The Secret of Vehnna

By Andrea Bruden

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 26, 2011
• ISBN: 9781469119656

Book preview

PROLOGUE

I woke up in a foreign place. It was dark, and my cheek was against cool stone and soil. The air smelled and tasted like an old well. I could hear water dripping from a distance, echoing against the cold walls. I sat up and looked around my dim surrounding, but it was hard to see anything. I crawled on the floor with claylike mud seeping between my fingers. I felt along the walls, hoping to find an exit. I stood up growing nervous and frantically feeling for a door… or something. There was nothing. It was like I was dropped into a pit to die. Claustrophobia was constricting my lungs as the walls started moving inward. The room was getting smaller and smaller, and I was pacing in desperate circles. Stop! Stop! I cried, scratching the walls until my fingers bled raw. Please! Someone… help me!

His silhouette traced his fist slamming against the wall while he stood staring out the starry sky. The vast twilight seemed to wane in his presence.

I want her dead. His smooth voice was laced with psychotic jealousy. I want Hannah to feel the misery I have! Lark will not go down in vain!

Several feet away stood another man reluctantly listening. A shiver went down his body as the words trickled all the way to the spine. He stood up straight as an arrow with his hands clasped together behind him. His frosty green eyes flickered warily under his dark wavy hair. Mavrick always called him for the dirty work. This time was different. Assassinating the queen’s daughter will prove his worthiness. In Mavrick’s book, you are either a tool or a maggot. The man thought to himself that if he pleases Mavrick, he is useful. Welcome to years of self-sacrifice, slavery, and obedience. If he was to fail, he will be tortured for centuries. Death is the least to worry about. It would be a blessing to die, but when survival is the only valuable thing to have on Zarceas…

You are my nephew, Mavrick sighed and composed himself, "but I’ve treated you as a son. Make me proud. Do this, and you will be rewarded beyond comprehension. Now go, time is wasted. Vehnna is near."

With one nod, the young man looked at Mavrick with little emotion.

Yes, my king, he replied with a bow. This will be the first time he has ever left Zarceas. With his leash gone and the trust of a madman, he sets off to Earth.

CHAPTER 1

Discover

I PEERED OUT my window, looking at a dark figure lying in my front yard near the snow-covered road. This figure looked so out of place to me, like the color green in bitter tundra. Alaska was my personal little piece of hell. Too much sunlight or not enough sunlight was what I had to deal with moving here. The warmest it ever got here was thirty-nine degrees. That is if it was a lucky day. Therefore, if hell were to ever freeze over, it would be definitely here.

I sighed a hollow laugh, and my breath fogged up the thin glass. I drew a grumpy face in the condensation until the dark figure came into focus again. Shows how much fun there is to be had here. I’m staring out the window, playing Where’s Waldo? I strained my eyes more to get details of the object that was making drifts progressively near the road. Was it a big rock? I don’t remember a rock ever being there since I moved here with Jody, so that was ruled out. I’m too chicken to go out there and poke it and find out that it’s some wild animal loose in town or some crazy bear cub but…

A shot of adrenaline went through my body, and I pressed my face up against the window with my nose smashed onto the chilly glass. I tried getting every detail my naked eyes could possibly get. I could make out the back of a head with frosted pieces of ice connected to the hair strands dangling in the wind. If it was an animal, it had to have been there for a long time, maybe even hours. Jody is an animal rescue agent, so if I ignore something like this in her own front yard, well, she would be enraged beyond control. My silver-green eyes widened as I saw something stir. It was very subtle, but it was enough for me to come to my conclusions. I hoped my assumption was wrong.

I put my thick monster snow boots on and grabbed my coat that made me look like a jet-puffed marshmallow. My boots were still damp from going out hours ago with Jody’s dog, Ozark. Ozark is so picky when it comes to using the bathroom. The big slobbery fluff ball never went last time.

I pulled my long strawberry blonde hair out of the coat and let it flow down my back with loose curls brushing the middle of my back. I looked down at the white-and-black husky that was by my feet wagging his tail vigorously. Stupid dog, you want to try to go now?

Come on, Ozark. I sighed, If it’s something dangerous out there, maybe you’ll save me.

I pulled open the door with great difficulty from the wind trying to suck it back like an angry oversized vacuum. Snow crawled its way onto the wooden floor and danced all over the place. Ozark shot out the door like a bat out of hell, and I yelled after him, but the howling wind gobbled it right up. I closed the door behind me, and my eyes burned with tears under my lashes. I hate the cold; I wish there was no such thing.

