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

she not?” O’Dell asked in her ear.
“For now, yes. What of when they live together?” Enchantra asked him. “Will they bicker as they once did so long ago, or will they rule the Kingdom with royal airs?”
“Have faith, Chantie.” O’Dell kidded. “Your sister is cut from the same thread you are. She will rule with flair of her own, just as Sibylline and Jezebel do now.”
Enchantra sighed. “I suppose you are right, my love.” She looked up into his bright blue eyes, and the spark of his romantic touch thrilled her thoughts. “Let us join them inside.”
O’Dell smiled, leading his long-time love inside the Ancient Mystic Palace.
Chapter:
Panther’s Sister

The young woman walked the long sidewalks of the Rich District. Paper in hand, she watched for the right address. She looked back down at the newspaper clipping, reading it again for the hundredth time.

Mark Samuel Grey, adopted brother to Caroline Parker, died today in the Hill View Cemetery at the age of eighteen. Loved ones left behind include the Readings and the Parkers, both of prominent families in the Rich District.

It was dated for eight years ago, and she kept it the entire time. Now that she had no one to turn to, she hoped to find the families her brother befriended, and learn more about him through them.
She looked up, taking a breath once she stopped in front of a massive house. She gulped, ready for anything. She walked up the stairs to the door and rang the bell.
When it opened, she saw a young man. He didn’t even look fourteen, if that.
“May I help you, miss?”
“My name is Juliet Grey. I was hoping to find someone who knew my brother, Mark.”
The young man was confused. “Wait here. I’ll get Mrs. Reading.”
When he returned, he brought with him a young pregnant woman. She had reddish-blond hair and strange-colored eyes. Silver frames accented the silver in them, and Juliet was amazed at her youthful beauty. Mrs. Reading didn’t look a day over nineteen.
“I’m Mrs. Reading.” She announced. “You claim to be Mark’s sister?”
“Yes, Ma’am. I am, or was.” Juliet supplied. “May I come inside?”
“Certainly.” Mrs. Reading led her to the dining room. “You’ll have to excuse me. This pregnancy is getting to me.” She turned to the boy who’d greeted Juliet at the door. “Bradley, why don’t you get our guest something to drink? Would you like that?”
Juliet nodded, smiling shyly. “Yes, thank you.”
“Sure thing, Mrs. R. You just sit tight and I’ll be right back.” Bradley left on that.
“That’s Bradley, my stepson. He’s a real gem, helping me with things around the house.” Mrs. Reading supplied.
“I see he cares about you.” Juliet replied. “Reminds me of Mark a bit.”
“How did you know Mark?”
“I’m his younger sister.” Juliet supplied. “How do you?”
“I was one of his adopted sisters.” Mrs. Reading said. “I was there when he died.” She cleared her throat. “So, why is it no one ever knew about you until now?”
“I was adopted into my true family, shortly after Mark was adopted to the Parkers. I was only five, but I knew I’d never see him again.” Juliet said.
Bradley came in with a mug of coffee for Juliet and hot chocolate for Mrs. Reading.
“Thank you Bradley.”
“No problem. I’ll get back to babysitting now. See you later.” Bradley replied, kissing her cheek.
Juliet had to smile. “He’s sweet.”
“Don’t be fooled by his boyish charms.” Mrs. Reading laughed. “He gets himself in trouble more often than any other boy I know, and that includes my twin sons.”
“You have children, besides him?”
“I have four total.” Mrs. Reading told her. “Kelly, my oldest, is thirteen. Mark and Andrew are six, and Melody, my youngest before this one, is three.”
“Must be quite a handful?”
“It is, but I have Derrick to help me.”
“Derrick? As in, Derrick Reading?”
“You know him?” Mrs. Reading asked. “He’s my husband.”
“I used to have a crush on him in the Academy.” Juliet remarked. “Always so quiet and soft-spoken. It was like he was a mystery.”
“He still is.” Mrs. Reading said. She stared at Juliet’s eyes. It made her uncomfortable at first, but then she relaxed. Her eyes narrowed. “How old are you, Juliet?”
“Twenty-four.”
“How long have you known about Mark’s death?”
“For eight years, since I found out about it in the papers.”
Mrs. Reading looked away, sipping her hot chocolate and thinking.
“Is there something wrong, Mrs. Reading?”
Mrs. Reading looked up again. “Call be Ariana. No, I was just thinking about him, that’s all. Sorry to zone out on you.”
“That’s okay.” Juliet said. “Do you know where he’s buried?”
“The Parker family plot in Hill View Cemetery.” Ariana said, absently. She stood up. “How would you like to visit his grave site? I could tell you his story.”
There were footsteps coming from the den.
“You’re not going there anytime soon, Ariana Moon.” The women heard a voice. It was Derrick, Ariana’s husband and loving Earthly Protector. He’d come in the kitchen to greet them. After kissing Ariana on the lips and rubbing her enlarged belly, he said. “There’s no telling what the stress will do to you.”
“I can handle myself, love, you know it.” Ariana remarked. “And anyway, I won’t be alone. Juliet will be with me.”
“Juliet?”
Juliet cleared her throat. “Yes, me.”
He turned to face her.
“Juliet Grey? Is that you?” Derrick asked, grinning. He turned back to his wife. “Did she happen to tell you she –”
“Used to have a crush on you? I do believe she mentioned it, yes.” Ariana was teasing him. “Too bad. He’s mine now, and I’m not giving him up for the world.”
The trio laughed.
“You can at least wait until the baby’s born, can’t you?”
“This can’t wait, Derrick.” Juliet said. “I have to know what happened to Mark.”
“You mean to tell me Mark really was your older brother?” Derrick was incredulous. “And here I thought he was joking.”
“He told you about her, and you didn’t tell me?” Ariana asked, breaking from his embrace and folding her arms.
“I thought he was joking, love, honest.” Derrick said, pecking her on the cheek. “He told me about his younger sister Juliet. I compared his Juliet to the girl I went to school with who had the same last name.” Seeing Ariana was getting impatient and frowning, he added. “Besides, it was you I longed for and dreamed about, not her.”
“Gee, thanks.” Juliet tried to interrupt.
The couple looked at each other before looking back at her and chorusing. “Long story.”
“Well, I have plenty of time to hear it.” Juliet remarked. “I promise to look out for her, Derrick. I just have to know what happened to him. You know, how he lived, who he loved, how he died?”
“For the sake of family, my Love.” Ariana supplied softly, taking his hand and brushing it on her belly.
After a moment, Derrick huffed. “Very well, go, but be careful. If I hear of you going into early labor, you’re going to be in the hospital for more than the birth.”
Juliet kissed Derrick’s cheek. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”

