The Hidden

By JJ Anders

For the creatures living in the banished world of Midzark, life has been a hard one. Magic is in short supply, while the giants who built their palace off the sweat of imprisoned slaves, live like kings.
 
Following the dangerous journey through the Kylix, Tresstéanna now finds herself a small queen in a very large land.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Idealist LLC
• Release date: Jan 3, 2020
• ISBN: 9781945100130

JJ Anders

JJ Anders is the pseudonym used by the powerhouse writing duo of NY Times & USA Today bestselling author, Jill Sanders and her identical twin sister, Jody. Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, these two talented ladies have merged their creative forces to craft an amazing new fantasy series that will leave you begging for more. With over forty bestselling romance books and counting, Jill alone is a force to be reckoned with, boasting thousands of glowing reviews with a cumulative 4.5 star rating. Jody's powerful imagination and newfound love of writing has spawned the thrilling new world and enchanting characters of Genoa. As a furious reader and devoted mother, Jody's passion for storytelling reaches full bloom by teaming up with her talented twin to bring her magical stories to life for the enjoyment of readers everywhere. Follow J.J. Anders online at: www.jjanders.com facebook.com/jjandersauthor/ twitter.com/jjandersauthor

Book preview

Preface

She welcomed them.

The first time Genoa, fallen star, felt her sisters’s children travel to her new home, she welcomed them with open arms.

The first to arrive were children like those she herself had created using her born magic, gifted by her father. They were magical humans, fairies, and elves. Seasons came and went, and still travelers arrived.

Some came because of curiosity; others came to find a new home, seeking the pleasant environment she had created. But others came in desperation.

The dragons had fled their home planet in fear for their lives after being hunted almost to extinction, trapped and killed so their horns and scales could be sold.

She and her planet offered these majestic, loyal creatures a safe haven. The dragons had found the shores on her planet to their liking and bonded with those settled along the ocean’s edge. Seasons passed and they prospered there, safe in their adopted home.

Others during this time also escaped to her lands. But not all who traveled to her were noble and pure of heart.

Troubles stirred. War broke out across her home. She sent ambassadors of peace, specially created to fulfill this daring duty. But after many seasons, none returned to her and the dangers increased.

Long did she think of solutions while her own children suffered at the hands of those who were not her own.

She stirred her own magic and created strongholds, places that held her children safely. She also bestowed upon them the ability to withstand much. She created the royal bloodlines, each noble passing their magic to their offspring. But in the end, this was not enough either.

When the battles became too much and death threatened all her children, she heaved up her breast and broke. Barriers were made, long and lasting ones that would withstand the test of time. She made many, wanting to keep not only her children safe but also those of her dear sisters.

She segregated them.

Knowing what she had to do, she used tall, frozen glaciers to kept them from each other. Some of her children were trapped along with those who were not her own. This saddened her, but most of her creations, her family, were safe.

This sadness caused her weep, and from her tears came the Ili Yeathía, the Tear Stone. It was not unusual for stones and gems to come from her Corpuscle, but this one was the only ever to be created from her sorrow.

Fearing for her children trapped with hostiles, she breathed to life new ambassadors. These new creations were sent to the hidden worlds, endowed with great powers. These creations were not as grand or as powerful as her Protectors, but they had all they would ever need to aid her children who were trapped beyond the ice walls.

She watched the ambassadors fight for her family, but some of her children were enslaved, others were hunted to near extinction, while even more fought the evil and overcame their aggressors.

Many suns passed and her children settled in their new home, aided by these ambassadors. Her children in Genoa, the mainland, prospered, and her eyes and heart turned to them and she became blind to all else.

It was in this blindness that harm befell her.

1

Finding Yourself

The lone figure stopped and crouched in the darkened hallway. For a moment, it appeared to melt into the wooden walls and the dimness of the night.

