The Lost Relics Box Set

by LJ Andrews

  She held up both hands showing the people in the room both the firestone ring and the blue sapphire. “And I am committed to serving the people of the Hemisphere, not just the people of my realms, as should all of you. If one realm falls, we all suffer. Every life is valuable and I will not sit back and allow the Trinity to destroy any race.”

  Egan smirked proudly at Lord Adish, a pudgy Ignisian with a scraggly yellow beard and tufts of light blue hair on his head. Adish narrowed his eyes as he scrutinized Mercedes from head to toe, but he said nothing more.

  Ada and Blaise watched Mercedes until she finished. Ada hung her head and dabbed one eye with a blue handkerchief before speaking. “I’m sorry, my dear, there must be another way. Ignisia will be completely exposed if the Ponderi lowers the barriers. I…I just can’t stand by and put my family at risk.”

  “Mother, you may not have a choice,” Fia burst into the room. Ada stared at her in surprise. “If this is the only way and the realm leaders are in agreement with the Ponderi, it’s going to happen—that is protocol. Now, we can cower in our home and allow the Trinity to take over our realm or we can be the warriors we are bred to be and fight!”

  “Fia, you don’t know what you’re−ˮ

  “I do know what I’m talking about. This all goes back to Uncle Bant. Well, he chose the wrong side. I’m sorry it happened, but this is happening now and we need to stand up against it.”

  Ada’s flaming eyes widened as Fia ranted on. Egan touched Fia’s shoulder gently and smiled at her before she backed away.

  “Lady Ada, it is true. I’m here with the hope of getting Deshuit support. That is the point we are at—getting everyone in the Hemisphere to stand against the Trinity.” Killian said.

  “Deshuits? You really think they’ll listen?” Blaise asked.

  Killian looked in his direction. “I don’t know, but we’re going to try. My father and mother lived among them for eighteen years; I’m hoping that will encourage them to put aside prejudices.”

  “No, enough,” Ada said. “I’m sorry, all of you, but I will not stand by and let this happen.”

  “You can and you will,” Blaise said with surprising force to his wife. Even Ada appeared taken back by his abruptness. Blaise smiled sympathetically and took one of his wife’s hands. “My love, you are the most loyal woman I’ve ever met, and you love fiercely. I know you fear for our daughter, but look at her, Ada— she’s a warrior just like you. If Egan says the Trinity is planning something we’ve never seen before, then we have to protect what is ours, despite the risk.”

  Ada sniffled and allowed one steaming tear to fall onto her cheek.

  “Ada, Bant told me it’s dangerous,” Egan said quietly. Ada whipped her head toward Egan as did Blaise. “I didn’t want to tell you, but he is my source. Whatever Maurelle has in her possession is nothing we’ve ever faced before.”

  No one spoke for a long, tense space of time.

  “Fine,” Ada said, breaking the silence. “I’ll stand by Ignisia and fight for Her.”

  “I knew you would, Sister,” Egan said pulling her against his broad chest.

  “What do you need us to do?” Blaise asked.

  “Prepare the people; I will go with Killian to meet the Deshuits. While we’re gone, reach out to the districts to prepare to fight.”

  “We will immediately,” Blaise responded.

  “Killian, we should move out soon. You need to return to the Praetorium within the next day; ice baths won’t protect you forever,” Egan said.

  “I’m coming with you,” Mercedes insisted.

  “You’re sure?” Egan asked. She nodded. “Then I suggest Fia take you to find clothes better suited for the desert.”

  “Sir, if you agree, I’d like to stay and help Ignisia prepare. I think it will help if Fia and I can explain the Ponderi’s side,” Dax said.

  Egan nodded. “Your help is appreciated, Dax.”

  Fia winked at Egan and led Mercedes by the elbow to her new room filled with endless rows of clothes.

  By late morning, Blaise and Ada had left in their own carriage toward the furthest district by the molten caves. Fia had volunteered to take the forest district and left on the back of a white Pegasus an hour before her parents.

  Killian piled into Egan’s carriage again as the team of Pegasi leapt into the sky toward the open desert.

  They sat in silence for a long time until Egan spoke. “You both understand the Deshuits answer to no one, so it may not mean much to them that I am chief.”

