Kate's Legacy (Soul Merge Saga Book 2) Read online

  KATE’S LEGACY

  M.P.A. Hanson

  Kate’s Legacy

  Copyright: M. P. A. Hanson

  Published: 15th March 2015

  The right of M. P. A. Hanson to be identified as author of this Work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, copied in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise transmitted without written permission from the publisher. You must not circulate this book in any format.

  This book is dedicated to the friends who are sisters of my heart, you know who you are.

  Chapter One

  SORCERESS

  Romana rode silently along the edge of the lake that signalled her arrival at the sorceress’ colony. In the past week and a half, she’d only slept twice, her fear of bandits and Marten following her so great that she could only manage a light snooze at the best.

  She had fled the capital city of Morendor after her newly discovered powers had become so unstable she had no way to control them. She’d had no choice but to leave everyone she knew behind and travel to the colony of sorceresses that existed on a lake in the heart of the human kingdom.

  Sorceresses - or wytches as they preferred to be called - were feared by most, and hated by many, but no one really seemed to know anything about them. Now, as she finally reached her destination, she realised the one flaw in her plan; she had no idea what to expect from the sorceresses when she arrived at the colony.

  Would they be welcoming or were they going to try and kill her? That was something she really should have thought of before she decided to arrive on their doorstep. The only thing she knew for certain about the colony was that it was built on an isle in the middle of the large lake she now stood before. The only way to access that isle was to cross a long, covered wooden bridge descending from the cliffs at the north end of the lake, unless you owned a boat and the ability to navigate through the impermeable mist shrouding the place.

  Which Romana didn’t.

  Her horse, Jayde snorted loudly as she moved northwards. She’d begun ascending the chalk cliffs yesterday and now she estimated she should be nearing the top. Reaching back she pulled out the map that Keenan had given her. According to her estimate within five minutes she should encounter the bridge.

  She tucked the map back and patted Jayde. The mare had been nervous since they’d come close to the water yesterday; the mist-covered lake had done little to soothe Romana’s fear as well, but she buried it as too much fear inevitably led to the catastrophic release of her magic. After already destroying a good portion of the palace in Morendor and the elven forests, she wasn’t going to take any more chances.

  Then Jayde stopped altogether, and it didn’t take long to figure out why.

  They’d arrived.

  A bridge stood opposite her, made of sturdy wood and large enough for small carriages to go across. Before the bridge stood a short figure in a long brown robe that covered it from head to toe, making its features impossible for Romana to discern from her mounted position.

  “Who wishes to pass unto the Isle of the Gifted?” The brown cloaked one asked.

  “I am Lady Romana, Grand Duchess of Morendor and Marchioness of D’Arville in the Elven Lands.” She replied, “I seek the aid of the gifted ones.” She spoke the words that Keenan had written down for her and left along with the map in the pack.

  “What aid can we give the Prince of the Human realms’ closest aide?” The hooded one asked, and Romana silently wished that she was still Marten’s aide, not a fugitive.

  “I wish to know how to protect others from myself.” She replied, feeling a brush of her mind, even as the presence in her mind that was Silver became silent and almost non-existent under the search.

  The brown one stepped to one side. “I have sent word that you are arriving to the Lady of the Isle. Please cross the bridge with her blessings.”

  “Thank-you.” She replied spurring Jayde onto the bridge and into the mist.

  Ten minutes of riding later and suddenly the mist lifted. And in front of her was one of the most awe-inspiring places she’d seen. The Isle of the Gifted, or as it was better known, the sorceress’ colony, was a floating mountain island, joined to the earth solely by a point where a sharp stalactite met a rock in the lake just big enough for one person to stand on. But on top of this seemingly impossible feat of engineering, around the base of the mountain, were fields and forests seemingly teeming with life. Nestled at the base of the lone mountain was a temple of sandstone surrounded by wooden thatched houses where people milled around living life normally. But the tip of the mountain showed no snow, despite its incredible height, instead there was a pair of impressive double doors nestled into the stone at the very top, surrounded by flowers and trees.

  It was so picturesque that Romana almost forgot that the people living here could kill her in an instant. Almost.

  She reached the end of the bridge to find another two brown robed people waiting for her.

  “Welcome to the Isle of the Gifted, Lady Romana. The Lady of the Isle will see you now.”

  Romana nodded and followed them along a gravel trail which led up the mountain, dismounting as soon as they reached solid ground. They were going to the door, she realised struggling to keep up with them despite their size, while removing the cloak that was suddenly too hot and slinging it over the small pack on Jayde’s saddle.

  When they reached the door, the robed ones stood there expectantly, from her new height she could make out enough of their features and stick-like limbs to see that they were brownies, reminding her of Acis and Lena, Silver’s loyal servants.

  “We will take your horse for you. She will be fed and watered.” They said in perfect unison.

