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Authors: Kelly St. Clare

Fantasy of Flight

Fantasy of Flight

Book Two of the Tainted Accords

Kelly St. Clare

To my younger sister, so she doesn’t feel left out - even though she won’t be able to read these for another seven or eight years.

To my father, because he probably doesn’t want to be mentioned.

And to the Shetland Islands (particularly Whalsay), where the second draft of this book was written, the first title released, and for being awesome in general.

When Kelly St Clare is not reading or writing, she is lost in her latest reverie. She can, quite literally, drift past a car accident while in the midst of her day dreams, despite the various police sirens and chaos. 

Books have always been magical and mysterious to her. One day she decided to start unravelling this mystery and began writing. Her aim: To write stories she would want to read. As it turns out, this failed miserably. Do you know what it is like to read something you've written? Not to mention, the ending is ruined before you've begun. Never-the-less, Kelly loves it and wishes she had more time to squeeze it in between her day job as a physiotherapist.

Fantasy of Frost, the first title in The Tainted Accords, is her debut novel. Its sequel, Fantasy of Flight, is to be released on May 24th, 2015. 

A New Zealander in origin and in heart, Kelly currently resides in Australia with her soon-to-be husband, a great group of friends, and some huntsman spiders who love to come inside when it rains. Their love is not returned.

Visit her online at

www.kellystclare.com

Or find her on

Facebook
and
Goodreads

Acknowledgements

This book is very international. Part of it was written in Australia, some in Londonderry Ireland, a lot in Whalsay, Shetland Islands, and then some in Scotland, England and Europe. The point of telling you all that is to thank my fiance Scott for being so patient with my antisocial travelling behaviour. Actually, as I am typing this he is trying to point some kind of mountain thing out the window. Thank you.

Again, my beta readers have been awesome. So to Jill Meroiti, Chelsey St Clair, Fran Lindsay, Kelly Lindsay, Lauren Mills, Jacquie Clements, Henry Carthew and Philippa Cox, thank you so much. Your honesty and hard work is more than appreciated. I truly think your feedback is the catalyst for the changes which many of my readers love.

Thank you to my cover designer Akira, who has designed both of my covers and also the cover for the print copy. Your work is great.

To Melissa Scott for content editing and Christine Winsor for doing the copy edit of this story.

And as always, the final thanks goes to my readers. As long as you keep reading, I’ll keep writing.

Copyright 2015 by Kelly St Clare

First Published: 24th May 2015

Publisher: Kelly St Clare

The right of Kelly St Clare to be identified as author of this Work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, copied in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise transmitted without written permission from the publisher. You must not circulate this book in any format.

All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

www.kellystclare.com

Chapter One

“Lock it up, boys!” a voice shouts from the end of the hall. The noise interrupts the steady snores from the room next to mine.

There
is
a wall there, but you’d never know. The culprit resumes their rhythmic wheezing. It will continue through the night – my constant companion for the last month. The strumming of a guitar echoes from a room further away. One of the fighters plays, I haven’t figured out which one yet. But the songs always end up sounding more haunting than beautiful by the time they reach me.

My room at the compound is small. I can only reach the far shelves from the narrow space next to the bed. It makes the tower room, where I was locked away for most of my childhood, seem like a palace.

I’ve been here since the night I ran from the assembly to the Outer Rings. I’d taken my chance during their migration to the First Sector castle. Lost, and in great danger, I followed Alzona, the owner of this fighting compound, across the crumbling rooftops and into her fortress concealed at the bottom of a deep alleyway. It was dark at the time, but I still remember the moonlight catching at the spikes embedded on the outside walls and the series of locked doors we passed through.

I haven’t fought in the rings yet. Competitors are not to fight when injured. It’s one of Alzona’s many rules. And I was riddled with half-healed, stiff wounds when I arrived - the consequence of a severe beating and a journey through the Oscala, the pathway between our two worlds. This rule would have worked in my favor, except no combat means no payment. Payment for me is a cut of the money earned from a successful match. More importantly, if I compete, I get half a day off to locate the source of Seedyr wood arrows. The arrow which killed Kedrick. This is my highest priority. My second priority is finding a new veil. I can’t regain my position as the Tatuma of Osolis without it because of my blue eyes. Even if I get into the castle, King Jovan, Kedrick’s older brother, will kill me if he finds my veil off. He promised as much last sector.

“Alright, Newbie, you can stop,” Alzona calls from her position close by. Giving her my real name, Olina, hadn’t been an option, so I had been issued the name “Newbie”. My real name is too easy to for King Jovan’s Watch to track. But the ‘O’ at the start of my true name is also typical in Solati culture, meaning I’m still unmarried. The name is unusual on Glacium and will raise suspicion.

“We done?” I gasp for air, wrinkling my nose against the smell of old sweat. We were in a smaller room scattered with mats and weights. She’s been training me separately from the other fighters.

