Time Cursed

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  Marika stared at the scene in the viewing pool. It had been 10 months since Diokles has cursed that whelp and each shift brought Marika a sense of joy. Arlana suffered in each shift. Sometimes it was minor like in Italy other times it was severe like when she was thrown into the volcano on that crazy little island in the Pacific. So many lives she had shifted. Marika wasn’t sure how it was that Cole would find her so quickly but surprisingly enough it was never in time. She reveled in his suffering. For centuries she tried to get him to come to her bed and she felt that this pain he was suffering was deserved for rejecting her. Sophia and her legacy were a bane in Marika’s existence. Thankfully Avalynn was nothing like her mother. Her shunning her sister so easily showed that she was Marika’s daughter and not Sophia’s.

  Marika left the viewing room and quietly closed the door behind her. She walked towards the door of Diokles’ study when she heard heavy footsteps in the hall outside. She paused holding her breath. The doorknob began to turn. Marika gathered her wits and looked around her. She saw the settee and went towards it removing her dress. Hopefully Diokles would not find this too out of character for her.

  The door opened as she lay on the settee. She could not see the door from where she was laying but kept her poise. She posed in the sexiest position she could think of. “Diokles, sir, um, are you here?” She heard a masculine voice say.

  Marika’s eyes widened. What was she going to do? She was laying here with nothing but flimsy lingerie on. She took a deep breath and sat up. Expecting to see one of the guard she was surprised to see Kellam. He hadn’t seen her yet as he was facing the desk. She quietly reached for her dress and as she grabbed it she heard Kellam say with a smirk “Well, Marika, this is a first. I didn’t know that you and Diokles were so kinky.”

  Marika tried to find the top of her dress so she could put it back on. “Kellam, are you in Dad’s study? Did you find him?” Marika heard Avalynn call out.

  Just as she put her dress over her head Avalynn walked in. “There you are Kellam darling, I was…Mother? Kellam? What are you two doing?” Avalynn said gasping in shock.

  Kellam looked at Avalynn with the same smirk. “It is not what you think Ava, your Mother was going to surprise your father I think. Poor thing got stuck with me. Ha-ha it is a little funny how close our family has gotten since, uh, your birthday.” Kellam said a little awkwardly.

  “I told you not to call me that! Mother have some decency please! If you want father to notice you then perhaps you should have been nicer to him when he banished Cole! Kellam, let’s go I need to get away from these crazy people.” She turned and stormed out.

  Marika and Kellam looked at each other quizzically. “What was that about Kellam?” Marika asked.

  “I accidentally called her Ava. She hates being reminded of Arlana. I can’t tell if she misses her sister or hates her sister. Sorry about that Marika, but she does have a point. What if one of the servants walked in? If you are having problems with Diokles maybe you should just talk to him.

  “Don’t you have someone to chase after?” Marika stated trying to control her rage at Kellam’s statement.

  Ever since Arlana’s banishment Avalynn had been moody and Kellam sarcastic. Marika worried but as long as the wedding took place after Avalynn’s eighteenth birthday then everything would be fine.

  Kellam left the study and turned towards Avalynn’s room. He paused. The ten months had been too much for him. Avalynn’s guilt for what happened to her sister was pushing a wedge between them. Avalynn had come to believe that they had wronged Arlana. She had been reading books she found in Diokles’ study and seemed to believe that Arlana was unique and naturally immortal. Kellam always believed in Arlana’s innocence and it pained him to know that Cole was the only one that could save her. More than once he tried sneaking off to find her but he discovered that no one was allowed to travel to the time period she was residing in. She was the only one that could help him understand what was happening to her sister. Kellam loved both sisters equally and was troubled by this. Until the immortality elixir his survival was dependent on Marika’s good graces but now it didn’t matter. He loved Avalynn but Arlana held a special part of his heart. She always accepted him for who he was. He never had to pretend around her. She would have defended him on anything and he had to get her back. He needed her back for him and for Avalynn’s sake.