KIngdom of Embers (Kingdom Journals Book 1)

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  About the Author

  Preview of Kingdom of Darkness

  More books from Tricia

  Kingdom of Embers

  Kingdom Journals Volume 1 – Alena’s Story

  Kingdom Journals Volume 1 - Alena's Story

  by Tricia Copeland

  Copyright © 2017 True Bird Publishing LLC

  All rights reserved

  License Notes:

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be copied or re-distributed in any way. Author holds all copyright.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Edited by Tia Silverthorne Bach

  Proofread by Jennifer Oberth

  Interior Formatting by Jo Michaels

  all of Indie Books Gone Wild

  Cover by Alivia Anders of White Rabbit Book Design

  Published by True Bird Publishing LLC, Superior, CO

  The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of a copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by fines and federal imprisonment.

  “Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals that the Lord God had made.”

  – Genesis 3:1

  “Morning.”

  The curtains swooshed open, and light poured into my room. I mashed the feather pillow into my face, wishing the woman moving around my room would disappear.

  “Can’t I be homeschooled? Or at least try online high school. One year. I’ve only got one year left.” I extended my arm and pointed my index finger up.

  “You know what your mother would say.” I heard Elizabeth cross to the dresser.

  “Does she remember what it’s like to be a teenager? Can I get a replacement for her? Or at least a refund?”

  “Now, Alena. You know you don’t mean that.”

  “You’re wrong.” I sat up and let the pillow fall to my lap.

  “I have fresh flowers for you, and the ribbons for your hair all laid out.”

  “I could smell the flowers from the hall and heard you lay the ribbons on my dresser. You don’t need to tell me everything. Ugh! I can’t believe they’re making us wear matching hair decorations the first day of school.” I flung the white silk sheet from my legs and swung my feet to the floor.

  “It’s a thin ribbon.” Elizabeth held up the red satin piece. “At least it’s a good color. That bright orange at your last school was hideous.”

  “Don’t remind me of Cal High.” I zipped to her and snatched the ribbon.

  “You better watch yourself. Your mother wants you to be in the habit of moving like a human.”

  “What’s the point of this place if we can’t be ourselves?” Rolling my eyes, I ran to the bed, jumped over it, and grabbed my phone from the table. Back at my closet, I checked for a message from Kaylie. My best friend had come up from San Ramon the previous weekend, and we’d bought matching outfits. We planned to text each other a selfie when we got dressed for school.

  “Do you have your clothes picked out?” Elizabeth called from the door.

  “Yes.” I lifted black pants and a flower print silk top off the bar.

  “Your mother approved it?”

  I popped my head out of the dressing room. “Last night.”

  “I’ll make your breakfast. Orm will have the car ready to leave in”—Elizabeth lifted her wrist—“forty-five minutes.”

  My hand went to my hip. “The car? I thought I could ride the bus.”

  “Mother’s orders. LA is not like San Ramon.”

  “LA is not like San Ramon,” I mouthed as I retreated to my bathroom.

  “I can hear that, you know.” Elizabeth’s voice trailed behind her from the hall.

  Tugging my hair back tight and securing it with an elastic band, I started the water and washed my face. Switching schools senior year felt like torture. I thought Mother would’ve learned from the debacle of my eighth grade year, but I hadn’t been so lucky. Patting my face dry, I applied makeup, making sure to swipe my eyelids with the cheerleader mandatory plum shadow.

  Brushing my hair out, I parted it on the side and braided the front portion, weaving the red ribbon through the design. At least they weren’t dictating size or placement. If I had to wear a huge bow on top of my head, I would have staged a coup. Pulling on my pants and shirt, I stood in front of the mirror to check my look. Lifting my phone, I snapped an image and sent it to Kaylie. I gathered my shoes and backpack and headed to the kitchen.

  “Alena,” Mother’s singsong voice called out as I entered the room. She sat perched at the end of the marble bar like every morning, reading the New York Times and sipping coffee. “Elizabeth has quail eggs and fresh bread from the market for you.”

  “Thanks, Elizabeth.” I shot her a thumbs up and kissed Mother on the cheek as I slid into my seat. Mother looked me up and down as Elizabeth sat a plate in front of me.

  “The outfit looks nice. Why the ribbon and plum eye shadow?”

  “Mandatory cheer thing. I guess they want to show school spirit the first day. Either that or they’re marking us as a tribe right from the start.” I dipped my bread in the egg.

  “And that’s the way you’re supposed to wear it?”

  “We got to choose placement.”

  “It suits you.”

  The corners of my mouth turned up. “Thanks, Mother.” Mother was not one to hand out compliments, so when she did, I lapped them up.

  “Okay.” She slapped her hand on the counter. “Orm has his instructions for driving. I will see you at dinner.” She leaned over and pecked me on the cheek. Standing, her heels clinked across the marble floor as she walked as fast as she could in her pencil skirt and four-inch heels. “Good day, Elizabeth,” she said as she exited the room.

  “Good day, madam,” Elizabeth responded.

  My phone dinged as I tore another piece of bread from the loaf. Opening the screen, I viewed Kaylie’s message. U LOOK AWESOME. She’d attached a picture of herself in the same outfit.

