Child of Destiny (Prophecy Series Book 3) Read online

  “Don’t.” The sorcerer grabbed the captain’s hand. “He wants her in good condition. Lord Scott will continue to be useful to us, but only if you bring her to him without harming her. He doesn’t want his prize to be damaged.”

  “Yes Brad.” The captain nodded.

  “What did you do to my sister?” Megan demanded. “Where is she? What are you going to do to her?”

  “Your sister is no longer any of your concern.” Brad smiled at her and touched her long auburn hair. “She will be safe in the palace from now on, just as you will be safe in Beryl. Lord Scott was quite taken with you, so forget your sister and focus on being a good wife to the Lord of Beryl.”

  “I’ll never forget my sister.” Megan glared. “I’ll do whatever it takes to find her and save her.” She would pretend she was brave, and she would do whatever it took to save her sister.

  “She’s going to bring Najos into a new time of peace.” Brad clapped Megan’s shoulder. “Your sister’s destiny is written, and you must be willing to accept that. She cannot live in the past anymore, and neither can you. Forget home, forget your family, and focus on making your future husband happy. He doesn’t want my men to harm you, but I cannot guarantee that he will not do damage to you himself.”

  ~ Chapter 2 ~

  Laura Matthews appeared in a great hall; lavish couches, wooden floors, and several well-dressed nobles stared at her. She slowly turned. Where was she? What had that man done to her?

  “Hello Laura.” The sorcerer was suddenly next to her.

  “What’s going on?” Laura tried to hit him, but the man blocked her feeble attempt.

  “We’ll work on that.” The sorcerer took her hand. “Come with me.”

  “You killed my husband.” Laura cried. “I’m not going anywhere with you. What did you do with Megan? What do you want with me?”

  “You don’t understand your potential, your destiny.” The sorcerer pulled her close. “I will teach you many things.”

  Laura shook her head. “No.”

  “Come.” The sorcerer yanked her along with him, and they entered a room.

  Two young women sat on a couch, each reading, and a black-haired man stood at a table with several other men.

  “Your Majesty.” The sorcerer’s voice brought everyone’s attention to them.

  “Brad.” The king looked confused as he watched them enter. “What is this?”

  “I’ve been looking for this woman for a long time Your Majesty.” Brad yanked Laura forward. “The prophecy says ‘The Liberator shall destroy the evil upon the throne with her true love, the Bloodline Prince, by her side. The Chain shall stop the bringing of peace if the Liberator allows it.’ I present before you, the Chain of prophecy, Lady Laura Matthews. She has powerful magic locked within her. I have felt it. She’s the one who will protect you and defeat the Liberator.”

  What? Laura felt like vomiting. Brad was wrong. She was not someone evil, and she would never protect the king. He was malicious, and this sorcerer, she suddenly knew exactly who he was. Brad Killer. She would never trust or learn from the man who had killed her grandfather. She would keep her lineage secret, not even their father knew she and Megan knew the truth.

  “I have no magic.” Laura declared. “I don’t know how to fight, and I am not the Chain.”

  “You are destined.” Brad took a step closer. “I can feel your magic, and I know this is your destiny. You were on the wrong path. Your husband and sister, you will never see them again. Forget the past and learn from me. This is your future, and you will be one of the most powerful sorceresses to ever live. Filia Broxen will seem like a first-year student compared to you. Even Master Xavien would be proud to have you as a student.”

  “Except that Filia Broxen wanted to use her powers for good.” Laura glared. “Master Xavien would never want any of his pupils to end up like you.”

  “Filia saw my ways, and she turned against Xavien.”

  “I know the story.” Laura whispered. “I will not turn evil.”

  “Who said anything about being evil?” King Girdo walked toward them. “You must believe terrible things about me, Laura, is it?”

  She stiffened as he gently touched her arm.

  “I took the kingdom to bring peace to Najos.” King Girdo gently touched her cheeks and wiped tears from her skin. “I am sorry about your husband and sister, but Brad is right. You will not be able to fulfill your destiny if you have ties such as those. Training to use and control magic is hard work, and Brad is the best teacher I know. You will help me bring a new age of peace to Najos.”

