Deviation: Altera Realm Trilogy Book 2

by Jennifer Collins

  Leaf didn’t like her answer. He had a feeling something had been going on with Syney that was dangerous. He wanted to be involved if only because of his instinctual protection of her. And now she had just about confirmed that something was going on and that it was dangerous. He had two options: He could demand she tell him what was going on, or he could back off and let her do her own thing. Neither appealed to him. He was worried about Syney, but he also had a responsibility to his guards. He feared that helping Syney would put him in a situation where he would have to choose loyalties.

  “OK,” he said finally, “but you’re still not going to talk to him right now.”

  “I need you to trust me,” Syney begged.

  “And I do. He’s not going to give you anything right now. He still thinks we might let him go. The best time to get anything out of a prisoner is after they’ve been incarcerated for a while. They start to get desperate.”

  Syney nodded. “How long?”

  “Give him a few days, and I’ll let you talk to him.”

  She looked at the door. “OK. Thank you.”

  He nodded. “I’ll let you know if he says anything.”

  Syney gave him a small smile and went to leave but walked straight into Cass. “Oh, sorry,” Syney said. “Cass?”

  The princess stared at her, wide-eyed, then glanced at Leaf. “Oh, hey, everyone. I, um…um…”

  “What are you doing here?” Syney asked, a little hostility clouding her voice.

  “I…I got lost,” Cass said with a nervous laugh. “Lived here all my life, and I still get turned around sometimes. I’m a ditz.”

  Syney stared at her oddly before shooting a look at Leaf then heading away.

  Cass watched her go then eyed the door behind Leaf. “Is the prisoner in there?”

  “It was a snake that kidnapped you, right?” Leaf asked.

  Cass looked up at him and slowly nodded.

  Leaf stared at her for a moment. Hunter’s report didn’t include everything, but he had sent a letter to Leaf with everything he had left out, most of which involved Cass. Hunter’s report did talk about Cass’s kidnapping but left out any mention of Cass and the Shifter’s relationship. Hunter hadn’t wanted everyone knowing what had happened to Cass, and for good reason. Leaf wanted to reprimand Cass once he’d read it. Not for having inappropriate relations with a member of another race but for actually telling someone about it. She could have gotten into a lot of trouble. “I suggest you don’t get too lost again, Princess.”

  She sighed and nodded. “OK.” She slowly walked away, casting one last look at the door to the interrogation room.

  Leaf wasn’t comfortable with the trend he was seeing. A Magic User and a Lycin together was bad enough, but Cass and a Shifter? He shook his head. He thought about having Helen talk to her, but that would mean talking to Helen himself, which he had avoided doing lately. He was happy for her in her new role as priestess, but he missed her. It was times like these when he had found solace in their talks.

  He sighed and walked to the door, outside of which he had two guards posted. He wanted to keep as many people outside of the room as possible. Shifters were known to talk a lot, and the last thing he needed was this one filling his guards’ heads with whatever he was spouting. He nodded to both guards and unlocked the door after taking a pile of clothes from one of them. He walked in and eyed the naked Shifter, who sat in the corner of the room. Leaf threw the clothes to him and sat at the table in the center of the room.

  The Shifter picked up the clothes and pulled them on. At least he wasn’t prideful enough to remain naked, Leaf thought. The Shifter got up from the floor and plopped down in the seat across from Leaf. He was young—too young to be anyone of importance but just young enough to kidnap a royal princess then try to kill the seated queen.

  “You’re a wolf, right?” the kid asked. “Are you, like, head lapdog?”

  Leaf crossed his arms and stared at him.

  “You got that stare down pretty good. Only…”He leaned in. “I’m not scared of you.”

  “Do you know why you’re here?”

  The Shifter sat back. “Because I got caught.”

  “You kidnapped a royal princess.”

  His face changed, and he shifted in the chair. “What princess?”

  “Cassandrianna.”

  “Is she…here?”

