Adventures of Jacko the Conjurer by Jamie Ott (love books to read txt) 📕

She sat down at the table, and gestured that Lyssa should do the same.

“Where do you live?”

“In a lovely house further up the mountain base.”

“What is it you wish to talk to me about?”

Her mother looked at her, quizzically.

“Well, actually, I assumed that you’d want to talk to me. I figured you’d have lots of questions, as usually those who are reunited with us do.”

“I do have questions. I just wasn’t sure if now is the time.”

“Now is fine, as we haven’t much time. You are to meet several of the Elders for dinner in a few hours, so how about we just jump right in? I’m sure you want to know why I gave you up. That’s the number one question our interbred children have.”

Sana paused a moment, sighed and continued, “As you know, our people are dying out. Humans are, now, the dominant species. We could easily blink them out of existence, but it won’t change the fact that the Primas are dying out. We’ll continue to do so, whether the humans are here or not. We’ve decided that it’s better to have at least one intelligent form of life, rather none.”

“Why don’t the Prima people simply have more children?” Lyssa asked.

“Primas don’t reproduce as quickly as humans, and that’s a good thing, considering that we’re immortal. The Earth’s resources could be easily depleted.

Our reproductive system comes into cycle once every century, and we carry the child for ten or more years. This is why the humans will always dominate us in numbers.

When our elders realized how quickly the humans were populating, they tried interbreeding to create a species that would defend us, Primas, and keep our legacy alive. Unfortunately, most of the human women died, while most of the Prima women miscarried. You and Lucenzus, and others like him are quite the minority. You’re likely the result of some sort weakness or mutation in our genes.

However, the King and I were not an attempt at population. We met on the River Danube, one night at a solstice feast. We fell into passion with one another. Our union and you were both by chance.

When I found myself pregnant with you, our Elders thought it a unique opportunity to liaison with the humans. If we couldn’t breed well with them, we’d form an alliance.

King Decebalus agreed to raise you as a lady of the house in exchange for gifts, as he was due to marry Andrada. He would’ve never seen you suffer, but he had no intention to take you home with him. Also, he agreed to send us the best of his humans to join us.

But then the Romans came, and his main concern was protecting your land. They fought and lost, three times. We knew it was only a matter of time before Rome would tire of King Decebalus.

Now we could’ve easily pushed out the Romans, but the Elders thought it useless. Not only would they be risking the lives of Primas - as though we’re strong, we’re far from indestructible, but the humans were populating like ants. They’d never stop coming, and as you can see from nations around, they don’t stop until they conquer.”

“Why did you never come to visit me?”

“In recent years, women are rarely allowed to leave Valhala.”

“Why?”

“Many women have gone missing over the years. We suspect they were abducted, sold into slavery, or killed for being Prima. Unlike you, many of our women haven’t been trained to fight. The Elders don’t believe women should do such things.”

“What about half Primas?”

“You’re going to be initiated. You’ll be expected to remain, and do as the Elders tell you.”

“I don’t want to be initiated. I only came to meet you. I’m a human, born and raised.”

“You must be initiated. Our people are dying out. The Elders will not accept your rejection. Don’t make them force you, okay? Lest they jail you, and then you won’t see sunlight for thirty years.”

She paused.

Lyssa didn’t respond.

