The Chain

By JE Hunter

Aurora Daniels has committed her life to the Dru—an ancient people who live in Avalum, a land steeped in magic and legend. But being Dru means sacrificing her old life on Earth and fighting a war that draws nearer with each sunset. But Aurora has bled and fought to get this far, and she won't stop until she discovers what happened to her best friend, Ivy, and she won't stop until Gil is forced to face the consequences of his dark magic. It's a battle that might cost her everything she loves, but Rory is will to pay the price, no matter how much it hurts.

• Language: English
• Publisher: JE Hunter
• Release date: Oct 2, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463343418

JE Hunter

J. E. Hunter lives in Saskatchewan, Canada, and began writing as an excuse to stay inside during the cold winters. Tales of a Redheaded Sea-Witch was born from the author's love of the ocean, which she didn't see for the first time until she was eighteen. Tales of a Redheaded Sea-Witch is the first book of the Black Depths series.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Avalum was a much different place when I was welcome in it. The first time I visited Avalum, hauled through the black forest of Aerdureinghah on horseback, I was a prisoner. The second time I came to Avalum, I hiked through the deep green northern forests and fought a pit beast, all as an intruder. But now, I belonged. I’d fought the druid who had stolen my love for Garret and I’d won. I’d broken the spell that held the Dru queen captive by removing the torc from her throat. When I had handed the same queen back her crown, I had been welcomed into Avalum and the city of the Dru. My life was my own again, and I had no idea what to do with it.

What do you mean you’re the only other member of the Grove of Starlight? I looked at Greyson, incredulous. Greyson shrugged his slightly rounded shoulders and appeared amused. Since returning to his homeland, he had regained life. He no longer appeared like an old man nearing his nineties, as he had when I’d met him in that small house in southern Scotland. Now Greyson seemed middle-aged. The grey hair was there, but there was more colour in his cheeks, more light in his eyes, and a new smoothness to his skin. And he smiled—which he had rarely ever done before battling Gil, an old friend and great enemy, and helped restore his niece to the throne, Queen Brigit, current queen of Avalum. Greyson’s smile took away years better than any magic spell could have. My mentor had also been welcomed back to Avalum after spending years in exile on Earth. But, unlike myself, he had already found his place.

I’m not the only other member, Greyson said, turning toward me. We were standing at his workbench, which was made of worn, grey wood. Greyson was teaching me how to mix powders and potions for use in basic magic spells. "I’m just the only member that’s here, in Avalum City. The rest of the Grove of Starlight are in the north, living in a mostly self-imposed exile."

The week before, the Dru had held a ceremony for both Garret and me. The ceremony was the same that occurred for Dru children at the age of thirteen. I was nineteen, much older than typical, and Garret was in his forties, though thanks to the curse that Gil had placed on Garret for twenty years, Garret didn’t look a day older than twenty-five, but none of that had changed the ceremony. Garret and I had been brought to the public throne room, which was nestled in the tip of the valley that housed the city of Avalum. The throne room was the only part of the valley that had a natural ceiling, formed by solid rock hundreds of meters above the cave floor. At the foot of the throne’s dais burned a great white fire in a shallow pit. Garret and I both appeared before the fire dressed in simple, white tunics with no adornment. The queen herself presided over the ceremony in return for our help in saving her crown—a true honour. Queen Brigit was dressed in her full regalia: a deep red dress with layer upon layer of fabric, and the golden circlet on her head. The queen still bore scars from her time as Gil’s prisoner, but they had faded and were almost imperceptible thanks to the healing powers of the Grove of Water.

Garret went first. He pulled a fistful of soft, white powder from a golden urn, the neck of which was just large enough for Garret to insert his hand. The queen indicated to the fire and Garret tossed his powder into the flame. The fire flared violently, reaching up into the air, burning a bright, cool green. Garret was destined for the Grove of Earth—as he’d suspected he would be.

