Dark Winter

By T.L Thorne (Trisha Lynn)

In the second installment of the Manifested series King Marro's derangement gains new heights, Ayvre's vengeance is still like a living entity inside her, but there's something else there; something terrifying and exhilarating, and all Grayson wants is to find his lost brethren and break the bonds that tie he and Ayvre together.
Through Elven strongholds and into the dead of winter, join them on their exciting journey of self-discovery, friendship, betrayal and adventure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: T.L Thorne (Trisha Lynn)
• Release date: May 7, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463205389

T.L Thorne (Trisha Lynn)

I live in Southern New Hampshire with my husband and two quirky Siberian Huskies. I have been writing since high school but stopped entirely upon my mother's death at the age of eighteen. Now almost ten years later I have rediscovered that passion.I love hiking and discovering New England. I enjoy nature, fishing, snowmobiling and pretty much anything to do with the outdoors. I read and write every moment I have down time. Bloodlines is my debut novel and I hope you enjoy my Faerie world, the characters it possesses and the future worlds to come...

Book preview

Dark Winter

Second book in The Manifested series

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

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© 2020 Copyright T.L. Thorne. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Nothing in this book may be redistributed in any way. The utilization or reproduction of any part of whole of this book is forbidden by the author.

E-Book cover by Olivia Pro Designs on Fiverr.com

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One

Your father was murdered for secrets and plans he had uncovered. King Marro must be dethroned.

Ayvre had read the tiny scroll twice since they had fled the Emerald. She didn’t care where they were going if it was away from the cold city, but each passing mile seemed to grow ever colder. Winter would be upon them before they knew it if they continued to travel north.

She pulled the dark emerald cloak closer around her, and fingered the antler handled knife tied to her waist, something that had become a nervous habit, since Grayson had given it to her many, many moons ago – too many to count now - on a fateful night when her betrothed husband had come after her on her way to the Emerald City. He'd been bent on taking her home with him or killing her. She still couldn’t believe how naïve she had been to his true nature.

How could she not have seen Jace for what he was?

She had done horrifying things with that knife, she thought, as she fingered its curved handle. She had cut off parts of her once betrothed… that she’d rather not remember.

At the time anger, betrayal and impossible trauma had pushed her to see red and hack at him, but now that her mind had rectified, she realized how terrible a person that act made her. Even if the things he had done and said were beyond vile, she was still not that person anymore. She was not that weak minded, dark girl.

That dungeon had taken its toll on her mind. Had caused her to lose herself, and every moment after had spiraled her further down.

Ayvre had been brought to her lowest and was slowly rising above.

Escaping the dark emerald castle had been the impasse for her. Watching her friend, Uriah, die – slowly from oleander poisoning – had hardened her and strengthened her. Resolve for a higher self. She knew she had a darkness in her, and she would use it again – when the time was right.

She wanted revenge for her father, for herself, for her friends.

No. She needed revenge. Sweet vengeance and a kind of justice.

Ayvre and Grayson had been interrogated, tortured and bound to each other in a cavernous dungeon nearly a year prior, and she was still healing from the endeavor. The brutes that had taken them had experimented on them and other innocent people – clearly trying to gather information for… something. Some higher purpose. That purpose was still unclear.

Grayson thought that King Marro was trying to make some hopped up, unnatural magical army, and she was inclined to believe him considering what she had seen at the emerald castle. Rose, a tall, auburn haired young woman had somehow called fire to her hands and burned a man to death during a bandit attack while they were at the Emerald. Rose had insisted she had no magic, but it was there. Ayvre had seen it herself. It had manifested somehow, months after their time in the dungeons. Surely from the injections. There was no other way. And then there was Feris – a simple farmer who had exceptional agility and stamina. He had jumped from a crouching position to the back of a tall horse to take down a bandit. A simple farmer should not be able to do such a thing.

And then, of course, there was Song. Ayvre looked to the girl now, riding in front of Gavin on his massive black horse. Song could bring dead things back to life. An insane and incredibly intense and powerful magic. Perhaps even dark – most definitely a bit dark if used incorrectly. Not that she would ever voice that to Song – but surely it could be a terrifyingly bad power. She had read a book, once, about forbidden magic that included necromancy – the magic of bringing back the dead. It had seemed very wrong to her. Unnatural. She knew nothing of magic as the use of it had been extricated far before her birth and thinking back, she had no idea why that book had even ever crossed her path.

The magic of bringing something back to life was… beyond anything she could comprehend if she’d not seen it with her own two eyes.

Such powers, in the wrong hands and for the wrong reasons, could be devastating. And Marro was undoubtedly was the wrong hands.

But how had Marro discovered a way to trigger magical powers within seemingly non-magical folk in the first place?

It was just so absurd and bizarre and Ayvre’s head hurt just from thinking about it so much. On top of the escape and the tiny scroll she fingered in the folds of her cloak and her own increasingly heightened senses, and the strange bond that was forging deeper between herself and Grayson – it was a lot to worry over, with conflicting thoughts and concerns.

It was a lot.

Too much.

