Clara and Ezra

by Lindsey Richardson

  Clara and Ezra

  sequel to Clara and Claire

  Lindsey Richardson

  Copyright © 2018 by Lindsey Richardson

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Printer in the United States of America.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locales are intended solely to provide a sense of authenticity and are used fictitiously. All other characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real.

  Cover design by Lori Follett Przybranowski of Hell Yes Design Studio

  Lindsey Richardson

  Email: lindseyrsablowski@gmail.com

  Website: www.authorlindsey.com

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Also by Lindsey Richardson

  1. The Deed

  2. Homecoming

  3. One Night in Rajoor

  4. Daddy’s Girl

  5. Life For A Life

  6. Phoenix

  7. Frozen

  8. Ghosts of the Past

  9. Hard to Love

  10. Beneath the Dirt

  11. The Cost of Freedom

  12. Twenty Years

  13. A Dead End

  14. Selfish Hunger

  15. Torment

  16. Flames and Ashes

  17. Men I Loved & Lost

  18. Hunt You Down

  19. Sister and Daughter

  20. In Plain Sight

  21. Mother of Mine

  22. Blood Bath

  23. Death’s Grip

  24. Watchkeeper

  25. Death Lives Here

  26. Intrusion

  27. The Betrayer & The Betrayed

  28. Family Reunion

  29. The Price You Pay

  30. Magic’s Touch

  31. Loyal To You

  32. Dirty, Bloody Work

  33. Hopes and Horrors

  34. Sight for Sore Eyes

  35. Bleed When I Fall

  36. Graveyard

  37. Kill or Be Killed

  38. Tearing Us Apart

  39. High Cost of Magic

  40. Monsters In Plain Sight

  41. I Will Carry You

  42. Keeping a Promise

  43. Already Dead

  44. A Mother’s Secret

  45. The Things You Love

  46. The Resistance

  47. A Child’s Nightmare

  48. Runaways

  49. A Rose’s Kiss

  50. The Kanelos Records

  51. Something Borrowed, Something Blue

  52. Find Your Peace

  The next adventure…

  To Adam Wesley Rodriguez —I love you to the moon and back.

  Acknowledgments

  I started writing this book in December of 2016, shortly after Clara and Claire’s release. I then spent the next seven months without writing at all, and instead coming to terms with a drastic change in my life. I, like Clara, felt I had to battle my way back to the life I knew I deserved, the kind of life I wanted to live.

  And then I started writing again.

  I want to first thank my muse, my best friend, the love of my life: Wesley Rodriguez. I’m lucky enough to have known Wesley since 10th grade, and as fate would have it, we found our way back. Wesley, I love you. You inspire me to create beautiful stories. You also helped bring to life Clara and Ezra’s relationship in this book —something I could not have done without you. You always support me on my best and worst days. Thank you for helping me find my voice again, for never doubting me, even on the days when I doubt myself, and being the best cat dad to Ahri and Loki.

  To my readers, thank you for your patience. 2017-2018 was by far the hardest year on my writing. And I’m not going to lie, I almost gave up several times. There was a point where I truly did not know if I would ever return to writing. But then I snapped out it and returned to doing what I love the most, so thank you for patiently waiting on the release. I’ve worked extra hard on this book to make sure it was worth the wait.

  To Lori, thank you once again for designing a beautiful cover to shine light on the story within this book. Your talent never ceases to amaze me, and I can’t wait for all the future projects we’ll collaborate on.

  To the writing community, I wish I could name each and every one of you who inspire and motivate me. I’ve met some of the greatest (and talented) people in the community, and I am so glad for each and every one of you.

  To my beta readers, thank you for taking the time to be some of the firsts to read this book and give honest feedback.

  To my family, thank you for always giving me a home to go back to. Thank you being at my book signings for the entire time and for constantly promoting my work. It does not go unnoticed.

  I guess you could say it takes a village to make a book. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this journey. I hope you’ll enjoy Clara’s next adventure!

  Also by Lindsey Richardson

  The Magicians series

  Cursed With Power

  Shadows and Embers

  Thicker Than Blood

  Bloodline Inheritance

  A Rose with Thorns Series

  Clara and Claire

  Clara and Ezra

  1

  The Deed

  Clara

  Hawk’s Tavern, Rajoor

  “The deed is done…”

  I remembered the words Stefan had written to my mother as I stared at the tavern’s door.

  The rain poured down relentlessly as if Circe herself wanted to prevent me from seeing whatever awaited us inside. Perhaps I was foolish if I ignored her warning, but Claire’s image replayed in my mind. How could I return to Ninomay without any answers? Our relationship might altogether fail if I did not succeed in this search.

