Reveal Read online

  Reveal

  An Empyrean Tale

  Kirsten Wheelock

  Contents

  A Short Author’s Note

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  About the Author

  Finding Her Wings

  Books by Kirsten Wheelock

  Copyright © 2018 by Kirsten Wheelock

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review

  This is a work of fiction any resemblance to a person, place or thing is coincidental

  Cover Art by GlassCrocodile

  A Short Author’s Note

  I enjoy researching and finding obscure facts. I made the decision for my characters to be fairly unknown mythological and paranormal characters.

  Brownies are similar to elves and hobgoblins, oftentimes living in homes to help with daily tasks. They prefer not being seen and often times work at night. Some Brownies make their homes in the Bogs away from humans.

  Mlularuka are a mythical creature from Tanzani, a combination of a jackal and bat.

  Nixie are Fairies that can shape shift. When out of the water they are elf-like and sing to enchant their victims. In the water they have a humanoid upper body and the lower body of a frog. Their skin is green, and they have wing-like gills on the sides of their face.

  Nokken are the saltwater cousins of the Nixie. They are an all male species of Fairies that are part human, part seahorse. Tricksters, they can be dangerous, especially when sunning themselves and playing their violin to lure women and children to them.

  Nereids are sea nymphs, beautiful women who are protectors of the sea and those who travel on it. Each Nereid is responsible for a different aspect of the sea

  Calaeno is a character in mythology with numerous roles. In one she is a harpies with the gift of prophecy. In another she is a Pleiade, a daughter of Titan and a sea nymph.

  Qalupalik is a human like sea creature with green skin, long green hair and fingernails. The Innuit used tales of the Qalupalik to encourage their children to not wander off or disobey.

  Chapter 1

  The bright rays of the sun fell on the devastated keep. It was the first and last thing I saw each day, as it should be until I fully fixed the damage I caused.

  “Thea, your father wants to speak with you.” Ansil called across the clearing where we set up camp. I looked up and smiled at the tall Brownie, his dark chocolate hair complementing his mottled tan skin, his hazel eyes assessing me. My smile faltered, and I remembered how things really stood between us, his distrust and wariness of me, my desire for him to see me as more than a child.

  “Thank you, Ansil. I will go see him as soon as I have eaten.” My stomach chose that moment to make an unladylike grumble and I was thankful that Ansil was too far away to hear it.

  “No need. He has breakfast waiting for you. Now, come please. He has asked that I wait for you.”

  Grumbling, I walked across the clearing to Ansil. I wondered why he treated me like such a baby. I thought that maybe we had gotten somewhere on our last trip, but ever since I brought the Mhularuka into the Bog, he treated me more like a child than ever. Was it my fault that Father insisted on us learning of the other Kingdoms by going and visiting them? I never knew the other Kingdoms did not like us, let alone that the Mhularuka hated us.

  “What has your locks in a knot?” Ansil looked sideways at me.

  “Nothing.” I stomped past him toward my father’s tent, refusing to look at him.

  “So, you normally act like a spoiled brat that needs to be taken over a knee?”

  I whirled around to face him. “I am not a child. I wish you and my father would get that through your thick skulls. I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions and learning from my mistakes.”

  He stepped forward so that we were almost touching, “I never said I thought of you as a child, Princess.” He stood there for a minute, his eyes scanning my face and my breath caught in my throat. But then he pushed past me, “Your father is waiting.”

  I huffed, pushing the air out of my lungs, turning to follow him. Did he really see me as a child? If not, why was he always telling me what to do and hovering around me. Mama, why did you have to die so young? I need your advice!

  Da’s tent was before me, his guards standing outside the door. They bowed, “Princess Thea.”

  “Thank you, Merith and Kailu. I hope your families are enjoying their new homes.”

  “Yes, thank you Princess. Our wives are very happy with what you built.”

  I pledged to rebuild the Bog, and the past few months that is all I had done, making sure that each family’s home was rebuilt before work started on the keep. These were the last two homes that needed rebuilding before we started the keep. Hopefully, today Da would talk about the plans.

  “I am glad. How is he today?” The battle had been very difficult for the King, his health hadn’t been the best beforehand and now he was extremely frail, requiring attendants to help him with most tasks.

  “Pretty fair. He has breakfast waiting for you, even has a cup of that coffee stuff you brought from the human realm waiting.”

  I brightened at the idea of a cup of my favorite drink. When Jake helped me defeat the Mhularuka, he had introduced me to Hades and this amazing nectar of the Gods, coffee. “I had better not keep him waiting then.”

