Twisted Enchantment (Unbreakable Force Book 5) (10 page)
Read Twisted Enchantment (Unbreakable Force Book 5) Online
Authors: Kara Jaynes
Aaric
“
W
here am I?”
Aaric blinked, trying to clear his vision. Fog roiled about his arms and legs, white and thick. Looking down, he couldn’t see the ground, and looking up, couldn’t see the sky either. “Where am I?” he repeated.
Nothing answered him. Aaric grunted with irritation. He’d entered the arch, and had felt the good-luck charm he’d worn ripped from his neck. Who had taken it and why was beyond him. “Hello?” he stepped hesitantly forward. “What am I supposed to do?” How long had he been down here?
A glowing arch of pure, white light appeared in front of him, cutting through the fog like a knife. Another appeared on his left and yet another on his right. Turning in a slow circle, Aaric found they surrounded him.
Choose.
The voice spoke to his mind.
Choose.
“How do I know which one I’m supposed to pick?” Aaric tried to swallow. His throat was parched.
Choose, Denali. Choose.
Aaric exhaled, and turned to the arch that had appeared first. “Here goes nothing, I suppose.” He walked forward and into the light.
Adaryn
I
hid in my tent, tears coursing down my cheeks. Fyrsil had tried to comfort me, one of his wives having gone through the same nightmare, but he couldn’t help. The only person who might be able to provide a small shred of comfort was Aaric, and he was gone.
I sat in a huddle with a fur blanket wrapped around me, legs drawn up, arms clasped around my knees. I rocked back and forth, trying to stifle the hiccuping sobs that racked my body. I was so sad, and so angry. Angry at Aaric for not being here when I needed him. Angry with Fyrsil for not being Aaric. Angry at the Twyli. Angry at myself.
I was only vaguely aware of the tent flap pushing aside as someone entered. I looked up, tears blurring my vision. I blinked; it was Dahlia.
“What’s wrong?” It was startling to hear her little voice as she spoke for the first time since we’d left her village.
My brain felt numb as I searched for the right words. How could I explain my loss to a child who was only three?
“I-I lost my baby.” It came out as a cracked whisper, and tears sprang up anew. I’d lost my child. Why? Why did it happen? Was it something I’d done? Did I exert myself too strenuously? Did I not eat enough? Had I traveled too hard? Fyrsil had insisted that it wasn’t my fault, but how could he know that? He didn’t know anything.
Dahlia came up to me and reached out, little fingers extended as her small hands cupped my face. “Momma.” Her eyes looked into mine, eyes so blue they were almost violet. “Momma, I’m right here.”
I stared at her, remembering the child’s own loss only a couple of months before. We’d both suffered so much.
I hugged her to me, breathing in the scent of her white-blonde head, my tears trickling into her hair as I cried. Dahlia was right. She was inextricably a part of my life now. And with my heart ready to break in two, my love for her and her love for me was what held the pieces together.
Snow fell outside, the land still in the harsh, unforgiving grip of winter. Aaric was dead. I didn’t know how far I could trust Fyrsil. The Twyli prince was hunting me. I didn’t know if I could convince Ruis of their impending disaster. I missed my father. My unborn child was lost. But with Dahlia, the two of us holding each other, the pain in my heart lessened a little . . . for now. She was here, and she loved me, and I loved her.
My daughter.
1
Aaric
W
here am I?
Aaric sat up in bed and shook his head groggily. His mind felt like it was filled with fog and he ran a hand through his hair distractedly.
“Good morning, Your Majesty.” A man entered the room and, in one well-practiced movement, knelt on one knee.
“Rise,” Aaric said. He yawned and crawled out of bed. The remnants of sleep were beginning to leave him and with it, the fog in his head. Standing with his arms out to either side of him, he held still, allowing the man to dress him.
“Today is a big day for you, Your Majesty,” the man said, buttoning Aaric’s shirt. “It’s the Day of Justice and Mercy.”
