The Key (#1 of Anna Kippling Series) Paranormal romance by A.D. Duling (6 page)

“How can I stop him? I’m just a girl… I’m
nobody special!” she pleaded.

He reached over and patted her hand, “You
have more strength than you give yourself credit for Anna.
Sometimes the greatest outcome comes from the most unexpected
places. Even from just a girl.” He assured her. Corrine returned
with their desserts and quietly passed them out while they
talked.

“But how will I know what to do?” she asked.
Corrine sat down next to her, “Only you will know that answer.”

“An answer… Anna has this book that is
supposed to give her answers, but we don’t know how it works!”
Hayden interrupted.

“Yes! When Hayden and I were traveling
through a cave, I fell into this pool of water and was directed
down to an underwater library. The man there said he had been
expecting me and there was a book for me, it was “my book.” She
pulled it out and handed it to Harmon. “He said it would have the
answers to my questions. “

He opened the book and she continued, “We
found the key to it, but as you can see the pages are blank.”

“
This is where we are
stumped.” Hayden added.

Harmon flipped through the pages, “This is
strange.” He observed.

“I thought perhaps the Empress would know
how to figure this out.” He told his father.

“The Empress is a very wise woman, but I
think we may not need her to solve this riddle.” Corrine spoke up.
The three looked over to her.

“How is that?” Her husband asked her.

She smiled, “Anna you said this man in the
library said that it would have the answers to all of your
questions, am I right?”

She nodded.

“Well then! Have you asked it a question?”
the woman pointed out.

“We didn’t think about that!” Anna exclaimed
excitedly! Harmon handed her the book and she opened it up; “Do you
have the answers to my questions?” she asked aloud.

Right away the word
“
yes”
appeared on the page before her! Simultaneously,
the men leaned forward to get a closer look and bumped heads. They
both laughed and rubbed their foreheads.

Corrine laughed, “Relax my two men; you’re
not going to miss anything!”

“Ask it another question, Anna!” He
encouraged her.

She looked to Corrine, “What should I ask
next?”

“Only you can decide that.” She
responded.

Anna thought a moment, “What am I supposed
to do here?” she finally asked it.

To save the Empress and all who stand
with her
.
It
answered her.

“
How can I save her?” she
asked next.

Stop the
Chancellor.
It answered.

“
How do I do that?” she
asked quickly.

Learn to fight and follow the path that
will lead you to your greatest potential.
”
That makes a whole lot of sense!” She responded
sarcastically.

Corrine stood up, “I think that is enough
for one night. You two should get some rest and then we can ask
more questions tomorrow.” She suggested.

Harmon reached over and picked it up,
“Corrine, this is more than we could hope for; this will help us
defeat the Chancellor!” He debated.

His wife shook her head, “No my dear, Anna
will. This book is only meant to guide her.” She reached down and
patted his hand.

He smiled up at her and nodded. He handed
the book back to Anna, “You’re right my dear, tomorrow Hayden can
start training Anna.” He stated matter-of-factly.

Hayden spoke up, “What about meeting with
the Empress? She does need to see her.”

Harmon smiled, “The Empress knows she is
here and there will be a time for them to meet, but for now Anna’s
training must come first!” He looked over to Anna, “Our time is
very limited, the Chancellor is not going to sit around and wait
until you are ready Anna. So we must start right away!” he
emphasized.

She smiled at him and stood up, “I
understand.” She then looked over to Corrine who gave her a wink.
“Well then…. Let’s get you settled for the night!”

Chapter 8

H
er mind was restless that night and she tossed and turned in
her bed. Footsteps coming up the stairs woke her and she could here
Hayden and his parents saying their “Goodnights” to each other.
After a brief silence, a faint knock came at her door. She climbed
out of bed and cracked open the door; it was Hayden.

He smiled at her, “May I come in?” he
asked.

