Nicole Sastasha and Tatanya's Curse

By Emily Cooper

Kafele had been so engulfed by hatred and jealousy of his brother that he did not even realize he had made a mistake. By killing Menefer, Kafele believed he was capable of becoming the Future Anasazi. However, Menefer was not the one destined to be the Future Anasazi: it was his son, Michael. After several attempts to destroy the Kingdom of Anasazi, Kafele discovers that Michael, as well as his friends Nicole and Brian Sastasha, are becoming troublesome to his plans. After attempting many times to kill Michael, Kafele discovers that it might not be as easy as he had anticipated. However, along the way, he finds that Michael has weaknesses, as all humans do. One weakness, in particular, grabbed Kafele’s attention. He is confident that only she is the key to bringing Michael to his own destruction. She is the only weapon that can force the control of the kingdom into Kafele’s grasp. Michael has been trained expertly by Anasazi himself, preparing for the troubled times ahead. Of course, it is possible that Michael is not prepared for everything Kafele has to throw at him. When someone close to him is tainted, Michael will have to make a choice that will be the fate of the Kingdom of Anasazi and, possibly, the identical worlds.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Emily Cooper
• Release date: Jan 31, 2023
• ISBN: 9798889555971

Emily Cooper

Emily Cooper became a published author at age seventeen. She has written nine manuscripts, published eight, and is in the process of publishing another; she has many more novels to follow. Born in Dahn, Germany, Emily grew up as a military brat, traveling all across the United States of America. In 2010, she wrote a poem called 'Emily Cooper?'. It was chosen and published in the Arizona Teen Zine magazine. She graduated from Queen Creek High School in 2011 and enlisted in the United States Army Reserves two years later. She was married in 2018 and now has two sons. Despite the demands of a family, she remains dedicated to school and writing. All of her novels are now available in print as well as ebooks. Magia! (Mad-GEE-uh) and Nicole Sastasha and the Kingdom of Anasazi (Suh-STAW-sha) are now available as audiobooks. She can be found on Facebook and Instagram. Emily invites all to visit her website at https//www.inspiredproductions2011.com. As for her works, you can be sure to see many more to come.

Book preview

Nicole Sastasha and Tatanya’s Curse

Book Five

By Emily Cooper

Copyright 2023 Inspired Productions and Emily Cooper.

All Rights Reserved.

ISBN – 979-8-88955-597-1

This is a work of fiction. None of the characters portrayed herein represent actual people, living or deceased. Reproduction or transcription of this work in any form, electrical or mechanical, other than short quotations in conformity with the Fair Use provisions of United States copyright law, is prohibited unless authorized by the publishers, Inspired Productions and Emily Cooper. To contact the publisher or the author, please visit the Inspired Productions website at http://www.inspiredproductions2011.com.

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Discover other titles by Emily Cooper at Smashwords.com:

Nicole Sastasha and the Kingdom of Anasazi – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/77690.

Nicole Sastasha and the Fire Dragon Disease – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/172549.

Nicole Sastasha and the City of Aqua Utopia – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/343502.

Nicole Sastasha and the Stone of Power –

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/447105.

Magia! –

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/44323.

Cursed Brothers I: Legend –

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/100146.

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Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter One – Improvement

Chapter Two – Birthday Surprise

Chapter Three – Celebration

Chapter Four – Tough Love

Chapter Five – Mother and Father

Chapter Six – The Necklace

Chapter Seven – Gifts from Kafele

Chapter Eight – Idiocy

Chapter Nine – Distractions

Chapter Ten – Betrayal

Chapter Eleven – Lost

Chapter Twelve – Recovery

Chapter Thirteen – Alone

Chapter Fourteen – Possessed

Chapter Fifteen – Confused

Chapter Sixteen – Damage

Chapter Seventeen – Afraid

Chapter Eighteen – Lady Tatanya

Chapter Nineteen – Past

Chapter Twenty – Memories

Chapter Twenty-One – Puppet

Chapter Twenty-Two – Yearning

Chapter Twenty-Three – Struggle

Chapter Twenty-Four – Broken

Chapter Twenty-Five – Pain

Chapter Twenty-Six – Hate

Chapter Twenty-Seven – Debatable Faults

Chapter Twenty-Eight – Light

Chapter Twenty-Nine – Love

Chapter Thirty – Found

Epilogue – Nicole Sastasha and Black Magic

About the Author – Emily Cooper

. . . Give it to me! he ordered.

