Mazy (Protectors of the Elemental Magic Book 3)

Book summary

Mara emerges as a powerful force after defeating a dark goddess and freeing the enslaved Miezitari. Returning home with Cole, their magic becomes a perplexing curse rather than a blessing. Mara must navigate divine realms and tough choices to protect her unborn child, exploring themes of sacrifice and protection.

Excerpt from Mazy (Protectors of the Elemental Magic Book 3)

One

“Come quick, Mommy! Mommy! Mara!”

Setting the kitchen knife down next to the vegetables I was cutting, I went to investigate. As I stepped out of the house, I could see the black hair of the child as he ran through the long blades of golden grass.

“Quick, come see what Daddy has made,” the small boy said when he reached me. His deep brown eyes twinkled, and he wore a mischievous grin.

I followed him through the field and down the hill to where the grass was no longer tall. I stopped as a wall of fire appeared with the words, WE LOVE YOU.

“Isn't he great?” the boy yelled. He ran towards the fire creation and into the open arms of the dark-haired man that stepped out of the flames. The man's golden eyes flickered as he saw me.

“What do you think of my creation? Aidan said he wanted to make something special for you. Did we succeed?”

He set the boy down and kissed me on the cheek. “Why are you so quiet, love? Are you not happy with your surprise?”

“What are you doing, Kai?” I asked, not hiding my anger. “What game are you playing?”

“Why is Mommy mad?” the boy asked the man, his eyes welling with tears.

“She's not mad. Mommy is just having one of her sad days. She is just a bit confused,” Kai said, patting the child on his head. “Why don't you go practice what I taught you. I bet Mommy will be feeling better, later, and will bake some cookies for you.”

The boy looked at us both hesitantly before nodding and running off.

Kai took my hand, but I yanked it out of his grasp. “Why is he calling me, Mommy and you, Daddy?”

“Mara, I don't know how to help you remember us. You haven't had one of your spells in so long. You can't start this, again. It's too confusing. Aidan is our son. We are married. We've been married for over six years, now. Why must we do this, over and over? Why can't you remember us?”

“Lies!” I screamed and stepped away from him. “I’m married to Cole and I'm having his child.”

“You're not pregnant, Mara,” Kai said softly.

I touched my stomach to prove him wrong and gasped. He was right. I wasn't pregnant.

“What have you done?” I cried.

Whirling around to run back to my home, I saw a small red cottage with yellow trim. I scanned the area for anything familiar. For miles around me, there was nothing, but rolling plains of copper grass. I realized I wasn’t in Starten. Falling to my knees, I sobbed.

“Mara,” Kai whispered into my ear. He wrapped his arms around me. “I know you miss him, but Cole is gone. Losing the baby was too much for him. He blamed himself for it. There was nothing you could do to save him. You need to forgive yourself. Can't you stay in the present with us and release the past?”

Tears streamed down my cheeks. I felt the air inside me expel as I deflated. Is he telling me the truth? Did I lose both Cole and our child without remembering?

“Our son needs you to be here with us. He doesn't understand why you keep forgetting who he is. Mara, I won't keep putting Aidan through this.”

Painful images flashed in my mind, telling me that Kai wasn’t lying. I had lost everything I loved. The image of Cole lying dead in my arms consumed me. Trembling, I fell into Kai’s arms. Though he held me tight, the warmth from his body couldn't remove the chilling realization of all I had lost. Pressing myself closer to him, I nestled deeper, seeking more of his heat. The fieriness of his touch cooled, and I gasped when it turned ice cold.

“Did you really think I would let a child of my blood be born to you? I told you I’d take everything you love. How nice of you to assist me with this family. You're destroying them for me.”

The arms around me were no longer Kai's. I struggled to break the hold, trying to get away from the familiar body. When she released me, instead of running, I turned around to face her. Her cold gray-blue eyes glared at me – Snowystra.

“Did you expect me to let you live happily ever after?” she snarled. “Pity that I had to let my beautiful boy die to punish you. Although, watching you relive that pain has been worth it. But I have grown bored with finding ways to hurt you. Now, it's your turn to die, Marina.”

A familiar dagger appeared in her hand. I had summoned and used it to stab Snowystra when she had tried to stop me from leaving her dark domain, Snowstrum. Her eyes gleamed with satisfaction at my surprise. Before I had time to act, she plunged the knife deep into my stomach. Her long nails dug into my shoulders, holding me close to her.

I struggled to pull away, but I could not free myself. All that I could do was scream as her cold laughter filled my ears.

Two

“It's okay, Mara,” Meg said, smoothing my hair. “It was just a dream. Wake up.”

Opening my eyes, I touched my stomach, only to be relieved when I felt movement. My baby was still inside me and definitely alive. Trembling, I sat myself up.

“Same dream?” Meg moved closer to me.

“Yeah,” I said, unable to calm the shaky feeling I had. “I don't know how to make it stop. Danu promised me that Snowystra was dead, but it feels like she's still here. I need Cole to come home. Why isn't he here if he’s doing better each day?”

“I know you’re worried about him, but you can't keep all of it built up inside. You should know by now that it will haunt your dreams.” Meg hugged me tightly.

