Reclaiming the Throne Read online

  Copyright © 2020 by Quirah Casey

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof

  may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever

  without the express written permission of the author

  except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Cover Design by Quirah Casey

  (Salvation Creations)

  http://quirahcasey.com/

  Editing by James Barnett

  For myself,

  because I wrote the last 13k of this book in a day,

  and edited it while PMSing with a broken AC unit and aching ribs.

  I truly am the real MVP.

  It's good to trust others but, not to do so is much better.

  -Benito Mussolini

  GLOSSARY

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  BONUS CHAPTER (BRIELYN)

  AUTHOR’S NOTES

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  GLOSSARY

  Aunxsical: Monstrous birds only found in Trasle and the Loka Mountains.

  Baylanero: The capital of Caelumine.

  Baerney: The nation that seceded from Caelumine after the War of Caelumine.

  Baernin: A citizen of Baerney.

  Brodakeyt: Big animal that resembles a rhino. Their horns are poisonous and they’re not only strong, but they’re also fast.

  Caelestin: A full blood, typically a royal. Their mark looks like a C with a slash through the bottom.

  Caelestis: What anyone with cael blood is referred to as.

  Caelick: A class between weak bloods and full bloods. Their mark resembles a backwards ‘s’ with a line through the middle.

  Caelorn: A weak blood with very little if any siel magic and cael blood in their system. They’re the offspring of one half-blood parent and someone with no siel magic or two caelorns. Their mark resembles a backwards four flipped upside down.

  Champion: A warrior dedicated to protecting a royal.

  Cinterwolf: Ferocious, wild wolves.

  Citizen’s Guard: They police Caelumine.

  Eryth: Where the original Fawcett kingdom resides. It is now home to mostly farmers.

  Ground Bear: A bear-like creature that lives underground and detects its prey through vibrations.

  Gwev: Roxanna’s sword.

  Hartein: Little sea creature, about the size of tadpoles but have the sting of bullet ants. They’re blind and rely on movement to guide them. The more you move, the easier it is for them to pick up on where you are and the second they’ve latched onto your location they move quickly, and once they start stinging, they don’t stop.

  Miynx:

  Royal Guard: They guard and protect the royal family.

  Sanzuh:

  Skyboard: Which is much like a tablet from the mortal realm, except not quite. It’s a watch that illuminates and projects a screen

  Synta: Yellow bird with high-pitched scream that can lead to fear, paranoia, and/or death.

  Tamaegus: Brown animal with doe eyes.

  Thie Leaves: Leaves with healing properties.

  Loka Mountains: Where the Lokanies live.

  Lokainians: The savages who live in the loka mountains.

  Main arena: New arena, created by the Fawcetts.

  Mortal Realm: Our world (the real word).

  Rebels: The group of people opposed to the royals and the monarchy.

  Royal Guards: They protect the royals and the castle.

  Siel Magic: The magic that the citizens of caelumine possess.

  The First Ball: The special ball hosted by the royals after the first obstacle.

  Traning Arena: Old arena, no longer in use for entertainment, only training now.

  PROLOGUE

  Plans change.

  Or so they say.

  But mine can’t.

  I have given most of my life to this cause, my cause, and I can’t change my mind now. Most importantly, I can’t change my mind because of four men I’m supposed to hate. Men who may not have played a direct part in the destruction of my family, but still stood by and watched it all the same. Men who were as poisonous as the oak growing behind the castle that they stole from my family.

  Men who make my heart feel like it’s going to explode out of my chest.

  Men who set my skin on fire.

  I can’t let them into my plans, my body, or my heart.

  But I already know the truth and that’s that the four royals I thought I was going to take down managed to sneak into my soul, my very essence the day I showed up to The Calling.

  And now I have no idea what to do but run...

  CHAPTER ONE

  Magic is dead.

  At least siel magic is, or so that’s what I’ve been told my whole life.

  It’s a lie.

  But it’s also the least of my worries as my feet pound against the ground and my heart hammers in my chest.

  My world, my life, and my plans are falling down around me and I need to get away before I’m left in the wreckage, nothing more than a piece of rubble.

  There’s an ache in my stomach where a wound as big as my fist should be, a wound I should have died from.

  But instead it's healed.

  The smallest of red scars is in its place, the only proof that it actually happened.

  Again, fucking magic is supposed to be dead, but that’s the only thing that could have healed a substantial injury that quickly.

  My magic.

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I mutter the words under my breath as I take a sharp turn around the castle.

  Where the hell am I going to go?

  Nightfall is my only weapon at the moment, and I wield it to the best of my ability, but I know it’s useless. I may have lived here from my birth until the age of six, but things have changed in the last twelve years. The men giving me chase know the lay of the grounds better than I do. Blueprints are nothing compared to walking this place every day for twelve years.

