ENCHANTED WORLD SERIES BOOK 1: POSSESSED BY LORD MAGE

Noelle’s felt a cold breeze caress the small hairs on her face. The scent of must and mold filtered its way into her nostrils. There was a heavy feeling of dread that crept deep inside her and settled in the pits of her stomach. It was so intense that she felt nauseated by it. From a distance she heard the constant drip of what she thought was water. The ground was cool and damp underneath her and the shuffling inside the soil made her skin crawl. She didn’t dare open her eyes because the feeling of malevolence was close by. She could feel evil eyes watching over her, making her heart stutter with the uncertainty of her fate. She tried to remember what happened and all she could see was her uncle’s face before she was swallowed by the black, suffocating smoke. What had her uncle do? What kind of energy was he using? She couldn’t even begin to contemplate what he was planning.

What she felt around her now was a familiar feel especially when her uncle was around at the fortress but now it was ten times that!

“Enough of the pretense, princess.” a voice hissed close to her ear and Noelle’s eyes snapped open. She watched as the violet eyed male sneered and moved back to eye her properly.

The room was dimly lit—no, it wasn’t a room. She noted the crude rock ceiling and walls. They were in a cave!

“Where am I?” She asked as she tried to sit up but her entire world tilted and sent her back onto the ground. Tight ropes pulled hard against her wrists and made her bite the inner part of her cheek to stop herself from crying out.

“Hell.” someone answered and evil chuckles sounded around her.

How many males were in there with her? What happened to Lady Lyrah and the others? Did they escape or were they held somewhere else?

“Shut up, Kane!” A familiar voice barked.

Noelle’s eyes blinked several times as they adjusted to the dim light and suddenly a familiar face thrust in front of her. Her uncle Ron looked different. He was no longer that fair-faced male she knew. His face was dark with evil, his skin color was sickly grey and pulled tight against the sharp edges of his skull. His eyes had dark shadows around them and shone with untold menace and he a couple of cuts and bruises around him. So, this was what he was reduced to? She couldn’t believe it.

Back in the Realm of Light, Ron was very much loved by her father. He gave her uncle everything he’d ever asked for. At times Ron acted out and caused trouble for the king and never once had her father ever punished him. The king felt Ron was acting this way because most of the times he was being ignored and wanted attention. He never had close friends. Everyone was very cautious around him because he was always angry and frustrated.

Never once had Noelle ever thought that Ron would take his anger this far. He slaughtered an entire village and kept on attacking people using Dragons. Where did her father go wrong with him? Could she find a way to talk him out of causing more trouble? She knew it was only a matter of time before everyone got tired of his troubles and hunted him down. She knew Tyran already had warriors searching the lands for him.

Oh, Tyran! Her heart hurt so much that she gasped. She could almost see the anger in his eyes right at that moment. She made bad decisions before and he always warned her that one day, her carelessness was going to land her into trouble but by far this was the worst decision she’d ever made and now she was paying the ultimate price!

“You look well, my one and only niece.” He purred as he brushed her hair from her face.

When his fingers touched her skin, a shiver passed down Noelle’s body. They were cold and almost lifeless. What had happened to him. “Uncle Ron, why are you doing this?”

He eyed her for a moment, tracing a finger over her jawline down to her neck and stopped just above her breasts. “You would have made a beautiful bride for Tyran, Noelle. This gown--” he touched the material of the wedding dress she still had on and smiled almost sadly. “--it’s perfect for you as if it was made just for you.”

“It’s tirk.” Someone mentioned from the darkness. “We can get a lot for it—”

“No touches the dress and no one touches the princess!” Ron snapped.

Murmurs went around the caves but no one dared to object which made Noelle realize that Ron must be the leader of these rogues.

“Uncle Ron, it’s not too late to make this right. I can help you but you have to stop this. Please stop this madness!” Noelle felt tears burning behind her eyes. Even though she wasn’t close to her uncle, he still was her blood and she protected her own. They were not going to go easy on him after all the chaos he created in the enchanted world but at least if he stood up and took responsibility for what he did, she would find a way to forgive him.

“Madness?” Ron’s eyebrow quirked up. “You think this is madness? You are no different from Alston! He thinks the same thing—that I have lost my mind but you have no idea what is at work here.”

At the mention of her father’s name, Noelle gasped in hard. Her uncle used present tense which meant there was hope that he was still alive. Noelle felt the relief warm her heart. The Fae King was alive!

“Soon enough, my sweet--” he frowned with distaste and continued. “--not-so-innocent niece, you and everyone in this enchanted world would learn what it means to have real power. Power not even the ancients can comprehend!”

Noelle dreaded the meaning of those words. What such power was out there that could be more than the power of the ancients?

“What have you done with my father, uncle Ron?” Noelle asked.

Ron smiled sadly as if he remembered a sad memory. “Alston is alive if that is what you mean. I don’t have a reason to kill him. I want him to witness what having great power really means. You know Alston always took me for a fool. He ignored me and let me get away with a lot of things but he had no idea what he was creating. He had no idea he was creating the most powerful king of all.”