  “Clara?” Ezra asked, staring through wet glasses.

  I wiped my face. The men waited for me as if they could not advance any further without my approval. I thought back to all the times Ezra asked me if I was ready for this. Now with the door in front of us I was not certain anymore.

  I remembered the note, and the words brought me no comfort. I wasn’t ready.

  “Sweetheart, I’d rather not drown tonight,” Lukas said.

  I chuckled and nodded my head. He was right. We had come this far, and now, whether I wanted to or not, we needed to go through with this.

  We entered into the tavern and were immediately greeted by a crowd of people. They cheered and whistled, but their attention was elsewhere. The entire room was nearly pitch dark except for the center area, which seemed to have everyone’s attention.

  I advanced forward, pushing past people in the crowd to see what all the commotion was about. I glanced back, but I lost sight of Ezra and Lukas.

  With a sigh, I continued forward without them, hoping we would somehow find each other again. Not even five minutes had passed and I already lost them.

  I reached the front of the crowd, and numerous candles surrounded a roped off stage-like area. A man and a woman faced each other with staffs in their hands. The man’s staff glowed red, and the woman’s glowed blue. Their eyes narrowed down on each other.

  A loud whistle sounded off in the room, causing me to jump. The entire tavern fell silent like a graveyard.

  A tall, slender man stood closest to the ropes.

  The man yelled, “the battle begins! Place your bets now, ladies and gentlemen. Who will win?
Aralyn or Bastion? Place your bets before it’s too late!”

  Bastian ran forward, striking his staff only to meet it with Aralyn’s. She pushed, causing him to stumble back. People cheered and whistled, raising their glasses filled with beer.

  We shouldn’t be here… I thought, wondering how much alcohol the people in this crowd had consumed.

  I glanced around in search for a Watcher, but there were none stationed here. This tavern was exactly the kind of place two people like my mother and Stefan could meet up without having interference from authorities.

  The crowd roared again, and I redirected my attention to the battle.

  Aralyn swung at Bastian. He dodged it, managing to pierce the lower half of her stomach with his staff. She cursed, holding her stomach as she backed away. Several drips of blood ran down her white tunic.

  Bastian wasted no time, swinging higher this time, hitting his opponent in the face. Aralyn’s nose exploded with blood.

  The crowd went wild.

  I scanned the crowd again, this time for Ezra and Lukas. They had caught up to me and stood nearby. Ezra and I exchanged glances, and he shrugged.

  This was sickening, yet I was no better than anyone else in the room by watching the battle. I had never seen anything like this in Rajoor. I had no idea something like this existed here or on any other island for that matter. What would my mother be doing in a place like this?

  Aralyn wiped her nose, smearing the blood across her face. She ducked down as Bastian took another swing at her. This time she hit him in the knee, and he wobbled to the right. She struck again, pressing her staff firmly against his chest. He let out a loud scream, and the whole tavern fell silent again.

  I took the opportunity to tug on Ezra’s arm. I could not bear to watch any longer. If Mother was somewhere within the crowd we had no hopes of finding her until the fight ended. That did not entitle me to watching mages battle for profit.

  I held onto Ezra’s arm until my hand slowly drifted down to his fingers. Our hands intertwined, and I led the way forward. I glanced back once to see Lukas following behind us.

  “Watch it!” a man yelled as I passed him.

  I ignored everyone in the crowd. I pushed through them, and they remained unaffected, continuing on with their cheers and whistling.

  We exited the crowd, and I released Ezra’s hand. I examined the remainder of the room. Several candles lit up the bar area, where the bartender stood drying off glasses.

  I approached him and offered a smile.

  “I’m expecting someone. Anyone by the name of Nina Nasso board a room here tonight?” I asked, having to yell over the commotion of the crowd.

  The bartender leaned in closer with a puzzled expression.

  Sighing, I repeated myself.

  “Nina Nasso. Sound familiar?”

  He shook his head.

  The man’s voice in the background filled the room again.

  “Aralyn wins! That’s the battle, ladies and gentlemen. Give our mages a round of applause!”

  The crowd cheered again, chanting Aralyn’s name.

  I sighed and set my eyes on a doorway to the left of us. It appeared to lead into a hallway, and anything was better than this staged arena. I could not gain any new information from the bartender, especially with the commotion from the battle carrying on. There was no telling how long these duels would last, and I did not care to find out.

  I approached the doorway and entered into a narrow hallway. I could finally hear myself think, though the voices from the other room carried on in the background.

  “Sorry, Clara,” Ezra said, frowning.

  “I will board us a room. Might as well stay here tonight and start again in the morning,” Lukas added.

