Shadow Fire, The Darkling Chronicles #2

By Tricia Zoeller

*This is the second book (novella-length) in The Darkling Chronicles series*

As a darkling shadowcaster, Bianca Rehmling works under the three dragon lords of the Shadowland Council, casting shadows for her human charge on the earth’s plane and harnessing energy to bring back for the balance and wellbeing of her kind. She’s always been a law-abiding darkling, as opposed to her younger sister, Anka. When Anka broke shadowcasting rules over the summer, she suffered the wrath of the council, something Bianca never wants to witness again.

To protect her sister, Bianca harbors some dark secrets, ones that could cause the decline of Shadowland. When a deadly illness called Shadow Fever strikes the village, Bianca fears her own rule-breaking has caused a fatal imbalance in the world of Montenai. She hasn’t been doing her job, her duty, and the dragon lords suspect.

Family or duty? With loved ones suffering, and the dragon lords breathing down her neck, Bianca keeps her nymph friends close and her enemies...closer. When an unlikely ally offers to help, Bianca must decide if she should trust him or brave the heat alone.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tricia Zoeller
• Release date: Apr 30, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310990724

Tricia Zoeller

Tricia lives in Marietta, Georgia with her husband, Lou, her little yappy dog, Lola Belle, and her big orange mutant cat, George. Her two stepsons, Joseph and Robert, make stopovers as well, making sure to keep life an adventure.Tricia earned a B.A. in Journalism and Anthropology from Indiana University in Bloomington. After moving to Atlanta in 1992, she obtained her Masters of Education in Communication Disorders from Georgia State University and spent a decade working as a Speech-Language Pathologist, most recently in the pediatric field treating children on the Autism Spectrum.Writing has always been a part of her life–like breathing and chocolate. To reach Tricia or get the latest stories, please visit: www.triciazoeller.com or find her on Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17670526-first-born

Book preview

Copyright @ 2014 by Tricia Zoeller

Smashwords Edition 2014

Shadow Fire, The Darkling Chronicles #2

Copyright @ 2014 by Tricia Zoeller

Smashwords Edition 2014

Published by Blue Portal Press, LLC

http://www.triciazoeller.com/

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, institutions, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination, or, if real, used fictitiously. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations in critical articles and reviews.

Book Formatting by Angela McLaurin, Fictional Formats

https://www.facebook.com/FictionalFormats

Editing by Nancy S. Thompson

https://www.facebook.com/NancySThompsonAuthor

Cover Art by Robin Harper, Wicked By Design

https://www.facebook.com/WickedByDesignRobinHarper

Map by Jared Blando, TheRedEpic.com

http://www.theredepic.com/

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

MAP OF MONTENAI

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

GLOSSARY OF MONTENAI TERMS & CHARACTERS

CONTINUE READING…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

This one’s for you Lupus babies!

Get the facts: http://www.lupus.org/

A heartfelt thank you to the fabulous people who have jumped on The Darkling Chronicles ride with me, hands in the air, ready for the biggest hill: editor, Nancy S. Thompson, cover artist, Robin Harper of Wicked by Design, cartographer, Jared Blando of TheRedEpic.com, and formatter, Angela McLaurin with Fictional Formats. All of you are truly talented and committed to your craft.

My deepest gratitude to my superheroes (beta readers): Martina McWilliams, Annalee Higginbottom, Crystal Marine Dorothy, Karen Chamberlain, Stacy Bailey Darnell, and Amanda Walsh.

Thanks for the support and inspiration: Michele May, Barbara LaRochelle Cutrera, and Alison G. Bailey.

Finally, to the readers—thanks for taking a chance and stepping through the portal!

What is he? I held my breath as I met Anka’s green eyes. They conveyed both wonder and fear.

Thanks for coming, Bianca, she said to me as she yanked her hood back, sending snowflakes cascading to the floor. Ben stood next to my sister, eyes focused on the fire, but I caught a glimpse of his profile under the hood.

I took in the bleak surroundings. The cabin stood bare of any furnishings except for a broken stool in the corner. A barred owl sounded in the night with its characteristic call, Who cooks for you. Who cooks for you, too. A cold shiver slid down my spine, and I listened more intently for any approaching sounds of hooves or large prey.

