Princess Reviled

by Butler, J. M.

  So the gun wasn't working. Amelia gripped it tighter. Something had to kill this creature!

  Suddenly the large cat leaped down, landing squarely on the centipede's back. The centipede shrieked and coiled back. The cat dug its thick claws in between the plates on its back, tore through the seams, and then leaped back up to the safety of the higher branches. Before the centipede could even recoil, the cat slumped down and slammed its massive paw into its head. The centipede crashed through the branches and struck the ground. The besreds attacked at once. They devoured it before the last clicking shriek faded into the air.

  Amelia glanced down, terrified at the power of the besred's jaws. Her gun had only angered the creature, and yet the besreds had torn it apart like paper.

  The large cat's throaty growl rumbled once more.

  Amelia swallowed hard as she met its gaze again. The dark orange eyes remained wide now, the pupils dilating. Then, silently, the cat withdrew to the larger branches.

  Acknowledgments

  Most of the absolutely incredible individuals who helped me make Princess Reviled as strong as it is are the same ones from Identity Revealed and Enemy Known, so I'm going to do what I did with Enemy Known and share fun little stories of their involvement. Just know that this isn't by any means the length or breadth of their contributions. I am so grateful to them for all they have done. And to those of you who contributed but don't want to have your names or anecdotes included for privacy reasons, I thank you from the depths of my heart as well. You are all spectacular.

  This story is dedicated to my mother as I mentioned before, but here I want to expand a little more on why. They say that children learn more by observing what their parents do versus what they say. Over the years, I have had many opportunities to test my mother's patience, and yes, I have most certainly reduced her to tears and cradling her head on more than one occasion. It might have something to do with my stubbornness or that I tend to attract trouble (or maybe I am trouble). But never once have I doubted her love even when I doubted whether she could take any more of my pushy mischief. Through it all she has been loving and kind, not only with me but with everyone whom she has encountered.

  Growing up tends to bring with it a certain measure of disillusionment. You learn that the world is more nuanced, people more complicated, and solutions more challenging. If one has been fortunate enough to have really good parents, there is also that point where the veil shifts and one must realize that they too are human. Amelia has to deal with severe disillusionment with both Theol and Alita. But I am grateful to say that this was never something I experienced with either of mine. I have been immensely blessed in that, though I recognize my parents have flaws, I never felt my mother lied to me about who she was. (I can say the same about my father as well, but for now, I want to keep this focused on my mother) My childhood memories of her are of a woman with auburn hair who never stopped loving, never stopped giving, and never stopped doing, even when she was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open. The only thing that has changed about her is that there's more silver in the auburn now.

  My father contributed a great deal as well, including his usual commonsense and analysis. In fact, his whole line of questioning about "why does Amelia need to be a princess" created one of the central focuses of Princess Reviled. One evening, after a particularly good series of questions, I asked him, "would it be better if we looked at whether Amelia remains a princess?" He nodded, his expression somberly contemplative, took a sip of coffee, and said, "that might make things a bit more interesting." He also helped me work out some of the mechanisms and designs of the tyrannoks.

  The tyrannok beetles are in part from a story that I told my brothers when they were little. Originally, the beetles had the mouths of Venus fly-traps, but one of my brothers suggested I just make them lizard mouths with a mandible overlay. Which for the purposes of this story works better. Maybe the Venus-fly trap creatures will appear in another story.

  Janeen Ippolito, a kind friend and marketing consultant, came on board to help me with marketing and blurb writing. While she was preparing the initial blurb, she asked me if I was sure that this shouldn't be two books. I hesitated because, well, figuring out the dividing points of a series that was really written as one giant story is a bit tricky. I had essentially broken this particular story into three acts, and if I split it at the most logical point for another book, it would require a large rewrite of the last third. As much as I love working within the Tue-Rah universe, the thought of such a large rewrite so late in the game unnerved me. But I had to consider it. Once Janeen provided her observations, I realized she was right. By having two thirds set in Libysha and one third set in Ecekom, Princess Reviled had a disjointed pacing, even if we were all excited to reach the wilderness. So I reconsidered my end point.