Never! she refused.

Losing his patience, Michael advanced. Just when he started reaching for it, he saw her raise her hands. Surprised, he dodged out of the way of the blindingly bright curse she had sent for him. The deafening crack that sounded echoed around the clearing.

Michael locked his eyes, not believing what he saw. She had her arms raised, at the ready, every intention of setting loose another curse if he took so much as a step toward her.

I’m not going to fight you.

Then you will die!

Without another second of hesitation, Nicole lunged forward again, and another curse erupted from her palm . . .

~ Page 116

ref_TOC

Prologue:

Things are not always as they seem . . .

Kafele had been so engulfed by hatred and jealousy for his brother that he did not even realize he had made a mistake. By killing Menefer, Kafele believed he was capable of becoming the Future Anasazi. However, Menefer was not the one destined to be the Future Anasazi: it was his son, Michael. After several attempts to destroy the Kingdom of Anasazi, Kafele discovers that Michael, as well as his friends Nicole and Brian Sastasha, are becoming troublesome to his plans. After attempting many times to kill Michael, Kafele discovers that it might not be as easy as he had anticipated. However, along the way, he finds that Michael has weaknesses, as all humans do. One weakness in particular grabbed Kafele’s attention. He is confident that only she is the key to bringing Michael to his own destruction. She is the only weapon that can force the control of the Kingdom into Kafele’s grasp. Michael has been trained expertly by Anasazi himself, preparing for the troubled times ahead. Of course, it is possible that Michael is not prepared for everything Kafele has to throw at him. When someone close to him is corrupted, Michael will have to make a choice that will be the fate of the Kingdom of Anasazi and - possibly - the identical worlds.

ref_TOC

Chapter One:

Improvement

Nicole was running as fast as she could, bursting through bushes without any hesitation. She did not care about anything besides getting far away from that place. Michael was right behind her, looking back every few seconds to see if they were being followed yet.

It seemed like they had been running forever when they heard it: the sound of a heavy thudding pounding after them. They could already hear the panting of the creature, reaching closer and closer. Michael decided that it had gotten too close, whirling around and letting loose a flurry of curses. Nicole joined him, deciding that this was where they were going to make their stand. At least they had made the choice as to where they might live or die.

Suddenly, the scene grew dark as a new voice sounded.

Michael, it called.

Instantly, Michael sat straight up in his bed, his heart pounding.

Calm down, soothed Anasazi. It’s just me.

Michael stayed silent, trying to calm his breathing and heartrate. It was then that his eyes allowed him to finally take in his room. What did you do to my room? he asked, looking around.

It appeared as though a battle had been fought. Furniture was either toppled or broken, and there were scorch marks on the walls.

"You think I did this? No. I should be asking you that question."

Michael could not believe that he was the one responsible.

What were you and Nicole fighting this time? asked Anasazi, smiling.

Embarrassed, and thoroughly uncomfortable, Michael got up and started searching for some clean clothes. I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Anasazi raised one of his eyebrows, clearly skeptical. However, he let it be and ordered, Get this room cleaned up before you come down for training today. We will train as long as it takes. If you want your breakfast warm, I suggest you give it all your effort.

Yes, sir.

Again! called Anasazi from across the courtyard.

Michael nodded, waiting for the attack. Anasazi raised his hand, wriggling his fingers rhythmically. As expected, sand and dirt began to rise, forming together into human figures. Michael waited for them to become solid, impatiently wiping some sweat from his forehead. He tried to control his erratic breathing, needing to be calm.

