Decadia Series: Books 1-3

by Apryl Baker

  Stephen realized she too had witnessed Ryder’s transformation. A quick look over the rail told Stephen Ryder was keeping her promise in assisting the ship’s crew. The sight reminded Stephen of a large bird diving in and out of the grasp of a lion.

  Ryder spiraled in and out of the Kraken’s reach. Fire sizzled through the air charring the Kraken’s flesh in a dozen different areas. A roar from the ship’s crew joined the battle cries of the two mythical animals battling below.

  “Watch out!” Someone shouted. Stephen was too late. So enraptured by the sight of Ryder battling the Kraken, Stephen didn’t see the tentacle they had been trying to rupture release its grip from the main mast.

  The limb, the width of a tree trunk, finally released its hold, flailing in every direction as it retreated. Stephen was knocked into the Captain standing beside him and together they were thrown across the deck.

  The sensation of air in his lungs was only a memory as Stephen struggled to breathe. A sheet of crimson fell down his forehead and obscured his vision. One swipe at the sticky, red liquid and Stephen knew it was blood. Pain from his fall and a stinging sensation from the gash on his head hit him at once.

  Oxygen reentered his gasping lungs as he struggled to his feet. The first thing he saw was Emerald, the mask knocked from her face. She looked at him with a grimace. “Not exactly how I wanted you to find out, Stephen, but today is not going my way.”

  ***

  Val forced herself up and back to her feet. Her mask and sword were both gone, knocked from her grasp in the collision. A dull soreness at her left elbow and ribs promised greater pains in the near future once the adrenaline wore off. All around her, her ship was falling apart—again. Her sailors were fighting a losing battle, yet still following her command. A smear of red across the deck showed where a poor soul had not escaped the embrace of the Kraken. Screams shattered the air, signaling another crew hand falling to an abysmal fate.

  If Val didn’t do something soon, her ship would be destroyed altogether and her crew dead. She only just heard Stephen’s questions, “How? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Val looked into Stephen’s blue eyes and immediately suppressed the sudden emotions. This was not the time. “I owe you an explanation, just not right now. I have to save my crew first.”

  Stephen nodded dumbly.

  Val steeled her nerves for what she knew was a necessary gamble. If she was to have any luck of entering the Crucible, then backing down was not an option. Val strode to the edge of the ship’s railing with her back straight and her head held high. She ignored the splintering wood around her and the Kraken’s searching limbs that ravaged her ship.

  If what Tobias said was true, then she would be allowed to enter the Crucible. She was an Atlantean and perhaps even something more. Her name encompassed that of royalty and that couldn’t be a coincidence. So many questions still needed to be answered, still something deep within Val spoke to her. It told her she was always destined for greatness and that her destiny would not allow her to die here.

  Val looked down at the Kraken. Since the battle had begun, the Kraken had caught the ship in mid-air and had slowly begun to drag it down toward the water’s surface. The ship was now only a few yards over the dead water and nearly level with the creature’s massive head.

  Ryder still darted to and fro, confusing the monster and annoying the giant with her peppered blasts of molten lava. However, the dragon was no longer the Kraken’s main focus. Yellow slits of eyes were trained on Val.

  “My name is Valeria Aurora Dendali Riverthorn. I am an Atlantean and you have no authority to keep me from attempting the journey to my home!”

  As if on command, the Kraken’s tentacles stopped shaking the ship. The crew stared wide-eyed, too frozen in fear to attempt anything. The Kraken rose from the water and pulled the ship closer, until its eyes were only feet away from where Valeria stood.

  Val consciously ordered every muscle in her body to stand ground. The sheer size of the Kraken looming over her would be enough to send anyone running in the opposite direction. The monster’s sole attention was on her. Val could feel it looking deep inside her.

  The feeling of prodding and poking at her actual consciousness rattled Val. Despite this intrusion, Val forced herself to return the stare. If she were to die, then she was going to do it with eyes open, fighting to her last breath. Death, however, would not find her this day.

