The Kingdom Journals Complete Series Box Set

by Tricia Copeland

  “So, kill Sonia? Your father?” Alena questioned.

  “Yes, I’m guessing you want the same thing, what with the vampires being taken hostage and Hunter’s brother, well, I guess my brother too, being soul-jacked.”

  Alena’s eyes narrowed, and I realized my view of the encounter flowed not only from Alena, but Jude and Tyler too. They had been added to the trinity’s circle.

  Theron placed his hand on the door frame. “We should be leading. We’re the future of our species.”

  “Who do you mean by we?” Jude questioned.

  “Why, Alena and me of course. Of course, as a hybrid and friend to Alena, you would be given an inner circle seat.”

  Tyler shifted weight between his feet. “What of Camille and Hunter, the rest of the leadership of the lines?”

  Theron pointed at Tyler. “This is the new order. The witches have messed things up enough, don’t you think? Our species will reign over them.”

  “You’re crazy.” Jude backed up and started to close the door. “It’s your family who have messed things up, and you’re doing nothing to stop them.”

  “Why do you think I’ve come to you, Alena? We will make the perfect union.” Theron’s thin lips formed a half-smile.

  Alena caught the door before it closed. “Aren’t you betrothed to be married on Beltane to seal Michael’s coven to Iliad’s?”

  “She is a child, easily managed, as are all the witch covens. Once we have the sword from Sonia, the power will be all ours.”

  “So, you’d help us get the sword?” Alena questioned Theron.

  Stop! I pushed the thought to Alena. Get him away. Every second he spends there makes it more likely Sonia and Theron will find you.

  What if he will help? came her response.

  I prayed Jude and Tyler could hear me. Jude, Tyler, close the door and get away. You can’t trust Theron.

  Jude, Tyler, Hunter’s right. What if it’s a trap? Camille reiterated my plea. Hunter won’t focus on flying if he’s worried about Alena. Get her away from Theron.

  After Camille’s request, I saw the door slam shut, and breathed a sigh of relief as Tyler grabbed Alena and pulled her down the hall.

  They will keep her safe. Aaron and Dimitri won’t let anything happen to her. Camille’s voice echoed in my head.

  I prayed she was right. Had I made a huge mistake leaving Alena behind? What business did I have trying to stop a war between the witches and vampires? But I felt it in my gut. These witches were my people.

  No, your subjects, another voice echoed in my brain, and I forced the thought out. The vampires were Alena’s people. I would do anything I could to prevent further losses on either side.

  Would Sonia and Thanatos show? Would this battle be enough to draw them out? Would they bring the sword? Try to convert more of the vampires? No, their deeds would be exposed. They’d have to answer to witches and vampires alike. What if the witch community condoned their behavior? How would I stop them?

  You know how.

  Again, I rebuked the premise. The witches had to decide to step away from whatever they had planned of their own volition. I wouldn’t force them.

  What if they won’t listen? The voice entered my head again.

  Was it that part of me, the dark section of my psyche that demanded obedience, or could it be Lucifer pushing me to use my powers and give him what he wanted, Sonia trapped in the Sword of St. Maurice forever?

  Would that be so bad? I closed my mind to that voice. You are the balance, the protector, not the tyrant Sonia and Thanatos are, I repeated to myself.

  This is war, boy, the voice replied.

  “Hunter!” Camille’s voice broke through my psyche, and I realized we were headed for the water. The North Sea. I reoriented myself.

  “You think they’re marching on the Northern tribes?” I asked Camille.

  “Makes sense. That’s who attacked Orm’s birthplace, right?”

  “From best we can tell. Anne had the warriors brought in for questioning. Only the families are left in the villages.”

  “They’ll be slaughtered.”

  “Not if we can stop it.”

  I pushed all my energy into flying, and we sped ahead. My tension seemed to be fueling my power, and the current of magic rushed through me. Light grew in the northern sky as we crossed over the peninsula. The hub of power drew me to the western shore. A group of witches, some three hundred strong from the size of the crowd, marched north. A village of stone houses with thatched roofs stood on a cliff overlooking the ocean several miles ahead of them. I descended to the ground landing in front of the witches.

