by Genia Avers
Back Cover
A Fantasy Romance Novel by Genia Avers
Subena’s people are dying. To obtain the crystals the álfar need to survive, she agrees to a treaty with the hated Gatslians. King Rothart has but one demand—she must wed his son, Prince Kamber. Subena vows the marriage will be in name only, but she is ill prepared for an attraction stronger than the ancient magic lying dormant in the land. Add to the chaotic mix a former suitor, a phantom lover, attempted murder, and an invasion by hostile troops, and Subena’s world isn’t what it used to be. Ancient skills might shield her body, but she possesses no power to protect her heart. Can she fight his former paramour and keep the seductress from laying claim to the man who’s made his imprint on Subena’s soul? Or is love as much of an illusion as a return to the planet Earth?
FORBIDDEN MAGIC is the first in a series of romantic adventures chronicling the intercultural challenges as Mydrias and Gastle attempt to resolve their differences and return to earth.
Forbidden Magic © 2012 by Genia Avers
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, or events, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
MuseItUp Publishing
14878 James, Pierrefonds, Quebec, Canada, H9H 1P5
http://www.museituppublishing.com
Cover Art © 2012 by Suzannah Safi
Edited by Julie Lynn Hayes
Copyedited by Greta Gunselman
Layout and Book Production by Lea Schizas
eBook ISBN: 978-1-77127-051-9
First eBook Edition *May 2012
Production by MuseItUp Publishing
To Jim & Cami – you are my inspiration.
Acknowledgements
A special thanks to my critique partners Linda, Ashantay, & Martha, and my terrific editors, Julie and Greta. I’d also like to recognize Suzannah for the awesome cover.
Forbidden Magic
Book One in
The Lanatus Chronicles
Author’s name
MuseItUp Publishing
www.museituppublishing.com
Chapter One
“Hurry. We may already be too late.”
Subena’s brother grabbed her arm and propelled her into the cobbled street. The length of his gait barely allowed her feet to touch the ground as she struggled to keep up with him. In all her twenty-three years, she’d never seen him so discomposed.
“Slow down, Jalakin.”
“No time. Another boy’s dying.”
“No!” Gasping for air, she yanked on her brother’s sleeve, but he walked even faster.
Jalakin stared straight ahead, his mouth hardened into a grim line that sent chills along Subena’s skin. The sparkle had vanished from his violet eyes, the irises completely black.
She managed to pull her arm free before Jalakin’s breakneck pace caused her to fall on her face. “If what you say is true, he needs a healer. I’m only the technology minister.”
Jalakin shook his head. “The healer doesn’t know what to do. You need to use your…skills.”
Her brother wanted her to break the law? Bockle help them.
She didn’t resist when Jalakin yanked on her arm again. They ran together, being careful to avoid crumbling rock where the bluestone path needed repair. As they neared the town square, the dull throbbing in her head intensified. Her vision blurred, the pristine whiteness of the Mydrian Assembly Hall fading to gray. Her empathy ability sent agony rushing through her body like a thousand acid needles—each shard corkscrewed into her being, inflicting torture and increasing her fear. She felt the boy’s pain.
She stopped in her tracks, cradling her head in her hands. “I can’t go on.”
“Fight it,” Jalakin whispered. “I don’t have your magic.”
She blinked rapidly, struggling against the abyss that threatened to swallow her. To counter the pain, she focused on the crimson beauty of the Sun-Star. For the first time, she cursed the gentle, harmless rays, feeling rage because the star didn’t possess the same spectrum of the fabled Earth Sun.
She detached herself from her dark thoughts and staggered after her brother. She couldn’t let another child die.
She followed Jalakin into the central courtyard outside the Assembly Hall. A crowd had gathered around the healer, but the hushed mass parted to let them through. The healer Phillius knelt on the granite, his hands above his head, his fingers intertwined in the symbol of Bockle, the ancient álfar goddess. She’d seen Phillius chant only once before—when her father’d perished.
“Here.” Jalakin pointed to a pile of blankets on the ground.
She dropped to her knees and lifted one corner of the fuzzy cloth so she could see the twitching mass beneath. “How’d the boy get here?” she asked.
“He was playing in the square. The other boys came to fetch me when he fell,” Phillius replied.
She nodded and stroked back a tuft of red hair.
Alton. The quivering body belonged to the librarian’s son. The once shiny crystal that hung around the boy’s neck had turned a dull mustard color. The quartz-like gem could no longer sustain life.
She dared not touch the crystal—the glass would shatter, taking the boy’s essence with it.
She focused her concentration, attempting to ease the lad’s suffering. In the lonely days after her own father’s death she’d found solace with books. With the librarian and her little boy.
Jalakin positioned his back to her, his muscular frame effectively blocking the crowd’s view. His attempts to shield her actions were unnecessary because her forbidden magic couldn’t save Alton.
There was only one chance for him. Science.
She took the small flask from her cloak pocket and poured a few drops onto her finger. The odor of her medicine invaded her nostrils. The scent clung to the air, acrid and horrible.
