Ascension (Unbound Prophecy Book 1) Read online

  “No one here, but what about the Fates? Could it possibly be that they don’t like the idea of you meddling with their plans or denying me the amazing things you’ve done to me over the last few weeks?”

  “Stop it, Sinow. That’s ridiculous; the Fates don’t meddle like that. They draw a lifeline, an outline, of what they want and walk away. They don’t mess with your dreams.”

  He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. “You and I don’t have normal lifelines like our people, Vi. The Fates have been known for prophetic dealings with the immortals in the past, and ours is the biggest one of them all. It’s not just some random rescue of a village from a rare beast or illness or ending a small war among the Masters. This prophecy, according to your Council, has been written since the beginning of our world’s creation. It’s huge and you…you were created as a result of it. Without a prophecy, would you even be here?”

  He thought he saw a flicker of hurt pass through her eyes before it was replaced with one of contempt. He’d hit a nerve and a very raw one at that. Her eyes darkened to a green the depths of the forest behind her as close to black as green could be. Interesting, he thought.

  “I will not be ruled by words. My life has its own course, and I make my own decisions. My decision is that there will be no union between our people and no vows for us. Until I have said otherwise, the Fates will have to wait.”

  The sky above them rumbled, and he wondered if she’d caused the disturbance with her anger or if it was the Fates expressing their dissatisfaction.

  “What is it you’re so afraid of?” He asked. “Do you think I ever wanted this path for my life? Do you think my lack of choice doesn’t anger me as well? I suppose if the payoff weren’t a lifetime of sex with you that I’d be angry enough to rebel. The thing I don’t understand is that you’re clearly attracted to me so what has you so afraid because you certainly don’t strike me as the timid type.”

  “You know nothing about me, Sinow! You think after two meetings and a few dreams that you know who I am?” Her voice was strong, harsh, and accusatory. She was trying to put him on the defensive, and he didn’t like being put in that position. In fact, he despised it. He snarled but before he could react further, she switched gears on him.

  “Blasted woman,” he muttered.

  She stood taller and smoothed her hands down the front of her skirts as if she were pushing down her emotions.

  “Now, I know you didn’t call me here to rehash the same conversation from our first meeting or to torment me about the Dream Realm. It’s too close to our ascensions for all that. Why did you request my presence here, Sinow?”

  He stood speechless for what seemed an awkward eternity. How had she done that? One minute he wanted nothing more than to hit her with every ounce of magic he had until she screamed for mercy and the next minute, it was gone, he felt nothing but calm and serene. Was it some innate magic she had that she didn’t even realize she possessed? He’d have one of the Council look into it. He groaned to himself in frustration, gritted his teeth and answered.

  “True, I have brought you here on formal business.” He walked away from her, watching her from the corner of his eye as he did. “It would seem my father is conspiring against you or, if you prefer, us. However you want to think of it, as long as it keeps you from losing momentary sanity again.”

  She opened her mouth to speak back, that feisty look returning, but he didn’t give her a chance for rebuttal. “He’s decided that it would be wise, as our realms will be one...sometime in the future, to have us attend each other’s ascensions. Your Council has agreed.”

  “What!” Her eyes turned a dark emerald. His desire for her flared as her temper ignited. “How dare they…”

  “Hold your tongue for a moment, woman, and let me finish. They have agreed, however, to place the final word in our hands knowing you’d react in this very fashion. Your Council voiced many concerns, but felt it was the right thing to do in order to start our futures with a solid alliance. Of course, it is only for the benefit of the treaty that they’ve suggested such a thing, or so I’ve been told.” He added the last line so she would not feel that they were focusing only on the prophecy, which of course he knew they were. The treaty had been in place many hundreds of years now with neither king nor Council stepping foot in the other’s realm, it was forbidden in the laws of the treaty not to mention it couldn’t be done without a combination of both Light and Dark magic. His father was an accepting man when it came to the treaty, since the outcome would benefit his son and kingdom, but he would not be budged on the point of passing beyond realm lines. That is, until now. This was unprecedented, but then again, they were dealing with many things they had never seen or heard tell of before.

  “Your Council feels that since you will be queen shortly, you should have the final word.”

  He waited for her reaction and watched as her mind worked it through. Her teeth chewing the bottom lip again, a slight revealing fault that he found irresistible. The crystal green of her eyes betrayed her warming to the idea. He felt momentarily mesmerized as they appeared to let off a prism of colors and light when the sun hit them. She looked up at him at that moment, and he felt his knees weaken with his resolve to keep his distance from her.

  “So, what are your thoughts on it?” she finally asked. It surprised him that she’d ask such a thing of him; he hadn’t expected it.

  “You really want my opinion? That’s unexpected.” He waited for a response but only the glitter in her eye registered any so he continued. “Honestly,” he said, leaning on a tree behind him, “I like the idea. It would be a good show of faith from both of us and…it would get them off our backs. They’d think our amicability was a sign that we were getting closer to the union you dread so much. It would buy you more time, which I venture is the true reason for your avoidance of the union in the first place.”

