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

that O’Dell was dead, Shannon got the idea to bring the Time Bandit Program back. Only, we’d use it on ourselves, much like you did in the Crusade. We sent ourselves back in time.”
“You went back in time, saved O’Dell, got yourself banged up pretty bad, obviously won the Wars for Power and went on your merry way.” Aaron spoke up sarcastically.
“In a word, yes.” Shane was uncomfortable, memories reeling of the Wars and Crusades.
“How does that apply here, and what does Celeste Moondancer have to do with anything?” Ariana wondered.
“When we went back in time to what we now called the second War for Power, or the First Crusade, I was hit pretty bad. I already told you about my experience with the Silver Magic.” Shane announced.
“Dixilynne used it to heal your mind from a Djinn attack.” Aimee announced. “So?”
“While I was being healed, I was vulnerable.” Shane said. “So vulnerable, I was hit by a poison arrow shot by a Warrior.”
Luna gasped. “Oh, Shane! I never knew!”
“Of course not.” Shane hugged her, kissing her lips. “The poison ran through by bloodstream quick as anything. In seconds, I was out. When I opened my eyes, I saw a woman sucking on a man’s wrist. Another man was above the first one, letting the first one suck his wrist.”
“Let me guess. The woman was Celeste Moondancer?”
“She was Celeste, yes, but she hadn’t married Chase yet.” Shane explained.
“Well, who were the guys?” Aimee was excited, interested in Shane’s story.
“The first was her brother Daniel. The other Ramon.” Shane said. “When she felt me wake, which I know she felt it, she sent her brother and Ramon away. She asked me how I felt, to which I nodded, staring. She didn’t deny what I saw. Celeste introduced herself and told me the truth. She was an Apprentice-Dweller. The Apprentices were the healers to the many Dweller kin-clans. She and her brother Daniel were the last of them. They live in the Dragon Nations during the daylight hours, when the Dwellers had to rest.”
“Are you telling me these Dwellers are vampires?” Aaron was incredulous.
“Yes and no. They drink blood, yes, but they don’t kill. They only hunt, as a wolf would.”
Ariana gasped this time. “Red Wolf.”
“So you knew?”
“Just about him and his family, yes.” Ariana nodded. “Wolf told me, and so did Celeste.”
“What do they hunt, if they don’t kill?” Aaron asked. “I mean, what’s the point?”
“You see, Aaron.” Ariana began. “Dwellers hunt in the night for their turned kin, who they call Stalkers.”
Aaron shut up, turning his attention back to Shane.
Shane folded his arms. “If I may continue?”
Ariana smiled, making him smile. “Certainly.”
“Anyway, they live in this world at night, in the country of Romania.”
“What were these Dwellers doing in the Dream Realm?” Derrick asked.
“They were helping in the Wars for Power both time-frames.” Shane supplied. “In the first, a lot of their clans died defending O’Dell. In the second, where the Crusaders got involved, they wanted to stop it from happening. So, they helped. Celeste helped by both healing me and telling me something in confidence that would change the way I fought.”
“What did she tell you, Shane?” Ariana’s voice was soft.
“His children are like you – Ancient Mystics.” Shane said.
“We knew that already.” Aimee announced.
“That’s not all, Amethyst.” Shane spoke louder. “They would ultimately have their revenge on us all. They could very well repeat their father’s actions, or worse, finish what he started.”
“Havens forbid history repeat itself.” Aaron said. Aimee nodded.
“If we don’t do something soon, it very well could.” Shane replied. “The Apprentice told me the Grand Shamus had a vision. We can’t let history repeat itself. I will not lose any of you in another senseless war.”
Luna hugged her husband. “You won’t lose us that way because we’ll never let that happen.”
“We’ve gotten this far, haven’t we?” Derrick pat him on the arm.
“We’re Crusaders.” Aaron announced. “We can handle anything that comes our way.”
Ariana had to speak up. “We almost couldn’t handle a Djinn that took over Kelly last week.”
Aaron stared at Ariana. “Why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve helped Exorcize it!”
Ariana shook her head. “I didn’t want to worry you.”
“We were working with some powerful magic.” Derrick defended his wife.
“Are you forgetting I know this stuff, too?” Aaron was outraged. He stood up and practically jumped down their throats for their mistake. “She’s my daughter, for Goddess sake! The least you could have done was told me about it!”
With that, he turned and huffed away. Ariana moved to follow him, but Derrick held her. “Leave him be. He’ll cool off on his own.”
Ariana looked pleadingly to Aimee, who was giving her the evil-eye.
She stood up as well, and she wasn’t smiling. “Don’t Amethyst me, Ariana Moon! You never tell him anything until it’s too late. Now if you all excuse me, I have to talk to my brother.”
She stood and raced off after Aaron.
Ariana stood and headed into the house with the baby in her arms. The three of them followed, worried. Shane and Luna stayed behind while Derrick followed her to the nursery.
Derrick stood at the door, waiting as she put him down for a nap. She stood over the crib, silent. He felt something hot on his chest and remembered the Pendant-Locket. He grasped it and closed his eyes.

In his mind, he saw a door. He turned the knob and found it was locked.
Come on, Love, open yourself up to me. Don’t retreat inside yourself, just because of him. We couldn’t tell him because it wasn’t our story to tell. Come back to me, Love. Come back to your sister, Luna. Come back to Shane, and the kids. All of them. Please, Ariana Moon Reading, come back to your family.
He heard a click, then the door disappeared. In its place, there she stood. Blond hair, silver-blue eyes, and dressed in her Guardian’s Gown that reminded him she was his angel.