Ozark was sniffing around the object of my interest, and I could sense something was wrong. Ozark made a whimpering bark and looked over at me, pacing impatiently. I fought my way through the wind, and my boots felt like they had ice bricks on them, and the deep snow didn’t help. When I finally reached Ozark, I gasped and kneeled down by the unconscious man in the snow. I thought my mind was playing tricks on me, but it really was a person after all.

I pulled him over face up, and the pile of snow hugging around his body collapsed. He looked around my age, maybe early twenties, and he had beautiful dark curly hair. God, I hope he isn’t dead. He is so pale he looks almost as white as the snow itself. I have never seen a dead person before. I wonder if they look as tranquil as he does. I tried lifting him up, but I didn’t have the strength to carry his whole weight. I wasn’t wonder woman or an athlete of any sort, so I dragged him by his thin jacket, which seemed like it would shatter like glass under my grip. I couldn’t believe how frozen his clothes were. My fingers burned and were screaming ice bite as I tried to keep pulling him toward the house. I wonder how he ended up here in the middle of nowhere. The closest house to my home is over a mile.

I finally got him to the door. I shoved it open with my back, and I pulled him in going backward, which was a bad idea. I should have been looking, because I slipped on freshly melted snow on the wood floor that Ozark brought in. I fell on to my palms by reflex, and pain shot up my arms.

Ow… , I mumbled and rubbed my stinging palms. I slammed the door shut with my foot and dragged the man into the cozy living room onto a mosaic-designed rug that was placed in front of the fireplace. I don’t know why Jody likes this ugly rug. This whole house reminds me of an old woman with horrible taste in design. Everywhere I looked there were Indian and wolf decorations mixed with random sci-fi pictures. To me, it’s like trying to mix oil and water, but it’s Jody’s house, so she can do what she wants. I sat down by him for a moment to catch my breath, and I tucked my hands under my warm shirt. The pain wasn’t too bad. It’s nothing a little crybaby couldn’t take.

I took off my coat and boots, placing them by the front door and sat back down by the fireplace. I studied the unconscious man over. He was breathing slowly, and he was twitching as if he was having some kind of seizure. His thin lips were blue, almost purple, and his angel face had a shiny gloss over his porcelain skin. I remembered Jody telling me that if someone was freezing to death I should take their wet clothes off, get them dry, and warm them up. If cold blood from the arms and legs reach his heart too fast, he can die. I bit my lip, feeling completely uncomfortable even thinking of taking his clothes off, but the ice was melting off his soaked clothes, and he was uncontrollably shaking. I stopped procrastinating and started taking his wet coat and shirt off hastily.

I’m so sorry… , I said even though he could not hear me as I nervously took his pants off. I felt like I was violating this man, but his life is at stake, so I have to do what is necessary. I’m sure Jody wouldn’t like a dead half-naked person on her living room floor anyways. It’s excessively open for questioning.

I left his undergarments on because I wouldn’t dare to go that far. I ran to my bedroom, grabbed the heavy quilt off my bed, and put it over him gingerly. The fireplace is hot and warm, so it should warm him up pretty quick. I tucked the blanket around him softly. The poor guy didn’t even have the energy to shake anymore, but his lips were trembling. Color was slowly flushing back into his face, and he was still breathing, so that’s improvement. He looked like he was in pain, but all I could do was stare at him. What could I do? I’ve done everything I can. If I wasn’t so stupid and didn’t stare at him out my window forever, I could have helped him sooner. I feel guilty at my past apathy.

I still sat there like a motionless dummy and watched him lie there in agony as his body thawed. Ozark sniffed the top of his head, and I tried shooing him away, but I couldn’t get his dumb butt to listen. Ozark plopped down beside the man and huffed an exaggerated sigh. His back was barely touching the man, but it was just enough to exchange body heat.

You’re doing a better job than me… I pouted to him. Maybe the dog does have some brains.

I laughed as it dawned upon me that this ugly rug was Ozark’s favorite sleeping pad. I had sprawled the man over it, and all Ozark could get was part of himself on it. I could see a peck of jealousy in the way Ozark stared at me. Thanks, I could hear him say if he could talk. I pet his beautiful coat with a smug smile. You’d do it for me, I thought.

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Morning came, but the storm never gave up. The wind howled against the house, keeping me up most of the night. I also lost sleep from the anxiety of keeping watch over the recovery of the stranger. I made sure to keep the fireplace full for him. What really puzzled me was what the man was saying in his sleep. I understood nothing but one word of the language he spoke. Genocide. It sent chills down my spine. What the hell could he be dreaming?