  And voila! Suddenly I could bring back some of the sections that I had originally trimmed in a desperate attempt to shorten the series. As I rewrote those pieces and smoothed them back into the primary narrative, I realized how much I missed them. The story as a whole is significantly stronger now and far more cohesive. It's also a more manageable size, which at this point is a victory in itself.

  James Fry, my sweet husband, provided support in so many ways, but especially in keeping me from making the same mistakes I've made in the past. When he saw my mind spinning with the possibilities of revealing even more about the Libyshan subterfuge and the reality behind King Theol's role as the peace king, he grabbed the bungee cord and hauled me back up before I added another 60,000 words. See, in an alternate version of this, Amelia wound up in a tower and leading a full jailbreak. I'm not saying that that will never happen, but in the end, James was right. It was good to redevelop and reintroduce some of the old scenes but not all of them. Not just yet anyway. Plus it's probably good to move on to Ecekom and the incredible adventures that wait there (seriously, friends, I am almost giddy with excitement. I can't wait to show you what's coming next).

  And oh, dear Mary Iamandi, my beautiful editor. She was there when I admitted that my depression was rearing again, especially at the thought of finishing another book in the Tue-Rah Chronicles saga. Don't get me wrong. I dearly long to finish this series to the best of my ability, but it is hitting me as I finish this and other stories just how much Tue-Rah Chronicles means to me. And soon, very soon in fact, it will be finished. There will be many other stories of course, but it's good to have a friend and editor who understands that challenge and encourages you to keep pushing through with it while also delivering my best. Also, having met Mary, I am now convinced I must craft a Vawtrian or a Shivennan in her honor. She is every bit as incredible as I expected, and we shall have to spend more time together in person quite soon. Otherwise I'll have to look into the legalities of surprise adoptions.

  I am also deeply grateful to all of my friends and the rest of my family. Deb Goelz continues to be a good influence despite her insistence that she is actually not one. She frequently reminds me that I don't need to get into that Internet fight and, no, I don't have to make sure some people know how wrong they are. (There are so many people wrong on the Internet, it is absolutely maddening!) I am so thankful to Emily as well for her willingness to listen to me summarize scenes and sections ad nauseum and play out any number of "what if" scenarios. Her patience, creativity, and excellent listening capacity always encourages me to keep pushing ahead on these stories, no matter how challenging they may get. My brothers continue to be their mischievous but kind selves, offering encouragement and frequent commentary. It was a rather strange thing to realize that, even though I started working on this series before they were born, my brothers actually remind me a great deal of key characters within the story. Reuben is very much like a more emotionally stable and healthy AaQar, Samuel QueQoa, and Elijah Lulu (you haven't met Lulu yet, but I think you'll like him when you do). Tom likewise proved tremendously helpful in working out details relating to science while also pointing out that the word huanna sounds
like it's connected to another word. That was pretty hilarious even though it was completely unintentional. And as for my sister, Sarah, she has not only been a sweet bundle of joy who has recently learned how to make macarons while sketching amusing Grumps comics, but she did all that while pregnant. And early this year, sweet little Marigold joined the family. Now I could be biased, but I have to say…Marigold is probably one of the cutest and sweetest little baby girls I have ever met. And I may fight with people on the Internet about that if Deb lets me get away with that.

  And as for you, readers, wow, you are so incredible, and I am deeply grateful to you. Thank you for sharing your time and your energy with me, for digging into these stories and living with these characters. I know sometimes I put you through some misery. But thank you for your patience and your encouragement. I can't wait to share even more of these adventures with you, and I hope you have a particularly blessed and wondrous day. You make this journey a delight. Until the next time.

