Duplicitous: The Leordian Chronicles Read online

  His Ether poured into me, like a creek flowing into the ocean, powerful, but nothing compared to the vastness of my capacity to absorb.

  "What do you mean Jaleen, I don't understand. You have been my personal attendant my whole life, how could you claim to hate me so?" I asked, hurt due to the harshness of his words.

  "Silly girl, I was placed with you by the Dark Council to oversee your growth, and to look for an opportunity to kill you, truth be told; However, By the time the Dark Council had your father murdered, you were already more powerful than I, and among the most skilled fighters in the land," he explained. "I will die here, either way, these rats have cut me open and sewn me back up as if I were an experiment to be toyed with, and now, I've shown them that casters are their superiors. All that remains is to die, but I will give everything I have to take you with me, Eater," he proclaimed as he began chanting to manifest yet another invocation. "In Sissura In Caelis!"

  I immediately recognized this invocation, and I realized that it was the very same which I had seen in the vision that my brother had invoked upon me during our encounter in the fields of Leordia City. The rubble which I stood upon, and the flooring itself, began to rise. I could see rocks, and the material covering the road outside, rise through the windows, and I knew I had to act fast if I was going to stop him.

  "It seems that you were never truly one of my people, Jaleen. You betrayed our land from the very beginning, so I have no quarrel with showing you the power that you feared enough to kill my father, your King," I said as anger swelled within me, and I visualized one of the most potent invocation's that I knew.

  I jumped from the rubble to the floor, and I positioned myself, ready to counter. Anger overrode my discretion, and in that moment, I didn't care that Jaleen could possess some information that could help me return home; he simply had to pay. "Cinereo Concretum," I chanted, directing my thoughts to Jaleen. Large shards of ice materialized, encircling him. With a thought they shot forward, embedding themselves within his body. Seconds later, his body began to disintegrate, and within moments, he was nothing more than a pile of ash. "Release," I said softly, releasing the remaining Ether which was pent up inside of me and returning it to the Leylines.

  The rubble, which had floated to the ceiling as a result of Jaleen's invocation, crashed back down to the floor. Likewise, the rocks and road material outside fell to the ground, shaking the hospital, but it stood firm in spite of it.

  "Detain her!" I heard a man scream from behind me.

  I glanced back to find a group of men, dressed in black, rushing towards me. I stood and began to speak, but I was silenced by some device which pierced my abdomen, then everything went black.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  New Acquaintances and Old Friends

  "Wake Up," I heard a voice call to me.

  I opened my eyes, but I was surrounded by darkness. An exceedingly bright light flashed on, effectively preventing me from being able to see my surroundings. I tried to lift my arms to block the light, but I found that both my arms and legs had been restrained, strapped to a cold metal chair.

  "Where am I?" I asked the voice.

  “You are in the UTF Headquarters, in New York City. At this time, we are investigating a string of bizarre incidents which reach back over a decade, and this task force was formed to investigate these incidents. We were formed from numerous departments, a coalition you could say, comprised of state, federal and even international agents,” the voice replied.

  I appreciated his candor, but I was truly confused as to how I had anything to do with this. In my panic, I worked quickly to try and release my restraints, but my efforts were to no avail.

  “What does this have to do with me, I only just arrived yesterday. I have done nothing wrong to anyone,” I proclaimed, trying to calm my heartbeat.

  "Are you Velareedra Renaud, The Eater?" The voice questioned.

  I was taken aback by the question, and I ceased my attempts to free myself, looking beyond the point where the light originated at the silhouette of a man.

  "Lucas, is that you?" I questioned.

  "The man, Lucas Wright, who discovered you at the site where you crossed worlds, has been missing since the incident at the hospital. He had no knowledge of your kind, as far as we can tell," the voice replied.

  I fell into the recesses of my mind as I realized that the waiting room, which Mary had sent Lucas to, was near the elevator where debris had buried so many people alive. My concern for him overwhelmed me, and I fought back my grief.

  "Worry not, there are extensive search and rescue efforts underway. Many of the victims have been recovered with only minor injuries," the voice stated, seeming to notice my distress.

  I felt Ether flow into me as if a caster were near, preparing to manifest an invocation.

  "Do you feel anything, Eater?" The voice asked.

  "Yes, are you a caster?" I replied, squinting to try and make out the person's form.

  "No, I am a man of this world, and I possess no innate Ether; however, we have developed a method to tap into the Leylines of this world and amass the energy your people refer to as Ether, using our technology. Unlike your people, though, we have no outlet to weaponize the Ether in the same the manner that the casters of your world can," the man stated as he began to walk toward me.

  The bright light cut off with a loud click, leaving me in total darkness. I could feel Ether continue to pour into me; the flow of Ether was weak at best, equal to that produced by a young, inexperienced caster.

  "Why did you attack me, and why am I here?" I asked, shouting into the darkness.

