Bonded spirits 4, p.1
Bonded Spirits 4, page 1
Bonded Spirits
Book Four
Jake Daniel
Copyright © 2021 by Jake Daniel
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Created with Vellum
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Epilogue
Bonus: Queen Jade (Original sketch)
Before You Go
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Prologue
“Hand me the scroll.” Cyprian had a wide smile on his face, as if he knew he’d just won, regardless of the fact that Logan had just escaped.
Matt stepped forward and gave the scroll to Cyprian despite how he felt inside. The hold that Cyprian had on his mind was overwhelming.
He wanted to fight, to sink the halberd blade on the ground directly in the dhampir’s smug face. The same halberd that had ended Aether’s life earlier.
Instead, he watched as Cyprian read the scroll with a smile on his face. Cyprian’s hold slacked on his mind. “Why are you so obsessed with that scroll?”
Cyprian raised his eyes slowly and met Matt’s. “I wouldn’t say I’m obsessed, as I’m excited. They have relegated dhampir to this island for way too long. This...” He rolled the scroll and shook it a few times in Matt’s direction. “This means salvation. This scroll will set us free.”
“I didn’t see any enemy holding you here. It just looks like you’re scared and are hiding.” Matt narrowed his eyes and focused on Cyprian’s every move until the dhampir took control again. Matt’s limbs went rigid and his body forcefully bent in an awkward bow toward Cyprian.
“Hold your tongue, I am your king.” Cyprian practically spit the words at Matt. “You are a child here in this world.” He held the scroll tightly and an eerie smile rose on his face. “Don’t worry, I’ll raise you as if you were one of my own.”
Matt struggled against Cyprian’s hold, but remained in place. Forced to his knees, he raised his face and his gaze met Cyprian’s, who stood above him. “I’ll never be one of yours. My brother will be back for me, and he will kill your ass, if I don’t do it first.”
“Oh, you weak little human. You will not kill me.” He paced in front of Matt and walked toward the huge wooden doors that led out of the throne room to the overlook of the tower. “Follow me.”
Matt’s legs moved forward and he joined Cyprian’s side. Together, they exited the room and stood at the edge of the tower, facing out toward the sea in the distance.
After a minute of silence, Cyprian finally lifted the scroll and unrolled it. Words spoken in a language Matt couldn’t understand filled the air. Cyprian remained focused on the scroll, freeing Matt momentarily from his mind control.
Matt glanced around, looking for anything that would work as a weapon. He took a step backwards to take advantage of Cyprian’s focus on the scroll. As he lifted his foot off the ground, the tower shook and swayed as if they were in the middle of an earthquake. Matt reached out and grasped onto the wall. “What the hell’s going on?!”
Cyprian didn’t respond. Instead, his voice only became louder, cutting through the chaos happening below.
Matt glanced over the edge of the tower toward the bottom. At the base of the tower, the ground split and a purple glow rose through the chasm. It was barely a glow at first, but soon grew brighter. The rumbling increased in intensity until the break in the ground burst open, sending hairline fractures racing in every direction, away from the tower, all the way to the sea.
Cyprian threw his arms up into the sky as he finished reciting the text on the scroll and laughed wildly. The violet hues from below wormed their way up toward the sky, first like small wisps of steam, until they billowed up like smoke. “It has begun. I’ve waited hundreds of years for this moment!”
Matt took a step backwards as Cyprian kept his hands stretched to the sky. Billowing violet clouds covered everything in a deep purple hue, replacing the inky black sky that surrounded them earlier. “This whole fucking tower is about to come down!” He turned to head down the tower but Cyprian stopped him halfway.
“Not so fast. I’m going to need your help. First, let’s do away with formalities. I’m obviously not going to use my powers to control you all the time, so I may as well make it easier on myself.” Cyprian lifted the scroll. “Monde setiri vey caul ram te risiua.” He shouted the words, as if directing each syllable directly into Matt’s head.
Matt staggered forward and nearly collapsed. Cyprian laughed and motioned out toward the sea. “Soon, the entire world will be mine to control. You will join my side, and I trust you will be a valuable ally.” His laughs continued, and he shook his head. “Your brother will regret leaving you here.”
The rumbling under the tower intensified, and large chunks of the walls peeled off and crashed to the ground below. As the tower was about to crumble under their feet, a massive roar came from below, followed by several others.
Matt tried to run, but he was frozen in place. The roars sounded again, closer this time. A second later, a massive winged beast exploded up into the air from below. That’s a fucking dragon.
Cyprian walked calmly over to Matt’s side and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Oh yes, and that is only the beginning of what I have in store for this world. Come along now, Matt, we’ve got some business to attend to.”
