Obscure, Mosaic Chronicles Book Seven Read online

  Table of Contents

  Obscure

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  About the Author

  Obscure

  Mosaic Chronicles Book Seven

  Andrea Pearson

  Copyright © Andrea Pearson 2016

  Series by Andrea Pearson:

  Kilenya

  Kilenya Romances

  Kilenya Adventures

  Mosaic Chronicles

  Ranch City Academy

  License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction, and the views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author. Likewise, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are represented fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Dedication

  To Kat Meller

  You’ve been with me from the beginning! What a ride this has been. :-)

  Thank you for your friendship, support, and loyalty.

  And to Keith Phelps

  Reader, friend, and ARCAST member extraordinaire.

  I love your excitement and enthusiasm!

  Chapter One

  Nicole looked at Jacob, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. She couldn’t believe what she was about to do. “Are you sure it’s not going to hurt? Because that sounds horrible.”

  She and Jacob were standing in her apartment while Lizzie, Nicole’s best friend, watched from the couch. Jacob was about to take Nicole back to the past to visit a powerful magician. In order to do so, though, he had to magically heat up the skin of her hand, which he now held.

  He shook his head. “No—I learned a long time ago how to do it without causing pain to other people. But I still feel bad for the people I used as guinea pigs.”

  Nicole cringed. “I don’t know how you did it. That would have been awful.”

  He shrugged. “We didn’t have a choice. It was either that or see everyone we loved die.”

  “The ultimate ultimatum,” Lizzie said.

  Nicole took a deep breath. “Okay, I think I’m ready.”

  “It’ll go fast. You’ll barely notice the warmth.”

  She nodded, not wanting to interrupt her concentration. Now would not be a good time to panic—especially with them traveling back several hundred years.

  “Here we go,” he said.

  There was a brief pause, then her hand heated by a few degrees. He was right. Nicole barely noticed it before their modern surroundings were replaced by tall trees with graceful and elegant houses built right into them. The word “Gratitude” was etched into a sign with an arrow pointing at the tree city. Makalos—human-like creatures that came to her chest and glowed blue—streamed in and out.

  Nicole struggled to notice anything more than that. She breathed deeply, trying to control the nervousness she felt about meeting a Makalo who was more powerful than anyone she’d ever met, and who somehow held a key to a very important part of her newly discovered identity.

  “I’ll lead you to Onyev’s place, but it’s very important that he doesn’t see me himself, since to him, we haven’t met yet.” Jacob glanced at her. “It should be a few years before I come to visit, but I wanted to make sure we had a good buffer. No sense confusing him, which would lead to him confusing me if he said anything about this visit, because the past version of me wouldn’t have known that the future version of me had already visited.” He took a breath and laughed. “Okay, yeah. I’m confusing myself.”

  Nicole chuckled, then she and Jacob started walking toward the city. She noticed that the Makalos wore brightly colored robes with patterns and designs on them that led the eye toward their left arms and hands. She remembered that Makalos used the left ring finger to control their powers.

  The Makalos looked at her and Jacob with interest. A few smiled and nodded. She returned the smiles as she followed Jacob into the city, forcing herself to relax and enjoy her surroundings.

  The city was beautiful. A canopy of vivid leaves showered multiple colors down on the small buildings. The sun gleamed through those leaves, giving the city a warm and pleasant feeling. The scent of old wood tickled Nicole’s nose.

  The tall buildings were amazing. They’d been constructed of stone and elaborate wood, and were adorned with either gold or silver vine-like trimming. Stairs circled around the outsides of the tree trunks, leading to more buildings above. The dwellings and massive trees were almost completely integrated with each other.

  Jacob led Nicole down a bricked street that wound between trunks and through a market area. They followed it until they reached a large house that circled upward around an equally large tree.

  A few Makalos were coming and going from the house, and the guards stationed near the wood-and-gold doors didn’t seem to mind. Nicole wondered why they were guarding it in the first place.

  “I’ll wait here for you,” Jacob whispered. “Go up the stairs until you reach a garden area.” He tilted his head. “Actually, the garden might not be finished yet, but you’ll know Onyev when you see him—he looks like a leader. And if you get lost, just ask someone. They’re super helpful.”

  “Okay, thanks.”

  She stepped toward the building and glanced at the guards.

  One of them smiled. “You’ll find Onyev in his leisure room,” he said.

  Nicole nodded and walked inside, not feeling brave enough to ask what a leisure room was.

  She started up the steps. After a couple of internal rotations, the spiral staircase led her outside, and she paused for a moment to admire the view. It was absolutely breathtaking. Roots were visible through the dirt, and the beautiful colors raining down from above continued casting that warm, rosy glow over everything. Nicole found herself envying the Makalos. If it weren’t for the lack of electricity and indoor plumbing, she’d want to live here.

