Books of the Immortals
PREQUELS
short stories introducing
the novels by
Barbara G.Tarn
***
cover art by Cristina Fabris
Barbara G.Tarn copyright © 2012
electronic edition by Unicorn Productions
February 2012
***
Smashwords Edition License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.
***
Table of contents:
***
Pronunciation guide
The Magical Races:
Sila = seela
Waiora = va-e-ora
Fajrulo = Fa-e-roo-low
Genn = as in generation
Manjeet closed his eyes, blinded by the torches that lit the Temple as if it were daylight. The guard behind him pushed him forward and he moved again, trying to adjust the light after days spent in the dark.
A hostile whisper accompanied his walk, and the stone eyes of the Goddess seemed to pierce him. The ropes tying his wrists behind his back were too tight and his hands were getting numb.
"Sinner!" an old woman hissed as he passed. Manjeet wanted to scream. I haven't done anything! I'm innocent!
Still more insults flew at him. The altar was only a few paces away now, the statue of the Goddess looming over them all. Manjeet stopped and the guard forced him to kneel in front of Puddra, the Supreme Judge and leader of the community. The High Priestess Chandra stood at Puddra's right and stared at Manjeet through half closed eyes. Still, he could feel her lust, and he shivered, his head hung in front of the two most powerful persons of the underground city that had given him birth.
"The trial begins," the herald announced, and the crowd of white clothes fell silent. Puddra stood up like the king he wasn't and stepped towards Manjeet. His black hair was hidden under his white turban, and he caressed his well trimmed black beard, thoughtful, before speaking. Manjeet dared to look at him, silently pleading for mercy.
Puddra crossed his arms across his chest, staring at the young man kneeling in front of him.
"The accusation is not light," the Judge said. "Manjeet has done dirty deeds outside our community. He had already been admonished for trying to corrupt Neha, the Virgin Seeress…"
Manjeet lowered his eyes. Ah, Neha. He saw her again in his mind's eye, beautiful and pure. She was younger than him, but her visions had consecrated her to the Goddess since childhood. For months he had loved her without telling her, realizing she was no longer a child. And one day he had dared to speak, to tell her what he felt, brushing his lips against hers… then the Goddess had punished him: lightning had struck him, leaving him half-dead and scarred for life on his left shoulder. But the Goddess had kept him alive and by simply looking at him, everyone was reminded of his sin.
Manjeet was called back to reality by the words of the High Priestess who was now chanting a spell. The Goddess hit him again, sneaking inside him and breaking him with pain. He writhed on the floor in front of Chandra, too breathless to scream, but groaning and moaning as the fire of the Goddess burned him.
Through the flames he saw Ashlee's sweet face. She whispered his name, worried, and vanished. He shook his head, trying to free himself from the powerful spell, but he wasn't strong enough to defeat the Goddess.
Chandra took his face in her hands and forced him to look at her. The crowd, who had been screaming with joy to punish him harder, fell silent again. They couldn't see the dark eyes of the High Priestess burning with lust like he could, though.
The silence and Chandra's eyes hurt even more. Manjeet wondered what else awaited him. He was numb from pain but managed to catch his breath and slow his panting during those few moments of respite.
The High Priestess let him go and the guard banged his head on the ground. Dazed, he was forced to stay down, nose bleeding, while the High Priestess put one foot on his head.
"Like a woman kills a snake, the Goddess can kill a man," she said. "Today, the Goddess is good. We shall be the judges and Puddra shall give the verdict. Lock up this sinner while we discuss his fate."
She took her foot off of him, and the guard pulled him to his feet, dragging him back to his cell, untying him before locking the door.
Manjeet sat in the darkness again, exhausted and hurt. Why were they after him? What was wrong with loving a woman? Why did the Goddess punish him?
Like everyone else in the community, he had been coupled with someone since childhood. He was supposed to marry the girl chosen for him at birth now that they had both grown up. But he had always been restless and unsatisfied with his betrothal. He had always avoided the chosen girl to play with the other children, and when they were all beyond childhood games, he had fallen in love with Neha.
But Neha was off limits, untouchable, consecrated to the Goddess… so he had looked elsewhere for love. And he had met Ashlee. The monsoon was barely gone and the natural world outside the underground city had called him. He had walked and walked, unaware of the distance, enchanted by colorful birds and attracted by strange smells. The jungle so enraptured him, he was soon lost and by sunset he had reached a small village.
Hospitality was sacred even for pagans, so he had been welcomed to spend the night. People wore clothes of different colors, not the usual white he was accustomed to. They adored different gods and spoke of a king he had never heard of, but they had his very same accent and very similar customs, so he went to sleep a little puzzled by the discovery.
When morning came, he followed them to their fields and meadows, and helped them harvest, listening to their songs and their jokes and their laughter.
He had been told all his life that outside of the underground city there was only an ugly, evil world, but he was witnessing something completely different. Outside the safety of his community, people were just… people. They only adored different gods and wore slightly different clothes.
He had gone back to the underground city too puzzled and amazed to discuss his discovery with anyone. He didn't even know how he had found his way back through the jungle, but as soon as he had been back, the village outside had begun beckoning him.
"So I went back and tried to observe from the safety of the jungle," he told the Council, the Judge, the High Priestess, anyone willing to listen to his story as he pleaded "not guilty". "Then one day a girl saw me and greeted me. And I answered."
"Our law forbids any contact with the outside world," Chandra said sharply.
Manjeet bowed his head. He could still see Ashlee and her beauty. His hands were free now, so he hid his face in them. Why couldn't they understand him? Why couldn't they let him go?
"Repent, Manjeet," Puddra warned with a frown.
Repent of what? Falling in love? Wanting to live in the open instead of caves, hiding from the world and eating mostly meat as there was no way to grow anything in town in spite of the opening in the giant cave ceiling?
Neha spoke with her eyes lost in her vision. "Your sin is not talking to a stranger, Manjeet."
"Continue, then," Chandra said. "What happened after the greeting?"