The slave called Amándo knew that, despite the late hour, it was still a possibility that someone might happen upon him. Even covering himself in a full black cloak did not guarantee he was safe from discovery.

Most of the occupants in the Régorge Palace were asleep, nestled in their cool sleeping chambers during the heat of the day. But the palace’s kitchen was only fifty feet behind him, and someone might be looking for a high-noon snack. There was also the possibility that someone would need to relieve themselves.

Therefore, caution was needed.

After listening for a moment and hearing nothing except the constant drumming of the waterfall far below the floor, he crept down the massive hall. He avoided the well-lit areas and kept to the shadows.

Gas lamps were used on this level, but they were widely spaced, giving him plenty of room to move in the darkness. The only windows down here were at the front of the structure, on the eastern walls, which made these walkways darker than those on the top four floors. He was thankful for this.

As he moved, Amándo thought of his mission, one that was very important to him, even more consequential than his own life. It was a task, he knew, that needed to be completed before time ran out. He didn’t even dare think of the consequences if he failed.

Using the hallway’s darkness, he continued his secretive travels in the depths of the giants’ palace and counted the minutes. If he was unsuccessful and did not meet the rendezvous, the rest of his mission would be a failure.

As he drew closer, anger fueled him. The passageway was blocked by a large wooden door behind which, he hoped, the guards, loyalists to the giants, were already in a drug-assisted sleep. This would leave their posts open so he could gain access and complete this night’s rescue.

But he had been raised to be cautious and, before entering, he listened at the crack of the door. Hearing no sound from beyond, he opened the doors and swiftly moved into the room.

The hallway’s wooden walls gave way to indulgent décor. Delicate flowers cluttered the walls. The flowers’ large colorful faces seemed to mock him as he crept past the unconscious guards. The hard-stone floor was littered with fine rugs that helped mask his footfalls as he moved towards the second set of doors.

Here the doorway was grander; intricate wooden carvings covered the two doors that hid Amándo’s goal.

As he drew near, the details of the carvings—sculpted figures of half-dressed maidens—gave him a sick feeling in his stomach. Some of the figures were in a relaxed state while others appeared to be frozen in a moment of dancing.

Averting his eyes from the carvings, he focused instead on the handles. Both had key holes, and both were closed tight against him, successfully trapping the poor souls.

After glancing back at the two sleeping guards, he pulled out two small metal pins. One he immediately shoved into the lock, while the other he held firmly in his hand for a moment.

Sending up a quick prayer to the goddess, he started to work on the first lock. It felt like hours before he heard the mechanism release. He knew it had been barely a minute, but he feared he was fighting against time now.

Before the first door would open, he had to unlock the second. Moving towards it, he felt perspiration trickle down his dark forehead as he pushed the first pin into the opening.

He had just shoved the second pin in place when he heard the horns. Horns that usually did not sound at this hour. Horns that struck fear into him as his eyes turned back towards the first two doors. If the trumpets meant what he thought, then he had mere minutes before he was discovered and killed.

That was something he was prepared to risk. Yet if he continued with it now, his life wouldn’t be the only one in danger.

Quickly abandoning the second lock, he moved to the first and spent precious time securing it. Then he moved back down the room towards the sleeping guards.

Using his hip flask, he sprayed both men with cold water. After they started to stir, he sprinted out the wooden doors and back down the dark hallway, racing away from death, away from his mission, and away from his sister.

---

---

Káric walked into the palace a hero that day.

The hunter of magic had returned from a trip victoriously and demanded the horns sound before he crossed the Ingress Bridge with his offerings. The bridge lay in front of him and his giant companions as they neared the entrance to the Régorge Palace.

The heat of the day had almost reached its peak, and even the steam from the waterfall was missing. This confirmed how late it was. Most inside the palace would be sleeping off the intense heat for several more hours. Only a few slaves and guards would be awake, working on chores and duties.

Beyond the massive wooden bridge with its suspension ropes and five towers, he saw his home. At least the one he had chosen.