She nodded and opened the door wider;
allowing him to come inside. She returned to the bed and sat down.
He quietly shut the door and leaned against it; he stood there and
just stared at her. She waited for him to say something, but he
said nothing. He just stood there and stared. She awkwardly reached
up and rubbed the back of her neck, “Is there something you wanted
to speak to me about?” she asked trying to defuse the tension.

He shook his head and continued to stare,
making her feel even more uncomfortable.

“Hayden …” she went to say, but he quickly
raised his finger up in front of his lips to quiet her. He then
walked over to the bed and sat down next to her.

“Anna… I would like to kiss you,” he
whispered.

“I don’t think that is such a good idea….”
She went to protest as he reached up and gently caressed her
cheek.

“I only want a kiss Anna, nothing more.”

She hesitated and then nodded her approval.
He gently grabbed her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. He
then leaned his face closer to hers and gave her a gentle kiss. Her
heart raced in her chest and she could feel the heat rise up to her
cheeks. He broke the kiss, but his face lingered close to hers.

“
May I kiss you again?” He
asked; his warm breath blew against her flushed face. The fragrance
of it was sweet from the apple pie he had eaten earlier.

“
Ok,” she
answered.

He kissed her again, but this time not as
gentle… yet she didn’t mind. His arms were somehow now wrapped even
more tightly around her and pulling her even closer to him….yet she
didn’t mind that either. She could feel his heart beating in his
chest against hers; it’s pace as fast as her own! Heat had already
spread evenly throughout her body and she felt a little dizzy. She
had never been kissed like this before. Finally he broke the kiss
and looked at her; both were breathing heavily.

“I could kiss you forever,” He told her.

She didn’t say anything and responded with
another kiss. Her arms somehow were now wrapped around his waist
and she held him tightly. He returned the kiss enthusiastically and
then stopped; letting their lips linger together. After a breath,
he returned for another long kiss… yet she didn’t mind that
either.

Chapter 9

S
he was not so bold the following morning and shyly avoided
eye contact with Hayden all through breakfast. When Corrine stood
up to start collecting up the dishes, Anna quickly jumped up to
help her.

“No dear, you should get started right away
with your training,” She insisted.

Hayden drank down his milk and stood up,
“She’s right! Let me get some things and then we can leave.” He
handed his mother his dishes and kissed her cheek, “It was
delicious as always mother!” He praised and rushed out. Anna sat
back down and waited for him to return. She watched Corrine as she
cleaned the mess from the table.

Corrine noticed her watching; “Are you
alright Anna, you’ve been very quiet all morning.” she
inquired.

Anna smiled, “Yes, everything is fine.” she
assured her.

Hayden walked in and sat a large bag on the
table. “What’s in the bag?” she asked him.

“I’m going to teach you how to use a bow and
arrow as well as the sword,” he answered as he was buckling the
belt to his sword around his waist. He then picked the bag back up
and hooked it over his shoulder; “I’m going to take her up to the
hills just outside the gates mother, if you need to find us.”

She stopped wiping the table and looked up
at him; “I’ll bring you some lunch this afternoon.”

“We’ll see you then!” He told her and looked
back at Anna, “Are you ready?” he asked.

She nodded and stood up, “See you later
Corrine!” The woman gave a wave in response and returned back to
her task. Anna followed him to the front door and he opened it for
her. She stepped out and took in a breath of the fresh air. He
closed the door behind him and headed towards the back to the
barn.

They rode Thunder up to the hills outside
the city. Hayden guided the horse over to a grove of trees and they
climbed off. He tied the horse up to one of the trees and grabbed
the bag. They left the animal happily eating a couple of apples
that Hayden left for him and headed off towards another grove of
trees a few yards down. Hayden reached inside his pocket and pulled
out a piece of chalk, he then walked over and drew a target on the
trunk of a dead one.

“This is your target,” he told her. He then
turned and walked a straight line a few yards out from it. He sat
the bag down and reached inside. He pulled the bow out and loaded
an arrow.

