Ginorti: the Lissae Series #5 Read online

  Ginorti

  Book Five of the Lissae Series

  R. Lennard

  Ginorti

  First published in 2022 by R. Lennard

  Copyright © Rebecca Lennard, 2022

  Cover Design © Vanesa Garkova, 2020

  Map Designs © R. Lennard, 2022

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (for example, fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism, or review), no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission.

  All inquiries should be made to the author.

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental or unintentional.

  All books in the Lissae Series are written in UK English.

  Edited by Anna at CREATING ink.

  www.CREATINGink.com

  Published by Rebecca Lennard.

  lissae.com

  Check the trigger warnings by scanning the QR code below:

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Ginorti (The Lissae Series, #5)

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Reading order

  To Mum,

  Thank you for getting me the right glasses, for encouraging my reading, and for picking apart the books.

  To Dad,

  Thank you for the teaching me how to keep going, no matter what the odds are, and for being the best salesman without reading the books.

  I put you both through even more than Shari.

  Thank you for, well, everything.

  Prologue

  Zuefie—Before Common Era

  Xan could just make out the incoming storm through the thick, steel bars. It was the only view from the cold, stone room.

  He hummed. To be a cloud, free from the constraints of a body. Free of pain, fear, and hunger.

  The whip cracked, sliced through the air as it struck again.

  It landed across the already flayed skin of his back.

  Xan didn’t have it in him to flinch anymore, but the pain still seared his skin, and his hum turned to a groan.

  The guard laughed. “That’ll show you. Think you can use your fancy magic around us? You know the law. No magic on Zuefie.”

  “I’d do it again,” Xan rasped.

  Leaning down, the guard’s rank breath seared against his open wounds. “And I’ll do her again once I’m through with you.”

  Xan’s head throbbed in time with his back. A whimper reached him from the corner where Derri, his sister, his last remaining family, was huddled. Years ago, before his parents had been murdered, this guard had ridden through their tiny village and taken a shine to Derri. He’d wooed her, won her over, and made Derri his wife.

  The weight of her terrified gaze was enough to ensure the cries and screams stayed trapped behind his teeth. She was protected, for the moment, by his fading Innarn.

  What will happen once he had beaten me to death?

  Derri had been safe with her husband when they’d come for their parents.

  An image of his father, dying under the boot of a man in the same yellow uniform, came to mind. His mother screaming as they dragged her away. Just because they’d dared to be born with magic.

  Burning pain struck again.

  There was a whisper of his name from his sister.

  Xan found he still had enough energy to flinch.

  In times gone by, he and Derri had daydreamed of what they’d do if the guards ever caught them.

  ‘Turn to clouds,’ the younger voice of his sister said.

  He smiled, bloodied teeth gleaming, as he remembered his reply.

  Above him, the guard paused. “What are you grinning at?”

  “Anything is possible.” Stretching out his fingers, Xan wriggled them at Derri—the only movement he could make when he was so tightly strapped down.

  There was the rustle of cloth, almost silent against the crack of the whip.

  Twisting his neck, Xan glanced at Derri. “Time to join the clouds,” he croaked.

  Smiling through her tears, Derri nodded. “We’ll be with Mamma.”

  The whip fell again.

  This time, Xan gathered the energy, pulling it closer to his core.

  The air in the room got thinner as Derri used her Innarn to draw the precious oxygen towards her.

  Staggering under the sudden lack of air, the guard stumbled, knocking into Xan.

  A fatal mistake.

  “Perfect.” Xan smiled as he syphoned the guard’s life away.

  A red haze filled Xan’s vision, and Derri poked at what was left of her husband.

  “Clouds?” Derri asked.

  “We’ll make them all clouds. And we’ll drain everyone we come across.”

  Innarn cut through the straps holding him down, and Xan rose from the crude stone slab.

  Magic was running through his veins so thick, the blood streaming from his body turned to vapour.

  “Remember me,” Derri whispered.

  “Always.” Xan reached out and grasped her hand.

  He paused.

  Derri stopped and looked at him. “Xan?”

  “I can’t feel you,” he said. Wide-eyed, Xan glanced at her as the sensation of touch faded away.

  “Xan...”

  Whatever Derri was saying broke off. Words were lost. He could see her mouth moving, but no sound was coming out.

  Xan didn’t understand until Derri started to fade from view.

  ‘Take me with you.’

  It sounded like her, in his mind.

  ‘Xan. Xan. Xan. Take me with you!’

  The words were repeating.

  Xan stretched out his Innarn and enveloped it around Derri.

  Hard flesh and bone became weightless vapour.

  The stained clothes he’d been wearing dropped to the floor as another guard slammed the door open and strode into the room.

