Ancient Mystic's War of the Realms Saga - Lady Adellandra Dratianos (best detective novels of all time TXT) 📗

and Aimee’s had visions since our little run-in with Gloriana.” Aaron supplied. “This boy’s got potential for wild Unicorn Magic. It’s strong in him, couldn’t you feel it in your womb?”
“I felt the surge of power, but thought it were only me.” Ariana replied. “Why was he taken from me so early?”
“You were thought in a coma.” Aaron responded, shrugging. “Of course, we knew better. You were patrolling – for a long, long time.”
Ariana sighed, placing her hand on her stomach. She raised her head to tell him what happened in their world. Aaron became silently angry. He stood, calm as anything, but his mind was reeling with thought.
“If I ever get my hands on Max, he’ll wish he’d never been crowned Lord of the Grey Area.” Aaron growled softly.
“Now, Aaron. Settle down.” Ariana responded, grasping his hand and holding it.
“Leave Max alone,” came Luna’s voice from the door.
To Ariana’s surprise, no doubt. She promptly let go of Aaron’s hand, turning away from his sad eyes.
“Don’t be surprised, big sister.” Luna replied with a wink and a grin as she made her way to the bed. Logan was in her arms and Melody lagged behind her. “I’ll always be here to tease you.”
“Why didn’t I sense you?” Ariana asked her twin. Silent Melody, looking a lot better since her little ordeal, climbed on the bed and hugged her mother.
“Your sensors were on the fritz?” Luna asked. “I don’t know, but I promise we’ll look into it. Derrick’s coming this way with your new son in his arms. How do you feel?”
“Miserable.” Ariana commented, sneaking a glance at Aaron. Aaron quickly looked away, finding something else to stare at. Ariana sighed to herself.
Derrick came in smiling, his new son wrapped in a blanket and hooked up to an IV and numerous monitors. Aimee rolled in a portable bed, but the baby was in Derrick’s arms.
“Derrick!” Ariana breathed.
“Good to have you among the living.” Her husband joked, placing the baby in her arms. “Take a look at our new son.”
The baby’s eyes opened to greet hers. True to Aaron’s word, the eyes were green. One blink and they were silver-blue, not unlike Ariana’s own.
You’re tricky, little one. Ariana smiled, tracing a finger along the baby’s cheek so he smiled.
Unlike his older siblings, he couldn’t communicate with telepathy yet. Maybe that was reserved for when he thought himself ready? Ariana asked herself.
Also unlike his siblings, his eye color changed at will.
What kind of Magic do you hold, little one? Is the Unicorn Magic inside you? Ariana wondered, kissing his forehead.
“Isn’t he beautiful?” Derrick whispered, kissing her lips. “What will we name him?”
Ariana looked again at the infant, who was now sleeping. “I was thinking Ethan, but maybe not.”
“What about Theodore?” Aaron spoke up.
The couple had forgotten he was still in the room.
Aaron! Ariana scolded gently to him in her mind.
“After your grandfather.” Aaron quickly added. He looked her in the eyes and supplied in his mind. Not to mention me.
Ariana smiled up into her husband’s beautiful brown eyes. “Theodore Ethan Reading. Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”
Derrick kissed her. “Definitely.” He rose from his position over her. One hand on his Pendant and the other on his new son’s reddish-brown-haired head, he announced. “I dub thee Theodore Ethan Reading. By far the best of the bunch.”
“Daddy!” Kelly appeared from the doorway, dragging three identical-looking boys and her cousin Meredith behind her. Bradley took up the rear. She giggled. “Not in front of the little ones.”
“Yeah, you might hurt their feelings.” Shane Morehouse’s voice rang. He went up to Ariana’s bedside and placed a kiss on her cheek. “How are you feeling, sister?”
“Could be better.” Ariana replied. She handed the infant to Shane, who held him.
“He’s beautiful, Ariana.”
“Thank you.” Both Ariana and Derrick said at once.
“I wanna see the baby!” Andrew and Mark Antony cried together.
“Come over here, boys, but be careful.” Derrick supplied. “He’s still very little.”
“Littler than we were?” Andrew asked.
Ariana nodded. “Much. You two were monsters compared to your brother.”
“You’re still monsters.” Derrick teased his twin sons. Meredith and Caleb laughed. Logan and Melody shared smiles.
Melody was still sitting next to her mother on the opposite side of the baby. She reached over to touch little Theodore’s nose. Her twin brothers breathed over him, making her frown.
My brother! Melody sent to them, gently tapping a hand on Theodore’s chest.
“He’s ours, too, you know.” Kelly supplied.
“It’s starting already.” Derrick announced.
“What’s that?” Luna asked.
“Sibling rivalry.”
“Sorry to break it to you, Derrick, but that started the moment these meatheads were born.” Kelly supplied with a laugh, thumbing to the twins and Caleb.
Derrick could do nothing but shake his head and laugh.
“Everyone out!” They heard a nurse call.
To their genuine surprise, it was Anna, with Claudia behind her.
Derrick shook his head at his sisters-in-law. “Sorry, ladies, but I’m staying right here.”
“She needs her rest.” Claudia said.
“She needs me with her.” Derrick argued.
“I need everyone to stop arguing.” Ariana laughed. “It’s okay, Claud. I want him to stay. As for the rest of you; I’ll see you when I get out of here. I promise to let you spoil me rotten when I’m out.”
After wishing her good luck and get better, only Anna, Derrick, Aaron, and Kelly remained in the room with her.
“I want to stay with Theo.” Kelly supplied when the adults gave her dirty looks.
“Take her home, Aaron.” Ariana said aloud. Making sure Derrick couldn’t read her thoughts, she sent to Aaron. Tell her the truth, if she doesn’t know already.
Aaron nodded. “Come on, kid. Let’s go home.”
Kelly kissed her mother and hugged Derrick before waving goodbye.
Anna had been silent until she knew she was alone with them. She grinned. “Listen, you two, I have to take the little one back to the NICU. Visiting hours are long over.”
“If anyone has anything to say about it, I’ll just tell them who I am.”
“If they don’t know already.” Ariana added. “Thanks, Anna.”
“No problem, little sister. Get some rest, okay? The wound is going to heal in time, so careful with it.”
“Yes, Doc.” Ariana kidded.
Anna left the room with a grin and the baby in the roll-away crib.
When Ariana heard her husband sigh, she knew she was in for it. His voice was low and calm when he asked. “Did you want to tell me where you went, or should I ask Lord Guardian?”
Reluctantly, she told him. The story was becoming repetitious, but her Earthly Protector had to know. When she finished, she yawned.
“Don’t tell me you’re sleepy?” Derrick asked, astonished.
Ariana shrugged her shoulders. “Being me is hard work. With that bunch, I’ve got a splitting headache.”
“That goes without saying.” Derrick supplied, kissing her before leaving. “I love you, Dream Girl.”
“I love you too, Romeo.” She echoed, snuggling into her sheets.
Book II: Circle of Earthly Protectors