  “Thank-you,” She said with gratitude, relieved that no-one had yet tried to harm her.

  “You must enter alone.” The robed ones informed her as one before leaving back along the small gravel road with Jayde.

  The door swung inwards without her even touching it. It scared her a little, but she walked inside anyway, descending a long spiral staircase surrounded by stone only to find a miniature haven waiting at the bottom.

  The room she emerged into was a large cavern with its walls covered in books and exotic colourful tapestries. In the middle a large fountain made of stone and flowing with the purest water she’d ever seen was surrounded by plush cushions in beautiful colours and soft textures. Dotted around were beautiful but exotic plants. And to her surprise the woman from the cave who had given her Silver’s armour and mask was sitting on the edge of the fountain.

  “Hello Romana.” She said, like they were old friends.

  Though she moved to no closer to her, Romana could swear the distance between them shrank with those words. “Hello,” She replied, dropping her gaze instinctively.

  “We met in your caves before, if you remember.” She replied “My name is Kate; I am an Ancient of this world.”

  “It’s an honour to meet you.” Romana replied, bowing as was custom.

  “You have questions, child, now is the time to ask them.”

  “Where do I begin?” Romana asked, “Why were you there that night in the caves? Why give me the mask? Why do I have another woman trapped in my body? Why do I have magic?”

  “Sit.” Kate instructed, gesturing to the space beside her. “As your questions revolve mainly around the woman you call Silver I shall explain her story to you first. Does that sound fair? But you may as well get comfortable, because there’s no short version.�
��

  “Alright.” She replied, settling down on one of the many cushions.

  “The elven king and queen have had a dark secret since the birth of their five children some three thousand years ago. Though they are one of the longest-lived of the races, elves are not meant to live past a thousand years of age, but on their young daughters fiftieth birthday, when the king was close to death, the four royal magicians came forward with a proposal for the queen. The magicians had figured out a way to swap souls between bodies, meaning that they had a way to continue a soul’s existence by giving it a new, younger body each time its own was on the verge of death. They had studied the subject of souls for over a hundred years, and were convinced that the soul shaped the features of a person, and so the immortality granted would also give them an eternity as king and queen of the elven race.

  “To save her husband the queen immediately accepted this proposal, and an infant was procured to transfer the soul of the king into, allowing him another elven lifetime, while killing the soul of the child. Although my race screamed in outrage the violation of the natural order the magicians did not listen, and the king was given a new life. Sixteen years of excuses later, after the king’s child body matured, the queen re-introduced her husband to the court. The tale was spun that the royal family was immortal as they were the first elves to be born.

  “For the next two thousand years, the royal family casually swapped bodies at will, in some cases, when a person was found to have a magical talent, the royals would hunt them and have their two souls merged, stealing the child’s magic and dominating their minds till everything except their power ceased to exist. Thus, they became the most powerful magic users after the wytches.

  “On one such occasion, a child of a rare race, with powers beyond anything ever conceived of was brought to the attention of the young princess, who immediately chose to merge with the child, as she had done countless times before.

  “According to the magicians, the merging went perfectly, but it did not. On this occasion the infant’s mother chose to block the princess’s conscious in the back of her child’s mind. Allowing the child to grow to its maturity, while keeping the princess locked in the child’s subconscious - which turned out to be a special kind of torture - until the child was old enough, and strong enough to use its magic and continue life with the princess coming out at night.”

  “Are you saying that Silver is the princess, and I’m this child?” Romana guessed.

  “Yes.” Kate replied.

  “But that would make me sort of related to Prince Endis.” She gaped at the possibility. Not for one minute did she doubt Kate, as what she was saying made too much sense, the story coincided with reality too well to be wrong.

  “Well, partially.” Kate replied.

  “And Silver really is insane. I knew it.” She gasped.

  “She was raised in what then seemed to be an endless war and then later locked in the back of your mind for eighteen years, can you blame her?”

  “But if my mother was so powerful, why was I in the Slave Shop?” She asked.

  “Because the elves raised you outside of the court, so that their soul swapping would remain secret, you were left in the care of a mortal woman in a small village which was later raided by bandits. They took you and sold you and by the time your mother found you all she could do was command the slave master to name you Romana.”

  “What about my other questions? What’s with the catsuit?”

  Kate collected her thoughts before continuing. “There was a time, early at the beginning of the princess’s life, where the elves were at war with the dwarves. As she was born two years into this war, she was forced to learn combat, and torture techniques. The things that the princess was forced through for the sake of the country were barbaric for any little girl, but for her it was the beginning of her madness.

  “Eventually she became dark and hollow inside, but hid it through a veil of beauty and apparent happiness. In the end even her brothers believed her to be the most wonderful being they’d ever beheld. No-one saw the reality, and if they did, they died, quietly.

