The Eden Series: The Complete Collection

by Stalder, Janelle

  This was why he and Rain had started to put together their plan. Each night, Elex would distract the young Prince with a question about his fair city, while Rain would mix the poison they’d brought with them into his food. It was the same poison that ran through Elex’s veins via the tattoos etched on his face and arms. The poison that had bound him to his father for so long, until the day he’d finally found the strength and courage to take the woman he loved and escape.

  The poison that had imprisoned him for so long would now be his only tool to bind the Prince to his will. Elex would control the Prince while letting him retain all outward appearances of being the ruler. That had been Rain’s ingenious addition to his plan. Where Elex would have just taken the crown, Rain had suggested otherwise.

  “You cannot simply take it,” she’d said one night as they lay naked together. Elex had been trailing a finger over her hip, letting it skim down the dip of her spine and back up, fascinated by the way her skin glowed in the fire-lit room. She was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen. Her words had made him glance up to see her face pensive, her dark brows lowered over her bright eyes.

  “And why not?” he’d asked, curling a strand of her hair around the same finger.

  She’d sighed like she always did when she found him vexing, something that made him smile each time. Rain was one of only two people that had possessed the courage to stand up to him. The other was now dead. He’d dropped the raven lock and had gently stroked the throbbing pulse at the base of her neck. His fangs had ached to taste her, as they did so often. He was well and truly addicted.

  “Because he has a whole army behind him,” she’d replied in a tone that implied the answer was obvious, and then lifted a finger to hold off any response from him. “Correction, two armies. You might be strong, but even you cannot beat both the Guard and the Elite singlehandedly. What you need to do is use him to do your bidding, while letting him remain on the throne. He will be nothing but a puppet for you, and we will be safe from any attacks.”

  He’d known she had a point right away. “The Elite might become suspicious,” he’d said. “They already look at me strangely. I don’t know how my father came to obtain the blood of one when creating my brother and I, but I’m sure it wasn’t in a manner that would please them.”

  Rain had shrugged and said so simply, “then we get rid of them.”

  And so they had begun their plan of poisoning the Prince until they could weave a spell to bind his will to theirs, and order him to send the Elite away. It wasn’t until the fifth night that they were able to complete this task.

  Sitting down to dinner, Elex noticed the dull look to the Prince’s gaze and knew they had reached the moment they’d been working toward. Thankfully the Prince’s advisor was absent, as was his little sister, who had kept her distance enough that Elex didn’t think there was a need to poison her as well. Giving Rain a discreet look, Elex turned to the Prince to engage him in conversation. He could see Rain’s lips move silently from the corner of his eye as she whispered a binding spell.

  When she finished, Elex decided to conduct a test.

  “Take your chicken leg and toss it across the room,” he ordered.

  The Prince did so without hesitation. Rain smiled at him when their eyes met. “Well done, my love,” Elex praised.

  “Thank you,” she said, her smile widening.

  Elex turned back to the Prince. “From now on, you will obey me and only me, do you understand?”

  “Yes,” the Prince replied.

  “You will tell no one of the things I say to you.”

  “Yes.”

  “You will act normally around others until we are alone. Understood?”

  “Yes.”

  “My first order to you is to send the Elite away from Veritas. They are no longer needed here. The Guard is sufficient protection, and you grow tired of the arrogance of the Elite. They are no longer welcome.”

  “The Elite are no longer welcome in Veritas,” the Prince said firmly.

  Elex smiled slowly, looking to Rain. “Perfect.”

  Elex stood on the top steps of the castle as he watched the hundreds of Elite file out of the city. Prince Nolan stood beside him, his face impassive as he observed the activity below. His advisor stepped up, his face betraying his confusion and displeasure at the current situation, although the man remained silent on the matter.

  “We still have not located Artem, my lord,” he said.

  “He must be here,” the Prince replied. “He would not abandon his people. Find him and use force if need be to make him leave.”

  “Yes, my lord.” The advisor shifted nervously, not retreating from them. Elex turned to watch him fully.

  “What is it, Christophe?” Prince Nolan asked irritably.

  “It’s the Queen, my lord,” he said. “I’m not sure if there is any cause for concern, but the healer was sent to her rooms only a short while ago, and I got the impression it was a serious matter.”

  Elex saw the change in the Prince as his entire body tightened at the mention of the young woman who held the title of Queen here in Veritas, though did nothing to earn it. Elex had hardly seen her his entire time here. However, he knew that she carried a child.

  Prince Nolan turned immediately, Elex following. When they reached her quarters, it was clear to see that something was definitely wrong. Nurses ran around the room in a flurry of activity, while an older woman prayed loudly beside the young Queen, holding her hand tightly in hers. The Queen lay in a large, four-poster bed, her back propped up by a pile of pillows. Her brown hair was matted to her head, her face scrunched into a grimace of pain.

  The healer knelt down between her spread legs, coaching her with soothing words.

  “What’s happened?” the Prince asked, finally bringing attention to their presence.

  “The Queen has gone into an early labour, my lord,” one of the nurses said.

  The Prince staggered back a step. Elex reached out to steady him with a hand to his shoulder.

  “’Tis too soon, no?”

  “Yes, my lord,” the nurse said, nodding sadly. “We will do our best to save the heir.”

  The heir. Elex turned to watch the Queen. This was not part of his plan. He already had a pawn to use, and didn’t want a young babe to grow up and take what was his. He would rectify the situation.