Massive wood beams formed the large arch beyond the bridge, and a thirty-foot door led into a vast foyer. Beyond that, five floors of huge glory stood. Well, five floors that the giants admitted to. Káric knew the palace had a basement.

The stone and wooden structure sat suspended over a large pool in the middle of the cliff. At the palace’s back sat the high waterfall. Its waters flowed from the high cliff behind it as it dropped thousands of feet from above the building’s roof. The waterfall was constantly fed by the ice glaciers in the mountains behind, mountains that no one had ever breached.

To the palace’s front, the waters continued a downward path, falling hundreds of feet down the cliff face. At the bottom, it reached the wide, vast Tabescent River. The roar of the waters could be heard and felt in every floor and room of the royal palace.

The appearance of the structure made one think the palace straddled the waterfall itself. Huge block stones, along with the massive Kelan tree beams, provided support for the structure and kept it suspended above the shelf’s lake.

Five large domes soared high above the roof of the building, one set on each corner, with the fifth at the building’s center. In the light of the day, the domes shone bright with gold, while bold-colored murals lined the palace’s form. Each painting was intricate and gave a regal appearance to the structure.

Prime Magal and four other operatives had accompanied him from the secret tunnel and met up with Garnt, the Prime’s second in command. The larger group of giants, led by Garnt, had traveled with three of the prisoners, while the Prime had helped Káric with the pale woman. He had insisted he did not need aid in the capture of the woman, but this decision appeared to have had a high cost. Luckily, the Prime had been able to retreat from the fighting. After the battle, he had then met Káric at a designated location, and they had quickly made their way out of the black cave.

They had battled and captured the gifted outlanders, who had been hidden in the black cave he knew as the hole. Several outlanders had been left behind, but they did not concern the Prime, so Káric was not concerned either.

At first the watch guards at the two bridges had argued about sounding the trumpets, claiming their hesitation was due to the late hour. However, Káric had insisted and, with the Prime’s approval, the horns were sounded.

Prime Magal had agreed that their catch was cause for celebration. It had been many years since they had heard of gifted ones with this much promise. The giant Magal had puffed out his large chest and boasted about their endeavors to the watch who was tasked with moving the cages.

Káric thought the large giant talked too much, so he moved off to keep an eye on his conquest. He watched closely as the gifted were transported from the small cages to the large cart used for presentation. When one of the operatives grabbed the pale woman too roughly, Káric bit at the giant.

If you harm any of them, I will tell the Grand that it was you who damaged them! He scolded the giant loudly so that he could be heard above the din of the waterfall.

Káric moved toward the cages and made a show of inspecting each prisoner. As his dark head bent over the skinny male first, he noticed that the man was awake, but given his chains and lack of food or water for several hours, Káric did not feel threatened.

He moved on to the other man and noticed he had blond hair like the pale woman. His face was covered with a thin stubble and his eyes were still closed. No doubt because the Remora worked against his magic and rendered him unconscious.

The dark-haired woman was next. Káric would have liked to possess her, but Magal had informed him she held much magic and would be a great addition to the Grands’ collection.

Finally, Káric moved on to his prize.

The pale woman was something he had never seen before in Midzark. Her blond hair and pale skin were unlike that of anybody who lived in this wild world. She lay in a heap on the cage’s floor, her pale hair covering most of her pretty face.

Her shirt and skirts were foreign in their material, but the leather belts and straps were familiar to him, and so were her weapons. He had taken her bags and knives before she had been placed in the cage.

He noticed that the black-and-white bug, known as a Remora, was still attached to her neck. The creature had dug into her delicate skin, feeding off any magic she possessed.

Reaching into the cage, he used one of his dark fingers and traced the curve of her neck. A wicked smile crossed his thin lips. Taking a lock of her hair, he felt its texture before reaching down and touching the small, hard body of the Remora.