She tried to quiet her mind as they rode on in the cold, dark forest to a destination she was still unsure of.

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Somewhere inside me I knew this was all wrong. Everything I was thinking in my head… it was jumbled and erroneous. My limbs wouldn’t cooperate with anything I asked of them. Everything in my heart, my mind - wouldn’t hold.

How… How had I let them catch me? I was the shadow. I was darkness on the wind, the web of lies within the maw of shadow. The hand of truth and justice and execution when it was seen fit.

But I felt like nothing now. I felt like a shell of myself. I was better than this empty feeling. I was better trained then this – too well trained to allow myself to be captured, that’s for sure. I felt changed, but… I could not control it. I could not hold on to who I once was. It’s like who I once was, was all a shadow – just like what I was supposed to be. The shadow.

Grayson would kill me when he found out, or worse Varric would remove me from the brotherhood. I couldn’t let that happen. It was all I had. They were all I had. Every part of me, every heartbeat was because of them. Without the brotherhood, without that purpose, I would be nothing.

How had someone gotten me?

Cabal’s mind was a whirr of confusion.

What had happened?

His mind was a fog of misperception and self-deprivation.

Had my mind truly been asunder from the tavern girl that much? Esmelia.

Her beautiful pointed face and large, innocent, darkly lashed doe brown eyes filled his mind.

It had been some time since Tamryn, and I had divulged in such things as ale and girls. Grayson had given us just a little time off while he figured things out in the castle. Things we could not help with. So, we were given time off with the recourse to find out a bit from the town gossip.

They had heard such little gossip, aside from one tidbit. One harrowing, chilling tidbit. That the king was paying handsomely for information on elven communities and magical folk. Friends were turning on friends for coin. They heard little else, and so they had continued to go to the tavern, to try to learn more.

This girl...  She'd felt different to me.  Real.  Maybe too real.  I had begun to think of things I had never considered before. A future - one aside from the brotherhood. I had never allowed myself that possibility, but she had opened my eyes to the potential. 

The tavern had been so close to the safe house. We'd not been able to stay away, and I could admit to myself, it had been more the girl then the stale, cheaply made ale, or the chance at more gossip. 

But now...  Now my mind was not entirely my own. 

What was wrong with me? Where was I? 

I knew in my heart I needed to get back to them. I needed to know if they had escaped. Getting Ayvre out had been Gray’s most important request. He and the girl had some sort of tie... It seemed to go beyond what had happened to them together in the torturous caves, but Grayson was completely shut off about it. He and I were close as brothers, but he kept so much of himself and his true feelings in. I'd get it out of him with time. For now, I saw what I saw, and it made me wonder.

Ayvre was lovely and wounded and there was something… some odd rippling energy within her and it intensified in Gray's presence, but was it something deeper?  Something ancient and primal? 

His mind was berated with more strange thoughts, one’s he would never think before. Like an increasing loyalty to King Marro and his inner circle.

What is happening to me?  What has been done to me? 

The last thing I remember was distracting the guards, giving sleeping draughts to the few that were monitoring the halls and gardens while Tamryn got the girls and Gavin out. I remember it being all too easy. As if they were waiting for me.

He shook his head. That couldn’t be. They could not have known of their plans for escape.

I remember the last guard I was checking on. He was different. Dressed differently. I remember thinking that he almost seemed like a Raptor, but not quite. This guard seemed to know something was afoot.

Then I remember nothing other than feeling a prick at my neck – like a wasp sting.

Then my world went black.

Cabal was losing sense of who he was. Losing sense of his loyalties, his personal thoughts and commitments

 He was losing himself.

Two

They had been traveling at a steady pace with few breaks. Just enough for them to fill water skins, to relieve themselves, and to eat some dried meat and bread from their packs.

It was wearing on her and from the haggard look on Song’s face when they stopped at a river to water their horses, she wasn’t the only one. She was becoming increasingly sore and she imagined the small girl was as well. They were not used to riding this long, or hard. Ayvre tried to make light of it, but with Grayson and Tamryn still at odds and looking upset about something – she assumed Cabal’s absence – they seemed like quite the sad troop.

She prayed to the skies above that Grayson would let them stop when night fell. They could use a good night’s sleep.

To her utmost surprise and pleasure Grayson did indeed stop them. When the moon crested and peaked at its highest in the sky, he finally came to a stop. He ushered them to a thick bunch of trees that made a natural barrier against wind and elements.

They, blessedly, dismounted and Grayson suggested Tamryn and Gavin to seek firewood while he and the girls saw to the horses.

Ayvre was all too thrilled to get a moment with Grayson.

As she unsaddled Zia she asked, Cabal – is he supposed to be with us?

Grayson’s gray eyes touched hers only a single fleeting second before moving back to his horse. He said nothing just grunted a noncommittal response. Lovely. She wasn’t sure what she had expected, from the mysterious elf.

They worked in companionable silence as they unsaddled, watered and then tied up the horses, giving them ample space to find plenty of greens to eat.

Grayson started a fire quickly, and insisted everyone get some sleep, he would take first guard rotation.

