The Calling (The Andovia Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  Darius’ blood went cold. Spirits, had Mercury done it? Had she torn the veil?

  How can it be sealed? He prayed it wouldn’t involve more blood magic. If it did, he couldn’t say he was surprised. His mother liked the black arts even more than Fergus and did everything she could to increase her power. Being second wife to the Archdruid would never have been enough for her.

  Nothing appeared this time. Mercury must have known how to reverse the damage, unless she wanted all of Andovia to fall into the rift.

  He read further. It talked about the tear in the veil and what might happen. There was nothing to indicate why she had done it. Mercury was meticulous in what she did. She planned everything out in minute detail in case anything went wrong.

  Why hadn’t she written more about what her intentions were or what she wanted to achieve? Unless she hadn’t been the one who had done it.

  Darius wouldn’t jump to conclusions. Unless she hadn’t been the one who had done it.

  He wouldn’t put that past her.

  Druid! Nyx’s scream tore through his mind.

  Darius jumped, and the book fell from his hands. Nyx? Where are you?

  I need help. Something is after me!

  Chapter 29

  Nyx screamed as she landed on the polished oak floor and had no idea where she had ended up. She had been focused on getting back to Migara, but then she had thought of the druid and passed out of The Grey again. At least she had ended up with the druid this time, although she wished Gideon were not there.

  “Nyx, are you alright?” Darius bent beside her.

  “Monster…” she breathed.

  Darius frowned. “Where?”

  Her senses reeled from the creature’s dark energy. Suddenly, the creature she had encountered in The Grey appeared. “There.” Nyx motioned towards it.

  She had thought it was terrifying in the mist, but now in the light it looked even more so. It was all rippling muscle and jagged fangs.

  It lunged straight for her. Nyx flapped her wings and shot up onto one of the ceiling beams. Her heartbeat thudded in her ears.

  Darius struck the creature with lightning and Gideon with a fireball. The creature shrieked but bounded towards them. It knocked Gideon aside and sent him flying. He crashed to the floor and laid there, unconscious.

  “What is this thing?” Darius called up to her.

  “How should I know?” Nyx grabbed the sword from the wall and swept down. The blade sliced into the creature’s neck but went no further. Holy spirits, why wouldn’t the sword slice the head off?

  “I found it in The Grey,” she told the druid.

  “The what?” He frowned up at her.

  “A place between life and death. A spirit told me this thing is what’s been killing people.”

  Darius raised both his hands and hit the creature with lightning bolts.

  Nyx swooped down and kicked the creature in the head, then she leaned down and grasped its shoulder. This time she let her full power flow free. Her eyes turn black, and energy roared through the air like thunder with no sound.

  Nyx winced as energy sparked between her fingers. She dropped to the floor; her energy spent.

  The creature stumbled backwards, and its dark eyes flashed. “The darkness is coming,” it rasped. “You cannot stop it.”

  Gideon scrambled up and raised his hand. Energy reverberated through the air as he used his magic and cast a wave of energy around the dark creature. He said the words of a spell and Nyx flinched from the dark energy. “Tell us who summoned you.”

  Darius went over and helped Nyx to her feet. “Are you alright?”

  She nodded. “What is that thing?” She motioned towards the creature. Nyx knew it was not a darkling.

  The creature struggled against Gideon’s magic and burst free from the web. It lunged straight towards the prince again until a blast of light sent it crashing into the far wall.

  Ambrose stood in the doorway; his staff radiated with energy. “That is a Lalpest, a creature banished from this world centuries ago. Only the darkest of magic could have bought it back through the veil.”

  The Lalpest struggled as Ambrose’s magic seemed to be the only thing that had any real effect on the creature so far. He snarled at them. “It’s too late to undo the damage caused. The veil will fall, and all of the creatures banished to the underworld will walk Erthea once more.”

  “Tell us who broke through the veil.” Ambrose tapped his staff on the floor and more energy pulsed from the glowing orb. “What is it they are looking for? They have been stealing power for a reason, why?”

  “She searches for the one banished long ago. The one who will set all of the fae free.”

  “You mean one of the chosen that the prophecy speaks of?” Nyx put a hand to her chest. She still didn’t believe she was part of a prophecy.

  The Lalpest laughed, a harsh guttural sound. “No, the true queen of the fae. That witch who sits on the throne knows she will never have real power. That is why she’s trying to find the one who does.”