  “I think you mean you better not let the coffee get cold.” The two soldiers laughed together as I waved at them and ducked into the tent. By now everyone knew about my obsession with the drink and how I would only drink it hot, but for Brownies, a little coffee goes a long way to jump-starting our day, so I could only have a small cup.

  “Good morning, Da.” I let my eyes adjust to the dull light before entering in further. On the one side of the tent, my father arranged a table and pillows so that he could recline while eating. Two attendants stood at the back of the space, ready to help my father with any and all of his needs. He had been injured in the Mhularuka attack and now needed assistance to walk.

  “Hello, Theadora.” His voice rattled as he gasped for air before he continued, “Come sit with an old man.”

  I smiled at him as I sat across from him. “Da, you are not an old man, just a very wise man.”

  “No child, I am old. My time in the Bog is coming to an end and we need to speak of your future.”

  Frowning, I looked up at him. “I thought we agreed that my place was here in the Bog with you.” After my last trip out of the Bog, the only place I want
ed to visit was Jake and his safehouse.

  “Child, you said that. I never did. I have told you that you need to go out in the world, to learn of the other Kingdoms. Look at what happened when you went out this last time. You trusted the wrong people and almost killed us!”

  “Da! You know I did not do that on purpose. How was I to know that we had sworn enemies or that most of the Kingdoms do not like us. You never told me anything!” By now I was just about crying. I hated my emotions and how they took over when I got upset, it was so un-Brownie like.

  As even-toned and nonplussed as ever, my father looked at me, “No, I did not. It is not the Brownie way. We go into the world to learn without prejudice, but we think with our minds, not our hearts as a foolish girl does.”

  I stared at him for a minute and then quickly stood, throwing my napkin on the table and ran out, not caring if it angered him or was not done. I could not sit with him and have him point out why I was not a proper Brownie again.

  Chapter 2

  “Thea!” I heard him calling for me, but I ignored him. Instead I crawled further into the little den that I had made myself all those years ago as a motherless Brownie who needed an escape from the world she knew. Since then it had been the one place that was mine, where I could hide away from it all and have a good cry.

  “Thea, come on out. I know you are in there.” Ansil’s voice was now so close that he must know right where my den was. How did he find it?

  “No!” I yelled as another sob escaped.

  “Thea, if I have to come in there, it is going to be a tight fit.”

  “Go away, Ansil.”

  He didn't respond, instead I heard scratching and scuffling, along with the occasional curse as he made his way down the narrow tunnel that marked the entrance.

  “Thea, what is wrong? You ran out of the King’s tent and now he is throwing a fit saying you acted like a child.”

  “What do you care, Ansil?”

  “I have been with you through too many adventures to not care. Tell me what is wrong and then we can get you back to your father.”

  “NO! I am not going back to be blamed for something that was not my fault.” I could hear and feel Ansil moving around. This den might have been large when I was a small Brownie, but two full sized Brownies made it into tight quarters.

  “What is with you lately? You are angry at everyone. Is it any wonder that your father is upset with you?”

  “You are part of the problem! I thought we were friends at least, but ever since I screwed up, you treat me like a child. Everyone treats me like a child and holds my mistakes against me.”

  He grabbed my arms and held them, “Maybe you should stop acting like a child, stop whining about things that are out of your control. Take responsibility for the consequences of your actions.” His hands were gentle on my arms as he rubbed them up and down. His voice was a whisper, “Then maybe I can treat you the way you deserve, like the woman I know you are.”

  I didn't respond, unsure of what to say. After a minute, his hands left my arms and he moved away from me. “I will be waiting outside for you.”

  I turned to say something, but the moment was gone and all I saw were his feet as he scurried up the tunnel. I looked around my childhood retreat and was no longer comforted by it. Instead I wanted the comfort that Ansil had offered and I pushed away with my silence. Slowly, I climbed out of the tunnel and let the wind dry my tears.

  “I’m sorry, Da. I shouldn’t have run out like that.” I bowed my head and waited for my father’s rebuke. I knew the way that a Princess should act, and what my father expected from me, but my heart didn't understand.

  “No, you should not have.” He looked at me sternly and I felt my ears starting to point down in shame. “Sit down so I do not crane my head so. I need to talk to you seriously. It is beyond time that I sent you out into the world, but you have always been my little one. I never expected to have another child after your brothers.”

  “Da?” I didn't understand what he was saying. He normally didn't sound so. . . nostalgic.