  The room lit up, revealing a rather tall man sitting in a chair across from me. He wore a fitted black suit, similar to the clothing Lucas wore when he rescued me, and his overall appearance was much like the men who had rushed me in the hospital. He was well built, but not bulky, the definition of his muscles was well displayed in his fitted suit. He had short dark brown hair, shorter than I would have preferred on a man but it suited him well, as it framed his face enhancing his vibrant green eyes. His handsome charm did nothing to reduce my panic, though, and I noticed that he too seemed a touch nervous, as he rubbed a metal disk hanging from a chain around his neck.

  "Our motive, Velareedra Renaud, is to ascertain whether the intelligence we have on your abilities is factual," the man said, as he stood from his seat and released the restraints on my arms and legs.

  I rose up tense and quickly prepared to defend myself, uncertain of what he had planned.

  "I'm not going to attack you," the man said in an effort to calm me. "I wouldn't have released you if that were my intent," he stated in a placating tone, walking to the edge of the room and simply standing next to the wall. Turn it off boys, we don't want to overload her.”

  I felt the flow of Ether stop, and I heard a loud noise behind me. I turned to find that the floor had opened and raised, revealing a large target, similar to that which the archers in The Leordian Royal Army used for practice.

  "From what we have been told, you have no ability to produce your own Ether, but can redirect the Ether you gather from Leylines or from other casters. According to our sources, you can manipulate that Ether to enhance yourself physically or manifest invocations like a regular caster. If you would, please provide us with a demonstration of such on that target?” He asked in a pleading tone.

  I could tell from his body language that he was masking his fear, unsure if I would comply or simply redirect the Ether upon him to escape.

  “Well I don’t see the harm, so sure, I suppose I can do that. But if I am being totally honest here, there isn’t much to work with, so I’m not sure what I will be able to manifest with such minimal Ether,” I responded.

  "Too little?" He asked out loud, startled by my admission. "We have been accumulating that Ether for three years, and you're saying it's not enough to do much damage?"

  The Look on his face made me chuckle. I could tell that he was sure that I would be impres
sed, and having heard that the Ether they had gathered was insignificant, seemed to surprise the man.

  "I'll show you, as you requested, and you can ascertain the level of damage for yourself," I said, turning to face the target once again.

  There was barely enough Ether to invoke a weak lightning manifestation, but it would be enough to show them what they were looking for.

  "Testa Coruscantis," I chanted, pointing my finger at the target, visualizing the effect.

  On Que, a single bolt of lightning manifested and crashed down upon the target, splitting it in two.

  "Whoa! That was intense," he said, with a nervous laugh.

  I turned to face him, and I saw him shudder slightly.

  "Don't worry, I would have directed that your way if that were my intent," I said with a smirk, throwing his words back at him.

  "Well, that's a relief," he said, regaining his composure.

  "It seems the intelligence that we received about you was accurate. I think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot. My apologies, please allow me to introduce myself. I am Agent Ethan Briggs, and I am High Commander of the UTF, or United Task Force, caster defense division here in the United States," he said as he walked to me holding out his hand.

  I wondered if the United States was a part of New York, but found myself more interested how the UTF, as he called it, had heard about my abilities as an Eater.

  "You say that you have been told about me, but in my world, I am the only Eater alive. How do you know so much about casters and Eaters?" I asked, truly puzzled.

  I felt rude not accepting his hand, but after being kidnapped at the hospital and held hostage in their headquarters, the need for information outweighed my desire to be polite.

  "As I told you before, casters from your world have appeared here randomly over the last ten years," he stated, drawing back his hand with a look of disappointment. "Ten years ago, our government was researching what we now call portal technology. There was a breakthrough at a research lab in Pasadena, California early that year, and a Professor at Caltech discovered a way to break down matter on a molecular level, and transport it to a different location, where it could be rematerialized.”

  "What does that have to do with the appearance of casters in this world?" I asked, uncertain how the two related.

  "We believe that the light waves used to transport between portal locations may have opened a rift between your world and ours, and caused a transfer between them," he explained.

  Although I was still unsure exactly what everything meant, I understood, clearly, that this crossover was as bad for this world as it was for mine.

  "Why would you continue to allow people to use these devices if you knew that this was a possibility?" I asked, feeling frustrated at the seeming incompetence.

  "To be completely honest with you, that hypothesis is relatively new," he said defensively.

  "Prior to Professor Wright's discovery, the concept of portal technology had only been a fantasy, one which writers of fiction used to craft tales of fantasy. Its realization has fundamentally changed the way people transport goods, and now that the technology has been mastered, it is a primary method of transportation which most of our population utilizes," he explained. "The U.S. Government created a corporation under the name Portronic and placed the professor at the head. This technology has been sold across the world, and the recalibration of the waves, which allow safe transport, is one of our countries most profitable exports. Thus, discontinuing its use is all but impossible. Teleportation technology is a global phenomenon, and it would be highly improbable to prevent its duplication, even if we ceased supplying our recalibration services," he moved to the wall, left of us.

  Everything that Ethan had shared was foreign to me, but as the ruler of my own country, I could appreciate the basics of what he was explaining.

  "We have our best people working on finding a way to prevent these events, if possible, in the future, but for now there is someone who wants to see you," he said with a smile. "Go ahead and send her in," he called out, pressing a hidden device on the wall.

