DESCENDANTS (THE DESCENDANTS SAGA)

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and
incidents either are the product of the author’s
imagination or are used fictitiously, and
any resemblance to actual persons, living
or dead, business establishments, events,
or locales is entirely coincidental.

Descendants
Copyright  © 2011 by R. Lynn

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used
or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording,
taping or by any information storage retrieval
system without written permission except in
the case of brief quotations embodied in
critical articles and reviews.

Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file
with the Library of Congress

Cover designed by R. Lynn                                                                Cover layout by
Andreas Hinterplattner and
Amber Sims Hinterplattner

For information about the author, visit
www.authorrlynn.com

To Dave
,

Thank you for showing me

that true love is not

just in fairy tales.

-1-

H
alf awake and half asleep, the in-between twinkling of imagination, where any dream is possible. It was in that moment that Sollara found reason to hope. The one time each day that she could do anything, go anywhere, and be anyone. 

“Sollara, you had best be getting ready,” one of the servant girls yelled through the door.

Sollara
brushed a stray red curl off her face and
pulled the pillow over her head
—
blocking out the
servant girl
and focusing
on her world, the in-between.

Her absence would be noted by her tutor and, no doubt, cause her trouble. But no matter what the punishment would be, she didn’t care. It was worth
the consequences to
feel free for a f
ew brief moments each day. B
esides, today w
as her eighteenth birthday,
she should be able to do what she wanted.

Pushing the distraction of the servant to the back of her mind, she returned to her world, flying high above the ground, dancing, and playing with the birds. The in-between seemed so real
—
it was as though she could taste the air, feel the breeze acr
oss her skin, and hear the melodious song
of nature. But the weight of consciousness constantly pulled at her, testing and teasing, threatening to bring her back to her room in the Deep Kingdom. And even though she fought with all her will to stay in the in-between, the more she struggled, the more consciousness took hold.

Soon h
er arms no longer
kept her afloat,
she found herself falling
through the air. The ground,
coming ever
nearer. She tried to regain
focus
, to return to flying,
but was unable to reclaim control of her thoughts. Pain seared through her body as she fell through the rock walls of her home and landed in a heap on the bed.

The jolt of the fall snapped her from the in-between, pulling her back to
a
dark reality. Her eyes broke open as she desperately gasped in air and gazed up at the familiar dull stone that made up th
e ceiling in her room.  H
er body had been forced back,
but
somehow a part of her mind remained in the in-between, teasing her with what she could no longer experience by replaying the songs of the birds.

She rolled over
, blinking multiple times in an attempt to adjust her eyes to the half lit room. As they came into focus, she saw a lark perched on the ledge next to the bed, boldly watching her as he sang his morning song.

Holding her breath in an attempt to be as still as possible, she quietly watched in awe. It was her first time seeing a bird in real life, and she took the opportunity to study him, taking in every aspect of his tiny body.

His eyes were abnormally blue, and she couldn’t help but wonder if this was common for a bird. With a curious intensity, she watched him, and
surprisingly he didn’t shy away
. Testing to see if she was still in the in-between, still dreaming, she bit her tongue. When
stabbing pain shot through her mouth
she pressed her lips together to muffle the cry. It didn’t make sense
, Sollara thought
. She was awake and yet seeing a living bird. How could a bird venture far enough underground to reach the Deep Kingdom? And if one did, what reason would it have to sing?          

The bird
stretc
hed out his wings and flew
from her into a crevasse in
the
stone wall.
She wondered if it was returning to the Surface, and how long that journey would take. The Deep Kingdom was miles below the earth
in a stronghold carved under the limestone at the base of Mount
Anboto.
At least that’s what she’d been told.

The rooms were intricately cut into the stone, with halls and passages, banquet rooms, and private cor
ridors. Sollara would
spend her days
, when not in studies, getting lost
exploring the engravings or basking in the majesty of the domed ceilings. Each room was themed with matching hand-woven tapestries and elaborate pain
tings, and each room housed
memories of her life spent t
here. All she was and all she’
d ever known could be found within
its
dark walls.

Still i
t was hard for Sollara to find motivation to get out of bed each day. Her life was dull, full of routine. Sleep, wake, eat, study, read, and sleep. And not to mention, she
was
in a world of eternal darkness
—
a fact that was making it difficult to appreciate life at all.

And
though she
found some enjoyment from
exploring the Deep Kingdom,
after eighteen years all Sollara longed for was to leave
and
to see what she had spent every spare moment dreaming about. But what she had dreamed abo
ut, wished for, and hoped to see
was the one place she was forbidden to go. The Surface.

-2-

S
eeing as it was her birthday Sollara decided to try once more to persuade her parents, Mari and Sugoi, to take her to the Surface
. Although it had always been against Mari’s orders to go
there
, it was all
Sollara
had ever wanted, and today was her best chance of getting it.

Deciding
it would be pointless to ask Mari, she decided to
try
Sugoi
first. Perhaps she could play his
weakness
for servant girls
against him. Picking up the edge of her skirt, she started in a determined sprint towards Sugoi’s chamber
s. With every step closer
she felt her breath come faster and
her hands clam up. This was it,
if she could execute her plan properly, today was the day she would see the Surface.