  U DO 2, I texted back. SORRY ABOUT THE PANTS. BUT YOU KNOW MY MOTHER.

  R U KIDDING? IT’S ONE DAY. I’LL BE BACK IN SHORTS TOMORROW. I MISS U. HOPE U HAVE A GOOD DAY AT YOUR NEW SCHOOL.

  THANKS & MISS U 2. HOPE YOUR DAY IS GOOD 2. SAY HI TO EVERYONE FOR ME.

  “You should finish your eggs.” Elizabeth pointed at my plate. “You need to leave in five minutes.”

  As I set my phone down, Orm appeared in the doorway. “Good morning, madam.”

  I spun my head, looking in one direction and then the opposite. “I don’t see my mother?”

  “Oh, Miss Alena. You say that every morning.”

  “I know.” I winked at him. “It’s our thing.”

  “Did you have eggs?” I dipped another piece of bread in my scrambled mixture.

  “You know my tastes are a bit different.”

  Elizabeth lifted my empty plate from the table. “He had broiled lamb and gravy with the bread.”

  “Good choice. I have to brush my teeth, but I’ll be right back.”

  In my sock feet, I slid across the foyer and to my room. Hopping over my white rug, I snatch
ed my toothbrush and cleaned my teeth as fast as I could.

  Re-entering the kitchen, I slipped on my ankle boots and lifted my pack to my shoulders. “Okay, I’m ready.”

  “Have a good day.” Elizabeth squeezed my shoulders. “Dinner is at seven thirty as usual.”

  Orm and I crossed the foyer to the front doors. Waiting in the elevator lobby outside, my phone buzzed. Tapping the screen, I saw Sophie’s image, her red ribbon crisscrossed over a low braid.

  NICE! WE’RE TWINNING. I texted her a picture of my braid.

  The elevator arrived, and Orm motioned me in. The tone dinged as we passed floor after floor. “You don’t have to drive me. I can ride the bus.”

  “Your mother has given strict instructions. With the level of—”

  “Activity.” I made air quotes around the word.

  “Yes, with the level of activity in the area, I agree.”

  “Can I at least ride in the front seat?”

  “You may, madam.”

  Stepping into the garage, the cool dank air of the underground structure made me shiver.

  “Perhaps you should have worn a sweater.”

  “It’ll be warm in the sun.”

  “That is true.” Having reached the car, Orm held the door open for me, closing it once I was inside.

  “Moving sucks,” I told him as he started the engine.

  “But you always do fine and make friends. You have already. You went shopping with Sophie yesterday.”

  “She’s nice. I wish it didn’t have to be my senior year. I liked Cal High and the Bay Area.”

  “Los Angeles is the City of Angels, it will grow on you. I’m surprised you don’t feel a connection with your birthplace.” Orm drove the car out of the garage and pulled into traffic.

  “I have the memories, but not the sentiment, except for my friends.”

  “Your imaginary friends?”

  “Chase and Ivy.”

  “Named because the little boy liked to play chase and the little girl had eyes as green as, well, ivy.”

  “I don’t like to talk about Ivy.” Ivy left abruptly, and an absence, like a dark hole, lingered with her memory. We’d lived in Thousand Oaks, north of Los Angeles, until I was four. Mother accepted my imaginary friends for a year before she relocated us to Miami. My visions or hallucinations, whatever they were, disappeared with the move.

  After Miami, we’d lived in Atlanta, Baltimore, New York City, Chicago, Seattle, and most recently the East Bay of San Francisco. You’d think they were military or corporate moves. But Mother was the head of her organization and had been since I was three. They relocated for her. She transplanted us because she was looking for something. I hadn’t figured out what it was yet, but I was close.

  Her missions had something to do with me. The only time I spent time with Mother outside of five minutes at breakfast and an hour at dinner consisted of planned outings. They occurred once a month, or sometimes twice a week. She always knew her destination and required my presence. At first, I thought we were searching for my father.

  I didn’t remember him. My mother always told me he had to be separated from us for my safety. Part of me wondered if he’d abandoned us. But in the past year, I’d put together some clues that ruled him out as her target. Mother seemed most on edge as we neared a teen boy. Her eyes would cut to me as if to gauge my reaction. Like I’d sense something about the boy if he were the one. At the end of each trip, she asked if I’d felt drawn to anyone.

  “Like a magnetic pull?” I’d asked the first time.

  “Or maybe you heard someone’s thoughts.”

  “Like my imaginary friends when I was little?”

  “Perhaps.”

  But I’d never felt anything more than the normal hum of magical powers I detected in the presence of a witch. Her face fell each time I reported no special connection during our nights out. At first I thought I’d failed her, done something wrong. Each time she’d reassure me it wasn’t my fault.

  Beyond guessing the target to be male, I’d hit a dead end, my hypothesis stalled on her search for a brother, half-brother, or a being like me. My shoulders shuddered each time I entertained the idea that she wanted to find a hybrid so I could have a husband who shared my genetic make-up.

