Elder

  “Yes,” she said breathlessly. His touch always did this to her. “I couldn’t wait to meet you.”

  “And now that you have?”

  “You’re everything I ever dreamed of and more. You know that by now. I love you, Harry.”

  He leaned down and kissed her. It was every bit as potent as the first time. She reached up with her left hand and wove her fingers through the soft hair at the nape of his neck. Her tongue pressed eagerly against his as he deepened the kiss. Bliss such as she had never envisioned coursed through her.

  Eventually, he pulled away from her. They both had to catch their breath. His eyes were dark with passion.

  “I love you, too, Angel.”

  Her heart soared. This wasn’t the first time he’d said it, but it never got old. She caressed the side of his face, enjoying the feel of stubble beneath her sensitive fingertips.

  “What will we tell Mrs. B?” he asked.

  She sighed. “We’ll have to tell her some form of the truth. She won’t see you again…at least, not in this form. She went through this nineteen years ago with my parents. She’ll understand.”

  “I’m worried about her,” he confessed.

  “I know,” she said. “Me, too.”

  They’d both observed how tired their guardian seemed lately. She had told them that she was retiring once they left for college in the fall. She’d been a foster parent for nearly forty years, ever since her beloved husband, Henry, was killed in the line of duty when she was twenty-eight. She’d been unable to have her own children, so she decided to raise those kids who needed a good home. But the time had come, she said, to hang up her hat.

  “She’s been going to the doctor more frequently,” he said, running his fingers through her hair. “She won’t tell me what they say.”

  “We’ll get some answers after we transition,” she promised. “We have contacts in the human medical field. My friend, Quincy, will probably be coming back here soon to harvest more souls. He usually transitions after the Kynzesti are born. I’ll ask him to look into it.”

  “Okay.”

  They sat in silence for a moment. Clara Kate rested her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. “We have to leave soon,” she said eventually. “Within a day or two.”

  “That soon?”

  She nodded. “There’s something going on. They wouldn’t tell me what, but we’re both needed right away.”

  “Wow.”

  “Yeah.” Lifting her head, she looked again at his lips, then caught his gaze. “Harry, when we transition…things might be different. We’ll both have responsibilities, and I’ll have my family around me every moment of the day. And, well…I’ve decided that I want our last bit of time here on this plane to be memorable.”

  He lifted a dark brow. “Memorable?”

  “Yeah.” She shifted and ran one hand slowly up his chest, following the lines of his well-toned midsection through his T-shirt. When he drew in a sharp breath, she smiled. “Memorable.”

  Before he could say anything else, she rose up and turned to face him, straddling his thighs. Then she kissed him, long and deep. His hands soon began to roam, causing unbelievable flares of pleasure.

  What she wanted was reckless. Foolish. Unlike anything she would normally do.

  But she wouldn’t be swayed.

  “I don’t—” he managed to say as she pulled away from his mouth and ran the tip of her tongue along his sensitive ear lobe. “I’m not prepared for—” he stopped again when she bit down lightly on his neck. Then she reached under his shirt, producing a tormented groan. “My wallet’s—in the house.”

  “Do you want this?” she asked, pulling back so she could catch his gaze.

  “Dear Lord, yes.”

  “So do I. This feels right, Harry. I haven’t ever, you know, menstruated.” She blushed after that confession, but purposefully ignored it. “I can’t get preg—”

  He reached up and gently touched her lips. “Thank you. I promise you, Angel…no matter what occurs when we transition to the other plane, I’ll never forget this moment. You’re everything to me. Whatever happens, we’ll always have each other.”

  Part I:

  PROMISES

  Promise [n. prom-is]: A declaration that something will or will not be done, given, etc. by one; an express assurance on which expectation is based: promises that an enemy will not win.

  Chapter 1

  “Clara Kate. Wake up, Clara Kate. C.K.?”

  Blinking away the memory that haunted her dreams, Clara Kate responded to the prodding of her cousin, Sophia, with a low moan. She’d only slept for a couple of hours. She felt like she needed to sleep for a couple of months.