  Leaf narrowed his eyes at him. “You tried to kill the seated queen.”

  The Shifter laughed. “And yet she’s not dead, and neither is that blonde who jumped in the way. You should ask about that. Very interesting.”

  “I’ll try to remember to do that. What’s your name?”

  “What’s yours?”

  “Leaf.”

  The Shifter stopped and stared at him. Leaf knew the kid hadn’t expected any kind of honesty. It was always good to get your prisoner off guard. “Weston,” he said, his attitude dropping a little.

  Leaf uncrossed his arms and put his hands on the table. “The council met and decided that you’ll be executed for your crimes against the royal family and the Village.”

  “That was quick. What would I have gotten if I’d actually killed the bitch?”

  “Her Protector would have killed you on the spot. Also, that bitch has fought in your favor, along with Princess Cassandrianna.”

  “So she is here.”

  “You’ll be executed a week from today. I’ll come back, every day, and any information you’d like to give regarding position, defenses—or anything else that can be of use—I will take.”

  Weston looked at him, his face turning hard again. “My land was destroyed by these people. I won’t give you anything that might help them.” He sat forward again. “But you should think about something. Lycins and Shifters are so similar. We both have a human side and an animal side. Almost like brothers. But you—you serve them; you’re like pets. You put your own lives on the line for them. Why? They aren’t superior. They aren’t even nice half the time. Am I right? Screw your sense of duty. Because there is no honor in dying for people who care so little about you.”

  “The destroyed lands—that was in a report I read. You claim the lands are cursed,” Leaf said.

  “They are.”

  Leaf stood up. “Some of my guards will bring you food. I suggest you eat.”

  “I suggest you think about what I said.”

  Leaf left him and told one of the guards to get Weston a tray of food. “Go in and out,” Leaf told him. He had been right to keep his guards out of the room. There were some that would agree with some of the Shifter’s comments. Being a member of the Royal Guard and a Protector used to be an honor and a privilege, but since the war, it had become compulsory. There were many Lycins, especially young guards, who disagreed with the entire system. Not that they would say anything to Leaf, but he heard grumblings during trainings.

  Leaf started toward his room but stopped in one of the hallways and sat on a bench that lined the wall. Much of what the Shifter had said was exaggerated to prove a point, he knew, but he couldn’t help shake the feeling that he agreed with the underlying sentiment. Until last year there weren’t any Magic Users he could even stand; he had stayed away from them as much as he possibly could. It wasn’t until Syney came, and he had begun his relationship with Helen, that he saw the good side of the race. There were still many that he avoided at all costs, mostly in the royal families. No, he didn’t think the relationship between Lycins and Magic Users was very fair, but the Shifter had made one mistake. As much as Leaf didn’t like the Magic Users, he wouldn’t align himself with the Shifters, ever.

  “Are you OK?”

  Leaf looked at Helen. “I’m fine. You just caught me thinking.”

  She gave him a sad smile and tentatively sat next to him on the bench. “I’ve seen you think. This is more than that.”

  Leaf sighed. He had missed her. Just being this close made his chest tighten. He looked at her, ready to say that it was nothing, but he stopped.
This was actually bothering him, and talking would help. This was something he would have gone to Hunter about, and the two would have talked through how they both felt, but his friend wasn’t here, and there wasn’t anyone he trusted with his feelings. Except maybe Helen. “Can we talk?”

  She hesitated, rubbing her arm, which used to be bare, and nodded.

  Leaf led the way to his room, the only place he knew they could be alone. He avoided sitting on the bed and opted for the small desk along the wall where two chairs were. He looked at her, but her eyes drifted around the room, a small smile on her lips.

  She finally looked at him. “Sorry. I…miss this room, to be honest. It’s more…comfortable than the others.”

  Leaf looked around. “It’s dark.”

  “It’s warm.”

  “Only when you’re here.” He regretted it the moment it was out of his mouth, but there was no taking it back.