  “We understand,” Mercedes answered for both of them.

  “Honestly, I think my connection with Owen will help us more,” Killian admitted.

  Egan glanced at Mercedes, whom Fia had dressed in a tan elbow length sleeved shirt and tight leather pants. Her daggers were strapped to her hips and her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail. She looked fierce and Killian had a hard time taking his eyes away from her.

  “Ada’s right, in a way,” Egan said to her. Mercedes looked at him curiously. “There is a level of fear having you fight against this. I know we haven’t known one another long, but if anything ever happened to you, it would destroy me.”

  Mercedes smiled and rested her head on his tan shoulder. “I’ll be fine. I’ve got two realms inside me, and from what everyone tells me of my mother, she was pretty amazing, too,” she said, staring at the sapphire ring on her finger.

  “She was. I wanted to tell you before we throw ourselves into danger, it meant…a lot to have you call me ‘father’ back there,” Egan said slowly.

  “Well, I like the sound of it, too,” she said.

  Egan patted her knee and glanced out the open window of the carriage. “Looks like we’re in as good a place as any to start.”

  Snapping his fingers, the carriage began descending toward the expansive sandy mounds below.

  “Where should we go?” Killian asked, stepping out of the carriage.

  “If I’m right, the Deshuits are close; they’ll come to us, but probably not with cozy, open arms,” Egan replied.

  “What makes you say they’re close?” Mercedes asked, double-checking the latches on her daggers and magnetic wrist bands.

  Egan pointed to a cluster of jutting sandstone boulders several yards away. “See the symbols etched into the side of the stone?”

  Mercedes and Killian narrowed their eyes and searched for what Egan was pointing at. Sure enough, strange markings dotted the sides of the boulders: encircled stars, upside down triangles with a line through the center, and entangled circles were scattered in odd patterns along the stones.

  “Those are Deshuit clan symbols. By the looks of some of them, they weren’t made very long ago. I suggest we head toward the stones, we might be able to signal our peaceful−ˮ a long silver arrow sliced through the dry air and pierced Egan’s shoulder. The chief cried in a frustrated pain and lowered to one knee.

  “Dad!” Mercedes shrieked and rushed to his side.

  Killian looked at the tops of the towering sandstone boulders and slowly reached for his spear. Gray hooded cloaks lined the boulder like a dark serpent preparing to strike. One Deshuit lowered the silver bow used to attack Egan. Another released a frightening cry that sounded too animal-like to be good and the cloaked army sprang to life, determined to destroy the invaders of their kingdom.

  Chapter 16

  Unlikely Allies

  The Deshuit swarm pounded across the red sand, drawing jagged gold blades from beneath the folds of their gray cloaks.

  Egan grunted painfully as he ripped the arrow tip from his shoulder and drew his sword in nearly one movement.

  Killian ran a step ahead of Mercedes and Egan, pulling the gold charm around his neck and releasing the tips of his spear.

  “Killian, block them!” Egan commanded.

  Concentrating on the Deshuit leading the pack, he embraced the tingling warmth creeping along his neck like a burnt match tip. A powerful surge of bright force flew from his palms as he ran clo
ser to the Deshuit clan. Suddenly, a blast of blue light collided with his protection shield, dissolving the wall instantly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a Deshuit hood fall from the youthful face of a Cimmerian woman. Her black hair was cropped short with a single silver streak in the front. Though he couldn’t see her eyes under crude protective gear, he imagined they were twinkling in satisfaction.

  They were out of time to create another barrier. Lifting his spear, Killian leapt into the air and heaved his spear into the onslaught of gold blades. Only clanging metal was heard as the Deshuits came against them. Killian swung his spear toward a particularly large man with fading purple hair. The gray paint covering his face was chipped and cracked along the creases of his angry face. He swiped his jagged sword at Killian’s midsection, grunting from the exertion.

  “Stop,” Killian said through gritted teeth. “Just…listen…”

  The man unlocked his blade from Killian’s spear and backed off several steps as if recouping for a new attack.

  “KILLIAN, LOOK OUT!” Mercedes cried.