"My accuser knows very well what I was doing when he found me," he said through clenched teeth. "No, I didn't run away after she greeted me. Her name is Ashlee. She told me she had heard of us as a bunch of fanatics hiding from the king's wrath."
She'd also said he couldn't be too happy with his upbringing, which was true. He wasn't happy in the underground city, as he had never felt the Goddess's motherly love he had been told to worship since childhood. He had actually felt her wrath and wished he could leave that temple and that community to live with Ashlee under the sun.
"How dare you?" Puddra's face became red with anger. "This is blasphemy! Your pride shall be punished!"
"The Goddess knows all her children," Chandra said. "I'm sure she knows everything about Manjeet. Let him continue, Puddra. Let's hear what this perverted being has to say."
"I'm not a perverted being!" Manjeet exploded. "I didn't do anything evil!" He could name people who were perverts in his own community, though. He could accuse too. But he was accused now, and throwing venom on somebody else wasn't a good strategy.
"Shut up!" Puddra replied. "Finish your dirty story. We shall be the judges!"
Upset, Manjeet looked at Neha, but she was lost in her visions. And Ashlee had no idea where the underground city actually was.
He lowered his eyes, gulping down the lump in his throat. He was alone against his own people.
"Speak, blasphemous being!" Puddra said.
"I saw her again." He kept his voice monotone, hiding his pain and anguish as he spoke. "We talked, we laughed, we cuddled and enjoyed each other's company. Her village had welcomed me and I enjoyed working with them. I was alive, happy and free for the first time in my life and the Goddess wasn't mad at me, or she'd have struck me again."
His body enjoyed the caress of the sun, and of Ashlee's hands. His eyes never had enough of her, and his lips found their way to her mouth. He got to know her in the deepest way, and she loved him back with all her passion. He moaned with pleasure in her arms, and was inside her.
Puddra slapped him back to reality before he went more into details. "Fool! You broke a divine law!"
Manjeet stared back at him, undaunted now that the memory of his love filled him. "I am not repenting, Supreme Judge," he said. "Because I had something you shall never have. You have sex without love. But combined…"
"Shut up!" Puddra slapped him again as the crowd grumbled and insulted the sinner. The Judge raised his hands to quiet the crowd. "I know, he hurt our pride," he told them. "And we shall punish him."
Manjeet had nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. He tried to defend himself, but was abused by both men and women because he had dared to look for love outside of the closed community that had birthed him. Ashlee was right, his people were fanatics obsessed with sex for the wrong reason.
He could feel the energy being sucked out of him, and hoped they would kill him on the spot.
But Chandra stopped them. "Enough! The Goddess doesn't want him dead yet!"
They left him alone, naked and bruised on the temple floor.
"Get up," Puddra ordered.
But he was too weak to obey. Two guards pulled him to his feet and he managed to look the leader in the eyes.
"Let me go," he begged.
"And where would you go?" Puddra looked sad and tired now.
"Let me go, let me live with Ashlee, let me…"
"Enough!" Chandra interrupted him. "You belong to us! Your life belongs to us and to the Goddess and you have no rights to live elsewhere!"
"I'm sorry, Manjeet," Puddra added. "This is our way."
Manjeet bowed his head, defeated.
***
It was true love. Ashlee was sweet and loving and Manjeet was head over heels. Ramesh watched them making love to each other with anger and envy burning in his heart.
He wished Manjeet looked at him like he looked at Ashlee. He wished Manjeet allowed him to undress and touch him like he did with her. But Manjeet didn't care about boys or men, and Ramesh's love and attraction were slowly turning to hatred.
Ramesh was Puddra's beloved son and at twenty-five had the charisma of a natural born leader. He had married the girl his father had chosen for him, but his sexuality wasn't satisfied with only one woman. He loved men also, and orgies made him feel powerful. He could feel the energy flooding him when he had sex, which made him hungry for more.
He didn't like Manjeet's secret happiness and his more and more frequent absences, hence he had told his father and the whole community about Manjeet's "sin". He was the prosecutor that had brought the trial on Manjeet's head, and was ready to watch him fall with glee.
"It was an obscene sight, my friends!" he told the court. "Both were naked and looked like mating animals!"
Manjeet glared at him, but he ignored him.
"It was disgusting," he continued, not mentioning he had done much worse in the privacy of some unused tunnel with members of the community who kept their mouths well shut. "Manjeet betrayed our law and our customs, dishonoring all of us with his dreadful behavior!"
"Look who's talking!" Manjeet exploded. "Everybody knows what you do!"
"I do my duty," he snapped. "I married the girl my father chose for me and didn't go out looking for adventures in the world outside!"
"Enough, both of you," Chandra said. "Manjeet, you admitted your fault, don't plead innocence now."
"How can you consider the love for a woman guilt?" Manjeet protested. "How can you live without love, spending life together out of duty, because some inhuman, divine being decides who is our match? I did wrong, I admit it, but I'm ready to leave, to disappear forever from this blessed community! You can't keep me here!"
"Shut up!" Chandra slapped both his cheeks and Ramesh scoffed. Stupid, stupid Manjeet. The High Priestess was another person hot for the young rebel. Maybe they could join forces to tame Manjeet. "This is blasphemy! The Goddess will punish you!"
Manjeet glared at her. "You can't keep me prisoner," he whispered, so Ramesh guessed his words more than hearing them. Boy, he was desperate! They really should tame him once and for all! Obviously the public rape hadn't been enough, but in a more private situation he and Chandra could break the little bastard who dared to shun them.
"Shut up," she hissed back.
Manjeet backed away from her and turned to the audience. "Listen to me!" he said loud and clear. "The High Priestess is lying to you! I don't think the Goddess cares if I stay or if I go, but Chandra does! She's been after me since I was fifteen!"
"He's lying!" Chandra screamed as Ramesh looked at her, with admiration. He had been drooling over Manjeet for only a couple of years. The High Priestess had good tastes.
"She seduced me," Manjeet continued, undaunted. "And because of her behavior, I thought I could do the same with Neha, the Virgin Seeress, because I was protected by the High Priestess!"
"He's lying!" Chandra repeated, furious. "He's crazy! He's trying to drag us to hell with him!"