Noelle felt bile boil into her throat. “I want to see him. Please let me see him.”

Ron touched Noelle’s hair and once more goose-bumps formed on her skin. “All in good time.” then he turned to the other males. “Get her something to eat.”

Noelle didn’t want anything from him! All she wanted was to find her father and hopefully find a way of that cave! But they were so many males inside she wondered if it was even possible to shift without one seeing her.

Oh, Tyran, I’m really sorry. She felt her heart break in her ribs. She put him through a lot by her carelessness but this time, this was one situation she couldn’t even talk her way out of!

Dark clouds churned over the Mage Fortress as the warriors and their commanders crowded the courtyard. Tyran stood before them, his face as stormy as the darkened skies above him. His queen had been missing for several hours and there was no sign of where she could be or who abducted her. The only hint they had was the dragon male they captured after Luna’s gold haze wore off and released him from the spell.

Zach took the male and locked him down in the dungeons but a few hours later, when they went down to interrogate him, they found him dead from rune poisoning. The only other prisoner down there was Olena and she was several cells away so she couldn’t have kill him. They concluded that it was suicide and burnt the body.

Tyran was tired of waiting. He feared of what could happen to his queen during that time and called on a search team. His warriors were ready to search under every rock and through every crevice for her. Even though she hadn’t been there for a long time, his warriors were already very protective of her and Tyran felt humbled by their dedication to their queen. Drake stood in front of the group of warriors and barked out orders. The warriors broke into groups and went out of the courtyard to search for Noelle. Tyran turned to his side and noticed the Royal Guards standing around the Royals. Queen Malenna looked so distressed especially when she learned that dragons had attacked again. Florian stood close to Luna as if afraid she might escape him again.

Lady Lyrah and Ethinia were in the infirmary getting treated for minor wounds. Only his queen was missing and everyone else was okay! His fingers curled into tight fists beside him and in one turn, he stalked down the podium to the crowd of warriors leaving.

“Kill everyone else but bring the male solely responsible for this back alive!” he barked. “I’ll not entertain the attacks on my people any longer. This is a disease and it should be stopped from the source!”

“Ahey!” The warriors thumped their armored chests and Tyran watched as his High Mage flashed to their allocated positions with passengers such as beasts and shifters. The Mage had their black leather hoods covering their faces and their palms pulsing with energies of different colors. The shifters molded their bodies into bigger and better animal bodies that would give them an advantage in the battlefield; some into bears, other into buffalos and smaller versions of the animal species while others sprouted wings and became large ravens and eagles. They all took off, trying to find their queen. Beasts also embraced for the change, bringing out the living animal counterpart within them out. The half-blood Lycan, the Leos, Centaurs and Nymphs also joined in the search.

“We are moving out in ten minutes.” Drake came to Tyran’s side.

Tyran nodded and said. “Do your best to find her and bring her back safely.”

Drake gravely nodded.

How he wanted to join the search! But he had a responsibility to the royals who were under his protection. He could see the apprehension some of them had when they heard of what happened. The dragons wouldn’t dare attack the fortress. Not when he was there.

Tyran watched as the warriors marched out and frowned at the last male limping his way out. He ground his teeth and approached the commander.

“Where do you think you’re going?” He touched Storm’s shoulder and turned him back.

Storm bowed lightly to his king and said. “I wish to take part in the search too, my king.”

“You can barely stay on your feet. Not to mention you just underwent your first ulti-breed change and just recovered from rune poisoning. I will not have you die out there. Get back inside.” Tyran told him.

Storm looked up at him and was about to argue but Tyran had already turned towards the royals, leaving Storm looking down at his feet.

Even if he wasn’t able to join his warriors in the search of his queen, Tyran had something that could contribute in locating her faster.

He made his way into the library to that secret tunnel that led the way to the Mortal Book. Instead of moving towards that chamber, he made a different turn towards another large chamber that resembled a very old library. The books were ancient and clad in leather. The pages were made of pig skin that was treated and laid out to dry then written upon. These were his most precious treasures and also the most powerful books a Mage could ever possess. The spells in these books were dangerous and only a well horned Mage could carry them out. They were a manuscripts of each exceptional Mage to have ever live. Some as old as time itself.

Tyran never thought there would come a day where he sought the help of the ancient Mage with all the power that he had acquired through the years but he had no choice. Deep in his gut he knew Noelle didn’t have much time. Whoever abducted her was going to kill her at the end. He had to work fast.

Tyran raised his hand and the old torches burst into light. Yellow light swelled in the chamber and dark shadows flickered like restless spirits in the corners. The brown stone shone like gold in the light. It was as smooth as marble.

Several shelves were carved into the walls where they held volumes upon volumes of Mage manuscripts. These were handed over to the next King or Queen in line. Only royal bloods could handle their power. So much power pulsed from them, each holding the secrets of the greatest Mages to have ever lived. Tyran recognized his father’s, his mother’s and his grandfather’s. They were among the manuscripts that had the most powers and they were what he needed.