  Killian whipped around just in time to meet the slender double blade of a furious Glacien woman. Her white hair was twisted long over her shoulder and she snarled angrily beneath her ashen paint.

  “Remember me, recruit?” she snarled as she pressed her double blade against his spear rod with surprising strength.

  Killian held his breath as he pushed against her, but her force caused him to bend back onto his knees. A distant memory flooded his mind from the first time he’d come to Ignisia. When his parents’ Deshuit clan attacked the first time, he remembered a woman he’d stabbed in the leg.

  “You killed my friend,” she said darkly.

  “Wait, just listen to us,” he huffed against her increasing pressure. The woman simply laughed and pushed harder.

  The moment she flattened Killian to the floor Mercedes leapt onto her back, slicing one of her daggers across her upper arm. The Deshuit screamed in pain and turned her attention to Mercedes, swinging her weapon dangerously as they moved away from Killian.

  Finally free from the Glacien Deshuit, he rolled off the ground just as the big man swung his blade from behind. The gold sword hit the red sand, sending a billowing cloud into the sky.

  Killian took a deep breath, feeling anger burn through is blood. Jumping up, he landed again on his knees as he pounded his fist against the sand.

  “STOP!” he snarled.

  A ripple of power blasted from where his fist rested in the epicenter. Deshuits fell over as the blast wave hit them one by one. Even Egan and Mercedes landed face first into the hot sand. A hush fell over the battleground as gray faces looked at him with a degree of fear and awe.

  “We are not here to fight,” he shouted to the silenced crowd. Ripping the relic from his neck he held it high above them. “I am Killian Thomas, Owen and Marie are my parents. We’ve come to ask for your help.”

  “Owen disappeared after you sent him to the Ponderi for trial! How do we even know he’s alive?” the large Deshuit shouted back.

  “He is living at the Praetorium now. How would I have this,” he said, shaking the relic again, “if he were dead?”

  “You could’ve killed him,” a young, quivering voice cried from the back.

  “We don’t have time to argue, but if you know Owen Thomas, do you think he’d let me live if I tried to steal the relic?”

  A quiet mumble of responses rumbled through the crowd. Mercedes and Egan brushed off the sand from their clothes and walked next to him. From the center of the sprawling Deshuits, a man rose up. He had graying hair and a long dusty beard.

  “You know what that really is then? And you stopped us with a strange power.” His eyes widened as if a sudden revelation had come to mind. His voice was rough, and his accent made Killian think he’d lived a life away from education. “I remember Marie sayin’ what she done to that relic. Their son had the bond with it, don’t ya’ll remember?” he asked speaking to his soldiers before smiling at Killian. “You are their boy, aren’t ya? I kinda believed you was dead, but they never lost hope after they stole that thing from you so long ago. I wasn’t sure you’d survive without it, but Marie seemed to think you had somethin’ else to help ya. Looks like you did absorb that freaky power.” The Deshuit bellowed out a laugh and sheathed his sword.

  “Angus, you don’t know if it’s him,” the Glacien woman said.

  “Oh, hush, Lydie. He’s the spittin’ image of Owen,” he narrowed his eyes and studied Killian. “Uh, well there’s a little bit’o Marie, too. You travel with high rollers, Killian. The Chief of Ignisia, huh?”

  Egan glared at the man, which only brought on a deeper chuckle.

  “Listen to us,” Egan said. “We need your help−ˮ

  “Quiet,” Lydie snapped. “Not out in the open. We need to take cover.”

  The Deshuits gathered themselves from the ground and dusted off their weapons. Slowly and methodically, they gathered together and moved back toward the boulders in the distance. Egan, Killian, and Mercedes followed, but from a step behind.

  “You sure they aren’t leading us away to kill us?” Mercedes whispered.

  “If we wanted to kill ya we would’ve done it already,” Angus shouted back. “I’ve got incredible ears, darlin’.”

  Killian grabbed her hand and offered a reassuring smile as they took cover from the large stones. Once everyone had made their way beneath the jutting boulder, Angus tapped a small circle with his index finger and the sand spilled away into a large sink hole.

  “Well, in ya go,” he said with a toothy grin.