"Silence!" Puddra got up and raised his arms, quieting the growing murmur of the crowd.
Manjeet knelt in front of him of his own free will. "Help me, please," he pleaded.
No way, we're not letting you go, Ramesh thought, ready to jump in if his father proved too weak. He knew Manjeet was much loved in spite of his rebellious behavior.
Puddra pulled him up. "I like you, Manjeet, but if they condemn you, there is nothing I can do," he said. "What are you talking about, though? What's the story with Chandra?"
"The truth, Supreme Judge," Manjeet answered. "I was fifteen when the High Priestess summoned me to her rooms. She told me I was a handsome boy and let me sit near her. I was naive and childish, but my blood was on fire. She kissed me and gave me a taste of what Ashlee gave me. A taste that ruined my life, because it awakened the man in me and since that day I've been restless. I wanted a woman, but none was readily available, and then I noticed Neha was not a child anymore. Chandra caught me and denounced me because she was jealous of her younger rival."
"Neha was off limits," Puddra said. "And Chandra is too old for you."
"Still she messed with my growth, Supreme Judge."
"There isn't one word of truth in his story," Chandra interrupted, venom spilling from her voice. Always deny the truth, Ramesh knew it was the main rule. Manjeet had condemned himself by admitting his fault.
"You will believe her," Manjeet told Puddra, serious and sad. "Everyone will believe her. You will all keep following that lying witch and none of you will ever know what's beyond this underground city. You'll keep thinking you're perfection, but you're nothing. Nothing."
A minority that had hidden from the world to follow their own traditions. Ramesh thought Manjeet was too stupid to live. Both of them had been born in the underground city, but their parents came from the outside world. They knew exactly what they had left behind.
The temple was silent as the people tried to catch every word from the accused's mouth. But the young man was talking to their leader in a low voice, so only Puddra, Chandra, Ramesh and Neha could actually hear him.
"You're being stupid," Ramesh said, scornful. "My father knows very well what's out there. And so do our elders. And why should I listen to you? Who are you? Nothing. You are nothing, Manjeet!"
Manjeet was still staring at his father, who looked spellbound.
"Go," Puddra said at last, averting his eyes. "You're exiled. Don't come back. Ever."
"Puddra!" Chandra protested, shocked, while Manjeet fell on his knees again to kiss the Supreme Judge's hands.
"Go now!" Puddra ordered. Manjeet rose to his feet, bowed deeply and left, untouched.
No! Ramesh swore he'd bring the beautiful rebel back. He'd tame him and break him and make him his bed slave for the rest of his life! If only he had his father's power…
Something dark began calling him, whispering promises in his ears.
***
"Manjeet!"
Ashlee rushed into his arms and he held her tight, closing his eyes, drunken with her perfume. He was free! His happiness was overwhelming.
"Oh, honey, I thought you'd never come back!" she whispered. "I was terrified at the thought they might kill you! Are you all right?"
"Yes," he pulled back to look her in the eyes. "I'm fine." All pain was forgotten, wiped away with the joy of being with her. He kissed her passionately and once again lost himself in the world of love.
The wedding was simple and their love grew with each day... and each night, each kiss, each caress or whisper or moan or giggle.
Then Ramesh came, with an overwhelming number of community members. They now wore blood red turbans and carried scimitars. Something must have changed in their setting as they looked much more fierce like the king's army.
The village thought they were under attack, but the leader's smirk told them maybe it wasn't so.
"What do you want?" Manjeet asked, squeezing Ashlee's hand.
"You belong to the Sect," Ramesh answered. "Our Goddess is bloodthirsty now."
Manjeet gulped down his terror. "Your father let me go. I'm exiled."
"The Goddess wants you. She punished my father for letting you go. The High Priestess Chandra and myself are in charge now. And the Virgin Seeress spoke: the Goddess wants more blood."
Ramesh had always been cold and calculating, so the lack of sorrow and hint of triumph in his voice didn't surprise Manjeet. But the fact that a good leader had been killed and his worst enemies were now ruling, that was very bad news.
He let go of Ashlee's hand, desperate and defeated. He couldn't risk her or her family, her people. He looked her in the eyes, knowing he'd never forget her.
"I must go, beloved," he said.
"Don't. They'll kill you," she said, serious.
"They'll kill you too if I resist," he replied. "Don't wait for me this time. Remarry..."
"Never."
He held her tight and kissed her, then turned his back on her, her village, their brand new home.
Two guards grabbed him and dragged him away. He could feel Ramesh's lustful eyes piercing his back.
***
Ramesh stared at the fountain of dark liquid to the right of the temple entrance with a frown. He knew it was that thing calling him, feeding on his emotions and giving him power. When they had built the Temple of the Goddess, that fountain had been left in a corner, untroubled. Nobody dared touch it.
Without thinking, he plunged his hand into the liquid. It was warm and purred as his fingers wiggled in it. He could hear sighs and moans of pleasure, as if it were a woman enjoying his touch.
He took out his hand. It was dry. He licked it, but there was no taste. Whatever was in that fountain it wasn't water. And it was powerful. When he had plunged his knife into his father's heart, he had felt invincible. The voice of the Goddess had praised him and given him strength.
"I want Manjeet," he whispered, filled with lust. "I want him all for myself."
"He's full of light," the husky voice answered. "You can only destroy him."
Well, he wanted to tame him and break him, so what was the difference? Besides, Chandra wanted to sacrifice him on the Goddess altar...
"His blood will give you more power," the voice assured.
"Enough power to get rid of Chandra?" he asked, interested.
"Yes."
He stared at the liquid one last time. "If I can't have him, I might as well use him to gain control of the Sect," he decided.
The disembodied voice chuckled. "You're wicked, Ramesh. But you're the best to teach your people the power of sex and blood..."
***
"The Goddess wants you, Manjeet. You shall join her in the Afterworld."
"I hate you," Manjeet growleded, glaring at Chandra, held still by two muscled guards.
She scoffed,while Neha repeated in the same, toneless voice of her visions, "The Goddess wants you. And the people want you dead."