  “It’s time to get up,” Sophia said, rubbing Clara Kate’s arm. “Tate and Ariana need us.”

  That had Clara Kate pushing herself into a sitting position and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She realized it was still hours before dawn. Her breath floated in a white vapor around her head as she tried to get her bearings.

  “Archigos Sebastian is preparing some food for everyone if you’re hungry,” Sophia said. She reached over and removed a dead leaf from Clara Kate’s hair. “And I’m sure we can get him to help you feel more…refreshed before we go.”

  “I look that good, huh?”

  “You look like you traveled almost three days without sleeping. Oh, wait. You did.”

  “Hah. Guess that explains this persistent headache,” Clara Kate said, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “It’s been nagging me.”

  “We’ve all pushed ourselves hard these past few days.” Sophia reached over and touched Clara Kate’s forehead with the back of her hand. “You do look a little pale. Maybe you should have Ini-herit—”

  “I’ll be fine,” Clara Kate interrupted. She offset her rudeness with a small smile. “I’m just exhausted. Using my abilities to imbue so many weapons and then fighting all of those Mercesti really took it out of me. The lack of sleep leading up to that sure didn’t help.”

  “Yeah.” Sophia lifted one corner of her mouth, but her eyes continued to reflect her concern. “Some food will probably help, too.”

  “Sure. I’ll get some in a minute. I’ve got to find a bit of privacy first.”

  “Okay.”

  Clara Kate got to her feet, fighting back a groan of discomfort. She seemed to hurt everywhere. She staggered as a wave of dizziness hit her. Sophia reached out and offered her a steadying hand.

  “Hey…I know we tease you about your lack of grace and all, but don’t go trying to earn extra credit,” Sophia joked. After a brief hesitation, she added in a quieter voice, “You know, Quincy could always do a little checkup, just to make sure—”

  “Thanks, Soph, but I’m really okay. I’ll join you shortly. Save a piece of bacon for me, okay?”

  Sophia nodded. “Sure.”

  A twinge of guilt struck Clara Kate as she watched Sophia turn and walk back to rejoin Quincy, who stood conversing with a number of other beings near a small campfire. The pair had only just avowed themselves to each other. It had been many years coming, even if the timing was odd, what with them in a race to save Tate and Ariana and recover the pieces of the Elder Scroll stolen by the Mercesti, Eirik.

  She was thrilled for Sophia and Quincy, though. They should be off celebrating, not dealing with all of this.

  Sighing, she moved deeper into the forest so she could attend to her personal needs. She made sure to stay where she could see some Waresti scouts through the trees. Their group had made camp within a thick forest not far from the ancient Estilorian library, which meant there was always a possibility that some of Eirik’s followers skulked about in hopes of taking one of them unawares. Clara Kate was far from defenseless, but after everything that had occurred over the past nine-plus weeks since she returned from the human plane, she knew all too well to expect the unexpected.

  Once she finished relieving her full bladder, she rose to cleanse her hands and face with a cloth Sebastian had
provided. Just standing up made her entire body hurt, including parts of her that had no business hurting. As she told Sophia, she was sure it was her extreme exhaustion that had worn her down.

  Her cousin’s concern was thoughtful, but Clara Kate knew that if Quincy did examine her and decided she needed treatment for her exhaustion, he would tell her to have Ini-herit heal her. That wasn’t an option. She truly couldn’t bear the thought of Ini-herit touching her.

  Even if he did have the power to heal, it wasn’t worth the pain of enduring a touch that was no longer filled with love for her, but with no feeling at all.

  From a discreet distance, Ini-herit watched Clara Kate collect herself and then make her way back to the center of camp. He followed, taking care to remain far enough from her that his surveillance would go unnoticed. Although he wasn’t sure why, he’d felt a powerful need to see to her safety ever since he met her. Maybe because he hadn’t even known her a few days before she had almost fallen off a cliff.

