more than ten years earlier. Number eight. There were many more females than when she attended but they still could be housed in the same building. Though, if their numbers kept rising they would need to add another barracks within a year or two.
There were a few changes made in the years since Frankie and Twig came to teach at the Academy. The only major change involved the Whisper Ceremony. Whispers were the elite of the trainees, chosen for both their abilities and attitudes. The bonding ceremony was now altered slightly so that the compulsions set within the spell were not quite as complete, thereby Whispers would maintain their colors to Frankie’s sight and they also could speak of Whisper details outside of the group if they truly trusted the person.
The other change that came about since Frankie was named director at the Academy was that the Color Guard of Mandalay were recruited and trained at the Academy instead of the capital city of Qeeta. Though all trainees were welcome to try out for the Color Guard, few made the cut. These potential recruits were studied by both Frankie and Twig, and then studied some more by her father, Darby, and his wife, Arlie. Only when all four agreed were the candidates chosen to represent the country as a member of the famed Color Guard.
As she entered the barracks, she immediately saw that the whole group of girls were still together and harboring a righteous anger. Frankie would need to diffuse their tempers somehow, though she didn’t know how. The leader was still the passionate Malini. She took over as a spokesperson for the group.
“Those boys need to be punished, Director. They were spying on us. This is both degrading and embarrassing. How are we to continue on as if nothing happened?
” Malini did indeed show colors of embarrassment. As she looked around at the others, they showed some signs of embarrassment but also a touch of vengeance and anger, raw anger.
“The boys are to be punished accordingly. They have both expressed regrets about their actions this day, and I have been assured that this will not happen again. I don’t know what else you would have me do to atone for this.” Frankie was more than willing to listen to their suggestions.
“How about we get to see them naked?” This came from farther back and when Frankie searched her out, she was not at all surprised. Pritha was not at all angry or embarrassed; instead, she had colors of amusement and adventure all around her. Here was one that Kurush and Seisyll would have been allowed to see naked without any ruse. All they would have had to do was ask. Pritha reminded Frankie of one of the girls she had attended the Academy with—Flossy was one of her teammates and was always ready to try new things. She had certainly tried all the boys who expressed any desire for her. Flossy was never one to hold back. Pritha seemed to be made from the same mold.
“My punishment has been assigned, Pritha. If you require more than that, just make sure you do not break any of the rules or you will see a similar punishment.” Frankie saw a spark in Pritha’s eyes and thought that she would indeed seek the boys out to try to get a peek. Frankie had to smile to herself. She was quite sure that the well-endowed Pritha was the one who Kurush was drooling over to begin with. The other girls were still fairly undeveloped in that area.
*****
Kitchen duty had been grueling. Kurush was sure the cooks were using twice the amount of pots than what was required. Just one more week of this and his punishment would be over. Since Sylly had started sooner, he was already released from this hell and was able to spend some time getting extra training with Twig. Kurush and Sylly were both Whispers, but Twig was training Sylly above and beyond even that training and Kurush would have loved to be included with them. He always looked up to Twig, his brother-in-law, though no one outside their small group knew they were related.