The bug’s attachment had been a blessing and a curse. His kidnapping had only been successful because of the Remora, but he struggled with his disappointment at discovering that the woman was a gifted. If she held strong magic, then the Grands would claim her. Yet, if her magic was limited, Káric might talk the powerful rulers into releasing her into his care. And that was something Káric wanted very much.

He made sure to keep only a few steps behind the rolling cart, and a smile crossed his lips again. He wanted to be there when Grand Cline and Grand Carrington inspected his latest offerings.

---

---

Tresstéanna, Queen of Valorna, woke with the sounds of a faint buzzing in her head. She also heard a loud banging that sounded like wagon wheels moving over a wooden bridge. Intense heat surrounded her and almost stole her breath. Sweat dampened her tunic and made her blond hair stick to her face.

At first, the loud noises made her think she was a young Anna, back on Earth several years ago, lying in the train car. A train where a man named David had found a lost little girl with no home. But the sound was off, and she was no longer the orphan, or an exiled princess. No, she was whole now. Whole in body, mind, and soul. She was Tresstéanna Rose Reginald, queen of a home called Valorna that was nestled on the shores of the Golden Enry in the far north of Genoa.

As she opened her pale blue eyes, she heard voices. Strange voices. They spoke a form of English, but their accents were foreign to her.

Giving her head a small shake, she quickly realized she was chained. Steel chains shackled her wrists and legs, keeping them a foot apart from each other. Her tan tunic was smeared with brown dirt, and her leather pants and her overskirt clung to her in the heat.

Keeping still, she listened more closely to the words as she tried to comprehend where she was and what was happening. The last she remembered, she had been with Kriston.

Kriston, she thought quickly and frantically looked about to see if he too had been captured. She saw no sign of her handsome, dark-haired fiancé. She remembered the fighting down in the cave, the battles against monsters and giants in the attempt to return the Globe of Corpuscle to her resting place.

She remembered getting near the large staircase deep down in the Kylix. The feeling that something was off before her world had gone dark. Realization came quickly that she had been captured just like Shiarra, Leian, and even Belent.

What she saw beyond her cell’s metal bars at first confused her. Large horizontal wires, feet apart from each other, blocked her vision. Occasionally, a massive wooden beam replaced the thick wires as the thumping sound continued. Beyond the wires, a bright blue sky hung over the green forest canopy.

It felt like ages since she’d seen the sky. She and her friends had been down in the dark cavern of the Kylix so long that the brightness of the day now seemed odd.

Seeing the blue caused joy in her, so much that she took a moment to appreciate its color. She took a deep breath, but the air felt like it burned her lungs. The heat was so intense and heavy that it felt like she was in a sauna.

Risking being seen, she raised her head and glanced forward quickly. There were three other cages ahead of her. Dread filled her when she noticed Shiarra’s cloak in the enclosure directly in front of her. Beyond, in the second cage, was a dark, unconscious figure she surmised was Leian. She hoped it was Belent she could see in the first cage, but she wasn’t sure.

You are awake, came a squeaky voice from behind her. She had not been aware someone was so close, and the words caused her to turn her head so quickly that her neck cracked.

A middle-aged, black-haired man was walking directly behind her cage. His clothing seemed similar to what she would find in Genoa—a green tunic and leather belt topped by short odd pants. His hair was cut short in the front with longer stringier locks that covered his neck. His black eyes seemed to bore right into her. When he smiled, she felt her skin crawl. There was something sinister hidden in his eyes.

No need to be shy. We enter your new home now, he said with glee.

Panic filled her as they moved from the open air into a large room. Stone walls and flooring gave her the impression of a castle. The ceiling and support beams were made from massive wooden limbs. Even here the heat was unbearable.

While she was studying her new surroundings, four giants came forward and lifted the cages off the wooden cart.