I had no idea what to expect when I threw my fistful of powder. I had spent only a few weeks in Avalum, all told. I hadn’t felt the strong pull of magic in my blood, except for that of the golden dagger at my side. Rhea’s Needle, an ancient artifact that had led Garret, Greyson, and I back to Avalum City and to the circlet that Gil had hidden away for decades, was my only real experience with magic. When I’d thrown my powder, all I knew was that I wanted to stay in Avalum. The moment my powder touched the flame, I felt the land awaken beneath my skin, felt the darting, tingling pulse of magic in my soul. I wanted to know more, to learn more. And I also wanted to find Ivy, my best friend and Garret’s niece, who had gone missing sometime before our battle with Gil and hadn’t been seen since.

My powder hit the white flame and it turned the fire the darkest blue laced with glittering starlight. I was destined to join the loneliest grove in Avalum. The Grove of Starlight. Greyson’s Grove.

Why do you say self-imposed? I asked Greyson, who continued to shift around finger-sized vials of liquid and powder, moving them from space to space in the wooden holders on the table.

Greyson sighed deeply, and for a moment his age returned. "A long time ago, there was a falling out between the Grove of Starlight and the other groves. Each grove has its own magic, its own gift, and the gift of Starlight is mystery. To some people, mystery is a frightening, fearful thing. There are those who cannot stand the unknown. They prefer to think that the unknown doesn’t exist. They like to believe we know everything. They like to think we know even the limits of magic itself. But magic is by definition mystery, and the Grove of Starlight takes pleasure in delving deeper into magic, deeper into the unknown. And yes, on occasion it has proven to be dangerous. So, the other groves decided to put rules in place. There was a lot of disagreement over that, paperwork and requests and permissions. In the end, the Grove decided to relocate so they could perform their work and their experiments in privacy."

Except for you, I said, keeping an eye on Greyson as he once again began mixing his glass potion vials about.

He smiled wistfully and his gaze faded inward. Except for me. Greyson put down the colourful vials and turned. He nodded for me to follow him as he slowly walked across the rock-hewn chamber and over to the chairs. In the centre of the room was what we called the tea parlour, though there wasn’t anything parlour-ish about the cavern we practiced our magic in. The room was dark, buried deep within the mountain, with no windows or sources of natural light penetrating the depths. But there was a thick red rug placed under two simply carved wooden chairs, made comfortable with blue cushions. I took a seat in the chair opposite Greyson’s. In the five days since Greyson began teaching me to access my magic, we’d accomplished nothing. I could feel the magic in my bones. I knew the magic was there, but it wouldn’t come out.

Why didn’t you relocate? I asked, reaching for my bottle of water, which was resting on the small wooden coffee table between the two chairs.

The queen was my sister. Greyson rested his hands lightly on the wooden armrests. The deep wrinkles in his forehead creased softly upward as lips fell downward. And I was in love. I had a choice: be loyal to my sister, be loyal to my grove, or be loyal to my heart. You know which one of those won. I couldn’t leave Corden behind, and yet I couldn’t stay here and love him openly.

At least things are changing now, I said.

Too late, Greyson sighed heavily. He’d spent the majority of his life living in his own self-imposed exile with Corden, his lover, because their love for one another would not have been accepted by the Dru. He only returned to Avalum because Corden had passed away some years ago on Earth, and without Corden to love, all Greyson had left was Avalum and the family he had left behind nearly forty years ago. Greyson’s sister had been murdered thirty-six years ago by Gil, who had been taking revenge on the queen and council for killing his own lovers. Greyson didn’t know his niece—the current queen—well, but recently they had been spending time together, which seemed to have a positive effect on Greyson’s spirits.

It had been a rough few decades for the Dru. A long civil war, led by Gil, had changed the Dru for the better, opening up their culture to accept unions between those of the same sex, but it took the imprisonment of the entire city for them to see. With the help of my friends, we’d freed Queen Brigit from Gil, and put an end to the civil war. But Gil was still out there somewhere, angry, waiting, still wanting vengeance on the court that had killed his loves. It was all a tragic mistake, one that could have been prevented if only the council had listened. And now we had to wait and see if Gil would give up on his desire for vengeance, or if he would continue to plot the destruction of the Dru. I had a feeling it would be the latter. But then again I wasn’t inclined to trust a man who had cursed me to hate the man I loved. The thought of being watched for years all so Gil could use me to steal the ancient artifact from my own father and fill it with my love so that Gil could turn it against me made me feel so violated that I shook. If I could have it my way, I would never see Gil again. But I could feel the fight growing closer every day.