Part One:
Visions Lead to Understanding

Prologue:
The Apprentice’s Message

Shane Morehouse dreamed. He searched his Dream Realm for something, but he couldn’t find it. He didn’t even know what ‘it’ was. He decided to visit an old friend who might give him insight.

“So you’ve returned, Young Shadow.” The male voice boomed. “You search for answers to inquiries in your mind.”
“How did you know?”
The Apprentice laughed. “I know what happens in your world. Our Grand Shamus has a habit of letting us in on everything.”
Shane smiled. “Tell me, Apprentice. If you know what’s happening, then you know about the Silver Magic I sensed months ago.”
The Apprentice stepped away from his sharpening wheel, sheathing the sword he’d been sharpening. “Of course. You were healed by it, only to see it again years later. Have you told the Protector, yet?”
Shane was confused. “Who’s the Protector?”
“Young Derrick, of course!” The Apprentice supplied with a grin. “The only man strong enough to handle being Earthly Protector to the Young Guardian.”
“What about me? Aren’t I strong enough to be named Protector?”
“You have always been, and always will be the Shadow.” The Apprentice remarked. “Your charge is the Grand Magus. Together, you and the Protector have Magics unlike any other Earthly Protectors in the line, past or future.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s easy to see why each of you were chosen as their Protectors.” The Apprentice announced. “I chose you myself. You are strong, pure, brave fighters. The Protector is loyal and fair to the cause.”
The Apprentice cupped his hands to his mouth, blowing a gentle wind toward Shane. He could feel his dream-self changing as the Apprentice spoke.
“The Shadow is cunning, willing, honorable and just.” The Apprentice went on. “It is for that I give you these gifts. Don’t be afraid, Shadow. Use your instincts, search with not only your mind but your own magic.”
“I don’t have magic.” Shane supplied, looking down to find a black leather cloak covering his body. The Protector’s Pendant around his neck was glowing gold and his dream locket was buzzing. Feeling at his back, he found a sword of his own. He reached behind and drew it, staring at it in wonder. The blade was his arm’s length, his hand grasping a black hilt that moved in his palm to fit his grip. The jewel in the pommel was the opal stone, sparkling in the Dream Realm sunlight.
“You do now. What do you think?” The Apprentice startled him out of his daze.
“Uh, I don’t know what to say.” Shane sheathed the sword in the scabbard on his back. He took the hood off his head, settling it on his shoulders.
“Say thank you.” The Apprentice remarked with a grin. “You earned it.”
“I have?”
The Apprentice’s smile turned serious. “Not fully, yet, but the Shamus and I thought you should have these now. You’ll need them.”
Shane studied the Apprentice’s face before he turned away from him. “You know what’s going to happen, don’t you?”
“Don’t you?” The Apprentice asked. “Doesn’t the Grand Magus?”
“She senses things, as any Ancient Mystic does, but she’s afraid of it.”
“The Empathy. Yes, I know of that fear.” The Apprentice supplied. “Be forewarned now, Shadow. Shane. The twins will be in desperate danger if they don’t curve their fears. Learn from the past, and fight heartily.”
“What is there to fight?”
“Never you mind for now. You know the Shamus’s visions as well as I. Tell the twins first, and go from there.”
“Tell them what?”
“The past, Shadow. Tell the twins about the Crusades; what really happened.”
“I can’t.”
“You must.” The Apprentice was adamant. “They have to know what you do.”
“I told you, I can’t!” Shane cried. He could feel the Pendant around his neck growing hot with his anger. His voice calmed, as did his demeanor. “I was sworn to secrecy. The Shadow never breaks his word.”
The Apprentice was getting angry. “Listen, Shadow. Listen and understand. They must learn that Silver Magic, just as their Protectors must learn the Magic in the Pendants. That’s what I gave them to you for. To learn and use against all evils.”
“What evils?” Shane asked. “There’s never been a true evil us Crusaders couldn’t handle.”
“Crusaders will not be enough in this battle, Shadow.” The Apprentice supplied. “Remember the past and learn from it.”
Suddenly, something clicked in Shane’s mind. “History’s gonna repeat itself, isn’t it?”
“In a way, yes. I can’t say exactly.” The Apprentice announced softly. “Go see Sire Stargazer. He’ll tell you more.”
Shane was afraid once the Apprentice disappeared from sight. He was twice as afraid once he found the