The Sovereign Heir (Book 1)

The drive to the palace felt as if I am going nowhere, stuck in a loop , turning the radio on just made me feel even worse. Songs blare through the car making my pent up tears burst through the dam. I drive the back way behind the palace, not bothering to pull into the garage. I orb to our command center. Bryant turns before I could utter a word holding his arms open. I run right into his embrace. Bryant rubs my back.

“Let it out, Laina. You have a right to not be strong all the time, just let it out. I’m here for you and always will be.”

I am a sobbing mess trying to speak, “I tried, I tried three times, It is like he just wants to concentrate on the external problems and it will mysteriously solve everything.”

“Laina, you are forgetting something. He is over a century old. A woman being independent is one thing, but you are beyond extraordinary. You are a queen bad ass, the youngest commander in thousands of years, perfect battle record, intelligent, a humanitarian. Most of all you’re my sister, you’ve been there for me before I took my first breath. This is new territory for the both of you.”

I pull away a little to look up at him, ”I thought you were on my side?”

“I’m always on your side, he loves you and you know that. I am looking at it from his perspective. Not making any excuses for Nolan, far from it. With his mother here, I understand him more.”

“Look at you sounding like Dad. You’ll be a good fa…leader of any pack or clan you mate into.” I almost let that little future secret slip. “Thanks?”

What did Elaina mean by that? She always gives me cryptic answers. I am so used to it; I don’t even bother trying to ask anymore. But today isn’t that day. “Laina, did you see something about my future?”

“Of course not, why would you say that? I would tell you anything you needed to know.”

“Exactly, only what you think I need to know. You’re home and our parents are going to bombard you with questions. So spill it, what are you hiding?”

“Nothing you need to worry about.” I’m never gonna get her to budge. Might as well leave it alone.

“That is why I’m sleeping here tonight. I will deal with them in the morning and my mother in law. Go move my truck before anyone notices. I’ll be above ground tonight on the second floor. Come spend some time with me later, a sibling sleep over is in order.”

I kiss her head taking her keys with me. I navigate through the tunnel hoping these two could come to some middle ground sooner rather than later. Their destiny was hanging in the balance. Elaina is so determined to really believe she will die and that will be it. I feel there is more to it, I’ve never had her gift of sight. I’ve always trusted the feeling I got in my gut; it has never steered me wrong. My phone begins to ring suddenly.

“Speak of the devil, Nolan.”

“Elaina is here, she isn’t in a place to see or speak to you tonight. But there is something you need to see. It will give you a better understanding of who she is, meet me at the palace garden in 20 minutes.” She would kill me if she knew I am even talking to Nolan, much less the aftermath she struggled with years after. I fear there is no other way. I orb into her vault of witchy things grabbing her small obsidian mirror and one drop of her blood from the vial she left for future generations. If she failed to stop Allister from being resurrected, they would learn from her mistakes, hopefully never repeating them.

Nolan is in the shadows at the back door of the palace gardens. I signal for him to follow me. We move in silence to the palace library. No one would think to come in here this time of night, much less Elaina. The queen was off on a run through the pack territory as well, only leaving the palace servants in their quarters. “There are things you’ll never know about my sister unless I show you. It is only fair that you have insight.” Nolan did not respond, but I knew he was onboard. I locked the library doors behind me. I presented her smaller obsidian mirror in front of him. Nolan did not flinch as it hovered below his chin. “This is one drop of my sister’s blood. I set parameters for you only to see key events in her life and nothing further. Whatever she tells you after that is up to her.”

“Bryant I…”

Reading his thoughts, I had no choice but to cut him off. “Whatever it is, she has to tell you. You have to wait for her to be ready to say it and support her no matter what, agreed?”

He was hesitant at first, “I agree.”

“You better be glad I like you. I’m risking Elaina beating me half to death, then healing me just to do it again. Are you ready?” Nolan nodded his head; I dropped her blood into the mirror and let it all unfold as the mirror rippled.