“What’s that stench?” Jalakin whispered.
Without looking at her brother, she shook her head and flashed a telepathic message: You don’t want to know.
She carefully rubbed the foul substance over the boy’s lips. Alton gagged, but he swallowed the coral-colored liquid.
Please let this work. She held her breath and waited.
A flash of color illuminated Alton’s small face. A pearly glow spread over his white skin, elevating Subena’s hopes. Her new concoction might actually be able to save her people.
The boy’s sparkle dimmed almost as quickly as it flared. After a few seconds, she knew her effort was useless. The boy would die.
She pulled young Alton into her embrace and stroked his face, hoping to calm his mind. She could do nothing for his frail body.
At last his body stopped shaking. The furrows in his brow smoothed and his lips curved into a hint of a smile. Then, Alton died in her arms.
It took several seconds before Subena realized the sobs she heard originated in her own throat. The warmth of her brother’s hand seeped into her shoulder, but it brought no comfort. She glanced at him, before she followed his gaze and looked at the crowd.
Faces, bleak despite the soft glow from the Sun-Star, looked to her for answers she didn’t have. Alton’s death fueled the fear that had been steadily growing since the announcement of the crystal shortage. With no quartz to mimic the spectrum of the Earth Sun essential for sustaining álfar life, Mydrias faced imminent doom.
“Go home.” Jalakin spoke to the crowd, once again regal and in control. “The Council will address this.”
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Moans gave way to whispers as people quickly backed away. Within a few seconds, the last of the observers vanished into the maze of pastel buildings surrounding the Assembly Hall.
“You too, Phillius,” Jalakin said.
After the healer bowed and departed, Jalakin knelt beside her. He took Alton from her arms and placed the boy on the ground, covering the lad’s face with the blanket.
“He’s the third boy to die, Bena. What happened to his crystal?”
“I have a theory. A rather frightening one.”
Jalakin waved his hand toward Alton’s body. “How can it be worse than this?”
If her hypothesis was correct, much worse.
“As you know, our survival depends on two things: sustenance for our bodies and nourishment of our life essence. Our ancestors received both from Earth’s sun. The Lanatus Sun-Star provides neither.”
“I know, but the crystals mimic earth’s sunlight.” Jalakin kicked at the moss-colored dust, his control once again in jeopardy. “So what’s the problem?”
Subena didn’t react to her brother’s tone. More than anyone, she understood his frustration. “The crystals work well for sustaining our bodies.” She hesitated. “But I think the glass actually damages our life essence.”
“Damages our…” Jalakin’s pale skin turned grayish. He stood and crossed his arms. “You’re saying the very thing that keeps us alive is killing us?”
Without glancing at her brother, she nodded. She didn’t want to see the horror reflected in his eyes.
“How can that be right?” he asked. “In the thousand years we’ve been on planet Lanatus, we’ve never had children die before.”
Subena hesitated, but stood and faced her brother. “The crystals did affect the ancestors, but the álfar who colonized Lanatus had residual magic in their bodies. Earth magic, not artificial essence created by crystals. With each generation, parents have passed on less and less of this ancient magic.”
“I’m not a genius like you, sister. What difference does that make?”
“Our ancestors had so much magic in their bodies, they didn’t need the crystals as desperately, thus less destruction to their life essence. The children of our generation have little magic at birth and need more sustenance. The young draw upon the crystals more, so their life essence is destroyed faster.”
“It’s a vicious cycle, then?”
“Yes.”
Jalakin paced. “Would it have helped if our ancestors hadn’t forbidden the use of magic?”
“Probably.” Subena could find no other explanation for her own excellent health. She secretly practiced magic and rarely needed her crystal.
“Damn this damn planet.”
Subena stifled her anger. Jalakin had no cause to vilify Lanatus. Their world might not have the magical sun of the fabled Earth, but Mydrias, the country they’d carved out on the planet’s barren surface, was a beautiful place. And the only home she’d ever known. After her family, she loved Mydrias above all else.
Fighting with her brother would help nothing. “We’d better examine all the children. The younger ones have even less of the ancient magic in their DNA. Maybe replacing the crystals more frequently will keep them alive longer.”
“Our crystal supply won’t last a year, will it?” Jalakin kicked at the dirt.
Their gazes met in shared pain. “No. Until we can find a better solution, we need those crystals. Sign the treaty, Jal.”
They were out of options. The treaty would give them a new source of the quartz needed to create the crystals.
She’d been so sure her experiments would yield results that she hadn’t monitored the remaining crystal inventory. Now she would pay for her failure.
Strange that the blood she’d experimented with had only a fleeting effect on Alton. She’d been secretly using the elixir and felt invigorated. There’d been no need to draw upon her crystal.
“No, Bena.” Jalakin curled his fingers into fists. “The price attached to the treaty is too high. You can’t sacrifice yourself to that monster.”