She and Song pulled their bedrolls together and quickly fell into sleep curled up together. It was a chilly night and their combined heat made it very cozy and comfortable in their bedrolls.

Ayvre had a dreamless sleep. The most restful she had had since well before the dungeons. She had no idea why, but it gave her more strength and energy than she had felt in an awfully long time.

When they were awakened at dawn, she nearly batted Tamryn’s hand away. She wanted to stay curled up in that warm cocoon with her dreamless sleep, but he continued to shake her with a chuckle until she yawned and blearily looked around. The three men were already up and milling around and the fire was already only a wisp of smoke.

She and Song got up quickly, packed and went to their already saddled horses. Gavin gave them a reassuring smile and they resumed their pace.

That day they covered much forest, or at least she assumed so, since she was still unsure where they were going. They all seemed in higher spirits after some much-needed rest and she could hear Tamryn telling Song silly stories as they rode. She smiled and felt an odd sense of peace and rightness and a certain kind of comradery she had never felt before.

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She had continued to let her hair grow out since the dungeons, as Jace had liked it long. But out here, and after… well, there was no reason to keep it long and flowing when practicality would win out for her. To get the old Ayvre back – to get her completely back to her old self – she needed to change things. To rediscover herself. The real her. She had lost sight of herself in those dungeons and then spiraled into someone else entirely once she was out. She was no one, nothing, unless she found her own head. Her own heart. Her own soul. She needed to find herself again.

When they stopped that night, she looked at the band of friends she had gained and gave a little smile before touching the hunting knife on her belt.

Sneaking off from the fire wasn’t so difficult when Tamryn was immersed in telling a story, Song completely enthralled in it. Grayson was scouting, but she knew he wouldn’t be far if she needed him. She made her way to her pack and found a small lantern. Something she had taken from the room in the dark emerald castle. Then she headed into the dark forest. She didn't need to go far for privacy.

She set the lit lantern on a downed tree.

In the lamplight she bent over and flipped all her hair down. With a deep breath she sawed off a few inches. When she had first started cutting it four years ago, she had kept it close to the scalp. She didn’t want it that short this time. But it would be much easier to maintain if it were shorter. Perhaps one day she would have the silken flowing locks down her back again, but not now. Not yet. It was such a small, simple thing, but it meant more to her self-confidence and soul than anyone else could ever understand.

She took strands and hacked at them with the knife. Without a mirror she had no idea how it looked, but she continued to hack at the strands. Layering, haphazardly, as she went. Trying her best to make a short style; manageable but not hideous. She really had no clue if she was succeeding.

She nearly jumped out of her skin, when a voice cut through the night beside her, Want a hand?

She squinted as the lamplight settled on Grayson’s deep gray-green cloak, the deep cowl that hid his face from her. She felt his eyes on her, but she wished she could see his face. He hid himself under that hood all the time now, as if showing his face to others would allow them to see too much.

Ayvre handed him her hunting knife. Yours are steadier than mine.

Nothing more was said between the two as Grayson continued to do as she had – cutting small clumps, but at least he could see the results.

A few minutes later he deemed her finished.

How does it look?

He had, at one point or another, taken off the hood. Thank the stars. He stared at her, his flint gray eyes flashing in the amber lamplight. She swallowed. Something about this man drew her in, and she took a breath to steady herself. She felt so strange in his presence. An odd kind of attraction, but deeper, stronger – something she’d never felt before. She assumed it was simply because they had gone through torture together. But the connectedness scared her, just as much as it intrigued her. She needed to speak to him about them being bound to each other, as Cabal had been unable to confirm or deny her suspicions. But she felt like now was not the time.

Grayson quickly looked away. Better.

Before she could reply, he was gone. A shadow in the night.

Sighing, she made her way back to the campfire.

Whoa! Look at your hair!

Song, of course, made quite the scene. Ayvre should have anticipated that. Gavin and Tamryn stared at her.

It suits your face, Ayv. Tamryn’s smooth voice cut the awkwardness and she smiled at him thankfully.

Gavin agreed with a grin.

That night Ayvre was blessed again with no nightmares. Her mind able to shut off and rest, her exhausted body to gain much needed strength. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the warm cocoon she was in with Song, or the exhausting days of riding, or the crisp forest air. Whatever it was though, she was grateful.

Three

The next day went the same as the last. They rode long and steady, resting only long enough to rest their horses, get water and to eat. Their second break of the day, she could not help herself. She went over to Grayson. He was alone looking out into the forest. His back to them. Tamryn was showing Song his bow, and Gavin was collecting moss of some kind.

Grayson, she said, tentatively.

Hmm? He didn’t even turn to her. His hood was down – she contributed that fact to the warmth of the sun in its highest point of the day.

Where are we going?

Somewhere safe.

Okay, I knew an answer like that was coming.

Do you truly think that we were all injected with something to trigger some sort of magical powers? There, I’ll get right down to business then.

He turned to her, his thunderous eyes blank. His rugged face had stubble across it, as none of them had ample time to bathe or do anything hygienic. She wondered if the steady pace was to get to their destination quickly, or because he thought they were