Arcane Enchantment (Unbreakable Force Book 2) (10 page)

Sneak Peek of Book 3 in the Unbreakable Force series by Kara Jaynes

“
A
protest?” Aaric suggested. “Outside the castle, perhaps?”

Bran, Aaric, and I were seated around a small table in my room at the Scholar’s Guild, trying to come up with a way to dethrone Matias. He was the scoundrel behind all the brigand attacks on the travelers, merchants, and commoners, as well as the holder of a sky jewel, which we needed to take in order for Aaric to be accepted into our clan.

I shook my head in response to his suggestion. “Too peaceful. Matias won’t care.”

“The people do need to know what he’s been up to,” Bran said. “I suggest we start with telling them what’s been going on. He’ll have a hard time forcing a tax when they realize he’s cheating them out of their money.”

I nodded. It would be a good start. No one liked increased taxes, especially when the money was being used to support brigands hired by the king to steal from everyone.

Aaric rubbed his chin, thinking. “I suppose if you make the commoners angry enough, we won’t need to come up with a strategy to bring him down. They’ll do it for us.”

“But then we risk losing the sky jewel,” I pointed out.

“True that.” Aaric slumped in his seat. We had been going over ideas for well over an hour and had gotten nowhere.

A soft knock sounded on the door. Standing, I walked over and opened it. Grace stood in the doorway, holding a large tray with a pitcher and glasses. “Aunt Luna said you might like a drink.” She smiled at Aaric and Bran. Pushing past me, she glided over to the table, setting the tray down.

“If I had known it was you,” I said sourly, “I wouldn’t have let you in.”

“Stop being so dramatic.” The woman sniffed dismissively. “Here, come have some lemonade. It’s very refreshing.”

I eyed the drink warily. Bran and Aaric didn’t seem to distrust her, tipping their heads back and glugging their drinks, so I took a small sip. Cool and tart, with ice. I wanted to ask her where she got ice in the middle of summer, but she didn’t give me a chance to speak.

“What’s your plan?” Grace asked, settling herself in my chair. I glared at her but she paid me no mind, tossing her blonde curls over her shoulders and batting her lashes—fake, I was sure—at the two men.

“Plan?” Aaric repeated blankly.

“The plan to overthrow the king, of course.”

We all stared at her and she shifted uncomfortably. “What?” she asked. “Is my hat out of place?” She readjusted her small hat, feathers sticking out of it jauntily.

“Who told you about Matias?” I demanded.

“I hear things.” She gave a secretive smile.

“You tell us right now, or get out!” I spat, pointing to the door.

She rolled her eyes. “Calm down, girl. My aunt told me about it. This may surprise you, but I’m a member of the Scholar’s Guild too.”

I held back a sigh. Trust Grace to get mixed up in our business.

“Well if you three haven’t come up with a plan,” she said excitedly, “I have. First, I’ll dress up and have Aaric present me as a gift to the king. The king will accept, of course, since I’m so beautiful, and put me in his harem. Once he—”

“His harem?” I choked on my lemonade. “He doesn’t have a harem!”

Grace sneered. “You spent all that time with him and you never knew? It’s common knowledge, Adaryn.” She eyed me, a smug smile on her lips.

Well. I’d be sure to question Matias about it the next time we met. Did he invite me over to learn magic when what he really wanted was to add me to his collection? The very idea made my blood boil.

Grace continued. “Anyway, as I was saying—”

Aaric spoke up, interrupting her. “No harems, Miss Grace.” He stood, guiding her to the door. “I won’t place you or any other woman in that kind of situation. Now, if you’ll excuse us.” Shutting the door in the face of an indignant Grace, he looked back at Bran and I. “We need to come up with a real plan.”

Bran grinned. “Well, at least we know Grace has a backup in the event ours doesn’t work.”

Aaric grinned back at him. Warmth fluttered through me, seeing that smile.

A thought came to me. “What about your fire device?” I asked.

