Anarchy
RISING
Nicole Coverdale
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Anarchy Rising
Copyright © 2019 by Nicole Coverdale
Cover art Copyright © Captivating Covers and Plots
This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork here is prohibited without the express written permission of the author.
Printed in the United States of America
www.nicolecoverdale.com
“Chaos is inevitable... but when faced with adversity it is when we realize just how strong we really are."
Also by Nicole Coverdale
The Wiccan Way Series
Destiny Awaits
Once Upon a Hallow’s Eve
Crossroads
Shattered Dimensions
Bound by Magic
The Randolph Saga
Fearless
Dark Revelations
Chapter 1
My… my powers are… gone?
Jade Morgan rose to her feet, gazing around the familiar house, and lifted her hands, flicking her fingers. She stared down at them, willing for anything to show. The faintest spark of electricity, but yet, nothing happened.
This can’t be happening, she thought, tears filling her eyes, remembering the days she’d been able to hold an energy ball in the palm of her hand, trying desperately to remember what had happened.
Liam happened.
She let out a growl, as she thought of the God who had taken everything from her. The God, who had done who knows what with Sky. A man, she had once despised, but who had become like family to them. A man, who had been there for them, since they’d gotten their powers, and always seemed to know how to calm each one of them down. Their angel.
She thought back to the hidden city, to when they had put the sapphire back together. The sapphire, they had sacrificed everything to get, in order to get Jordyn back. Her niece! But then, Mathias had happened. The monster had stolen it from them, hell-bent on reuniting with his brother, to break the curse, and of course Liam had intervened. Of course he had wanted the power for himself. Power. That’s all everyone ever wanted. Now, because of him, she was separated from her sisters… again!
“Damned, freaking God!” She let out a shouted, turning, and slamming her fist into the wall next to her. She swore, pain racing up her arm, and she blinked past the moisture in her eyes, trying to gain her composure. Trying to stay strong, but how could she, when she didn’t know if anyone was safe? Why had he kept them, and not her? What was so special about them and not her? “Dammitt, why won’t you work!” she shouted, flicking her fingers again. “You’re my family heritage! You can’t just fail me!”
“Jade!”
“What?” she snapped, spinning around, and glaring at Ashwin, a vampire who had helped them through a few hairy situations, as he strode toward her from the other side of the room. “What is it? My powers are gone. My sisters are gone. Everything is just gone!” She slammed her fist into the wall.
“Punching a wall is not going to make them come back any faster,” Ashwin told her, grabbing her by the arm, and shoving her back a step. “And remember, you’re not the only one who lost your powers. I lost mine too.”
“Yeah, but you’re a vampire,” Jade said, staring up into his dark brown eyes, her eyes trailing down to gaze at the black jacket he was wearing over his broad shoulders, his faded white t-shirt, all the way down to the dark, blue jeans hugging his lean hips. “This is my family heritage, Ashwin. Our legacy. My destiny. They can’t just be gone!”
“But they are!” Ashwin snapped, his temper spiking. “And don’t you dare insinuate that your powers are any more important then mine are,” he continued, his voice razor sharp. “I might be a vampire, but dammit, I do a lot of good in this world with my powers, and with them gone, I am vulnerable to a lot of people out there but forget about that. Stop being so damned naïve! You know why you don’t have your powers. You saw Liam. You saw how powerful he is.”
“Yes, I did,” Jade said, softly, remembering the moment when the twelve, metal tentacles had transferred from Mathias’s body to Liam’s. “But do we really have to go to Elijah for help?” she asked, disdain filling her voice as she thought of Ashwin’s brother. “He’s done nothing but hurt us, Ashwin. Your family. My family. You really expect me to trust him after everything he’s done?”
“We don’t have a choice, Jade,” Ashwin told her. “Trust me, I don’t like this anymore then you do. I hate him, Jade! Remember, he’s the one who sent the vampires to attack my family. He’s the reason I’m like this.” He jabbed a finger at his mouth, lifting his lip, showing her his fangs. “But we need him.”
“But why?” Jade whined. “What can he possibly do, that we can’t do ourselves?”
“Get into the underworld,” Ashwin said. “He’s a demon, Jade. He was to be the leader of the underworld, and in the underworld, that still has some pull. They may have placed a bounty on his head, but there are still some demons that believe in him, demons who can help us get our powers back.”
“You mean a sorcerer.”
“Precisely.”
“And you’re willing to just let bygones be bygones?” Jade asked, eyeing him, not believing him in the slightest. How could he possible just let things go?
“If it keeps you from losing your family… yes!” Ashwin shouted. “Jade, you have a chance here. A real chance to get your family back, something I can never get, but you can! You just need to be willing to do whatever it takes to get them back.”
“You obviously don’t know me very well,” Jade muttered, jerking free from his grasp, and turning away from him. “Because I would do anything for my family.” Even trust a demon, she thought, hating the very thought, and hating that she was asking Ashwin to do this. It wasn’t fair! He’d been hunting Elijah for centuries, ever since Elijah had made a deal with the vampires, and now he just had to let it go? She’d be pissed! “But I don’t like it. What about the circle? Do you think they can help?”