  Glossary

  Here you can find all the definitions and descriptions you might want for a refresher on meanings. If you want to know how to pronounce these words and the names in this series, you can visit me at my website www.jmbutlerauthor.com, which has an audio guide.

  Cities, Countries, People Groups (Non Primary Races), and Worlds

  Darmoste - a city in Ecekom in the country of Tenal

  Ecekom - the primary world of the Vawtrians. Formerly the primary world of the Shivennans

  Eiram - the name for Earth and primary world to the Awdawms and Neyeb

  Istador - the former capital city of the Machat

  Libysha - the most powerful of the nations on Reltux

  Nalthume - sister nation to Libysha and strongest ally

  Polfradon - an old fortress built in the Igorl Age now used primarily to house old texts

  Otherlands - a 10 mile stretch between Libysha and the surrounding countries that is subject to no nation's law

  Talbokians - a group of loosely associated nomadic tribes who range throughout the more inhabitable regions of the Mallakish and Svelnon Mountains. They are generally Awdawms, though their men sometimes marry non Awdawm women. (Talbokian women who marry non Awdawms typically leave the tribal units.)

  Reltux - the primary world of the Machat

  Reda - a small but growingly influential nation that is one of Libysha's allies

  Telhetum - the capital city of Libysha

  Races

  Awdawms - the human race as we know it is generally referred to as the Awdawms, regardless of which world they are from. They can be found on all of the worlds, but their primary world is Eiram. However, the majority population on Reltux is also now Awdawm because Awdawms tend to travel significantly more than any other race except the Vawtrians.

  Bealorns - the beast talking and beast taming race. They were originally from Ecekom, but they have scattered throughout the worlds with the heaviest concentration remaining on Ecekom.

  Machat - the prophet race. They were originally from Reltux, and most have remained.

  Neyeb - the mindreader race. It is believed that all were destroyed in the Neyeb Massacre before the Tue-Rah’s Fall. Their home world was Eiram, and though many traveled, they all returned home before the Massacre.

  Tiablos - the illusionist and telekinetic race. They were originally from Ecekom and have maintained a heavy focus there, but they, like the Awdawms, have traveled a great deal.

  Shivennans - the elemental race. They were originally from Ecekom, but many moved long before the Tue-Rah’s Fall to form a new world known as Paradiseo.

  Unatos - the healer race. They were originally from Ecekom, but they destroyed themselves in attempts to aid opposing sides in a massive war.

  Vawtrians - the shapeshifter race. They can be found on all of the worlds, but their primary world is Ecekom. They are the most abundant and aggressive of the races.

  Foreign Words and General Concepts

  Almonyek Vawtrian — a Vawtrian who can become any living creature whether based in the land, air, or water while retaining original abilities and benefits of original Vawtrian subtype. The only type of Vawtrian who can transform into another sentient being with consistent reliability.

  Ayamin - the royal guard and only remaining military force under King Theol's rule

  Bakai - a special psychic stone honed to create an immediate bond between two individuals and a conduit of connection into their souls; one person in the pair being struck is sufficient to create the bond so long as the preparation is sufficient

  Baskel - a creature whose further details will be revealed in time

  Bikro - waxy bandages that are spread over wounds and absorbed into the flesh, providing healing and nourishment, increasing regeneration

  Blood curse — also known as Sevro’s Pact, it is a curse that allows a race to start again. It is given to a female of the race. Her children will be her race rather than her husband’s race, allowing her to marry someone of a different race and strengthen her children’s genes. The catch though is that she can never kill, or else she will have to pay the price herself.

  Bruins - Kodiak and larger sized bears who have been bred and domesticated through Bealorn taught techniques; the symbol of the Libyshan royalty

  Central Races - the Central Races include the three races who were charged with the protection of the Tue-Rah because they stood by Elonumato during the Rebellion of Te. These races included the Vawtrians, Machat, and Neyeb.