He opened his eyes, keeping that image in both their minds, holding it in hers. As he took her in his arms in his mind, he did so in reality.
“I’m just so drained, Derrick.” Ariana sobbed. “So much has happened in such a short time. I don’t think I can handle it.”
Derrick sighed, kissing her forehead. “I know, Love. I know. I’m here for you. I’ll do anything I can to make sure you’re happy, you know that. Right now though, I believe Shane has some other explaining to do.”
“About last week?”
Derrick nodded. “Come on, let’s go back.”
When Derrick met Luna’s eye, she looked to her sister. “Is she okay?”
“She will be, after we find out what else you have to say, Shane.”
The couple sat on the love seat. Shane was sitting in the armchair, watching in silence.
“You’re right, Derrick. I do have something else to say.” Shane began. “The kind of Mind-dweller that attacked Kelly was called a Horde.” Shane said. “It serves to confuse the mind and feast on energies, magical and non-magical. The only thing that sets them apart from other Mind-dwellers is with each person they feed upon, they keep the essence of memories with them, confusing their next victim.”
“Why would Sabrina send one of these Hordes after Kelly?” Ariana asked. “She’s but a child.”
“A magical child no less. The Enchanted Child of the Dream Realm.” Shane supplied. “My guess is she wanted to get to us.”
“To me.” Luna corrected.
“Through Kelly.” Shane announced. He began to pace. “Ever notice when one of us is hurt or in need of help, the rest of us come running?”
“It’s part of the Crusader Oath.” Ariana reminded him.
“In a way, yes.” Shane replied. “It’s a basic concept. Strength in numbers. Get us alone, we have our own ways of fighting. Get us together, we have each other to lean on, strengthening the bond and combining fighting styles.”
“Wouldn’t that confuse them?” Luna asked.
“Never Sabrina.” Ariana supplied to her sister. “Obviously, we can’t beat her. She just keeps coming back for more. So, what do we do about her?”
“Keep fighting her.” Luna suggested, shrugging.
“With every fight, she gets smarter and stronger.” Derrick said.
“With every fight,” Shane smiled at his partner, “so do we.”
The smile on Shane’s face was one they all understood. The battle was on.
Chapter
Omri of the Djinn

In another part of the vast dimensions of space and time, the Djinn god Omri scowled at the Horde Mind-dweller in front of him. By the look on Omri’s face, Horde Hallows could tell his god was not happy.
“Explain, Horde Hallows.” Omri demanded. “Now.”
Hallows opened his mouth to speak, but the sound would not come. He tapped his throat, giving Omri a pleading look.
“No voice.” Omri sighed. “Very well, hold still. I will get your memories for myself.”
Omri touched Hallows’ head, the energy from the Hordes’ mind was surged out of him like an electric current. Omri closed his eyes and listened to dead air, recalling the memories Hallows had in his mind. Dropping his hand from Hallows’s head, he announced. “The Maiden Sabrina called you, setting you free upon an Ancient Mystic Child. You were to feed on her sanity until the trap was set. Once set, a former Crusader of O’Dell’s thinks of a spell and calls it, returning you to me. Is that correct?”
Hallows could only nod.
“Did you give yourself away?”
Hallows shook his head. Once Omri gave him a mean glare, he nodded slowly.
“Do you know what Sabrina plans against them?”
Hallows nodded, touching his temple.
Again, Omri used his energy-stealing magic to read the memories. “For years, Sabrina has wanted Young Guardian’s power, but the Grand Magus?” He turned to the Horde. “You tried your best, but Shadow was definitely better. Have you learned your lesson?”
Hallows nodded ecstatically.
Omri smiled, waving an arm. “You may leave.”
With a last tight nod, the Horde Hallows was gone.
“Time to see Master Orthos about my payment.” Omri clapped his hands and disappeared for the Unknown.
After listening to Omri’s demands, Master Orthos was the one who wasn’t happy.
“You want to what?!?”
“I want free reign over the Earthbound Ancient Mystics.”
“Never!” Orthos fumed. “The Ancient Mystics are mine!”
“Consider it payment for my prior services.”
Orthos thought it over. “What will you do to them?”
“What you have tried to do for centuries.” Omri announced. “I will destroy them.”
“They have Magic! They have combined powers of Young Guardian and her Crusader family.” Orthos said. “They have the Shadow! How are you able to destroy such a powerful force?”
“Horde Hallows has told me about this Shadow person.” Omri said. “Every mortal has his weaknesses.”
“Very well, I give you free reign over the Earthbound Ancient Mystics.” Orthos sighed. “Do whatever you want with them; just leave the destruction of them to me.”
“As you wish, Master Orthos.” Omri clapped his hands and disappeared.

II

The first Earthbound Ancient Mystic he went for was the one who was at her weakest. Omri watched from the sidelines, learning about his prey before his attack. Already, Ariana Reading’s mind was in conflict. Should she go to Aaron, her longtime friend and loving confidant, or leave it until his temper cooled, and forget the whole thing?
Omri stood in silence, watching from the furthest corner of her room.
A young woman walked in the room after knocking only once. She had black hair and grey eyes. She was pretty, yet not important to the task.
“Mrs. Reading, please. Care for your children.” She begged.