King's Inheritance Read online

  “I am Coral, Goddess of Fate, and you will respect me.”

  Dana’s face pales upon hearing Coral’s name and status and she bows respectfully. “I am sorry, Goddess. It wasn’t my intention to address you in that way and in that tone, I meant no disrespect. Forgive me, it has been a long day for me.”

  “I understand, Dana, and I forgive you. I have come to give you a message from Mr. King. Mr. King will contact you on this,” Coral says and presses the magical earpiece into Dana’s palm, “when he needs you to give a message to Vince, Blaze, Drake or Selene. If he wants you to give it to someone else he will let you know.” As soon as she says the last word she disappears back to the Caribbean to await Noryad’s return.

  Noryad appears in The Lost City disguised as an old man. When he sees Drake, lost in thought and walking in the rain, he decides to walk to him and bump into him.

  Drake is lost in his thoughts when he bumps into someone. He snaps back to the present when he sees an old man in front of him. “Watch where you’re walking, old man.”

  The old man simply looks at Drake and says, “The one here who was looking lost in thought is you, not me.”

  Drake’s patience with the old man is growing thinner with each passing second. “If you were a younger man I would just beat the shit out of you and make it clear that no one defies me.”

  The old man, with an amused look in his eyes, says to Drake, “Who says I am as old as I appear?”

  Drake looks at the old man closer and starts to see the old man’s appearance change. He starts growing taller and broader, his skin gets darker and his face takes on the features of a much younger man with short, black hair and hazel eyes. The more the person changes the more Drake begins to recognize him. The man’s features stop changing and Noryad is standing in front of Drake, exactly where the old man was standing, with the same look of amusement the old man had in his eyes.

  Drake’s expression turns even more deadly as he gives Noryad a cold stare, “What the Hell do you want? And what the fuck are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be learning to control your almighty powers, as everyone says?”

  Noryad, now with a more serious expression, answers, “I don’t need anything and what I want is not here and will never be mine. I’m just passing by to visit an old friend, you, and I am controlling my powers. It takes more than time to learn how to do that. I came to see you and tell you something that you need to know. It won’t have any meaning at the moment, but when the time is right this will make sense to you and it will give you the answers you seek at that time. The words I have for you are these; Let her in, don’t push her away. She’s the answer you seek, don’t let her go away. She can take away your pain.” In that moment Drake is lost on his own thoughts.

  While Drake is lost in thoughts Noryad notices a smile cross Drake’s face. It only lasts for a second, but Noryad knows who Drake’s thinking about. Noryad touches Drake’s forehead with two fingers and says, “You won’t remember this conversation, only the words I gave you.” Then he starts to walk away and says, “Goodbye, my brother.”

  When he looks back he notices that Selene approaches and knows she may see him, so he changes his appearance back to that of the old man as he walks away. He continues walking until he is in a deserted alley before he opens the portal and heads back to the Caribbean.

  Chapter 11

  Upon arriving back in the Caribbean, Noryad, still with the appearance of an old man, sees Merlin waiting for him with a serious expression on his face. Using his magic to dispel Noryad’s appearance, Merlin tells him, “Noryad, I understand you are setting the stage for what’s approaching, but you need to make sure to leave the souls guarded. They have been getting desperate since they have not seen you. I think it is time I taught you the power of Necromancy.”

  Noryad knows in that moment that this is what he needs. He has always had the need to learn Necromancy, but he didn’t have the books to do so. He knows it involves working with the dead, but he doesn’t know much on that aspect. Merlin looks at Noryad again and asks, “Has there ever been a Necromancer in your lineage?”

  Noryad uses his powers to regain the knowledge from the books he read and he remembers that his father was a Necromancer, but he didn’t like the power. He wasn’t the strongest in his time with that magic, his other powers far stronger than his Necromancy powers. “Yes,” he answers Merlin. “My father was one, why?”

  “When you were young did you ever see the souls of the dead?”

