Wicked Trials
The Royals: Witch Court Prequel Novella
Megan Montero
Leo Press
This book is dedicated to my bestie, Chandelle LaVaun. Thank you for always pushing me to do better, helping me when I need it, and telling me I can do it when I feel I can’t. Enough with all the feels.
Love you bestie. Thank you!
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
About the Author
Chapter 1
10 years ago…
I pumped my arms harder trying to force my legs to go faster. The muscles in my legs ached and burned to keep up with my two older brothers, but I refused to stop. Members of the Phoenix Clan never gave up. The only choice I had was to push more fiercely through the tall grass, that was well beyond the border of our mother’s gardens. The dry grass scraped at my skin and caught around my legs, slowing me down. Sweat dripped down my face as the mark on the side of my neck smoldered and warmed my whole body.
I let the power overtake me. Flames burned across my legs and arms. It turned the clinging grass to ash in my wake. All around flickering sparks of orange, yellow and red flew up to blend with the pink sky. Wind rustled my hair with each stride forward I took, and the smell of burning cinders invaded my nose.
“Hey, I’m gonna catch you!” I yelled up to my two older brothers as I tried to keep up with them. I was only six years old, but I used everything in me to try to beat them for once.
Barrow was eight and bigger, but not by much. He glanced over his shoulder with a large smile playing on his lips. Then he narrowed his eyes at me a moment before he turned around to run backwards, facing me. He lifted his hand to his mouth as though about to blow me a kiss. Instead he blew a fireball at my feet. It hit the ground sending clumps of dirt flying up into my face.
“I’m gonna win, Tuck. You can’t catch me.”
I leapt to the side as another fireball soared past my ear. “No fair!”
Barrow threw his head back and laughed. I hated it when he teased me. He always teased me. When he turned back around I stuck my tongue out at him. I wished I could make fireballs the way he could. Just so I could hit him in the back of the head with one. Just once.
“Quit it, Barrow. That’s cheating.” Judd, my oldest brother, slowed down.
The two were so alike in looks and strength, both with bright crimson hair and eyes the color of coal. So different than mine. My hair was auburn, so dark it was nearly black all around. My eyes were closer to dark honey than coal. Judd was nine years old and the biggest out of us all, but I was catching up to him in size. Soon I’d be the tallest and strongest.
I saw the ball of fire a split second before it smacked me in the face. The heat seeped into my skin and tiny sparks flew into my eyes. The biting sting made my eyes water. But I wouldn’t give up. I pressed my lips together to stop from crying out in pain. I swatted the sparks from my face and rubbed the ashes from my eyes. My toe caught on a root in the ground. I stumbled forward and tried not to fall when I came closer to Barrow. His breaths came in deep, panicked puffs and he struggled to put more distance between us. The mark on my neck burned hotter than ever before, and a light glow flowed across my cheek. Warm tingles ran down my arms a moment before my flames shot out.
I tucked my shoulder and shoved into Barrow, the explosion knock him to the side. “Got you!”
Barrow tried to push me away using both his hands. “Get off.”
“No way.” As the thick hedges came into sight I pushed into him harder. The garden wall was just beyond them. A burst of heat flooded my body and Barrow flew off to the side, his arms pinwheeled in mid air while he kicked his legs out. His eyes widened a moment before he disappearing from sight. The branches cracked as he landed in them. Behind me I heard his cry of anger. I finally ran past him. Flames were all around me, the warmth comforted me. Each flicker pushed me forward and made me go faster.
Up ahead, Judd laughed. “You can’t catch me!” He pumped his arms faster and faster until I could barely see them. All I saw was blurry pale skin and fire. A blaze trailed out behind and for a second I thought he was going to transform into a phoenix the way my dad did. Judd would shift soon, way before the others of our clan who normally shifted right around twenty. Will that happen to me too?
The excitement shook me from head to toe. I could win! I tried to use my inner inferno, the way Judd did to make himself go faster. I pumped my arms, making them move in a blur of flames. In a moment I was by his side and felt my cheeks lift into a smile. If I was going to win it should be on my own, not because I was the baby brother and he let me win. The path in front of me was worn into the ground from how many times we’d run this race. All the plants and grass leaned away from the makeshift dirt road.
Over the last hill, the castle came into sight. My mother sat on the back terrace with my father by her side. Their hands were wound together, each of them smiling while they watched us. We were neck-and-neck, the two large planters on the end of the porch came into view…My finish line. I leapt forward and kicked my leg out, trying to get there first. Just then Judd burst past me and took the lead at the last moment.
“No!” I screamed. My heart sunk in my chest and I wanted to stomp my feet in anger. But I didn’t, I held my head up and met his smile.
Judd raised one hand over his head in victory. The last bit of his flames moved across the skin on his arms. He dropped his fist and patted them out. His chest heaved while he sucked in deep breaths. He extended his hand to me. “Good job, Tuck.”
If it had been Barrow who’d won I would’ve called him a cheater, but this was Judd and he’d won fair and square. I took his hand, shaking it. “I almost got you.”
“But you didn’t.” He winked down at me.
