The Rift (Warriors Of The Mystic Moons Book 5)

Book summary

In The Rift, a diverse realm of vampires, elves, dragons, witches, and more must set aside their differences to confront a looming darkness. As unlikely allies band together to rescue a young vampire and battle a powerful demon, themes of magic, courage, and unity take center stage in this epic fantasy adventure.

Excerpt from The Rift (Warriors Of The Mystic Moons Book 5)

CHAPTER 1

Mac casually approached the well-guarded Ankhourian fortress and greeted them with the Ankhourian salute; a right fist snapped to their breastplates as he entered the fort. Ankhourian

Warriors filled the courtyard, training with swords, hand-to-hand combat, archery, and horseback fighting. At the entrance, Mac got off his horse. A sentry signaled for a stable worker to take it.

He walked into the fort's expansive courtyard and scanned the area for Kess. His blue-gray eyes squinted from the sun's glare, bouncing off the steel swords as the women warriors practiced mastering the sharp blades. Mac stopped to admire them as they practiced their fighting skills. As much as it pleased him to see the all-female Ankhourian warriors practicing, it also made him sad. They should be out enjoying life: dancing, running, writing, shopping, reading, and participating in myriad fun activities. Instead, they had to be prepared to fight demons, dragons, and other nasty creatures in Mystovia.

He spotted Kess resting her hand on top of the hilt of a sword and conversing with a couple of Ankhourian warriors. As he approached, the two warriors spotted him, gave their salutes, and excused themselves, leaving Kess and Mac alone.

"Having fun, are we?" He gave a short laugh at the disheveled-looking Kess in front of him.

"Oh, yeah," she nodded. "It's about as much fun as walking a beat in 100 degrees with no shoes on."

"I remember walking a beat," he said, referring to their police officer years, "but I always had my shoes on."

"Funny," she replied wearily. "I'm so hot and tired."

"I know," he sighed. "Been there, done that. But you've been summoned to Castle Remat."

"So," Kess brushed back a loose, light-brown curl from her forehead, and her big brown eyes narrowed. "I've been practicing fighting with swords, bows, and arrows, and now I'm summoned to practice my magic. Doesn't anyone ever get tired here?" She motioned for one of the junior Ankhourian warriors and promptly handed her the bow and arrows slung over her shoulder. "Done training for today." Kess smiled at the pretty young girl, who took her bow and arrows, saluted, and left.

"I don't know if it's practicing our magic stuff. I was told we are requested to go to Castle Remat," Mac said. His 6-foot-4-inch frame towered over Kess's 5-foot-4-inch body, blocking the glaring sun from her eyes.

"I'll take Castle Remat anytime." She put her hand on her back and arched her body. "I am sore all over."

Mac laughed softly. "Your pale face is also very red from the sun. Don't you ever tan?"

"Nah," she quipped. "Never felt the need to be a baked potato. Never mind that now; I am really sore."

"I know; they sure have put us through a lot of vigorous training lately," Mac said, glancing around the courtyard at the ongoing training.

She looked up into Mac's face, who was scanning the Ankhourian fort. "She's not here, Mac, so quit looking for her. Do you know when Sirel will get back?" Kess asked, thinking of the beautiful, tall, blond warrior who was Mac's love interest.

"Your guess is as good as mine," he shrugged slightly. His attention was now back on Kess.

"What about Kybil, your Elven prince?" Mac's face broke into a big grin. "He's been gone as long as Sirel."

Kess sighed. "Yepper," she mimicked his shrug. "It's been three months and no word from either of them or Drago, for that matter."

"Yeah," Mac nodded. "I miss my little buddy. He's probably flying around with Miri-Xen his little lady friend."

"So, how did you get here? Where were you?" Kess asked, brushing another loose curl from her forehead with her hand.

"I was out with the Elven patrol," he said.

"Doing what?"

"Patrolling," Mac shrugged.

"Umm, yeah." Kess rolled her eyes. "That makes sense if you were out with the Elven patrol." She nudged him in the stomach. "I mean, where were you patrolling?"

"All over Mystovia, from the way my backside feels." He put his arm on her shoulders and turned her toward the stables. "Time for us to ride."

"Can't we call for a ride with a dragon?" She commented in a whiny pitch as they walked toward the stables.

"I don't think they have cell phones," he said, mimicking her whine. "Plus, I don't know how to contact them," he replied normally.

"Geesh," Kess grimaced. "Did I sound that whiny? She looked over and saw him nod. "Sorry, just tired from practicing from the break of dawn till now."

Mac laughed, "It's okay, kid. I'd be whiny, too."

"Well, it's starting to get dark, so we should get started," Kess said with a quick shrug of reluctance.

They walked into the stables, and a stable attendant greeted them. "Your rides have been ready," she saluted and walked away.

Kess and Mac looked at each other momentarily and then at the space in front of them.

"I thought she said our rides were ready." Kess placed her hands on her hips.

Mac shook his head as he glanced at the stalls filled with horses. "Are we supposed to saddle them up? Which ones? Which stalls?"

"Not in the stalls," a deep laugh erupted behind them.

They whirled around to find two beautiful Pegasus standing there.

"Oh, you are a sight for sore eyes," Mac said, "among other things."