  With one last penetrating gaze, the Kraken released the ship and sank back into the water.

  Val took a generous breath and looked to those remaining in her crew. After the battle, she knew she owed them answers. Among those she let her eyes linger on the least were Stephen and Ryder. Stephen’s eyes hadn’t left her since he had learned her true identity. What the future had in store for them was anyone’s guess; at the moment Val would rather face down another Kraken than share her feelings.

  Since her transformation to and from her dragon form, the crew had given Ryder a wide berth. Though Val knew it would take time, she had faith Ryder could one day be a valuable asset to the journey. She, like her crew, couldn’t bring herself to trust the morphling, but she respected the girl’s abilities.

  Her previous conversation with Tobias crossed her mind. It was clear the man wasn’t telling her everything. There would be time. If he wanted to live past the Crucible they would soon face, he would be honest—or face her wrath.

  She climbed up the ropes leading to the foremast of the ship. From here she could see everyone and her voice would carry into the wind. The faces below her were streaked with dirt and blood. Fear ruled many of them, yet there they stood, awaiting her orders. Some she’d only recently come to know; like those of the merchant ship and even the few from the Navy, but today, they were one band of motley men and women struggling to survive and looking to her for leadership.

  “I want to say first, how proud I am of each and every one of you for showing true courage in the face of the unknown. Most know me as Emerald, but not anymore. Today, I stand before you as Valeria, and I am by birth an Atlantean. Most of you have been with me as I searched for the lost city. As I said, we found the entrance, but the way is perilous. We lost some today, and truth be told, we’ll probably lose more, but I have faith in all of you. I am not ordering any of you to go with me. Anyone who is unwilling to travel through the Crucible may leave now. There are escape boats in the hold. You can take enough supplies to get you back to the island people. I cannot ask you to go with me, so I am giving you the choice here and now.”

  Val stood still waiting, almost expecting a sizeable portion of her crew to depart. Most were men and women Val had known for years, but even given their past together, she didn’t think all of them would stay. She was wrong.

  The first to take a step forward was Lukas. “I go where you go, Cap’n.”

  Murmurs of agreement echoed through the crowd. Yayou, the medicine man, also separated himself from the group, “You makah the Kraken run. I follow you.”

  More voices of affirmation rose. Val found herself looking to Stephen. Lost in his brilliant eyes, she scarcely noticed the slight twist of his mouth as he nodded as well. Whatever the Crucible held in store for them, whatever her name meant for her once they reached Atlantis, Val knew that with friends like this by her side, destiny was already watching over her.

  End Book One

  Chapter One

  Home. Family.

  Many took those words for granted, but not Valeria Aurora Dendali Riverthorne. Those words had always been denied to her. She’d fought for everything she’d ever had in life. Now, she stood before the path that led to the possibility of being able to claim those words.

  The sky was turning a deep crimson as the sun set. Valeria leaned on the railing of her airship, The Emerald Queen, and watched the day give way to night. Steam billowed out behind them as they idled in the air. As much as she wanted to start their journey tonight, there were things to be seen to. Her crew deserved at least a day to
recover after working for the last week to repair the damage done by the Kraken, the Crucible’s guardian.

  Her journey to this moment had been long and hard. She’d taken to the skies, become the most feared pirate to roam the wind, all so she could find her way home…to Atlantis.

  A cool breeze ghosted over her face. Atlantis. The name sent a thrill through her. So many questions rambled around in her head, questions she had no answer to, but soon, maybe.

  “I thought you might be here.”

  The deep voice didn’t startle her. She was expecting him. Her first mate, Lukas, came to stand next to her. His presence settled her nerves a bit. “Aye. I needed to think.”

  “Decided against going into the Crucible?” He turned serious hazel eyes to her.

  She saw the worry in them, the fear. The Crucible was the passage that led to Atlantis. Tobias Blood, the only other person she knew who had made the journey, told her there were certain tests housed within the Crucible she’d have to pass in order to gain entrance to Atlantis—dangerous trials designed to measure her worthiness. She could end up with all their blood on her hands.