He pulled back on the bowstring and took
aim. Once aligned, he released and hit the target just under the
bull’s-eye. “Now you give it a try.” And he handed it to her.

“
That doesn’t look too
hard!” she remarked and took the bow. She grabbed an arrow from the
bag and loaded it. She then pulled back on the bowstring; closed
one eye and lined her arrow up with the target in the distance. She
then released her hold and sent it flying straight into her aimed
target. “Bull’s eye!” she yelled.

His only reaction was a raised eyebrow.
“Very good, let’s see if you can do that again.” he calmly
spoke.

She grinned, “I think I can manage that!”
She loaded another arrow and took the shot. This time it missed the
tree entirely.

He walked over and grabbed her bow. “A
little too cocky, to soon don’t you think?” he stated more than he
asked and loaded another arrow. He handed it back to her and she
roughly took it from him.

“
I wasn’t being cocky!”
she argued. He looked unconvinced. She glared at him for a moment
and then raised the bow again.

“
Keep your elbow slightly
bent and relax.” She followed his instruction. “Now using only two
fingers, pull back until you feel the side of your hand graze your
nose.” She did as he said and held her position. “Now release.” She
let go and this time the arrow hit just to the side of the
center.

“Good, now try it again!” he ordered.

She looked over at him, “You don’t have to
be so rude, Hayden!”

“Anna, you need to take this very
seriously!” He sternly said.

She frowned; “I am taking this seriously,
but it doesn’t mean I have to act somber all of the time!” she shot
back at him.

“
No you don’t, but it
doesn’t mean you can act like a conceited little girl either!” he
threw right back.

A slight snarl teased at the corners of her
mouth, “I am not conceited! I can’t believe you called me that! And
I was not such a little girl last night if you remember!” She
shoved the bow against his chest and walked away. “I only came here
out of curiosity and now I find myself having to pick up a bow and
arrow or a stupid sword and defend myself!” She complained out
loud.

“Where are you going?” he called after
her.

“I’m going home! She yelled back.

He dropped the bow and ran up and grabbed
her shoulder to stop her. “So you’re just going to quit just like
that! All because you thought I was mean to you?”

She shoved his hand away. “It was not
because I thought you were me to me and you were mean to me!” She
pointed out. “It’s because I can’t do this Hayden! I can’t! Your
right, I am a little girl! I’m only seventeen Hayden and how can a
seventeen year old possibly stop a powerful Chancellor?!” she
yelled.

He grabbed her shoulders and looked her
straight in the eye, “You’re wrong! You can do this! What I saw
yesterday with that Falcon, a seventeen year old did that Anna! I
believe you can, your book believes you can and so do a lot of
other people!”

She shook her head, “Well, I don’t want
this! Why does it have to be me! What is so special about me?”

He smiled, “Anna, sometimes things happen to
us and there really is no exact answer as to why. I believe that is
called fate. You can call it chance, whichever; it is meant to
be!”

He let go of her shoulders and walked away
back. She looked up at the sky and watched the clouds slowly float
by. She wanted so much to run back home and quit; because deep down
inside she knew it wasn’t by chance that she was here. She believed
in fate too and she also believed that you can’t fight it as well…
but you can control it! And she turned around and marched back
towards Hayden.

He was over at the tree collecting the
arrows. So she walked over to the bow and picked it up. Hayden had
already noticed and their eyes stayed locked on each other as he
walked back. He handed her an arrow and she took it. She loaded it
and took aim again. He walked around and stood quietly behind her.
She did what he had instructed her before and released; hitting
once again close to the bulls eye!

“Very good, let’s practice a few more times
and then we will work on the sword!” He praised and handed her
another arrow.

Hayden’s “A few more times” turned into
spending the whole morning taking one shot right after another. Her
only breaks were when he had to retrieve the arrows and he did that
too quickly! When Corrine came walking up the hill, Anna couldn’t
have been more relived to see her! Her fingers hurt so bad from the
bowstring that they throbbed, her arms hurt even more!