"Captain Rapollo and Corporal Fymat at your service." Both Pegasus nodded respectfully.

"Her Imperial Sorceress sent us. She believed it would be faster and safer."

"You'll get no arguments from either of us," Mac said.

"Oh, thank you, grandmother," Kess sighed deeply. "Really, thank you."

They arrived safely at Castle Remat and were advised that the Imperial Sorceress would greet them first thing in the morning since it was late.

"That's great," Kess said, smiling. "I am in a genuine need of a bath here."

She patted Mac's arm as she made her way into her room.

"See you in the AM, Kess." Mac lifted his arm, smelled under his armpit, wrinkled his nose, and said, "I'm heading for a bath as well."

Kess watched as Mac sniffed himself. "Seriously? You had to lift your arm? I could have told you that you needed a bath 100 feet away from you.

Mac gave a short laugh and gave a half-wave goodbye to Kess as he headed for his room.

CHAPTER 2

The morning sun was just beginning its slow climb from beneath the horizon, and a tiny sliver of light began to crest the skyline. In a few moments, it would reach the French doors in Kess's room and then make its way to her face as she slept restlessly. Suddenly, the door to her room burst open, and Mac rushed in. "Kess, get up!" he hollered.

Kess shot up in bed. Her shoulder-length brown hair fell in disarray around her face. "Whaa … What's happening?"

"We've got trouble," he yanked the covers off her.

"What's new about that?' She said groggily, dropping her feet over the edge of the bed," Geesh, what's so urgent?"

"It's Kybil," Mac crossed his arms and began tapping his foot.

"Kybil!" Kess became fully awake. Reaching down at the end of her bed, she grabbed her robe. "What? What has happened to him?" Her heart raced as she struggled to put her robe on.

"Here," Mac helped her put it on. "It seems some kind of cannibalistic tribe has taken him prisoner. The teens said that's what Nordaal told them."

"Oh, no," Kess tied the belt to her robe and headed out the door. "Where are the teens now?"

"We're out here," Brody yelled. His handsome, Asian face lacked the customary smile.

Danny stood with his arms folded and looked down at the marble floor. "We should have gone with Nordaal and Yaneth." A soft light from the dimly lit hallway fell across his bright red hair.

"Are you nuts? Are we talking cannibals here?" Naomi asked. "Look at my size. They would love it if I were on their menu." Naomi saw the worried looks on everyone's faces. "Hey, I'm just trying to lighten things up here."

"What can we do against cannibals?" Marcus furrowed his brow. "We'd need an army to rescue Kybil." His muscular shoulders heaved a couple of times, and a dark brown curl fell onto his forehead. "Besides, we may be too late."

Even though she was overweight, Naomi moved in front of him so quickly that it startled him. Marcus looked into her deep green eyes and saw the warning in them. He cleared his throat and smiled weakly, "What I mean is… what I'm trying to say is …" He shrugged. "I don't know what I mean."

"It's not too late," Kess said. "It's not too late." She said it twice as if that made it so.

"No, he's fine–for now," Brody quickly interjected. "They have to have some kind of dance or ceremony or something like that before they … well, we have some time."

"What exactly did Nordaal or Yaneth say to you?" Mac asked.

"Nordaal is the one who told me that Kybil and his men were going to be one of the main dishes. Or something like that. He woke me up saying that he and Yaneth had to leave very quickly to get to Kybil and his men. Well, I may be a bit groggy about getting the details. Anyway, he put a map in my hand and said that's where they will be."

"What are we waiting for? Let's go," Kess said, starting down the long marble hallway.

Mac grabbed her arm. "I think your outfit is a little too casual for this trip."

Kess looked down at her robe and said, "Yep! I'll be right back." She hurried into her room, dressed, and ready to go within minutes.

When she came out, Rakmor stood with the rest of the group.

Kess looked noticeably relieved to find the tall sorcerer standing there. "Rakmor, I am so glad you are here."

"I just got word this morning." His dark eyes narrowed, "I had no idea Kybil and his warriors were in trouble."

"Well, it's not like you guys have cell phones in here," Danny paused. "Say, do you think we can work on that?" He turned to his three colleagues.

"Yeah, let me see if I can build a cell tower," Naomi said sarcastically.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Rakmor said, "but maybe you can explain it later once we get going."

Mac looked solemnly at the young people in front of him. "Look, you know this could get, really …"

Danny, Brody, Marcus, and Naomi finished Mac's sentence simultaneously: "Dangerous."

"Does anyone know where we are going?" Kess asked, looking from one face to another.

"Yeah, Nordaal gave me the map," Brody said, reaching into his pocket. He shook his head as he produced a piece of paper with scribbling all over it. "I got nothing with this map. It looks foreign to me."

"That's a map?" Naomi took it from him and began turning it over and over. "It looks like a spastic chicken did a tap dance on it."

"Let me see it," Rakmor took the natty piece of paper, looked at the map for a moment, turned it another way, and then smiled. "Yeah, I know where this is. It's close to Dwarger's home village, near the Brywyn Mountains. That is strange. Are there cannibals around there now?" His brow furrowed deeply. "Hmm, the only cannibals I know of are the Evoos, and the Dwargers wouldn't let them anywhere near there." Rakmor shook his head. "But nothing in Mystovia surprises me anymore."