“Tucker, Judd, Barrow?” My mother’s soft voice carried over lawn to where our finish line was. “Come along, lunch is ready.”
Our long, rectangular table ran across the middle of the stone porch area with a crimson banner hanging off of each side. Flames were etched into it, along with our family’s circular insignia. Which was a phoenix in the middle of the circle sitting prideful and ever-unmoving. My eyes widened at how much food there was waiting for us. The smell of fresh bread and sweet fruit tickled my nose. Steam roast from the hot dishes. A bowl of my favorite fruit sat just in front of my seat. I clapped my hands together. “Oh, peaches my favorite.”
My father rose from his chair and looked out over the gardens. “Where’s Barrow?”
I pressed my hand over my mouth to hold in my laughter. “He fell.”
“I didn’t fall, you pushed me and tried to burn me.” Barrow stomped up the stairs to stand across from my parents. He plucked oval-shaped leaves from his hair and patted out the flames on his shirt.
When he scowled down at me I almost felt bad…Almost.
“First of all, Barrow, we can’t ever burn. We are the Royal House of the Phoenix and as such we take pride in our ability not to burn. Secondly, Tucker, did you set your brother on fire?” My father was a tower of a man, huge even, and when he looked at me with his obsidian eyes I wanted to cower behind my mother.
Yet I didn’t hide behind her. I looked up at him and met his heavy gaze. “He started it.”
“It’s true, I saw the whole thing.” Judd moved past me and stood facing my mother on the opposite side of the table.
When he plucked up a roll an
d shoved a large piece in his mouth, my mother gave her head a single shake. Her long hair reminded me of the inside of strawberries, so blond with the barest hint of red. It fell in curls that bounced every time she moved her head. She was so slight, so beautiful, with a face more like a woodland elf than a hard-born phoenix.
Judd dropped the roll on to the plate in front of him. “Sorry, mother.”
She cleared her throat, and extended her hand toward me. “Come here, Tuck.”
No one, not even my father, the King, went against my mother’s wishes. I wound my way around the table and took her hand into mine. She bent down and pressed a light kiss to my cheek. Her warm cinnamon and hot chocolate smell surrounded me. Every time she came close that smell calmed the burn that had scorched my chest through the whole race. That smell was home to me, our entire castle smelled of it.
“Darling.” She pulled back and tapped my chin. “You mustn’t let your temper get the better of you.”
“Yes, Mom.” I tucked in closer to her as she stood up straight.
I wound my fingers in the soft Her deep crimson dress that pooled around her. The tips of leather ties that bound the dress together around her torso and arms tickled my skin each time they brush over it. Sunlight reflected from of the golden tier she always wore. Each time she moved the rubies sparkled and sent little dots of light floating across the table in front of me. When she pulled me in closer I wound my arms around her leg and squeezed her into a hug.
“And Barrow?” A grin broke across her face. “If you’re going to throw fireballs at your bother than you get what you give, right?”
Barrow lowered his chin. His hair fell into his face as he kicked at the ground. “Yes, Mom.”
“Very well. Judd—” She motioned to the table. “—since you were the first to eat, how about you lead the blessing?”
My father took his place at the head of the table. Barrow and Judd took the two seats next to him. But that was okay, it meant I got to sit by mom on the other side of the table.
Judd bowed his head. “May the Phoenix burn bright and strong, should the flames of time extinguish us…”
I grabbed my glass of juice and raised it to the air. “…We will rise from the ashes.”
In the kingdom of Cindelore it was our clan’s blessing, our battle cry and our inspiration. As I took a deep drink of the sweet peach juice, the fizzing bubbles tickled my nose and I couldn’t help but smile. I reached for a roll and quickly took a bite. Flakes from the crust fell across my shirt as the warm soft middle melted in my mouth. From inside the castle the sound of raised voices broke the calm silence and stopped me from taking my next bite.
I froze and dropped my roll. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know.” My father rose from his chair and waited. His phoenix-like gaze was locked on the double doors leading toward where we sat. He reached up and straightened his golden crown covered with rubies.
I looked over my shoulder toward the stained-glass doors. Figures moved behind them yet no one came out. I sat up straighter in my chair and swallowed the nervous ball in my throat. What is happening? Who is it? The castle had always been so calm so silent. Now panic voiced grew louder and louder with each passing moment.
“I say, come forth,” my father called. Behind his back he he swirled his fingers as though about to grab something. A single dagger appeared from thin air into his waiting grasp.
“Riker, what is it?” my mother hissed under her breath. Her eyes locked on the door.
He held his other hand out to the side and slashed it through the air, signaling for us not to move. “Could be nothing.”
The doors burst wide open, the hard metal scraped against the stone castle exterior like nails on a chalkboard. The glass vibrated as one of the scouts from the Royal Aviation Unit charged toward us holding a folded envelope. His crimson uniform stood out against the gray stone of the castle. He was nearly as tall as my father, with wide shoulders, and his bright red hair cut close to his head.
“I’m sorry for the intrusion, Sire,” the scout bowed quickly. “But this is the of the greatest importance, and not to be handed over to a butler. It’s from the human world.”