May 2016

“Elaina! Elaina!” My eyes clouded over and I saw the unimaginable. Over five thousand dark soldiers entering from a rift at the furthest east mountains of the realm. They were slaughtering outlier villages, harvesting sunstones and searching for The house of God stones. I snapped out of it. “We need to go to the realm now, we have to prepare before it is too late!” I sent my vision to the other members of our army. I did not give anyone time to protest, I portalled over with Bryant and my parents.

My legion as well as older legions made way to the council and elders. I showed my vision, and the decision was certain. We needed to act with haste to reduce the casualties. This would occur in a weeks’ time. My mother was going to attempt to take charge. “Prepare more gauntlets at once!” Elder Olivia knew in her heart this was not my mother’s fight to lead, “It is Elaina’s battle your majesty and all under her command.”

My mother became irrational and emotional with her emboldened actions. “She is just a child, barely sixteen! How could I possibly allow her to go into that? It could lead to her death before she even becomes who she is meant to be or even Bryant for that matter as well as the rest of her team!”

Her realization of the abysmal events was causing her to slowly break. “Mom, I prepared for this my entire life, we all have. This is the reason I was born. If not now, when? You can’t protect me from the cruelty of this world forever!”

My father stepped in placing his hand on her shoulder, “Elaina is right, they have all trained for this just as we did if not more. It is her birthright and we cannot stand in the way of destiny.” My mother looked up at her mate and lowly nodded her head in agreement. They were filled with so much internal turmoil which was written all over their faces.

Elder Olivia was relieved my mother did not cause any further objection, “Then it is settled, prepare the gauntlets for the princess and her… how do you say it, Elaina? Ah, you’re hit squad.”

“Please ensure everyone has their new gauntlets and they have been updated. We may all need them when the time comes.” Olivia gave a slight bow, “As you wish your highness.”

The scene rapidly changed as it shifted further from what I just witnessed. The same Elder was in the center of a huge stadium like space with a projection of a gauntlet above head for all to see.

“These gauntlets are specialized to correspond to your unique talents, weapons, body armor or anything you may need. These are adaptable unlike previous ones, as you evolve so do the gauntlets. In addition when you shift, it will conform to your transitioning body, is this clear?” Olivia received a resounding yes from everyone.

I was thrust into Elaina standing in front of a mirror shearing her hair off with all the other female warriors. “This way they will not know male from female.” Michelle was standing directly next to Elaina, “Thank goodness we will be here long enough for our hair to grow back!” Even with her hair short, she was still as beautiful as ever. A young warrior I only seen in Ominous was at the opposite side named Berlynn, “I kind of like it, reminds me of GI Jane.”

The image shifted again to my sisters mate Maddox approaching behind Elaina. “Commander, our intel reports five thousand soldiers; a few hundred scouts varying in species have entered the far west mountains. I believe they will not concentrate their forces in one location, making it harder for us to dispatch them.” Elaina turned her head slightly, “Send teams from the army in the directions of the scouts. The others are headed to the caverns for the Bethel stones here to the north and south for sunstones, dividing their main forces. The scouts are going to be scattered to remote areas as an attempt to seize more territory. Their last target will be the scrolls within the armory. They will try to imprison the elders. We need to have this done in one year.”

Maddox gives Elaina a head nod, “Yes, Commander. Shall I instruct to dispatch the rest of the army as originally planned?”

“Send them now in average clothing and not a uniformed march. They have their gauntlets and nothing should let the dark soldiers suspect that they are in plain sight. Prepare to depart to the west in an hour.” Elaina leaves the tent and Yana nudges her. ”I see you’re ready to go. Let me dress you out.” She waves her hand over Yana outfitting her in battle gear. ”Yana, when I tell you to help the others please don’t hesitate. I know you pledged to be by my side in battle and death, but my life is nothing if I can’t protect those under my watch.”