Withhold

by Andrea Pearson

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  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

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Epilogue

  Withhold

  Mosaic Chronicles Book Nine

  Andrea Pearson

  Copyright © Andrea Pearson 2016

  Series by Andrea Pearson:

  Kilenya

  Kilenya Romances

  Kilenya Adventures

  Mosaic Chronicles

  Koven Chronicles

  Ranch City Academy

  License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction, and the views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author. Likewise, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are represented fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Dedication

  Helen Allred

  For having an amazing eye—you always manage to find typos in books I think I’ve perfected. Thanks for beta reading and being a wonderful friend through the past many years.

  Barb Hackel

  For being warm, caring, and concerned over several years of trials for me and my family. I’ll love you forever for your prayers and words of comfort!

  Chapter One

  Nicole sensed the Fire Pulser draw power toward herself, and she knew the creature was about to pulse flames again. She leaned against the rough bark of a nearby tree, taking mental stock of herself, and winced as injuries of varying degrees manifested themselves. There was no way she'd survive two or three more bouts of flames at this point.

  She had to get to that glowing orb Lasia was guarding and find the fourth and final talisman before Keitus did. It was the only way to stop him from gaining enough power to control everyone. But how? She and Lasia had been grappling for at least thirty minutes now, and she was no closer to reaching her goal than when she’d first entered the forest. She couldn’t bear to return to her friends empty-handed. Even now, two of them waited just inside the library, probably restlessly, holding on to the hope that had motivated them all through the past several months of failures.

  Keitus had constantly been a step ahead of them. He’d managed to secure the first three talismans through thievery and deception. Nicole would never forget the intense disappointment she’d felt when she and her friends had learned that the talismans they’d fought so hard to get had been fakes.

  And now, here she was, facing an enemy who had nearly killed her only a couple of months earlier, and who would most likely kill her now. Nicole wasn’t going down without giving her all to this task that had been appointed to her.

  A sudden idea struck her, and she dashed through the forest to where she’d hidden the lantern. She wasn’t exactly sure how it worked, but holding that lantern somehow caused the door to Shonlin to open, granting her access to this forest, and in turn, every magical item ever created.

  After picking it up, Nicole ran back toward the Fire Pulser. Lasia hadn’t moved an inch. She watched Nicole with confusion and suspicion from where she stood by the chest-high orb.

  Not waiting to see what the Fire Pulser would do, Nicole tossed the lantern at the creature. Lasia caught it and stared at it, shocked just long enough for Nicole to tackle her into the glowing orb.

  Visions sprang into Nicole’s mind. She could no longer feel her pain or sense the Fire Pulser. Numbness blossomed over her, and her sight blackened for a moment. Then she saw a white glass box.

  And Keitus.

  The elderly man was surrounded by falling snow and pristine fields of white. Nicole could almost feel the crisp air as it puffed out of the old man’s mouth. It wasn’t her imagination when Keitus turned and looked at her, making eye contact. He laughed, obviously knowing where she was and what she was doing.

  “You’re too late,” he said.

  Keitus picked up the glass box, opened it, and pulled out the final talisman, tucking it into his pocket.

  Nicole felt Lasia struggling against her grasp. The numbness in her body dissolved, and the vision ended. Her sight returned to the forest surrounding her and the Fire Pulser. Her heart sank—Keitus had what he needed. She was too late.

  Lasia finally got a hand free. She punched Nicole in the jaw, nearly causing her to release her grasp, but Nicole didn’t let go. The cord tying Lasia to the orb was magical. The Fire Pulser knew that without the cord keeping her in place, the forest wouldn’t allow her to remain. Nicole was a guardian of Shonlin. A guardian over every magical item ever created, including Lasia’s bindings. As such, she had access to the magic that would allow her to seal that cord in place.

  Nicole closed her eyes and mentally pulled the necessary power to herself until it enveloped her, granting her permission to perform the act. She spoke the required words, and just like that, the cord was sealed, its magic rendered useless.

  Lasia was free.

  She screamed, and Nicole held on tightly as the magic of Shonlin realized a traitor was there. It dragged a shrieking Fire Pulser through the forest, banging the two women into underbrush, logs, and branches. The ferns pulled away from them. Lasia scrambled, struggled, and yelled.

  Nicole had to put all of her energy into her grip. The beast pulsed multiple times, but each episode was weaker than the last. Still, Nicole felt her protection stop working and the burning start. She gritted her teeth against the pain.

  Lasia was thrust back into the library, and Nicole was sucked through after her. She pinned the Fire Pulser to the stone floor, not sure what to do now that they’d left the forest.

  The Fire Pulser froze and began glowing brightly, so bright that Nicole couldn’t look directly at her. She scrambled to get away just before Lasia exploded into a million particles of light.

