The Legends of Regia Box Set: The Complete Series. Books 1-7

by Tenaya Jayne

  When Netriet made no more reply, the shadow fell silent for a while. Sleepiness came upon her.

  You're cold… So, so cold…wouldn't you like to have your shawl back? The one you lost? You know where you lost it. We could go find it. You wouldn't have to see anyone if you didn't want to… Remember how beautiful it was? Remember how sweet it smelled?

  Weary, frustrated tears slid down her dirty cheeks.

  Admit it. You want it back.

  "Of course I want it back," Netriet hissed. "I admit it. Happy now?"

  The shadow said nothing. Netriet waited. Nothing. Damn it. The shadow had baited her successfully. The memory of the patchwork shawl twisted through her like the pain of a loved one's death. And with the image dancing in her mind, she felt a ravenous desire to hold it again. The shadow was right; she did know where she'd lost it. If luck was with her, she could find it in the moonlight and be back to the safety of seclusion before the next morning's sun reached its pinnacle.

  Netriet stood and headed off into the darkening shadows of the thick wilderness. She walked at a steady pace, ever vigilant and aware of her surroundings so as not to be caught off guard by a stranger. The darkness bothered Netriet, but the shadow reveled in it, guiding her through effortlessly. The faces of people she cared for shimmered in her mind. Netriet abruptly dug in her heels.

  "No. I've changed my mind. I'm going back."

  Are not.

  The shadow moved under her skin like oil and shoved her forward from within. Netriet stumbled as her feet picked themselves up and down against her will.

  Look around you. You've never gone that far away from where you really want to be.

  The shadow was right. She hadn't moved far past the Fair, or from Forest's land. She'd wandered in vast looping circles, but the Fair and the hope of acceptance there had remained the unacknowledged axis of her world. She marched on, unnaturally strong, her body never tired. The sight from her dark eye sliced through the night easily.

  As she came close to the outskirts of Forest's land, a headache began vibrating deep in her skull, and she unconsciously started backtracking. She shook herself as her marvelous sight made out the edges of an invisible barrier, like a huge dome of energy. She reached out her hand and walked forward, experimenting. She couldn't touch it. There was nothing tangible to touch, but the magic there held her off like a magnet pushing away.

  Netriet's face was caught between a smile and a grimace. There was no way she could cross onto Forest's land now. What had happened to cause Forest to need so much security? She continued walking along the edge of the protected barrier, coming close to where she'd been chased by two werewolves, where she lost her shawl. Her memories of that night came back into sharp focus. Any signs of the struggle were long gone. She walked along, her eyes searching for the brightly colored fabric, and abruptly everything in the terrain changed from the way she'd remembered it. So much so that she questioned if she had somehow lost her way.

  The Fair had moved, not away but out, expanding. What she saw in the distance hardly resembled her memories. The evidence of construction was everywhere. Trees cut and cleared, a partial wall in the early stages of erection circled the extended parameter, and little houses replaced many of the colored tents. The ragtag camp was becoming a town.

  Netriet approached quietly, continuing to keep an eye out for her shawl, but her attention was caught on what the people of the Fair had done, wishing she knew the answer as to why? The area of the wall obviously designated as the entrance propped up a dozing werewolf, fudging his guard duty. She laughed internally. Anyone taller than a child could easily get over the under-construction wall. In fact…that was exactly how she intended to get in.

  ****

  Forest hunched over the lengthy report on her desk and pinched her tired, stingy eyes shut for a moment. She knew one couldn't throw centuries-old traditions of a world into the fire without there being some hang ups. The knowledge, however, hadn't stopped her from wishing. Just when she felt Regia was making progress toward unity of the races, some new whack job popped up and began stoking the dying embers of prejudice and hate. All the whispers were conflicted, and the new group was skilled at instilling fear. Of all the things Forest had anticipated facing in her first year as Hailemarris, a group of terrorists, wasn't one.