Ozark was scratching the door with his paw, begging me to let him outside to go pee. I opened the door, and he sprinted out like he always did. The prickly air made my nose water involuntarily. A frosty breeze made its way to the living room and brushed into the man’s soft wavy hair that I secretly wanted to touch. I closed the door with the cold behind it. I disturbed the man’s slumber, and he turned his head toward me with his eyes still closed. As he started to open his eyes slowly, I stiffened and was too cautious to move. The man was in a daze, and he held his head with his pallid hand. I really hope this guy isn’t a criminal, or worse, he may think of me as a creep who undressed him while he was unconscious. Either way, I am going to land in a pile of crap trying to explain myself. I may as well go jump off a cliff now.

Are you okay? I said in a small voice. It felt like my voice was coming from somebody else.

He spoke, but it didn’t make any sense to me. It was a foreign language I had never heard before. Maybe the natives here spoke it, but there’s no fooling me. He isn’t a native. He is abnormally pale and his eyes… wow, they are so bright. I don’t think I have ever seen such alluring green eyes in my life. Not even in movies. They reminded me of winter-green dragon emeralds, rare and mystical. I felt if I got too close I would die at their beauty, but I felt more like crying. My heart started beating more dominantly.

I carefully walked forward, almost like I was walking on glass, and sat quietly beside him. He was still trying to focus his eyes in the light. He looked at me, and I felt my body go rigid again. At the moment, I was utterly mesmerized. He spoke again, and his words went through one ear and out the other. I didn’t understand him. His voice was so eloquent, but the language was fey to me.

I’m sorry, I said. Can you speak English?

Where am I? he said immediately, his tone was like melted sugar laced with icicles.

Surprised by his sudden reply, it took me a few seconds to fast-forward to reality again. You are in my home. You were freezing to death outside.

What location? he asked smoothly. His voice was naturally low. Even a blind person would be attracted to his unique way of speaking.

Covington, I answered. I hoped he knew the state, but I said it anyway. Alaska.

He closed his eyes and sighed heavily. I jumped as Ozark started scratching on the door from outside. I let him in, and he was jumping and running all around like the stupid dog that he is.

Calm down, Ozark! I yelled, embarrassed, as he went into the living room. I felt my face start to flush.

Ozark sniffed like a snotty vacuum around the man, wagging his tail so hard that his butt was swaying side to side. The man glared at Ozark coldly. Geez, even though that look wasn’t directed at me, it still hurt my feelings. I grabbed Ozark by the collar so abruptly that I couldn’t even see through his forest of hair, after which I put him inside Jody’s room down the hallway. I entered the living room again, and he was now sitting up, and I could see his bare chest. I looked away and hoped he didn’t see my blushing face.

I’m sorry about Ozark, I said quietly. He just gets excited when new people are around.

I grabbed the man’s black pants and shirt I had dried overnight. His clothes had an interesting smell. It wasn’t a bad smell, but it was different. The closest I could relate the scent to was fresh soil and cardboard box. I had them folded neatly, and I placed them on his lap gingerly. Your clothes were frozen and melting, so I dried them for you. I breathed nervously, trying to explain myself. You were shaking really bad, and you weren’t warming up, so I —

Thank you, he said with a weak smile. I’m glad he stopped me before I dug myself into a deeper hole. I’ve never had someone save my life before.

I couldn’t say anything. My voice was suppressed behind embarrassment as he looked at me, so I just smiled a soft grin. He was looking at me intently, and I had to sit down from all the blood rushing to my head. I sat down on the couch and hugged my legs to my chest. The more he stared at me, the more I felt like a tomato head.

M-my name is Beth Forte, I said sheepishly, trying to change the subject. What’s yours?

He was still looking at me, and I couldn’t take it anymore. My Shy-Meter can only take so much. I hid my face on my knees and my sheet of red hair hid my face. Staring into his eyes for too long could nearly kill me. They are far beyond beautiful.

Mine is Sye Vintaug, Sye said politely. I still can’t place his accent. The closest it sounds like is Irish, but I could still be wrong. But I think I’ll stay with Irish for now.

Am I dreaming? I have to be. This so-beautiful-you-could-drop-to-your-knees guy just randomly fell unconscious into my yard, out of all people. He deserved to be in a supermodel’s house. Not this ugly dull half-Indian, half-sci-fi place. Also, in here with a girl that has a strange physical appearance. I have weird-colored eyes, and my ears were made fun of at school for being slightly pointed. I was called Elf Girl, and my ears really aren’t that pointy. Well, just a little, but I didn’t look like an elf.

