Sapient Salvation 2: The Awakening (Sapient Salvation Series) Read online

  Table of Contents

  The Awakening

  Copyright

  Also by Jayne Faith

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  The Awakening

  SAPIENT SALVATION BOOK 2

  JAYNE FAITH

  Copyright

  Sapient Salvation 2: The Awakening

  Copyright © 2015 by Jayne Faith

  All rights reserved as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to a real person, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the authors.

  The awakening / a novel by Jayne Faith

  Ebook Edition ISBN: 978-0-9970260-0-9

  Edited by: Tia Silverthorne Bach of Indie Books Gone Wild

  Published in the United States of America

  Also by Jayne Faith

  The Seas of Time

  The Laws of Attraction

  Sapient Salvation Series

  Book 1: The Selection

  Book 2: The Awakening

  Book 3: The Divining

  1

  Toric

  DRESSED IN A formal Earthen silk tunic and trousers, I pulled myself up to my full height and set my jaw before nodding at the guard who stood outside the room where High Priestess Lunaria and Akantha waited.

  Purposely a bit late to our meeting, I felt a twinge of guilt over making the High Priestess wait, but I wanted to send a message to Akantha. Not that I really expected it to do much good. I was painfully aware of how much power she held in this situation.

  The guard opened the door, and Calvin and Palovich posted themselves on either side of the doorway as I went inside.

  The room was called the Lord’s Honor Chamber, and the walls were lined with portrait tiles of the past Lords of Calisto. My eyes sought and quickly found my father’s image. I briefly wondered what he would think of my reign. What he would think of the recent events—the string of victories in the war for control of Earthenfell, the arrival of the secret volume of the sacred texts, how deeply I was drawn to Maya . . .

  “My Lord.” The Priestess and Akantha stood and curtsied.

  I brusquely nodded at them as the thought of my dark angel caused my pulse to bump.

  The two women sat on a divan, and I took a nearby chair.

  “You both know why we’re here, and at this late hour, I think it best to get this discussion over with quickly so that we may all retire,” I said. “One of the Offered, Maya, was abducted and poisoned. She is extremely weak, too weak to compete in a physical challenge in the Tournament of the Offered. She needs rest. There is no medical treatment that can sufficiently speed her recovery so that she would be ready to enter the challenge, which is scheduled to begin less than twelve hours from now.”

  A small, wicked smile stretched Akantha’s lips. “Ah yes, the game of survival.”

  I gave her only the briefest flick of a glance. “Maya’s injury was not incurred during the Tournament and it gives the others an unfair advantage. Therefore the challenge should be postponed until she recovers.”

  I looked pointedly at the Priestess. She’d already told me there was nothing in the sacred texts that explicitly upheld my plea, but she would express her informal support to the extent that she could.

  “The sacred texts do not dictate a decision one way or another in this unusual circumstance, so the final decision is in the able hands of the Mistress of Tournament,” the Priestess said, turning to Akantha. “However, I encourage you to uphold the spirit of the texts concerning the Tournament. Outside interference is strictly forbidden, and this attack on an Offered treads dangerously close to exactly that. I can think of no other reason for someone to try to harm one of the Offered, except to influence the Tournament. You have the opportunity to rebalance things by postponing the next challenge as our Lord suggests.”

  I knew the Priestess was stretching a bit beyond her position by making such a firm statement, and I could only hope that her argument appeared a strong one to Akantha.

  Akantha pressed her lips together and inclined her head at the Priestess. “I appreciate your wise words, Your Holiness.” She gave me a wry look. “And your input as well, my Lord. I think I need to give this a moment of deliberation.”

  Everything inside me seemed to seize up in irritation. Akantha was showcasing her power, and clearly not giving in. I knew what she wanted—time alone with me to try to strike a bargain.

  “High Priestess Lunaria, thank you for your counsel,” I said. “You are free to go.”

  The Priestess stood and gave me a half-bow and swept from the chamber in a swirl of opalescent robes.

  As soon as the door closed, I faced Akantha with a narrow-eyed stare. “What do you want?”

  Her lids lowered, and she looked at me shrewdly. “So the little dark-haired mouse is your pet. Are you sure about that decision? She nearly passed out when she came upon an amorous couple cavorting in the ballroom the other night.” She snorted a laugh.

  I casually folded my hands in my lap, but clasped my fingers hard enough to make my knuckles crack. In any other situation I would have her reprimanded for such insolence, but I needed to play it carefully.

  “From what I saw, Jeric was quite interested in her,” I said mildly. “Do you not trust his taste?”

  Anger flashed in Akantha’s eyes, and I knew I’d truly hit a nerve when she was unable to respond for a beat or two. She looked down at her lap and brushed her hands over her dress, smoothing the creases.

  “Tell me what you want, Akantha,” I said, impatient to get it done with.