  Taking a deep breath, I snatched the lance from my pocket.

  “Hunter.” Camille’s eyes cut to me and back to the beings before us. “These are very old witches.”

  If any group of witches would want the curse broken and their future souls to be free of damnation in Sheol, it would be them, right?

  A tall male witch approached me. “You are of Michael’s line?”

  “I am. I am the son of Thanatos. Who are you?”

  “I am Philip, leader of this coven. I’ve never heard of you before. Theron is the only son of Thanatos. Yet, I sense you to be who you say. Why would Thanatos deceive us?”

  “He kept me hidden, thinking I would amount to nothing. He was wrong.”

  “So, Thanatos didn’t send you?”

  “No, I am here to stop whatever you are planning.”

  “The vampires can’t go on unchecked. They must pay for their sins. This is the only way we show them that we are strong like in the old days.”

  “Do you know why they attacked the coven in Russia?”

  “Why do vampires do anything? Because they are vampires.”

  I described how Sonia used St. Maurice’s sword to place the souls of dead witches in vampires. “The vampires are just trying to get their loved ones back.”

  “Lies. I don’t believe it. This is the same nonsense Chalondra and Orm are trying to convince us of.”

  “Orm trained me. We are of the same coven. We speak the truth.” Holding out my arm, I held his stare. “Read me, and you will know it’s true.”

  He snapped his fingers. “Two of Uriel’s lines come forward: a reader and a truth seer.”

  A woman and man snaked through the crowd and crossed the open space to us.

  “I am Thomas. I am a reader.” The man dipped his chin.

  “And I am Dawn, a truth seer.” The woman bowed her head.

  Thomas gripped my forearm, and Dawn offered her palm. I laid mine atop hers, and she closed her eyes. Power surged through me as I opened the compartments in my mind I wanted them to see. Not many witches had that skill. Orm said he’d never seen a witch with the talent. It would serve me well.

  Dawn jerked her hand from mine. “There is another brother, a hybrid, sired by Thanatos. A witch soul possesses his body.”

  “Over a thousand vampires have been taken. This cannot be. It is a lie, the same lies Chalondra and Orm were peddling.” Thomas released my arm.

  Dawn faced Thomas. “You know it’s not, brother, I saw the same.”

  Thomas narrowed his gaze. “Why do you have a relationship with the vampire queen?”

  “She helps protect me and my friends from Sonia and my father.” I motioned to Camille.

  “Why would your father be a threat to you?”

  I took a deep breath. “Because I am a Child of Light, as is Camille. They don’t want us to break the curse and release the souls from Sheol because they draw power from the fallen. But see this blade? It is the Lance of Longinus made whole once again.”

  Whispers spread through the crowd.

  Philip stepped towards me. “What of the third of the trinity?”

  Camille lifted her chin. “We have been united. You know it to be true, or we could not possess the lance.”

  A hush fell over the group, and everything seemed to freeze. Not a single sound reached my ear, not even the call of
a bird.

  Phillips glanced between Camille and me. “So, you have everything you need, the trinity, the sword. Break the curse and the souls will be released.”

  “Yes, we believe the souls will be freed from Sheol, but this will not undo the magic of St. Maurice’s sword. The sword Sonia possesses must be destroyed for that to happen. That is why we need all the witches to join together. Sonia must be stopped. The vampires will keep attacking unless we remove Sonia.”

  Dawn shook her head. “There must be a trial.”

  “Try her.”

  Thomas paced away. “We already put her down once. She is too powerful now. No one can stop her.”

  I shook my head. “If we band together, we can.”

  “My coven and I will not fight.” Philip walked to the crowd.

  “You were willing to attack the vampires. You had to know there would be losses. Why not challenge Sonia and Thanatos?”