  All colour drained from Ambrose’s face. “Impossible. The fae queen was banished more than a generation ago when the Archdruid took power. She is gone from this world and will never return.”

  Gideon froze. “Wait, are you saying my mother did this? That’s ridiculous. Why would she need to? She is already the queen of the fae.” His hands clenched into fists. “You are lying!” He stepped forward to strike the creature, but Darius put a hand out to stop him.

  “No, she is a priestess, nothing more. She has no divine power as the true Andovian queen did.”

  “The Andovian queen is dead. No one can bring her back. Ever,” Ambrose snapped and raised his staff once more. He chanted strange, intricate words of power that sounded beautiful yet terrifying at the same time. Light blew from his staff, so bright Nyx had to raise her hand to shield her eyes.

  The Lalpest screamed then exploded in a blaze of fire.

  Ambrose stood there, breathing hard.

  “These are lies,” Gideon snapped. “My mother wouldn’t do such a thing. She doesn’t have the power. This must be your doing.” He advanced towards Ambrose.

  This time Nyx stepped in his way. “He’s telling the truth. That much I can tell.”

  Gideon glowered at her and Darius put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Think about it,” he said. “Your mother doesn’t have the respect of the fae. Her power and influence are waning, and you know it. How much longer do you think it will be before our father casts her aside? She serves no real purpose to the Archdruid anymore, and the high fae are growing restless.”

  Gideon shoved Darius aside. “You are all wrong and I will prove it.” He stormed out of the room.

  “Go after him,” Ambrose told them. “Before he does something stupid. If the queen is confronted with what she has done, she might turn against him.”

  Nyx and Darius raced out of the vault and after Gideon. Ambrose trailed along behind them out of breath after the amount of power he had used. Nyx wished she had time to ask him how he had known to defeat such a creature. There was so much about the older druid that remained a mystery, and she had so many questions she needed answers to. All of that would have to wait until later.

  Gideon didn’t stop until he reached his mother’s chambers in a part of the palace Nyx had never been to before.

  Isabella’s eyes widened in shock as Gideon, Nyx and Darius burst into the room. Tendrils of green smoke swirled around her fingers as she stood over a large basin of water.

  Gideon gasped. “Mother, are you the one who has fractured the veil?”

  The green smoke died away, and she glowered at Ambrose as he staggered through the door. “You killed my Lalpest!” She raised her hand to strike him.

  Gideon raised his hand, and his palm glowed with light. “Why did you do it, Mother? You are risking the future of my realm.”

  Isabella snorted. “What realm? This realm will never be yours or mine, not while Fergus sits
on that throne. I had to do something to gain real power,” she hissed. “The next dark age is upon us, and we will all perish. Only the powerful survive in this world, boy. You need to learn to accept that.” She turned her gaze back to Ambrose. “And you are nothing but an old fool, a remnant of an age long since dead.”

  Ambrose raised his staff and blasted Isabella across the room with a bolt of energy. “I still have power, witch.”

  “Guards!” Gideon yelled.

  Two guards came in and dragged an unconscious Isabella away.

  “I will call Father. He needs to return home at once to deal with this situation. Only he can decide what to do with her,” Darius said.

  They scoured Isabella’s chamber and found the spell she had used to open the rift. Together Darius, Nyx, Gideon and Ambrose used their magic to close the rift once and for all. Nyx and Darius headed out to Migara where she was stunned to find all traces of it had disappeared.

  “Is that it?” Nyx asked the druid. “Is it finally over?”

  Darius nodded. “I think so. At least until my father gets back and deals with Isabella.”

  “What will he do with her? Will he kill her?” She couldn’t say she would miss the fae queen very much, not after everything Isabella had done.

  Darius shrugged. “I don’t know. Perhaps he will. He won’t like anyone making a play for power against him.” He hesitated. “I found something back in my father’s vault. My mother wrote about a new energy – someone who can threaten everything on Erthea.”

  “Who?” Nyx frowned. “The Andovian queen? Who is she anyway?”

  “She was the leader here in Andovia up until my grandfather took power and enslaved the Andovians a century ago. She’s been dead a long time now. I don’t see how anyone could bring her back.” Darius knelt and ran a hand over the ground. “Hopefully there is no permanent damage left here. Even so, Ambrose will want to do a cleansing.” He rose to his full height again. “I’m glad you’re okay. How did you find your way out of the rift?”