  She took a moment to ponder what he’d said and walked over to the tree he had leaned on, stroking her hand against the bark as if gently petting a horse. She was so close he could see the glimmer of gold on the strands of her hair. Then she said quietly, “They don’t like being used like that unless you ask first.” He pulled himself up from the tree and looked at her curiously. She couldn’t seriously be talking about the tree. She rubbed her hand up the bark, and he watched in astonishment as the rough bark softened to resemble something more like moss. He touched it, feeling the softness beneath as his fingers sank slightly into it as if it were a pillow for resting one’s head.

  “Amazing” was the only word his mind would allow him to say.

  “If you’re nice to them and you’ve just the right touch, they let their defenses down. He says it’s okay to lean now since I’ve vouched for you.”

  He wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it, but she was so serious he didn’t dare. For some reason, she had willingly let her guard down and let him in. She was right, he really didn’t know her. This nature ability she had was unparalleled; there were no nature mages left. They had died out long ago in the wars, annihilated by his grandfather. Even then the only ones with any kind of command of nature had been the Elvin and as Violissa was not born of woman there could be no connection. Perhaps one of her council had Elvin blood and inherited a dormant nature talent that he’d then passed on when they’d created her. That didn’t make sense, however, since there had never been a mixing of the races. He and Violissa were to be the first. He made a mental note to find out more as this was too unusual to ignore.

  “So, you spend a lot of time with trees?” he said coyly, leaning back into the softened bark. It felt luxurious; he couldn’t believe it and tried to hide his enjoyment from her. No reason to have her believe he was letting his guard down with her. “Should I be jealous, worried that you might run off with one behind my back?” The bark stiffened a little then softened as she looked at it.

  “First of all, there’s nothin
g to run off from and secondly there’s no competition.”

  “Finally, a compliment! I knew you had it in you,” he replied with an air of confidence.

  “I was speaking about the tree.” she stated bluntly, trying to remain tough. Sinow thought he caught the start of a smile at the corners of her mouth, but he kept it to himself. She turned from the tree back to him, standing so she stood directly in front of him rather than to the side as she had been, looking him squarely in the eyes. There was no sense of hesitation this time, but he still felt the fluctuations of her heart beat. He forced himself to breathe.

  “There has never been a Darkbearer on our soil, at least not a welcome one. Our ceremonies and traditions are sacred, especially the ascension.”

  “And you don’t think ours are? It’s not every day a king is crowned.”

  “There’s never been a queen crowned and my powers…well they’re much different, vaster than any king before me.” She held out her hand, gesturing to the tree. He understood her reference to the abilities she’d just shown him. “There are pieces to our rituals that our laws require no outsider witness nor hear. That’s why I can’t fathom my Council agreeing to this. They must truly be running out of ideas or running mad.”

  “Listen, we may not hold much sacred, but to my people the crown and the ascension are. This will be a difficult and unique position I’ll be putting myself in as well. But I will agree to it, you and one Council may come to my crowning.” He couldn’t believe he was agreeing to it, but he had a feeling she had more to lose through this deal than he, so he took the first step.

  A darkness came over her eyes again then cleared as suddenly as it had appeared. For a moment, it appeared to him as she might be ready to throw a tantrum, and he had to keep himself from laughing.

  “All right, the same will stand for you. However, anything either of you sees or hears at the ceremony must not be used to your advantage, and I will swear the same. I cannot believe I’m agreeing to this, but since my Council feels it’s wise and you as well, I’ll do it. You and I need a good working relationship if the treaty is to continue.” With that she turned and walked away from him, skirts swooshing as to emphasize her irritation at the situation. He rose from the tree feeling as if he should thank it for its hospitality but having too much pride to do such a thing. Imagine if any of his Council were to catch him; he’d never hear the end of it. As he walked away, the hard bark of the tree curved back into place once again.

  “So…” he began.

  She turned suddenly, a long golden lock of hair caressing her cheek and chin. “Don’t think this gets you any closer to my bed, Sinow.” He noted a slight blush to her cheek as his own mind wandered to their encounters in the Dream Realm. He could only imagine that her thoughts had fled to the same. “As I said, it’s business. I am still firm on my feelings toward a union with you and nothing will change that.”

  “You certainly do like playing with fire, Vi. As I said before, I’ll wait, but at some point, my patience will give, and you’ll see my true side. I’m not one to be toyed with.”

  “And neither am I, Sinow.” Her voice was softer, slightly seductive this time. “Until the ascension, Sinow.”

  “Sweet dreams, Vi,” he replied with an edge to his voice.

  She shifted, leaving only the scent of lilac in her wake.

  He squeezed his fists, his eyes burning; he knew they were black with anger, anger not even that soothing voice or the lilacs could tame. He certainly had more patience than most Darkbearers, but it could not be said that it was one of his virtues. As thick black tendrils seeped from his fingertips, urging him to release his anger, the fire within him burned. He fought back the urge to release it, closing his eyes to concentrate on the emotions rioting within him. He hoped she would come to her senses soon for as the ascension neared, his powers were becoming darker, more difficult to control. He didn’t know how long he could wait for her and knew it would be all out war when his true powers finally took control.

