Lost in Her Depths, page 5
“Another place? What are you talking about?” Cat frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. “Ella, who is this?”
“This is Artur. He’s not from around here,” Ella Said,
“You don’t say,” Cat snapped. “You said you’ve seen me. Where was that?”
“I saw a picture of you on the desk of a Droskel Lord.“
Cat frowned, uncrossed her arms, and ran her fingers through her hair. “What the hell is a Droskel? Ella?”
“I don’t know what that is, Cat. All he’s said so far is Endak, Kelaryn, Seraphina, and Torlana.” Ella sighed, reaching her hand for Cat’s arm.
“Okay, then. Where did you find him? And why is he tagging along with you?”
“I didn’t find him, Cat. He...”
“He what, Ella?”
“He fell out of the sky and knocked me into the water,” Ella said.
“How did he do that? The last thing you told me was that you were going for a swim. You should have already been in the water.”
Damn it! Ella closed her eyes and released her hold on her friend’s arm. “You’re right, Cat. I went for a swim. I swam to the Kaui sea caves.” Ella opened her eyes, focusing them on Cat.
“That’s not possible. It would have either taken you a full day to get there or you would have drowned in the ocean.” Cat’s emerald green eyes narrowed at her.
“If I swam the distance like a normal human, you’d be right. But I didn’t do that.”
“Then how did you do it?”
“With magic,” Ella answered.
“Magic...”
“You don’t believe me?”
“Oh, come on, Ella. I told you earlier today that magic doesn’t exist.”
“It does actually, Cat, and I can prove it.”
“How?”
Ella grabbed a hold of Cat’s arms and gently tugged her down. “Sit down and I’ll show you.”
“Fine,” Cat said, pulling her arms free and sitting down on the beach towel.
This little demonstration is literally going to make a believer out of her, or it’s going to cost me my best friend. Ella took a deep breath before she lowered herself to the beach towel. She glanced up at Artur, waiting for him to join them. Once everyone settled, she lifted her hand and closed her eyes. Here goes nothing. She calmed her racing heart, and reached inside of herself to the beating heart of her hater magic, and released it.
Cat gasped, and the beach towel shifted under her weight. “Oh my God, Ella, your hand is glowing blue. How are you doing this?“
Ella smiled, opening her eyes. “Yes, my hand is glowing. This is my magic manifesting itself, so you can see it. It doesn’t always work or perform how I want it to. I’m still trying to learn how to control it so that it doesn’t control me.” Closing her hand, she extinguished the glow.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me about this?” Cat sat back on the towel, her voice cracking with emotion.
Tears welled up in Ella’s eyes. She sniffed, brushing them aside as each one slid down her cheeks. This is why I never told her. I never wanted to see that look of betrayal fill her cold eyes.
“I didn’t tell you, Cat, because it’s a family secret. And I wasn’t sure...”
“If you could trust me with the family secret?”
“No, I wasn’t sure if you even wanted to be a part of the secret.”
“Why wouldn’t I, Ella?”
“Because you’ve seen the same movies that I have, Cat. The best friends always get hurt by the bad guys. I didn’t want to put you in danger. I was trying to protect you.”
“From what? There’s no one coming after you or your family. So, there’s no one you need to protect me from.”
Cat’s heartbroken tone tore through her, crushing her soul. “That’s not entirely true. There’s a secret society that I recently found out about right before we left for this trip. Apparently, they are the descendants of the magistrates from the Salem Witch Trials.”
“So what’s so bad about them? What’s so bad you felt like you couldn’t trust me?”
“They’re witch hunters, Cat. You remember what the Bible says about us? Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.“
“Ella, they can’t hurt you without exposing themselves. Their crimes will lead to their arrest and punishment.”
“No, they won’t,” Ella said, taking a shuddering breath.
“How do you know they won’t?” Artur asked, making his presence known.
“I know because of my parent’s murder a year ago.”