  Dawn started to back away. “Her magic is too powerful. If she can use the sword to extract souls from Sheol, who’s to say she can’t take ours?”

  Dumbfounded, I looked to Camille. How had we not thought of it as a possibility?

  See, you need me, Lucifer’s voice drifted through my head.

  I called to those gathered. “Is this why none will stand against her?”

  Philip approached. “Those of Michael’s line may be safe. The rest of us will be just as defenseless as the vampires.”

  “But if we all attack, she’ll be overpowered. Even if some are affected, the magic will be reversed when the sword of St. Maurice is destroyed.”

  “Who knows what condition we would be in afterwards. And what if we are not successful? She will kill us all.”

  My brain itched with the power building inside me. Why couldn’t they just see it had to be done? Why weren’t they willing to risk a little to do the right thing? You can make them join you. I wanted it to be Lucifer’s voice attached to that thought, but I couldn’t deny it to be mine.

  I lifted my chin and projected my voice. “Today’s attack must be called off. Anne is punishing those who attacked the Russian coven. They are not even here. Only innocent women and children are left in the village.”

  Murmurs rose in the crowd, and Philip straightened his back and came to within inches of me. “Why are you so close with the vampire queen? And who are you to say what we should and shouldn’t do? You are but a boy.”

  Power rumbled through my body. Philip stepped back.

  “Hunter.” Camille wrapped her fingers around my bicep.

  Looking down, I realized I held the lance cocked and aimed at Philip’s chest. Taking a deep breath, I stowed the blade in my jacket.

  “We all want the same thing. Peace for our people.” My skin tingled with the magic lurking under it. I had to be smart. If they knew how much power I could wield, they would come for me. “We are here to answer any questions you have.”

  I held my palm out to Dawn and cocked my head, signaling for Camille to do the same. Question after question came from those gathered, and we answered as to how we’d found each other and where the pieces of the Lance of Longinus lay hidden.

  “So, if you’ve been hiding from Sonia for months, why expose yourself now?” Philip paced in front of me. “And why not bring the third of the trinity?”

  “We are trying to stop you from killing innocent beings.”

  “The vampires did not hesitate to kill.”

  “And they will be punished.”

  A young male approached. “Hand them over to us for trial. Bring the guilty to us, and we will leave in peace.”

  “You know I cannot do that.”

  The beating sound of helicopter blades caught my attention. Looking to the sky, I saw three aircraft approaching from the north. Shaking beneath my feet brought my attention back to the ground. An army of vampires crested the hill.

  “This army is with you?” Philip demanded.

  “I imagine the vampires are here to see that you do not march on that village.”

  The wind kicked up as the helicopters landed behind us.

  “What if a few witches witness the trial of those accused? Would that be an acceptable solution?”

  The helicopter motors died, and Anne approached from behind. “Camille, Hunter, thank you for coming.”

  “Anne, this is Philip, leader of the coven gathered here.” I motioned to the witch leader.

  “Philip, nice to meet you.” Anne offered her hand.

  Philip backed up. “I will not touch a vampire.”

  “I am deeply sorry for your loss. My people want peace. The perpetrators will be tried and sentenced appropriately.”

  I motioned to Philip. “Philip demanded the guilty be handed over to them. I suggested a few witches may be able to witness the trial.”

  Anne nodded. “I believe that may be a fair solution. What say you, Philip?”

  Philip returned to the group of witches and conferred with a few gathered in the front.

  Anne spun to face me. “You shouldn’t have come here. You’re endangering—”

  I raised my palm trying to prevent her from saying more. “I would never put her in jeopardy.”

  “He is able—” Camille started.

  “Enough.” I guessed Camille knew the extent of my powers, but I needed that knowledge to stay within the bounds of our coven. We were the keepers of the balance. I would not trust those outside the circle.

  As their group disbanded, Philip strode to us with three witches following behind. “These three will come witness the trial.”

  Anne shook her head. “The trial isn’t scheduled for weeks. We’re still gathering evidence.”