She was jarred about and noticed the man still watched her closely. Using the movement of the cage as cover, she took this time to test her bonds. Each shackle was cinched with a wicked-looking lock. The keyhole was round, and the iron chains were massive round rings. She took hope when she realized the chains weren’t locked to anything. If she could get herself and her friends out of the cages, they might be able to escape.

This thought had just passed through her mind when she heard a loud grinding. She turned in time to see wooden doors and an iron gate close them into the keep of the giants. Even forty of her strongest friends could not lift the iron gate or open the massive doors that now sealed them in.

She caught another glimpse of the dark-haired man and noted he was not a giant, but normal size. This gave her pause for a moment, but then she turned to look back at her friends.

My lady, Belent hissed at her. The wizards are not dead.

No indeed, the dark man said as he moved to stand next to her cage once again.

The giant who carried her slowed so he could speak with her. She wondered, Was this man working for the giants, or were the giants working for him?’

We would not harm anything that carries magic, he said with a laugh. The high-pitched sound made her skin crawl again, but she held her head high as she returned his gaze.

Who are you? With her low demand, she saw anger creep into his dark eyes.

I am the one who trapped you. Káric is my name, but I hope that by the end of the night you will be calling me master. Another smile passed his lips as he waved the giant forward.

Never, she whispered as the giant carrying her moved to catch up with the others.

As they traveled down a large corridor, further into the giants’ keep, a loud, continued rumbling sounded off in the distance. She could hear the noise of the giants’ footfalls along with the constant buzzing she’d discerned since awaking.

They passed beyond the entrance and then down an elaborately decorated hallway. The heat decreased the further they went. The floors were marble and massive wooden pillars supported a decorative tiled ceiling.

At the end of the hallway stood two enormous closed doors that soared up to the high ceiling. Four large guards stood post as the procession approached.

The Grands are not to be disturbed, one sentry said, moving to block the doorway. The other three quickly joined him, making a solid blockade.

A rather large giant with gold on the chest of his armor moved to the front of the cages. The four guards immediately bowed their heads and stepped aside.

I request that Grand Cline meet us in the throne room, the giant ordered. After a moment, he received a bow and one of the sentries quickly disappeared into the blocked room while the other guards moved to open the second doors. The prisoners were carried inside. The inner room was the size of a football field. Twenty massive pillars held up the ceiling, which seemed to glow without any visible lights. She found something odd and familiar about the lighting, but her eyes quickly landed on the two empty thrones set at the far side of the room.

After their cages were placed in a line before the thrones, they were once again studied by Káric. His gaze was unpleasant, and she tried to focus on anything but the small man’s presence.

A subtle shift in her magic drew her inward, oblivious to all the outward happenings. Something deep down pulled at her and made the real world appear to melt away.

Hello? Tresstéanna asked as blackness filled her vision.

She didn’t know if she was standing in a dark room or if she was lost somewhere inside her mind. It felt like the latter. The one thing she did know was that she wasn’t alone.

Hello? she asked again. She reached out with her magic to find what was hidden from her, but pain filled her, so she quickly stopped.

Hello, came a buzzing response that had her turning and twisting to locate the speaker.

Who are you? she asked, wondering who this was and how they were speaking to her? She knew she was captured and caged inside the giants’ palace, but who was communicating with her now?

I am Hiz, was the buzzing reply.

The sound was familiar, and she realized she’d been hearing this noise since she’d awoken a while ago. Only now had she put together that the buzzing going on inside her head was a language.

Please, where are you? she asked and once again tried to reach out with her magic.

Yes. I am hungry, she heard as pain once again filled her.

Stop! Are you the one hurting me? she cried, pulling her magic back.

Feed me. I am hungry, came the response.

Feed? Are you feeding off my magic? she asked as this realization came to her.

It is our way. It is the only way we know now, Hiz replied. We feed by taking and return our own gift.

Gift? Tresstéanna asked as panic filled her. Visions of alien eggs laid in her brain turned her stomach over. Was this ‘Hiz’ something made from nightmares?

