The Amaranthine Chronicles Complete Series: Betrayed By Blood, Dark Revenge, The Final Battle
Page 1
THE AMARANTHINE CHRONICLES
THE COMPLETE SERIES
TIFFANY SHAND
Copyright © 2017 Tiffany Shand
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior written consent of the author, except for brief quotes in reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. People, places, events and situations are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or historical events, is purely coincidental.
Cover Design by Melody Simmons ebookindiecovers.com
Table of Contents
BETRAYED BY BLOOD
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
DARK REVENGE
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
THE FINAL BATTLE
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
ALSO BY TIFFANY SHAND
EXCERPT FROM DENAI TOUCH
OTHER WORKS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
BETRAYED BY BLOOD
THE AMARANTHINE CHRONICLES BOOK 1
BY TIFFANY SHAND
Copyright © 2017 Tiffany Shand
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior written consent of the author, except for brief quotes in reviews.
Chapter 1
Kaylan Avilion sat down on the heavy tree branch, using the leaves to cover her presence. The wind whipped through the low hanging branches, blocking her view behind a leafy curtain. She gripped one of her knives and hacked through the foliage until she had clear sight again. Yellow light poured out of the window, casting eerie shadows through the well-tended garden.
“What did that tree ever do to you?” Geth murmured in her ear.
She glanced down, spotted her friend crouched by a hedge. “I could hack off parts of you instead,” she offered. “I’m sure Freya would thank me for it.”
“Freya and I are taking a break. That’s all.”
“Yeah, but I’m sure she’d love to cut off your little boy parts,” Sierra quipped.
Kaylan bit back a smile and heard a warm chuckle that made her heart skip a beat.
“Enough, you two. We have a job to do,” Elijah told them through the crystals attached to all their ears, thanks to a communication spell.
Kaylan turned her attention back to the window as a figure moved into view. “He’s here,” she whispered.
“Damn, I wish I could fly,” Geth murmured.
She hissed at him to be quiet and watched as the man turned around. His grey hair rose in faint wisps over his balding head and he wore the grey robes of the Chief Alchemist.
“Kaylan, can you see what he’s doing?” Elijah asked.
She leant forward, careful not to put her full weight on the branch and squinted. Norbert Helswick had been rumoured to be selling illegal potions on the black market. She’d had an earful from Geth when he’d heard they were investigating his boss. But it was the job of the Amaranthine to go after those who corrupted their city and protect its inhabitants.
Kaylan wished she could fly closer, but knew a cloaking spell wouldn’t be enough to stop the heavy wards surrounding the house from alerting Norbert to their presence. “He looks like he’s mixing something,” she told the others.
“Can you see what it is?” Sierra asked.
“You just work on getting us in there,” she replied. “I’m too far away to see clearly.”
Sierra stood in the doorway trying to break through the magic protecting the house. She was skilled at inventing things and could break through any security made by magic or technology. “Elijah, a little help here,” Sierra muttered.
Elijah stalked out of the shadows and Kaylan continued to watch Norbert as he poured a bottle of blue liquid into a container and shook it. Blue smoke and gold sparks shot out as he stirred the brew.
Kaylan’s heart beat faster as she let out a low squeal. “That’s it. He’s using Stardust. Sorry, Geth, I know you liked the guy.”
The dangerous drug gave its users unnatural strength and agility before its victims suffered a slow painful death.
“Never mind,” remarked Geth. “But I need a sample to prove what he’s doing.”
“Then what?” asked Elijah. “It’s not like we can hand him over to the city guard. They’re just as corrupt as the rest of the Order.”
“We’ll give him our usual warning,” Kaylan replied, “but first we need to find and destroy his supply.” She heard Sierra mutter an oath. “The fucking door won’t open!” Sierra cursed.
Kaylan bit her lip to stifle a laugh, keeping her gaze on Norbert. Damn it! They were running out of time.
If they didn’t get inside the house soon they might lose any chance they had of stopping Norbert. Pulling her cloaking spell tight around herself, she sprang from the tree and landed squarely on the roof. The heels of her boots dug into the tiles and she had to use her power to keep her balance on the sloping roof line.
“Kaylan, what are you doing?” Elijah’s concerned voice echoed in her ear.
She didn’t respond.
Most people only warded the walls and entrances to their homes. They rarely considered an intruder entering from above. The skylight faced north. Had Norbert thought to ward that too?
Kaylan drew her knife, the silver blade glowing brightly as she ran it along the edge of the opening, muttering a revealing spell as she did so. No runes or signatures glowed as she examined it closer. “Guys, I think I found a way in.”
“No, Kaylan. Wait, we’re almost through,” Elijah said.
“Speak for yourself,” Sierra retorted. “If she can open the door for us from the inside then I say go for it, Kay.”
“I’m moving to the other side of the house,” Geth told them.
“Kay, can’t you pull us up there one by one?” Sierra said.
“You’re all too heavy and we don’t have time.” Kaylan pried open the window. It creaked and fell back with a loud thud.