"Since when do we offer human sacrifices?" Manjeet asked with a frown.
"Since you upset the Goddess and made her bloodthirsty," Chandra replied. Her white clothes had been replaced by a blood-red sari with a black bodice. Everybody in the underground city now wore red and black instead of white. "She requested Puddra first."
"And you performed the sacrifice?" he asked with disbelief.
"No, Ramesh did," she scoffed. "The power generated by his father's death was unheard of. The statue of the Goddess turned solid black."
This explained the new colors of the people's clothes.
She walked up to him. "Surrender," she whispered in his ear. "And I'll save you."
"Never," he replied through clenched teeth. He had enough of being her toy. He didn't want to know the new direction his community would take, not with Ramesh and Chandra at the head.
"You're a fool, Manjeet," she said coldly, backing away. "You shall have the end that you deserve."
They took him to the temple, where indeed the statue of formerly gray granite had become entirely black. Ramesh waited by the altar with his sadistic smile, and Neha offered him a drink. He was about to refuse, but her eyes, now focused on him, were pleading, so he nodded. She put the chalice to his lips and as the sweet juice went down his throat, he knew she had drugged him.
Drums and horns, chants and prayers started clashing in his head. Unaware of his surroundings, numbed and dazed, he let them take him to the altar. The statue of the Goddess loomed over him and seemed alive.
He saw Ashlee, but she vanished before he could out to call her. Deaf and blind he slid into oblivion, wondering where this new custom would take his doomed people.
***
Ramesh stared at Manjeet lying drugged in front of him. He licked his lips in anticipation and raised his knife, then plunged it into Manjeet's heart.
The blood was sweet on his tongue.
"And now, let's celebrate!" he announced, aroused by the surge of power the spilled blood had given him.
"Ramesh, are you out of your mind?" Chandra protested.
He laughed at her, drunk with power. "I think it's time our Seeress loses her virginity," he said, grabbing Neha's hand. The girl whimpered, trying to free herself from his grip.
"You will not touch her," Chandra put herself between him and the terrified Neha.
"She's mine!" He screamed with rage.
Lightning struck the High Priestess, creating a hole in the ground. Neha jumped back, and so did he in front of the new feature of the temple: the Goddess Pit opened with eternal fire. Red and black. Blood, fire and darkness. No more light and boring white clothes. The power of sex and blood.
Ramesh started laughing, exhilarated.
The Sect started chanting the glory of the Bloodthirsty Goddess, feeling her power. Lust filled all hearts and the orgy began.
Only Neha seemed immune to the call. Her eyes darted around, trying to look for a way out. Ramesh was on her before she could move, and forced himself inside her.
"Welcome to the Temple of Pleasure," he whispered in her ear when he was done, ignoring her tears.
"You... wicked bastard..." she tried to push him away, managing only to excite him again.
"When I'm finished with your training, you'll be more expert than an old whore," he promised her.
He could feel her light and it was intoxicating. But there was also darkness in her, which was even better. He'd give her babies and create new rules. And eventually the outside world would belong to him.
The Novel
Books of the Immortals - Air is set 25 years after this story, when Ramesh is High Priest of the Sect and king of Arquon. Here's the blurb:
Welcome to Silvery Earth. Winged beings, water people, shape-shifting dragons and an Immortal mingle with Humans as they try to find their place in the world and someone to love. Add an adventurer, a sculptor, a winged being, a foreign soldier, a princess and a sorceress in a gripping story of bitterness and love, darkness and light. Adult fantasy with mild sex and violence.
Bertha Anne stared in disbelief at the winged being at her feet. It was a young man with large black wings; he wore strange, close fitting clothes and boots that wouldn't last a day on the road.
Bertha Anne remembered to breathe, put down her basket and went closer to examine him. He had short black hair and seemed unconscious. He was breathing, somewhat irregularly, therefore he was alive.
Bertha Anne tried to restore one big wing back in place. She didn't know much about birds and wings, but this one seemed broken in many places. No wonder the creature had fallen from the sky.
He moaned when she tried to restore both wings: the left one seemed almost fine, but the right one remained at an awkward angle. Bertha Anne sighed, wondering how she could help the magic creature.
He opened his eyes and started as if he wanted to fly away, but fell back on his face with a moan of pain. Some black feathers joined with the leaves on the ground.
"Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you," she said. "I think your wings are broken."
He didn't reply, apparently exhausted from pain.
"I'll try to fix them," she decided. "Don't move."
She picked up the basket and ran back to the house.
The winged young man took his right ankle in his hand and with a wince cured the sprained part. Then he grabbed the left wing, doing the same with even greater pain. He was too exhausted to work on the right wing when Bertha Anne came back with some straps and bandages.
"I'll have to hurt you a little, but this wing must be held still", she said. She pushed the wing back in place, trying to ignore the single scream of pain from the creature, and proceeded to bandage the broken limb.
"It's going to rain soon, will you come to a covered place?" she suggested.
He nodded, his eyes closed. He seemed weak and in pain, but he managed to stand up and follow her to her little timber house by the forest.
She made him sit at the table and gave him some water. He drank gratefully, but refused any food.
"Do you speak?" she wondered.
"Yes," he said. "Thank you." His eyelids seemed too heavy for him.
"Maybe you need rest," she decided. "Do you want to sleep by the fire?"
"I'm not cold," he said.
She guided him to the spare bed and helped him to lie down on his stomach. He fell asleep almost immediately. She brushed his forehead, but couldn't tell if he had a temperature. Well, he's not Human anyway, she thought.
"Bertha!"
Oh, Gods, Morvan was back. She ran to him, hushing him down.
"What?" he protested with a smile.
"Come and see," she whispered, taking his hand.
Her husband opened his mouth in front of the sleeping winged creature, but said nothing at first.
"Where did you find him?" he asked at last.
"In the woods, just behind the house."
"I've never seen one before! Has it been shot down or something?"
"No, he doesn't have any wounds."
"How do you know it's a 'he'? You checked under his clothes?"
"No breasts, darling. And I couldn't figure out how to take off those weird clothes."
The winged young man opened his eyes.
