Read Rout of the Dem-Shyr (The Ascendant Series) Online
Authors: Raine Thomas
Tags: #FICTION / Romance / Science Fiction
Rout of the Dem-Shyr (The Ascendant Series)
ROUT OF THE DEM-SHYR
by
Raine Thomas
Published by Iambe Books, LLC
This book is an original publication of Iambe Books, LLC.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2014 Raine Thomas.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, without the express written permission of the publisher. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized editions, and do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials.
Visit the author's website:
http://www.RaineThomas.com
Cover design by Regina Wamba of
www.MaeIDesign.com
Table of Contents
This book is dedicated to my fans. Thank you for your invaluable support. Y’all rock my world!
Acknowledgements
After three years of writing and publishing books, I’ve learned a lot about both processes. I decided to try a new approach when writing Rout of the Dem-Shyr, and recruited the services of an alpha reader who received a few chapters at a time to read and provide feedback. This process proved invaluable, allowing me to tighten up the story as I wrote it. So I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my “book pimp and addict,” Debbie Prins. Thank you for helping me through that first draft and then re-reading it one more time, my friend. Sorry for all of those used tissues I caused you!
Thank you, as well, to my trusty beta readers: Bethany Lopez, Jessica Lind-Wentz, Marilyn Jeulin-Almodóvar, Roy Bronson, and Diane Kaye. You all helped make this book as good as it can be, and I’ll be forever grateful.
Acknowledgements must go out to Janet Wallace and the team of UtopYACon for inspiring this series. Thanks to this year’s Take Me to Your Reader theme, the Alametrian world was born. May you all keep inspiring writers and readers as much as you have these past three years!
Thank you to my husband, Kevin, and daughter, Faith, for your ongoing support. You both know I couldn’t do this without you. I love you both to pieces..
And thank you to all of you wonderful readers out there. No author takes this journey alone. I’m so lucky to have you all along for the ride!
Chapter 1
When she opened her eyes, she saw nothing but darkness. No sound reached her ears other than her own deep, even breathing. Her body felt weighted. Lifeless.
At first, her mind was as dark as her vision. She gazed unseeingly into the unknown, no memory of who or where she was. Her world centered around the sound of the air as it entered and exited her lungs. But memories slowly resurfaced with each breath. It wasn’t long before the most important memory fired in her brain.
She was Ma’jah KyrVawn, the Ascendant of Alametria.
The rest resurfaced more quickly. Sensation returned as well, sending pulsing aches through her body. She was glad for that. It was so much better than the numbness.
Her neck and throat hurt the worst. She felt as though she’d been in a car accident and suffered whiplash. That shouldn’t be, though. She was no longer on Earth, and Alametria didn’t have cars.
Lifting a hand, she reached up to rub her neck. Her fingertips grazed something soft and unfamiliar at the base of her throat. After more exploration, she discovered that her face was covered in fine fabric. Was that why she couldn’t see? Was this what was dampening her ability to hear or sense anything around her?
She tugged at the fabric, expecting it to easily give way. It didn’t. Her hand slipped, jerking upwards. A soft thud resulted as she encountered something solid only inches above her body.
Panic hit her then. Bringing both hands up, she pushed against the hard, flat surface above her. Nothing happened. She couldn’t bend her elbows enough to get any momentum behind the push because the surface was too close. Attempting to move her arms sideways yielded no better results. She was surrounded. Lifting her knees, she discovered that the surface above her ran the entire length of her body. A terrified scream built in her throat.
Calm yourself, Kyr
.
The quiet thought came to her in her own voice. It reminded her that she had resources outside of just the physical. She was the Ascendant, for the love of Yen-Ki. She wasn’t helpless.
Taking in a deep breath, she thought,
Ty
.
She knew immediately that the thought hadn’t reached him. Much like the sound of her breathing, Ty’s name was contained in a place reserved only for her.
No!
Fear and confusion once again overwhelmed her. Where was she? Why was she in a dark, contained space? Why couldn’t she mentally connect with the man she loved?
As each question ran through her mind, her strength amplified. She shoved against the surface above her until her muscles protested. The sound of creaking prompted her to push even harder. It didn’t matter what awaited her outside of wherever she was. She’d greet it with open arms.
It took several minutes of heaving with her enhanced strength, but eventually, the surface gave way. She tossed aside the entire length of whatever was containing her, giving her freedom to sit up. As she did, a wave of dizziness almost made her fall back down. Terror kept her upright, clinging to the sides of her rectangular prison for support.
She looked around and saw she was in a dimly lit room. She also realized that she was sitting in a death box.
Another scream built in her throat. In an instant, she was standing beside the death box rather than inside of it. She had no memory of climbing out, nor did she know how long she stood beside it, staring at it as though it could offer her answers to the long stream of questions running through her barely functioning mind.
The sound of a door handle turning sent her skittering back into the shadows. She clung to a tall column in the middle of the room and tried not to make a sound. She wished she had thought to cover the death box, but knew there was nothing she could do about it now. Hushed whispers reached her ears as the door opened and closed. Unable to resist, she eased her head around the column to see who had entered the room.
Zasha, the Wrym who had seen to Kyr’s comforts since her return to Alametria, stepped into the dim light of a wall sconce. Her hair was covered by a red scarf. She wore a simple red dress, as well, reminding Kyr that the Alametrian color of mourning was red…the color of blood and pain. The flowers Zasha carried, however, were purple. Kyr’s favorite color.
Behind Zasha walked a male that Kyr didn’t recognize until he stepped into the light: LeoVawn. The pair walked all the way into the center of the room, stopping short when their eyes adjusted enough for them to see that the death box was now open and unoccupied. The container of flowers dropped from Zasha’s hands with a jarring thud.
Kyr couldn’t stop herself from stepping out of the shadows. She had to get some answers, and the only thoughts she received from the male and female in the room were shock and confusion. Those emotions heightened when Leo and Zasha saw her and recognized her. Their eyes went wide. Their complexions turned the color of wax.
And one single thought got through:
But she’s dead
.
Their reactions told Kyr why she had been in the death box. “Zasha,” she said, finding her voice at last. “Where’s Ty?”
The Wrym female stood rooted in place as Kyr approached her and took her by the upper arms. Leo watched with a slack jaw, but made no move to intervene.
Kyr tried again. “Please, Zasha. Please tell me where Ty is. Where is
Dem-Shyr
TaeDane?”
“Ma’jah,” Leo said in a hoarse voice. “This cannot be.”
Frustration made Kyr want to shout, but she knew anyone could be outside the doors and listening. Drawing on her growing abilities, she centered herself and sent calming thoughts to Zasha and Leo. She needed their help.
“I’m fine, Leo. You can see that. Please tell me where I can find the
Dem-Shyr
.”
Leo swallowed audibly before he replied, “I’m sorry to say that he’s been banished to the Dark Lands, Ma’jah.”
Kyr sifted through her still-muddy memories of her home planet. “The Dark Lands?” she repeated. “But I thought only murderers are sent there. It’s the punishment of eternal exile.”