  “But during the war, famine was common among the poor, and Talia became concerned at her mother’s refusal to help. So, while disguised as a woman in black, in the very catsuit you have in your saddle right now, wearing that very mask, she stole food from the royal kitchens and gave it to them. The people called her the Night Angel and my kind provided her with the gifts to help them. But later, when the war was over, she began to enjoy the freedom of our gifts too much. She would play with people in the courts who looked down on commoners, torturing them remorselessly while saving the normal people from threats that they face. Dispatching her own unique brand of justice.”

  “It sounds a little vigilante to me.” Romana replied.

  “I suppose it is.” Kate answered, “Do you have any further questions, or shall we get round to the reason you came?”

  “One last question, if I’m a part of a rare race, and that isn’t the elvish race, then what the hell am I?”

  Kate sighed. “That is the one thing which I cannot tell you.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because you are forbidden to know by the Council, but if you must know anything, I am to tell you that they were a great people, of small numbers but great magical powers. I am also allowed to tell you that your mother loved you very much before matters were taken out of her hands. Now onto the subject of magic.”

  “How do I control it?”

  “Hold on!” Kate began “We don’t even know what powers you have yet! I need to go into your mind, and find the source of your power. No use training you if we have no clue what we’re working with.”

  “I don’t know if it helps, but each time I set them off before I was scared, angry or confused.”

  “It’s never that simple.” Kate replied. “May I enter your mind?”

  Romana nodded, and Kate closed her eyes, a second later Romana felt someone else brushing against her mind, probing, but not uncomfortably.

  Around five minutes later Kate opened her eyes, only to grab Romana’s shirt and pull down the high collar, exposing Marten’s bite.

  “Whose mark is this?” Kate asked.

  “Prince Marten’s.” Romana replied. “So did you find the source?”

  “No, but I found traces of him in your magic, was he close to you when you last let your magic loose?”

  “Yes, but I didn’t burn him.”

  “Interesting.” Kate mumbled, closing her eyes again. When she opened them again, ten more minutes had past. “Air and Fire.” She said. “Just like your parents.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Your power, it’s based on the elements of air and fire. Your parents had different elemental abilities, but the principle is the same. More importantly, they work the same ways.”

  “So what do I do now?” Romana asked.

  “You are able to use basic magic, as are all sorceresses, but your power source, and the way your power manifests will always be through fire and through air.” Kate explained as if Romana hadn’t spoken.

  “Which is good because there’s air pretty much everywhere you go.” She replied. “So what do I do?”

  “Study.”

  “But what if my magic gets out of control?”

  “Oh, it won’t.” Kate assured her. “I know the triggers and can pretty much cancel out your magical abilities.”

  “So how do I study?”

  “Like all good wytches. With a mentor and some practice! But you’ll need a familiar to complete your training.”

  “Familiar?”

  “You’re kidding? What do humans talk about these days? When is a wytch a wytch without her wytch’s familiar?”

  “What is it?” Romana asked.

  “It’s only your animal companion for life.”

  “What kind of animal?”

  “That depends on what one chooses you.”

  “How will I know if it choo
ses me?”

  “Because you will share a language. But the likelihood of you finding yours before you get to that chapter of your textbook is minimal. As for your mentor, we’ll have to find someone for you. Now who would complement your magic well enough for this? Let’s see.” And then Kate jumped up to fetch something from a shelf.

  She came back with a jug, a bowl and a large crystal. Filling the jug from the fountain she mumbled words as she poured the water into the bowl which seemed, impossibly, to be made of a single piece of floorless black quartz, the same as the jug and crystal. When the bowl was full, she took Romana’s hand and pressed it to the crystal, before wiping the quartz crystal across the surface of the water. The water rippled, and then words appeared in a strange language, followed by a name.

  “Strange again.” Kate muttered, putting the things back in their places. “Your mentor is to be Sarah Gooding. But her magic is the magic of trees. There is no way that can right.”

  “Magic of trees?” Romana asked.

  “Oh, trees whisper things to her, tell her secrets, and she can manipulate them. But I think she’s a little crazy. She was a dragon priestess.” Kate paused. “Oh! Dragons are creatures of air and fire. I think I just found the connection. Come on.” She held out her hand.

  Unsure, Romana took it and suddenly the most horrible squeezing sensation cascaded through her. She closed her eyes, hoping it would pass, but when she opened them she was in the middle of the forest, Kate was standing next to her. Still confused as to how they had actually teleported from one place to another, it did not help when she noticed they were in front of the strangest house ever.

  The elves lived in trees, but Sarah Gooding had used trees to grow her own house. The branches formed thick walls, and bent to frame the oddly shaped windows. The roof was made of branches covered in thick leaves which seemed to grow thicker than could be considered normal. Romana looked at the windows again and bit back a laugh; the branches forming the bottom of the windows were blooming, making it look like there were window boxes there.