Seconds later, the figures around him seemed to look like average people. Michael then waited for the order, scrutinizing each one of the puppets. He counted at least a dozen.

Begin!

Immediately, the puppets around Michael began moving quickly. He dodged a few of the attacks, wanting to see their abilities before attacking. Anasazi always told him that the number one rule is to know your enemy; his strengths, his weaknesses.

Anasazi liked to mix things up every now and then. Sometimes, the dummies would only use hand-to-hand combat. Other times, they could have weapons or, on rare occasions, were able to cast curses. Still, it was difficult to just stand by and observe your opponent. Michael would rather attack first.

Michael had dodged for about a minute before he finally had enough. It looked like this group did not use anything except hand-to-hand combat.

He shot out perfectly aimed curses while moving quickly from place to place. If he did not, he would have been hit by one, or more, of the puppets that Anasazi was controlling. As Michael let loose his curses, however, he realized that the sand and dirt crawled back together again.

"Well that’s a new trick," he panted as he dove under two more attacking sandpeople. He blasted out a few more curses as he spun, but he had to duck to avoid a massive sword that had formed for one of the puppets.

Michael let out a gasp of surprise, barely avoiding the sword that cut through the air just above his head. He quickly retreated a few feet to recalculate.

Close one, commented Anasazi. Michael ignored him, thinking fast. An idea came to him, and he quickly dodged a few more attacks while concentrating on the spell he was casting. Silently, he chanted to himself as he blocked a few more hits.

Szleeckhan Quelna! called Michael, grabbing at thin air. He wrapped his fingers around something hard and pulled at it with all of his might. The air around him surged with a metallic shriek as a blade materialized in Michael’s firm grasp. An instant later, Michael saw that the sandman who had a sword of his own was attacking. He barely had enough time to lift up his silver blade in front of himself as the sandsword came crashing down.

Concentrate, Michael, called Anasazi.

Michael felt a slight spike of anger and he used it to glance the other sword off of his own, ducking under and slicing the puppet in half. By that time, the other puppets began to surround him, and Michael sliced through them, sometimes sending curses through his blade.

A few minutes later, Michael was standing in the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by sand. He waited for Anasazi to give him orders, but Anasazi stayed silent. Michael did not understand. What was he doing?

It all became clear when the sand began to gather together again. This was not over. Michael readied himself, tightening his grip on his silver blade.

He waited until the sand morphed together, but he expected to see different piles of the dirt. Instead, there was one, great, big pile. A stone dropped in the pit of his stomach as he realized what was happening.

Are you kidding me? he thought to himself. He had not expected his frenzy training to be so intense. He had thought it would be a mental task, not physical. Apparently, Anasazi had other things in mind. Michael hated it when Anasazi felt the need to give him another lesson instead of coming straight out and saying what he needed to do.

The monstrous sandpuppet formed into a huge troll, complete with a sword. Michael thought it would be easier to picture him as the Prince of Trolls. After all, they had some history and Michael would love nothing more than to take out his frustrations on him.

Michael realized his mistake as he made the first move. It was too late to take it back, though. He had sent a blindingly bright, red curse for the troll of sand, not realizing what would happen. The troll was effortlessly able to deflect the curse, sending it crashing into an adjacent wall in the courtyard, making it crumble slightly. Anasazi would not be happy with that.

Before Michael could do anything else, the troll took a massive step toward him, getting closer than Michael had thought was possible.

Michael tried to retreat, but the troll lashed out with his arm. The force sent Michael crashing hard to the ground, at least twenty feet away.

Michael grunted in pain, quickly forcing himself to his feet.

Stay focused, use your head, ordered Anasazi. Michael gritted his teeth, trying to come up with a plan. This training day was giving him a headache. The troll advanced toward him again, this time reaching out with his hand.