"Hello, this is my husband, Morvan," Bertha Anne said.
"Nice meeting you," Morvan said. "What's his name?"
"He hasn't told me yet," she answered.
"Winged Kalino," the winged creature said. "I'm a Sila."
"You're welcome, Winged Kalino," Morvan smiled.
"I think we should call Lenore," Bertha Anne said. "Maybe she can cure him."
"Right, she's a witch. I'll get her," Morvan decided.
"Get back to sleep," Bertha Anne told the winged one. "We'll see if we can find a healer for you."
The winged young man fell back to sleep. He must have been exhausted. Bertha Anne sighed and decided to start cooking lunch.
***
Lenore was a young witch, but no less powerful. The village respected her since she could really cure, or punish if ill-treated. She was fun too, and knew lots of stories for the long winter evenings. But she was also unpredictable; you could never be sure of finding her in the little cabin in the woods.
Morvan felt lucky when he saw her standing by her door as if waiting for him. She was beautiful in a strange way, and Morvan had always been intimidated by her presence.
He didn't have to say anything, though. She just followed him to his house of timber, where Bertha Anne's fine cooking was filling the air.
Lenore didn't smile when she saw the winged creature lying on the bed. She went to him, and woke him with a light touch on his head. He didn't look surprised, nor scared, as if he knew exactly who he was dealing with.
"What happened, that you can't cure yourself?" Lenore frowned.
"I did half the job and lacked the strength to finish it," he replied.
"I bandaged his broken wing to help it heal," Bertha Anne offered, shyly.
"I can see that," Lenore said. "But we don't need all this stuff, do we, Sila?"
She took off the straps and bandages. She touched the black wing carefully until it resumed its natural shape. Winged Kalino did his best not to moan in the process.
"Have you eaten?" Lenore asked.
"You know I don't eat earth's food," he replied.
"I'll get some," she decided. "This fever of yours is not normal. What happened?"
"A powerful spell took us down. Some dark force I have never met before…"
"Dark magic."
"Maybe. It was evil, violent, painful…"
"How many were taken down?"
"Two of us." Winged Kalino seemed on the edge of tears. "Me and my Destined. I don't know what happened exactly, we were suddenly separated; I felt my heart torn to pieces and…"
"And your Destined is gone." Lenore stood up. "I'll get you some food. Air wants you to live, or you wouldn't be here."
"Fine," he whispered. Lenore left, followed by the puzzled stare of Bertha Anne and Morvan. Winged Kalino pulled himself up to a seated position, but his head hung down as if he was too tired to keep it upright.
"Well, our witch is a little blunt, but she's good," Morvan said, embarrassed.
"I know, she's not Human," the Sila replied.
"She's not?" Bertha Anne wondered. "Is she a shape changer?"
"If she wants to be," he admitted.
"Where were you hit?" Morvan inquired, worried. "If there's danger there, maybe we should tell the king!"
"It was probably one of your shamans," Angelo Kalino frowned. "Maybe he was practicing his magic on behalf of your king."
"You're sure it wasn't Lenore?" Morvan insisted. "The witch that just went out looking for your food," he explained, seeing the creature's blank stare.
"I know the nature of her magic," the winged being replied. "This is different."
"You're saying Lenore is of a Magical Race?" Bertha Anne asked, curious.
Winged Kalino nodded and Morvan sighed.
"Our king doesn't trust the Magical Races," he said.
"Magical Races hate violence, the Blackmore king loves it. That's why he fights those who live on the ground," Winged Kalino explained.
Lenore came back with a handful of strange food that looked like spun sugar.
"Thank you," Winged Kalino said.
"Lenore, he told us about you…" Morvan was uneasy. "Is 'Lenore' your real name anyway?"
"You'll never know her real name," Winged Kalino smiled for the first time, though only with his mouth. "There's too much power in it."
"You're talking too much, you silly winged creature," Lenore snapped. "Now I'll have to leave this place!"
"Won't you come with me to investigate the evil dark magic?"
"What for? Your Destined is gone, and a sorcerer is pretty much useless!"
"Maybe compared to you! But he took my Destined, maybe we can do something about it…"
"Well you've certainly made my life here difficult! I'll go with you, but I don't think there is much we can do!"
Bertha Anne couldn't take her eyes from the winged one's food.
"Where does it come from?" she dared to ask.
"The clouds," Winged Kalino answered.
"How did you get it, Lenore, did you spread wings?" Morvan wondered.
"I told you she's not Human," the Sila said. Lenore smiled to her Human friends.
"I'm leaving anyway, so I guess I can tell you who I really am," she decided.
"A full grown Fajrulo female," Winged Kalino added.
"Will you shut up?" she snapped. "I'm telling the story now!"
"Sorry."
"No, you're not. You hate us all for saving you! So you're doing your best to make us mad at you, so we'd finish the job and let you join your Destined! But I'm telling you, Sila, this won't happen!"
"My name is Winged Kalino, Fajrulo! I should have met one of your males…"
"Well, you haven't! I'm here, and I'm taking care of you, now shut up!"
Winged Kalino had finished his food. He raised his hands in surrender, and embraced his knees, putting his head on them and closing his eyes.
Lenore calmed down and turned back to her friends who were staring open mouthed at both creatures.
"Okay, he said it, I'm not Human, but Fajrulo. Fajrulo are the most powerful of the Magical Races, but also the fewest. We don't couple very often, and aren't very sociable among ourselves. We live longer than anybody else, so we don't think we need reproduction."
"What is your real appearance?" Morvan asked.
"Dragon form is our natural appearance. But we spend most of our lives in other forms."
"Shape changers," Bertha Anne whispered.
"Yes, you could say that," Lenore admitted. "My Fajrulo name is Starblazer."
"Not your real name, though," Morvan observed.
"No," she smiled, then turned to Winged Kalino. "Are you ready? How much longer do you need?"
The Sila opened his eyes, untangled himself and stood up.
"I'm ready," he said in a subdued tone.
"Good, let's go. It was nice staying with you people these past ten years, but I have to move on," Lenore told Morvan and Bertha Anne. "Tell the villagers I'll miss them all."