  “No, I don’t remember ever seeing them. I do remember wanting to learn about Necromancy though. Even at a young age it called my attention, but I was forbidden to speak of it and my father took the books from the library and locked them away with his powers.”

  “It is late now, but tomorrow we are heading to the Church to start your training in your true calling, Necromancy.”

  Noryad nods his thanks to Merlin then heads to his room. Coral is following right behind him, it has been a long day for them both and they need to rest for tomorrow.

  On their way to their rooms Noryad looks at Coral and asks, “Were you able to contact Dana Stone and deliver my message?”

  “Yes Noryad, I have delivered your message, as you asked me to.”

  Noryad stops and turns to look at Coral before he brings her into his arms for a hug. Controlling his urges, he hugs Coral and gives her a kiss on the cheek. She sucks in her breath as he moves his lips from her cheek to her neck. Suddenly he releases her and steps away. He looks at her with desire and need shining in his eyes before he turns away and says, “Goodnight, Goddess, may the Angel of Life watch over you.” Then he opens his door and shuts it firmly behind him. After a cold shower he falls into bed, hoping sleep finds him quickly, but the calling starts again and it is getting stronger.

  Hours later

  Noryad is still trying to sleep, but he is unable to so he gets up and heads to the Throne Room, taking his staff-sword with him. Once he is in the Throne Room he opens the glass doors to the balcony and walks out. He sits on the edge of the balcony with his back against the wall looking at the moon. He has his staff-sword in his right hand, the blade touching the floor and his left leg is forming a pyramid as he props it on the edge of the balcony. Looking at the moon and deep in thought, he doesn’t hear the footsteps approach. After minutes have passed he feels the presence of another and looks over to find Coral standing in the open door of the Throne Room, watching him silently. He locks eyes with her for a minute before speaking “What brings you here, Coral?”

  ******

  Coral notices the moment Noryad leaves his room because his powers can no longer be felt in the room next to her. She leaves her room and follows the trail of his power through the castle and to the Throne Room. When she enters she immediately sees him sitting on the balcony ledge so she stands and watches him, feeling like an intruder on his private thoughts. His majestic power surrounds him and like a magnet he has felt her presence. He looks down and locks eyes with her. “What brings you here, Coral?”

  When they lock eyes Coral notices his eyes have turned completely blue, but she also notices that he doesn’t know it. Somehow he has been able to control his powers. She stands in silence for a moment longer before speaking, “I came to see how you were doing because I felt the moment you left your room.”

  Noryad gets off from the balcony ledge and walks to her, looking at her with hunger and desire in his eyes. Coral, trapped within his gaze, returns the look Noryad is giving her. He continues stalking toward her, causing her to walk backward until she is pinned against the wall. He puts his hands against the wall on either side of her head and leans down to whisper in her ear. “I want you Coral.” Then he captures her mouth in a deep, all-consuming kiss.

  Coral is drawn in by the force of Noryad’s kiss so she kisses him back with a wild abandon she has never known before. He slides his hands down the wall until his hands are at her waist level then he grabs her by the thighs. His hands slowly sli
de upward and he grabs her ass, making her moan in pleasure. Suddenly, as if being snapped out of a trance, he breaks the kiss and takes a hasty step away from her. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.” He apologizes and walks away, heading back to his room, leaving Coral with a need that is making her wet to her core from the sensations she felt during that kiss.

  Chapter 12

  As Noryad walks back to his room he can’t help but recall the kiss he just shared with Coral. Looking back he doesn’t know why he did it except that he wants Coral so bad he lost himself to his emotions. He knows he shouldn’t have done it, she is a Goddess and far stronger than him, but he can’t do anything to change it now, and he wouldn’t even if he could. He continues walking, not paying attention to his surroundings, until he is suddenly pulled back to the present by something. When he is alert again he feels the presences of Nohar and another soul with him. He stops walking and looks at Nohar. “Nohar, what brings you around here and how are the Souls doing? Who is your Friend?”

