Ethereal

Ethereal

  By Kailani Marrero

  Copyright © Kailani Marrero

  All Rights Reserved

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright and License

  Story

  About the Author

  Connect with the Author

  Ethereal

  “My Queen?” a voice said from the door. Nadia pushed her dark curls away from her face, lifting her eyes from the war table she had been examining to look at her visitor.

  “Yes Albion?” she said. Alec and Rae stirred from their sleep on the queen’s bed, deep growls leaving their mouths at the visitor disturbing their sleep. Albion regarded the two large tigers with a bow. Alec had white fur tipped with flecks of light blue giving him an icy sort of feel that was reinforced by his crystal-like eyes. Whenever he moved it was as like parts of his body faded in and out of vision. Rae gave off warmth that Alec did not. Her fur was a light gold color with white on its underbelly and paws, whose eyes reflected the sun.

  “Alec. Rae,” Albion greeted. The tigers let out a loud stream of air through their noses and returned to their slumber. Nadia pulled her elegant robe close over her nightgown, and waited expectantly for the man to state his business. He turned back to her and approached the table, hands wrapped around a spell book like usual, and his eyes taking in the different pieces on the map that represented her troops and the Sha’s, the enemy of everyone in the nine kingdoms she ruled. “My Queen, I highly suggest you get some sleep. The Sha have not made any advances on Elendor as of late.”

  “Which rightfully concerns me,” she said. Her hand came up to the crystal shard that hung on a thin golden chain, running her thumb against its edges as she thought. The Sha did not hide the fact that they marched for Elendor, the city below her castle.

  “They cannot enter the castle without going through the Torian portal my Queen. Which you and your guards will immediately be aware of—“

  “Why are you repeating facts I am already aware of Albion?” she asked, not lifting her eyes from the table.

  The man hesitated before he said, “I know the passing of your father put you on the throne before you were ready—“

  “Albion,” Nadia said. Her tone was calm and controlled, but he picked up on the underlying ferocity. “My father’s sudden passing was unfortunate, especially in a time of war with the Sha. I am also very aware that I am only in my 19th year of life, and not in the place I am expected to be in. I do not need reminding.”

  “I apologize, my Queen,” he said immediately.

  “You are right hand of the Queen and resident sorcerer,” she said, picking up a piece from the board that represented the Sha—it was black and dragon-like—turning it in her hand. “I need your opinions on matters of war.”

  Albion took in a deep breath, placing his spell book on the edge of the table, and taking in all the pieces.

  “Have you consulted the Venator?” he asked. “They’re the best trackers in the kingdom.”

  “I’ve already sent out two but they have yet to return.”

  “How long ago did you send them?”

  Nadia took in a breath and considered the question.

  “It’s been almost a week I believe,” she said.

  Albion visibly tensed and said, “They should have been back by now. Venator never take longer than three days, four at the most, to return from a mission.”

  “So, what are you saying?” Nadia asked, feeling her stomach start to twist with anxiety. He didn’t answer her, immediately turning to his book and shuffling through the pages. “Albion?” He cursed and hit the table with his hand.

  “I should have seen it!” he shouted, turning to rush out of the room.

  “Albion!” Nadia shouted, rushing after him. The shouts woke Alec and Rae, who immediately leapt from the bed to follow their Queen out of the room.

  They rushed through the castle, passing countless guards and animals roaming the halls as they attempted to catch up to Albion. The cool night air made Nadia shiver when she came in contact with it, peering over the ledge briefly to take in the sleeping world below her castle in the clouds. Guards opened the door to the East tower, Albion taking the stairs two by two with the Queen and her tigers close behind.

  “Albion! I command you to tell me what is going on!” Nadia shouted.

  They reached the top of the tower, Albion bursting through the door and into his room. It was decorated with elaborate bookcases covered in dusty literature and tables covered in contraptions that contained unknown substances.

  “They’re using the Venator!” Albion shouted, shuffling through different books and substances.

  “What!?” Nadia asked. “How?”

  “The Venator have mastered an ability to cloak themselves as well as their allies. If the Sha have them and are forcing them to use their cloaking abilities, they could be a lot closer than we thought. Yes!” he pulled up a book and flipped through the pages until he found what he was looking for.

  “But, the Venator are never caught. That’s why their guild is allied with the crown. They’re my eyes outside of Ethereal,” Nadia said, anxiety building up inside of her. The sorcerer focused on gathering materials and laying them out precisely on the table. She took in a deep breath to steady herself and asked, “How close?”

  “They could very well be in Elendor right now,” he said in a grave tone.