  When she finally met my gaze, she was as cool as ever. “Support my engagement to Jeric, and I will postpone the challenge for three days.”

  My lips parted in surprise, but I snapped my teeth together and quickly composed my expression. Had Jeric actually proposed? Or was this just another step in Akantha’s power play? I suddenly wondered if she held something over my brother because I doubted that he was sincerely interested in marrying her. Despite her position as Mistress of Tournament, she wasn’t of noble blood. She’d been adopted by a high-ranking military man when she was a child, the man who was now second in command to Master of War Xavier.

  “A week and a half,” I said with all the firmness I could muster. “The doctor said she must rest for at least a week, preferably two.”

  “Four days.”

  “A week.” I stared her down.

  “Five days, and you give your support. That is my final offer.”

  Even though I would have welcomed a stray bolt of lightning to strike Akantha down at that moment, I had to admire her nerve. She knew I had veto power in my brother’s selection of a wife, and there was no way I would have supported the union if Akantha had not come up with such leverage. My only consolation was that although being the wife of the Lord’s brother would i
ncrease her visibility a hundredfold by giving her an official seat with the royal family, the position would bring her little in the way of real power. Greater access and a thorn in my side, yes, but her most important job as Jeric’s wife would be to produce children and fill a seat at the royal table during official functions.

  “Fine,” I said. My face twitched as I tried to smooth what was surely a sour look of distaste. “And should I congratulate my brother, or does he not yet know that you’ve decided he will marry you?”

  Triumph sparked in her eyes. “Please do not worry yourself over such matters, my Lord,” she said, her voice a smooth purr. “Jeric is plenty willing.”

  Apprehension tightened my gut. I’d thought there was discord growing between Jeric and Akantha. Recently they’d seemed at odds with each other, but perhaps I was wrong.

  My jaw tightened as my suspicions came rushing back. If Akantha had any role in Maya’s abduction, it would give me ample reason to back out of my support for the engagement and demand more time for Maya’s recovery. The Priestess and I had five days to prove that Akantha was to blame.

  *

  I barely slept all night as worries swirled through my mind. I’d sent a messenger to inform Maya that she had five days’ reprieve, and that was part of what kept me awake, too. I wanted more than anything to visit her myself but knew how it would have looked at such a late hour of the night. The more special treatment I bestowed upon her, the more problems it would create for both of us.

  I wasn’t sure how long I could hold out. Her energy seemed to whisper to me, even through the many floors of the palace that separated us. I no longer knew if it was her actual energy I was feeling or just the strength of the memory of it. Regardless, the need to see her was an exquisite hook in my heart that tugged at me constantly.

  At the Council forum the next morning, I listened tiredly to the daily reports and signed official documents with absent-minded movements of my hand. As usual, my mother was in attendance. Since Father’s passing, she’d rarely missed one of the daily meetings, though her presence was not officially required.

  I watched her, wondering if she yet knew of Akantha’s plans to wed Jeric. My mother could not block the match as I could, but for the sake of appearances and public favor, it would be bad for Akantha if she could not procure my mother’s blessing.

  After the forum when Mother came straight to me and touched my arm, indicating she wanted me to hang back, I half-expected her to say something about Akantha and Jeric.

  Instead, her face broke into a glowing smile. “My son, we have not had a chance to discuss recent developments.”

  Knowing she meant the handful of huge victories over our enemies rather than any domestic matters, I squeezed her hand, feeling a small zip of guilt that I had not made a point of talking to her since the Master of War had given us his miraculous report.

  “I know, and I apologize. Things have been rather hectic the past few days.”

  Her face soured and she sniffed. “Ah yes, the business with the Offered girl.” She pursed her lips with undisguised aversion. “Seems unnecessary to disrupt the Tournament over a girl who will most likely perish, either in the competition or in the sacrificial flames, but who am I to make such judgments?” Her tone made it very clear that she was making such judgments.

  Mother had no love for the harem women or any of the Earthen Offered who could potentially become part of the harem. It was a still-lingering jealousy from when my father was alive.

  She pasted on a bright expression and fluttered her fingers dismissively. “No need to waste any more words over an Offered girl. I would like to speak to you privately. Not now, of course. I know you’re terribly busy. But soon?”

  I gave her a tight smile, all I could manage after her flippant comment about Maya’s abduction and the possibility of her death. “I will have my administrator make time later this afternoon.”

  I kissed her cheek and left, trying not to pay too much heed to the relief I felt at making my escape. Though my mother could be charming and even kind at times, I’d learned at a young age that her affections and concern when it came to her children were inconsistent at best. When Cassi, Jeric, and I were young, my mother had been too preoccupied with trying to hold my father’s attention to devote much energy to bonding with us. For a brief time after I returned home from my imprisonment and torture, she’d spent long hours fretting over me, but I’d always had the distinct sense that she wasn’t doing it purely out of motherly concern for my well-being.

