Book 3
Blurb:
She never wanted to be Indiana Jones.
Luna’s been living her life with two things on her
mind. First was the quest she stumbled upon and couldn’t put behind her. The
second was the sexy male that came and went randomly from her life. If she
could get a handle on them, maybe she could survive what was threatening to
kill her.
Storm lived to take care of his family until the beautiful
moon-goddess rang his doorbell. Now she’s offering him the chance of a
lifetime. The stakes are life and death, but if they win, he may end up with
her.
The clock is ticking, and another entity has come out to play. The closer they come to finishing the quest, the more death stalks them. One more corner to turn, then there’s nothing left to do except live or die.
Chapter One
“There has been no progress.” A pair of ghostly
eyes stared at the male at the opposite end of the table.
“I’m working on it. If I knew what you were
looking for and approximately where it was, I’d find it sooner.”
“I’m looking for the ‘Rite of the throne of
Hadley.’ It is on the earth.”
Rodek rolled his eyes but said nothing. No one
knew what the ‘Rite of the throne of Hadley’ looked like. Most people
considered it a fairy tale, but not Darque. He believed it was out there.
“The Dream Hunters have stopped every entity I
sent.”
“Do you want to say that again?” The temperature
in the room dropped twenty degrees.
Rodek shivered. It was impressive when you
realized that Darque wasn’t in the room. He was shadow casting.
“I want the Rite to the throne. If you can’t get
the job done, then I will replace you. Kill the Dream Weavers but get me what I
want.”
The room went silent as the temperature climbed,
and he waited to make sure that Darque wasn’t coming back.
“You heard what he said,” Rodek turned to the
entity on his left, ignoring the one on his right. “I want the Rite to the throne
of Hadley and a dead Dream Weaver or two.”
The entities disappeared as Rodek thought of
retirement. There was a pleasure planet. He could live the rest of his days out
in peace. The issue being there was no end to his days.
*~*~*~*
Storm stood outside his house with the wind tearing
at his clothes. The duster he wore was long and out of date as it flapped
around his legs. He swayed as the night sky got darker, thunder and lightning
were crashing in the distance. A bolt of lightning lit up the sky. It came
straight for him, striking him in the chest, knocking him down. When he opened
his eyes, his entire life changed.
*~*~*~*
There was a knock on the heavy door that
reverberated through the entire castle.
“Sire, we have one of them, we caught her.” The voice spoke with a deep masculine lilt,
obviously happy with the work of the day. The door opened to show a male on the
throne. He was arrayed in breathtaking robes with jet black hair that hung past
his shoulders and eyes his subjects refused to look into less they perish.
“Sire,” one of his guards said. “We found her.”
They tossed the female into the room. She appeared wrapped in rags and not much
else. “She was on the far side of the kingdom where she thought we wouldn’t see
her. She wore nothing under the moonlit sky. Her naked body undulated as if it
were a snake giving praise to a rock in the sky.”
“You found her display disgusting?” Those eyes
looked over the guard, noting he would not look back.
“Yes, my sire.”
“Did she dance around a fire?”
“No, she had a moonstone with her. I left it
knowing better than to touch one as I am not an initiate of that cult.”
“There is power deep within her. Still, you find her
disgusting. Were you displeased that she took enough pride in who she was to
show her body? Or were you displeased by your reaction to it?”
“Sire,” the male fell to his knees while everyone
else bowed their head.
“You may all leave. Close the rooms for the night.
If anything else is needed, I will call for it. Have the cook bring me a trench
of food, only bread, cheese, and fruits. Along with two glasses of my finest
wine.” He looked up to find them still on the floor, cowering before him. “Be
gone!” They scrambled out.
“A siren of the moon in my woods. I have not had
the pleasure in all the years I have lived here. The last siren died by the hand
of the liege who ruled.”
“He paid for that mistake with the rest of his
days.”
The former liege had paid not that he would confirm
what the beautiful female before him was saying.
“What brings you back? Not only are you a siren,
but you wield the moonstone.”
“Maybe I am here to appeal to my patron goddess.
To ask her to release me from this earthy realm and this tiresome body. I may
simply implore her to take me home. To allow me to sit at her feet to worship.”
She walked around the throne room, appreciating the tapestries that resided on
the walls. “The throne room is warm.”
“I spend a lot of time here.”
She nodded. “You enjoy your creature comforts.”
“Should I apologize for such a minor fault?”
She looked at him from under her lashes, the gray
of her eyes casting the moon's light with an efficiency he hadn’t seen, not
even when bathed in it.
“Maybe I am here to part the current liege from
the head that I have heard he prizes.”
“Maybe you’re that good.” Storm stood with a wave
of his hand he doused the fires keeping the chamber lit before following a
small fire in front of him. “Come.”
They walked through the dark silent castle as they
climbed several flights. When they stopped, there was only one door on the entire
floor.
“Welcome to my domain, think carefully before you
enter.” He walked in, leaving her lingering on the threshold.
“Do you bring all your moon goddesses here?”
“I thought we already agreed you are the only one
to come in my time.”
