Kaylan reached for a current and propelled herself skywards. Air rippled over her as she hurried towards the great bridge.
She settled down on a pillar and pulled her usual cloaking magic tighter around herself. Now she was fully someone else – or at least to anyone’s senses. She contemplated what to do, knowing the kale would be right behind her.
Kales were airborne spirits which could cover great distances. If she used magic to fight or kill it, the Glistans might be able to trace her more easily. She had to lose it. Fast. Sheathing her knife, Kaylan drew in all her magic and let herself drop. She fell fast until her body hit the water. A thousand knives cut into her as the icy darkness swallowed her up.
Kaylan shivered as she landed on her balcony. The kale was gone. For now, at least.
To her amazement, Elijah sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for her.
“What are you doing here?” Her teeth chattered. She drew magic and heated the air to dry out her clothes.
“I came to apologise for last night.” He rose. “Why are you all wet?”
“I had to ditch a kale after I went back to the mansion,” she admitted, rubbing her arms dry.
Elijah’s eyes flashed. “Why would you go back there alone?”
“Because I need to get my sister back.” She threw off her jacket, glad her clothes had gone from drenched to damp. “Why do you need to apologise?”
“Last night. For letting you believe that there is still something between us,” he replied. “I meant what I said. We can’t be together.”
Kaylan’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”
“Kaylan, I’m not the person I was before. We can’t just pick up where we left off.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” she demanded. “Just because you’re a shifter now–”
“I’m dangerous. You saw what happened last night. You know why I must stay away from you. From everyone.”
She reached out and touched his cheek. “I know you’d never hurt me.”
“You can’t be sure of that.” Elijah turned away.
“Why didn’t you come back to me?” Kaylan asked the one thing she’d wanted to know since she’d first seen him again.
“I had to leave.”
“Why? You know I would have stood by you no matter what,” she snapped, fists clenching. “We were supposed to get married and spend the rest of our lives together. That didn’t change because of what happened.”
“I couldn’t face you again. When Cedric found out, he told me to stay away or he’d kill me.”
“Cedric knew?” Realisation washed over her like ice.
“All I wanted was blood when I was first turned, and now I’m wanted for murder,” Elijah snapped. “Would you want to marry someone like that?”
“That wasn’t your fault, and perhaps Geth and Sierra can help change you–”
“What if they can’t fix me, Kaylan? What then?”
“If you don’t want to be with me anymore, fine. But I still need you in my life.” Kaylan wrapped her arms around him.
Elijah pulled her closer and hugged her back.
It felt good just to be held again.
“What did you find at the High Lord’s house?” he asked, running a hand through her hair.
“Nothing. They sent a kale after me before I could get in to talk to Freya.”
“I’ve been thinking. Maybe there’s a way we can find out what Ena is planning.”
“How?” She arched an eyebrow at him.
“Your father’s secret library. I know it’s been over a decade but there’s a good chance it’s still there. Maybe there’s something that could tell more about the Amaranthine Chronicles,” Elijah remarked. “Now we just have to find a way in.”
Her brow creased for a moment. Yes, there might be something in her father’s old records that could help. “I might know another way in.”
Chapter 8
Elijah tried not to look down as Kaylan took to the sky and moved through the currents of air, keeping a firm grip around his muscular wolf body as the High Lord’s mansion loomed ahead. Concealed by a glamour which disguised her appearance, she dropped down into the garden, and static charged over them from the wards. He shrugged off the feeling, knowing the wards wouldn’t detect them as a threat.
Kaylan set him on the ground. They moved past the flowerbeds and stopped at the back door. Two men stood guard, oblivious to their presence. She pulled out a compact and blew on the powder, causing a cloud of white dust to cover their faces. They slumped to the ground, unconscious.
Elijah’s golden eyes widened. Do you think the library is still there?
I hope so. She glanced around as she stepped inside the conservatory.
I don’t hear any heartbeats nearby.
