All the King's Men: The Beginning Read online

  All the King's Men

  Book 6

  All the King's Men - The Beginning

  Published by Phoenix Press

  Copyright 2014 by Donya Lynne

  For sales information please contact Donya Lynne

  on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AuthorDonyaLynne,

  or at [email protected]

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher or author. Requests for permission to copy part of this work for use in an educational environment may be directed to the author.

  This book is a work of fiction. References to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or persons or locales, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Art: Reese Dante www.reesedante.com

  Contents

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Preface

  The War

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  About the Author

  Books by Donya Lynne

  Connect with Donya Lynne Online

  Dedication

  To you, because I love your story and it deserves to be told in its entirety.

  Acknowledgements

  The more I work with my team of beta readers, the more I realize how incredibly special they are to me and my stories. Without them, the world of AKM would not be what it is today, and it would not be branching into so many wonderful directions. I opened an honest line of communication with them, and every time I send them a draft to critique, I tell them to, "Destroy it, pick it apart." And they do, for which I am eternally grateful, because it allows me to find the magic inside the words I've written, pull it out, and glorify it. So, thank you Elizabeth, Leann, Elvina, Alana, Debra, Kathy, Amanda, Brandy, Gianna, Martha, Ashley, Toni, Sandy, Adriana, Tami, Dawn, and Samantha. You all rock!

  Preface

  On March 23, 2012, I published Rise of the Fallen, book one of the All the King's Men Series. At the time, I was a "newbie." I had recently left the realm of online role playing, where my character, Micah, had built up a dedicated following, and wanted to focus my creative energy on turning Micah's online antics and story into a published book. Rise of the Fallen was that story, transcended from the role play medium into published fiction, and it turned out better than I thought it would.

  As I made the transition from role play to fiction and dove deeper into Micah's world, an interesting thing occurred. A host of other characters suddenly appeared, all with a story to tell. Those early days of writing Rise came with a slew of split personalities living inside my brain, and some days I couldn't keep up with all of them. Tristan, Arion, Io, Severin, Trace, and Malek were born. Many more have joined the cast since, and still more knock on the door requesting to join on a regular basis, but those were my originals.

  After Rise came out and met with overall enthusiastic critical acclaim, I noticed one bit of criticism that came up from time to time in reviews and reader feedback. It seemed that some readers felt they had "missed something." Some even searched book sites to ensure they hadn't missed a book that came out before Rise.

  I will admit that, at the time, I still had a lot to learn about writing and story craft. I still do, but now, if I could go back and get a do-over, I would do a better job filling in the gaps of what came before the beginning of Rise of the Fallen. Then again, I take my cues from my characters, and, at the time, they weren't giving me much about what did happen before. For example, Tristan and Josie rarely spoke to me at all about their past, so I had little to say about them. It wasn't until recently (and here it is two years later) that Tristan and Josie finally began talking to me in earnest. And, at the time I wrote Rise, King Bain had not shown himself to me, so I couldn't write about him, either. So, perhaps the series was supposed to unfold this way, as ramshackle as that may seem.

  Which brings us to the prequel. As I began work on Bound Guardian Angel, which is Trace's story, an explosion of new information about the past engulfed me. I can remember the moment it happened. I felt like a computer downloading an entire databank of material, and when the bulk of it had infiltrated my brain, I actually rocked back in my chair as if I had been shoved and said, "Oh my God! Wow! So, that's what happened!" Questions that had sat unanswered in my mind since Rise was published suddenly had answers. And then my friend Jowanna suggested that I write a prequel, and her idea fused with all my new data, and I knew I had to write All the King's Men - The Beginning.

  The prequel comes at a perfect time, because the world of AKM is about to shoot in different directions with two sister series in development, as well as a future series called Progeny. Long-held secrets will come to light and we'll see shifting alliances, as well as the emergence of two new paranormal landscapes. But it all begins with the prequel. What you learn here is key to understanding what is yet to come. I hope you enjoy the book.

  Thank you,

  Donya

  The War

  2647 BC

  Rysk launched himself against the bolted door of his shadow-darkened chamber. The only light came from a single brazier in the far corner. Rysk ached. He ached so deeply…like a sickened human struck by fever and chills, only worse. Much worse. With bruised fists, Rysk beat against the solid wood of the door holding him prisoner. His skin split, but the door held strong, and he shrieked for his mate.

  "ABRIAL!" The muscles and tendons in his neck corded as he threw back his head and roared her name.

  He had to find a way to escape. To get to her. His calling was shredding his sanity, decimating his body, sending him into painful spasms. How could Father lock him away like this, when he knew Rysk's calling rent him from the inside out? When the only thing that mattered for him was to return to his mate and sow his seed within her womb. How could his father isolate him and prevent him from being with his beloved Abrial? Where was she now? Was she suffering as much as he was?

  "Release me!" Rysk pounded his bloody fists against the thick, oak door, which was bolted from the outside. His throat was raw from shouting, from screeching Abrial's name, and from crying out as pain sliced down his spine and through his limbs. As before, no one answered his cries for help. No one came to free him. The door remained locked.