  He left and returned to the chaos. Ezra remained with me, though my eyes wandered further down the hallway. I could not pinpoint why my mother would come to a place like this. What other secrets did she hide?

  “She might still be here,” Ezra whispered.

  The fight had stopped me from investigating the majority of the people present tonight. However, it would not stop me from peeking around in the hallway. If I was lucky there might still be a chance I would find my mother.

  “I’ll be back. Stay here,” I said.

  Ezra grabbed my arm. “I should come with you.”

  Pushing myself away from him, I said, “No. I’ll be quick. I promise.”

  He grimaced but slowly lowered his hand. He had already warned me about the dangers of being in Rajoor with my new identity. I knew the risks, but there was no telling how long it would take for word to spread about my blood relation to Jhase. People would talk, papers would be sold on the streets, and for all I knew folks might already realize I did not belong here.

  But it was too late to walk away.

  I stepped away from Ezra, fully aware he watched my every move. The hallway appeared to be empty, and there was a shortage of rooms. Perhaps Ezra had been wrong to worry. In all likelihood I would reach a dead end with this path as well.

  I walked past the first door slowly. I leaned against it, listening for any audible sounds. It was quiet, and I continued further. With each room I repeated this process. Either every room was vacant or the customers were preoccupied with the duels.

  I let out a long sigh at the sight of the last door and the end of the hallway. I had come too far to give up now.

  Claire expected me to find answers to our past. I had left behind my sickly father to search for a mother who had been absent the majority of my life. All the time I had spent in Ninomay acting as Claire had led me back to the place I once believed to be home. And yet, being here, I was further away from my childhood home and no closer to Mother.

  Despite my previous results, I gave the last door my full attention. It appeared to be cracked open, and I immediately threw aside previous doubts. I glanced back momentarily, confirming Ezra had stayed put, and continued forward. This had to be a sign. Perhaps Mother was here after all.

  I pushed open the door. No one appeared to be in the room, but it was poorly lit with only a single candle at the far corner of the room. There was an empty bed, but it appeared to be untouched. There was no sign of anyone having lodged in this room tonight.

  As I turned around a man stepped out from behind the door, slamming it shut. He had short, slick hair. His eyes were golden, though a scar covered the left one. A thick black beard covered the bottom portion of his face.

  “Stefan?” I asked, though my voice quivered.

  His eyes widened, and I cursed under my breath. What had I gotten myself involved in?

  “Clara!” Ezra’s voice called out nearby.

  I opened my mouth to respond, but a burst of water splashed my face. I could not see, and the man tackled me to the floor.

  Sharp fingernails dug into my neck, seemingly threatening to rip me open. I screamed, but the nails only continued to scratch more viciously. The man’s touch against my skin burned me.

  I closed my eyes, holding back tears, and focused on my magic. The energy in my body gathered together, but I could not keep my thoughts steady. Where was Ezra? Had someone attacked him too?

  We could die in this tavern tonight.

  Blood trickled down my neck. I opened my eyes and screamed again, allowing my magic to release along with it. Purple sparks flew across the room, throwing my attacker back into the wall.

  “Clara!”

  Ezra rushed into the room with his staff at the ready. Another man came up behind Ezra and struck him down.

  “No!” I screamed, struggling to stand up.

  Ezra rolled over, striking the man with his staff, which glowed silver. He withdrew a dagger from his belt, and the men fought for control over it.

  Get up, please get up. I thought, forcing myself to try again.

  My legs quivered as I put my full balance on them. I aimed toward the second attacker, and now I had gained his full attention. He rolled out of Ezra’s grasp and charged toward me. He ca
me at me with no hesitation and a fire in his eyes like what Ren had when he sought to kill me.

  I released my magic, but the spell missed my attacker.

  The man hit me with his dark staff, forcing my body to fall to the floor. I felt like a doll, too fragile to move and helpless to whatever was next. I had barely gained my balance and the man struck me down again.

  The man raised his staff, prepared to strike me, but a dagger to his neck stopped him.

  I watched in horror as the dagger slit his neck. The blood poured out of him like a waterfall. I gagged and turned away, staring at the floorboards, crying so hard my eyes felt like they were on fire.

  The room was silent. I held my breath.

  “Clara? Are you alright?” Ezra asked softly.

  I sniffed and wiped away the tears. I dared to turn around and look at him. He held the bloody dagger in his hands. The man’s corpse laid at his feet. A puddle of blood poured out onto the floor.

  “Clara! Ezra!” Lukas yelled, entering into the room, gasping for air.

  He rushed to my side, helping me up, allowing me to use his body to keep me from falling over again. I kept staring at the dead body, ignoring everything Lukas and Ezra said. The pounding against my skull felt intense enough to kill me.