  Whatever the reason, he often found himself trailing after her like this. He was careful to keep his distance, having learned that she didn’t welcome his presence. Not understanding why, he’d asked her about it not so long ago.

  “Do you really want to know?” she had asked.

  He nodded. She had intrigued him from the moment he first saw her after his transition. He couldn’t say what it was, exactly. But her reaction upon meeting him for the first time had struck him as odd, and he caught her staring at him quite often.

  She had taken a deep breath and said, “Okay. We were in love on the human plane and you forgot me when you transitioned back.”

  He hadn’t known what to say. As if sensing that he wasn’t going to reply, she added, “So, since I’m still in love with you and you don’t know me at all, it’s been a bit awkward.”

  Awkward. He wasn’t sure what that meant. Still, he could acknowledge that he wished he hadn’t caused Clara Kate what was obviously negative feelings regarding him.

  Since then, she had done her best to avoid him. He hadn’t pressed her, not seeing any need. But he did allow himself to succumb to this strange compulsion to protect her.

  As he neared the group around the campfire, she glanced up and caught his gaze. The firelight reflected off her arresting features. He’d realized upon meeting her that she was a blend of her parents in appearance. Her shoulder-length brown hair had the wavy texture of her father’s. She also had his strong chin and lopsided grin. The dimple in her left cheek and her full, heart-shaped mouth mirrored her mother’s. But her compelling, deep blue-green eyes, accented by the deep blue-green estoile markings symbolizing her second power, were all her.

  Those eyes now reflected more of the negative emotion she held toward him as she quickly looked away. Sophia glanced between them and then reached out to link her arm with Clara Kate’s.

  “I sent scouts across the mainland to spread the word about Eirik,” said Derian, the leader of the Mercesti allies who had escorted Sophia to the library. His words rolled from him in what humans called a Scottish accent. “If anyone catches sight of him or Tate or Ariana, we will hear about it.”

  “Thank you,” Zachariah replied. The polite phrase was new for him. Ini-herit wondered if that had anything to do with his recent avowing to Clara Kate’s cousin, Tate. As if sensing his thoughts, Zachariah’s red gaze turned to him. “We have been studying your medallion, archigos. The map that Saraqael mentioned doesn’t make any sense to us.”

  Ini-herit had also studied the medallion that he had worn around his neck for as long as he could remember. Just after they lost Tate and Ariana in the library, a manifestation of Saraqael appeared before him, Zachariah, Sophia, Clara Kate, and Tate’s twin brother, Tiege. Saraqael had informed them all that they were among the eight beings required to activate the powerful Elder Scroll, news that Ini-herit hadn’t expected. He’d been one of the nine elders who created the scroll, after all, and they hadn’t intended for the elders to be the ones required to activate it. The line from the scroll that supposedly pertained to him did seem rather fitting, though.

  One with too much self-control.

  He looked again at Clara Kate, but she refused to meet his gaze. Then he glanced at the medallion, which rested in Zachariah’s hand. Saraqael had also revealed that the medallion bore a map to the last scroll piece. Although Ini-herit had hidden the piece many centuries ago, his memory of that experience had been erased for the safety of all Estilorians. Apparently, he had decided to keep a map to it. That map did little good, however, if it couldn’t be read.

  “I have not been able to remember anything about the map,” he said at last. “Have you reconnected yet with Tate so we can go in pursuit of her and Ariana?”

  He didn’t recognize the expression that passed briefly across the Mercesti’s face, but he knew that Zachariah’s responding, “No,” was issued in a quieter tone than he had previously used. Ini-herit realized that he had somehow upset the other male.

  “Ini-herit,” said the Orculesti elder, Malukali, “Knorbis and I would like to scan your memories. Perhaps with our combined efforts, we can uncover information about the map.”

  Seeing no reason to object, he responded, “Of course.”

  “Good.” Malukali waved at a nearby fallen tree. “Why don’t you come over here and sit?”

  Once he moved to comply, she and Knorbis stood on either side of him. The married couple had the most powerful mental abilities of any beings on the plane. If anyone had a chance to retrieve this particular memory, they did.