“You’re ready,” she says, already walking away.

Alzona is normal height for a Bruma, which puts her at the same height as most of the men here. Her features are as sharp as her tongue. She isn’t beautiful as such, but so striking it takes a while to realize you’re merely looking at confidence on an ordinary face.

When I trailed after Alzona over the rooftops, I assumed she was a fighter herself. I realized about five minutes into my first training session she had never fought a day in her life. I’d watched her shout useless training orders for a week in the gym and then started to make suggestions. She took my advice, though she was more snappy than usual for a few days after. I would like to ask why she’s keeping me separated. But this would breach another rule - No questions.

The only time I see the other competitors is during meals. There are five of them, all male, and they still haven’t spoken a word to me. Their names are too ridiculous to be real, but I don’t dare ask. Blizzard, Ice and Flurry often swap stories of the pit where the matches take place. I know it’s to scare me off. Why else would they discuss the fact there are no other female participants, so often. The other two, Shard and Avalanche, usually eat in silence.

“Fuck, Avalanche, you wanna try and chew a little?” Blizzard says to the huge man as we enter into the mess room. I hold back a smile. His words are rude, but his observation echoes my own frequent thoughts. Avalanche has his own plate they call the “dog bowl”. It is easily four times the size of my own. But then he is nearly four times my size. He’s bigger than King Jovan
and
Rhone - the biggest people I know. An Avalanche must be a fearsome thing. I’ll have to ask the delegates what it is when I get back to the castle.

The huge man lifts his head from his plate and stares Blizzard down.

“Just joking, big guy, ease up. That kind of anger can’t be good in a man your size.” The others snigger at his reply. Avalanche just goes back to his food.

Alzona stands up at the far end of the table where she eats with young Crystal. The men eventually stop talking and pay attention. Shard elbows Avalanche, who is still shoveling food into his mouth. He shovels in one last mouthful, the size of half my entire meal, and turns as well.

“Tomorrow morning, Newbie will be joining the rest of you in the main gym. She’ll be fighting in the rings this week,” she announces. Her words are barely out before a chorus of complaints starts.

“You can’t throw a woman in the ring. It ain’t right.”

“I ain’t fighting her.”

“This is a whole new level of low for you,” Blizzard says. Alzona snaps her head toward him. He stands up and glares at her.

Her reply is soft at first. “Last time I checked, these were my barracks. That means my food, my beds and my rules.” She checks off her fingers as she speaks. Her voice gets louder until she’s shouting. “So if I say you’re training with her, you will fucking train with her!”

My heart thuds as I look between the pair. Blizzard struggles with himself for a few moments and then kicks his chair back. It falls over beside the tub holding our supply of water. He storms out with a backward glance. Ice and Flurry share a look before following him.

“She’ll kick your arse, too,” she yells after them, sitting down with a huff. “Men are idiots.”

The next morning the others eat in sullen silence. After breakfast, Crystal directs me through a set of worn double doors I’ve yet to go through. I’m eager to see what is behind them. It’s where the other fighters disappear to each day.

I tail Crystal down the short hallway.

We enter a gymnasium twice the size of the room I’ve been training in. One area of the room is littered with various weights, bars and pulley systems. Mats cover a corner space. The remaining half is largely open and uncluttered, but there is a built-up stone ring to one side. It’s of a similar size to the meeting circle in the King’s castle which seats twenty five men, but instead of seating, there are walls about double my height enclosing the circle.

Shard and Avalanche immediately head for the opposite end of the gym, as far away from me as possible. I get the message.

We begin our separate warm ups. Shard and Avalanche jog back and forth in the clear space. I go through a sequence of Aquin’s on the mats, moving faster and faster, twirling and kicking. I stop when sweat is rolling down my face. Normally, my veil is soaked by now and sticking to parts of my face. It’s one tiny perk of my decision to take if off and pretend to be a native of Glacium. Of course, I’d always planned to have my veil secure for when I returned to the castle after a few short days in the Outer Rings. But it had been ruined beyond repair in my fight with the whorehounds.

“Where are those three morons?” Alzona snaps at Crystal. If I were her, I’d be running to Sector Four. Having the owner’s attention is a little terrifying.

Crystal gives her a look and ignores the request, instead going over to her seat to trawl through a stack of papers. Crystal is a puzzle I can’t figure out. The strawberry blonde looked to be around fifteen. This is how old the others think I am, too. I don’t correct them. She is pretty, and the shortest Bruma woman I’ve ever seen. She seems to help with the general running of the place. I don’t think she fights.

Surprisingly, Alzona only smiles at the young girl’s retreat before scowling at the rest of us.

“You lot can start. We’ll do the ring first. Newbie, watch and learn.” I approach the outside of the “ring”. Little squares in the otherwise solid walls allow me to see inside. The only way of getting in or out is a heavy door to one side.