Chapter One
I pushed myself up in the bed at the center of the room and looked around at each of my bonded women, including my newest bonded girl, Luna, the dhampir lamia shifter that had just saved my life in the most interesting way I could imagine ever being saved. She eyed me curiously as I sat on the edge of the bed. “Teng warned me that the scroll was incredibly powerful.”
She nodded and shrugged. “Scroll or not, the plan was already in motion. Cyprian’s been waiting for the right moment for years. The idea has consumed him.”
“So, when Aether came to him with a deal, he jumped all over it.”
“Exactly. My brother heard about you winning the tournament and killing the king. He’s very aware of the current state of Aurilon, and he will not stop until he gets what he wants, especially now with Aether out of the way.”
I eyed the dhampir woman cautiously. “Why are you here now? You could’ve let me die, but you saved me.” I ran a hand back through my hair and let out a long breath. “I saw you two arguing in that room.”
Luna shifted her eyes around the room before landing back on mine. “You created life with your bonded women. Bonded monster women. I still don’t know how that’s possible.” She paused and locked her gaze on mine. “I just thought there could be a different way, one that didn’t have to result in more death.”
Dahlia reached down and stroked her stomach as she stood quietly near the bed. It appeared my bonded were each coming to terms with their pregnancies.
I stood, still a little wobbly from the venom and the healing ritual that Luna had performed on me. “So, how strong is your brother’s hold on Matt? When I saw his eyes... something didn’t seem right. I put it off to his injury.”
Luna shook her head. “Cyprian healed your brother soon after stabbing him. Everything you saw in that room was an illusion. My brother is one of only two dhampir that can control someone with their mind for any time. Your brother didn’t have a high mental fortitude, so Cyprian took advantage.”
“So, for now, Matt is Cyprian’s puppet, and no matter how hard he tries, he won’t be able to fight him off.”
Luna nodded and coursed through the room, still in her lamia form. “Yes, Cyprian is much too strong for your brother to fight off. He isn’t like you, your fortitude is much stronger.”
I turned and eyed the woman cautiously. “You said there were only two dhampir that can use mind control, correct?” Luna nodded. “Let me guess, you’re number two.”
Luna transformed in front of our eyes. Her long tail turned into two long legs in a matter of seconds, and she donned snake skin, which made up her v-neck dress. “Yes.” The word came out with a slight hiss. “Smart man. My brother didn’t like th e fact that I couldn’t control you. I’m a higher rank than him in Mind Control, so of course he wasn’t pleased.”
“If you had succeeded, what would you have done?” I asked, curious to what she had planned before her sudden change of heart.
“Honestly? I probably would’ve made you jump off that tower.” The dhampir shrugged.
Isobel pulled out her sword and stepped forward, obviously not approving of Luna’s initial plan. I held out my hand to stop her and she lowered her weapon. “It’s okay, let’s hear her out. Other than not being able to mind control me, there has to be a reason she stopped trying to kill me.”
A sly smile rose on Luna’s face. “You’re right.” She walked toward Mitsi and stopped a couple of feet in front of the cyclops.
Mitsi’s matted pink hair was still dirty from our escape, but she still looked stunning as she towered over the dhampir. Mitsi’s head nearly touched the deck above from where she stood next to the stove. “After the compassion you showed for my friend, my sister, Mitsi, I knew I couldn’t let you die.”
“Why’d you push me off the bridge?” Mitsi asked, unable to hide the hurt in her eyes.
“Cyprian was watching. He was furious that you bonded with Logan. After what I’d just witnessed, and confirmed that you’d bonded with him, I knew he’d save you. There was no doubt in my mind.” Fresh tears appeared at the dhampir’s eyes and spilled down onto her cheeks. “I’m so sorry for everything. Not only for pushing you, but for not being there for you. I was afraid of what he might do to you if I kept visiting.”
Mitsi straightened for a moment and then slumped. “I missed you, Luna. After my sister died, and you stopped visiting, I didn’t have anyone else. I was so lonely.”
Luna wrapped her arms around Mitsi and hugged her tightly.
Chloe burst through the door holding a bag in one hand and a pitcher of milk in the other. She glanced around the room and her eyes fell on my two newest bonded as they hugged with us gathered around. “So, obviously I missed something.” She shook her head and handed me the bag. “Those should help heal any lingering injuries you or the others might have. Now, I hate to interrupt whatever this is, but come and look at what’s going on outside.”
I furrowed my brow and exchanged a quick glance with Luna before heading out of the room. My damaged heel was still tender from the injury I received in the room with the blades, as well as the snake bite. Although, the healing I’d received since arriving back on the boat was outstanding.