I heard the crunch of snow underfoot before the door creaked open. Mom’s tall frame looked almost gaunt today as she entered the room. Her brown eyes reflected a worry she couldn’t control. Ice crystals shimmered on the hood of her purple cloak as she drew close to the fire and revealed her raven hair pinned back with gemstone combs. Dad followed behind her, bringing with him the smell of cherry tobacco. His wavy dark hair brushed the collar of his wool jacket. He took his place by Mom’s side, his determination apparent in the tight muscles of his face and neck.

All eyes traveled to Ben. I hadn’t seen him for weeks, since he and Anka went on the run after the nymphs had healed him. My gut twisted as his hood fell, revealing a different face than the one I’d grown up with. What had the nymphs done?

Below me, the fierce dragon lord stalked, filling the cavernous space with his magic. I couldn’t hold my breath forever. I had to gulp the heady magic rather than forego breathing at all.

Suspended from the ceiling by my wrists, I couldn’t quite catch my breath. At first, the stretch to my vertebrae hadn’t seemed so bad, but soon, my arms felt like they might come loose from their moorings, while my gut launched spasms of protest from the pressure.

My sister…is with…the nymphs, I gasped. Where you…sent her.

Lord Akton halted his pacing. He found me with his one golden eye and bound me in place.

Like I’m going anywhere.

Helpless, I looked up from the Rotunda into a cathedral ceiling that reached up for hundreds of feet. Light streamed down from tiny, round windows carved out of the sides of the sequoia’s trunk. I hung inside the dragon lords’ lair. It wasn’t a dank, musty dungeon but a well-appointed room dripping with the finery of original art pieces, ornate rugs, marble floors, and gold-leaf accents. It smelled of expensive cigars, brandy, and aftershave.

I wanted to study my surroundings more, but funny thing pain; it can be so distracting. All of my sister’s experiences with the three dragon lords, starting from the age of four, had been negative. By the time she turned eighteen, the lords had banished her from the east side of the river, the town known as Shadowland, where darklings made their homes in the shade of a lush sequoia forest. Over the summer, the three lords, Akton, Leasith, and Bulosk, had delivered a punishment to Anka for breaking shadowcasting laws. They had sent her away with horrendous wounds. The nymphs had saved her life.

Lord Akton strode across the white marble floor to stand at my right foot. His skin resembled any other darkling’s, except for the bloom of red scales on the one side of his face. Despite his scarring, he was still a handsome creature. At seven feet tall, he towered over most darklings. Some described the lords as hideous, but I’d never thought that, not even Akton with his missing right eye.

I had hung out with my friends in the South Village where the lords lived. I’d even had a conversation or two with the youngest brother, Bulosk, and middle brother, Leasith. Despite being close to a century old, they had come across as reasonable creatures. That is until they almost killed Anka and now had me hanging like meat to be aged.

Why didn’t the termination spell activate, Bianca? Lord Akton asked. He referred to the recall of a shadowcaster when his or her human charge died. Normally, once the human breathed his or her last breath, the dragon lords’ magic pulled the darkling shadowcaster back to the Wishing Tree.

If I attempted to explain the circumstances, I’d only endanger my family. I hated getting in trouble. I believed in rules and followed them, but now I needed to lie. My mind raced as I cursed my sister in my head. If Anka hadn’t fallen in love with her human charge, I wouldn’t be in this predicament. I’d been dealing with the repercussions of her actions my whole life.

I…don’t know.

The force of his power pressed against me. I attempted to swallow as the heat from his fire seared me. I couldn’t even scream. The suspension stole my breath, and if he didn’t let me loose soon, I knew I’d pass out.

A piece of parchment suddenly appeared in his hand. The burning sensation subsided, and I gasped for air. Looking down at my white blouse, I noticed nothing had burned; it just felt like it had.

You must recall the blood contract you signed at the age of ten.

My fingers tingled as they turned numb from the lack of circulation. A dark curl fell across my face, but I didn’t have the energy to blow it away. I leaned my head into my armpit and closed my eyes. It’s hard not to panic when someone takes all your