Dread continued to pull at her gut, Emory freezing as a branch snapped behind her. Ice shot through her veins as she turned slowly, yellow eyes glowing behind her. The first thing she saw was the rotting flesh as the serpentine creature stepped toward her. Bald, saggy skin covered the monster, its long snout and twitching ears revealing sharp canines. Snapping its teeth, its gaze flashed. It was bigger than a car, and Emory backed away slowly, not breathing. Behind it, two more yellow eyes appeared, the growls filling the forest unlike anything Emory had ever heard before.
A branch caught her foot, and she fell, falling onto her back. The creature sprung toward her, its companions following. Screaming, Emory flinched back, covering her eyes but not before a flash of silver cut through the air—the curved knife slamming into the creature’s belly, black blood spattering.
The purpled haired woman ran into the clearing, completely ignoring Emory as she ripped her knife from the flesh of the monster, her left hand cutting up as she wielded a long sword, slamming it into the creature’s neck. It howled as it fell, head rolling, decapitated from its body. The woman fought with a ferocity that Emory had only seen in movies as she flung herself into the thick of the battle, the two other monsters throwing themselves at her.
The ground shuddered, and Emory scrambled, shock numbing her body. She expected to see another demon about to kill her.
Instead, a monstrous wolf entered the clearing, golden eyes roaming over her body, before it propelled, jumping over Emory and joining the throng of the fight. She couldn’t move. Emory watched the wolf take down one monster within seconds. Shaking uncontrollably, Emory gasped. She turned, sprinting away from the fight, snapping back into reality.
Crying, she had never tried to run so fast, sweat coating every inch of body, branches cutting her cheeks, but she didn’t falter. Her life depended on it.
Impossibly, the purple hair woman appeared in front of her, sheathing her sword. “Going somewhere, Princess?”
“Get away from me!” Emory screamed, backing away.
“Oh, I don’t think so. This can go two ways. The easy way or the hard way. It’s your choice.”
Behind Emory, more twigs snapped, and the golden furred wolf came up behind her. Nausea rolled through her body as Emory shook her head. “This is impossible.” Her words went unheard as she watched the wolf shift to human form, revealing it to be her other captor, the man from her nightmares.
“Emory, you need to come with us. You’re lucky Nyx saw you on her watch. The dabarnes are only a taste of what roams these woods.”
The man had gentle eyes and short cropped golden hair. He wore a black collared jacket, pants and leather boots, reminding her of medieval fashion. Fear shot through her, and Emory tried to run, the woman sighing behind her.
“I guess it’s going to be the hard way then, Princess.”
Emory barely had time to register the pommel of the knife flying toward her temple, before it cracked into her skull, the copper taste of blood filling her mouth. Darkness overtook her.
***
Emory woke up with a raging headache, to find herself back in the same room she had escaped. Blinking slowly, she tasted stale blood in her mouth, and she gingerly felt her temple, the split skin swollen to her touch. Voices filled the room as she looked to her left, where a man with blond hair was leaning forward in an intense conversation with a freckled man with scorching red hair.
Memphis scrambled up, alarmed and surprised. “Emory, you’re awake.” He breathed her name, as if she might disappear.
Sitting up slowly, she grimaced when pain shot through her body.
Memphis searched her. “You’re in pain.”
“Obviously, I was knocked out by one of your cronies against my will,” Emory gruffly said.
“You’re lucky to be alive, Em. I’m not—we are not—your enemy. Please try and understand that beyond these walls, you will die if you try to escape again,” Memphis stated.
“So what? I’m your prisoner? I would rather die,” Emory declared.
Shaking his head, Memphis looked to the red-haired man standing awkwardly in the corner. Fear flickered in his face, as his body slowly started to look very much like the wall behind him.
“Alby, leave,” Memphis commanded.
The man’s resemblance flickered back to his own, and he left the room.
Confused, hungry, and hurt, she had little patience left. She needed more answers. Now.