  A shout sounds out behind me, hoarse and familiar, but I ignore it.

  I can’t let them catch me.

  I don’t have too many options as to where to go unless I want to drop dead because of the chip in my arm that keeps me from going too far.

  The woods outside the gates are still fine, nothing happened the one time Orrtyn took you.

  I just need to make it there and hide, wait this out, until I can come up with something better.

  A sharp sting in my foot has me letting out another breathless curse. Fuck, I should have at least tried to find my boots before I shot out of Orrtyn’s room like my ass was on fire. The red gown that someone dressed me in, while my body was apparently healing itself, snags on a tree limb that seems to appear from out of nowhere.

  Shit.

  I make another turn, finding myself yards away from the wall that I’ve climbed countless times to sneak out and have a meeting with Conrad, my mentor.

  Go for the fucking wall. The only one of them equipped to even remotely be able to climb after you is Walker.

  I’d be sure of that thought if it was a day ago, but now I’m unsure. After seeing the other three royals fight like trained soldiers and not the pampered royalty I believed them to be, I don’t know what to think.

  Tough shit, Roxanna, you need to make a choice.

  Knowing I’m likely to regret the decision, I throw myself up the wall as far as I can and nearly die in the process.

  My hands scramble to clutch onto the uneven pieces of the brick wall and my feet scrape against it. I don’t even need to look down to see the bloody damage that I’m doing to them.

  It takes a moment for my grip to remain stable without my body trying to slide down.

  Suffering every step of the process, I climb, feeling every scrape, every bruise, and every cut that I get. A breeze blows up the gown, but modesty is the least of my worries as I get to the top of the wall. I don’t bother with trying to elegantly climb down the other side.

  Instead I jump down and twist my ankle the second I hit the grass, but I’m trained to push past pain.

  I dart through the trees adjacent to the wall, using the thicket of t
rees as coverage.

  Good, this gives me time to reevaluate.

  I look up, thinking of climbing a tree and perching high to keep an eye out for the men after me, but I can feel my adrenaline waning. My feet are aching, and I know that they can’t take any more rigorous abuse.

  Climbing the tree is a death sentence.

  I’d fall not even three feet up and get rid of my lead, and then the royals would be on me.

  But how far can I actually go before the chip is set off?

  A caw from above has my head whipping up before I’m ducking as something dark shoots through the air at me.

  Fuck.

  I trip but quickly get back to my feet, picking up a rock along the way. I turn long enough to pitch the rock at the bird on my tail. It clips one of her wings, something I’ve been waiting for forever now, but I don’t even have the time to bask in it.

  I watch her fall to the ground, feathers floating in the wind, before resuming my run.

  “Fuck,” the breathless voice breaks through the trees. It’s far enough away that I know I still have the lead, but it's still too close for my liking. “Just do it, Orrtyn.”

  “Are you sure? We don’t know if we can trust her.”

  Despite the fact that I am most definitely running away from them and they shouldn’t trust me if they know what’s good for them, the words coming from Orrtyn hurts me in a place that it shouldn’t.

  The only thing I should be feeling in my chest is hate.

  “Do it,” Walker snaps out. “Ragna’s down, she can’t track her, and she’ll be out of range soon.”

  What the fuck are they trying to get the scruffy, blue-eyed twin to do to me?

  I run harder.

  Goddamn it, the only other person that ran through the woods in red like a juicy sacrifice was little red riding hood and look at how that shit turned out for her.

  Caught by the wolf and consumed.

  In my case, it won’t just be one wolf, but four blood thirsty ones who want to tear the very fabric of my existence to pieces.

  And there won’t be a huntsman to save me.

  No, I’ve always been the one to save my fucking self and that isn’t going to change tonight.

  I jump over a fallen, rotten tree, but the air leaves my lungs as I’m tackled midair.

  Holy shit.

  I wheeze as I fall onto my back, my head snapping against the firm soil. Stars flash across my vision. I blink as my vision wavers. There’s a hard, firm weight on me and a hand sliding underneath the back of my head.

  I open my eyes to find a pair of blue ones filled with misery staring back. The moonlight peeking through the trees hits his blonde hair as his mouth twists into a frown.

  “Fuck, I’m so sorry, Gumdrop,” Orrtyn’s words are soft as his hand rubs at the sore spot on the back of my head.

  I don’t allow myself to fall for his sweet words, not with pain shooting through my gut where he rammed his shoulder into me in a tackle. Right in the same spot where a sword plunged into me not too long ago.

  I fight him, knowing that even without my weapons, I can still take him. Ignoring the pain and dizziness, I thrust a fist up into his face and the impact of the blow isn’t the only thing that hurts me.