Since becoming one of the Dru, since my ceremony, I’d felt different. The feeling of magic in my blood had grown stronger. Apparently I’d underestimated the magic of Avalum. Anyone who passed through the portals from Earth and set foot into Avalum eventually gained magical skill, but true ability, true strength, came from the ceremony, which was really a spell to open a channel inside oneself. It felt like too much water pushing against a dam that had been in place inside of me for my entire life. And now the water was flowing over the dam, into the ends of my fingers, and was waiting to be released. But I didn’t know how to release it.

The future will be different, I told Greyson firmly. As long as Gil doesn’t return and destroy us all. I sighed as I stood. I’d better learn this magic before he does. Or before I go looking for him myself.

Oh, I don’t think we’ll have to do all that much looking, Greyson said, his blue eyes catching mine for just a moment before darting away.

What do you mean? I sat down again.

Greyson fixed his steady gaze on me. He took a slow sip of tea and then set down his cup again. It had been sitting there for hours, but the tea was steaming, likely heated by a touch of magic. I believe Gil has returned to the Grove of Starlight. He found refuge there before, it is likely he would again.

You mean…

Greyson nodded. He worried his hands together in his lap, twisting his fingers together like he was knitting something, and perhaps—with the fabric of magic—he was. Gil is a member of the Grove of Starlight. He was possibly even the leader, once. When he was much younger. He used to hold a lot of sway.

I was stunned by this revelation and didn’t know what to say, so I didn’t say anything, just curled my tongue in my mouth and remained silent. I watched Greyson disappear somewhere into his memory, his eyes focusing on the distance. He returned to himself a few moments later with more words for me.

He was a promising sorcerer, Gil. Very interested in the origins of magic, of discovering all he could do with it. Naturally, he became obsessed with artifacts. Most of us thought it was a passing phase, a simple scholar’s interest. But eventually we realized it was more. After everything that happened with his mates, when he turned, his obsession quickly turned deadly. Of course, I was already gone by then, and what I know is mostly hearsay, but I have spent time researching the artifacts and what they can do. Greyson shook his head. There were rumours of one… Greyson closed his eyes, going silent. For some reason, he didn’t say anymore. I reached down to touch my own artifact, Rhea’s golden needle, an artifact created to find all of the other artifacts so that they could be hidden away. There was no way to destroy the artifacts, I’d been told, so hiding them had been the only option. The needle, a small golden dagger, was warm and comforting where it hung from the belt at my waist. As I touched it, I could sense the locations of the circlet and the torc. Powerful indeed.

Well, Greyson opened his eyes again. I don’t know everything. All those years I lived on Earth, and many without communication with the city. There is much I don’t know. Much I must seek to discover. Greyson stood up. I could tell he no longer saw me. To him, I was no longer present. He walked away, leaving me to myself. There would be no more lessons that day. But hopefully, when I returned the next morning, he would know more. And hopefully I’d be able to access the burning well of magic hiding within my bones.

Chapter 2

Since Greyson had wandered off on one of his tasks, as I’d begun to call them, I suddenly found myself free. And like most moments when I was free, I went in search of Garret, love of my life. Just the idea of seeing Garret lifted my mood, bringing a smile to my lips and a laugh to my throat. We had finally—in the past few weeks—had time to spend together. Time when we weren’t worrying about Gil, or magic, or the fate of Avalum, though we both still worried about Ivy, my best friend and Garret’s niece. We wouldn’t stop worrying about Ivy until we found her, but right now that meant waiting. Waiting for a single clue to point us in the direction she had gone when she’d escaped Gil’s prison.

I knew I would find Garret in the Grove of Earth. As I wasn’t a member, I had to wait at the entrance to the grove, outside the circle of great trees, while the guard at the gates sent word to him. All of the groves, other than the Grove of Starlight, had an actual, circular grove of trees to call their own. The entire valley of Avalum city was filled with the groves. The trees grew so thickly between the two mountains that the trunks formed solid walls, and the branches, interwoven overhead, the roofs. The groves were breathtaking works of nature, and peaceful. None more peaceful than the Grove of Earth.