  “Would you turn away from the one thing you’ve always wanted, Lukas?”

  He laughed, but it sounded a little bitter. “I haven’t yet.”

  Before she could question him, the lightning struck the water with such force it stirred up a small wave beneath them. The Dendali Curse. This lightning was responsible for poisoning all of DeCadia’s oceans, and somehow her family’s name was attached to it. She needed to know why, to know what had really happened, and not just speculation.

  “What are you going to do about our Naval captain?” Lukas once again pulled her away from her thoughts of Atlantis and back to the present. Stephen was not a situation she wanted to think about.

  “You know I was in the Royal Navy when I was younger. I know Stephen. He and I were friends during my time there.”

  “Just friends?” Lukas’ eyes burned with something akin to jealousy, something she’d never seen in him before. It gave her pause.

  “Why do you ask that?”

  “I’ve seen you watching him, Valeria. Or rather trying to not watch him and failing miserably.”

  She sighed and looked up into the darkening skies. Thousands of stars began to twinkle around them as evening fell. Stephen was going to be a problem even if he didn’t mean to be. Valeria loved him, had always loved him, but knew that wouldn’t keep him from doing his duty as an officer in the Royal Navy of DeCadia. He would turn her in for piracy.

  “It doesn’t matter, Lukas. For now, as long as he does as he’s told, we’ll worry about later when later comes around.”

  “Maybe it matters to me.”

  She turned to look up at him then, startled at the hurt in his voice. “Why would my feelings for him matter to you?”

  Lukas rested his forearms against the railing. “I have followed you through hell and back, Val. Not because of blind loyalty but because you earned my respect. You fought with us, shared everything with your crew. You taught me the true meaning of family.”

  She laughed. “I remember the day you signed on with me. You looked so disgusted to have to follow the orders of a woman. I almost didn’t bring you on, but I was desperate to get up in the air.”

  “Had I known I was being hired on by the soon-to-be infamous pirate Emerald, I might not have been so disgusted. We’ve been through some adventures together, we have.”

  “I hope you know how much I value you, Lukas, not only as my first mate, but as my friend. You are one of the most important people in this world to me.”

  He frowned, his attention caught by the lightning. “If I asked you to not do this, to not risk your life, all our lives, would you do that?”

  Anxiety beat at her already frayed nerves. Was he going to ask her to give up everything she’d worked for? Would she? He couldn’t understand what this meant to her. He’d grown up in a loving home, taken for granted the love of his family. Valeria grew up in a brothel, sold to the owner when she was three so her grandfather’s good name wouldn’t be tarnished. She’d learned to fight, to protect her virtue. She learned to scheme, to manipulate, and to steal. Now, Valeria had the chance to find where she belonged, to find a home. Could she give that up?

  He cupped her cheek, startling her. A warmth spread through her. The feeling was so foreign, she almost jumped back, not expecting the sensation. “I won’t ask that of you, Val. I’ve helped you search all these years. I know you wouldn’t give up your dream for anyone. Nor should you have to. Just remember I’m here, have always been here for you, and will always be here for you.” He leaned in, and his lips grazed hers. It was so fast she didn’t have time to respond. She stood there, staring like a foolish young girl even after he retreated.

  Her fingers found her lips, still tingling from his brief kiss. This was unexpected. She’d never even thought of Lukas as anything other than her friend and assumed he’d had the same feelings. When had that changed for him? Was it only seeing her around Stephen that had him misplacing his feelings for her? But then, if that were true, she shouldn’t have felt anything when Lukas kissed her. Yet she had.

  Why did he have to do this to her the night before she entered the Crucible? The trials designed to test her worthiness to enter her homeland of Atlantis. Why put her in such a state, knowing how important the morning was for her?