  I went to my chambers to change into more casual clothes and then received my administrator. Camira was a handsome young Calistan noblewoman, and she’d come to review my afternoon schedule with me. She was an efficient and exacting administrator with Council aspirations, and I had no doubt that one day she would achieve her career goals.

  When I asked her to make time for Mother, Camira looked down at her tablet. “Actually, my Lord, time just opened up. Your lunch appointment rescheduled for next week. Would you like to meet with Queen Stella now?”

  My heart lifted at the thought of a bit of open time. “No, keep lunchtime free and schedule my mother for later.”

  It seemed the stars had bestowed a small gift of two free hours. I could barely keep the corners of my lips from tilting up into a small smile. I knew exactly who I wanted to spend my free time with.

  2

  Maya

  MY RELIEF WHEN I got the news of the challenge’s postponement was so deep I wept for a few minutes alone in my room after my guard closed the door. After I heard him lock it from the outside, I slid the bolt on the inside and then collapsed on my bed and let my tears fall freely. I pushed aside the thought that five days might not be enough for me to make a full recovery, deciding I needed to be grateful that I had any reprieve, even a small one.

  Just before I fell into an exhausted sleep, an uneasy twinge stirred around my heart as I wondered how Lord Toric had managed to persuade the Mistress of Tournament to make such a decision on my behalf. Surely she’d demanded a steep price.

  I slept most of the next day, too, occasionally rising to eat a bit of food.

  I awoke to a knock on my door, and when I checked the peephole, I saw the doctor who’d treated me in Lord Toric’s bedchamber right after my abduction. He was standing alongside one of the three guards who’d been in the post rotation outside my room.

  “The doctor is here for your treatment,” the guard—Tullock, if I remembered—called out in his deep voice.

  The messenger who’d come from Lord Toric earlier had also forewarned me of the doctor’s visit. Still, I couldn’t help a spike of nervousness as I unbolted the lock. After I’d been knocked out, drugged, and left unconscious in the basement of the palace, I was suspicious of nearly everyone.

  I took a deep breath, grasped the door handle, and pulled the door open. I’d liked the doctor when he’d treated me before, and Lord Toric obviously trusted him.

  “Good day,” Dr. Liev said, nodding at me with a faint, kind crinkle of his eyes. “It’s good to see you up and steady on your feet but back to bed with you.” He shooed at me with the back of one hand. “You still need rest.”

  I obeyed, settling back under the covers.

  He wrapped a diagnostic cuff around my arm, asked several questions about my symptoms, and then gave me a transdermal mist injection. Concentrated nutrients to help my recovery, he explained.

  As he packed up his bag, there was another knock at the door. I rose, but the doctor was closer. He looked through the peephole and then opened it, revealing Tullock.

  “A message for Maya,” Tullock said. He handed a palm-sized tablet to Dr. Liev, who passed it to me.

  “Must be something confidential,” the doctor said with a curious glance before he departed.

  I slid the lock into place and then looked down at the small tablet, not quite sure what to do with it. Remembering the tablet that the fruit collection man on Earthenfell used, I tapped it with my forefi
nger. It lit up with a red oval in the middle of the screen. I’d seen something like that before. I held my thumb on the oval until it flashed green, and then a message appeared.

  If you are feeling strong enough, I would enjoy your company in my private garden. I will send transport and additional guards for you in an hour.

  Lord Toric

  Again, I felt a stir of apprehension. Could this be a trick? But the thought of visiting the gardens, of seeing Lord Toric, dissolved my caution. I recognized several of Lord Toric’s guards, I reasoned. If I didn’t see familiar faces when I looked through the peephole in an hour, I wouldn’t open the door.

  I filled the tub and luxuriated in the steaming water for several minutes, resting and floating. Then, lacking the energy to make any elaborate preparations, I pulled my hair back in a simple knot at the nape of my neck and put on clean underclothes and one of the three dresses that hung in the small wardrobe. The dress I chose was the pale, fresh green of tender new blades of grass, accented with blue-violet stitching around the neckline. The fabric looked like a silk blend, but the stiffness of it indicated it was more likely synthetic.

  With several minutes still before I would have to leave, I wrapped my bed blanket around my shoulders and sat on the wingback chair in the corner. I tried to relax and focus on gathering my strength, but my stomach fluttered in anticipation of seeing Lord Toric.

  When two sharp knocks sounded at the door, I jumped, my throat going dry. I left the blanket on the bed and smoothed the front of my dress. Checking through the peephole, I saw three guards—one of them was Calvin, who frequently accompanied Lord Toric.

  “Your transport is here,” Calvin called.

  I unlocked the door and opened it to find the three men surrounding a strange chair made of smooth white molded plastic or ceramic. A gray shawl was draped over the chair’s back and a fluffy white blanket lay folded on the seat.