She shook her head, feeling darkness invade her mind where hope had once lived. She would lose her beloved home too. “If we don’t align with Gatsle and obtain more crystals, our kind will perish. Sign the treaty. I will marry Prince Kamber.”
* * * *
Subena was in no mood to endure her mother’s hysterics. Alton’s death had drained her energy.
When she entered the antechamber, neither the empress nor Jalakin looked at her. She sent her brother a silent message. Can’t this wait?
No.
“Stop thinking behind my back.” Empress Annika sneered at her offspring. “I will not have the two of you acting like I’m not here.”
Subena flashed her brother another telepathic message. Busted.
Not funny. “Mother, we’re not sending mind messages.” Jalakin’s voice resonated with syrupy appeasement. “We would not disrespect you.”
Liar.
Her brother didn’t acknowledge the insult. Subena wished he possessed more of the ancient magic, but telepathy appeared to be his only illicit talent.
She chided herself for the foolish wish—Mydrian laws strictly forbade ancient magic. As much as they needed her, the people of Mydrias would banish her if they knew half of what she could—and did—do.
Empress Annika rubbed her fingertips lightly over the bridge of her nose, a sure sign one of her fainting spells would follow. “You cannot marry that barbarian, Subena. If we form any association with those dreadful creatures, we’ll never be allowed to return to Earth.”
Gads, but Subena was sick of hearing about Earth. The ancients had foolishly assumed not practicing magic would allow them to return. The how and why of this belief had been lost with the demise of the ancients.
“If everyone dies, there won’t be anyone to return anywhere, Mother.”
The empress lifted her chin, glaring at Subena with flared nostrils. “If you were a true Mydrian, you wouldn’t fear death.”
She didn’t fear death, but álfar beings returned to nature when life ended. Since Lanatus had nothing that resembled the woodlands and valleys of ancient earth, Subena feared their kind might cease to exist. There was no point trying to explain that to her mother.
“Jalakin.” The empress raised her voice. “Tell your sister she can’t do this. The heathen has pointed ears, for Bockle’s sake.”
“He’s also heir to the throne of a country rich in quartz ore.” Jalakin sighed and slumped into his chair. “We need crystals. Besides, didn’t your brother have pointy ears?”
“How cruel you are to remind me.” The empress shuddered. “At least he had the decency to have them rounded. These…these Gatslians are… Oh, I can’t even talk about it.”
“Most historians believe we have the same ancestors.” Subena lifted a strand of her waist-length hair and studied it, while she waited for her mother’s reaction.
“Do not voice such traitorous thoughts. Our ancestors were human. Those Gatslians are Drow. Beasts. Their evil antics are why all álfar were banished from Earth. They are the reason we must exist on this horrible planet.”
Don’t argue with her.
Subena’s temper flared at the tone of Jalakin’s telepathic reprimand. The entire race was on the verge of destruction and she couldn’t even state her opinion?
He flashed another message. Please, Bena. Don’t give her an excuse to nullify our efforts. The Council won’t approve the treaty unless Mother concurs.
“Subena must marry Prince Kamber,” Jalakin said, ever the diplomat.
The empress rubbed her fingers against her temples in a circular motion. “I thought she would marry Taslin.”
Subena sighed. She’d envisioned the same future.
Jalakin approached the empress, putting his arm around her shoulders. “Mother, we must have quartz to form our crystals or everyone in Mydrias will die. Once we get the Council’s approval to ratify the treaty, Gatsle will pe
rmit the mining.” Her brother attempted to console the empress as though she were a petulant child. “The king of Gatsle has already signed the contract.”
“Well, Rothart can unsign it.”
Subena wondered how her mother knew the king’s name. Before she could ask, Annika said, “He’s a cretin, and I won’t have my daughter associated with his evil.”
“Fine.” Subena possessed little of her brother’s patience for dealing with the empress’s dramatics. “Don’t convince the Council. Forget the contract. Let everyone die.”
“Bena.” Her brother’s tone made it clear she’d gone too far.
The empress covered her mouth and collapsed. Jalakin caught her before she hit the floor. He carefully positioned the empress onto the settee.
“Blast you, Subena. This is difficult for her. Whether you agree or not, Mother sees your fate as worse than our extinction.”
“Difficult for her? I’m the one who must sacrifice a life of my own and marry the rutting swine-head. All she has to do is sign her name. In ink incidentally, not blood.”
“Don’t overplay the sacrifice card.” The softness in her brother’s voice dealt a more effective blow than a physical strike. One lousy year older and Jalakin acted like he was her father. So what if he was right?
She sighed and perched on the settee next to her mother. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you, but another boy’s died. I know you don’t want that. Without crystals, everyone will die.” With her anger expended, Subena didn’t add that the quartz was only a temporary solution.
Annika shivered, but Subena pressed her case, desperate to convince her mother. “We have to form a pact with Gatsle.”
Her mother put her fist to her mouth. Her entire arm shook. “There has to be a better way. You can’t sell yourself to that ignorant barbarian.”
Subena rubbed her mother’s arm. “Mother, please…”