She grinned. You could come in handy.
They moved through the house before heading up to the second floor. It was close to where the High Lord himself slept so Elijah knew they’d have to be extra careful.
“Dad kept it sealed shut so the spell should still be in place,” she whispered.
What if someone else managed to open it?
Dad’s spells were strong but if they did then…She shrugged.
Kaylan went to the wall at the end of the hall, then traced a line with her knife in the shape of a door along the wall. She muttered something and a loud groaning sound echoed down the hall as the door finally opened.
I hope no one heard that! She ducked inside.
Dim light cast an eerie glow about the room from the hidden window. Kaylan threw a fireball into the air. It hovered overhead and illuminated the space. A desk and high-backed chairs sat to one side with a stuffed chair in the centre of the room. Shelves lined every wall, some filled with books and others filled with various crystals and other objects. It smelt musty, but still held the familiar scent of worn leather and old tomes.
Light flashed around Elijah with a pop and crack of bone as he shifted. He groaned and stretched, muscles rippling.
“Does it hurt when you do that?” she asked.
“Sometimes,” he admitted. “It’s worse at the full moon when I’m forced to change. What are we looking for?”
She shut the door behind them and searched the shelves. Pulling out different books, she scanned them for something that might help. “Anything that relates to the Amaranthine Chronicles.”
“Don’t the Amaranthine have any information about the book?” Elijah asked. He tried to remember, but his life as an Amaranthine seemed like a lifetime ago.
She sighed. “No, some say it was just a myth since it existed before our current Amaranthine Order existed. Besides, I’m not sure if I am one of them anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
Being an Amaranthine had always been part of her life, of both their lives. It was impossible to just walk away from that.
She hesitated. “I haven’t been part of the Amaranthine since you left. We both know Cedric won’t let you come back.”
“You shouldn’t leave on my account,” Elijah told her.
Kaylan put another book back. “This could take days, and we need to be out of here before they track me again.”
“Let’s keep looking.”
After an hour, neither of them had found anything useful.
“Come on, let’s get out of here,” she said, putting the books back into place. “It’s late.”
Elijah didn’t shift back but instead threw a glamour around himself. His skin tingled as the spell set in place.
“You used to be good at glamours,” she pointed out.
He shrugged. “I rarely use them now. I usually go out in my wolf form.”
“With a better glamour, you could move above ground freely.”
He shook his head. “No.”
“Why not? I could cast a spell to change your appearance.”
“I can’t, Kaylan. I probably shouldn’t even be here,” Elijah said. “I might lose control in an instant.”
“You can learn to control it.
”
Such a thing seemed impossible, so Elijah decided to change the subject. “I think I found something,” he remarked, glancing down at the book in his hand. “There’s a spell here to form a mind link. Maybe you can use it to talk to Freya.”
“Great. Let’s cast it.”
Looking at the spell, there was no way for him to go with her. “Are you sure?”
“I have to talk to her.” Kaylan took the book from him.
“Be careful.”
She chanted the words, before slumping into the chair unconscious.
Elijah sighed. He hated feeling useless. A scraping sound at the door made him look up. Two guards stood in the doorway and the fiery glow in their eyes meant they weren’t just guards.
Ah, hell. He sniffed to see if they were shifters but caught only the faint whiff of his own kind. That meant they had only just been turned and were in transition. Elijah glanced back at Kaylan. “Here we go again.” A fireball formed in his hand. He didn’t want to unleash his beast unless he had to.
The first guard hurled an energy ball at him. It struck his shoulder as he returned fire, but his magic had no effect on them. Still in human form, talons formed and fangs protruded as he lashed out.
Elijah slashed and snarled as his opponents hurled fireballs at him. He felt the burning sting of magic. It didn’t take long for him to realise that it wasn’t him they were after. They were there for Kaylan.
Elijah snarled and yanked the man off his feet.