  Orrtyn’s eyes widen in shock as he reels back, but it’s too late as I throw another well placed jab at his face. I push him off of me as a grunt leaves his lips. I don’t hesitate to take advantage of his disorientation.

  I scramble to my feet but barely make it a step before strong arms wrap around my waist in a bear hug.

  “You okay, Orrtyn?” Walker’s words sound pained as he holds onto me while checking on his friend. No, his more than friend…

  My limbs feel shaky as I try to wiggle out of Walker’s arms. I try to gain the upper hand while he’s distracted with Orrtyn, but I should know better. Even at my best, Walker and I are evenly matched. At a time like this when the red gown I’m wearing only compliments the blood covering my body, when it feels like I may pass out at any moment… I’m no match for him.

  “I’m okay,” Orrtyn croaks out but I don’t miss the shock in his voice, the betrayal.

  He’s unsure how to deal with the fact that I punched him. Well that makes two of us.

  Walker’s arms tighten around me. I can’t help but wonder if he wants to hurt me for causing Orrtyn pain, but his grip isn’t painful, just secure.

  “I’d make a deal to let you go if you promise not to run, but I’m not an idiot,” Walker says, his voice just above a whisper.

  He’s right, I’d bust tail out of here, even knowing that they’d catch me.

  “How in the hell did you catch up to me?” I ask, eyeing Orrtyn who’s still on the ground. I’m not crazy to the point of imagining that they were further back than they were. No… I had a sizable lead on them.

  The second I’d bounced out of the bed to make my escape, I’d taken Walker out first. I’d kicked the man right in the family jewels before delivering a well-placed blow to his head as security. The second the most dangerous threat of the four was out, I’d shoved Orrtyn. The man went flying hard enough into Elyjah to send them both crashing into the dresser in a tangle of limbs. I’d thrown a discorded chalice at Orrael’s head long enough to distract him and get out of the door.

  Yeah, I definitely had a sizable lead on them.

  Orrtyn’s face twists and he glances over my shoulder to Walker.

  Just do it, Orrtyn.

  The words are on replay in my head. What in the hell was it and how did it let him catch me? Walker is the most athletic of the four. If anyone were able to cut down my lead, it would have been him, but it wasn’t.

  Before either of the men can answer me, the snapping of branches and twigs brings my attention to Elyjah and Orrael. The men break through the line of trees side by side. Both have flushed cheeks and are huffing for breath as they take the three of us in.

  “What happened to you?” Orrael asks. His eyes widen as he looks at his twin.

  “Princess hit him,” Walker growls. Reflexively his grip tightens, and I try to jerk away but his hold is too strong.

  Orrael’s gaze snaps to mine. His brows furrow together. I don’t miss the hurt that clouds his blue eyes, matching his brother’s.

  What more can they expect from a caged animal than for it to attack and try to get away, stopping at nothing.

  “He tackled me first,” I hiss out. I don’t like the disappointed and crushed looks they’re all aiming my way.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hit you that hard. It was an accident.” The genuine edge to Orrtyn’s words rings through the night, hitting my ears, but I push it away.

  I can’t trust him; I can’t trust any of them.

  “Let me go,” I bark, uselessly. I try to bring a foot up behind me to hit Walker square in the balls, but he refuses to let a repeat happen. His thighs squeeze around my foot before it can move any higher.

  One of his hands comes up to close around my throat as I stand on one foot like an idiot. The hand tightens, cutting off my airway for a moment. “Fucking stop it or I’ll put you down like the beast you’re acting like.”

  I can’t see his face but the sharpness to his words let me know he’s serious. Any other day I’d take him up on his offer. I’d be happy with my chances of beating him. But his words are harsh, his grip is agonizing, and I’m starting to feel dizzy. I’m not sure I’d even be able to hold him off for ten seconds before he’d put me on my ass.

  “You punched Orrtyn, kicked me in the balls, and broke one of Ragna’s wings.” His grip on my neck flexes for a moment. “I’m really not in the mood to have my patience tested by you at the moment.”

  “Walker,” Orrtyn hisses as he finally gets to his feet. There’s a bruise forming on his cheek already. I try to turn my head away so I don’t have to look at it, but I can’t escape Walker’s grasp.

  “Wali,” Orrtyn’s voice is lower this time as he calls the other man by his nickname for him. His eyes move behind me and I know he’s holding Walker’s gaze. After a moment, the grip on my neck relaxes and I gasp for air.

  I turn my head away from Orrtyn as I start to cough.

  My eyes lock with Elyjah’s, hard and steel grey in the dark of the night. His black hair for once isn’t perfect, tousled and unruly. But it only makes him more intimidating as he steps forward, closer to Walker and I.

  I don’t back down from his gaze. No matter the disadvantage I’m at or how weak I am, I refuse to submit to this man or any of the other three in the clearing.