“I know, Gilbert,” Aaric said. He squinted at the man who was now smoothing his lapels. A young man, with large brown eyes and neatly combed brown hair. He knew him, but didn’t. How odd.
He glanced about the room—his room. It was massive, complete with the gigantic four poster bed he’d just got out of. The room was much bigger than his study back at home.
What study?
He shook his head again.
“And finished, Your Majesty.” Gilbert stood back with a bow, and Aaric blinked, looking down at himself. He felt like he should stare goggle-eyed at the finery he wore, but he couldn’t remember why.
“Thank you, Gilbert.”
Gilbert looked shocked at the words of gratitude, but quickly hid it, bowing deeply. “It is my honor, Your Majesty.”
Opening his bedroom door, Aaric strode confidently down the hallway. He’d walked these halls a hundred times—a thousand times. He knew the way. He ignored the finery around him. Plush carpets, gilded furniture and crystal chandeliers held no interest for him. A book on the other hand . . . when was the last time he’d read a book?
“Not for some time, Your Majesty,” Gilbert spoke up, walking meekly behind him, and Aaric realized he’d spoken his last thought aloud.
After traveling several hallways and flights of stairs, Aaric entered his throne room. It was ten times larger than his bedchamber, and that was saying something. The floors were alternating square slabs of marble in white and black. The throne itself was a monolithic structure of solid gold. “Such a waste,” he said aloud as he sat in it. “It should be melted down into coins and given to the poor.”
Voices murmured in shocked undertones and Aaric looked over to his left, suppressing a sigh. He flapped a hand in greeting at the lords and ladies standing there, acknowledging their presence.
The Day of Justice and Mercy. Aaric remembered. It was the day where anyone, young or old, bond or free, could approach him on any matter and would accept his judgement. A day of responsibility. Aaric could already feel its weight bearing down on him.
He stifled a yawn. He wished his wife was here with him.
My wife? I’m not married.
He shook his head again.
His stomach rumbled and he grimaced. He was required to fast this day as part of the ordeal. He leaned back in the throne and nodded at the servant standing by the large, gilded doors of the throne room. “Show the first in.” Might as well get this over with.
The people who’d come to seek his advice or beg for mercy varied in livelihood and social status. Farmers and nobles, paupers and knights, the crowd of people clamoring to see him was endless. Aaric felt as if a pressing weight sat on his shoulders. This would never end.
“Your Majesty.” Two of the royal guard stood before him, each holding the arm of a woman standing between them. “Your Majesty,” one of the guards spoke again, “this woman was caught stealing, from the royal coffers, no less. I’m sorry to waste your time, Your Majesty, with such filth, but she demanded it, and I could not refuse, it being the rule of the Day of Justice and Mercy.”
Aaric stared at the woman, his heart hammering painfully against his chest. She was short, but held her head up proudly, her hair a wild mess about her face, her eyes a stunning blue.
Adaryn.
Read the finale to the Unbreakable Force series in
by Kara Jaynes
Trying to cope with her crushing grief from losing Aaric, Adaryn returns to Ruis, determined to save what lives she can from the approaching Twyli army. Bran and Fyrsil stand with her, but will their magic be enough to stop the corrupted enchantment of Hydari and Myrre? Find out in the final installment of the Unbreakable Force series, Final Enchantment.
Kara Jaynes is a fantasy and children's book author. She lives in Colorado and loves taekwondo, long walks, and fairy tales. She's been writing since she was very young and has more stories in her head than she could possibly write.
Please visit the author's website for more information on upcoming books and news
at
www.karajaynes.com
.
The adventure continues in book 6: Final Enchantment: Coming soon!
Twisted Enchantment by Kara Jaynes
Copyright Kara Jaynes 2015.
All Rights Reserved.
Cover Designer: Aeternum Designs
The stories, characters, and incidents mentioned or depicted in this publication are entirely fictional.
No portion of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the copyright holder.