  “There was peace.” Laura glared. “There was peace before you murdered the rightful king and queen. I wait for the day the true prince and princess come back and remove you from the throne.”

  King Girdo slapped her, and Laura stepped back. Brad steadied her. “Your Majesty, she only knows what others have taught her. She won’t be able to see that you did the right thing, the necessary thing, until she gets to know and understand you.”

  “I’m sorry.” King Girdo looked at Laura. “That was harsh of me. Please forgive me. Patience isn’t my strongest quality.”

  Laura swallowed, but she didn’t answer.

  “Montiel, Celeste.” King Girdo waved the two young women on the couch over. “Please come here.”

  Montiel smoothed her lace skirts, and she looked at Laura with kind brown eyes. Her dark-brown hair was pinned back in a neat bun. The other young woman had golden-blonde hair and deep-blue eyes. It was their faces which looked similar, the way their movements mirrored each other, that made Laura think they could be sisters.

  “Laura, I would like you to meet my nieces.” King Girdo introduced. “My sister and her husband were murdered when they were just girls, and I have raised my nieces as my own. I would like to present Montiel Killer, my heir and the wife of your master, Brad. This is her younger sister, Celeste.”

  Laura glanced at the sisters, and she knew they would try to befriend her. They were loyal to their uncle, and they would do everything in their power to make Laura want to become the Chain. Laura glanced back at Brad, and his amber eyes were fixed on Montiel. The older princess was beautiful, but she didn’t return Brad’s gaze. It reminded Laura of how Scott had looked at Megan the night they’d all met.

  ~ Chapter 3 ~

  Derek Andrews crouched beside his sister and her husband. They had spied a group of soldiers traveling alongside the Respa river.

  “Get that side.” Derek whispered to Fred.

  His best friend nodded and silently made his way to the opposite bank.

  “You ready?” Abby looked at her brother, and Derek nodded.

  Fred attacked the squad from the side, drawing their attention. Abby and Derek jumped from the back, slashing the soldiers. Their three-person attack often worked better than Derek expected from former fishermen. The four soldiers fell, and Derek kicked at one of the dead men. “Do you think we really caught them off guard?”

  “Must be all our training.” Fred grinned. “It’s been almost three years since we joined the rebels now.”

  Derek nodded, kneeling to go through the dead man’s pockets.

  “Oh.” Abby gasped, and her eyes turned white.

  “Grab her.” Derek called to Fred.

  Fred caught his wife, and she blinked several times.

  “What is it?” Derek touched his sister’s arm. “What did you see?”

  “Pain.” Abby whispered, her eyes wide and scared. “The Chain has been named, and she will bring great suffering to the land. She can stop the Liberator.”

  “We won’t let that happen.” Derek insisted. “We’re loyal to the Leiftons, and we will not allow Girdo’s pawns to destroy Najos.”

  “She has great magic within her.” Abby looked between her brother and husband. “She will be a significant weapon for the king.”

  “We will stop her, and we will find the Liberator.” Fred’s voice was confident. “It doesn’t matter what we ha
ve to do, the rebels will prevail.”

  “We just need to find the Leifton Prince and Princess, the Liberator, and defeat the king, Brad, and the Chain.” Derek shrugged. “Sounds easy enough.”

  Abby shook her head. “Right.”

  “Do you see that?” Fred frowned and walked past the siblings toward the river.

  “What is it?” Derek followed.

  In the river was a body. The man looked drowned, and Derek closed his eyes, kissed his thumb and pointer finger as they pressed together, and moved his two fingers toward the sky in tribute to the man’s poor soul.

  Fred grabbed the man’s arm and hauled him out of the water.

  “Soldiers probably killed him.” Abby joined them.

  “Wonder what the man did.” Fred set him on the ground.

  “He deserves a proper burial.” Derek added.