  She pushed back from the desk, suddenly aware she was totally alone. Forest swore, realizing she'd lost track of time and would be home late, again. If she didn't get home in the next few minutes, Syrus would start to worry. She rolled the papers up and tucked them under her arm before closing up her office. Kindel and Ena must have gone home for the night hours ago. As soon as the door was locked, the magic protecting it pulled together over the entry.

  Forest yawned as she strode out into the foyer, the heels of her boots clacking loudly on the stone floor. She turned the ring she'd made from her End of the Bridge around her finger so the silvery ball rested in her palm, about to send herself home.

  "Goodni…" her farewell to the security ogres trailed off as she noticed there were none.

  Her sleepiness vanished instantly as she turned around, her hand on the hilt of her sword. She was alone, or seemingly.

  "Hello?" She waited a beat. "Security?"

  Adrenaline poured into her stomach as a whispered laugh echoed around the room. She drew her sword as a figure stepped out from behind a column across the room. The young woman wore a green hooded cape and an expression of amused insolence on her pixie-like face.

  "Madam Hailemarris, I presume?" She thrust her hands out with a flourish as she gave a theatrical bow.

  "Who wants to know?" Forest demanded.

  The young woman tsked. "We've been watching you. You're quite the crusader, aren't you? A real idealist trying to make a difference."

  "I assume I've stepped on your toes in some way. Put a family member of yours away? And you're here for revenge, or you want a favor and have brought a bribe?"

  "Oh, no. No bribe. As I said, we've been watching you. And apparently, you can't be bought."

  Forest curled her lip at the young woman. "That's right. So what do you want?"

  The young woman sighed and pulled a crossbow from her cloak, training the sight on Forest. Forest eyed the weapon for a second before sneering contemptuously.

  "Apparently, you haven’t been watching me for very long if you think that toy in your hands can subdue me."

  "Not scared?"

  "Not in the least."

  The girl shrugged and dropped the crossbow. "I guess I wasn't the right choice as messenger."

  "Deliver your damn message and be done with it. I want my dinner."

  The girl brought her foot down on the crossbow. The arrow shot across the room toward Forest's feet. She moved to the side, but the arrow pulled a line behind it like a harpoon, and the tip was hooked not pointed. The cord hit Forest's ankle, the end swung around and dug into the leather of her boot before retracting backward, pulling her off her feet.

  She managed not to crack her head on the floor, coming down hard on her elbow instead. She cut the cord with her sword and scrambled to her feet, her eyes darting around. The girl had vanished. Laughter echoed around the room again.

  "Now that I've taken your ego down a notch, maybe you'll give me a little more respect."

  The girl strode back out from the shadows.

  "Clearly, you're here for games, but I'm in no mood to play."

  The girl laughed, her voice changing into a deep baritone as she shifted into a tall werewolf. Shock and disbelief filled Forest. She'd never seen or heard of a shifter that could shift into the opposite sex.

  "You'll play if I say so," it said.

  "Who are you?"

  A twisted smile broke over the big ugly face. "I like how you're using your manners now. I am Shreve, captain of the Aluka circle."

  Rage began a controlled boil in Forest's head. "The insurgents."

  "I don't care for that term, myself. We prefer to be called—"r />
  "I don't give a damn what you want to be called. I'm placing you under arrest."

  "Really? You and who else?"

  Forest advanced on the shifter. It slunk to the side and began to circle, shifting again into a beast form, its arms elongating and its mouth stretching over pointed teeth as a snout protruded.

  "You can't win," it slurred. The beast's mouth was now shaped only for tearing flesh, not talking.

  "I'm a shifter too. Just because you look like a werewolf doesn't mean you're strong like one."

  Shreve lifted a heavy arm into the air and brought his fist down on the floor, the stone breaking under the force of the blow.

  Forest lifted one eyebrow, trying to conceal her surprise. "Okay, so you're a freak. But then you must know, so am I."

  She threw her sword down and disappeared, using her elfish ability. Shreve's eyes darted around as he moved forward. His nostrils flared in an attempt to sniff her out. She moved behind him, grabbing a stone bust of late king Leramiun off its stand and throwing it like a football into the back of his head. He stumbled and went down on one knee. She ran up his back, digging her heels into his flesh as she launched herself off his shoulders back toward her sword. She rolled as she hit the floor, grabbing her sword. Dropping her invisibility, she faced him as he got to his feet.