“No!” cried Kaylan, suddenly awake and on her feet. She threw herself at Elijah. Wrapping herself around his back, she plunged her knife into his shoulder. He growled, but continued choking their other attacker.
“Elijah, stop!” She tried beating and pleading with him, but his focus remained on the guards. Calling more magic, she unleashed it. Violent energy exploded, knocking the three of them to the ground and blowing out the windows.
Kaylan pushed past Elijah and chanted the spell. Light imploded as she cut the creature’s leg and it vanished. Breathing hard, she let out a sigh of relief. The guards were injured but both would live.
Just as quickly Elijah felt his beast retreat back inside him as his claws vanished and eyes returned to their normal shade of hazel brown. “Did you find her?” he asked.
“I…” Kaylan started to say just as a burst of light swept her away.
Another figure stood in the doorway. “Well, what have we here?” Ena smiled.
“Oh, you’re not going anywhere.” Ena raised her hand.
An invisible force held him in place as he thrashed, snarled and tried to force his way out.
The last thing he remembered was Ena’s grin before he lost all control.
Chapter 9
Kaylan gasped, finding herself back in her living room, as bright white light flashed around her. Geth and Sierra stared back at her. “What did you do?” Kaylan demanded.
“You didn’t answer our calls, so we summoned you,” Sierra replied, brow creasing. “What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong is that you just left Elijah at the hands of Ena.” She ran her hands through her hair. “We have to go back. Right now.”
“What happened?” asked Geth.
“I tried contacting Freya but we got interrupted.” She sat down and recited the spell once more, letting herself sink into unconsciousness.
Light flashed around her until she found herself in near complete darkness. Only a small shaft of light radiated down the wall from a hanging crystal.
“Freya?” Had the spell worked? She hadn’t expected the spell to take her into a prison cell. Then realised they were inside Freya’s mind. Why would Freya imagine herself to be in a place like this?
“Kaylan?” a voice came out of the darkness.
It took Kaylan’s eyes a moment to adjust to the gloom. Freya sat huddled in a corner, her face smudged with dirt.
“Freya.” She rushed over, her arms passing through her sister’s body. “Damn, I’m only here telepathically. Freya, listen. We don’t have much time. What happened to you?” she asked. “Why are you working with Ena?”
“I came here to find out about the Stardust drug. It killed my friend Nolan.” Freya sat up, wiping the smudges off her face. “I met Ena again that night and she told me she’s been trying to work her way up within the Order to–”
Kaylan’s eyes narrowed. “Listen to me, Freya. Ena killed our parents.”
Freya snorted. “That’s ridiculous. She’s been trying to find a way to restore our family name. She wants the Zegans gone just as much as we do.”
“No, she’s going to kill the High Lord so she can take control of the Order. She knows how powerful they are and once she gets hold of the Amaranthine Chronicles there will be no stopping her,” Kaylan said. “She’s responsible for the recent string of deaths in the city. She turned Elijah into a shifter.”
“Why would she do that?” Freya asked with a laugh.
“Because she knows she needs power and force over the rest of the Order. Having an army of shifters would make her unstoppable,” Kaylan replied. “I know what she did Freya; I saw her stab Dad to death.”
“Ena said you wouldn’t understand. This city is crawling with evil and crime. Ena wants to put an end to that.”
“By destroying the Order?”
“You know how corrupt they are.”
“Yes, but I don’t think murdering them is the answer.” Kaylan stared at her sister. This wasn’t the gentle, fun-loving Freya she knew. “What did Ena do to you?”
Freya laughed again. “You think she tortured me, don’t you? She made me see the truth, Kaylan. Why can’t you see this is the only way to stop the Order’s corruption?” she said. “You’ll see the truth too soon enough.”
Kaylan’s brow creased. “What do you mean?” She’d suspected Ena had been planning something given how the deaths due to the drug seem to be increasing. “What is she going to do? Freya, she almost killed Elijah. She turned him into a beast and she’s been trying to do the same to others.”
But Freya only grinned.