Taking her into full view, Memphis sat down in front of her, exhaling hard.
Seizing her opportunity, Emory lunged across at him.
He moved with inhuman speed, catching her wrists before Emory could do any more damage. Standing face-to-face, her chest heaved, and his ice blue eyes cut into hers.
“Emory, I’m not asking you to trust me, but just give me the chance to explain. It will be a lot easier if, for the moment, you don’t attack me.”
Shoving out of his grasp, Emory tried not to throw up. She couldn’t physically beat Memphis, for the time being, it would seem she was their prisoner. Rubbing her wrists, her palms tingled, and her head pounded more, a strange undercurrent of energy churning through her body. Blinking, she paced, trying to make sense of the monsters she had seen in the woods, the monsters that had almost killed her.
“What were those things in the forest?” she asked.
Memphis rubbed the back of his neck, and she couldn’t help but notice defined muscles flexing with his every move. He replied, “The darbarnes are beasts under the Mad King’s command. They are ruthless killers, ones that we have been fighting for many years.”
“Uh-huh,” Emory said skeptically as she sat back down. No matter how much logic or excuses her mind was coming up with—the fact was, those dabarnes were like wolverines that had met nuclear radiation.
They weren’t from Earth.
Head spinning, she looked at Memphis as he sheepishly said, “I’m sorry about overloading you earlier. I just thought if you could see for yourself, you would trust us more—trust me more. I know words can paint pretty truths. I never thought this would happen.”
He gestured to her entirety.
“Let me give you your first tour, if you’re okay with that.” Smiling warmly, he held out his worn hand to her.
“No. I’m good,” she said coldly.
Biting his lip, he looked like he wanted to say more, but thankfully, he stepped out of the room, leaving her alone.
***
At first, her anger had deferred the need to nourish her body, so she sat on the hard cot, her mind running in circles of the impossibility of what Memphis had told her. The blank wall provided no answers, and every couple of hours, Memphis came to show her where the restrooms were to relieve herself and tried to persuade her to eat. Her icy responses were enough to shut him down.
In the windowless room and hallways, depression clouded her thoughts, making her body feel heavy.
It was on the second day without water that the dehydration and hunger pangs outweighed her fear of getting killed.
Opening the door, Memphis tentatively stepped in. “Emory, I’m begging you...”
“I want to eat,” she cut him off.
Surprise flickered across his features, and he nodded. “Okay... okay good. Let’s go.”
This new world surrounding her was cold and metallic. Stepping out into the hallway, he said, “Dinner rush.”
Even though evening was upon them, the hallways bustled with life. Trying to ignore the on-looker’s glares, she weaved with Memphis throughout the crowd, heading toward a caged elevator. Curiosity blooming, she asked, “How many people live here?”
“There are sixty of us left, but Alby, who you met earlier, is constantly scouting for survivors. He is the only one who can go unnoticed. Other than Brokk.”
“Survivors of what?” Emory asked.
Memphis’s face darkened as he murmured, “Let’s just get food into you first.”
Pressing a worn copper button caus
ed a chasm of clicks and whirs to sound as the gate opened, and they stepped in. Without a moment’s notice, the compartment dropped, and they freefell.
A scream threatened to choke her, and her stomach was thrown into her throat.
Smirking wickedly, Memphis yelled, “You get used to this!”
Looking frantically for something to hold on to, Memphis reached out, offering his hand which she blatantly ignored. In seconds, the compartment slowed, and the door grinded open, revealing a huge cavern, its coolness washing over them. Lamps were secured on the walls, washing the room in warm light; tables and chairs were scattered everywhere. Not missing a beat, Memphis led her to the far end of the room where it was a bit more private.
Grabbing her hand, she balked at the touch; his touch was warm and strong; anxiety pooled in her gut, but she didn’t pull away.
What are you doing?