  Nohar bows respectfully before he speaks, “My King, I came to see if you were doing well. Your powers are increasing and we felt them call to us. The others are faring well.” He stops talking and looks to his side. “Show yourself,” he commands and a beautiful lady with blonde hair, eyes as blue as the sea and full coral-colored lips reveals herself to Noryad.

  “Milord, it has been a long time.”

  Noryad immediately recognizes Liand and smiles. “Liand, it’s good to see you. Yes, it has been a long time since we last saw each other.” He stops talking as he remembers the last time he saw her alive. His expression turns deadly as he continues talking. “Raphael will pay for what he did, to all of you, but for now I need you to remain vigilant. Something, or someone, will come for me and I want to make sure I’m ready when the time comes.”

  Nohar looks around for a second before focusing his attention back on Noryad, “Yes, my King. I will notify the elite guard to remain vigilant. Making sure nothing happens to you is our top priority. I will report as soon as I have news.”

  Noryad nods, but when Nohar and Liand start to walk away he stops them and asks, “Wait, can any of you get into the Catacombs?”

  Nohar’s expression turns fearful as he answers, “No Milord, none of us will ever go into the Catacombs. The Catacombs hold the fallen Kings and none of us will disturb their sleep. Once we tried and we had to run for they are far stronger than us and we have not disturbed them since, and never will again. I’m sorry Milord, but that’s the only place we are scared to go. There is something powerful protecting the place and we can’t get into it.”

  “Thank you, Commander. That will be all. I am heading to my room to sleep now. I have to train tomorrow and need to be fully rested.”

  Nohar and Liand bow and disappear, and Noryad continues to his room. Once there sleep finds him instantly and seduces him with dreams of Coral’s lips and body.

  The next day when Noryad arrives at the church he finds Merlin waiting for him. After a restful sleep filled with dreams of Coral and a light breakfast of toast and eggs, Noryad is ready to face whatever Merlin has in store for him.

  Merlin smiles at him before speaking. “I hope you rested well Noryad, because today we are unlocking the Necromancer inside of you. You have the power, I can feel it pulsating inside you, but for some reason it is blocked and you can’t channel it. That is why your other powers were so strong you had to train to control them. That is no longer an issue and we need for you to be completely ready for what you must face so we have to unlock, or tear down, whatever is blocking your power as a Necromancer. Now, put your hand in mine, we will be going inside of you.”

  Noryad thinks for a second, still not completely trusting Merlin, before putting his hand on top of Merlin’s. As soon as Noryad’s hand connects with his Merlin says, “Now concentrate on the nether plane and we will meet there.”

  Noryad concentrates hard and gets into the nether plane easily. Once he is there he sees Merlin is waiting for him. As he approaches the old wizard Merlin says to him, “Now that we are here, and before we start this, you need to be ready. We don’t know who put the block there, but I’m sure he left his signature on the block and you may recognize it. Be sure you remain vigilant, you may be forced to fight in order to protect yourself. It is possible that someone you know put it there.”

  Noryad nods his understanding and says, “I understand Merlin and I’ll be ready for whatever comes at me. I have been here before.”

  Noryad starts letting his body take over, focusing on everything around him as he heads to the Necromancy gate. Once he makes it, with Merlin at his side, he sees a tall, lean, bald black man standing there with his back to them. When he turns around, like he felt their presence, and Noryad sees that the bald guy has his same hazel eyes and is dressed in the clothes of the Royal Family. Noryad stops as shock punches him in the stomach and radiates out through his eyes as he realizes who the person is that blocked his Necromancy gates.

  As if to confirm what Noryad already knows, the bald guy grins and says, “You have grown, my son.”

  Chapter 13

  Upon realizing that his father blocked his access to his heritage Noryad wants to confront him, but decides to address the situation differently because he knows he will need to learn what his father knows and why he blocked his Necromancy gate.