It sent a chill down Kaylan’s spine. “She’s already made more shifters, hasn’t she?” Realisation formed in her stomach. “So why is she using your blood then?”
Her sister didn’t answer, turned away from her and stared at the wall.
“I’m guessing they’re not as strong as Elijah is. That’s why she’s been hunting him so much. Did he really kill those guards?”
The answer didn’t matter. Kaylan can see now that there was no reasoning with Freya. She looked around, but there was nothing in the room to indicate where they might be. No windows. Only a locked door and white washed walls. The only light came from the blue crystal hanging from the ceiling.
She felt a tug at the edge of her senses. “I have to go. The spell won’t last much longer.” She reached out as if to touch Freya’s cheek. “I’ll be here for you soon.”
Freya smile widened. “I know.”
Kaylan gasped as her eyes flew open. “We need to go. I have to get Elijah and Freya back before Ena does something stupid,” Kaylan told them. “We’ll need reinforcements. I don’t know what Ena’s planning but I’m guessing it’s something big.”
“Do we know where they are?” asked Geth.
“Somewhere in the High Lord’s house.”
“Cedric won’t give us backup unless he has proof,” Sierra said.
Kaylan frowned. “Is my word not good enough?”
“It’s too much of a risk. We have no idea what we might be up against.”
“Fine then I’ll go by myself.” Kaylan grabbed her jacket and pulled it on, arming herself with more knives.
“You can’t go alone,” Geth protested. “It’s suicide.”
“I’m not an Amaranthine anymore, remember?”
“But we’re still your friends, and you’re not going anywhere without us,” Sierra insisted.
“What about Cedric?”
Sierra grinned. �
��Screw him.”
“Fine, then let’s go. Sierra, there’s something I need you to do.”
Kaylan tried not to sigh as she stood in the training courtyard, shifting uneasily from foot to foot. She wanted nothing more than to burst into that mansion and find Elijah and her sister instead of watching Flynn making an idiot of himself at this tournament. Watching warriors graduate from the academy was a big event in Ormere and she knew if Ena plan to strike at the Order this would be the place. She had to be here for the plan to work successfully and not raise any suspicions.
“We are already outside the mansion,” Geth’s voice echoed in her ear.
“Everything is ready,” Sierra added.
“Are you alright, Anne?” asked Flynn.
She turned her attention back to him. “Yes – I’m just nervous.”
Today, the High Lord was coming to watch the progress of the students. She watched the gathering crowd and scanned each face. She was certain she had spotted Ena. What kind of twisted game was the Glistan playing now?
Flynn bowed to his opponent then stood, feet spread.
He’s going to get himself killed! Kaylan resisted the urge to cover her face and instead looked at the crowd. She watched Flynn’s opponent. A sorceress. Her mane of blonde hair fell past her shoulders and her blue eyes fixed on Flynn as she smiled. Kaylan’s hand went to the knife concealed underneath her jacket. She forced herself to remain calm. If she reacted, Ena would know and her disguise would no longer offer any protection.
Light flashed as a bolt of lightning slammed into Flynn, hurtling him to the ground.
To her amazement, Flynn scrambled up, despite the pain etched on his face, and raised his hand. Light flashed as he tried to strike but his magic fizzled out.
“Come on, Sierra,” Kaylan murmured.
“Three, two, one.” Sierra counted down.
“People of Ormere this is the voice of the Amaranthine.” Everyone’s attention turned to the two large screens that sat on each side of the stadium. A pair of glowing eyes flashed across the screen. “We are the justice of this city. This recording cannot be traced or stopped.”
Just as the recording started to play, a scream rang out. Kaylan turned her attention back to the crowd. High Lord Thedric slumped to the ground, blood dripping from his throat as a Freya stood over him, knife raised. Freya turned, smiled at sister then vanished.
The Amaranthine Chronicles Complete Series: Betrayed By Blood, Dark Revenge, The Final Battle Page 6