Sleep. The feeding hurts so we provide sleep, Hiz explained.

Do you eat it all? she asked. She tried to damp down her panic, understanding that whomever she was talking to was attached to her body somehow, attached and able to render her magic useless.

Yes. Always, Hiz replied.

Do you need it all? she asked and listened for the answer.

When she came back to herself, she saw two men and three women walk into the room and approach the thrones. All were giants.

Their dress was completely different from the guards and those who had captured her and her friends. The men wore robes. One wore a dark blue robe and had jewels on his chest and a crown on his head, while the other wore a robe much like a monk.

The women each had fine dresses on, but even behind bars Tresstéanna knew which one held power over the other two. It wasn’t only the crown on her head or the fine jewels around her neck, but the fact that the other two walked several feet behind her.

She thought the dresses were like the ones worn in about 1700 in France on Earth—low scooped necklines, draped sleeves, and wide hips, all covered completely with lace.

Prime, I expect there is a good reason you have disturbed our resting, the woman said as she settled herself upon the left throne, moving to drape her skirts around her.

Grand Carrington, we bring you gifted, the Prime said and bowed.

It wasn’t Grand Carrington who answered but the monk-like man.

Káric, you astonish us with your skills. He and the other man walked towards the cages.

What kind? the regal giant asked as he bent to peer into Tresstéanna’s cage.

Unwilling to show all her cards, she sat back and waited. Brute force would not free the four of them from their cages and away from these giants. What she needed was intel. Knowledge that would help her know more about their situation and possibly grant them time and skills to escape.

Grand Cline, the two still unconscious have used level five magic. The skinny one might be a three, and it is still unknown about this pale one, but I believe she is only a two, Káric said with a sneer. Tresstéanna thought there was an insult in that statement but kept quiet.

Fives, Grand Cline said and moved to study both Leian’s and Shiarra’s prostrate forms. We have not seen this high a level in quite some time.

---

---

Belent stayed quiet in his cage, weighing and processing what was going on around him.

He had watched Káric bring the unconscious Tresstéanna out of the tunnels and meet up with Belent’s captors only a short while after they themselves had left the darkness. Fewer giants were present, and he hoped this meant his friends had slayed some of these attackers.

The group only had four prisoners, and Belent worried that they might be after more. But then he heard the Prime mention returning victoriously to the palace, and he felt a surge of relief. It appeared they would not attempt to capture more of his friends. Belent hoped this would give Kriston and his men time to regroup and mount a rescue for them.

Before they left the cave, he heard one of the giants refer to him and his fellow travelers as Gi Jón. He wasn’t sure what that meant. So far, they had not asked how he and his friends had gotten down in the caves or where they were from.

This made him wonder where these giants had come from. Had they lived down in the dark cave all these years? Had they been created by the darkness caused by the evil wizard stealing the globe? He didn’t think so but would keep quiet until he found answers, which came to him when his cage was carried outside and into the blistering heat.

He was shocked to see a much different world than the one he had left behind so many days ago. This world still had a blue sky, but it also had massive trees that dwarfed any he had seen in Genoa.

The air was thick with heat and moisture that felt heavy to breathe. The sun seemed closer, or maybe just brighter, and a thick sweet odor hung in the air.

New questions formed in his mind as he studied the world around him. If this was a different world than his, how had the two lands stayed separate or hidden for so long? And more important, what would these giants do if they discovered the tunnel led to another world?

Dark images filled him, thoughts of the people of Genoa being stuck in cages. What did these giants have planned for him and his magical friends?

The giants carried their prisoners down a layered cliff. They moved towards the canopy of the massive trees and then below into their cool shelter. They went over three hundred feet down until they finally leveled off. They moved along the cliff’s face until they reached a rope bridge.

The bridge led to a huge brown and gray tree trunk; the thing was about forty feet wide. A thick rope bridge wrapped around the trunk and led off towards another bridge and another giant