  Helen shifted in her seat. “What’s on your mind?”

  Leaf took a deep breath and shared what the Shifter had said and his own thoughts on the topic. She let him talk, and even ramble a little, for which he was grateful. When he was done, he expected Helen to make some comments; he didn’t even care if she disagreed, as long as she talked to him. But she didn’t say anything. Instead she stood and played with her fingernails. She walked over to his dresser and ran her finger along the few toiletries he kept there. She suddenly turned to him, her face sad. “We’re not that different, are we?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Me and you. We both love and hate. We both can be hurt and be selfless.”

  “What are you getting at?”

  “There’s no reason we shouldn’t be equals. Why couldn’t we be together as friends or more?”

  Leaf stood up. “I didn’t tell you this to make you feel guilty.”

  “Oh, no, I don’t…I didn’t.” She sighed. “I agree with you, with him. Even outside the palace there’s so much…class distinction between the Lycins and Magic Users. But there’s no difference between us, Lycin and Magic User.”

  “But there’s so much history with our races. I feel like nothing will ever change.”

  Helen looked away and wrung her hands. “Syney mentioned to me this morning that she wants to motion to allow royals and nonroyals to join.”

  Leaf nodded. “I would assume that is directed at her and Adam.”

  She looked back at him. “What if she motioned to abolish the law against joinings between other races?”

  Leaf looked away. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it quickly.

  “What? You can tell me,” she prompted.

  “During wartime, she’d never get that to pass. And she might lose some of the support that she’s earned on the council.”

  Helen nodded. “You’re right.”

  “I’m not sure how much either motion will do, to be honest. The pairings aren’t in any of our hands.”

  Helen took a jagged breath. “They’ll be in mine.” She sat on the edge of the bed. “I saw how they’re done. It’s like the fire, but it’s water. Every day Vasclineda dips a piece of paper into the water and a list of pairings comes out.”

  Leaf looked at her. “She can’t do it every day.”

  She nodded. “Every day. She takes the list and looks it over. Most days she discards it,” she said, tears streaking down her face.

  “Why?”

  Helen took a deep breath. “Let me put it this way. Until recently Syney and Hunter were on the list every day.”

  Leaf dropped his head. He didn’t like he sound of this. Pairings were a sacred thing. Both the high priestess and high priest were the vessels through which Venus and Cupid spoke.

  “She discards the pairings that are against the law. She also doesn’t take ones in which the couple doesn’t show any…connection.”

  “Even if they’re both royal or nonroyal?”

  Helen nodded. “She says that she is the judge of love. And that I have to learn the signs so I can do the same.” She looked at Leaf with desperate eyes. “I have believed in this religion—my religion—for so long but I’ve…I’ve been questioning it all. What am I supposed to do with all of this? I’ve spent days and nights rethinking everything that I’ve been taught—everything I believe. I can’t do this…Everything I believed in is wrong.”

  He shook his head. “No, it’s not.”

  She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and stood up. “What if the whole story about the first Lycin and Magic User is like the pairings? What if that was just a way to explain away the fact that we didn’t want to fight our own battles?”

  They silently stared at each other for a while. Leaf finally went and handed her a tissue. “Something is going on with Syney,” he said, changing the subject.

  Helen nodded. “I think it has to do with Adam. I’m not sure she should trust him.”

  “I tried that with her, but she didn’t want to hear any of it.”

  Helen wiped her eyes. “We could wait to see what her next move is.”

  “She wants to talk with the Shifter.”

  Helen nodded. “Syney has been trying to find out information about how the war started.”

  “Why?”

  “Because she can’t end something if she doesn’t know how it began.”

  Leaf nodded. “OK. I’ll let her in to see him. But I’ll stay with her. That way I can hear her questions.”

  Helen sighed. “I keep getting this bad feeling that…my mother is…I don’t know.”

  Leaf instinctively rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “Let’s deal with one thing at a time. Can you keep a list of the names Vasclineda pulls out for pairings?”