“Ella, it was a car crash that killed your parents. Not some secret society of witch hunters,” Cat said, reaching for her hand. She pulled her hand away before Cat’s fingers brushed against it.
“It was staged to look like an accident, Cat. That’s how they got away with it.”
“How could this society stage the black ice your parents hit which caused their car to spin out of control and crash through the guardrail?”
“How do you explain their mangled bodies?” Ella slammed her eyes shut and shook her head. Images of her parents’ bodies still left her with constant nightmares.
“Ella, don’t do this to yourself. You know their car crashed through multiple trees before stopping on the edge of that cliff. “
“It was all staged, Cat. I went to the coroner after the case was officially ruled an accident by the Boston PD,” Ella said, opening her eyes. “Do you know what he told me? He said the accident did not cause my parents’ injuries.”
“Then why did his report say it was?”
“Because they threatened his family, Cat. These society members are high-ranking members of the Boston elites. The only reason he told me any of that is because he felt I deserved the truth.”
“Okay, if this secret society is so powerful and dangerous, why tell me your secret?”
“Because he needs your help, Cat. And I knew you wouldn’t believe his story without some form of proof. He can’t give you any, so I told you my secret.”
“Yet you do?”
“I haven’t even heard his story, but I have seen something that you haven’t...”
“And whatever this thing is convinced you he was trustworthy to know your secret before I was?”
“I understand you are furious with Ella right now, but had I not crashed on top of her, I wouldn’t know about her magic either,” Artur said.
“You don’t have to defend her, Artur.”
“Yes, I do. It’s because of my appearance in your world that has caused this rift between the two of you,“ Artur insisted.
“Yeah, but you didn’t make her lie to me.”
“I haven’t lied to you, Cat. I just didn’t tell you my secret.”
“Because you didn’t trust me enough to keep it!”
“That’s not true, Cat. I told you why I didn’t tell you before tonight.”
“Yes, you did, but please excuse me if I don’t trust you right now,” Cat said, turning her back until she faced Artur. “You said you saw my picture on the desk of a Droskel Lord?”
“Yes, I did,“ Artur said, nodding.
“What is a Droskel?”
Ella glanced over at Cat, but said nothing more to her. She needs to cool off before I say anything else to her. I just need to focus on helping Artur get back home, then I can pick up the pieces of my broken friendship with Cat.
“They are a race of dragon shapeshifters. They’re one of four races that live on Sundara,” Artur answered.
“Sundara... You’re from another planet?” Cat sat forward, and her eyes widened.
Her interest is now peaked. “He is.”
“I didn’t ask you, Ella.”
“I know you didn’t. I...”
“Then stop talking to me,” Cat snapped.
“Sure,” Ella said, wiping away a tear from her cheek. How in the world am I going to fix this? I only wanted to protect her from the witch hunters. I know she can keep my secret. Why doesn’t she realize if I thought for one second I couldn’t trust her, then she still would be in the dark about my magic?
Cat shook her head and took a deep breath. She let it out slowly, then focused her gaze back on Artur. “You said there are four races on Sundara. Who are the other three?”
“There’s the Mer people, the Lamarans, and my people, the Takaryns. Like the Droskels, the Lamarans are shapeshifters. They can shift into enormous wolves.”
“What about your people, Artur?” Cat asked. “Are you shapeshifters as well?”
Artur smiled, flashing his gleaming white teeth, and chuckled. “No, we aren’t shapeshifters. We are born with a pair of beautiful white wings on our backs.”
“You’re Sundara’s angel race,” Cat said, giving Artur a beaming smile.
“Cat, what is an angel?”
“Angels are God’s messengers and some of them are also his warriors. They fight against all the evil the Devil throws at them. Kindness and a good heart define them. They also protect us from the Devil.”
Artur sat back on the towel, lifted his hand, and rubbed his jaw. “This devil you speak of. What’s their story?”
“Well, the Devil is a fallen angel. He created demons so that one day he can wage war against God over Heaven,” Cat answered.