“Kaylan!”
“I’ll be fine,” she insisted.
Kaylan held her breath as she lowered herself through the narrow opening and squeezed through. Good thing I’m only wearing jeans and a t-shirt. She landed easily, feeling her ribs ache from pushing through the small space and kept her senses on alert as she moved through the attic. Chairs, boxes and other junk littered the room. Pale light came through the open hatch, causing white pools to form on the dusty oak floor.
She conjured a maglight to find her way through the room. A floorboard creaked underfoot, and she rose a couple of inches off the ground to avoid making any more unnecessary sounds. Leaning back, she flew across the room, narrowly avoiding a coat stand as she opened the door. “I’m in,” she whispered to the others.
The door groaned as Kaylan pulled it open. “How’s the ward coming?” asked Geth and cursed. “Shit! There are two guards out the front.”
“Don’t let them see you,” wa
rned Elijah. “Sierra, hurry!”
“I’m trying,” Sierra muttered.
Kaylan headed out into the top of the stairwell and looked down onto the floor below, still hovering. A quick scan revealed no one so she descended; having another glance around to make sure no one was in sight. The smell of Stardust wafted from down the hall.
“Kaylan, we’re almost through,” Sierra told her.
“Good, I’m going for Norbert.”
“No, not without us.”
“Phew! They didn’t spot me,” Geth breathed. “Red, can you open the back door?”
She rolled her eyes at his nickname for her and hesitated. Normally they never went anywhere on a mission alone, but time was running out to catch Norbert.
“We’re in!” Sierra hissed.
Kaylan grinned and headed for the study. Peering through the keyhole, she eyed Norbert pouring his brew into small glass vials. “Geth, hurry up!” she whispered.
“I’m coming, I’m coming!”
“Elijah and I are headed to the basement. Watch yourself, Kay,” Sierra told her.
Kaylan heard Geth downstairs and saw Norbert stashing his vials. She drew magic and felt the air around her pick up as she triggered her glamour. No one would ever recognise her in this disguise. Her hair crackled with static and her eyes shone a brilliant red as she flung the door open.
The old sorcerer looked up in alarm, eyes widening as she floated in. “Who are you?” he whispered, backing away.
“I am the Amaranthine.” Her voice came out low and harsh as she pressed the glowing blue crystal around her neck to begin recording.
Better they saw the Amaranthine as a ghostly bitch rather than a band of outlaws.
“You have brought death to this city.” She pointed at him, her hand now a mass of blue spidery veins. She often wondered how she appeared in this form. Elijah said she looked terrifying but he’d marry her anyway. The thought made her grin.
“Where is the rest of your stash?” Kaylan demanded.
“My – what?”
“Your drugs!” she spat, motioning to his bag. “People are dying thanks to your poison.” Her knife glittered in the lamplight as she advanced towards him and held it up to his throat.
Kaylan had never deliberately killed anyone. The first visit to a suspected evildoer was always a warning. The second time, they resorted to more extreme measures, such as exposing the guilty to the entire city. Sierra had hooked up a crystal to her necklace, recording everything so it could then be beamed citywide.
Geth shot into the room. His eyes and other features were distorted by the same disguising spell. He grabbed Norbert’s bag and yanked out a vial. Pouring another mixture into the brew, it glowed an ominous red. “Definitely Stardust,” he remarked.
“Show us where the rest of the drug is or we’ll expose you for the snivelling coward you are.”
Norbert trembled. “Basement…”
“Move,” Kaylan told him.
She and Geth moved out onto the landing. Grabbing the sorcerer by his collar, Kaylan lifted him into the air and pulled him down onto the floor below while Geth bounded down the stairs. They herded the old man towards the basement door.
“Kaylan, we found his stash. This is gonna make a great story to broadcast to the rest of the city,” Sierra said. “Let’s see how those bastards in the Order like us then.”
“Wait, something’s wrong.” The alarm in Elijah’s voice made her let go of Norbert and shove him towards Geth.
Kaylan hovered. “What’s wrong?”
“This was too easy. No one would leave their lab unprotected like this. Something isn’t right,” Elijah remarked.
Norbert pushed Geth away. “You’re too late.” He smirked and cackled with laughter.
“Sierra, Elijah, get out of there!”
An alarm went off, just as Geth made a grab for the old man, who slipped out of his grasp and vanished in a swirl of gold light.
Kaylan and Geth dropped their disguises and hurried down the cellar steps. Lights flashed from the open doorway.
“Kaylan!” Geth grabbed hold of her. “The whole place is going to blow. We need to get out of here.”
She shoved him away and raced through the cellar. The air filled with a heavy blue smoke. “Elijah?”
Someone coughed. Sierra staggered towards her. “Kay.” Her friend grabbed onto her arm. “We–”
Kaylan pushed Sierra away. Geth could get them both out with his travel dust. She had to find Elijah. She had to! That was her last thought before everything went black.