Just before the troll was about to wrap his fingers around him, Michael lashed out with his blade, slicing the troll's palm. He quickly dove out of the way, anticipating a counterattack. The troll seemed to pull back his hand in surprise and pain, but then its rage kicked in. He began to lunge for Michael again.

Uh, oh. Michael turned and started to fall back, but the troll closed his fingers around him. He gasped as the troll began to crush him. Michael’s hand unintentionally released its hold on the silver blade, making it clatter to the hard ground. A second later, the sword vanished.

Michael started to squirm as the troll raised him up in front of his face. He frantically thought of something he could do, anything. He felt his muscles tensing and fear racing through his veins. He could also feel rage. Instinctively, he brought up his hand and a deafening bang split the air as the curse erupted from his fingertips.

The curse hit the troll straight in the face, making his entire head explode. Instantly, the grip on Michael loosened and he felt himself falling to the ground. He fell for at least thirty feet, so he was not surprised at how painful the landing was.

He tried to get to his feet as fast as he could, fighting the pain it was causing.

When he was finally able to, he saw that the sandtroll was disintegrating into a thousand pieces. It seemed like every piece of sand and dirt was burning, easily able to be mistaken for hot spots.

A second later, the sandtroll exploded, sending burning dirt and sand everywhere. Michael covered his face with his robes until the wave blew passed him. When he looked out again, he barely had time to dodge a curse that had been sent for him. He quickly dove to his right, crashing onto his side.

Quickly scrambling to his feet, he looked around to see where it had come from.

You’re almost there, Michael, started a voice. Michael peered through the dust that still clung in the air to see where the voice was coming from. Welcome it, wield it, accept it. A silhouette formed a few yards away and Michael raised his hands at the ready.

Anasazi sent out another brilliant curse that Michael could barely block. He was about to send out a curse for Anasazi, but he sensed movement right behind him. He barely dodged the slice of a curved, silver dagger. Although, Michael felt searing pain as he stumbled away from the second attacker.

I think I might have actually grazed him, informed the servant of the door in a matter-of-fact tone. Michael could feel the slight cut on the left side of his neck. He told himself to just ignore it; he had to concentrate.

What’s the matter, Michael? One little cut and you roll over? teased Anasazi. Michael glared at him. A second later, Anasazi vanished in a whoosh of wind and a flash of light.

Instantly, Michael tensed, hearing another whooshing sound from behind him. He turned in time to see Anasazi just a foot away, sending a curse at point blank. Michael narrowly missed it by lunging to his right.

Are you crazy! growled Michael as he focused on Anasazi.

I don’t know what you mean, replied Anasazi calmly.

Michael suddenly realized he had made a mistake in taking his eyes off of the servant of the door. He heard another slice in the air and dropped forward, rolling to stand a few feet from where the servant had just attacked.

I think you’ve made him upset, he informed, examining his curved dagger to see if he had drawn blood once more.

This has gone far enough.

"Oh? Now, wait a minute, I thought I was the boss," said Anasazi in false confusion.

I agree. Besides, the party has barely begun, added in the servant.

There was another flash and Michael dodged out of the way of the dagger again, still keeping his eyes on Anasazi.

Anasazi was looking up at the sky, apparently looking for something. Michael was momentarily distracted, and he was unable to elude the dagger. Pain seared across Michael’s right shoulder blade, and he lashed out, sending a curse that exploded into the servant’s chest, sending him crashing backward a few feet.

It was then that Anasazi saw it. The sky had grown dark in the last few minutes, but now he saw violent lightning strikes, thunder beginning to rumble.

As soon as the servant hit the ground, Anasazi flashed in front of him and Michael, sending out a violent curse. It hit Michael and he crashed into one of the walls of the courtyard. Anasazi had no trouble in seeing the rage that lit up Michael’s eyes. They had successfully transitioned him into his frenzy.

Michael began to hurl curse after curse at Anasazi, who was a little taken aback at how much Michael’s power had spiked. This was the most powerful frenzy they had seen yet. Anasazi had to dodge a few of the curses, unable to block them entirely.