"Will you come back when your mission is done?" Bertha Anne asked.
"I don't think so. Not in this form anyway. It's not safe anymore."
"We won't tell your secret" Morvan promised.
"In that case… I'll think about it." Lenore smiled.
"Never trust a Fajrulo," Winged Kalino advised.
"Shut up and get your pretty ass out of here," Lenore retorted. "Bye!"
Morvan and Bertha Anne didn't dare follow the creatures outside the house. They took each other's hand, still in wonder for the strange meeting.
"Oh, Gods, I'm burning our lunch!" Bertha Anne exclaimed. Suddenly they were back in their normal life of woodcutter and wife. But they knew, now, they had been blessed by members of two Magical Races that most people would never ever meet.
***
Outside the house of the woodcutter, Lenore spread two big brown wings, the color of her long hair. She also changed her clothes into a tight fitting outfit with a simple thought, as her long dress would have been uncomfortable during the flight.
Winged Kalino merely waited the few seconds necessary for the transformation, then he opened his wings and soon both were airborne.
"There aren't that many really powerful sorcerers in the Blackmore kingdom, but tell me more about the spell that took you down," Lenore said.
"We saw a young one, lost and crying," Winged Kalino replied. "He seemed hurt, and unable to fly, so we got closer and something hit us. I was sent back in the air and my wings carried me for a while, then I fell and broke them."
"Mmm, an illusion and a magic bolt," Lenore mused. "And we're flying towards Shania's shelter."
"Do you know her?"
"She's quite powerful for a Human. She's trying to impress Prince Edwyn, hoping he'll take her to his court in Xendaria when he becomes king."
"Do you think she'll succeed?"
"Very likely, especially if she presents him with a pair of huge wings."
"She wouldn't dare!"
"Why do you think she took you down?"
Winged Kalino opened his mouth, then closed it, speechless with horror. He'd never understand the earth people, and not only because of their wicked magic.
Suddenly something far away on the tree covered ground attracted his attention. Breathless, he dived towards what to Lenore's eyes seemed only a faint color in the green.
"Damn Sila and his sharp eyes," she grumbled, following him to the ground.
In a clearing among tall trees, a beautiful girl seemed to be asleep in the grass. She wore the tight fitting clothing of the Sila, but was missing the wings. Winged Kalino rushed to her, while Lenore wondered.
"Raziela!" he called, desperately. "Blessed winds, what have they done? Raziela, answer me!"
"Is this your Destined?" Lenore asked. He didn't even hear the question, but the answer was obvious, so she didn't persist. There she was, wingless, dying… "Damned Humans."
Lenore's wings disappeared and her former dress came back. She walked quickly out of the clearing, to a cave she knew was nearby. She stopped in front of the opening with her fists on her hips.
"Shania!" she called.
"What do you want?" The voice came from nowhere.
"Come out and talk to me!" Lenore ordered.
"You come in, if you dare," came the disembodied answer.
"Damned Humans," Lenore repeated to herself, stomping fearlessly into the cave. She found what she more or less expected: herbs, stones, smoke, a cauldron, other Human utilities and paraphernalia. And a pair of wings, obviously Raziela's, as they were the same shade of the beautiful girl's hair. She couldn't see the witch, though. Maybe there was another room.
"I'm in," she announced. "Are you afraid of me? You should be, I'm not a harmless Sila…"
A magic bolt hit her shield. She had been expecting it, though, so she quickly analyzed the spell: Dark Magic, definitely. The magic forbidden to her and her like. She could barely stand the power behind the woman she knew was hiding somewhere.
"As I said, you cannot hurt me," she began again, feeling anger rising inside her. "Show yourself, you cowardly little witch!"
"I am a shaman of Mother Earth." This time the voice was closer and more real. "And you are not Human."
"You're smart, but this won't save you if you don't show yourself now. I'm going to burn your place to the ground!"
"Fire creature." The woman appeared suddenly by the cauldron, where her voice had come from. She was beautiful in her own way, but dirty, and dressed in rags.
"Nice trick," Lenore said.
"Invisibility coat," Shania said, modestly. "You don't waste your powers with this, do you?"
"I can change shape, what need do I have to become invisible?"
"Change shape," Shania murmured. "Very interesting."
"I bet you have never seen a young Sila. How could you create the illusion to lure them?" Lenore inquired.
"I can see many things," Shania replied. "In here." She pointed at the cauldron. "But not your real face."
"My real shape wouldn't fit into this tiny little cave," Lenore assured, sarcastically. "Anyway, what's with you? Why did you take those wings?"
"They are a present for my prince."
"I doubt he'll ever see them. If the owner dies, you lose your gift."
"Then cure her, she's not far…"
"I know where she is, her beloved is with her. And I've already helped him."
"Oh, yes, the male. Interesting black wings…"
"Interesting, but forbidden, even for your stupid religion. You consider him a demon, don't you?"
"No, I know what real demons look like, and he's very attractive."
"He's mine."
"You should have kept him away from here, then."
"You are damn sure of yourself, aren't you? You're a complete sorceress, not a damn shaman! What did it cost you to get all that power?"
"The life of my most loved one."
"Interesting you sacrificed a life to gain power!"
"Yes, and my prince will soon know. After I try the Sila."
"You won't touch the Sila, unless you want to fight me."
"In here I can do anything. You don't scare me, fire creature."
Lenore morphed into a dragon, a very small one. Just the shape, not the size.
"I can breathe fire even when I'm that small. Or ice, if you prefer. Don't try me, this is my real face, but not my real size," she threatened. "Be warned that I'm the one who destroyed the Sect that dwelt near another Pond of Dark Magic in what is now known as the desert of the south. I annihilated their underground town and a whole kingdom, so don't think this place can shelter you from my wrath."
Shania paled in front of the claws and fangs, feeling the fire burning in the creature.
"You are Starblazer, the wrathful dragon that destroyed Arquon a little more than a century ago!"
"You bet I am. And I've seen another High Priestess of Darkness die, so don't think yourself invulnerable."
"All right, I'll leave the Sila alone."