Emory tugged her hand from his grip, and he pulled her out a chair. Motioning for her to sit, he said, “Wait here a moment.”
Looking around at the cavernous room, she took in the men and women that surrounded her. All wearing black, various weapons peeking from sheathes across their backs, thighs, and hips. The drawn faces revealed nothing but the bleak existence in this place.
Memphis rounded a corner, disappearing, and she finally crumpled. She wanted to scream and cry and possibly launch a chair across the room. Her mind reeled with questions. Not a minute later, Memphis came back carrying two steaming plates of what looked like steamed vegetables and some form of meat. Salivating, she tried not to rip the plate from his hands.
Setting them down, he took a seat across from her. Tensing, he tilted his head to the right, and Emory followed his gaze.
The woman with electric purple hair stood frozen at the elevator’s doors. Nyx, her name is Nyx, she reminded herself of this.
Memphis shook his head slightly as she continued her way to take a seat across from a man Emory didn’t notice before. His golden hair shone in the half-light, his eyes quickly flashing up to meet hers.
Brokk. The man from your nightmares.
Frowning at the strangeness of it all, Emory turned her attention back to Memphis. A migraine painfully pulsed in her head, threatening to break her skull, so she started with the easiest question she could muster.
“How do you get the resources to survive here?”
“Mostly Alby and Brokk. They can scout fast and easily without being detected. We usually do a week of collecting and hunting and wait until we run out and then repeat the cycle. We have a pipe system that collects rainwater and a water well. You can imagine, it requires a lot of maintenance. It makes for busy work, which is good.”
His gaze never left hers, even as he dived into his food.
She followed suit, the food melting in her mouth. It was divine.
Memphis swallowed and continued, “We have been building the Academy to be an indestructible force. Our safety is only possible thanks to Byrd though. Her ability cloaks our entire perimeter so that if anyone comes too close, they will only see rolling hills. It’s the only thing that has kept us alive this long.”
A hollowness grew in her stomach, as she remembered the night she escaped, and there was no building in sight when she had left. The impossibility of it all!
Memphis’s face darkened, his voice becoming clipped, “Emory, what if your entire existence, your entire life, was a lie? This is a lot to digest already, I know, but there is no easy way to put this. I will start with the facts.”
Her chest hurt as she waited.
“Your name is Emory Reia Fae. Your mother was Nei Fae and father, Roque Fae. They built our government and, through that, built the Academy, so we could live in a world where we learned to use our powers for the greater good to help protect our country. They strove for a free world where they could watch you grow and prosper. Their dream was shattered when all of that was stolen from them.”
Memphis looked lost in memory. “There was a student, Adair. We all attended school here together, but he grew to be ruthless, and above all else, power hungry. He killed your parents. He tore apart everything they had built, and he was about to end the bloodline with you. We were all best friends.” He stiffened. “Brokk and I couldn’t lose everything, and under the circumstances, you asked us for help. You asked us to save you. Brokk has the ability to travel through channels of time, and as you are aware, our world is full of surprises. We left you on Earth, stripped of everything you stood for... But, you were alive, and you were safe.”
Unaware that her mouth had been slightly ajar for the last minute, she shook her head. “Are you saying that I have fallen into a modern fairy tale? I was the royal princess whisked away, and you and him have brought me rightfully home to...to what? To fight in an epic battle? To restore harmony upon the land?”
A hard glint shone in Memphis’s eyes as a stillness settled over him. “You have no idea how much has been lost over the last six years. People have been slaughtered by the thousands because Adair didn’t deem them powerful or useful. Families and homes forever broken... We have been trying to build our numbers to stand up and reclaim what is ours.” He paused. “You always have been, and rightfully are, our leader. You have always been the key.”
Emory looked at the surrounding people for the first time since coming here. Most of them were young. There was no excessive talking, no laughter. They kept on task...whatever that may be. It was very military and echoed a hollow life.
It would explain the dreams.