  The man’s fingers twitched, and Abby gasped. “I think he’s still alive.” She slammed her fist on his chest a few times before pinching his nose closed and breathing into his mouth. She punched his chest once more, and the man coughed water, spitting the liquid from his lungs and mouth. He gasped, coughed, and choked, but he was alive.

  “Hey there.” Derek gently patted the man’s shoulder. “Are you alright? Can you understand me?”

  The man’s chocolate brown eyes didn’t seem to focus on anything or anyone, and his voice was raspy as he whispered. “Laura.”

  “Who’s Laura?” Fred asked.

  “My wife.” The man managed. “Did you find her?”

  “We only found you.” Derek replied. “You’re the only one who was in the river. What happened?”

  “My wife, her sister, and I were attacked.” The man coughed more water. “They shoved me in the river, and that’s all I remember.”

  “We haven’t seen any soldiers with prisoners.” Fred told him.

  “You’re not soldiers?” The man’s breathing seemed to even out. He looked past the three at the bodies of the king’s men. “You’re rebels, aren’t you?”

  “Does it matter?” Abby palmed a knife, and Derek put a hand over hers. She looked at him with her bright brown eyes.

  “We’ve been looking for rebels for quite a few months.” The man explained. “The king is an unjust, evil tyrant, and we want to train to fight against him.”

  “We’ve been traveling on several missions for the rebels.” Fred stated. “You are welcome to join us.”

  Abby shook her head and stepped away from the men. She took several deep breaths, staring at the tree line instead of the others.

  “What’s her problem?” The man whispered.

  “She doesn’t trust anyone.” Fred explained.

  “The soldiers tried to kill me.” The man looked at them. “They attacked my wife and sister-in-law. I’m not loyal to the king, and I will do everything in my power to find my wife and her sister. I will not stand idle and let the king destroy everything I love. The throne doesn’t even belong to him. It belongs to the Leifton Prince.”

  Derek chuckled. “True passion in a man. I appreciate that. My name’s Derek, this is my best friend and brother-in-law, Fred, and over there upset at us is my little sister, Abby.”

  “I’m Tobin.” He introduced. “I’ll need all the help I can get to save my wife and her sister.”

  “It won’t be an easy journey.” Fred looked at the man. “We’re not going back to our base camp for several months. We’ll be on the road, attacking squads and rescuing prisoners.”

  “Rescuing prisoners?” Tobin’s chocolate brown eyes lit upon the word. “Of course, I’ll join you. Hopefully my loved ones will be among the prisoners we rescue.”

  “I’m sure they will.” Derek clapped Tobin’s shoulder.

  “Tell me Tobin, you can’t swim, and you can’t fight, do you have any skills that will be useful to us?” Abby rejoined them.

  “I can cook.” He looked back at her.

  “You can?” Fred’s voice rose a decibel.

  “My father was the greatest chef in Lapis.” Tobin slowly got to his feet. “He taught me everything he knew.”

  “It will be nice to have a decent meal.” Derek grinned. “We were raised in Pyrite, so our families are fishermen.”

  “But they never taught us to cook the fish, or anything else.” Fred added. “We can catch them, and now you can cook them.”

  “It will be my pleasure.” Tobin looked north.

  “We’ll find your loved ones.” Derek promised. “We will reunite you with your wife, and you will be safe in Najos someday in the future.”

  “Not if the Chain continues her path.” Abby stated.

  “What?” Tobin gasped. “The Chain? I thought no one claimed to be the Chain.”

  “She’s been found, and she’s training in the palace with Brad Killer, the king’s most powerful sorcerer. The Chain will bring death to all she sees, and her powers will continue to grow as she gets closer to the king and his family. We need to kill her as soon as possible.”

  “It’s impossible as long as she’s in Goshen.” Fred went to their packhorse. “You can ride him Tobin.”

  “Thanks.” Tobin mounted the stallion.

  “Keep looking for the Chain and when she’ll be vulnerable.” Derek mounted his steed. “We’ll make sure she cannot fulfill her destiny.”

  Tobin nodded. “Someone that powerful and wicked must be killed.”