  Lightning flashed as the siblings saw he was already raising his whip.

  The second guard took in the scene.

  A bundle of rags in the middle of the room. Bloody trail leading from the stone slab. His dead colleague slumped where the prisoners should have been. A thick, low cloud covering the room. “What happened here?”

  ‘We are Xanderri,’ the siblings sent.

  Shivering, the second guard looked around. “Who said that?” r />
  Speech didn’t matter anymore. Not when their very atoms were combined.

  Xanderri pushed themselves towards the man’s head and saw his truth.

  An Innarnian hiding with the enemy.

  They were here now.

  He didn’t have to hide anymore.

  Flashes of light filled the room, as bright as the guard’s screams were loud.

  A uniform dropped to the floor.

  ‘We are Xanderri.’

  The trio would turn their Realm to clouds and vapour to keep their kind safe.

  Chapter One

  Zuefie

  The wards were down.

  Fat drops of water hit Shari’s face and soaked into the pillow under her head. The icy breeze made her shiver.

  Why are the wards down? It was hard to focus. Weakly, Shari pushed her Innarn out and created a shield around herself.

  Fix ’em in tha mornin’.

  So tired.

  As the Altoriae drifted back to sleep, something niggled at her consciousness.

  She didn’t have a window above her bed.

  Portal

  Vebaday

  Sixth day of the fourth week of Sunfall

  “Where is she?!” Samuel thundered.

  The Guardian was just as angry as his apprentice, and twice as dangerous in his silence.

  ‘Beyond any gateway.’ The tiny Ducibus was serene even in the face of Samuel’s wrath.

  “And which gateway did she last go through?” Samuel’s voice dropped to a rumble.

  Behind him, Jonathan sighed.

  The Ducibus bowed his head. ‘The one we don’t guard.’

  Snarling, Samuel loomed over Pala, Innarn flaring out.

  Jonathan gently pulled him back. “Can you take us to the one you don’t guard?”

  Pala shook his hood. ‘I can show you the hallway.’

  Trying to tamper down his scowl, Samuel limped after the miniscule creature.

  Shari had been right next to him.

  Right by his side.

  They had survived Oalark’s madness, two assassination attempts, and the destruction of his home Realm, only for her to get snatched in what was supposed to be the safest place in all the Realms.

  If you were in the Portal, you should be untouchable. It was practically a sacred space.

  When I found out who had broken that rule, oh.

  He smiled, far too many teeth showing.

  He would make Oalark proud.

  Pala glanced back at him and shook zir head again. ‘You’ll have to stay here,’ the Ducibus warned.

  ‘Why?’

  ‘It is too Light for you. Come, Guardian.’

  Rooted to the spot by Innarn stronger than he was expecting, Samuel scowled as Jonathan faded into the brightness that led to the very Lightest of Realms.

  As the Guardian disappeared, Samuel’s scowl dropped. How was he going to tell Jonathan that it wasn’t just Shari he was worried about?

  Clenching his fists so tight it hurt, Samuel did his best to breathe through the terror consuming him. If Shari was on a Light Realm, it was possible that she would burn. The pain would be far more than he had to deal with whilst he was on Lissae. And for the Altoriae, he worried.

  But for his hatchlings? The ones Shari had put into her pocket Realm before they’d crossed through the portal? He was terrified.

  If the Light Realm would burn Shari, it would turn them to cinders.

  And they were all he had left.

  Zuefie

  Flashes of Plasma lit up the sky as the Xanderri celebrated.

  Weaving through the ancient stone ruins of their city, the cloud forms took turns at diving, practising for when they would be given leave to syphon the Innarn from the prone body of the Realm’s greatest fighter.

  One cloud, denser than the others, moved ponderously towards the downed warrior. The other Xanderri made way for their leader.

  Slowly, the leader lowered, floating just above the Altoriae’s body. A wisp pulled away from the main part of the cloud and stroked against her face. Hissing, the leader drew back.

  ‘Why is the Altoriae so Dark?’

  The closest Xanderri seemed to freeze. A few dared to drift away, wanting to be out of the blast radius.

  ‘The influence of Altum?’ The words came from the green, fleshy form of a host.

  There was a sense of questioning towards the Xanderri inside the host. Why would any of them choose to be limited in such a way? But it remained unvoiced, lurking instead on the edge of thought.

  The cloud inside the body sighed. ‘This host is degrading. Without our influence, the body will fail. Then, no more host.’

  Their leader bobbed. ‘You may maintain the body until we secure safe passage to Lissae.’ Ze brushed against the Altoriae again. ‘Dark or not, she will sustain us. It may take the younger some time to acclimatise.’