  She charged him head on, slashing a deep gash across the chest and spinning quickly away as he swung his huge arm at her. He roared, slashing at her with long talons that ripped through the back of her shirt. Forest jumped over a sweeping strike meant to knock her feet out from under her and sliced another line on the side of his neck. He sank back to one knee, trying to hold back the blood gushing from his wounds.

  She brandished her bloodied blade at Shreve, who cowered backward. "You're under arrest."

  Shreve's hand shot out, the talons shifting into long elf fingers as they grasped Forest's wrist. Shreve stood upright now in the form of a male elf with the signature red eyes of the Rune-dy, pushing down on the pulse in her wrist as his wounds mended before her eyes. She stood face to face with him, her arms going limp, as his eyes drilled into hers, scattering her thoughts, making her sleepy. He took her sword easily from her hand.

  "Look at you, so easily hypnotized. Maybe Copernicus was wrong about your power. No matter, you're the leverage we need."

  He hooked the blade under the chain of her Hailemarris necklace. The light flashed off the metal into Forest's eyes, breaking his mental grasp on her. She blinked, twisting her ring back into her palm, and thought of home as she grabbed at her sword, trying to take it with her as the End of the Bridge pulled her through the black portal to safety.

  She landed on her hands and knees in her garden, without her sword, and a slice on her hand.

  Syrus instantly grasped her shoulders and picked her up, holding her against his chest. "What just happened? I was making dinner, and I got the terrible sensation you were in danger. I was about to go to your office. Are you all right?"

  Forest clung to him, shaken to her core. "No. I'm not. I was just attacked in the foyer of Fortress by a… I don't know what."

  Syrus hooked his arm under her knees, carried her into the house, and set her down on the couch. "Now, tell me."

  "It was one of the insurgents, said its name was Shreve."

  "It?"

  "Yeah. I've never seen anything like it. At first, it was female then it shifted into a male. And when he shifted into a beast, he had the strength of a beast. I got the upper hand, about to arrest him, then he shifted into an elf, and he… mesmerized me, or something." She looked at her bleeding palm. "Shit. He got my sword. Hold on, I've got to call Redge."

  Forest pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed Redge.

  "What can I do for you, Forest?" he answered.

  "I need you to get your team and go to Fortress. I was just attacked by one of the insurgents. They took out security. I had to use my portal to save my own neck; I wasn't able to check on them. I'm sure the insurgent is gone by now, but get any evidence you can. And be careful. I don't know exactly what we're up against here."

  "Understood," he said sternly. "I'll report back as soon as it's done."

  "Thanks, Redge."

  Forest put her phone down on the coffee table and sighed. "Well, that was embarrassing."

  "What was?" Syrus asked, looking at her palm.

  "I just got my ass handed to me."

  "I'm sure you got some licks in."

  "A few, but…" She hissed in pain as Syrus shot a few red sparks from his fingertip into her wound, sealing it instantly. "You're really good at healing now."

  "The new masters give me plenty of practice when they hack on each other during sparring," he chuckled, pressing a kiss onto the place he just healed.

  Forest exhaled her stress. No matter what was happening, so long as she had Syrus, she was okay. She placed her hand on his cheek and looked into his grey eyes. She loved him more every passing day. He was her home, the stronghold for her heart.

  "So, you made a new formidable friend, who took your sword. Did you learn anything else?"

  "Yeah, he dropped the name Copernicus and said I was the leverage they needed."

  Syrus went very still, the color draining from his face.

  "What?" Forest asked.

  "Damn it," he whispered, gathering her into his arms.

  "What is it?"

  "You don't know the name Copernicus?" he asked.

  "It sort of rings a bell, but I don't know how."

  "Let's hope, for all of our sakes, that the one now calling himself Copernicus is an imposter."