  She shielded her eyes as bits of dust and glitter settled everywhere.

  A wave of gratitude from hundreds of guardians who had been watching, waiting for Lasia to be removed from the forest, rushed over her.

  Nicole glanced at the current guardian and asked, “Is that it? Has she been destroyed?”

  He shook his head. “No, a council still must take place.”

  “What sort of council?” Nicole asked.

  “You’ll see.”

  The guardian didn’t say anything more.

  Waves of excruciating pain began rolling over Nicole. Pushing it all aside, she rushed through the door and out to where Akeno and Jacob waited in the next room near the balcony, overlooking the first floor.

  “Nicole!�
� Akeno said. “Are you done?”

  “Yes. We don’t have much time. Can’t stand around talking.”

  Jacob jumped to his feet. “But you’re injured.”

  Nicole shrugged. It made her shoulders hurt, but she refused to let that distract her. “Doesn’t matter. Keitus has all of the talismans. We’re too late to stop him. We have to let everyone know.”

  “What do you mean, we’re too late?” Akeno asked.

  “He’s got what he needs,” Nicole said. “The talismans, the amulet—” She paused, glancing at Jacob.

  “But not Helen’s body,” Jacob said.

  Nicole smiled. “You’re right.”

  The talismans could be joined with the amulet, but without a magical person’s body, voluntarily given, it wouldn’t do Keitus any good. “Now that we know he plans to destroy her, we might be able to convince her to tell him no.”

  Chapter Two

  Nicole didn’t wait to see if the others would follow. She rushed down the stairs of the library, trailing her hand on the railing as she went. The sound of footsteps behind her on the marble steps let her know they were coming.

  Right before she reached the front of the library, the massive door swung inward, and Austin and Lizzie entered. Austin threw his arms around Nicole, burying his face in her neck. She cringed against the pain, not wanting to hurt his feelings by rebuking him.

  “I’m so glad to see you,” he said. “I was very worried.”

  Nicole kissed him on the cheek. “I know. We don’t have much time.”

  “What’s the hurry?” Lizzie asked.

  “Keitus got to the fourth talisman before I could defeat Lasia and find it myself. He has everything he needs, except Helen’s body.” She beckoned them to follow, then ran down the outer steps of the library and rushed to the street.

  “Hold on!” Austin called. “We need to think this through.”

  “I have,” Nicole said, pausing on the cobblestoned road. “And it’s a race to see who can reach Helen first.”

  “How do we know he hasn’t already talked to her?” Jacob asked, joining them.

  “We don’t,” Nicole said, hopping from foot to foot, willing the conversation to end. “We need to assume he has. But if we don’t do anything, if we don’t try to stop him, we’ve already failed.”

  “Well, we have to figure out how to approach her,” Austin said. “I mean, we can’t just go running off to . . . to wherever she is.” He folded his arms, staring at Nicole with his eyebrows raised. “Where were you going, anyway?”

  “I . . .” Nicole hesitated. “Um . . . I’m not sure.”

  Austin half smiled. “Okay, so let’s figure out where she was buried. That’s the first step.”

  “And that would be in Washington somewhere,” Lizzie said. “At least, that’s where she tortured me the most.”

  Nicole tried to ignore the disappointment that cascaded over her. They were right—she hadn’t even figured out where she’d go once she got out of Edana. And now that Keitus had the talismans, whatever advantage they may have had just slipped away. Would they ever catch up with him now? He had to know where Helen’s body was. And if he didn’t, could they hope to find her before he did, or had all of their efforts been for naught?

  Jacob started down the path. He called over his shoulder, “Let’s get back to the castle and discuss this with my parents and Mr. Coolidge.”

  Everyone followed him, and Nicole contented herself with their slower-than-she-would-have-chosen pace. She was grateful that the trek that usually took a couple of hours still only took one, though.

  Once they got to the castle, the king and queen were ready. They were waiting patiently, eager to hear what happened in Shonlin. After Nicole reported, they agreed that the best course of action would be to approach Helen’s spirit and try to stop her from giving her body to Keitus. That would need to happen in Nicole’s dimension of earth and not Jacob’s, as Helen had been an Arete.

  King Dmitri sent a message to Professor Coolidge, asking if he would like to be involved in this trip. Of course Professor Coolidge’s response was yes. Then he reminded them that Renforth, the Shiengol, had wanted to go as well. Those who would be going on the expedition included Coolidge, Azuriah, Renforth, Nicole, Austin, and Lizzie.

  Before everyone could get together, however, they needed to figure out where Helen was buried. Nicole, Lizzie, and Austin volunteered to do the research while the others prepared for the trek.

  Jacob keyed the three to Austin’s apartment after picking up Nicole and Lizzie’s laptops. He said goodbye, then left, shutting the door behind him.