After a few seconds, Michael started losing control, his power spiking more and more. Soon, Anasazi had to step in.

Michael, concentrate. Lightning blasted overhead, lighting up the sky. "If you do not attempt to take control of it, it will take control of you. Michael could hear his words, but he was too enraged to understand them. Focus!" ordered Anasazi, retreating to avoid more powerful curses that would be too difficult to handle.

Thunder still churned in the sky as the lightning flared threateningly. Michael still advanced on Anasazi, who was beginning to worry.

Listen to me, Michael. This power will consume you if you don’t take charge. Command it to obey you!

Those words seemed to have reached Michael, who hesitated for a few seconds. He began to struggle with what he should do. He wanted to attack, but something was telling him enough was enough.

Anasazi saw that he was faltering, which gave him hope. He raised his hands, wriggling them. Two more sandpuppets rose. Once they were formed, one of them began to advance on Michael.

Channel your power! commanded Anasazi.

The figure that began to attack Michael was in the form of Kafele. Rage flashed through Michael once more, making his power soar to another level. Before the sand puppet could take two more steps, Michael lashed out.

Anasazi had never seen anything so extraordinary in his entire life. As soon as Michael had lunged, bolts of lightning flashed down into Michael’s palms. He twisted them, curling them around a curse that was steadily growing in his hands. An intense, high pitch surge of frequency grew all around them, threatening to burst eardrums.

Finally, nearly a second later, Michael released the attack, causing the puppet to immediately explode and turn to ash, blowing away into nothingness.

Anasazi then controlled the other puppet to walk toward Michael. Michael whirled around to see who his next attacker was, readying his own attack. However, he froze. The person who was walking toward him was none other than Nicole.

Seeing that Michael was beginning to fight with himself made Anasazi proud. Michael was learning how to control it. He was forcing his incredible power into submission.

You can do it, Anasazi encouraged quietly to himself.

Nicole was only a few feet away, and Anasazi made her stop. She waited, watching to see what Michael’s reaction would be. Michael was clearly fighting hard. He was beginning to shake uncontrollably, the curse that had begun to grow in his hands fading.

Finally, after an agonizing few minutes, Michael’s expression changed. No longer was it filled with unquestionable hatred and rage. It was full of pain, determination, fear, sadness, weariness, and strangely something else. Anasazi knew it was hard on him, but he was pulling through. Michael took in one more deep breath before his knees buckled, making him kneel on the ground.

Michael was still looking into Nicole’s eyes as he collapsed altogether.

Anasazi let the sand puppet of Nicole fade as he rushed over to Michael. Are you alright? he asked.

I . . . hate you, was his reply.

Anasazi could not help but smile. You did an excellent job. Now, let’s get you some breakfast.

ref_TOC

Chapter Two:

Birthday Surprise

Nicole knew she must be dreaming. Even still, she wanted to stay asleep for as long as she could. She was with Michael. They were out in the woods, like they were camping again. It was so beautiful, just like she had remembered. Michael was just as perfect as he always was, smiling brilliantly at a silent joke.

Of course, at some point, all dreams have to come to a close.

Nicole? Are you awake? Nicole? came a voice, whispering in her ear.

"Mom!" whined Nicole, her dream fading. She opened her eyes to see that her mom was sitting on her bed, excitement in her eyes.

Good, you’re awake. Are you ready? she asked.

Ready for what? asked Nicole groggily.

Don’t tell me you forgot, replied her mom. Nicole had never heard her whine like that before. She suddenly remembered, unfortunately. You promised me you would watch the girls while your father took me to see a movie and have some dinner.

Nicole looked over at the clock on her nightstand. But it’s only 8:00 in the morning. Dinner isn’t until . . . like six.

We wanted to walk around the mall and go shopping, or something, explained Janet.

Nicole only stared at her.

"Oh, come on. Please?" she pleaded.