Someone had told me, probably Greyson, that the Grove of Starlight had once had a grove at the very end of the valley, the end opposite the throne room and the giant tree that provided passage from the top of the table-like mountain to the south, and down into the valley. As I waited for Garret to come and see me, I looked down the valley. There was a single, broad road running from east to west, from point to point of the valley. The valley was completely closed in, the walls steep and vertical. The only ways in or out were the giant tree, hollowed out in the centre, or three underground passages.

At the west end of the road was a wall that was not smooth and vertical, but made from large, sharp edged boulders, like at some point, part of the mountain had fallen down into the valley. Rumour was that the Grove of Starlight had once been there, under where the rocks were now. I wondered if the grove had caused the rock fall when they left, so that no others of their grove could practice in Avalum City without them.

Hey, I was wondering if you’d have time to stop by today. I turned to see Garret stepping though the doorway. The branches that formed a solid door parted for him. Garret pulled me straight into his embrace, giving me a firm hug and a chaste kiss on the lips before stepping back and tugging me toward the grove. I just need a bit longer. I’m working on something with Ferla, but we should be done soon. You can watch if you like.

I’ll watch you anytime, I said with a growl, hinting at what I planned to do with him later. Garret shot me a look that said he was in complete agreement with my plans, and I shivered with pleasant anticipation.

His hand was firm and warm in mine. I could feel the callouses that had come with the past couple weeks of hard work. I could even feel the traces of damp soil that stuck to his palm even after washing. Garret spent his days working with the earth, using magic to grow food and vegetables for the people

Once we were past the barrier, the Grove of Earth opened up into the most elaborate greenhouse I’d ever seen. The woven ceiling glittered up above as it let in the light of Avalum’s white sun. Below, the ground was split into long, rectangular plots, divided by trellises, or blue, bubbling streams. Plants grew all over the ground and up the trellises, even up the trees that formed the grove itself. There were thick-branched apple trees in the centre of the grove, and groups of bushes that popped with the colour of hidden berries. There were plants I didn’t recognize, some that Garret had told me were for medicine, cosmetics, or seasoning. If it was grown in the earth and useful, then the Grove of Earth grew it. For each member had a gift that came from the earth itself. But their magic wasn’t just useful for growing food, as Garret had proven when we’d snuck back into Avalum to dethrone Gil. Garret could also use his magic to find tracks of others, and hide tracks of our own making.

Garret led me to a grouping of trellises forming a long wall, each laden with cucumber plants. The broad, green leaves hid the long, green cucumbers below, and the yellow blooms of new cucumbers yet to come. The bright yellow blooms turned toward us as we approached, as if they could hear us. I wondered if the plants could hear Garret, or sense him, through his magical connection. I briefly touched my own well of magic, and tried to feel the earth through it, and surprised to find the world shift, almost glow, with faint blue light. My breath hitched a moment. This, this was what Greyson had been talking about the day before when he’d said the Grove of Starlight could see the making of the world, I was sure of it. I felt a thrill at this small bit of progress.

Garret squeezed my hand and led me over to a chair that could be folded up and moved about the grove easily. Just have a seat, Garret said. We should be done soon. He nodded toward Ferla, his petite, silver-haired mentor who was crouched over a plant a few feet away.

I let go of my magic and found the blue glow disappeared immediately. What is it you’re doing? I asked, settling into the small, wiry chair nestled so far into a group of vines that it was practically hidden. I pushed the plants away, but they sprang back almost instantaneously, covering the arms of the chair again. Ferla noticed my difficulty, and waved her hand. The plants made a quiet rushing sound as they moved away from the chair, curling themselves around the braces of the wooden lattices instead.

We’re trying to harden the cucumbers for the winter. They’re easy to grow in the summer. But as the waning months approach we often begin to lose the crop. Garret began rolling up the sleeves of his long, green tunic top as Ferla answered my question.

Well, I for one hope it works, I said. Your cucumber salad is one of my favourite dishes here. Though I have to admit that Garret has learned to prepare an amazing lamb stew.

Garret gave me a half smile before he and Ferla set to work. They crouched over the plants, each of them holding a thin disc of clear quartz. Garret had shown me the device in our small apartment a few nights before. We’d been assigned our living quarters the first night after Gil had been ousted from the city. Our