“Tonight, you will dine with the village Elders, here in the castle. Tomorrow, you’ll be taken to the hall, where you’ll train with the priests and priestesses.”

~~~

Later that day, there was a knock on the door.

A handmaiden came in and placed a white waxed linen dress on the bed. She explained to her about how to get to the dining room, and then left.

Lyssa put on the dress, and went downstairs to dinner.

She turned right at the hall, and right again.

In a large room, several men were gathered, drinking from gold goblets.

Lyssa was relieved that there were only a few people. She was never one for big parties, yet her father always had the biggest, and always insisted that she entertain.

The stone room was small, though charming. It had a large fireplace and a long table that could have seated twenty. Tapestries hung on the walls, and statues stood in every corner of the room. A large wood and iron chandelier hung from the ceiling.

The Primas were a clean and elegant looking people. They were tall and slender, with each of them standing at about six and a half feet, with waist length blond to red hair, pale skin and eyes.

They each wore simple linen tunics with gold belts and gold jewelry.

Of them all, only one blond man stood out. Aesthetically, he looked like the others, but his eyes were as red as Von’s. He stood about a foot taller than the others, and his shoulders were also twice the width.

Lyssa knew he must have been a mighty warrior, probably the strongest man she’d ever seen.

One man with long light brown hair and blue eyes walked up to her.

“I’m Stelar. I’m a priest up on the hall. Come, I will introduce you to the others.”

The men were extremely polite, and made elegant gestures, like nodding their heads, making quiet compliments, and light handshakes.

Their behavior was an extreme contrast to the men of her father’s kingdom. Often, to show gratitude, loyalty and enthusiasm, they’d make loud, boastful speeches with over exaggerated body language.

The warrior, whom Stelar introduced as Sestin, looked as though he wasn’t one for parties. In his wine colored eyes, she thought she saw disinterest.

Next to the impressive man, stood one who wasn’t as striking in stature so much as in stance. He had light auburn hair, and orange eyes that seemed almost fluid. The color seemed to move across his iris, almost like flames danced in his eyes.

“This is General Vidar,” Stelar said.

The man with the strange eyes inclined his head toward her. He wore a linen tunic like the others, but he had a mesh duster over his. And on his gold belt, a row of knives hung on hooks that’d been soldered on.

Vidar’s skin was smooth and pasty. It was almost the color of dough, except extremely glossy.

“Vidar is from an older race of Primas,” explained Stelar. “That is why he looks… different.”

“Tell us about your life as a Princess,” said the one Stellar introduced as Orlandus. He had long chocolate brown hair and marble blue eyes.

“I’m not a princess. I’m a lady.”

“What?” he asked, sounding confused.

“Orlandus, the humans don’t honor birth children, unless those who produced them are sanctified by marriage,” said Vidar.

Lyssa didn’t know if she should be ashamed or what. Being a bastard, in her land, was not a good thing.

Stelar must have heard her thoughts, for he said, “Don’t worry, Lyssa. Primas don’t understand marriage. When you live forever, being bound to one person is not a wise idea. No, we survive best by mingling. We only started to engage in the practice of marriage recently, when we needed it to help our people – in our attempts to liaison with humans. Still, some of us don’t know all the rules of human society.”

“Maybe we should marry her off to a powerful king?” offered a white blond man with stone colored eyes.

“Daius, don’t be rude,” said the warrior, Sestin.

“How am I being rude?”

“I’m not marrying anyone,” she said assertively.

“As a lady, you should know better than to say no to a man,” said Daius.

Lyssa’s temper flared. Never had a man had the gall to talk to her, a lady, in such a way. In her father’s palace, he’d surely be jailed.

“You’re not my father, and you’re not my king. No man will ever dare talk to me like that! You will check yourself, sir, or I will leave, immediately.”

“What makes you think we’ll let you leave?” he asked.

“Okay, okay,” cut in Vidar authoritatively. “Daius, shut it! Let’s show our guest respect. Let’s remember that she is a lady, not some peasant.”

Though Vidar defended her, the men seemed disturbed by her defiance. They gave her scathing looks. Only Vidar and Sestin seemed to look at her with respect.

Finally, a servant came in and told them that dinner was ready.

Lyssa, who was checking the exits, and contemplating her chances for escape, wasn’t paying attention.

Vidar, taking notice, said abruptly to her, “Why don’t you sit next to me?”

He grabbed her hand and dragged her to a place at the table. Though she tried to resist, he was too powerful for her.

Dinner was a dull affair.

Lyssa kept looking at all the exits, but it was just impossible. The stone rooms were impenetrable. She would just have to fight her way out, and these men were strong.

Inwardly, she cursed herself. The minute her mother started speaking of her initiation, she should have run.

The men asked her about her studies. They expected that she’d be learned in music and literature, and even asked her play a lyre for them.

Her father had tried to pawn her off, using these same qualities. For that, she despised them and focused on fighting.

“When you’re taken up to the hall, you’ll do chores. You’ll work side by side with the women. Just because you’re royalty, doesn’t mean you’ll be treated specially. When you’ve passed all your exams, and we see that you’re fit, you’ll be fully initiated. You can’t fail. We expect you to fulfill your obligations as a lady,” said one of the men over dessert, whose name she’d forgotten.

“For the hundredth time, I’m not going up the mountain. I only came here to see my mother,” she threw down her fork, and left the dining room.

She ran through the confusing castle walls, looking for the exit when several Prima guards ran at her from down the hall.

Lyssa tried to outrun them, but they were too fast. One picked her up, easily, carried her to her room and locked her in.

The next morning, a maid knocked on the door at sunrise. She left a simple tunic for her to wear.

Fifteen minutes later, a guard knocked on the door.

“Are you dressed, miss?”

“Yes,” she said.

He unlocked the door.

In he walked with manacles and chains, which he cuffed her with and then escorted her, forcefully, down the stairs.

He dragged her onto a wood platform, where a group of men and women were gathered.

The men and women looked to be about her age, while some were younger and some slightly older.

All the men and women suddenly gasped, as the platform was lifted, by invisible force, into the sky.

Several minutes later, they’d passed through a thick cloud layer and landed on evergreen icicled grass.

Above the clouds, the sun shone brightly. And the air was extremely moist.

Stelar who appeared to have flown on his own, suddenly landed in front of them on the grass.

He unlocked Lyssa’s manacles, and warned her to behave.

They followed him through the castle gates, which opened automatically and shut behind them.

They walked across a few yards of grass. On the right side of the city was an enormous bridge over a large koi pond.

Up the city entrance they went, and then followed cobble stone roads diagonally to the city’s center.

In the center was an even larger stone castle. The doors