She was right. I was full of fears that I couldn’t stop from playing, over and over, in my mind. However, I wasn't Meg's burden. She worried about me too much. I was supposed to be her protector, her big sister…not the weak patient that needed to be coddled.

Not wanting to admit what was really worrying me, I said the obvious, “I need to see Cole. I need to see him myself. I need Cole to tell me that he's ok.”

When Cole was lured to Snowstrum, Snowystra made him the Shah of her Winter. As the Shah, Cole was a different man; he became cruel and abusive. I’d been naive to think returning home would fix everything. The night he left, he tried to talk to me about his fears, but I silenced him. If I had listened, Cole might not have gone.

I hated him for the way he left. Cole hadn’t even said goodbye. He simply left a note that said he needed to fix himself before he could be with me. Why did he sneak away in the middle of the night like a coward? Why hadn't he forced me to listen to his concerns?

I left my unspoken words hanging. I needed Cole to tell me he loved me and that he wasn't leaving me. I needed to know that he didn't go because he was grieving the death of Snowystra.

“You know he’ll return when he's better, Mara. Have faith that it will be soon.” Leaving Gram's bed, which we had been sharing since Cole's departure, Meg opened the curtains and let the sun shine in on me. “It's going to be a beautiful day, so get out of bed. Let me finally show you the room we built for you. You can't hide forever in here, pretending nothing has changed.”

Sighing, I resigned myself to the fact my little sister wasn’t going to let me wallow in my sadness, today.

Cole and I were in Snowstrum for, what I thought had been, only a few months. Upon returning, we learned our absence from Starten had lasted for over six years. During that time, Meg had grown up and, many days, I felt like I was the little sister, now. The fifteen-year-old had more wisdom inside her than I remembered having at that age. Her positive outlook was so different than mine.

I reluctantly threw on a flowing summer dress. Nothing I owned did much to conceal my pregnancy. How will I explain being pregnant with a missing husband to everyone?

Running my fingers through my curly hair, I inspected the roots of the white streaks that had been created by Snowystra's touch. My hair had grown, but it didn't look like it would be returning to its raven color. It would serve as my reminder that, despite being freed, Snowystra had forever tainted my life. Sighing, I decided to not bother fixing my hair. Meg would redo anything I did anyway.

Images of Cole, from the last night we were together, ran through my mind as I brushed my teeth. Four months had passed, during which I thought I’d forgiven him for leaving. Now, I wasn't sure. It didn't help that I hadn't forgiven myself. The guilt I felt for not listening to his concerns and dismissing his worries grew stronger each day. If I would’ve just listened to him, I wouldn’t be alone.

“She said you were getting ready. I think your teeth are probably clean enough,” the soft voice of Essie said. My stepmother took the toothbrush from me and wiped the toothpaste from the side of my mouth as if I was a small child.

Essie had become the mother that Eliza never could be. Every day, I felt closer to her and appreciated her taking care of my family while I was gone.

“Meg told me the dreams are getting stronger. What can I do to help you?” Her green eyes filled with such warmth and love. Stroking my cheek, she took my face between her hands.

I could feel the heat from her magic.

"The baby growing inside you needs you to heal your heart, Mara. Cole will be home, soon. You need to believe in the love he has for you." Essie spoke to me using a form of ESP.

My stepmother’s family had been followers of Brighid for hundreds of years before my grandmother had been blessed by Danu. The Goddess kindly referred to them as her Ateissa – her calming balance. Unlike my ability to control all four elements, Essie had been gifted with telepathy and a soothing touch.

“How do you believe in his love when I doubt it, every day? I need to see him. If we are over, I need him to tell me.” My voice was as cold as my heart.

“Oh, Mara, you don't believe that,” Essie said, taking my hands in hers.

“I need to see him, Essie. I’m going to go to Danu and ask her to bring me to Cole,” I proclaimed. She loosened her hold on my hands, but I gripped her hands tighter. “He has been gone too long. If he's not here for the birth, he will hate himself and I don't think I will be able to forgive him, either.”

Sighing, she calmly said, “I will help you go to Cole, if….”

“If what?” I narrowed my eyes at her.

“Meg has planned a day for us. She wants to take you to Main Street to pick out items for your suite,” she said. “It's time to leave Gram's room. You can't hide here forever, dwelling on your sadness and anger.”

Closing my eyes, I took a slow breath. “Ok. I’ll give you this day. However, tomorrow, I’m going to Cole. Gram always told me to follow my heart, but it feels like my heart stopped beating the day he left.”

I joined my family at the kitchen table as they were finishing breakfast.

Charlie babbled and scooped her food into her mouth. My father doted on my two-year-old half-sister, appearing amused by her. A brilliant smile graced Essie’s face when she saw her husband and child.

My half-brother, Miles was at his normal station in front of the stove. He loved cooking and often experimented, using his Air magic to enhance the recipes. Carrying a plate of food towards me, he grinned.

A small smile spread across my face. I loved seeing my little brother so happy. Miles lost both parents in the blink of the eye and was left in the care of strangers, I thought in amazement. Instead of sinking in his sorrow, he’s accepted his new parents as his own and thrived. Why could I not be so strong?