Lenore reverted to Human form.
"Good. Can you read the future, Shania?"
"Not really. I'm better with other powerful spells, that even the Genn couldn't stop. That's all my lord needs."
"Yes, I've seen the destructive power of your spells. Why use them on harmless Sila, though?"
"They're the eyes of the Varian king. He has one at his court, and I want to be able to take him down when needed."
"So you can have him instead of Winged Kalino? Winged Morgan has black wings too…"
"Maybe. I can ask for him as a prize when we win the war against the Varians."
"Let me tell you something, you silly little Human. I'm very good at reading the future, and I can see all of your life. You will become Edwyn's queen, you'll serve him faithfully in his war against the Varians and the Genn, and you'll have what you want. But hear this: you will also die by the hand of the son of the Sila you fear so much now. Keep doing your exercises, keep using your illusions and magic bolts and evil powers. This won't save you when your time comes."
Lenore saw the wings on the wall behind Shania slowly dissolve.
"Damn!" she concluded. "I've got to go. See you in your next life, witch!"
She stormed out of the cave, furious. She ran back to the clearing to find Winged Kalino lying on the grass, unconscious. She touched his forehead: it was burning again. The Fever of Loss.
She morphed into Winged Raziela and took him high up in the sky, and over some huge white clouds. She contemplated him for a few moments, brushing his hair and cheek. Suddenly she kissed him, unzipping his clothes and exploring his hairless body.
Winged Kalino woke up, saw her, opened his mouth in awe, but she closed it before he could speak. They made love on their bed of clouds, Winged Kalino still burning with fever.
"Winged Raziela," he whispered, exhausted.
"I'm dead," she answered. "And this is just a beautiful dream."
"No…" he drifted into sleep, desperate.
Lenore changed back to her winged Human form and sighed. She dressed him and waited for him to wake up again. His sleep wasn't peaceful: maybe he was re-living the death of his Destined. They certainly had no way to defend themselves. Poor Sila. So beautiful and harmless…
***
She was weak. She could barely open her eyes.
"Raziela," he pleaded. "Stay with me!"
"I can't… fly anymore…" She grew weaker and weaker.
"Raziela, don't leave!" he insisted out of desperation. He was crying openly, but his tears couldn't keep her alive. She had lost her wings, her purpose, her life.
"Forgive me," she whispered with her last breath. Then she was still. Slowly her body dissolved, leaving him empty handed.
He found it hard to breathe. He felt as if fire was burning him. He tried to scream, but his voice wouldn't come out. He fainted.
He woke up in the arms of Winged Raziela. He felt weak, but she was so beautiful… He made love to her.
"You're dreaming," she whispered.
"Don't leave me!" he pleaded.
"I'm already gone, beloved," she replied. "But you are still alive."
"No!" he moaned. Pain, fear, horror. The fever seemed to consume him. Then a fresh wind took away the heat. He slowly relaxed, exhausted.
Winged Kalino woke up feeling empty. He saw the Fajrulo by his side and sighed.
"What happened? I can't remember much," he asked.
"We found your Destined, too late," she answered. "I talked to the sorceress, she won't get very far. I think you should go back to your Nest. Which one is it?"
"The Nest over the Valley. Lenore, I thought I saw Raziela…"
"She's dead. Your heart already told you. You felt it torn to pieces, remember?"
"Yes, but… I made love to her and it felt so real…"
"Only a dream, my darling," she assured with a smile. "Come on, show me where your Nest is."
With a last sigh, Winged Kalino spread his wings. His Destined was gone, but Air wanted him to live. Maybe another Destiny was waiting for him at the Nest.
Lenore followed him in silence, a mysterious smile on her lips.
***
The Varian court was reunited in the walled stone castle the Varian kings had built at the beginning of the war, after the previous timber keep had been burned to ashes by the Blackmore raiders.
Among the bearded Human warriors stood a couple of blond, androgynous beings with pointed ears, and a young Sila, close to the king himself and only mildly interested in the war plans discussed loudly at the table. The two old but still beautiful Genn exchanged glances and sighs and shrugs from time to time, while the young Sila's keen eyes tended to wander to everybody's face, even the furthest servant at the other side of the great hall.
The discussion between the king and his generals was animated, still silence fell when a woman appeared on the great hall's door. She stood there with a baby in her arms until everybody shut up to stare at her in wonder.
"Talk about a theatrical entrance," the eldest Genn smiled at her. "What can we do for you?"
"Who is that woman?" the Varian king demanded.
"I am Lenore and I want to speak to the Sila, Winged Morgan," she replied with a smile.
Winged Morgan looked even more stunned than his Human companions.
"What do you want from me?" he inquired, puzzled.
She moved two steps forward.
"Do you want me to tell in front of everybody?"
"I have no secrets."
"Of course not," she smiled again, moved forward, stopping not too far from the king's table. All men noticed her beauty.
"Woman, are you married?" the king inquired.
"You don't want to marry her, your majesty" the other Genn counselor suggested with a brief smile.
"Why not?" protested the king.
"You have three wives already, I believe it's enough" Lenore sounded amused. She turned to the Sila. "Winged Morgan, do you know Winged Kalino?"
Winged Morgan stared at her, suspicious.
"He is my brother, Fajrulo, what do you want from him?"
"He is not at his Nest, and I was wondering if you knew where he is."
"He has lost his Destined and is flying the world in search of peace."
She snorted.
"Well, as he is your brother, I believe he will come back here sooner or later."
She covered the few steps remaining, and put the baby on the table, in front of the puzzled king: a tiny bundle with deep black eyes and a quietness and wisdom unusual for such a small child. Everybody stared at him in wonder and suspicion.
"This is Winged Kyler Darklight, Winged Kalino's son," Lenore announced. "I'm sure you will take care of him."
All looked shocked, including the members of the Magical Races.
"Lenore, you didn't!" the elder Genn protested.
"It saved his life," she replied.
New respect shone on Winged Morgan's youthful face.
"You were with him when he lost his Destined?"
"I was."
"And why did you do it?" Winged Morgan's voice softened as he looked into the baby's black eyes.