  “I was able to move through it. I — I went back to the tavern to find my sisters, but they were gone.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “I’ve been so focused on running away and going back to them.”

  Darius arched an eyebrow. “Why did you come back?”

  She hesitated. “Because there are answers here about my past and who I was before I ended up with Harland.” She bit her lip. “I’ve remembered what happened that night — I didn’t kill him. The darkling was there looking for me. I’ve come to realise that this whole thing is bigger than my freedom — at least for now, this is where I belong.”

  That didn’t mean she would give up trying to find the sisters, though.

  “I’m glad you’ve decided to stay.” Darius flashed her a smile. “We work well together, don’t we?”

  “When you’re not irritating me, yes.” She laughed. “Am I still stuck being your servant?”

  “In an official capacity, yes, but I want you to know I consider you a friend now.”

  Friend. Nyx hadn’t had a real friend before, aside from her sisters. In a way, she felt like she already knew Darius better than she ever knew them.

  Nyx only hoped their friendship was enough to face whatever came next.

  Darkness was coming, and they had to be ready for it.

  Continued in Book 2

  Afterword

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for reading The Calling.

  I hope you enjoyed this book. I’d love it if you could post a review about it on a review site of your choice. Getting reviews for my books gives me a big thrill and I look forward to hearing what you thought. Perhaps you can mention who your favourite character was and which parts you liked best.

  For updates and news about my books signup for my author newsletter and get a free gift at tiffanyshand.com/newsletter

  I look forward to hearing from you.

  Tiffany Shand.

  Also by Tiffany Shand

  ANDOVIA CHRONICLES

  Dark Deeds Prequel

  The Calling

  ROGUES OF MAGIC SERIES

  Bound By Blood

  Archdruid

  Bound By Fire

  Old Magic

  Dark Deception

  Sins Of The Past

  Reign Of Darkness

  Rogues Of Magic Complete Box Set Books 1-7

  ROGUES OF MAGIC NOVELLAS

  Wyvern’s Curse

  Forsaken

  On Dangerous Tides

  EVERLIGHT ACADEMY TRILOGY

  Everlight Academy, Book 1: Faeling

  Hunted Guardian – An Everlight Academy Story

  EXCALIBAR INVESTIGATIONS SERIES

  Denai Touch

  Denai Bound

  Denai Storm

  Excalibar Investigations Complete Box Set

  SHADOW WALKER SERIES

  Shadow Walker

  Shadow Spy

  Shadow Sworn

  Shadow Walker Complete Box Set

  THE AMARANTHINE CHRONICLES BOOK 1

  Betrayed By Blood

  Dark Revenge

  The Final Battle

  SHIFTER CLANS SERIES

  The Alpha’s Daughter

  Alpha Ascending

  The Alpha’s Curse

  The Shifter Clans Complete Box Set

  TALES OF THE ITHEREAL

  Fey Spy

  Outcast Fey

  Rogue Fey

  Hunted Fey

  Tales of the Ithereal Complete Box Set

  THE FEY GUARDIAN SERIES

  Memories Lost

  Memories Awakened

  Memories Found

  The Fey Guardian Complete Series

  THE ARKADIA SAGA

  Chosen Avatar

  Captive Avatar

  Fallen Avatar

  The Arkadia Saga Complete Series

  About the Author

  Tiffany Shand is a writing mentor, professionally trained copy editor and copy writer who has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. Born in East Anglia, Tiffany still lives in the area, constantly guarding her workspace from the two cats which she shares her home with.

  She began using her pets as a writing inspiration when she was a child, before moving on to write her first novel after successful completion of a creative writing course. Nowadays, Tiffany writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance, as well as nonfiction books for other writers, all available through eBook stores and on her own website.

  Tiffany’s favourite quote is ‘writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go’ and it is armed with this that she hopes to be able to help, inspire and mentor many more aspiring authors.

  When she has time to unwind, Tiffany enjoys photography, reading, and watching endless box sets. She also loves to get out and visit the vast number of castles and historic houses that England has to offer.

  You can contact Tiffany Shand, or just see what she is writing about at:

  Author website: tiffanyshand.com

  Business site: Write Now Creative

  Twitter: @tiffanyshand

  Facebook page: Tiffany Shand Author Page