  The room held no windows, as was customary for the daytime chambers of the royal palace. Sunlight was to be avoided at all costs for those like Rysk and his family. Humans had a name for them. Upir. Those who avoided the sun, drank blood, and moved like wind.

  The upir appeared human but weren't. With greater strength and the ability to manipulate human minds, the upir were almost godlike to their human counterparts, a race sent to Earth from the stars, to explore and inhabit, according to the ancients who guarded the scrolls in the mountains of faraway lands.

  Sunlight scorched upir skin. Even the barest exposure caused extreme pain and blistering…even death. Most upir were so fearful of the sun that they lived in underground caverns or carved-out caves, but as the son of the race's most affluent family, descended from the first who arrived here long ago, Rysk lived above ground with his parents, older brother, and younger sister.

  In his tormented state, Rysk would brave even the sun'
s light to escape and be with his beloved. He wouldn't get far, but death would be worth the risk if it meant an end to the agony he experienced by being sequestered away from Abrial's touch.

  Even now, the brutal, violent spasms were beginning again. Rysk fell to his knees, his body hard, his male flesh throbbing for release within the depths of Abrial's supple warmth, as was his mated right. Why was he being withheld from her? What evil worked against him to keep him from claiming Abrial as his? And she was his. She belonged to him. A mated upir's rights on such matters were strictly enforced. Then again, no upir had ever mated a dreck before. Was that the problem? Was that why he wasn't allowed to see her? Surely, even the drecks—the upir's allies, their friends, the ones who helped the upir defeat the cruel Dacians—would acknowledge Rysk's right to claim Abrial. They wouldn't deny him, would they? Despite the interracial bond, Premier Argon must have acknowledged the importance of not interfering with his mated rights.

  Grimacing through the wracking pain, Rysk's breath came in bursts as every muscle drew tight, pulled taut as if an outside force wished to torture him. His calling beseeched him to answer yet again. He looked down at his tunic, which jutted out where his male flesh lifted the fabric away from his body. Just the simple brush of material was enough to bring tears to his eyes as he lifted his tunic away. His member was fully engorged, so red it was almost purple. He knew what he needed to sate this demon, but Abrial wasn't there.

  Cringing, he panted as sweat trickled down his face and neck, and he slowly lifted his hand. He ached, but it was such a pleasurable ache. Both arousing and painful.

  As soon as his fingers curled around his shaft, both the pleasure and pain ignited, just as he knew it would. His calling had already forced itself upon him repeatedly. These episodes had gone on for half a day, and his intermittent deposits dotted the stone floor in dried, clear patches around the room. He hissed, threw his head back, and cried out as yet another powerful release shot out like a mixture of fire and ice to splatter the floor in front of him. He burned for his mate. He needed his Abrial. Now. Before the agony killed him.

  * * *

  King Cato's gaze darted to the arched doorway of the Great Hall as another cry came from his son's solar chamber. Cato was running out of time. If he couldn't convince Premier Argon—his dreck equivalent and Abrial's father—that Rysk must be allowed to mate Abrial, he would lose Rysk to mated suffering, an insanity that would eventually kill Rysk.

  Braziers lit throughout the room cast the only light.

  "I'm sorry, old friend," Argon said. "But upir laws don't apply to us, and Abrial has already been promised to Teo." He held his hands out, palms up, as if there was nothing else he could do.

  Cato had to try. Had to continue trying. For the sake of his son, he couldn't give up. "Argon, please. My son is dying. If he is not allowed to mate Abrial, I will lose him. Talk to Teo again. I beg you."

  A pained, conflicted expression fell over Argon's face as he slumped in the chair across from Cato. "My friend, I've tried. I have spoken to Teo. Several times in fact. He is adamant. His heart is set on having my daughter against any protest or assertion I make." Argon sighed heavily. "This is our law, Cato. I promised her to him. I stood before his family and mine, in front of our council, and I vowed Abrial's hand to his. If I could undo that, I would, but the vow cannot be undone. Once made, the only one who can break it is Teo, and he refuses to do so. My hands are tied." The last Argon spoke slowly, drawing out each word on a wave of sorrow and apology.

  "Please…" Cato bowed his head. "I'm begging. For the sake of my son, I'm begging you to help me, Argon."

  "I can't." Argon shook his head. The evidence of his inner torment spilled from the depths of his bright blue eyes. What was happening to Rysk obviously upset Argon as much as it did Cato. "I would if I could, Cato. It pains me to see you and your family suffering like this, but—"

  "But Rysk has mated Abrial." King Cato got up and paced behind his ornate chair, frustrated. "He must be allowed to be with her."

  These negotiations weren't going well. Little by little, he could feel his son slipping way. He was losing, but he refused to let that happen. He didn't want to nullify the alliance between his family and Argon's, and thus end the existence of peace between the upir and the drecks, but Cato couldn't let his son die without a fight.

