Origin of Angels: Elemental Legacy Book 1 Read Free Page A

Truth be known, the under-stirring of the dark movement had poisoned the fae court for millennia.
    The real division came when I challenged Valen. He’d made himself king of the fae without Tabitha or anyone else ever knowing what he’d done. Valen stole the physical forms of his victims and absorbed their matter into his own. Each soul was then trapped inside the monster. When I’d first met him, he’d gone by the name Yaron. The next time I was at court, his identity and name had changed. He’d absorbed an underlord named Valen, and adopted the name. I was certain it was this occasional shift in identity which afforded him the luxury of going unnoticed for so long. I’d only figured it out at the last minute. By incorporating so many fae and human alike, he’d been able to take power that didn’t belong to him.
    He truly was the definition of evil, and I knew one day soon, I’d have to face him again.
    Chills rolled over me. Such vileness deserved to be wiped from the planet, but I’d been informed by an angel how Valen was my adversary and always would be. In the heat of the moment, I’d risked my eternal future for the fae. My fate was now tied to the straggling band of misfits who found a home on earth. The cost? Maintenance would be the best way to describe what the fae do. I was still learning to control the elements, but I hoped one day soon, I’d be able to accompany Heath to the mortal realm. I’d heard horror stories from Order Elementals, who had been brainwashed into thinking the fae were the worst form of evil. The truth was much different than the Order would have Elementals believe. The fae are kind, at least those remaining. They have no desire to cause mischief for humans, no matter the reason. Still, they have a job to do, and if pressed, they will cause global destruction to restore the balance of power — the balance of nature.
    My thoughts drifted back to my brother. He’d been captured by Cassie’s dad. Cassie became a permanent fixture in my life the moment she moved to our hick town. My family kept secrets from me, and so had Cassie. When she and I went away to school, we left the sanctuary Aunt Grace hid me in, and I wasn’t the only one who was bombarded by fae creatures from that moment forward. Cassie always had the ability to see the fae, even though for most humans, their presence was cloaked. Creep that he was , her father experimented on her since she was a baby. He’d given her injections of who knew what, which may or may not have changed her. It was always possible she’d been born with the abilities I now realized were similar to the first Elemental before she was transformed. Cassie may have demonstrated an ability with the fae from the moment she was a little girl. I’d probably never know what came first: her ability or the experiments. Lambert took Travis when the Order raided our small town and found rebels who were hidden at the pig farm. I’d been told there was an entire fortress under the facility, but I’d never actually seen it myself. Whatever Lambert had done to Travis must have been awful. He hadn’t been the same since we rescued him. As worried as I was about Cassie and what her dad had done to her, I was even more so with my brother. He was growing restless, and I needed to make sure he stayed focused on what was important.
    I found him in the center of the maze, sitting under the silver maple, gazing at the sky. He didn’t acknowledge me when I took the place beside him. I couldn’t believe how much he had changed. Gone was the gangly boy I grew up with. He became a man without me realizing. I frowned, touching his rigid shoulder with tentative fingers. “What is it?”
    He sighed — something he did too much lately. “You’re never gonna get anything accomplished sitting out here with me.”
    I shook my head, instilling my voice with conviction. “We need your help.”
    Travis scoffed, his tone growing more agitated with every word.