  “Never mind, just an old man’s reminiscing. It is beyond time that you go out and learn of the other Kingdoms.”

  “No! I do not want to leave the Bog. My place is here, with you.” After the last trip I had no desire to leave again. That trip brought nothing but trouble. We finally almost rebuilt from all the damage.

  “I am your Father and King! You will do as you are told. Your brother is waiting for you in the Fairy Kingdom. He will introduce you to the old Queen’s court and then return home. You will stay and learn of the Fairy Kingdom and then go to the Giants who live past the Fairies.”

  “Da! Please. I want to stay here.”

  “Enough! Ansil and Ortheus will go with you. You leave in the morning.” He folded his arms and glared at me.

  With a sigh of despair, I looked down. “When will you see me as a grown woman?”

  Chapter 3

  “Thea, we need to leave.” I heard Ansil standing outside my tent. I had been sitting there ready to go, but not coming out. They had been waiting for a while, and I knew it was wrong, but I didn't care. I didn't want to leave, even if this would give me time with Ansil and Ortheus. Maybe I could show them I am not a child anymore.

  With a sigh, I looked around the tent that had been my home for the past few months. It might not have been the most luxurious accommodations, but I had slept in worse. I chuckled to myself, thinking of the warehouse in the human realm I had fled to after my last disastrous journey outside the Bog. At least here I had a soft bed, and plenty of food and water. Leaving the Bog meant not knowing what I would face, and I didn't think I could handle making a mistake again.

  “Princess?” I looked up to see Ortheus standing in the doorway.

  “I am coming.” But I didn't move off my palet.

  “What is wrong?” He came to sit beside me. I had known him my whole life but having him here in my personal space seemed so wrong, yet so right.

  “I do not want to go. I mess everything up and this will be no different. Somehow, I always do.”

  “Thea, you have a very caring heart, always wanting to help. Sometimes your heart gets ahead of your brain. But you will learn. Ansil and I will be there to help you. Now come on, if we do not hurry, we will have to wait another day for a boat.” He stood and picked up my small bag of personal belongings, the rest having been loaded onto one of the cornasinus, a small donkey-like animal with curling horns that we used for travel around the Bog.

  I followed him out of the tent to where Ansil was waiting.

  “Sorry, Ansil,” I muttered as I mounted my cornasinus.

  “Well, hopefully you did not make us late enough to miss the storm Fairies. Otherwise, we will be waiting awhile for a ride across the Netvor Pass.” I could feel his censure as he spoke, making me feel like a young Brownie again, not the grown woman I was.

  “Oh Ansil, put a twig in it. You and I both know we have to send a Nokke to the Fairy Kingdom to let them know we are ready and then it will be a few hours for them to come back,” Ortheus scowled at Ansils back.

  Ansil did not respond, he just kicked his mount and started us moving down the path.

  “Ortheus, what are Nokke?” I asked, there was so much I didn't know of our world outside the Bog.

  “They are the Nixie’s saltwater cousins, a male race of merfolk that are part human and part seahorse. Not the nicest of creatures, but they do well enough as messengers.”

  “Why do we have to wait for the storm and water Fairies? Can we not just take one of the ships from a port?” My last journey was supposed to be to the Selkie Kingdom that had its own port to travel the seas. Of course, I had screwed that trip up when I ran into the Mhularuka.

  “The Selkies are. . . difficult to work with, and if one agreed to to take us, the water journey would be longer as well. No, the storm Fairies are a better way to go, and much safer.” Ansil responded, his tone implying that I should know this information
.

  What was his problem? Why did he keep treating me like I had the plague or some parasite? It’s not like I was ever given the opportunity to learn of the other Kingdoms in our realm. I knew more about the human realm than this one I lived in.

  Thinking of the human realm made me miss Jake and Snowden, they always made me feel so safe and cared for, what I thought I had with Ansil at one time.

  “Thea?” Ortheus called. “Has your father told you anything about the seafolk or the Fairies?”

  I shook my head. “No. Da doesn’t believe in teaching about the other Kingdoms, as I am sure you have found out. He insists that I am better off making my own decisions about them.”

  “In my experience, your own decisions end up with a big mess to clean up. You have the sense of a gnat when it comes to a person’s character.” Ansil turned to look at me. “So, on this trip you do as we say, when we say. Understood?”

  I glared at him, but didn't respond. There was some truth to what he said, but was it my fault that I wanted to see the positive in people and help them?