  Egan stepped forward and set himself into the hole. “It’s all right,” he called back up. One by one, everyone lowered themselves into the sinkhole. Once Killian was through, a wave of clean, cool air hit his face bringing relief from the scorching sun. The sink hole led into a long room with several cut outs in the walls filled with thin mattresses and blankets. At one end was a long wooden table with various foods strewn amongst homemade stone plates.

  “Help yourself to some water,” Angus said, pointing at a large jug at one end of the table. Killian urged Mercedes forward, but she shook her head.

  “You go first. The heat didn’t bother me much, but you look really red.”

  He rubbed a hand over his cheeks, which felt hot, and took her invitation. Guzzling the cool water from a stone cup, he felt better almost instantly. He wasn’t the only one gulping the crystal water. Deshuits from other realms soothed their dry throats, too.

  “So, tell us what ya’ll came to ask us?” Angus said, sipping a cup and leaning against a cutout in the wall.

  “We are raising the realms against the Trinity.”

  The room silenced from the banter between the Deshuits clansman, and Angus sat upright. “Come again, Chief?”

  “You heard me,” Egan said darkly. “We’re dissolving the barriers so the people can fight against the Trinity. The Ponderi can’t do it alone. We came to ask for your help.”

  “Why should we help?” Lydie said. “The Ponderi has done nothing but oppress and send recruits to murder us.”

  “I don’t doubt you’ve had many unfair run-ins with the Ponderi,” Egan said, slightly kinder. “But this doesn’t just affect them. If the Trinity uses the power they’re after, it will destroy the Hemisphere. It’s just too powerful and they will certainly lose control.”

  “What can we do?” Angus said while picking at something in his teeth.

  “Stand with us. Fight,” Mercedes cried. “Help us stop the Trinity. That’s your true mission, isn’t it?”

  “Who are you?” Angus asked casually. “For the life of me I can’t determine which realm you hail from.”

  “My name is Mercedes and I’m from Ignisia…and Glaciem.”

  Lydie stepped next to her and pushed her nose into Mercedes face. “You look nothing like a Glacien and you showed no peace out there on the battle field.”

  “Empress Gwyniera is my grandmother and Ch
ief Egan is my father.”

  Lydie seemed stunned, then slowly her lips curled into a smile and she looked at Egan. “The first rebels of the realms, huh, Chief? When I lived in Glaciem, it was always a rumor that our own princess was a rebel who lived and died to live the life she chose. Looks like you both did,” Lydie said, pointing at Mercedes with her thumb. “But I can’t figure out why you stand with the Ponderi. They squash realm freedom more than the Trinity.”

  “We aren’t saying the Ponderi are perfect,” Killian said. “But right now we all have the same goal and we need all the help we can get if we’re going to beat the Trinity.”

  “Angus,” Egan said in a commanding tone. “Are you willing to set your prejudices aside and stand with us to save this Hemisphere?”

  Angus stared at the group huddled in the underground room. Taking a deep breath, he looked at Egan. “How can we even trust you? There has already been so much betrayal, even I’m having difficulty determining who to trust. The clans are the only purists in the entire Hemisphere who truly stand for the realms. And you three are not Deshuits.”

  “But we do defend the Hemisphere, even before the Ponderi,” Mercedes said with a forceful tone.

  Angus smiled at her. “I’m starting to really like this girl of yours, Chief.”

  “We understand betrayal,” Killian spoke up. “We’ve lost numerous friends to the Trinity, friends that would kill us in a heartbeat if Maurelle asked.” His face turned into a dark scowl as he thought of Blake.

  “Yes, well, what do ya say of losing the oldest Deshuit we’ve ever known? Our own Eldora has been plotting with the Cimmerian queen this entire time and she knows all of our secret tunnels. We’re no longer safe in our own track system. I can’t tell ya all the losses we’ve had. This room is new, and one of the few safe havens we have left. You say your parents are Marie and Owen. Well, how do ya think the Trinity found your mother in one of the hidden tracks? Eldora told ‘em.” Killian’s eyes widened at Angus’s insinuation. Angus nodded and began playing with his teeth again. “Tell me, how do ya recover from such a betrayal, young man?”