“So, we did. Will I be ravaged if I cross the
threshold?”
“Are you looking to be ravaged?”
“You make it hard for an emissary.”
“You’re a female, a goddess, and now an emissary,
that is a lot for such slender shoulders.”
“You’re a fool if my shoulders look slender to you.”
They both stopped taking in deep breaths as her words ricocheted around the
room.
“Perhaps I like what my eyes see.”
She dropped her shoulders a feeling of peace
settling but for a minute before she girded herself up for the battle to come.
“Sire.” The voice of the cook disturbed their
stand-off. “I brought the food and wine you required.”
The moon siren moved to leave room for the cook
and her helpers to set up a table in the room.
“Thank you, Marie, you have done well. Seek your
shelter for the night.”
“Thank you, Sire.” She threw him a wide smile
before she and the young males with her left.
“I have heard that those who live here do so
willingly.”
“Most don’t have a choice. Either you live in a
village or a castle protected by one such as me, or you expose your family to
whoever draws near.”
“True. There are only a few who complain here.”
“There will always be someone who will complain.”
He turned his back on her, walking further into the chamber.
He wasn’t going to give her a chance. She sighed
with frustration. After mumbling some choice words to the moon goddess, she
followed him. The door closed on its own. She didn’t make the mistake of
checking to see if she could open it. He was at the end of the castle in the
back. Her mouth dropped open by what she saw.
“I heard, but I didn’t believe it.”
They were in a large room with a vast pool in the
middle of it. Some steps lowered into it. If the temperature held, the water
was warm.
“How is this possible?”
“There is a hot spring close by. It wasn’t too
hard to have it directed here. The water cools as it travels the distance to be
the correct temperature. It is also constantly flowing, keeping it clean.”
Sitting around the edges of the pool were flowers
that someone took great pride in. There were large mats to lie on when one was
soaking up the heat without going into the water. There were also towels to dry
off.
“Whispers say that you can find anything you
desire and do anything you want. One look at this room is enough to make some a
believer.”
“But not you?” He reached out, stroking her arm.
“You forget yourself.” She moved back. “I never
once said I sought anything from you. It was your over-eager guard that dragged
me in here tonight as I sought to speak with my goddess.”
“Indeed, he did.” Storm went to sit in a throne-like
chair that over-looked the pool.
“I offer you my pool. It must have been cold as
you undulated under the moon.”
“A better man would shield his eyes.”
“It is your mistake to believe a man sits before
you.”
“Arrogant.”
“Indeed.”
The female slowly allowed her rags to slide down
her body. He noticed that not only were they made of the softest silk, but they
were also clean.
She cast him a look under her silky lashes before
she descended into the water like she was the queen of the palace.
He watched as she sank to the bottom of the pool
before stretching out to swim the length. When she came up, the water ran over
her white hair, plastering it to her head. She looked like a nymph calling his
name. This planet was not a place he intended to stay. As each day passed, he
felt more at home. Was he waiting for her?
“Such a large pool and me by myself.”
Storm sat back on his throne as the pale beauty
before him enjoyed the pool. She did a slow roll warming up. What brought a
beautiful emissary for the moon to his palace? There were no missing members of
his village. He squashed all rumors of war. It did nothing except bring suffering
and a delay in farming. Neither he nor his people wanted to fight.
There was always a quest, some reason to prove
yourself to your god or goddess. He
pondered the possibility of a quest when he heard the first stirring of her
belly. Her clothes may not be rags, but the siren had not eaten recently.
Absently he ran his hand over his chest.
“May I offer you bread, cheese, and fruits, along
with my finest wine?”
She left the pool finding a soft towel to wrap
around herself. “That sounds pleasing.”
He waited until she was dry before bringing out a
dressing gown fit for a queen.
“Your taste is excellent.” She slipped on the gold
and silver gown. Together they moved over the floor to where the food waited in
front of a massive fire that kept the floor warm. She took the seat lounging as
an honored guest as he made sure the food was within her reach.
“What quest has your mistress sent you on?”
She stopped with her fruit half to her mouth
before she continued taking a bite. The sweetness of the melon dripped down her
lips as she chewed with contentment.
“Only the best, most succulent for you and your
guest.” she murmured, but it was also a praise. “There is a rumor, the kind
that comes with war and change that something not belonging to I have lost the
earth. Whoever finds it will find the doorway to the universe. The goddess is
not pleased.”
“I didn’t think she would be. Why does she think
whoever is looking for it will be successful this time?”
“This time? Have there been seekers in the past?”
“Males always seek those things which are not good
for them. What does she intend to reward me with if I take up her quest and am
successful?”
“What she wonders would you want? Your land is
large, successful, and at peace. There is no queen to accompany you or children
to grant you true prosperity.”
The emissary of the moon sat up, allowing her
dressing gown to bare her shoulders as she gave him a coy smile. “I am yet
untouched.” Her eyelashes fluttered as she moved towards him.
Thunder crashed around the castle. There was a considerable
peal of lightning that brightened the room like daylight. It flew through the
window entering the back of the emissary and going through the chest of the
sire. In one fell swoop, they died.
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