  Nine

  Violissa let out a long breath when she arrived back in her room. She couldn’t believe she’d maintained such control through their meeting. All she’d wanted to do was run into his arms and bring back the pleasure she’d had in the Dream Realm. The feeling was overwhelming, and she took pride in the fact that she’d fought it.

  She walked over to the windows that overlooked her garden. A violet butterfly flitted among the pansies she’d grown the prior week, carefree and oblivious to the world around it. If only life were that simple, she’d have been able to acknowledge the growing feelings she had for Sinow. Who was she kidding? She’d fallen for him at first glance, she’d have willingly married him, shared the throne with him if she’d been living a different life. But things were not simple; she wasn’t being given the choice. He ruled in an enemy land. Take away the treaty and that’s really what they were, enemies, regardless of how you dressed it up. He ruled over a people who had historically mistreated her own, he was blood of the king who’d decimated the populations of many peaceful people including the Elvin. Annihilation had never been a word spoken from the lips of a Light King and just the thought drew bile to her throat. She turned from the window and walked across the room. She supposed he was right, if things were simple, she’d never have even been created. Theirs was not a simple life. She was a child of prophecy, and she would defy that prophecy and the Fates who wrote it whether they liked it or not.

  Violissa ran her hand along the silk sheets that adorned her bed then collapsed onto them, the lushness of the bedding enveloping her. She stared at the violet canopy draped over her bed. She felt exhausted from today’s meeting, not to mention the many sleepless nights that had plagued her. She’d decided to take this path of obstinacy, to be defiant and independent, but now that she’d started down it, she wondered how much harder it was going to get. She wasn’t sure what she’d gotten herself into. Should she have just listened to her Council and played the subservient queen?

  “No,” she said, “this will be played on my terms and by my rules.”

  Sinow seemed to understand, and he had stated he would be patient, but for how long? She’d started down the path, and now there was no turning back. She threw her shoes off and rubbed her feet. How she hated wearing these blasted things. Barefoot was her preferred method, but she stuffed her feet into the stiff casings whenever she had any formal function. The first thing she planned to do when she became queen was to do away with any requirement that she, or any female for that matter, wear shoes.

  Violissa knew she had to talk with the Council about her meeting with Sinow, but she was not looking forward to it. She could just see them, pacing down in the main hall having sensed her presence the moment she arrived. She had been angered by the fact that they had conferred with the king behind her back when she was only days from the throne. So, they could wait. Let them worry themselves about her decision and her reaction.

  She knew this had to be hard for them. They had been given power by the last king long before her creation. It was a history she understood very little of and about which she’d been told very little. From what she understood, the king had had no heirs and had, in an effort to bring the prophecy to bear more quickly, surrendered his power to the Council and relinquished his life in the process. Although an immortal could live forever, when eternity became too long they could relinquish their life, giving their bodies over to nature and their spirits to the Fates. There came a point in every immortal’s life when that path was chosen; eternity could be very long and very lonely. As Violissa was the first immortal woman, kings had always married mortals. Marriage was not arranged, again Violissa being the exception, and as they married for love, it was hard to outlive your true love. Once a child was upon her, there was only a short time left in the queen’s life. Sadly, all died in childbirth. To Violissa’s knowledge, no Light King had ever remarried; they waited for their true soul
mate and chose only to marry that one time. The Dark Kings had different practices. Some kings chose to overlook love and took several wives until they were finally able to beget a child upon one. Some kings, like Sinow’s father, would remarry after losing his wife in childbirth, but as that first wife would be the only to bear a child, these marriages often ended miserably, especially if the king’s true love had been the first wife. Each king could only father one child, it was a curse of the immortal, and no one knew the reason. Maybe the Fates didn’t want too many immortals running around wielding such great power or maybe they were afraid too many could be a threat to them. She laughed quietly at the notion of a Fate having any fear. Whatever the reason, it was a fact of life that there could only be one child born to each throne. The only exception had been Sinow’s father. Somehow his second wife had given birth; it had killed her in the process as well, but it had happened. The boy didn’t have nearly the power that any other immortal king had, especially not Sinow, but still he existed as quite a thorn in the side of the king from what Violissa understood. No one knew how or why he’d been born, but they tolerated his existence. She chuckled to herself. She’d always thought of him as a curse on the Darkbearers for all the damage they’d done in the past.

  She sighed and wondered if a union of two immortals would change the rules. There were so many unknowns and firsts that ruled her existence. It was looking more and more to be quite the wild ride she’d hoped to avoid. At least the Council didn’t have any problems like she or her predecessors had faced with love, marriage and birth. They swore a vow of celibacy when they were brought in to train for their role. There were so few of them born that they were seen as special miracles. To her knowledge, the last one born had been Daneele, and he was over five thousand years old. Non-royal immortals were rare, and their families were treated like royalty when they were discovered. That reverence continued on through the generations.