Chapter 2
One year later
Kaylan pulled her coat tighter against the chill night air. Her cat, Iris, hissed as another gust of wind rolled over them. “Sorry, your highness,” Kaylan murmured, “but it’s not my fault that the transpo broke down. At least you’re nice and cosy in a basket and not dragging a cat and a suitcase with you.”
She stopped on the bridge and looked up at the glowing city lights. It was strange being back here; she couldn’t help but feel the sense of coming home. Kaylan couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt that way. Towers of steel and stone loomed overhead with the lights burning like bright stars. I am home. Strange, but I thought the view would have changed somehow. Just like my life changed the last time I was here.
Iris meowed as a shadow lunged out of the darkness. The carrier flew from her arm and Iris screeched. Kaylan hit the ground, hard and saw a flash of gold eyes. What the hell is that? she wondered as her attacker grabbed her by the throat. In the semi darkness, the silhouette of a man dressed in a black uniform studded with silver buttons loomed over her, as his golden eyes bored into her. She caught the flash of fangs as talons dug into her throat.
Kaylan grappled with her assailant and yanked out one of her knives, drawing magic. At the edge of her mind, she felt another presence, and something hurtled towards the creature, dragging him away from her. She scrambled up, her knife flaring with power.
A huge black wolf now had its jaws locked around the man’s throat. Both beast and wolf slashed and clawed at each other.
She watched for a moment, dumbfounded, but quickly came to her senses. Words of power came to her lips and she threw the knife at the creature. It embedded itself in the man’s shoulder. Her blade flashed with fire and rays of gold burst from the man’s body as he crumpled to the ground. Damn, she hadn’t meant to kill him, and felt a pang of guilt. Hell, it would’ve been nice to find out what the creature was.
The wolf turned to face her, its golden eyes glittering, and Kaylan gripped her other knife tighter. Its eyes reminded her of her attacker. It was a huge animal, all black fur and rippling muscle. She waited, preparing for another attack, but it only stared at her. It looked too big to be a normal wolf, and its eyes held power.
“What are you waiting for?” she demanded, and her breath caught. Her heart pounded in her ears as she prepared herself for the inevitable assault.
The wolf whined, and a loud thrashing sound came as Iris burst free from her carrier. The cat hissed, silver-blue fur standing on end as the wolf growled back.
She wouldn’t let any harm come to her cat. Fire formed in Kaylan’s palm, and she hurled it at the beast. It yelped as gold light flashed over its body, and it shifted into the form of a man. His skin gleamed over rippling muscle as his golden eyes met hers. He stared at her for a moment before muttering something. The dead man’s body turned to ash before she had the chance to protest.
Kaylan gasped and her heart stopped. “Elijah?”
“Stop searching for me,” he told her. “Let me go.”
“But – what was that thing?” Those were the first words that came out of her mouth. She had so many questions, but felt too stunned to form coherent thoughts.
“Stay away from them and me.” Elijah stared at her for a moment before light shimmered over him once more and he shifted back into the wolf, turned and fled.
Kaylan’s heels pounded on the concrete a
s she ran along the road. By the time she had reached the end of the bridge, Elijah had vanished.
Iris gave one final hiss, then turned to look up at Kaylan with her silver eyes. Kaylan sheathed her blade, then scooped the feline up into her arms. “Well, that wasn’t the homecoming I expected.”
After retrieving her case and fallen carrier, Kaylan continued down the cobblestone streets until she came to a large terrace house that had once been the home she’d shared with Elijah. Light poured from the windows as she reached the door, it opened at her touch. She walked inside, left her things in the hallway, and carried Iris upstairs. She wanted to search for Elijah again, but knew it was pointless as she had no idea where he might have gone.
Part of her wondered if what she’d seen had been real, but she felt too stunned to think about it just then. Instead, she decided to focus on seeing her best friend again. “Sierra?” she called as she moved down the corridor and set the cat on the landing.
A door opened. “Kaylan?”
Sierra with her purple streaked hair, green eyes and metallic chains looked just as Kaylan remembered, despite their not having seen each other for several months.
Kaylan smiled. “By the spirits, what happened?” Sierra asked as she hugged her.
She hesitated. Telling her what she’d seen would do little good since she wasn’t sure what had happened herself. “Oh, something attacked me on my way into the city. But I got rid of it.”
Sierra’s face grew concerned. “It’s just as bad as I thought,” she replied. “Come in. Was it a beast?”
Kaylan walked into his study, books lined the walls, along with crystals and other devices. The smell of fire and spices was comforting. “That’s a good analogy.” She told her what had happened, missing out the part about Elijah and slumped into a chair.
“Have you heard from Freya?” Sierra asked, changing the subject.
Kaylan scowled at the mention of her younger sister. “No. No doubt she’s probably off chasing her latest conquest.” She ran a hand through her hair. “Something strange happened on my way here,” she admitted. “I know you called me here because you think there are problems…”
“There are problems, Kay. Serious ones.”