  Noryad’s father is watching how Noryad’s expression changes from shock, to confusion to anger before he is able to control himself and not let his emotions get the best of him. He smiles, recalling how Noryad was an impatient hot head as a child, but was still more powerful than him, and he recalls his reasons for blocking Noryad’s heritage. He decides to start talking before Noryad does and addresses the old man beside his son. “Who are you, mister?”

  “My name is Merlin, your majesty, or should I address you by your name, Trez King? I am the one training your son on how to reclaim his heritage, which you blocked his access to.”

  Trez nods at Merlin, “You are right, I did.” Trez’s admission snaps Noryad out of his thoughts and he focuses his attention on his father. “But you need to understand why we made that decision.”

  Trez shares his memories of the past telepathically with them both. It all started when we learned that Urlah, your mother, was pregnant and would give birth to the strongest necromancer of our time. He would become so strong he would find the Sword of Kings, Excalibur, and the Armor of Kings would choose him, which had never happened before. The Sword of Kings has been lost from this world since King Arthur died. We searched with our other sons, but they weren’t strong enough to find it. They had my heritage, but your mother’s heritage was stronger within them. You were not born yet, so we did not know that you were stronger than all of us and that you had powers none of us possessed. After your birth the souls of the dead were always close to you, ready to strike anyone who attacked or tried to hurt you. There was one time I touched you and I felt the raw power of my heritage, stronger than any of my ancestors had possessed, but also I saw a glimpse of the future that awaited our family. That’s why I pushed you so hard and why you’re back to pay the price. I blocked my heritage from you because you were too young and I knew that much power would have corrupted you and the future that I saw wouldn’t have come to pass. You were meant to come back here and find the Sword of Kings, which I thought was forever lost. You gave me the words I gave Vince when you were three. Urlah and I blocked the part of your heritage that came from me because of what was foretold. I know the Sword of Kings is somewhere in the Castle, but the Armor of Kings is a myth, something we used to keep the magical trainee in line. We would tell them that whoever gets the Armor would become the King of Death. What we did not know was that it was going to be you. You are in line to be the next King of Death. I am sorry, my son. It was never my intention to do this to you, but I did what I had to do. Now touch the gate if you choose and once it feels your hand upon it, it will open and give you access to the Necromancy of y
our heritage. I left behind my knowledge of Necromancy and once the gate opens you will acquire it, too. I have to go my son, this is just a signature of my power that I left a long time ago enabling me to watch over you in life with the little power I left inside of you. Don’t ever forget that your mother and I love you, Noryad. Goodbye my son, you have made me proud. As soon as the last thought entered their minds Noryad and Merlin watched as Trez slowly disappeared, like flakes of snow.

  They watch until Trez is completely gone before Merlin turns says to him, “Now we know why your heritage was blocked to you.”

  Noryad nods to Merlin and turns to face the biggest gate he has ever seen in his life. He slowly reaches out and puts his hand on the gate, his hand instantly turns cold upon contact, and when he pushes to open it the gate doesn’t move. He looks back at Merlin in confusion.

  “Use your powers, Noryad.” Is all Merlin says to him, so he focuses all his power on pushing the gate open and after a few minutes of total concentration the gate opens soundlessly. He takes a deep breath, looks back at Merlin, who nods his encouragement, and steps through the gate. Merlin tries to follow him, but is stopped by an invisible barrier and is forced to take a step back as the gate closes. Noryad looks back just in time to see Merlin smile and nod again before the gate is fully closed, blocking out the world behind it.

  Once the gate fully closes Noryad is assaulted by an incredible power, raw and untamed, running through his body, making his physical body jerk uncontrollably; forcing his eyes open, revealing their completely blue color, and opening his mouth in a silent scream.

  The sheer magnitude of the power coming from within the gate forces Merlin to leave the nether plane. When he merges back with his body and awakens he sees Coral is watching Noyrad’s body as it shakes like an electrical current is running through it. When she touches Noryad she is instantly thrown back by his power. Merlin moves swiftly to help her up and when she moves to touch Noryad again he holds her back and says, “Do not touch him. It all depends on him now. If he wants to survive he will have to face this on his own.”