  ~ Chapter 4 ~

  Megan stared at the castle through the bars of the prison the soldiers had thrown her in. It was like a moving cage, and she pounded her fist against the metal. As she wept angry tears, her grandfather’s words riddled through her mind: Don’t be afraid of the future, but rather let the courage of others help you find the truth.

  One of the soldiers looked back. “Don’t worry my dear, your future awaits.”

  Megan groaned and sat as far away from the soldiers as possible. She looked back at the castle and remembered the night she’d met Scott. He’d seemed charming and kind, but then he’d kissed her. Forcing her against the wall, his mouth was hot and angry against her lips, then skin. Megan had to kick herself free, and she’d fled. Angry and frustrated, she had then met Derek, and he had changed the night for her. Even through her kidnapping, Derek had been honest and compassionate toward her. His kiss had left her knees weak and her soul searching. He’d been the reason she wanted to join the rebels ever since, and he was the man she wanted to find out more about. She knew enough about Scott.

  “We’re here.” The soldiers stopped their small caravan, and two of them opened the back of her cage.

  Megan stayed as far away from them as she could, but one of the soldiers stepped inside and yanked her arm. She cried in pain as her joints did. Once outside the cage, another soldier grabbed her other arm, and the two forced her toward the castle.

  Megan’s feet dragged, and she refused to make it easy for them to get her inside.

  The two soldiers were strong, and they hauled her along with them.

  “I see my prize has arrived.” Lord Scott Karter walked toward them, a twisted smile on his face. His bright blue eyes seemed to shine as he looked over every inch of her.

  “Let me go.” Megan struggled against the strong arms keeping her from running.

  “But you belong here my beauty.” Scott gently touched her left cheek. “You will be mine.”

  “I’ll never be yours.” She glared. “You can’t keep me here.”

  “But you’ll see that I can.” Scott nodded to the soldiers, and the men released her.

  Megan spun on her heel and tried to run, but Scott grabbed her around her waist and pulled her back against his strong chest. He whispered. “The more you fight, the more you’ll excite me. Your passion and drive intoxicate me. You are exactly the kind of woman I will enjoy making mine. You will be hard to break but break you down I shall. I look forward to it.”

  Her blood iced, and Megan bit her lip. She wished Derek would rescue her from this place, take her away from t
he madman who was infatuated with her.

  Scott turned Megan and shoved her back against the wall. She struggled against him, and he laughed. “I hope you enjoy your new home.” He kissed her.

  Megan tried to push him away, but he was too strong. Then Scott grabbed her right forearm and painfully walked her down the hallway. “I’ll show you to your room.” He marched her up the stairs. “I know you’ll find my castle a beautiful place to live, and I know you will enjoy it, in time. All you’ve ever had in life will be stripped away and everything you’ve never even thought to desire will be yours. You will be my wife, and we’ll share a powerful life. Your will and my strength will bring us powers not even you could have imagined.” He stopped in front of a heavy oak door and brought his hand up to smooth her auburn hair. “I’ll have some maids come by and prepare you for tonight.”

  “What’s tonight?” Megan whispered.

  “Our wedding.” He opened the door. “Tonight is the most important moment of a woman’s life. You will become Lady Megan Karter.” He tossed her inside and slammed the door shut.

  Megan sprinted back to the door, trying to throw it open, but it wouldn’t budge. Her mind whirled, and her head hurt. She would never marry him, and she could never love someone so cruel. Scott didn’t know the first thing about being a good person.

  She turned to look at her room, but it was more of a cell than an actual room. The bed was a thin cot without a blanket or pillow, and the small window was high in the wall. There was nothing of luxury in this prison, and she sat on the cold stone ground. It was useless to fight him. He was too powerful, and she was helpless against him. She would be forced to marry the vicious man, and there was nothing she could do to save herself. Megan closed her eyes to keep her tears from falling.

  The door opened, and Megan looked up, tears suddenly streaming down her cheeks.

  “Hello Miss.” A stout woman entered the room. Megan noticed the two guards stationed at the door and the third who stepped inside with the woman.