After a few seconds, Nicole let out a sigh, rolling her eyes.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! she cried, full of excitement once more. Before another word was said, Janet headed back for the door. Besides, Brian will be here to help you, she reminded as she closed the door behind her.

And that’s supposed to be a good thing? asked Nicole, more to herself. She began to understand that when a child is old enough to babysit, the parents are able to get a day off. Soon, the parents begin to take advantage of the fact and when you begin to argue, they always seem to have some leverage over you.

Nicole sighed again before getting out of her bed. Mystie, her faithful cat, was still lying at the end of it. Apparently, she had not been disturbed by Janet’s wakeup call that Nicole had not even requested.

She glanced over at the rose that Michael had sent her for her birthday, still amazed at how fresh it looked. She also spotted the training book that Anasazi had sent them so that she and Brian could become a better witch and wizard. Unfortunately, they had not been able to train as well as they had been able to before the twins were born. They never complained, but it was becoming more and more noticeable that they were getting out of shape.

Knowing she would not have much time before the twins needed her, Nicole hurriedly got dressed. She thought about the dream she had had and was upset with her mother for waking her up before the dream ended; it had been a very good dream.

Just as Nicole headed downstairs, she could not mistake the sound of an upset baby, or babies. It was always difficult when they cried at the same time, kind of stressful.

When she reached the bottom of the staircase, she was met by her mother. I just changed Caroline’s diaper, but I think she may be hungry. Leanne just woke up, so she might be a tad cranky, informed Janet as she handed Caroline to Nicole. Nicole gently took her, and her mom gave her a kiss. Thank you. I love you, she said as she followed Jacob to the front door.

Seconds later, Nicole was standing alone in the living room, holding Caroline. She immediately took action and went into her parents’ bedroom, where she found Leanne lying in her crib. She could not believe how big they had gotten. They were already eighteen days old. Nicole remembered how small they had been in the beginning, but she did not realize how quickly they would grow. It was incredible.

It did not help that they looked exactly like each other. She had to make sure she did not mix them up, making her duty a little harder than it had to be. They both had curly blonde hair and bright, baby blue eyes. They even had the same birthmark on the top of their right hand. It looked like, in Nicole’s opinion, a curved teardrop.

Nicole decided she would be more comfortable watching the girls in the living room, laying them on the floor and making baby noises. After a few minutes, however, Caroline started to cry, and Nicole guessed that she was hungry . . . just like her mother had said.

For some reason, Nicole thoroughly enjoyed feeding her little sisters. It seemed to strengthen the bond between them. As she fed them, she would always sing a lullaby.

Just when Caroline was finished eating, and Nicole had put her in a baby swing, Leanne began to act fussy. Nicole tried to rock her, feed her, change her diaper, and make funny noises. However, Leanne would not stop crying.

This really seemed to puzzle Nicole. For some reason, she was not as good with Leanne as she was with Caroline. She guessed that it was because Caroline was her favorite. Leanne must have found out and now she was making life difficult for her. That had to be it! What else could it be?

Nicole heard someone coming down the stairs. When she looked, however, she was surprised to see that it was a lion. Well, a lion cub.

Brian, what are you doing? asked Nicole.

I should be asking you the same question. What’s wrong with Leanne? he asked.

You better change back now, she ordered, struggling to keep rocking Leanne in a soothing pattern. Brian was about to protest, but Nicole shot him a look that said, You are going to scare the girls, I will get in trouble, and then I will hurt you.

He sighed as purple smoke engulfed him. Once he was in his human form again, he walked over to stand by Nicole, looking down at Leanne. Give her to me, he said.

Nicole did as he said, not knowing what he thought he was going to do. Brian began to gently, slowly, rock Leanne as gracefully as he possibly could. Nicole would never admit it, but he was turning out to be a good older brother . . . when he actually helped babysit.

"Why were you in your animal form?" she asked.

Well, we haven’t really been able to train lately, so I thought I would try to practice a little. Then I heard how upset you made Leanne, he teased.

I didn’t make her upset,