The smile fell from his face as he shook his head. “My explosive invention is not a weapon. I created it strictly to assist with useful matters, such as mining and to demolish old buildings.” Pausing, his expression brightened and excitement lit his voice. “Perhaps it could be used to excavate the Tyrko Ruins! The history we would find there would be absolutely fascinating.” His brow creased in thought. “Though I suppose that has the potential to destroy priceless historical arti—”

“Aaric,” I said, gently bringing him back to the original discussion. “We’re trying to find a way to overthrow Matias and get the sky jewel.”

Another knock at the door sounded. I whirled to face it. “Go away, Grace!” I yelled.

The door opened slightly, and a freckle-faced boy stuck his head through. “Uh, Aaric, sir? Mr. Archer asks that you join him in his meeting with some of the other Guild members. If you’ll come with me?”

Aaric looked at Bran and I, mirroring the confusion in our faces. He pushed back his chair and stood. “Very well. Lead the way, Thomas.”

After Aaric left, Bran and I sat in silence for several minutes, lost in our private thoughts. My mind recalled everything Aaric and I had been through. We’d met when he’d captured and enslaved me, ripping me from my forest home. He’d freed me, after realizing that what he’d did was wrong, and we had traveled to Sen Altare, hoping to find a sky jewel that Aaric could give to the clan leader, proving that he was no longer a Oppressor. He’d be adopted into the clan and we would marry. We’d found the sky jewel, but retrieving it would be difficult.

Bran broke the stillness. “What I don’t understand is how Fyrsil the brigand became Matias the king.”

I hadn’t given it any thought, but now that Bran mentioned it, I wondered. It didn’t really add up. “Me neither.” Fyrsil was a brigand leader from several years ago, leading raids against the people of Sen Altare. No one had put the two of them together, and it’d been lucky chance that I’d eavesdropped on a discussion Matias had with one of his men, and learned that Fyrsil and Matias were one and the same.

Bran snorted. “Grace really wouldn’t be out of place in a king’s harem, you know. Maybe if we don’t come up with an idea that works we can give hers a try.”

I rolled my eyes. “I can’t imagine Matias has a harem. He never mentioned it to me.”

“Maybe he thought you were ugly.” Bran grinned and dodged when I tried to swat him. “He probably just didn’t want to scare you off. And Grace is right that he has one. The topic was brought up a couple of times when I was at the taverns.”

I glared at the tabletop. That was a custom I had never heard of outside of stories. There were Oppressors in Ruis who would take slaves and use them for their own perverted needs, but nothing like a harem. I briefly thought of Kingsley and shuddered.

“Well, daylight’s burning.” Bran stood up. “Time for me to start throwing dirt on King Fyrsil’s name.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” I asked. I hadn’t spent nearly as much time running around Sen Altare as Bran had. It might be fun.

“No,” he replied. “It’d be best if you stayed here. Once the rumors start spreading, Sen Altare will be anything but safe.”

I sighed, sitting back in my seat. He was right. Idly wondering what sort of meeting Aaric was invited to, I glanced around the room. It was a good deal larger than the room at the inn we’d stayed in, but it was still confining. I would be much happier once we were on the road again.

Continue reading Adaryn and Aaric’s story in

Broken Enchantment

by Kara Jaynes

In Sen Altare, Aaric and Adaryn have discovered the whereabouts of the sky jewel, but claiming it will be much more difficult than they’d anticipated, with traitors and brigands on every side. Aaric and Adaryn’s courage, strength, and love will be pushed to the edge of their endurance. 

About the Author

Kara Jaynes is a fantasy and children's book author. She lives in Colorado and loves taekwondo, long walks, and fairy tales. She's been writing since she was very young and has more stories in her head than she could possibly write.

Please visit the author's website for more information on upcoming books and news
at
www.karajaynes.com
.

Adaryn's adventure continues in book 3: Broken Enchantment

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Arcane Enchantment

Kara Jaynes

Arcane Enchantment by Kara Jaynes

Copyright Kara Jaynes 2014.

All Rights Reserved.

Cover Designer: Aeternum Designs

The stories, characters, and incidents mentioned or depicted in this publication are entirely fictional.

No portion of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the copyright holder.