  But then she remembered that Makalos controlled electricity and water. That meant they probably had everything they needed.

  Except the internet. She was sure they didn’t have the internet. And cell phones. And computers. She smiled to herself—there were still reasons to live back on earth in her time period.

  Nicole continued upward, wondering where this leisure room was, but saw she didn’t need to be concerned. Everything seemed to lead to the same place—a room built on top of a large branch that was at least ten feet across. The floor, made up of that branch, curved slightly and was knobby.

  The moment she stepped into the room, Onyev glanced up. Their eyes met. A sensation of déjà vu hit Nicole deep in the stomach—she’d met this Makalo before. But how? She’d never traveled to the past and knew he’d never been to the future. She would have remembered meeting someone like him.

  Nevertheless, a feeling of great familiarity overwhelmed her. It was like seeing a sibling again after a year of separation.

  Nicole tilted her head when she saw what Onyev had
been doing—digging a hole in soil that had been laid on the branch. Potted flowers dotted the room, ready to be planted. It made sense that his leisure room was a garden. Makalos loved living things.

  Onyev stood, brushing off his hands. “Everyone, please excuse me and my visitor.”

  It wasn’t until then that Nicole noticed the other Makalos in the room. They apparently noticed her for the first time too. They glanced back and forth between Nicole and Onyev curiously but did as he asked without question.

  “Please have my guards stand outside the doors,” Onyev said to a woman as she passed by him. “I don’t want to be bothered unless it’s family for the next little while.”

  She nodded and left with the others.

  Nicole was enchanted with Onyev. His hair and beard were so silver, they glowed. The robe he wore was cream, gold, and green, and intricately decorated with leaves, vines, and flower buds. His accent was musical and reminded her of Africa. She found herself drawn to this powerful Makalo.

  Once everyone was gone, Onyev turned to her. “I’m glad you’ve come to see me, Nicole.”

  She gasped. “How do you know my name?”

  “I know all the guardians of Shonlin.”

  Okay, she could go with that. She swallowed. “How?”

  “I approved them long ago, when I first created the room.” A shadow passed over his face, and he bit his lips. Then, apparently brushing whatever he was feeling aside, he smiled at her. “I don’t know how you’ve come, but your visit is very welcome.” He motioned to a garden bench, and they took a seat.

  Nicole glanced at him, trying not to pick at a loose thread in her jeans. “Sorry to interrupt. You’re very busy.”

  “We just moved in and we’re still putting up the final touches. But don’t worry about interrupting—I can sense that you have a lot of important questions for me.”

  “I do, but I don’t know where to start. How did I become a guardian? And why? What does it mean? How does Shonlin work?”

  Onyev nodded. “I’m sure those aren’t your only questions.” He sighed. “I’ll start at the beginning, when I created Shonlin as a way to protect magical items.”

  “Eklaron’s magical items?”

  He shook his head. “No. Everything magical ever created everywhere. I used to keep track of them in a book but quickly realized that wouldn’t be sufficient, especially if the book ever were to be stolen. Not only that, but I couldn’t keep up with the creation of the items. Once the great beings decided to grant a portion of their magic to others, people everywhere started testing and inventing.”

  Nicole started. Was he talking about her Great ones? “Great beings? Are you talking about the Great Ones?”

  Onyev peered at her and his eyes glazed over for a moment, as if he was thinking over her question intensely. “Probably.”

  Nicole took a moment to digest this. She knew the Great Ones she’d interacted with during the previous summer had supposedly given Aretes their powers, and it made sense that if they were the original possessors of magic, they’d also have given it to others.

  “Shonlin has performed exactly as I intended it to—it protects and keeps sacred things sacred. With one exception, it has been the perfect resolution.”

  “What exception was that?”

  “We can discuss that later. It is not important for your present situation and questions. For now, let’s talk about how you became a guardian.”

  Nicole relaxed, grateful he was willing to talk. “Yes, I’d appreciate that.”

  “Your interactions with those great beings, and the choices you made while around them, have been permanently printed on your soul.”

  Nicole nodded. She’d heard that before. “But there’ve been many others who’ve interacted with the Great Ones who haven’t become guardians. Why not? Why me?”

  “I can see their hearts and desires.” He lifted a hand as if to slow down her thoughts. “Before you automatically assume your friends have impure intentions, they didn’t interact directly with the Great Ones. A one-on-one interaction would have been required.”

  That made sense. Austin had been there with Nicole, but he hadn’t actually been conversing with them.

  Onyev briefly touched her arm. “It’s important for you to know that as a guardian of Shonlin, all magical items will respond to you.”