II

The Maiden walked along the many grave stones, watching and waiting. She didn’t know how she got here, or even how to get back, but one thing was certain.
Sabrina was pissed.
It would seem she was Earthbound; only, this time, with no powers. The last time she was Earthbound, she gathered Young Guardian’s own enemies together to destroy her. When that didn’t work, she destroyed one of the Crusaders. It was during the Crusades, and she had pieces of the Dominionite Crystal in her possession.
She wondered what she was doing here, and why at this particular place. It was the same Cemetery she, her Dominionite Warriors and the Crusaders fought. Caroline Parker, Mrs. Helen Gertrude, and the creature once known as Gregory Paul (Sabrina called him Grand Psycho when they were alone) joined together against the Crusaders. The fun part was using one of Young Guardian’s own Oracle Children against her.
Too bad for her it didn’t work. Too bad for her Grand Psycho was on the other side. Too bad the Dominionite Crystal was returned to Lord Maximaniac in the Grey Area. Those segments were the only things giving her power in the Outer Realm.
Now what was she going to do?
She paused when she saw the name on a grave stone.
Mark Samuel Grey.
The one Crusader whose soul was pure enough to become a Companion in the Dream Realm. His body may have died, but not his heart and soul.
Sabrina frowned at the thought. He got away with hardly a scratch to his body. What a shame? All that power from the necklace gone to waste.
She looked around the Parker’s family plot, finding the one love Mark had in life buried right beside him. Bonnie Marie Parker; soon to become Marie Grey, mother of Destiny Grey, who was named after Young Guardian’s own destiny. So the rumors said, anyway.
When Sabrina made her way to the Jacobs family plot, she saw one name that still haunts her thoughts. Melody.
The famed and acclaimed Melody Anne Jacobs. According to Jezebel, Melody and her twin sister Elisabeth switched places on Melody’s death bed. The twins made a pact; to learn everything about the Ancient Mystic Magic, since their own mother denied them the knowledge. Through that pact, according to legend, Melody was bound to be reincarnated. Sure enough, her next life was that of another younger Ancient Mystic twin. She was now Angela Jacobs-Pritchard’s daughter, twin to Matthew Crawford, daughter of Jack Crawford. This second incarnation of Melody was more powerful, and taught much more before she graduated from high school.
Sabrina got an idea. Especially when she saw Angela’s grave near Melody Jacobs’.
Maybe she could take those powers and use them for her own?
How would she do it?
She never got to answer the question inside her mind. Instead, she heard rustling of leaves and crunching of sticks under footsteps. Quickly, Sabrina ran to hide, listening in wonder.
To her surprise, it was the Young Guardian herself – and she was helpless and pregnant! Sabrina didn’t know who the woman was that led her by the arm, but she was interested to know once they stopped at one of the stones in the Parker family plot.
Sabrina smiled. It was Mark’s gravestone they stood at. She just stood silent in hiding, listening with interest.

III

“This is where we buried him.” Ariana was telling Juliet. Her voice was soft and her empathy turned off. She felt the vibes of something not quite right, but ignored it, paying attention instead to the memories in her mind.
“What was he like?” Juliet asked.
“We could ask him ourselves.” Ariana grinned.
She knew using Magic in this place would be tiring; it always had been; but Juliet had to know. Somehow, Mark’s sister wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and Ariana knew it.
Juliet was confused, looking at Ariana’s face. She was still smiling. “How? He’s dead.”
“You’ll see.” Ariana supplied. She let go of Juliet’s arm and raised her own to the skies. She called a spell into the night air.

“Resurractum Brotanius Portum!
“I call the Gods to me and mine
“Bring back the soul to be with thine
“Familia Resurractum Gratiotous!”

There was a rumble in the ground that Juliet could feel. The air cooled as a wind made her hair beat in her face. The skies lit up with lightening, scaring Juliet to bits. She held onto Ariana to dear life, frightened of what was to come.