"I never had a Sila before," she smiled.
"What are you?" the king found his voice to ask, staring at her in sudden awe.
"Fajrulo," Winged Morgan whispered, taking the quiet, smiling baby in his arms. "I will keep Kyler until Kalino returns," he promised.
Lenore smiled and bowed, leaving in the renewed silence.
The king turned to the two Genn and Winged Morgan.
"How could you tell she wasn't Human?"
"We feel the other Magical Races' blood," replied the younger Genn. "Fajrulo are shape shifters, but we can see through their disguises."
The baby rid himself of the cover, freeing his torso and waving his little arms around, still held under the armpits by a puzzled Winged Morgan. Suddenly a couple of little black wings sprouted from his back, flapping happily as if he wanted to fly away from Winged Morgan's grasp.
The Sila laughed, the Genn smiled, the Humans were out of breath again.
"Welcome to the Varian court, Winged Kyler!"
Winged Morgan let him go for a short flight over their heads, then the baby glided into his arms and nested there. The wings disappeared and he closed his eyes, falling peacefully asleep.
"A potentially very powerful half blood," the elder Genn commented, amused.
"Could he help me to win the war?" the king asked.
"Who knows. Maybe..."
The novel
Books of the Immortals - Fire is set forty years after this story and deals with a grown-up Kyler, his half-blood cousin Falcon, and of course Starblazer, whom Kyler hasn't seen since this scene. Here's the blurb:
A half-blood warrior fails to prevent an ambush. Hit by an enemy spell, he sleeps for a century. He wakes up in a future where he doesn't belong. He made a mistake. Now he must find a way to undo history to fix it.
"Here are the slaves for the initiation," the servant announced, introducing ten young men at the presence of the Queen of the Amazons. Most had been raised at the palace, but a couple were Uncatchables, just captured and bought for the pleasure of the queen.
Cynthia had been queen for many years. She wasn't young anymore, but still had tick black hair and a pleasant body. She reviewed the slaves and was captured by the sky-blue eyes of a young man who had hidden in the slaves house for way too long.
"How old are you, Azzurro?" she asked him.
"Twenty-two," he admitted. He wasn't really beautiful, which was probably why he hadn't been brought to the queen before, but had those blue sapphires in his eye sockets...
Queen Cynthia dismissed the other nine and guided the chosen one towards a pile of cushions and pillows. She smiled reassuringly at him, but he averted his eyes.
"Are you afraid?" she asked, softened by his shyness.
"No," he answered. "But to be honest, I'd have preferred to stay in oblivion and choose my own a partner, if any."
She studied him in silence, surprised by his words.
"I appreciate your honesty," she said eventually. "But if you behave, I can make a prince out of you."
"I'm trying to appreciate your offer, my lady, but it's not easy," he said. "I'm your slave, and I don't think my opinion counts anyway. I'll keep it for myself from now on."
"Great," she said, glad he didn't point out she could have been his mother. She was the Queen of the Amazons after all, and her pride was already wounded by his rejection. Had she been younger and rasher, she'd probably have punished him for his words. But now she only wanted to lose herself in those cerulean eyes. "Come here."
He obeyed with an air of resignation.
***
It's been a year since I was chosen, Azzurro thought, curling up on one side of the bed. The queen seemed to appreciate him a lot, she visited him almost every day, but he wasn't satisfied. Maybe he was ungrateful, he knew he couldn't aspire to anything better, there was no higher position for a man than being the Queen's Favorite, but he wasn't happy. I so much wanted a younger lover...
He imagined her one more time in the first light of dawn, like he had done so often for months, or even years. His ideal woman didn't have a specific face yet, nor particular physical characteristics, except she was young, beautiful and sweet.
Servants woke him up as soon as the sun left the line of the horizon. Azzurro got out of bed with a sigh, let them wash him, perfume him and dress him for the celebration that would officially establish his status of Queen's Favorite – something he could have enjoyed more if he had been able to choose. Maybe the queen's daughter, Ashlee, would have been a better choice, for her age, if not for her appearance.
Dressed in white, his black curls neatly combed and his face clean shaven, he was led to the ceremony room. Cynthia had seen him smile very sparsely during the past year, and that day wasn't different. The night was similar to many others, except their relationship was now official and couldn't be broken, as it had been blessed by the Goddess.
"What's wrong?" she asked, a little irritated by his obvious melancholy.
"Nothing," he said, serious. "I was thinking that I'm a prisoner, a luxury slave, but still a recluse. I was thinking I'd like to fly away."
"You want to leave me?" she frowned.
"I'm your slave."
"You're my Favorite now."
"Does this give me freedom? Why talk about it, my queen, we have opposite views on this topic and none of us will give up his or her opinion."
"I wish I could see you smile from time to time," she said, frustrated. "I seem to be doing whatever I can to make you happy."
"Of course you do, it's my fault, I can't appreciate it."
He smiled at her and kissed her, and for that day peace was made.
***
For two more years they kept on the relationship, with Cynthia trying to break Azzurro's defenses, but he didn't allow her to seduce him.
One night during an official ceremony, Azzurro eyed a lovely brunette, very elegant and sort of overwhelmed by the palace's wealth. Dazzled, he went to talk to her with the assurance of the host.
"My name is Doreen," she said staring at him with curiosity. "I was anxious to meet you, Azzurro, I heard so much about you... I couldn't come earlier to the palace, but I'm pleased to meet you now."
"The honor is mine, my lady," he smiled. "Am I like you expected me to be?"
"Not really," she giggled. "I had heard your greatest beauty was your eyes, but wasn't told you have two sapphires on your face."
He felt happy for the compliment for the first time in his life. They spent the night talking of minutiae, but she never mentioned her mother's name, or where she lived. She new Princess Ashlee personally, because they were about the same age, but that was it. Until he asked her.
"What do you care of where I live?" she blushed.
"I want to see you again," he said, serious. "I have two days a week off duty and I'd love to visit you."
Her smile faded too and she lowered her eyes.
Download this book for your ebook reader.
(Pages 1-44 show above.)