I snapped out of my limbo of bad thoughts and looked at Sye. He had lain back down, and he looked like he wasn’t breathing. His eyebrows were angled in frustration. I crawled onto the floor and toward him and leaned my head over him.

Sye? I said worriedly and touched his shoulders, but he snapped my hand back in surprise.

His skin felt like a leathery iguana’s. Sye opened his eyes, and he looked like he was elsewhere. I had to have a disorienting look on my face by the expression he was giving me. I felt my face getting hot again.

I’m sorry, did I frighten you? Sye asked calmly. Could I have some water?

That question didn’t even sound like a question. It almost seemed like I interrupted him, and he was sending me somewhere else. He’s trying to distract me, or maybe I’m just a little paranoid.

Sure, I said distantly.

I got up and walked into the kitchen, looking back at Sye before I left the room. Something is weird about him. His name even sounds weird to me. What was up with his skin? It didn’t feel… real. His eyes aren’t even a normal eye color. Well, I guess mine aren’t either, so I can’t blame him for that one. My silver-green eyes stick out like a sore thumb. One thing that was troubling me the most was how attracted I was to him. He puts out such a cold attitude, but something dark is pulling me to him. It’s a temptation I’ve never felt before.

I hurried back into the living room with a glass of water to find him fully clothed and looking out the window. Wow, he’s fast.

Do you know how long the storm will last? Sye asked eagerly. His eyes were piercing into the whiteout. He had his arms crossed, and his perfect eyebrows were angled down.

I don’t know — a while, I said, clueless. It’s really my first time seeing one.

Sye looked at me puzzled. You have never seen a blizzard?

Only on TV, I said. It didn’t really snow where I used to live.

I gave Sye the glass of water, and he thanked me thoughtfully. Sye looked back out the window with a flat expression. His thoughts were out of this room like mine normally are, but his maybe go even further than mine. His eyes were dilated almost to black. Even though he didn’t show it, I had a feeling there was more to this strange man than he led on. I wanted to ask him something. It was eating me up not to say. There is something I see that is very different about him… like me. I’m different too. I could feel it like a sixth sense sort of thing and in the way he looked at me. I think he knows it too.

Sye, I started, a little unsure, where are you from?

And that, he did not answer.

CHAPTER 2

Something to Think About

I THOUGHT IT was strange how he just stood by the window and waited. I have never seen someone so patient and impatient at the same time. He was enduring enough to wait by the window the whole time, staring and nearly unblinking. What contradicted the situation was how he wanted it to stop so badly so he could leave without a moment to spare. I tried to engage him in small talk, but it just made the air uncomfortably heavy. I felt like an awkward turtle. Something was bothering this man that made me slightly edgy. When he looked at me, he almost seemed hostile. He didn’t like me close to him. He must have a Six-Foot Bubble Shield rule for himself. Even though he talked calmly to me, his eyes were insecure. He didn’t trust me as much as I didn’t trust him. His posture never relaxed either. He was always rigid and wary. I don’t know what spiked my interest in him, but it was definitely there. A curiosity that could kill me. It’s strange how I could fear him and then want to be incredibly close to him at the same time. When I decided to mind my own business, I saw him watch me out the corner of my eye. I had my sketchbook, and I was drawing him. His features were far too vivid for an artist to ignore. Sye had left as soon as the storm calmed to a light flurry. He didn’t even say good-bye or even warn me he was leaving. I thought it was a little odd, but that made me think of him more. His frosty-green eyes stuck in my head like a bumper sticker. Wherever I went, it was like he was there. I don’t know why I want to think about him. Part of me says he was a vulgar-eyed jerk that I should just forget about. He’s not that interesting. I sighed and looked down at the drawing I made of him. I should just face the truth… he is absolutely fascinating.

Well, I’m glad he left, I said with my lower lip sticking out to Ozark. Mom wouldn’t be too happy with a stranger in her home.

Jody made it home late in the afternoon. She always enters the door calling my name. Her hair was chopped short, and the little snowflakes strikingly stood out on her jet-black hair. She had hints of gray in her hair, but she was beautiful for a middle-aged woman. Her almond eyes were a bright gray blue, unlike mine, but we did relate to having fair skin and short thin bodies. Even though I’m not blood related to her, we love each other like a daughter and mother. She always told