“Why did this angel fall?”
“I’m not one hundred percent sure. There are many stories that all say different things,” Cat said, shrugging her shoulders.
“What’s wrong, Artur?” Ella noticed Artur’s paling complection.
“I find it strange how much we Takaryns match the story of your devil. I suppose our redeeming quality is that a large portion of us are members of the Guardians. We are the protectors over all of Torlana.”
“What’s that?”
Artur lifted his gaze and nodded toward her. “Perhaps Ella Should tell you, Cat. She knows this part of my story.”
“I disagree,” Cat said. “I want to hear the story from you.”
“Very well,” Artur said, sighing. “As I explained to Ella,Torlana is a system of planets within this galaxy all connected to each other by portals. That is how I arrived here.”
“That’s amazing. You said Takaryns are born with wings, but I don’t see yours. Are they currently retracted into your back?” Cat leaned forward, craning her neck.
“No, we have no reason to hide our wings from one another. So we never developed an ability to shield them from mortals,” Artur said, glancing at her then refocusing on Cat.
Cat gasped and shook her head. “You cut them off? Why?”
Artur glanced at her again, but this time, he locked his eyes with hers. A shiver rippled down her spine from the intensity of his gaze. She couldn’t deny that she found him cute, but Ella knew nothing would ever come of it. He was a Takaryn, and she was a human. How would it even work? Nope, I shouldn’t even go there, because it won’t work out between us. Ella paused, blinked her eyes, and shook her head. There is no us. Why did that thought even cross my mind? I need to focus on helping Artur return home.
“I... we had to...,” Artur said, focusing again on Cat.
“Wait a damn minute,” Cat said, spinning around toward her." You cut off Artur’s wings!"
“I did, but I didn’t enjoy doing it,” Ella said, defending herself.
“If you didn’t enjoy doing it, then why did you do it?“
“I had to, Cat. Endak shattered his wings beyond repair, and they were poisoning him.”
“How?”
“Just like a human heart pumps blood and oxygen through our bodies, a Takaryn heart does the same. The difference between his and our hearts is their locations. His heart isn’t in his chest. It’s in his wings. Or his wings are his heart? The point is, his shattered wings began pumping poison through his body instead of his blood.”
“So, the only way to save his life was for you to cut off his wings?”
“Yes,” Ella answered, nodding.
Cat nodded, her eyes clouded over as she turned back toward Arter. “You said you came here through a portal. Since you arrived with shattered wings, my guess is you didn’t come willingly.”
“No, I didn’t. Endak sent me here hoping I’d die and with my death, knowledge of his treachery would die with me.”
“Who’s Endak?” Cat frowned, sitting forward.
“He’s a rogue Lamaran who I believe has made a pact with the Dark Goddess Seraphina.”
“You mentioned her and Kelaryn before. But why is Seraphina the Dark Goddess?” Ella leaned forward, risking a glance at Cat before refocusing her attention on Artur.
“Legend says Seraphina fell in love with a god from another galaxy, but he loved Kelaryn.”
“Seraphina got jealous,” Cat said.
“She did,” Artur said, sighing. “It was because of her jealousy that the first destroyer of worlds came into being.”
“She created the first black hole? How?” Cat glanced over at her after she placed her hand on her shoulder.
“Seraphina’s galaxy died soon after she created it,” Artur said. “The Great Mother tasked the gods and goddesses to fill her barren universe with life. Once this task was complete, they were to return to their own God’s realm to rest and watch over their thriving creations. Kelaryn showed pity for her sister and allowed her to create a planet connected to the Torlana portal system.
“Something tells me what she created wasn’t a nice place,” Ella said, rubbing Cat’s back.
“It’s not. Seraphina intended it to be Kelaryn's eternal prison, but her plan was foiled. Instead, the Forbidden realm is Seraphina’s eternal prison. But Kelaryn still isn’t in the God’s realm.”