  She looked down at her crew. They were busy, if subdued. None of them was too happy with the prospects of their new adventure, but they’d stood their ground, thrown their lot in with her. Even the remaining crew of the Royal Navy’s vessel had not hesitated in joining her. That could have been simply because they feared the Dragons more than they feared a mythical fairytale.

  Stephen walked out on deck. His proud bearing caught her attention the moment she spotted him. His blond hair glinted silver in the moonlight. He looked worn and haggard. So much had been taken from him. His crew, his ship, and now his freedom. He looked up and caught her staring. No smile graced his face. His gaze was level and steady. She’d never intended for him to discover she was the girl he’d professed to love all those years ago, the girl who had loved him with every fiber of her being. It would have been so much easier to walk away from him after this was done if those truths had remained hidden.

  He nodded to her and turned, walking away. She flinched at the gesture. Valeria had lost his trust and maybe his respect. It was better this way, better the two of them didn’t remember their past, didn’t remember their feelings.

  This journey would be hard enough without having to bring the past into the present. Sometimes, it really was better to let sleeping dogs lie.

  ***

  Anger’s intense burn died a slow death to reason’s call. Stephen would still find a way to bring the Dragon to justice. Ryder would pay for what she’d done to his friend, but the attack by the Kraken reminded Stephen he had other men and women in the here and now who needed him.

  He would bide his time, protect his people. The Dragon’s hour would come. Sure, she had aided in the escape from the Kraken, but one act did not atone for another.

  Stephen stood at the ship’s railing and looked out into the dark water. Now more than ever, he needed to live in the moment. Thoughts of the past would get him killed in the present. Still, one thought refused to be denied. Valeria was the captain of the ship. More than that, she was Emerald, the most feared pirate of the air.

  The further Stephen tried to push her from his mind, the more her face appeared in his thoughts. What were the odds that the girl he had entered the academy with, the girl he had loved, was now leading him and a ragtag crew into the most dangerous mission of their lives? Staring into the face of such a coincidence, it couldn’t be called a coincidence at all. Stephen wasn’t sure if he believed in fate, but there weren’t many ways to describe the situation. After all these years, he and Val had found each other once again.

  Stephen shook his head, trying to dispel th
e idea of Val reentering his life as some kind of mystical sign. He left his spot against the railing, thinking a walk across the ship’s deck would do him some good. He was wrong.

  His night stroll ended not ten yards from where it had begun. There she was. Standing near the ship’s helm, staring down at him. He wasn’t ready. If they needed to talk about the past, Stephen wasn’t sure what he would say. He didn’t even know how he felt. Instead of continuing his course, he gave Val a short nod then turned and fled back across the deck.

  A heavy breath escaped his lungs as he tried for the hundredth time not to think about the captain of The Emerald Queen.

  “You need?” A thick island accent reached his ears.

  Stephen jolted from his thoughts. He was trained to be aware of his surroundings no matter what the situation. The fact that Ya-You the medicine man could be so close without Stephen knowing was a true testament to how much mental power it was taking him to not think of Valeria.

  The medicine man offered Stephen an open flask. Usually Stephen wouldn’t think about consuming anything that altered his state of mind while on duty in the Royal Navy. These, however, were extraordinary circumstances he found himself in.

  “I think I do ‘need.’” Stephen joined the dark-skinned stranger and accepted the bottle. Before he could second guess his judgment call, he pressed the flask to his lips and threw back his head. The liquid was unlike anything he’d ever tasted. The closest thing Stephen could relate the taste to was burnt cinnamon mixed with fuel.

  Stephen handed the old man his flask, fighting back a cough. “It’s good, thanks,” he managed in a wheeze as the effects of the liquid began to loosen his shoulders.

  “You no Royal Navy no more.” The medicine man motioned to Stephen’s tattered uniform.

  Stephen looked down at his clothes. His once crimson and black jacket was in shreds, his hat was gone, and his pants so dirty they resembled a stained carpet more than clothing. “Royal Navy in here.” Stephen touched his fingers to his chest.