In her excitement she forgot her manners and
burst through the door to his room
. Sugoi was
seated in a chair with a valet polishing his boots
and when he saw her he jumped to his feet knocking the valet backwards
. He
composed himself, smoothening out his silk robe and
waved off the valet with a flick of his wrist.
He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Sollara.

“T
oday is my coming-of-age day, and
,” she paused to steady her breath before continuing
in the most sickly-sweet tone she could muster
. “
I was hoping I could
spend my day with you.”

His dark brow furrowed
and he took a step back
. “I’m far too busy,” he answered.

“But Sugoi, we hardly see each other, and it is all I want for my day! If you’re busy, I don’t mind quietly following you around.”

He ran his fingers through his dark hair and pulled at the collar of his tunic. For some reason it seemed to be tighter th
an he had remembered. “
I cannot have you following me around. I won’t get a thing accomplished!”

“W
hy don’t you take me to th
e Surface for a couple of hours?
We can spend some time together,
and then I will leave you alone.
” She held her breath, eagerly awaiting his reply.

Sugoi paced around his chambers as he weighed his options. A day with her on his tail meant a day where he would have to avoid the servant girls. That meant having them avoid his bedchambers.  But if he took her to the Surface and Mari found out, he would surely get in trouble
—
a lot of trouble.

Sollara could sense his reluctance and began to worry that he would not agree t
o take her to the Surface. E
ven more so, she worried that she would have to follow through with her threat of being with him for the day.
S
he could think of a thousand things she would rather do.
She had no other choice but to play into Sugoi’s other weakness—Mari.

“Is it because Mari won’t let you go to the Surface? I don’t want to be the one who gets you in trouble.”

Instantly, the tension in Sugoi’s brow changed into a hate-filled glare. “I am the man of this dwelling. Mari does not dictate what I do or who I do it with!”

His reaction had been exactly what she was hoping for, and she took it as her window to negotiate with him. “So you’re saying I am permitted to go?” It was all she could do to g
et her words out.  S
he could feel
her heart beat
pulse beneath her skin.

He paused, realizing he had decided to disobey Mari. Trying to figure out his best course of action, he decided a brief visit shouldn’t cause any harm.
“For thirty minutes, and that is all!”

“Eighty!” she tried to bargain.

“Sollara, I really don’t think you are in a position to negotiate,” Sugoi scolded.

“Perhaps
you’re right.
I will ask Mari if she will take me. I am sure she would let me stay there longer.” Sollara knew she was being bold by pushing him. But this was her chance, her one chance to see what she spent every spare moment dreaming about, and she wasn’t about to let it slip through her grasp.

“You will do no such thing!” He turned his back to her as he pondered his predicament. “If you promise not to tell Mari about our little excursion, I will let you visit the Surface for one hour. This is non-negotiable!”

Joy erupted in Sollara, and not thinking she ran to Sugoi and
hugged
him, squeezing him as tight as she could. He awkwardly stood with his arms pinned to his sides as he tried to shake her free. Once loose from Sollara’s uncomfortable grip, he took some twine from his dresser drawer
.

“For precautions, I will tie you to myself so we do not loose each other,” he said waving the rope. Sollara nodded and held out her hands, he pulled them behind her back and
sk
illfully bound them, then fastened it around his waist
. He knew that there was a risk of her escaping, or worse, having use of her hands. She was eighteen now, and tha
t meant if she did have powers

this was the time they would awaken.

Once he was convinced he had done his best work and that there was no way she could wiggle her way free from her b
indings, he escorted her to their portal
.

Sollara had been so filled with anticipation that she
did not notice
the stone pond until it w
as right in front of her. She’
d always been wary of the onyx slab; its darkness seemed to absorb the light out of the already dark room. And to Sollara, anything that took away her precious light was not something she wanted to be near.

“Can’t we just walk to the Surface?” she asked, hoping to avoid being sucked into the shadows of the stone pond.

“Don’t be foolish. This is the gateway the Descendants took from Atlanticus when we l
eft. They’ve entrusted it to Mari and I. It is a high honor that I’m even letting you use it.” H
e
shook his head in frustration and rubbed the nape of his neck
. “Besides, it would take far too long to just walk there.”

Sugoi motioned her to join him atop the large dark stone. Hesitantly she tested the surface with her toe before placing her whole weight on it. She had never been permitted to see how the stone pond worked. They kept it from her for fear she would learn how to escape, and rightfully so, as she often dreamed about that very thing.

While they waited for its magic to work and transport them to the Surface, Sugoi stood rigidly at her side, holding fast to the bindings. It seemed bizarre to Sollara, how cautious he was being, but since she had never been to the Surface, she did not know the protocol for visiting. And truthfully, she was far too excited to question anything.

The rock walls began to change, shift, and melt away. Soon darkness engulfed them. A heavy pressure, as though someone or something was pushing dow
n on her, encompassed her body. The feeling intensified, and soon it
felt
as though she was being pulled every which way. She opened her mouth to scream
out
in pain but no noise came forth. Her only sense of reality was Sugoi’s hands firmly clasped to her bindings. Her breaths became shorter and shorter until she couldn’t take them in at all. The overwhelming feeling of suffocation caused panic to rise within her chest. She was at the brink of slipping forever into the darkness
.