I stepped out into the open air on the deck and the sky immediately drew my attention. The light of day had fully disappeared hours ago, making way for vibrant reds and oranges as if the sky itself was magma.
Dahlia joined my side and pointed at something in the distance. “What is that?!”
After taking a few seconds to adjust my eyes to the brightness, I focused and used my Aspect of the Griffon to narrow in on the figure in the distance. As the creature strafed right, its outline came into view. “That’s a fucking dragon.” I hesitated and turned to Luna. “Does your brother have dragons?”
Luna shook her head in disbelief. “It has to be the scroll. Everything in the prophecy is coming true. A second Great War is coming.” She stared out into the distance in disbelief and didn’t say another word.
I spotted Fapplejack standing toward the bow. “FJ, get us back to the manor as quickly as possible. We have to warn the others.”
“Aye, sir. We are making our approach now. We should be in the bay south of the manor shortly.” The goblin spun and shouted directions toward his men.
Danec, the goblin who didn’t appreciate me using the correct ship jargon, grabbed several lines and readied them for use. He scurried past, mumbling something under his breath.
Within seconds, the boat sped up, and when I used my Sight, I saw the outline of Aurilon as we swung around its south side to the newly completed pier. We made it to the pier and tied up in record time.
I spotted Gwen as everyone prepared to offload. “I need you to take the others to the manor and wait for me. Make sure Alysain receives all the healing she can get.”
Jun appeared from near the dock. I was still not used to seeing her the size of a human. Her soft skin reflected the bright colors of the sky and made it look a little like the fairy queen was on fire. “Logan, we need to take Mitsi and Alysain to the Heart of the Vale. My fairies will know what to do.”
I nodded. “Perfect.” I turned back to my bonded, who had all gathered at the starboard side of the ship. “We need to hurry. I’m not sure how long we have, but I can guarantee you Cyprian will not wait long to use those dragons to get what he wants. Meet me up at the Heart of the Vale. I’ll be there as soon as I talk to Teng.”
Chloe and Isobel braced Mitsi and carefully helped her down off of the ship. The cyclops had several injuries that were not healing. Her skin was clammy and beads of sweat marked her forehead. She gave me a smile as they moved together down off the ship. “Don’t worry, I have my freedom. Don’t think that I am going to waste it by dying.”
“You better not. There’s so much that you haven’t experienced yet. Besides, I have to repay you for all of your help so far. Who knows how long that’s going to take.”
Mitsi nodded and leaned on Chloe as they made their way down to the pier. Gwen and Dahlia helped Alysain down close behind. The griffon was looking better, but she wasn’t out of the woods yet.
The goblins secured the boat to the dock, and Fapplejack met me on land. “Logan, sir. I’ll ready the boat for another trip. I worry, though, this ship will not be much of a match for dragons.”
I clasped a hand on the goblin’s shoulder. “You leave the dragons to me. Just make sure your crew and you stay safe until I get back.” I paused and spotted Danec hauling some gear off of the ship. “You may need to help Danec with all that rope.”
Fapplejack gave me a smile as Danec grumbled loudly. “I’ve got your rope right here, buddy.”
I hurried to join up with the others as they made their way back to the manor. As we approached, several refugees, as well as long-term residents, made their way over to us. Everyone was curious about what was going on, and were all surprised when I didn’t come back with my brother.
Mopsy, the owner of the new alchemist shop, hurried over with two small vials. “Liquified fairy dust, mixed with powdered spirit. Drink this, and I guarantee it’ll heal you right up!”
I hadn’t had time to build trust with Mopsy, or any of her sisters yet, so I was a little wary of anything she wanted me to drink. “Thank you, Mopsy. I’ll hold on to this for later.” Since we were back at the manor, Dahlia’s nectar and Chloe’s milk would heal most, if not all, of our wounds.
The girls hurried to the manor where they were met by a concerned Cress and Shah, along with my curious bulldog at their feet.
The lizard sisters ushered everyone inside and gave me small welcoming smiles as I approached. “Hello again, my beautiful bonded. I really appreciate you both staying back to ensure the safety of everyone here. Please make sure everyone has everything they need.” I paused and watched as Mitsi ducked her head as she entered the manor. “I found someone that may be just as strong, if not stronger, than you two.”
Shah spun with wide eyes as she spotted Mitsi. “I’ve never seen a cyclops before. Can she fight?”
“She really has had little opportunity to fight so far. I imagine she’ll be able to learn everything she needs to learn from you two, though.”
The sisters glanced at each other and nodded. “She’ll be the best warrior in Aurilon by the time we’re done with her.”