Long ago, when the original supernatural species of Evermore were created they each built their own kingdoms. They were mixed in with regular human countries, but the most powerful witches banded together to hide them from the human world with magic. Cindelore was deep in the volcanic Hawaiian Islands. To the human eye it would appear to be a wild jungle but to supernatural world the great Phoenix Kingdom lay beneath the smoke and ash of the active volcano. Though we remained tucked away we always paid close attention to what happened in the parts of Earth the humans inhabited. If something went wrong there it could damage us all.
The scout’s satchel bounced with each step he took. Envelopes flew out behind him and landed all over the porch. He didn’t stop to pick them up, but just headed straight toward my father. He held a manilla envelope high in the air as he took quick, determined strides.
Jefferson, our butler, waddled after him, his stomach leading the way. Beads of sweat ran down his round face and his patchy gray hair stood on end. “I said you could deliver it to him. Just give me a moment.”
“Come forward.” My father waved the scout on and extinguished his flaming dagger. It disappeared like it was never there. The moment the messenger placed the letter in his hand he tore it open and let his eyes drift over the paper. With each passing second the slight wrinkles around his eyes deepened as he scowled. Once he finished it, he pointed his finger at the messenger. “Has anyone else seen this?”
“No, sire.” He shook his head. “Our lead scout just outside of New York City sent that this morning.”
“Where the Evermore Academy is?” My curiosity piqued as they spoke about things I didn’t understand. In the Kingdom of Cindelore, my family ruled over all the phoenix shifters. I knew of the rest of the Earth because of my father’s close watch over it, and all who lived there, but this was the first I’d ever seen my father look concerned about it.
“Never you mind,” he snapped at me. I’d never heard him so alert. The paper in his hand burst into flames. “No one will read this, ever.”
My mother jumped to her feet. Her napkin slid to the floor. “What’s happened, Riker?” She walked to his side like everything was normal, but her face was pale and her eyes were wide.
My father turned toward our butler and pointed at the door. “Send for Balthazar Blackwing now. Tell him his King commands it. Tell him it’s of the utmost importance that he arrive here within the day.”
Red-faced and baffled, Jefferson hesitated only a second before he bowed and shuffled away. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
Then my father turned toward the messenger. “You tell the rest of the scouts to keep a close watch. If anything else occurs they are to let me know immediately, do you hear me? If there is even a hint of trouble I want to know about it.”
“Yes, I should tell you it seems she’s disappeared into hiding after that one sighting.”
My father nodded gravely. “One sighting is enough. The wheel has been set in motion. The cycle has begun.” He looked tired, like he wanted to topple over into the seat behind him. He waved his hand to dismiss the messenger.
The man pressed his fist to his chest. “May the flame endure.”
“And rise from the ashes.” My father pressed his hand to his own chest.
Dread sat in the pit of my stomach and suddenly I wasn’t hungry anymore. I dropped the roll back on to my plate.
My mother reached out and took my father’s hand. She held it tight between both of hers. “Riker, tell me. What’s happened?”
For a second he shot me a dark look, then glanced to the ground. His throat bobbed before he met my mother’s eye. “The Siphon Witch…”
“Oh flames, no.” She turned to look at me for a second and my stomach dropped. It was the look she gave me whenever she said goodbye before leaving on
a long trip. But no one was going anywhere. Mother shook her head and looked back at my father. “What about her?”
“She’s…” My father’s voice cracked. “She’s been spotted. The letter states she’s around six years old. That means all five Witch Queens have been born and survived thus far. It’s beginning.”
Who is the Siphon Witch? Why are my parents so scared? We’re the Phoenix of Evermore. We fear nothing.
“I knew this would happen, I just knew it when I heard about the first one. And then he was born with that mark.” My mother turned and pointed to the mark on my neck.
“We couldn’t have known it would happen this soon. It could’ve been fifty or five hundred years from now.” He shook his head and reached for my mother.
I slapped my hand over the mark. Are they talking about me?
She covered her face with her hands then pressed into him. “I don’t want him to go.”
My father wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. “We can’t hold off on his training any longer. Even though he is a royal he has to begin getting ready for what’s to come. Other Guardians his age have started. He bares the mark of our race, and now he’s being called to the next level. Perhaps even one day he’ll become one of the Knights of Evermore. You saw him today. What child throws flames at six years old?”
Ever since I was a baby I heard tales of the Guardians. There was only one in each generation of each species. They were born solely to protect their kind. But the best of the Guardians rose to become Knights of Evermore, protecting the Witch Queens. Is that me? Would I be sent to fight in a great battle? I didn’t want to go. My bottom lip tremble with fear and I fought to hold back my tears.
She shook her head, sending those strawberry curls flying. “It doesn’t have to be him, Riker. Pick someone else, anyone, just not him. He can’t face this, can’t face that kind of danger, that kind of life.” A light sob broke past her lips. “Call on Artemis, all the shifters of Evermore are under her rule. She could do something, maybe she could ask the Fallen to help us. They could stop him from being the Guardian of our race.”
Wicked Trials Page 1