  To his right, the wall slid open from the floor to the roof, revealing a hidden door. Moments later the door opened, and a woman walked into the room. She was tall and slender, with blonde hair that reached halfway down her back. her face was veiled, but she seemed familiar. She walked to Ethan and took his hand as she faced me.

  "My Queen," she stated as she removed her veil with her free hand. "I have missed you so very much, and I'm thankful that you are alive. In the moments before I awoke in this world, Master Dylon had expressed concern that you may have been defeated in battle. It was then that a bright light engulfed the city, and when I could see once again, I found myself here, in this world.”

  My eyes began to tear up as my suspicions were confirmed. The woman standing before me was Leaha Rigordo, daughter of Wilhelm Rigordo, Captain of the Royal Guard, and my very best friend and confidant in all of Leordia.

  "Leaha!" I exclaimed rushing to her, and as I embraced her, tears of joy flowed from my eyes, like a river searching for the sea.

  Relief flooded my emotions, as I realized I was no longer alone in this world. I was so happy to see her, that it never occurred to me that there could be a reason she had walked to and taken Ethan's hand as she entered the room. I embraced her as if it were the first time I had seen her in years, even though it had only been a few days since we last spoke.

  "Majesty, I'm quite happy to see you too!" She said, releasing Ethan's hand and fully embracing me, tears flowing down her face as well. "Where have you been these ten years?" She asked, pulling back to look into my eyes.

  "Ten years?" I questioned, my features all expressing my shock. "I fought with Astiel less than three days ago. A man named Lucas Wright found me after I was brought here by the very same light you described," I said, feeling more lost than ever. "You have been here for ten years? How can that be? Oh, my stars! "

  "Yes, I arrived during the first battle between a group of casters and the military of this country, ten years ago," she insisted, appearing equally confused. "I searched for you, but in the end, I assumed that if you had survived, you either weren't brought here or had made a life here. It wasn't until the UTF agents brought you in that I recognized you and requested that they bring you to this room to show them your power."

  I looked at my friend, Leaha, and I marveled at her tale. I knew that she spoke the truth, she always did, and I was grateful that she was here.

  "There is so much about this world that I don't understand, least of all how you arrived ten years ago. Regardless, I am honestly just relieved to have you here with me and to see that you are alive and well," I reiterated as I shared another embrace with my dearest friend.

  Allowing me a few moments to compose myself, Leaha returned my embrace, then pulled away and returned to Ethan, taking his hand.

  "Vel," she said, as her face turned red and she turned to face Ethan. "In the time I have been here, I have learned many things about this culture and its customs, and they are very similar to ours in many ways. One such way is marriage," she smiled brightly at Ethan before turning to face me. "Ethan and I have been married for many years now, and we learned less than a month ago, that I am pregnant with his child," she had a telling glow.

  I was taken aback, but only briefly, because I had not considered that to even be a possibility with the differences in our worlds, and I responded in the only way I could, as Leaha was like a sister to me.

  "Congratulations!" I said beaming, as I embraced the two of them.

  CHAPTER SIX

  A Captain's Place

  After spending some time laughing, crying, and listening to Leaha and Ethan's tales of their time together, as well as the state of this world since casters first appeared here ten years ago, we moved to a room filled with shelves of paper, which Leaha explained were called files. These files contained information on every caster related incident to date, from the location of thei
r appearance to their last known whereabouts. There were thousands of records, and they were sorted on opposing sides of the room.

  "From the moment I was brought in by the UTF, I have been a free captive," Leaha said, moving to the wall on the right. "As I stated before when I came to, I awoke to find myself amidst a battle zone. There was a war being waged between the protectors of this land, which are known as police officers, and a group of casters from your brother's army. The weapons of this world are weak, and unable to penetrate even a weak caster's barrier, so the police were horribly outmatched, and many of them were slaughtered by those mongrels," compassionately bowing her head in shame. "I manifested an invocation, and killed four of your brother's men, only to have the police turn on me and fire their weapons at me. I had not invoked any barrier, and their bullets pierced my flesh. When I awoke, I was in a facility much like this one, and the injuries that I sustained, took months to heal. During my recovery, I endured hours of questioning from the authorities of this world, daily. Finally, this country's government formed the UTF, alongside many of the most powerful nations of this world, and transferred me here as a prisoner. That's when I met Ethan, and for the first time, he listened to my story with open ears and had me pardoned," she smiled at Ethan.

  Before she could continue, Ethan waved his hand for her to stop, having seen how upset she had become while reliving those days in her mind. I respected him for it; He clearly loved her, and he wanted to protect his bride and unborn child from the pain of her memories.

  "It's a very long story on both ends," Ethan explained, embracing Leaha. "Needless to say, it became obvious that not all of your people were out to cause trouble, and those who were, seemed to be compelled to do so," he said, gently rubbing Leaha's back to calm her.

  I could see her tension lift from his touch. I had never known such a feeling, but I imagined that it was similar to the peace I had felt when Lucas first grabbed my hand. Guilt began to weigh upon me, as I considered that Lucas may be dead, and it was my fault. He was so kind, and he was only caught up in the attack because he was waiting to make sure that I was okay.