Ella’s heart pounded in her chest while wave after wave of dread washed over her. “Where is she?”
“Seraphina trapped her on Elmlorra right before she launched her all out attack on Sundara. She was defeated, but she will return when both her Nagaro army and her own power have returned to full strength. I must return to Sundara and warn the other Guardians of what I’ve discovered. The fate of not only this world, but all the worlds of Torlana are at stake. Will you help me before all is lost?”
Chapter Five: Endak
Endak sat on some stacked rocks that rested a mile east of his den. Anger rolled off of him in waves as he stared out across the valley. He’d spent yet another day trying to convince the newly crowned alpha that his ideas would benefit all Lamarans. The boy had all but dismissed him with the normal ‘I’ll take it under advisement.’ This usually translated into ‘I love your ideas, but I’m claiming them as my own.’
A snarl rippled through his chest as a dark cloud slipped in front of the sun, and a streak of lightning flashed across the sky. He’d once been a part of Drast, the most powerful pack within the Lamaran lands. For an immeasurable amount of time, the four packs lived in harmony, with no alpha control lording over them. Until the Ashar pack landed on their shores.
The day had finally arrived for him to take his rightful place as the alpha of the Drast pack. He’d grown up knowing only privilege and power. The Drast pack was all but considered the mast alphas, and he was their prince. He longed for the grand palace his forefather had built. The other packs considered the palace a gift for all the pack alphas, but he knew better. It was his palace by birthright, and no other alpha would take it from him.
“Are you ready to take your coronation, my son?”
“I was born ready, Mother. I don’t care what the other packs have decreed. It is time for our pack to reign supreme, not some foreigner pack.”
“Be careful, my son. Such words will be treasonous to the other alphas.”
“I am the alpha prince! What will any of them do to me?”
“In name only, Endak. I don’t want you ending up like your brother and father.”
“I swear I will avenge them, Mother.”
He sought revenge on them, but ultimately, they emerged victorious over him. The other packs betrayed their prince and sided with the foreigners, just like they did in the past. Even though his father and brother lost their lives, they kept the Ashar pack out of their lands. He’d escaped banishment before because he was too young to be a rogue Lamaran, but he hadn’t been so lucky this time.
Five solar cycles had passed since the day they made him a rogue, and his thirst for revenge burned red hot in his chest. A slight movement off to his right drew his attention. A young Lamaran female stood at the base of his throne. He narrowed his eyes at her and leaped down in front of her. He took one step toward her, grabbed a fistful of hair, and yanked her head toward him. Endak glared down at her as she trembled in his firm grip.
“Why are you disturbing me, woman?”
“I’m sorry, Endak, but there is a messenger here to see you,” she said, her voice shaking just as bad as her body.
“Why was I not informed the moment the messenger first appeared?”
“No one saw her until she was already inside the den.”
Endak growled low in his throat as he shoved her away from him. He’d deal with his sentries’ incompetence after he dealt with this messenger. He made his way through the intricate tunnels, wondering why the alpha sent a female messenger instead of a male? As he reached the center of the den, it became apparent the alpha did not send the messenger.
The female before him was no Lamaran. She wasn’t even from Sundara. He glared at her long, greasy hair, her pale milky white colored skin, and sharp claws at the end of the fingers. She stood out among the dark tanned members of his pack, but he pushed aside the comparisons and cleared his throat.
The Nagaro messenger turned her head toward him, focusing her liquid silver eyes on him. She gave him a sneering smile that grotesquely stretched her mouth, revealing all of her sharp, jagged teeth. He fought his fear response, but instantly recognized her as she took a step toward him. He bowed his head low and placed his left fist over his heart.
“I bid you welcome to my home. You must be thirsty after such a long journey from Devaca, Nyska.”
“I have not come here to be welcomed or have gifts showered upon me, Endak,” Nyska snapped.
Endak slowly lowered his clenched fist and lifted his head. “Then why have you traveled here, and how did you sneak past all the Guardians?”