  ‘We may feed?’ There was a tremble of anticipation in the thought patterns.

  If the leader had a mouth, they would have smiled. ‘Not yet. The Altoriae is Dark enough that her Innarn would harm us. Gather the others, travel to each branch of the Light Realms, and find a sacrifice. We can slowly acclimatise to the Darker Innarn until we can feast on the chosen one.’

  ‘Feed.’

  In rapid succession, the Xanderri lined themselves up behind the one with the host, who moved jerky limbs, leading them towards the gateway.

  They had sacrifices to hunt.

  Chapter Two

  Lissae

  Hazelcrown 4060

  First week of Autumn

  Captain Rappen wasted no time firing the ballistae on the ships docked in Ginorti’s bay. He smiled in satisfaction, as yet another fell beneath the waves.

  “Reload!” he ordered.

  “We’re out of ammunition,” a solider yelled back.

  Rounding on the closest crew member, he dropped his voice. “What?”

  He gulped. “It’s all gone.”

  “Then find more,” the captain growled.

  Glancing around helplessly, he shrugged. “Ain’t no trees to cut down here.”

  Rappen glanced at the tree-lined shore, before looking back at the sailor and raising a brow.

  “The rocks will tear the ship apart.” The sailor shook his head and gestured out to the dull grey points jutting ominously along the coastline.

  Biting back harsh words, Captain Rappen snarled, “Then carve the boat up.”

  The skipper of the vessel stomped over to them, arms crossed as he glared. “Try it.”

  Growling, he thumped his fist against the railing. “We have them!”

  “Ain’t no way we can take the island. But we took this.” He moved to the side and revealed a sodden form, clearly plucked from the waves.

  Captain Rappen stepped closer, poking at the man with the hilt of his sword. Sparks leaped as the metal came into contact with his skin.

  He grinned. “Well, well.”

  “What should we do with him?”

  “Take the aberration below. Lock it in the ziom cell,” he ordered.

  Sailors surged forward, hurrying to do his bidding.

  “Take it as a win,” the skipper advised. “We can regroup, and when we come back, they’ll be running scared.”

  “I don’t want them running. I want them dead.” Captain Rappen glared out at the bay where tiny figures were working hard to resurrect the downed ships.

  “Don’t we all?” the skipper muttered. “Full turn. Set sail for the nearest island that ain’t here.”

  “We could return to Jinkor. Elder Chamele will want the aberration,” a solider piped up.

  “Jinkor is halfway round Lissae,” the skipper protested.

  Captain Rappen raised his brows and kept his gaze on the sailor as he slowly sheathed his sword.

  The skipper gulped. “Very well,” he said. Turning away from him, he started barking out orders. “Head for Jinkor!”

  Belching clouds of black smoke, the ships moved off.
>
  Staring at the shrinking island, Captain Rappen clenched his fists.

  Someday soon, he’d see them all drown.

  Zuefie

  Someone was yelling her name.

  Shari could hear them from the depths of her empty dream.

  At least, she was assuming this vast blackness was a dream. If it wasn’t, well... The thought didn’t do to dwell on.

  ‘Shari.’

  There it was again.

  Looking around, Shari tried to see who was hiding in the darkness.

  A sound suspiciously like a snort filled her mind.

  ‘Open your eyes.’

  Huffing, Shari crossed her arms. Of course, her eyes were open...

  Weren’t they?

  She blinked, just to make sure, and flinched from the sudden, blinding brightness.

  ‘Are you sure she’s the Altoriae?’ a second voice asked. It sounded younger than the first.

  ‘There’s something wrong with her,’ the first answered. ‘She’s usually not so...’

  Whatever disparaging remark they were going to utter was lost to pain as Shari’s vision filled with white-hot light. It felt like thousands of needles were scraping her retinas.

  Blinking, she tried to raise a hand to rub at her eyes, but the effort was more than she could bear, and her arm remained stubbornly still.

  ‘Shari?’ The voice inside her head was familiar.

  ‘Yes?’

  Babbling—very loud babbling—filled her mind, the two voices overlapping each other as they started nattering on about taken and Sanithane and Altum gone.

  That.

  She remembered that.

  Oalark being hit by the spear.

  The Queen, too proud or too broken, to accept her healing.

  And the Realm of Altum, tied to the dying Queen’s life force, collapsing around them.

  Ignoring the shrieking in her head, Shari poked at her memory. Escaping to the safety of the Portal was but a hazy recollection. Walking by Samuel’s side towards the Lissaen gateway. And something cold and wet wrapping around her before the double doors of home could open.

  ‘Where am I?’

  Sometimes sending was a precise art, a tool used to get delicate points across when words wouldn’t do.