  A chill tickled down Nicole’s back. “Really? Wow.” She hesitated. “But what does that mean? How does it affect me?”

  “It shouldn’t affect you much—if you remain pure. If you allow greed to overcome your intentions, your guardian status will be revoked.” He glanced at her. “Not immediately, mind you. A council is required.”

  That sounded serious. “Has that ever happened?”

  “Not yet.” He continued. “You’ll be able to retrieve objects and transport them to Shonlin, where, by your command, they will stay. Until another guardian might have a need for them, of course.”

  Onyev’s intelligent, dark eyes appraised her. “That doesn’t mean you are to find every single magical item and place it in Shonlin. Many objects are a great blessing to those for whom they were created, and my desire is not that everything should be hidden away. It is only when something becomes too dangerous that you should turn it over to the care of Shonlin.”

  “How do I know if it’s too dangerous?”

  “Most magical items don’t have enough power to cause a lot of damage—not permanent damage, anyway. But I personally have created several items that would cause heartache if in the wrong hands. Once someone starts down that path, their magical things must be retrieved and hidden.”

  Nicole nodded. She knew that Jacob’s key had been created by Onyev, along with the talismans she was now seeking. All those items were really powerful, and she could easily see them needing to be returned to Shonlin if ever in a bad person’s hands. Especially the talismans, now that an evil human named Keitus was also seeking them.

  “Will I ever become a physical guardian of Shonlin?”

  He nodded. “Once you die, you’ll replace whomever is currently guarding the items.”

  “So, this is basically a job that extends beyond this life.” Was she ready for that sort of responsibility? Did she have a choice? And if she did, would she turn it down? She didn’t know.

  “Yes.” He furrowed his brow. “I feel it is important that you know you aren’t the only guardian of your time. There is another.”

  “Can I ask who it is?”

  “A Shiengol named Azuriah.”

  Nicole groaned inwardly. Naturally, it was someone she couldn’t stand. “But wait . . . that means Azuriah has also interacted with the Great Ones. How? And when?”

  Onyev didn’t respond for a moment. “It isn’t my story to share. If you meet him, which I sense you will, he’ll have to choose to tell you himself.”

  Nicole didn’t bother to let Onyev know she and Azuriah were already acquainted. She really didn’t want to talk about the cranky and judgmental Shiengol right then, especially after finding out he might have a pure-enough heart to become a guardian too. That made her feel like she might be wrong in her judgment of him.

  She definitely was curious about what had happened between him and the Great Ones, though. That was an interesting tidbit.

  “Now, I think you want to talk about the talismans I created,” Onyev said.

  “Yes, that would be fantastic.”

  “They call to certain people who may take possession of them. Only you can permanently seal a talisman to a specific person.” He took a breath. “However, you need to exercise extreme caution when doing so. The talisman can’t be stolen, but that does not grant protection. Upon the death of an owner, the talisman may be taken. And I don’t think I need to tell you that there are many who would kill to possess powerful objects.”

  “Why did you create them?”

  “For the same reason that I create most magical items—to save a life. If you visit again, I may tell you the story.”

>   She’d enjoy that. “How do I know where the other talismans are?”

  “Use Shonlin. It will tell you their location.”

  Nicole leaned forward, knowing instinctively what he was referring to. “The glowing lights?”

  He smiled, pleased. “Yes. Go to them and they’ll show you.” He held up a finger. “But be careful to seek only one type of item per visit—if you enter the forest without something specific in mind, Shonlin will kill or seriously harm you. There are simply too many things for your brain to keep track of at once.” He leaned forward. “If I’m not mistaken, when you enter now, you’re probably thinking about the talismans and you see four glowing lights, right?”

  Nicole nodded. The first time she’d entered Shonlin, she’d been concentrating on finding a book that talked specifically about the talismans.

  “If you were thinking about a different item, different lights would appear and you’d be led to those instead. But if you enter thinking about nothing, the forest would be overwhelmed with lights and would become too heavy for your capabilities. So take care when you enter.”

  That definitely was something she was glad to know.

  “So, go toward the light,” Nicole said. She had a hard time not laughing when she said that. It sounded like she was talking about dying. “And it will tell me the location of the talisman? How?”

  “Watch carefully. You’ll see landmarks, and a path will light up.”

  “Oh, so it’s not going to take me to the talisman itself.”

  “No. You’ll have to travel the path physically. And you won’t be able to transfer the newly gained knowledge to others.”

  “What if the magical item is on another planet or in a separate dimension?”

  A knock sounded at the door, and one of the guards poked his head inside. “I apologize for interrupting, but your wife has requested your assistance with something urgent.”

  Onyev thanked the guard then turned to Nicole. “It will lead you there.” He smiled at her. “Clever, isn’t it?”