Excerpt:
Splat.
Avikar, startled from his musing,
looked down and saw a tart sliding down the front of his jacket leaving a trail
of whipped cream as it fell to the floor. “What the…?”
Laughter erupted behind him.
Whirling around, he saw Darius
Telkur standing behind him, smirking.
Beside him was his twin sister, Dyla, a striking raven-haired beauty
with blue-violet eyes. She was
trying hard to suppress her own smile.
Pulling the handkerchief from his
pocket, Avikar wiped the remnants of the whipped cream off his jacket. “How
dare you?”
Darius stood with his hands on his
hips and stared defiantly at Avikar. Tall, broad-shouldered, and handsome with
a finely chiseled jaw, he looked every inch a royal. He didn’t need to use his telepathic ability to see that
Avikar was fuming. “How dare I what?
I didn’t do anything. I
walked in, saw the pastry flying through the air, and then smack, it hit you.”
Avikar looked back and forth
between the twins. He hated both of them, for their stunning good looks, for
their PSI abilities, and for the success they’d already achieved in their young
lives. He didn’t notice Dyla glance to her left at Eclasius Jortac, who was
standing near the pastry table.
Nor did he catch the gleam in the young man’s eye. If he had, he would
have known immediately where the pastry had come from.
“Avikar, my brother and I were in
the courtyard greeting guests and only now came into the hall. We had nothing to do with that tart
hitting you,” Dyla explained.
Avikar stuffed the handkerchief
into his pocket and glared at the twins. “Forgive me if I don’t believe that,
Lady Dyla.”
Darius took a step towards the
little man. He didn’t take it
lightly when anyone challenged his sister. “Are you calling my sister a liar?”
“Did I say she was a liar?” Avikar
replied, his voice rising with each exchange.
A few paces away, Duke Levon looked
over his shoulder when he heard the loud voices. He excused himself from his guests, and hurried toward the
threesome. “What’s happening here?” he asked.
“Nothing at all, Father,” Dyla
replied innocently. “Darius and I
were on our way to find Ty.” Dyla pulled on Darius’ sleeve steering him away
from their father.
Duke Levon, a well-built man of
medium height with graying brown hair and a neatly trimmed mustache, watched
his children depart, not exactly sure what had transpired between them and
Avikar. With two sixteen-year-olds
full of spirit and intricately bonded to each other, there was never a dull
moment around the mansion.
“Avikar, a word please.” Levon said. He motioned Avikar to the
side of the room for a private conversation.
Avikar didn’t wait for Levon to
begin. He rushed headlong into his deception. “Sire, I’ve been waiting to talk
to you. It’s a matter of great
urgency.”
“Fine, I will listen, but first I
want to clear up some disturbing news I heard.”
Avikar wrung his hands, afraid
that Levon had found out about his plan with the Red Alliance. “What news, my
lord?”
“Did you order a thief to be dosed with feverwort?”
Avikar shifted his weight from one
foot to the other, relieved by the topic of conversation, but still
apprehensive that the duke had found out about his secret plan.
“You know full well that I frown
upon that practice,” Levon continued.
“Too much of that drug can permanently extinguish a person’s PSI powers.”
“My lord, are you questioning my
authority over the waterfront district?”
“Not your authority, Avikar, only
your zealous nature in governing it.”
“I did order the punishment, but
it was necessary. It was the
second time that thief had been caught stealing by using his telekinetic
abilities. He needed to be stopped
and a clear message sent to those that abuse their powers in such a way.”
“Messages can be delivered in
other ways, Avikar. Don’t do it
again. It’s not the way we handle
things in this duchy. I hope I’m
making myself clear.”
Avikar nodded. “Of course, my lord, it won’t happen
again.”
“Thank you, Avikar. Now, what did you want to talk to me
about?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Blurb:
The parents of royal Otharian twins Darius and Dyla have
been murdered; their cousin is stealing their throne, and they are falsely
accused of murder. Their only choice is to flee to the forbidden and
quarantined planet Earth, but it could turn out to be a one-way trip.
To return home, they must find an ancient crystal, that once belonged to Merlin, to power the return portal. When the twins stumble upon the location of the crystal, the local crime boss sends out his assassin to retrieve it. Can Darius and Dyla use their PSI powers to open the portal home and reclaim their throne before the assassin catches up to them?
To return home, they must find an ancient crystal, that once belonged to Merlin, to power the return portal. When the twins stumble upon the location of the crystal, the local crime boss sends out his assassin to retrieve it. Can Darius and Dyla use their PSI powers to open the portal home and reclaim their throne before the assassin catches up to them?
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