  Nicole and Austin met eyes, and for the first time in a while, Nicole wished Lizzie wasn’t around. She and Austin needed to figure out their relationship. The last thing Austin had said to Nicole before she’d gone to confront the Fire Pulser had been a panicked proposal. Did he still want to marry her? She assumed he did, but didn’t want to bring it up in front of their friend. And what if he was rethinking the proposal? What if he wanted more time before they tied the knot?

  She and the others sat on the couches with their laptops and began the tedious research. They started with notable deaths around Lake Crescent, where Lizzie had encountered Helen, poring over online periodicals and newspapers. After an hour, though, they still hadn’t found anything. They didn’t even know when Helen had died. She’d been well-enough known and spoken about that Nicole had expected to find information about her grave almost immediately.

  After taking a quick snack break, they decided they needed Helen’s exact death date before continuing. It was just too difficult to get what they needed without it, even when they knew it had happened roughly halfway through the nineteenth century.

  This meant a trip to Lake Crescent and the nearby cities to ask the locals what they knew about the legends.

  Lizzie sent a quick text to Nate, Austin’s roommate and the guy whose family she’d stayed with when she first encountered Helen. He responded almost immediately, saying that she, Nicole, and Austin were welcome to head up there as soon as they wanted to, and that they could stay as long as necessary.

  “Should we drive or have Jacob key us?” Lizzie asked.

  “Jacob, definitely,” Austin said.

  Lizzie bit her lip. “Don’t you ever feel bad about needing to use him so much? It’s not like he doesn’t have anything else to do.”

  “No, I don’t,” Austin said.

  Nicole and Lizzie looked at him in surprise.

  “He’s as involved in this as we are. If we don’t stop Keitus, he’ll be just as enslaved as we will be. That’s worth a bit of inconvenience.”

  Good point.

  They ended up having Jacob key them and Professor Coolidge to Port Angeles, where they rented a car to drive the hour and half to the cabin by Lake Crescent. That way, they could get around whenever they needed to and not have to wait for Jacob.

  Nicole felt weird, knowing that none of them were old enough to rent a car—she felt like they’d experienced enough in the past few years to give them a lifetime of experiences. It was Professor Coolidge who rented the car and drove them to the cabin. Lizzie sat up front with him, and Austin and Nicole sat in the back.

  Nicole scooted over and leaned her head against Austin’s shoulder, staring down at their entwined hands, wishing they’d get a moment alone to talk about his proposal. Had it been on purpose, or had he only said it because he was stressed and anxious about her fighting the Fire Pulser? He hadn’t acted awkwardly since she’d returned—in fact, it was as if nothing had happened at all between them.

  Regardless, she knew they would eventually get married. She just didn’t know when.

  Judging by Lizzie’s body language, Nicole could tell when they were nearing the cabin. Lizzie fidgeted, her gaze frequently went out the window, and her seatbelt loosened and tightened as she obviously pulled on it. Nicole knew this was hard for her friend who’d had prior dealings with Helen—awful ones—but she hoped
it would be cathartic too.

  Their welcome to the cabin was warm and open. Steph, Nate’s mother, took them inside and showed them to their rooms. Nicole and Lizzie shared a simple but elegant one at the back of the cabin on the second floor. The window overlooked the forest below and gave them a breathtaking view of snow-capped mountains and in the distance and the nearby dark-green trees.

  After dumping their things on the beds, the girls joined Austin and Coolidge in the small family dining room to eat a quick meal before heading back to Port Angeles. They wanted to get started as soon as they could. The food was delicious and the chatter friendly and light. Nicole was almost able to forget the tiredness she’d been experiencing since Akeno applied healing sap to her burns. She would have time to sleep later—finding Helen was more important.

  Once they’d finished eating, the four of them hopped into the rental car and headed to Port Angeles, where they split up, dividing the city between Austin and Coolidge and Nicole and Lizzie. Nicole wished she could be with Austin, but knew that Lizzie would not be comfortable alone with their professor.

  “I mean, he’s kind of freaky,” Lizzie said.

  “Still?” Nicole asked. “We’ve been taking classes from and working with him for a while.”

  “I know, I know. It’s just . . . Oh, never mind. I’m just being weird is all.”

  “No, you’re not. I forget that you haven’t spent as much time with him as I have.”

  The girls dropped the conversation to concentrate on their task. Nicole knew there used to be a cemetery in the middle of Port Angeles. She remembered reading that it was on Fifth Avenue and Oak Street, so they started knocking on doors there.

  Most of the people who were home didn’t know anything about anyone who had lived in Port Angeles over a hundred years earlier, but eventually they reached someone their age named Jill who was obsessed with family history. She invited them in and had them sit in a small sunroom off the main entrance before leaving to get something.