Nola moved to a stone bench sheltered from the winter breeze, then motioned Maxwell to her side, offering him the seat next to her.
He accepted but eyed her with a sideways glance. “There are no words to change my mind, Nola. You know full well that I will have my revenge for the years of bowing to this boy, King Iver, and the Cazier family from Nebea. They killed my king and kept me from the throne. My men will kill every last one of them, and I will cleanse Milnos of any Diu vermin.”
She nodded, reassuring him of her allegiance. “Is everything in place for Landon to assume the Milnos throne during your winter festival?” she asked, batting her eyes at him. “Tolan and Amelia will not be a problem, I hope.”
Maxwell leaned in closer and took her hand in his. She smiled at his foolishness. “My dear Nola, Tolan was tossed into prison weeks before I left. Amelia loved these Diu people—she even married one. I tried to convince her the morning of her wedding to reject the offer, but she refused. After imprisoning Tolan, I could not take her constant blubbering. I locked her in a tower where she can rot for all I care. The girl is of no use. She was to deliver Kai to Milnos and failed.”
The heat from Maxwell’s hand warmed Nola’s cold fingers. She knew all too well his disdain for women and his belief they were playthings—tools or trash that deserved no real power. Someday she would need to manipulate her bother Landon into killing the Regent when he was no longer of use.
Caressing the back of his hand, her green eyes locked on his. One thought bloomed in her mind and curled the corner of her mouth. In a soothing tone, Nola spoke. “My dear Maxwell, continue your plans for Landon.” She tapped his hand with the rhythmic cadence she preferred and let her hypnotic stare renew the connection she had forged over the years.
From around her neck, she clasped a black crystal dangling at the end of a chain. It had been handed down generation to generation, and now she alone wielded its power. Ensuring her influence over the Regent was secure in this matter, she focused on her desires. “Remember, the Milnos people will rally together under their one true king. You will be my brother’s advisor. Landon will need your guidance. With years of experience ruling Milnos, you will play an important part in our country's future. Only then can we be together.”
Maxwell’s lost look told her he was under her spell once more. She whispered into his ears, seeding his mind with her desires. Before she could secure her place, Kai must be removed—permanently. “Maxwell, send a unit of Milnos men into the Zabranen Forest to disrupt the Katori tribes north of Albey. We must flush Kai out from his hiding place in those mountains. I have plans for the young prince, and for his father. Trust me, Maxwell, and I will give you all you desire. You do trust me, don’t you—my love?”
There was no response. The layers of manipulation made the man putty in her hands. Nola wanted to instruct him to jump to his death down the five-story drop, but she still needed the man, as did her brother, Landon. Instead, she changed the rhythm of her tapping to a slow rub. “Maxwell, listen to me. You are tired. Sit here in the sun and rest your eyes. You will wake in a few moments and feel refreshed, confident in your strategy to control Diu through my son Aaron.”
Nola rose and stepped inside the council chamber, leaving the Regent where he sat.
Chapter 1
Snow Wolf
The golden sunrise raced down the Katori Mountains and sparkled through the ice-covered trees. Kai’s breath floated on the frozen air in white puffs. There was something safe about solitude. Or so he told himself, as he did every morning as he ventured out alone. A yawn took over his face, reminding him how little sleep his nightmares afforded him, trapped in constant contemplation over his ability to change the future—and save his father.
One lifelong burden still haunted him: could he save his mother, Mariana Galloway? He knew the risks he was taking today, his mother was a powerful Beastmaster who had lost her mind after spending a decade trapped in her dragon form. If he hoped to understand her condition, he needed to comprehend the dynamics behind the multiple creatures twisted within her comatose mind. His teacher, Basil, cautioned restraint and set limitations—but Kai knew that if he hoped to revive her, he needed to take risks.
Standing in the snow-covered forest below his grandfather Benmar’s cave on the Katori mountainside, Kai sniffed the bitter cold, and a sense of mystery urged him to let his magic flow outward. The energy within his aura rolled down his spine and washed over the forest in a tidal wave. The magic within each animal living in the forest pushed back, instilling the desire to run.
Soundless footfalls pressed into the snow as Kai weaved through the forest at a heart-pounding pace; his Nebean black wolf, Smoke, joined him. Crystal-like branches glistened above him. Each step pressed into the undisturbed snow, leaving a trail of silent destruction. Down the mountain they went; the faster he ran, the happier he felt. Then he noticed them—a pack of wolves hot on their heels. Snow leopards and mountain lions joined the growing collective.
Remembering the lessons his friend Ryker, another Beastmaster, had taught him, Kai no longer relied on his ability to glean—the ability to see the energy that flowed through all life set aglow with his mind. Instead, he traced the vibrations through his aura to create a deeper magical connection to his surroundings.