  Under the suspicion I wasn’t supposed to know anything, I played ignorant. I didn’t complain when we visited restaurants, stores, coffee shops, concerts, and sporting arenas. Time with Mother was rare, and I didn’t want to spoil it. Following Orm one day in Seattle, when Mother thought I was with a friend, I learned he helped with the quest. I saw him visit several churches, restaurants, and bookstores. That evening Mother took me to the same area and locations he’d been.

  “Miss.” Orm brought me out of my thoughts. I looked up to see the high school building outside my window.

  “Oh, thanks.”

  “I’ll pick you up right here at five. You have your private gymnastics instruction afterwards, so I’ll have a snack for you.”

  “Thanks, Orm.” I fitted my sunglasses firmly on my face and slid my backpack off the floor.

  “Have a good day, madam. And don’t—”

  “I know the drill. Don’t isolate, but don’t over share. And don’t eat or kill anyone. I got it.” I rolled my eyes, thinking Mother would prefer to have background checks on every student at the high school. I knew she already had intel on the cheer girls’ families. God, she was paranoid. I wished she’d realize I was almost an adult and could handle myself. Thinking it placed me in a good position socially, cheerleading was the one activity she allowed me to participate in, so I counted my blessings and didn’t ask for more. Humans weren’t supposed to know about vampires or witches. Those that did posed a threat. Further, because I represented a species forbidden by witch and vampire cultures alike, Mother took every precaution.

  I stepped out of the vehicle, face to the sun, taking in its warm glow. Southern California was the best place we’d ever lived, although San Ramon was a close second. Seattle had been miserable. I couldn’t believe we’d made it through two years in that cold, dark city. Every time I’d ask to move, Mother would say we could move to Portland, but it wasn’t any sunnier. We had a lot of outings when we’d lived there and traveled often to British Columbia, Vancouver, Calgary, even Alaska. Trips with Mother were the only thing I missed about the northwest.

  On the sidewalk, I weaved through scores of students, walked up the stairs and through the main entrance. Over the heads of the sea of kids, I caught sight of a red bow at the top of a ponytail that could only belong to one person—Hannah. Hannah, for lack of a better term, held queen bee status. After cheerleader tryouts, we’d been made co-captains. But Hannah didn’t know the definition of co anything.

  To be fair, cheerleading was her turf. I’d gotten captain status because of my tryout score. Their rules mandated the person with the highest marks earned the rank of captain. But no one was happy when the new girl, aka me, placed first. So, they made us co-captains. Hannah banished me to work with the other new girls while she and her flock, save Sophie, acted as if I didn’t exist for the first month of summer practice. As a senior, and veteran cheerleader, Sophie classified herself as a fringe hive member. They tolerated her, and since she befriended me, I also got reluctant acceptance.

  “Alena.” Sophie wrapped her arms around me. I arched my back, and she released me. I hated avoiding skin contact. Sophie was a hugger. But I couldn’t risk her realizing I wasn’t like other people. “Sorry. Anyway, I love your ribbon.” She held up my braid. “Look what Alena did?”

  Hannah looked down her nose. “So, you guys plan that hippy look, or did the same bad seventies fashion idea pop into your heads separately? At least you made it before the bell rang, Alena. Barely.” She rolled her eyes and held up her phone in front of her face as if to check the time.

  “Wasn’t the traffic horrible? My bus was late too.” Sophie filled in as I tried to reel in my pulse rate.

  “Yeah.” I a
greed. Mother hated loitering and didn’t like me to be more than five minutes early to school. Fortunately, Hannah and the rest of the cheer squad had turned their attention back to the football players beside them.

  Sophie linked her arm through mine. “I hate that we don’t have any classes together. You’ll meet nice people though.”

  I slinked my hand away from the embrace. “Sure.” I nodded as the bell rung, trying to psyche myself up. At least I had an out halfway through the day. Mother had been generous enough to sign the off-campus permission slip so I could grab lunch somewhere other than the cafeteria. My dietary requirements, or allergies as I called them, dictated no processed foods. The only cooked items I ate were yeast breads, rice, potatoes, and sometimes rare meats. In the past, Orm delivered my lunch, but he drew attention, something I tried to avoid.

  Mother also allowed me a free period at the end of the day. I had to be back on campus for cheer practice, but the free hour felt like winning the lottery. I should’ve given her more credit. Even though she sprung the move on me the first day of spring break, she’d made my transition as seamless as possible. Getting into the cheerleading tryouts and moving the day after school let out gave me time to acclimate. I missed my friends in San Ramon like crazy, but this move had been my smoothest yet.

  Finding my class and sliding into a seat near the door, I scanned the other students for a familiar face. Being with the cheerleading squad all summer helped with introductions. Even though Mother wouldn’t let me go to their parties, I’d met a good number of the athletes.

  “Hey, it’s Alena, right?” A face I recalled from the football team stood in front of me. “Mind of I sit here?” He motioned to the seat beside me.

  “No.” I shook my head.

  Sitting down, he leaned towards me. “So this class is supposed to be really hard. Are you good at history?”

  “Yeah, pretty good.”

  “Sweet, we can be study partners.”

  I pointed my pen at him. “Nick, right?” I asked, pretending to guess at his name.

  “That’s me.” A smile spread across his face.