  She nodded, his gesture visibly calming her down.

  “Good. It’s going to be OK.”

  She smiled. “And I came here to cheer you up.”

  He shrugged. “You did.”

  “No, I didn’t.” She stepped back. “I’ll come by tomorrow with the list. Just…never mind.”

  “What?”

  She headed to the door but turned back to him. “You and I probably will be on it. We were today.” She stared at him for a while before leaving him alone in his room.

  Helen was right about one thing. She hadn’t cheered him up; she’d only brought up more to think about. It unnerved him to question such core beliefs, but at this point, he couldn’t help it. There was so much in motion right now that he wasn’t sure what he wanted to tackle first, or if he even wanted to do anything at all. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He needed to clear his mind and relax for now. He had to present the front-line report tomorrow, and he had to be very careful with what he said. He started to review the report again in his head. Above all he needed to be prepared.

  Syney was freaking out. She sat on her bed with her hands underneath her. She didn’t want her hands to touch anything or wave by anything. Since she’d come to the palace, she’d never had a hard time with magic. The only things that didn’t come easily were her inner powers, like the Daemon energy and the healing. She really wanted to explore the different magics she’d been coming across, especially some of her Daemon powers. When she had written down the list of things she had done, the most interesting power she possessed wasn’t even on the list. When she heard Hadrian’s voice in her head, she thought she was going insane. But he had told her not to scream out; it was a Daemon power to be able to project verbal thoughts into someone’s head. She couldn’t figure out why he didn’t just tell her that it was one of their powers when he was addressing the last thing on her list: the calm feeling she got with Hunter. He told her that it wasn’t something he’d ever heard of before and that he was pretty sure she didn’t want him addressing it out loud with Adam there, which she thanked him for. At the time Adam had broke in and helped her with the healing, so she made a mental note to practice talking to someone in his or her head, which is what she wanted to do when she got up this morning, but then all hell broke loose.


  When she woke up, she thought about how cold she was, and suddenly the air in the room started to boil. She went to turn on the lamp beside her bed, and every light in the room popped on. At that point she knew something was wrong. She jumped out of bed, thinking of which clothes to grab, when her drawers flew open and a set of clothes flew out and into her hands. She dropped them and jumped onto the bed, hiding her hands and clearing her mind. She closed her eyes and just tried to breathe.

  “Whoa, it’s hot in here and really bright.”

  Syney cracked one eye open and looked at Adam, who was taking off his jacket.

  He looked at her. “Syney? What’s going on?”

  She opened her eyes. “Something’s wrong.”

  “What?”

  Syney took some breaths. “It should be colder in here.” The temperature in the room dropped quickly.

  Adam eyed her then looked around the room. “Did you do that?” he asked slowly.

  “I think so.”

  “How?”

  “I don’t know! I just think of something…like a brush.” Syney’s wooden brush flew across the room and into her hand. “And hey, look, a brush.”

  “OK, this is a problem.”

  “Ya think?”

  He sat next to her and grabbed her hands. “Wow, I can feel the power in you.”

  “How do I turn it off?”

  “You have to control it. Close your eyes, and try to stop the flow of magic.”

  Syney did as told and felt the rush as magic tingled throughout her body. She tried to get it to slow down, or put it away somewhere, but it kept flowing. She opened her eyes. “It’s not working.”

  Adam sighed. “Maybe you have excess energy from healing Noelle.”

  “OK, I can go with that. Should I, like, drain it out?”

  He made a face and shrugged. “I’m not sure about this at all. But I guess you could try that.”

  Syney nodded and held out her hand. The Daemon energy had strained her the most, so that was the first thing she thought of. She closed her eyes and pushed all the energy to her hand. She finally started to feel the power drain out of her and smiled. She opened her eyes, and her mouth dropped open. The energy ball was much bigger than the one she had created at Becca’s house—almost five times the size. “What do I do with it now?”