Shard and Avalanche move into the ring.

“Crystal, do the bell and then
please
go tell the others if they aren’t here in two minutes they can pack their bags and get the fuck out,” Alzona says from behind me. I’m not really listening anymore. I’m focused on what’s about to happen.

Avalanche closes the door behind him with a loud grating noise and faces Shard across the circle.

The bell tolls.

I don’t even have time to blink before the two launch themselves at each other.

“When do they stop?” I finally ask without taking my eyes from the pair. Alzona just laughs.

Their bout goes on for ten minutes. I take careful note of their styles and ability. The brutality of their fight is alarming. Ironic, considering I’ve killed without thought. But I think there’s a difference between fighting to save your life and fighting just for the sake of it.

“Okay, you can stop now. Stop!” she shouts to get their attention. Shard dances away from Avalanche. “I don’t want you to finish each other off. You’ll both be practicing on Newbie.” My stomach leaps at her words. I’m a good fighter, but due to the need for utmost secrecy, I’ve only ever sparred with three people, my brother, Kedrick and Aquin. And during my training on Osolis, we usually used some kind of padding, or blunted weapons. This bare-fisted fighting was not softened. It was raw and, unfortunately for me, it was also skilled.

Footsteps sound from the entrance of the gym. “You can’t be serious.”  I recognize Blizzard’s voice and glance over my shoulder. Ice and Flurry stand on either side of him, their arms crossed.

Alzona ignores them. “Which one you wanna beat up first?” she asks me.

I look at the two men standing inside the ring. Avalanche is huge, but in this case, it doesn’t mean he’s the better fighter.

“Him.” I point to Avalanche. I need to work up to Shard. I slip off my boots and walk around to the door.

Shard leaves the enclosure. Blood pumping, I step over the stone framing the bottom of the entrance, pushing the door closed behind me. I look back at the others through the small openings. Blizzard is shaking his head while Ice, in the square next to him, looks amused. Alzona grins manically.

The bell tolls.

I refocus on the man in front of me and barely have time to spin sideways as he bowls through the space where I stood seconds before. My strategy is to use my speed against his strength. Avalanche is slow and overcommits on his punches. I approach him, keeping slightly out of reach. He takes the bait and lunges forward. I step out of his range. He puts too much weight behind his swing and doesn’t have time to recover his footing. I move back onto my left foot and unleash a high kick. He staggers away as the kick connects.

“Finish him!” Alzona says. I frown at her. What does she mean? I’m not going to kill him.

I wait for him to regain his bearings.

“You need to knock him out.” She calls again. Avalanche charges. I dodge and this time I follow close behind him. When he turns, I spring up and deliver a stinging upper cut. He falls to his knees. I dance back.

“If you don’t finish him right now, I will drop you outside the nearest whorehouse.” Alzona bellows. I don’t doubt her, but I still hold her gaze for a brief moment to show her I’m not intimidated.

He’s standing again. I don’t give him time to collect himself. I run up and launch backward, kicking him with straight legs, one after the other. I help him to the ground with a right cross to the jaw. He doesn’t get up. I resist the urge to check him.

Alzona moves around to the door and opens it. “And
that
is how you get out of the ring,” she says. Her laughing is borderline cackle. Scary.

“Blizzard. Ice. Drag him out.”

The reactions from the others extend from curiosity to open-mouthed shock. Crystal is smiling behind them, the only other person to have seen me train so far. She gives me a quick wink before returning to her papers.

“Shard, Ice. You’re up. Show me you haven’t been up to jackshit while I’ve been with Newbie.” She slaps me firmly on the back as I pass. The Alzona stamp of approval.

Dinner is silent. Alzona eats with a grin featured on her face. Crystal also seems to be humored by something. All the men, except Shard, are sulking.

Shard shoots me an amused glance. He is the only one I couldn’t beat. Alzona stopped him before he could end the fight. Blizzard and I were an even match, but I eventually took him down, too. Alzona wanted me to get used to the finish, so I knocked out four of the five fighters today. Not a good way to make friends, but maybe it would earn their respect.

I lie in my lumpy bed starring up at the crumbling ceiling. A room like this should have driven me crazy by now. Confined spaces tended to overwhelm me. But then, I can leave at any time if I need to. I have no idea where I’d go. At least the option is there, keeping me sane. I draw Kedrick’s arrow from beneath the mattress and twirl it in a slow circle.

If someone had told me a year ago what was in store for me, I would have thought they were insane. I’d endured Kedrick’s death, a kidnapping, and a journey through the Oscala. Not to mention surviving a whole sector in a foreign court. I was so close to finding the killer, I could feel it lurking just beyond my grasp. Finding the answer has become an obsession. Kedrick was the first person I loved, and so much more. A lone friend amongst all of my enemies, a kindred spirit. His life had ended just as he was realizing his potential.

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