  The castle shook so roughly that Nadia fell into Alec, Rae moving in front of her protectively and growling. Albion held onto as many of his contraptions as he could but many tumbled and spilled onto the floor, and books fell off shelves.

  Nadia’s eyes widened and when she regained her footing she rushed down the stairs, Alec and Rae close behind her.

  “My Queen!” Albion shouted, but did not chase her. Nadia ran through the open hallway, headed straight for the Torian portal. A roar echoed eerily through the air, Nadia halting her advance and shaking to her core. She peered over the ledge into the clouds just as a giant beast broke through them, shattering the magical shield that was intended to protect Ethereal from any and all threats. Fear struck Nadia, freezing her in place as she took in what was before her.

  A large dragon with black scales that resembled armor flew into the air and came back down, focusing on Nadia. Coatl. She caught a glimpse of its red eyes before she dove out of the breezeway, the dragon’s tail breaking the structure with ease. Alec and Rae let out roars of their own from the other side of the breezeway, a blue hue covering Alec and a red hue coating Rae.

  Cries of agony resonated through the castle mixing with blasts of energy and clashing of metal. A guard came through the door of the South wing looking frantic.

  “My Queen! The Sha have infiltrated Ethereal! They’re here!” he said just a jet black arrow pierced his armor, causing him to fall forward. Behind him, marching through the halls of her castle in their black, dragon scale armor, Nadia saw them—the Sha—and at the front of the line was their King: Dravion.

  She got to her feet, preparing to run but Coatl had placed his head in the breezeway, keeping her tigers at bay. Nadia was cornered.

  “Queen of the 9 kingdoms,” Dravion said. His voice echoed behind the helmet that blocked his face. “Seems like a big responsibility for a child.”

  Nadia’s jaw clenched, her back straightening as Dravion approached. He paused inches from her, towering over her body like a tree. The Sha king
reached up so quickly that Nadia didn’t have time to react, seizing the girl by her throat. She gasped for breath, attempting to pry his hand from her neck but cutting her fingers on the sharp edges of his armor instead.

  “Your ancestors fought great wars, slayed dragons and brought peace to the world of Maros,” he said, red eyes taking her in. Dravion let out a chuckle. “Oh how the mighty Tigaborn have fallen. Seize the rest of the castle. Ethereal has a new King.”

  Nadia felt his fingers press on her throat, claws breaking through the skin. She was losing focus on Dravion, her life force’s strength waning. In a few moments she would be dead…

  “NO!” Albion shouted. A bright burst of light appeared between Nadia and Dravion, separating them completely. Nadia took in a deep breath as Dravion shot back into his men, Albion catching her in his arms. From behind them, Nadia could hear Coatl give an agonizing cry, Alec and Rae clearing the jump and stopping next to her. Albion moved quickly, placing her onto Alec’s back and saying, “Protect her. I will find you both again.”

  Nadia’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, still in the process of catching her breath when Albion lifted his hands. His palms faced them and another blinding white light emanated from his palms.

  ~~~~

  A steady beeping sound was the first thing Nadia heard when she stirred from her sleep. Nadia… That was her name, right? She opened her eyes only to be greeted by white ceilings and walls and sheets. God, everything was white. Nadia tried to move her arm but she felt something jabbing into the back of her hand, preventing her from moving too much.

  “Oh my God!” an unfamiliar voice said to her, followed by a joyous laugh. Nadia blinked her eyes a couple more times until she stopped seeing double. At the foot of her bed, with a clipboard in her hand, was a nurse with a giant smile on her face.

  “Where,” she tried, but her voice was hoarse and her throat felt completely dry.

  “Oh God, I know you must be really confused,” she said, moving to her side so that she could take a hold of Nadia’s hand that didn’t have a needle in it. “You’re in Lincoln Medical Center in New York. You’ve been in a coma for a couple months now.”

  “What?”

  “You had a pretty serious fall off of a building… Do you remember that?”

  Nadia’s eyebrows furrowed as she tried to remember. Everything in her brain was fuzzy but she mustered a, “No.”

  “You don’t remember anything?”

  “No.” It hurt trying to remember any details from before she woke up.

  “Not even your name?” the nurse asked.

  She paused for a moment before she said, “Nadia.” At least she remembered that.

  About the Author

  Kailani Marrero is a transmedia writer currently attending Full Sail University for her Bachelor’s in Creative Writing. She writes scripts and novels mostly for young adults, but is willing to try writing just about anything if it means that she can broaden her creative horizons.

  She can be reached at: www.linkedin.com/pub/kailani-marrero/a3/4b2/9bb/