“I have no way of getting into contact with them,” Ashwin said, thinking about the group of vampires, shifters, werewolves, and other supernatural beings he had recruited for the greater good. “Remember, I don’t have my powers. They wouldn’t be of any use to us anyways. The demonic world hates them as much as they hate me, plus, Elijah cares about Julie, Jade. He would never let anything happen to her.”
“I know,” Jade whispered, her blood going cold as she thought of her younger sister and all the lies she had told. The situations she had put them in. It was because of her, they’d all been put in danger in the first place! If she hadn’t chosen the dark side…
Let it go, Jade. Let it go.
She blew out a breath, trying to shove the old feelings away. “I know he cares about her,” she finally said after a moment. “But I don’t trust him. He’s a demon, Ashwin! He’s evil. What’s to say he won’t stab us both in the back?”
“Because every demon wants him dead,” Ashwin told her. “Remember that bounty I mentioned? Every demon is out searching for him, and Hades has promised gold to whoever brings him his head.”
“Hmm. Maybe I should see about cashing in on this bounty.”
“Jade!”
“Sorry. I couldn’t help myself.” She laughed, grinning despite the situation, as she rounded the corner of the couch, pausing next to the table against the wall, and lifting the picture lying there. �
�Can you believe this was just last week?” She asked, grazing a finger over the faces of her sisters, Josslyn, Julie, Jasmine, and Jorja. “The girls were begging for us to take a picture together. A picture, with all of us.” She laughed, as she stared down at her nieces, Josi, Jessi, and Jami. “Man, they are a riot! I remember Jasmine and Sky were arguing about something. I don’t even remember what, and Julie, she was moody! Probably because she’s pregnant, but even the girls hadn’t been enough for her to say no. I think they get that from my Grandfather.” A tear trickled from the corner of her eye. “Man, I miss them. I sure hope I get to see them again.”
“You will, Jade,” Ashwin said, as he squeezed her shoulder. “I promise. We’ll get them back.”
“You can’t promise that, Ashwin.”
“Sure I can,” Ashwin said, winking at her. “Because, I would die, before I ever let what happened to your family, happen to mine.”
“Don’t say that,” Jade whispered, not wanting anything to happen to Ashwin. He might be a vampire and all, but he had helped them through so much! She would never wish harm on him.
“Oh? You don’t want anything happening to me?” Ashwin asked, wagging his eyebrows at her.
“Oh, would you stop!” Jade cried, setting the picture back on the table, and rolling her eyes. “Don’t read much into it. After all, you are the only one I can really trust right now. But what about Sky, Ashwin?”
“What about him?”
“Where is he? He’s out there, Ashwin! Do you think we'll ever find him?”
“Let’s just take it one step at a time,” Ashwin said, as they made their way up the stairs. “Right now, what we need to focus on, is finding Elijah.”
“But how?” Jade asked as she hurried after him. “We don’t have a way of tracking him!”
“You don’t give you, or your ancestors' much credit, do you?” Ashwin asked as they walked into the attic. He paused at the podium, staring down at the book, grazing his hand along the worn weather. “You know, I’ve heard about this book,” he whispered. “The Morgan book. One of the most powerful books in the magical community. If I had my powers, I would be getting electrocuted right about now.”
“Damn right you would,” Jade said, biting back a laugh, remembering hearing about how Elijah had nearly gotten electrocuted by the book. “But what do we need the book for? It’s powerless. Just like me!”
“And that is where you are wrong,” Ashwin said, as he gathered the book up, and exited the room. “You may not have your powers, Jade, but you’re still powerful and so is the book. We just have to find a way to tap into it. Once we do, there’s only one place we need to go, that will let us know where Elijah is.”
“And where is that?”
“Where all evil things go,” Ashwin said, as they trotted down the stairs. “Get read, Jade. We’re going back down to the underworld.”
Chapter 2
“Ashwin, I don’t get the point of this,” Jade said a few minutes later, as she sat on the grass in the backyard, watching as he placed rocks in a circle around her. “We don’t have our powers. The book has now powers. It’s blank!” She flipped through the pages, slamming the cover shut, her eyes squinting. “Wait a minute are the letters… faded?”
“You noticed that, huh?” Ashwin asked as he sat across from her. “They’re hard to see, but yes, they’re there.” He pointed to the cover. “I mean, the J’s are separated, and the points of the stars are separated, but it’s enough to tell us that there’s still some magic there.”
“So, we just need to tap into it?”
“Isn’t that what I said in the attic?” Ashwin asked with a grin, as he stared across at her. “Do you ever listen to anyone, Jade?”
“I—” Jade cut herself off, blushing. He was right. He had said that in the attic. Why was it, that she always had to have the last word? That she, always needed to be right? That she always had to be the one in control? “I’m sorry,” she finally said. “It’s a habit, I guess.”
“No need to apologize, Jade. It’s just who you are,” Ashwin said, closing his eyes. “But that’s beside the point. There’s magic all around us, Jade. It doesn’t just come from our powers. It’s in the grass under our feet. In the breeze whipping around us. In the cry of an eagle.” He opened his eyes, staring up at the eagle, as it soared overhead. “Now, that’s ironic,” he muttered, laughing. “Man, is he beautiful.”