  I motioned to the helicopters. “Camille and I will travel with them to the vampire compound so that they may oversee the process.”

  “It is agreed.” Philip nodded.

  We stood on the field for two hours watching the witches retreat. The vampires headed back north, but I didn’t feel comfortable leaving till sunset. Anne and Camille’s helicopter lifted off first, and we followed. Even though I was pretty sure I could best any witch, I was leaving nothing to chance. We landed in Oslo and boarded Anne’s plane bound for LA.

  I hated being out of touch with Alena and made my way to the back of the jet.

  Camille followed. “Are you worried about—”

  I tapped my ear, and she nodded. Taking a seat, I motioned for her to sit across from me. She held out her palms, and I wrapped my fingers around hers. I closed my eyes and concentrated on Alena’s image.

  She paced in front of a bank of monitors. “They’re on the plane now?”

  Dimitri placed a hand on each of her shoulders. “Yes, Camille and Hunter are headed to California with your mom.”

  “And they’ll join us here after getting those other witches to Mother’s compound in LA?”

  Camille released my hands. “See she’s fine. We would have known if something happened.”

  I leaned towards Camille and whispered. “What do you think of Theron? And of the notion that Sonia may be able to use the sword to strip a witch’s soul away?”

  “You or I could block that type of magic, but maybe a less powerful witch would be vulnerable.”

  Reclining in my seat, I guessed she was right. I hated everything about our predicament. Vampires were vulnerable. Witches were vulnerable. There had to be someone we could use to overpower her.

  I offered you an army. Lucifer’s voice sounded in my head.

  Lucas’s warning picked at my brain. You must remain innocent.

  Maybe we could convince enough witches and vampires to fight with us. Sure, some would succumb to Sonia and her forces. But if we had numbers, we could distract them long enough to get into the compound. With vampires, witches, perhaps a few faeries, and our crew, it might be enough. We just had to find the right witches and vampires. I thought of Aaron, Dimitri, Will, and how they’d do anything for Alena and Anne. Anne’s guard would fight with us. Marcus and his c
oven had pledged to stand with us. There had to be others.

  My mind replayed Anne’s story, her quests to unite the vampires, her skirmishes with Sonia and Thanatos. Anne never led an attack against the witches. But Erik’s tribe had. That tribe might be willing to fight, but I needed more witches. If there were enough vampires, say two or three for each enemy we might overcome the enemy.

  Now you’re thinking like me. Lucifer whispered in my ear.

  Slapping my forehead, I mentally cursed myself. The answer had been right in front of me. Anne had the right idea all those years ago. Instead of flying around to find faeries, I should have been gathering my own people, listening to their stories and telling mine. Instead I’d played it safe, stayed in hiding. I wondered if Alena and Camille would agree to my plan of action. I doubted it, but desperate times called for bold moves. If we could march on Sonia before Beltane, she wouldn’t have Iliad’s coven at her side. That was it, if we could convince Iliad to withdraw his maiden from the engagement, then Sonia would lose his numbers. I needed Marcus. He could get me introductions.

  “Oh my God! What did you think you were doing?” Alena slammed into me and wrapped her arms around me the second I was out of the vehicle. “You could have been captured or killed.”

  “Me?” I loosened her grip on my neck, grateful to be back with her in Mexico but still upset about her interaction with Theron. “What about you? Why would you even consider talking to Theron?”

  “He wants to do the right thing. I know it.” Alena gripped my hands.

  “No, he wants you to think he’ll do the right thing. He wants to have all the power. Removing Sonia and Thanatos is his path to getting that. We’d end up in the same place we are now. Theron would never give up that sword.”

  “I don’t want to argue. You’re here. We’re finally all back together.” Alena pressed her lips to mine.

  Her warm soft skin and the feel of her body against mine had me wishing we could forget all the mayhem surrounding us and more so the tens of people trying to ignore us making out in front of them.

  Ending the kiss, I pressed my lips to her forehead. “I’m glad you’re okay. Let’s not repeat that with Theron, okay?”