  Central Worlds - the Central Worlds include the three strongest Tue-Rahs that provide energy and sustenance to the other Tue-Rahs of the worlds. These worlds include Eiram, Ecekom, and Reltux

  Crudon - a Libyshan mythological monster. Its body is primarily that of a large bear and a hyena with quills along its back and yellow eyes.Generally brown furred and skeletal in appearance.

  Dalik - a healing herbal compound

  Dolmaths - to be revealed later

  Elmis - darkened patches of skin on a Neyeb’s wrists, ankles, lower back, forehead, and backs of knees that allow mind reading and extra sensory perceptions

  Elmitho - a side effect of mind shifting that creates unintended illnesses within the mind of the person whose mind was shifted; only affects those under the age of nineteen usually, sometimes as old as twenty-two, depending on brain development

  Feshtashoon - have sex; copulate

  Fen blossoms - a fragrant plant with magenta blossoms; smells like cinnamon and nutmeg; the leaves are dried and ground into a spice

  Fen guan - a traditional Vawtrian dish; roasted snake, eaten whole

  Guaras - crocodile-sized creatures that resemble salamanders with lock jaws and which can only be wounded at three key points

  Heln - a unit of electrical measurement

  Hook fanged spider — a wolf-sized spider with triple-hinged jaws and a penchant for terrifying its victims

  Ikyas - a beast of burden that we train specifically to carry children and the elderly

  Keyr Vawtrian — a Vawtrian is particularly gifted in becoming any living creature that can fly Has added strength in speed and eyesight and is generally lighter boned and leaner in build.

  Kilamatt - making out

  Knoblek - self centered individual who can only see their problems through their eyes and don't want to see another perspective

  Kolagro - a device required to open the Chamber of the Tue-Rah in each of the primary temples where the Tue-Rah is located

  Kriot - a form of medicine for disinfecting and stopping the spread of poison

  Lestob - someone who does not exercise forethought or good decision making

  Li - a form of medicine that works slower for disinfecting but reduces pain and shock

  Lihra - a Libyshan exclamation of surprise

  Lithnok - the earring a Vawtrian wears on the left ear that demonstrates the Vawtrian's type and skill level

  Locking - a bonding ritual whereby a Vawtrian awakens his or her sexual urges and connec
ts to his or her spouse

  Loonalto - someone who is obsessing on thoughts to a point of damaging themselves, perhaps in the long term

  Malevin - a combination of several dried herbs and flowers that assists in the creating of delayed incantations

  Mawnores - large kangaroo-like creatures with wings and pouches large enough to carry a grown man; they are generally grey or black but war mawnores are red, more similar to red kangaroos in structure and temperament but approximately eleven feet in height

  Melspa Vawtrian - a Vawtrian who is particularly gifted in becoming any living creature that lives primarily in the water. Has added flexibility and endurance.

  Melshkas - intentional marks made from kissing, usually in a pattern

  Moolkas - similar to nunchaku but made from multiple chains of metal, bound together on each end but possible to detach and use as a multi positioned whip

  Nalenth — one of the individuals chosen to restore the Tue-Rah. Each primary Tue-Rah on the Central Worlds has one Nalenth

  Neyeb betrothal necklace - a necklace whose pendant is made from psychic stones; the stones are then prepared specifically to create a bond between the two members of the arranged marriage that will trigger upon the marriage date and facilitate a deeper and easier bond

  Nulaam - the state of someone who has been betrothed to a Neyeb in a formal evaluation ceremony conducted by the Council of Elders but is not yet married to that Neyeb because the waiting period has not yet passed

  Olcarism - an extreme imbalance of the color balancing cells and hormones within Vawtrians, leading to color and pattern cycling at random; often becomes more manageable with time and training but can also induce seizures; very rare; unlike albinism and similar conditions, shifters generally cannot during cycling

  Olnas - a pale pink, blue, or purple flower that smells like a combination of lilac and lavender