“You act as if you’ve never seen an eagle before.”
“I’ve seen them before, it’s just been a long time,” Ashwin whispered, and Jade winced at the pain in his voice. She stared across at him, suddenly wondering about the life he’d lived.
“Just how long has it been since you’ve been able to enjoy the sunlight?” she asked, biting back her smile, at the sheer delight in his dark, brown eyes. He reminds me of a kid!
“Too long.”
“Well, that’s a cryptic answer,” Jade muttered, rolling her eyes. “That’s the kind of answer I used to give my grandparents when I was a teenager, but then again, you are a vampire with a soul…” She paused. “How does a vampire go about getting his soul back?”
“That’s a long story, and one we don’t have time for right now,” Ashwin said, sighing, as the sun beat down on him. I haven’t felt this in a long time! he thought, thinking about the years since he’d become a vampire, and the night creature he had become. “We need to get to the underworld.”
“And we will,” Jade told him. “But first I need to ask you something. It’s been bugging me ever since I first met you.” She paused, gathering the courage to ask the question. “Just how old are you, Ashwin?”
“You really want to know?”
“I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t.”
“Touchy,” Ashwin said, laughing. He sobered, his eyes locking with hers. “I’m just over 200 years old, Jade.”
“What!” Jade jumped back, her eyes widening as she stared at him. “Oh my God! Ashwin… you’re like 170 years older than me!”
“Oh, don’t look so shocked, Jade. I know you’ve seen the movies, read the books, seen the TV shows about vampires. We’re immortal. We’re all old, Jade.”
“Yeah… but it’s different when you’re actually face to face with one!” Jade cried as she stared at him. “And now, I really want to know about this whole ritual thing involving getting your soul back.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m a curious person!” Jade cried. “And I like to know things.”
“Yes. I know,” Ashwin said, laughing again. “Fine. I’ll tell you, but be aware, it’s not pretty.”
“Nothing in this life is pretty,” Jade muttered.
“Well, that is true,” Ashwin said, leaning back as he gathered his thoughts. “How did I get my soul back? Well it was a bit of a process,” he began. “Back in the day, when I first became a vampire, I was ferocious, Jade. Lethal, and I loved the taste of blood. Just like any other vampire, that is, until I met Kiley.”
“The woman you loved?”
Ashwin nodded. “Yes. She was like no one I had ever met. She was fearless. She was strong, stubborn, and reckless. It’s what got her killed.” He swallowed. “She made me want to be better, and after her death, I swore I would honor her by doing whatever I could to subdue my dark side, and I went on a quest to find my soul, and I’ll tell you, it wasn’t easy. First, I had to find the scroll, that told me what I had to do. An ancient scroll, that was buried amongst the pyramids in Egypt, and once I found it, a portal opened up underneath me. The next thing I knew, I was standing before the council.”
“The council?”
Ashwin nodded. “A group of supernatural beings, who would deem if I was worthy to get my soul back. It was made up of three Cloaks, three Gods, a demon, and a witch, to make it fair, and each of them had their own test they needed me to pass.”
“What kind of test?”
“Oh, you know. Walking through coal. Walking through a wall of fire. A dozen knives pie
rcing through my chest…”
“Ashwin!”
“I’m just kidding!” Ashwin cried, laughing at her sheer shock. “But it’s good to know you’d be concerned about me.”
“That is so not funny!” Jade cried, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “So, they didn’t have a test for you?”
“Oh, they did, but it wasn’t an individual testy. The counsel disappeared inside a room, and when they came back, they had agreed on a mission for me. I was to go searching for an ancient artifact, that I was to bring to the mighty Gods, Zeus and Hades.”
“What kind of artifact?”
“An ancient sword, that was guarded by a hell beast. The Hydra.”
“You mean the thing that attacked Sky?
“Exactly the same beast,” Ashwin said, thinking about the three-headed monster he’d put down centuries ago. “That thing was a bitch to kill! Three heads snapping at me, I swear I got bit by that thing like eight times, but I was eventually able to defeat it.” He shook his head. “I still don’t understand how that thing was still alive. It was dead! Elijah must have resurrected it somehow, but anyways, once I defeated the beast, I got to meet Zeus and Hades.”
“You met Zeus and Hades!” Jade’s eyes widened. “That had to have been…”
“Terrifying?” Ashwin asked. “Oh, you have no idea! I don’t think I’ve ever feared anything more then I feared those two. I mean, can you imagine? They are Gods! The highest of Gods, anyways, I presented the sword to them, and the next thing I knew, Zeus was blasting lightning at me.”
“What!”
Ashwin nodded. “For a whole ten seconds, lightning coursed through my body, and man, did it hurt! But I withstood it. I didn’t cry, I didn’t scream, not even a whimper, and because of that the two Gods deemed me strong enough to get my soul back They presented me with a map, where it was being kept way, deep down in the underworld where Cerberus was guarding it.”
Anarchy Rising Page 1