Tyran held out his hand and his father’s black leather manuscript floated out of its position in the shelves and lightly landed in his hand. It hummed with power as he paged through to look for a summoning spell. Each manuscript had the very soul of the Mage embedded in it. All you had to know was the right words to chant to bring him or her out or it could suck out your life essence!

Tyran recognized the pattern weaved in the pages and traced over them carefully in the right sequence. The patterns raised from the pages with an eerie light. They floated before him and began to form words. Tyran chanted softly, remembering the old rhyme his father taught him when he was younger. A sad smile touched his lips. His father always left clues even when he was alive. They were usually things that happened in Tyran’s life; good memories.

“I summon thee, Gregor, Mage of the moon and stars. Through the fabric of time, hear my call and come to my aid.”

The patterns coagulated and became on big sphere of light. It spun in the air and wind gushed out of it sending dust and loose papers flapping around the chamber. Tyran stepped back and shielded his teary eyes from the light as the sphere swelled up and took up the space in the room. Finally, the sphere imploded and vanished.

Tyran blinked away the blurry vision and suddenly he stood in front of the male he had not seen for what seemed like a lifetime! He still had the same icy blue eyes. The small wrinkles around his eyes were still there. There was a hint of smile on his full lips as he looked at him. They stood at the same height and their bodies were almost the same size. But where Tyran had his mother’s brown locks, Gregor had black.

“It’s been a while, Tyran.” Gregor crossed his arms across his chest.

Tyran went down on one knee and bowed. “Father!” The word was unfamiliar to him yet it brought so many memories. Memories that threatened to wash him out into the black ocean of infinity. His throat closed and his eyes stung by the sheer strength of the memories.

“I never thought you were the type to sought out help from the other side but I can feel the urgency of your situation.” Gregor helped his son up and looked at him deep into his eyes. “What troubles you, my son? Is your sister well?”

“Father mine.” Tyran’s voice broke as he tried to figure out what to tell him. “Lyrah is well but the enchanted world is not.”

Gregor grunted lightly and clasped his hands at the back. “I can feel the disturbance in the air. These are not good times, Tyran. You have to stay strong through this tough period.”

“Father mine...my queen has been abducted and I feel I don’t have enough time to save her. I need your guidance.” Again, Tyran fell to his knees.

Gregor took a long time to answer that Tyran thought he was already gone. When he looked up, he saw the concerned look Gregor had on his face.

“I don’t have the powers to help you, Tyran but I will guide you to your queen. She is important for the future of both the Mage and the Fae.” A small sad smile appeared on Gregor’s face. “She reminds me a lot of your mother. She is much stronger than you think...with a strong will to live.”

Tyran’s heart squeezed hard in his ribs. “Can you guide me to her?”

Gregor shook his head lightly. “The path has been tempered with. There is something dark that keeps her location under a black veil. Be careful my son, this darkness tends to destroy anything or anyone on its path. I don’t have much time.” Gregor held out his hand and placed it on Tyran’s forehead.

Suddenly Tyran was traveling through a dark tunnel. Voices murmured and hissed at him as he sped through the tight opening. Cold fingers raked across his arms and his chest and made him shiver to his core. His mind seemed to expand out of the confines of his skull! The sheer determination to find Noelle was what kept him from yanking his father’s hand away. Time was not on his side...

Finally the Lord Mage stopped moving and when he opened his eyes he found himself floating in what looked like a large dark cave. The floor was rock and dust but the walls looked at if they had been carved by man. Something was watching him. He could feel the cold, violent eyes on the back of his neck. He tried to turn but his body wasn’t his to control. He looked down and discovered his wasn’t substance. He was spirit walking—or at least his father was guiding his spirit! He started floating towards a dark arch where loud voices came through. There was laughter and clattering of metal. Tyran let his father guide him until at the mouth of the cave. He couldn’t go further than that. Something was shielding the rogues. Tyran watched in horror as several males appeared before him. They were practicing with their swords—swords made from a material he had never seen before! It was like forging a sword from amber. When the swords came against each other, they hummed and sparked with power!

Several rogues were sitting around a fire on animal skins and one corner there was a female sleeping in the animal skins.

She faced the wall, her coppery hair falling around her head in shiny locks. Her small hands were bound behind her and red marks had formed where the rope snagged tightly against her wrists. Tyran felt bile rise up to his mouth. He recognized those locks from anywhere! She was also dressed in a wedding gown. The once beautiful dress was now caked in mud and blood. He prayed, for the sake of those males, that the blood on that dress was not hers or by the heavens it was going to rain boulders!

Before he could figure out where this place was, his spirit was yanked back into his body and found himself shivering on the cobbled floor of his chamber back in fortress. His father was gone and even the torches had gone off.

A cold drafted raised the hairs on the back of his neck as he sat up and fought down the nauseating feeling welling up in his throat. The room spun for a moment then settled down. Tyran reached for his father’s manuscript and got up. There must be something in there that could help him figure out how to locate Noelle.

He ignored the unsettling feeling in his stomach and marched out of the chambers.