  When the cry filled the room only moments later, it felt as though everyone but him breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Take the baby,” Elex whispered urgently into Prince Nolan’s ear.

  “Give him to me,” the Prince said immediately.

  The healer walked over with a smile on his face. “You have a strong brother, my lord. He will make a good King, being so strong so soon.”

  “Let me have him and you can tend to his mother.” The healer handed the small bundle over, and the Prince instantly turned to exit. Elex twisted to look at the Queen before leaving, their eyes meeting. Something in them seemed to understand what was to happen. Awareness entered into the dark brown eyes that watched him, and deep anguish promptly followed. He heard her cry softly just as he walked out.

  Prince Nolan was waiting in the antechamber, his back to Elex as he stood before the hearth. “What will you do?” he asked without turning.

  Elex didn’t answer outright. “We cannot have another person fighting for the throne, Nolan. Surely you know this. We must set things right.”

  The Prince nodded woodenly.

  “You will tell them that he did not make it, and that you disposed of the body to save the mother from further heartache.”

  “Yes,” he whispered.

  “Now hand him to me.”

  Finally the Prince turned, his face pale, features drawn. They said nothing as Elex took the child and left the room. He walked quickly through the halls to the outside, and lifted off as soon as the fresh air hit him. The child did not cry as Elex flew through the night until there was nothing below but the white capped waves o
f the sea, as far as the eye could see. Only then did he look down at the bundle that he held, to see a tiny set of dark eyes staring back up at him, as if he comprehended the fate that awaited him.

  He hovered there, staring at the small child for what felt like hours. Then he dropped him.

  Every muscle in her body screamed at her to get up and race after the winged man who’d been a constant presence around the castle for the past week. Cecelia felt her tears fall in a silent turmoil, her emotions choking her, too strong to even voice to the others in the room what was happening. She didn’t know how, but she knew the second the man looked at her that she would never see her child again.

  She was too weak to even move. Too worn from birth to save her child from leaving this world after only just entering it. She had failed him already. She was –

  A sharp pain ripped through her body making her cry out. The healer was kneeling before her instantly. He started to say something, but she barely heard him or registered his words as more pain engulfed her. Finally words broke through the haze in her mind.

  “Push, my lady! Push!”

  Cecelia did so, pushing as she had just done and felt something else deliver from her body.

  “Twins,” one of the nurses said as she gasped. “My Queen, you’ve had another son!”

  Joy was instantaneous but quickly changed to fear as reality set in. She opened her mouth to warn them, but knew not what to say. How could she tell them to hide a child from the Prince who ruled them? What choice did she have?

  The door opened and her heart pounded within her chest as fatigue washed over her, making it difficult for her to even keep her head up. It was not the Prince though who entered, nor the winged man. This man was taller than any other, his shoulders wide and strong. White hair was cropped close to his head, and eyes of the same colour met hers as he crossed the room.

  “Artem,” she whispered. She didn’t know the leader of the Elite well, but she knew he could be trusted. He’d been the first person she’d met when he arrived at her home in the mountains near Montis to take her to the King for their betrothal. He was a quiet and sombre man, but Cecelia had always felt safe in his presence.

  “Take him,” she whispered as he knelt beside her, close to her head. “You must take him.” She fought to instill urgency into her words, but they would only come out as soft pleas.

  Artem nodded, his vacant eyes somehow knowing. How could he be aware of the betrayal to her this night when it had only just happened? She wasn’t sure, but there were many things about the Elite Cecelia did not understand.

  “Promise me,” she said, silent tears running down her face.

  “He will be safe,” was all he said. Then he stood and raised his hand, swiping it through the air as though cobwebs marred his way. Cecelia sensed everyone else in the room still. Artem gently took her second baby from the nurse who simply stood there, eyes unblinking. Then he walked back to her and knelt so that she might see the child he held.

  “Behold your child and remember his face,” he said. “No others will remember him, but you will. Keep his memory safe in your heart, and let it give you strength.”

  More tears spilled from her eyes as she struggled to sit up. Gently she kissed her child’s forehead and whispered softly, “I will always love you.” She lay back and watched as Artem turned and left. No fear filled her this time as she watched yet another child leave her bedside. This time she had hope. As soon as the door shut, the others in the room began to move again as though nothing happened. Cecelia sank further into her pillows, closing her eyes as the night’s events finally took their toll on her. She cried inwardly for both children, lost to her so soon. She could only hope that one day she would see them again, in this world or the one beyond. I will always love you, she said again silently, sending it out to both. To the one who would be waiting in the clouds, and to the other who would be hidden from all until the time was right.

  ELYSIUM

  COMING IN FALL

  2014

  ELYSIUM

  ~PART ONE ~

  A girl who has visions;

  A stable boy and lover to a Princess;

  A soldier of the Guard;

  An Elite, the last of her kind out of hiding.

  This group of unlikely friends will be sent on the most important mission of their lives – find the Elite and bring them back to save Elysium. But the salvation they are seeking lies not with the feared “god’s children”, but with the thing they’ve kept hidden all these years.

  Will they find the hidden people, or will they themselves become lost in the mist?

  A simple barmaid learns how quickly life can change when she finds herself in the clutches of the most feared Pirate in all of Elysium. Forced on the journey of her lifetime, she is about to realize that the treasure they are hunting is nothing she ever expected. And when they reach the end, it is truly only the beginning.

  Want to contact the author?

  Email her at jmstalder@gmail.com, or follow her on Twitter, @jmstalder.

  www.JanelleStalder.com