  Chapter Two

  Merick sighed and rolled on to his back, trying desperately to fall asleep. He stubbornly stared down insomnia, refusing to let it win. Insomnia just laughed in his face. The Fair had gone completely quiet, as it was now the tail end of the night with dawn just two hours away. He must be the only one awake with the exception of the night watchman. A frigid breeze blew through the flaps of his tent, the fabric sliding and slapping annoyingly.

  Finally accepting it as a lost cause, he kicked his blanket off and rose to a sitting position. His trusty old cot groaned under his weight. In the last few months, Martia had been badgering him to upgrade his lifestyle, and he'd let her fuss over him as if she were his mother from time to time, but he resolutely clung to his rickety cot, insisting he didn't need a bigger or more comfortable bed. Cranky as he had been about everything becoming more permanent in the Fair, he couldn't deny the expanded room of his tent and the new solid frame made him more comfortable. It was silly to do more than he had though. Others needed comfort, not him.

  Nevertheless, not for one second did he regret the dressing area he designated centric in his tent with its large stone bathtub next to the wood-burning chiminea he’d haggled away from Tek when the last goods caravan from Earth had come through. He wouldn't go so far as to run pipes to his tub; filling it by hand didn't take that long, and the stone held the heat of the water for hours.

  Merick rubbed his head in little circles with his fingers and closed his eyes. She came to his mind as she often did at night… Nettie. He remembered her name, her haunted look, her strange eye, and her perfectly full lips. She bothered him the first and only time he'd seen her, and she lingered as no other woman had since Geanna died. He often wondered what had become of her. He'd even killed two werewolves to save her life.

  Grabbing his pipe, he headed out into the cold night air. Maybe he'd go talk to whoever was on watch for a while. The cold caressed his back and slid into his flesh, striking at his old wound, bringing out the ache. He opened his mouth in a wide yawn only to choke on it the next second. A slight movement from the edge of the woods caught his peripheral vision. Holding himself perfectly still, he focused on the darkness.

  And there she was.

  He blinked, certain his eyes deceived him, but it was her… walking toward him as though she had just stepped out of the mists of his dreams.

&nbs
p; He watched her eyes drift along the wall as she approached silently. She stopped, a small gasp escaping her mouth as she locked her gaze on him. Merick lifted his hand and gestured for her to continue her approach. She hesitated, her eyes darting around quickly before she took a small step forward. She looked wild, feral. After another moment of hesitation, she moved forward to the edge of the wall and stopped.

  "Hello." Her quiet greeting shattered any notion he had that she was a hallucination.

  "What are you doing here?"

  A scowl pulled across her face. "Ah, yes. I remember you. The rude juggler."

  Merick scowled back, annoyed he'd made such a bad first impression. "That's right. And I remember you, Nettie."

  She cocked her head to the side. "You remembered my name. I'm not sure if that's sad, creepy, or…"

  Merick's scowl turned more sour as she groped for another insulting word. "Or what?" he demanded.

  She blinked at him a few times. "I was going to say nice, but I've changed my mind."

  He narrowed his eyes. She pursed her lips together, and then, to his amazement, she giggled.

  "What's so funny?"

  "You. I think I read you wrong before. You're harmless, all bark and no bite."

  Merick felt his mouth fall open. "No bite? Why don't you insult my manhood while you're at it?"

  Her cheeks flushed, and she looked away from him. "Umm. I came here to see Martia… A lot has changed." She placed her hand on the wall and gave it a pat.

  "Yeah, lots of change," he said tersely. "Here, I'll help you over."

  She sneered and took a step back. "Don't touch me. I'll just go around to the front."

  "Oh, great idea. You'll alarm the watchman, who'll overreact and wake everyone up." Merick cursed his tone of voice. Why couldn't he say anything right?

  She sighed and looked back toward the woods. "This was a mistake. I shouldn't have come."

  Panic ran up his spine as she turned and strode away.

  "Wait. Please."

  She stopped and glanced over her shoulder.

  "Martia wants to see you. She's worried about you since you didn't come back that night."