Her life back on Earth was empty as well. Brought up in an orphanage, she had few friends, other than Moore, and she took care of herself until she came of age. She had always wanted more. Why shouldn’t she accept this life as her own?
“If this is true, will I start to remember them—I mean my family? My past?”
Memphis’s face softened. “It’s hard to know how your memories will come back to you. If I was to take a guess after the other night, they will sort themselves out in spurts, one coming clear at a time. It could be weeks, months, even years for everything to start to make sense. But I can help you.”
She almost didn’t catch the last sentence, and she snapped to attention as he uttered it, unexpected heat flooding her body.
Memphis leaned forward, urgency coating his words. “Emory, from the beginning of history, magic has been present in Kiero. Centuries ago, there was a capital called Nehmai were fey flourished, their magic blossoming across the land. The Warriors, an elitist army, protected the city from the darkness that tried to ravish Kiero. The great war of this world saw the city and the warriors destroyed, and the myth goes that their magic bled into the land, reblooming in humans in the form of special abilities. Your family was one of the strongest I have ever known, and your ability will help us have a chance against Adair. No one else can do what you can.”
My ability. What is he talking about?
Shock rippled across her skin, making her hair stand on end.
Holding out his hand, Memphis said, “Let me show you what I mean.”
It sounded insane. Every girl dreamt of a handsome mysterious man from her dreams saying that she was chosen for something to liberate their world. But she wasn’t one who trusted easily—or wasn’t softened by good looks. But her one weakness was curiosity.
With fire in her heart, she shot Memphis a hard glare before reaching out her hand, interlocking her fingers with his. Nothing happened at first, and a flush crept up her neck at the thought of noting how warm his hold was, making her uncomfortable. Then a slow, high-pitched hum started around them as everything fell silent.
Emory felt the pressure squeezing around her mind; it was sharp and probing. Then, everything exploded around her, and she couldn’t help but gasp. Hundreds, no thousands, of thoughts, conversations, and memories shouted at her all at once. With her eyes wide, her body went rigid.
“You just need to talk to her Brokk... Look at them over there...” Nyx’s voice sounded clear through the
chaos, and Emory let go of Memphis’s hand. Panting, her body hummed from the adrenaline rush.
“What was that?!” Her voice was hoarse, her fingers still tingling.
“Your body will still be adjusting back, living in a world that has no magic, your ability disappeared. But in our world, the term for what you are is leech. If you maintain physical contact with anyone, you can use their power while they are left defenseless.” He said this smugly, his blue eyes alit.
Leech.
She turned the word around in her mind thinking of the possibilities. Something was tugging at the edge of her mind, and she sighed. Her body ached, and her heart throbbed. She was tired, overwhelmed, confused, and apparently had super powers. Warily, she eyed Memphis. “I don’t have a choice to go back, do I?”
Memphis studied her curiously from across the table. “Do you really want to go back? This is your home, Emory, and despite its flaws, you are the key to righting the wrongs Adair has done. Give it more than a week for things to feel right.”
Before she could retort that this whole situation felt like it was leading up to stockholme syndrome, a screeching siren rang over the hall, and Memphis stood abruptly, as did everyone in the room. The reaction was an electric current running through the group as everyone stopped what they were doing.
Memphis breathed, “That’s probably Alby returning from his scout. Care to join me?”
She pressed her lips in a thin line while looking at the man before her. He bit his lower lip, waiting for her to answer, his blue eyes piercing through her. His hair was tied back, and a small crooked smile started to lift the corners of his mouth. He was a stranger, and yet...yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that this was familiar. She couldn’t shake her curiosity about the man who sat across from her. Emory couldn’t deny any of it.
She had always daydreamed of having a more fulfilling life; had spent years wondering about her parents, what they had been like, what their likes and dislikes were. Now, she just had to figure out if the information she was being fed was reality or fantasy.
Heir of Lies (Black Dawn Series Book 1) Page 29