  “Try to relax,” Knorbis instructed as he and Malukali placed their hands on either side of his head. Dark green and dark purple light glowed as they exercised their powers. “Do your best to focus on the medallion. Try to visualize the symbols on it as well as the scroll piece. Maybe it will jar something loose.”

  Ini-herit nodded. But as he felt them invade his mind, his gaze wasn’t on the medallion. It was on Clara Kate.

  “I didn’t expect to have to hike up a mountain when you told me about this transition,” he said.

  They stood in a small clearing holding hands. The northern lights glowed in the sky above them. A light sheen of perspiration coated them both.

  She laughed. “If I had, you wouldn’t have come.”

  “Truer words were never spoken.”

  “Well, we’re here now. No harm, no foul.”

  “So you say.” He grinned. “All right. Now what?”

  “Now we’re going to transition. I’ll wait until you’re gone before I go. It’ll be quick and painless for you.”

  “That’s a relief. I’d hate to reach the other side and have you see me crying like a girl.”

  She gave him a light shove, but her lips curved into a smile. “Yeah, yeah.” Then her expression sobered. She took a deep breath. “Look, Harry—”

  “I’ve already promised you that I’ll get through this,” he interrupted. “I won’t forget. I’ll have your love to see me through.”

  Her smile wavered, but she nodded. “Okay.”

  “Might as well have a grand send-off, though,” he said.

  He pulled her close and kissed her. Then he kissed her again. When he finally parted from her, he reached up and brushed her hair away from her face. The look in her eyes had his heart dancing a jig in his chest. He smiled, sensing the time to transition had come.

  Taking her hands in his, he asked, “You said the most significant way that Estilorians can bond is through an avowing, right?”

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Okay. Then here’s my other promise to you: the first chance we have when we get to the other plane, I’ll avow with you.”

  Returning from the memory, Ini-herit glanced around at everyone staring down at him. The green and purple light faded. When he looked up, he saw Malukali and Knorbis exchange glances over his head.

  “Did you find out anything about the map?” Quincy asked.

  “No,” Malukali replied, shifting
her gaze to Ini-herit. “I’m afraid not.”

  “Why don’t you try again?” Tiege pressed. He shared equal concern for his twin and the female Lekwuesti, and Ini-herit knew he was anxious to get to them.

  “Not right now,” he said, getting to his feet. “I need a moment to…recover.”

  Ini-herit turned and walked away from the group, the remnants of the uncovered memory swirling through his mind. There had been moments in that memory when he felt things that he’d never before experienced. Now, those feelings had lost all context.

  He knew only one thing for certain: he had failed to keep more than one promise to the female he had claimed to love.

  Chapter 2

  Metis had never had a taste for blood. Her single creation, Deimos, however, certainly had.

  She had been confident that she could surpass the efforts of her own creator, Tethys. After all, Tethys had conducted her experiments before the separation of the planes. Tethys’ goal had been to create a female Estilorian who could bear children, since she was abandoned by a human male because of her infertility. Metis was the result of her efforts.

  Well, Metis couldn’t bear children any more than the next full Estilorian female, but she could assume the forms of those she killed, as she’d discovered when she killed Tethys. Since then, she had assumed numerous forms.

  Her latest was the form of her own bloodthirsty creation. Deimos had been Metis’ attempt at generating life in a nontraditional way. Typically, Estilorians relied on a number of beings from different classes—Corgloresti, Gloresti, Orculesti and Scultresti—to perpetuate their kind. Metis, however, had decided to assume a few of these roles in her own effort to create life. It hadn’t worked out very well. In the end, Deimos had been far from stable. Still, she treasured him like a human would a pet. He was hers.

  Just hours ago, she had been forced to kill him. She needed his unusual ability to teleport. Since he had been near death anyway thanks to the wretched Lekwuesti, Ariana, Metis had finished the job and assumed his form and his abilities. She was fortunate that his talent transferred to her, as that wasn’t always the case.