  Was he really considering turning against his oldest and best friend? Argon had rallied the drecks to the upir's uprising against the Dacians long ago, and a long-standing camaraderie had existed ever since. Without the drecks' help, the upir might still be under Dacian rule, held down by Dacian oppression and cruelty.

  But the upir were still stronger than the drecks. Upir blood and upir venom were both hardier and more powerful than that of the drecks, which meant the upir themselves were superior in all respects. If Cato pushed the issue, there would be no contest in taking Abrial away from Teo by force.

  This was a decision Cato didn't want to make. Argon was his friend. The drecks were upir allies. They had stood side by side in battle. They had shared blood and death. All to remove the Dacians from power and institute a new regime, one that was more benevolent and compassionate. And now Cato was contemplating an end to that benevolence. Shame on him. He couldn't do that. Not against his friend.

  Argon stood and joined Cato by the shuttered window. He settled his hand on Cato's shoulder. "Teo refuses to budge, Cato. I'm sorry. I will try again, but I fear the cause is lost."

  Teo. A dreck. The highbred son of one of Argon's upper circle. How had Teo earned the right to take what belonged to Rysk?

  "Argon, you are one of my oldest friends," Cato said, lifting his head, beseeching him. "I know what I'm asking is unorthodox, but my son is in his calling. If he is denied, he will die. Please…you must help me. Surely, there is something that can be done."

  The male upir's call to mate was the most powerful phenomenon within their race, and it was both valued and protected by Cato's royal council. Shortly after a male took a mate—it could be hours, days, or even weeks—he entered a phase known as the calling. A male's calling drove him into a relentless frenzy to sow his fertile seeds frequently inside his mate. It was not uncommon for a male in his calling to make dozens of deposits in one day, especially early on. As the days passed, the frequency to mate waned until it came to an end seven to fourteen days later. The calling was both bliss and agony on a male's body, and every male both dreaded and lived for it, knowing that even though he would endure extreme sexual response bordering on torture that it meant he was with his true mate and ready to create life with her. However, there was a dark side of the calling. If it was denied, and the male was not allowed to expend himself in his mate, mania and physical deterioration known as the suffering ensued.

  More often than not, a male did not survive the suffering.

  Argon squeezed Cato's shoulder, eyes compassionate. "I'm sorry, Cato. Unless Teo agrees to relinquish Abrial, I cannot interfere. Dreck laws are different from yours. I can't force upir law on my people or I will risk condemnation and possible forced abdication. I wish I could do more."

  Cato frowned, out of options. He looked away and closed his eyes. He hated where this thoughts were taking him, but even if he didn't intend to see it through, he had to try. Perhaps just the threat would be enough to persuade Argon to make an exception and find a way to interfere with his daughter's mating to Teo.

  "Even if it means war?" Cato refused to meet Argon's eyes at first, ashamed now that the words were out, exposed and hanging between them. He hated suggesting he would go to war to give Rysk Argon's daughter, but it was all he had left to bargain with. Finally, he turned and met Argon's gaze.

  Argon's brow crinkled, and his face grew stern. "Certainly, you wouldn't take our two races to war over this and jeopardize our long friendship."

  Cato sighed and turned away, embarrassed and defeated. "No." Quiet chagrin weighed heavily in his voice. "I wouldn't. I'm sorry for my hasty words. I'm simply…de
sperate."

  Argon stepped toward Cato again, his robes swishing against the stone floor as he shifted from his human form into the blue-toned being he was in his natural state. He only showed himself in his blue-skinned, blue-eyed, black-haired persona to those he trusted most, and Cato knew it. "I know, my friend. This is hard on us both. I hate seeing you like this, and I think of Rysk as my own. I will talk to Teo again and do what I can, but I fear my attempt to convince him of giving up Abrial will be in vain. He is most ardent in his desire to keep my daughter."

  Cato nodded. "I know, Argon, and I appreciate your kind words. I will convey your sympathies to Rysk and Jonet."

  Jonet was Cato's queen, and even now, he could feel her anguish as she paced in the hall outside Rysk's chambers.

  He and Argon embraced, and then Argon solemnly left the Great Room to return to his own palace. Once alone, Cato hurried out to check on his son. As he approached Rysk's quarters, a cry of agony ripped the air, and as he rounded the corner, Jonet turned to catch his eye. Her face was soaked with tears, and her hands worried in front of her. Her fingers twisted and clenched around each other. When she saw him, she stopped and silently implored him for good news, but the look on his face must have told her the situation was grim.

  "No? Did Argon not agree?" she said, beside herself with agitation as she wiped tears from her cheeks.

  He shook his head. "Our laws are not their laws. I can't force him to take Abrial away from Teo. And Teo refuses to cooperate."

  Jonet broke down in violent sobs. "But…our son…"

  As another agonized cry rent the air from Rysk's chamber, Cato wrapped his arms around his queen and closed his eyes. It looked as though they would lose their son. Unless Argon could work a miracle, it was only a matter of time until Rysk slipped away on a distressful sea of misery.