“So, what are you up to, today, to make you smile like that?” I questioned.

His big, green eyes twinkled with mischief. “Nothing special. Just working on how to make the pancakes fluffier. I think I’ve mastered the recipe.”

“No secret spices?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.

“Just the usual – vanilla with a pinch of lemon zest,” Miles said. When I narrowed my eyes, he laughed. “Don't use your dark queen look on me. Should I call in the royal food taster?”

Miles never missed a chance to mock my former queen status and lived for the stories I shared about my time in the dark court. I wondered if he, sometimes, missed the formality of living in the Drygen mansion.

Setting the plate before me, I admired his presentation: a stack of pancakes with butter and maple syrup next to a fruit salad of blueberries, strawberries carved into roses, and star-shaped apple slices. Waving my hand at him in a dismissive manner, I said, “This is acceptable. I will trust you, today.”

He kissed me on the cheek and plopped down on the seat next to me. “I feel honored you approve. Now, eat before it gets cold.”

The pancake melted in my mouth and I was unable to restrain an audible moan. My senses seemed heightened since I had returned home. It may have been from the liquid diet I was on in Snowstrum or, possibly, the pregnancy.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Miles chuckled. “What does my Neep think of it?”

Since we didn't know the sex of the baby, Neep had become Meg’s and Miles' nickname for the child inside me.

“So far so good,” I said. My period of nausea, when I had an overwhelming aversion towards food, had passed and I was thankful to be able to enjoy meals, again. “What are your plans for us, today?” I asked Meg. Reluctantly finishing my breakfast, I decided to be positive about the day.

“I thought we’d start in your room. Then, we should go to Jackson's to pick out a bedspread and some things for the new space,” Meg responded excitedly. Hopping up, she stood over me. “We better get going. We have a lot to do, today, Mara.” Meg offered me her hand. “First thing, let's fix your hair.”

With expert skill, my little sister twisted and turned my hair, hiding the white streak and creating a long, thick braid.

When Meg finished making me presentable, I followed my father and her past Gram's room and down the hallway towards the patio. The house had been renovated while I was gone and there had been several additions made. Before my grandmother's death, she had talked to Cole about her wishes. Gram had always wanted a spot in our home where she could watch the sunrise and appreciate the morning view. My father had honored her ideas and the patio, now, wrapped around to the east. At the far end of this, there was a white door.

“This part of the house is all yours,” my father said, opening the door to a wide-open space. “We didn't do anything, yet, down here. I thought you and Cole would want to talk about how to use it.”

At one end of the room, there was a circular staircase. Following my father, we slowly climbed the stairs. The handrail, made from the same light wood as the rest of the space, was engraved with flowers and butterflies. When we reached the top, my eyes filled with tears.

The room had several glass pane windows looking out into Starten Forest. It was clear that my father had made all the furniture in the room, from the king-size bed with a dark wood headboard to the dressers and desks. Trailing my fingers along the smooth wooden surface of one of the armoires, I struggled to find my voice.

“Oh, you don't like it?” my father said, wringing his hands. “We can change anything you want.”

Choking back my tears, I replied, “No. It's not that…it's perfect. Everything’s so nice. It must've taken you forever to make it all.”

“Making the furniture was my small way of keeping you close while you were gone. There’s a piece missing, though. I didn't bring up the crib, yet, but I think it would be perfect over there,” he said, pointing at a small section of the room. Standing in front of another door, my father added, “And, here’s the bathroom. I borrowed the design from Charlemagne's, so it has a nice big bathtub and a glass shower.”

Interrupting, Meg said, “And, then, when my Neep is old enough, they’ll sleep in here.”

She opened a third door I hadn’t noticed before. It led to my old bedroom. The loft room that Meg and I had shared.

“You've thought of everything,” I noted, unable to hold back my tears.

Meg wiped the wetness from my face. “Oh, Mara, don't cry. If you don't stop, I'll have to cry with you.” When I cried harder, she said, “No, seriously. Enough of that.”

My father laughed. “If you two don't stop, I’ll be crying, too.”

“We wouldn't want that, Dad.” Meg smiled. “As you can see, there's a lot we still need to buy before you leave, tomorrow, Mara. We don't want Cole to come home to an unfinished room.”

“How do you know about that?” I asked, not hiding the surprise in my voice.

“I didn't know, for sure.” Meg laughed. “Thank you for confirming it. This time, you have to promise to not be gone so long.”

Taking one last look around, I hoped Cole would soon be back at home with me. The small kick from my stomach didn't want to be left out. “Yes, Daddy will be home in time to meet you,” I whispered. “Ok, Meg, I’m almost ready for the day you've planned. I’ll only be a few minutes.”

As we turned to leave, a strong wind blew into the room. Breeze stood in the open window. The Air elemental wore a cross look on her face.

“Not so fast, Mara,” she barked. “You've been avoiding your training. How will you protect the child you carry if you're running from your responsibilities? Sorry, Meg, but Mara is mine for the next few hours.”