Blood Flows Deep in the Empire Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  Introduction

  Glossary of Characters

  Glossary of Terms

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Epilogue

  Preview

  First published by The Writer’s Coffee Shop, 2013

  Copyright © N. Isabelle Blanco, 2013

  The right of N. Isabelle Blanco to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her under the Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) Act 2000

  This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced, copied, scanned, stored in a retrieval system, recorded or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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

  The Writer’s Coffee Shop

  (Australia) PO Box 447 Cherrybrook NSW 2126

  (USA) PO Box 2116 Waxahachie TX 75168

  Print ISBN-13: 978-1-61213-145-0

  E-book ISBN-13: 978-1-61213-146-7

  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the US Congress Library.

  Cover image licensed by depositphotos.com / © artjazz

  Cover design by: L.J. Anderson and N. Isabelle Blanco

  www.thewriterscoffeeshop.com/nblanco

  About the Author

  N. Isabelle Blanco, the woman who would come to be known as “Nyddi,” was born in Queens, New York. By age three, due to an odd fascination with studying her mother’s handwriting, she’d already begun to read and write. By the time she reached kindergarten, she was reading at a second-grade level, not to mention talking up a storm and showing off her extensive vocabulary. Her obsession with words and reading ended up bleeding into every aspect of her life. As she got older, romance novels took the reins of her obsession, leading her to devour every romance story she could find.

  Thanks to the world of Japanese Anime, N. Isabelle was introduced to the wonderful universe of Fanfiction. She would come to write fanfics on and off again as a hobby for the next ten years, but it wasn’t until the Twilight phenomenon came along that she began dedicating hard hours to writing. For the next year and a half, she amassed a following that, by her own admission, she would never be able to live without. It is those fans that encouraged her to step beyond the fanfic realm and take her talent out into the publishing world.

  Acknowledgments

  To my sisters, Lety and Sarah; my cousin, Angie; my girl, Cindy; and my niece; Brianna. You’re all crazy, but that’s one of the reasons I love you so.

  To K.I. Lynn, Flora Roberts, Amy, L.J. Anderson, JoAnna (Joey), my beautiful Nat (Raven) and her “warden”, Massy, Ashley, my baby Deb (Sri Sri), Kimberly (Noc), Linda D., H.E. Regis, Abigaile R., Mia B., Laura S., and the rest of my crazy girls: “Momma” loves your crazy asses, too.

  To my son, who I adore and is one of the biggest reasons I strive every day to be more, Mom loves you “more than the Universe.” And no, you don’t win just because you say you love me as much. I still love you more.

  Tamea—my baby girl, my gorgeous “wifey”—you are my arm. I could never function without you. I love you so hard girl.

  Sweets, Trease, you knew you were going in here. And what can I say? Who loves you? We all know who. Say it with me . . . “My Nyddi loves me. Yes she does.”

  Thousands of species had risen and fallen within the Universe by the time humans came along. While many self-aware races came close to emulating the Gods, none did so more than the humans—those creatures that physically came closest to resembling their divine predecessors. Although the humans had none of the Gods’ physical strength, they did have godlike powers of creation locked within their minds. From the moment that humans first walked their planet, it was known to the Gods that their corner of the Universe would be pivotal. Their race was destined to become intertwined with Fate on a level no mortal species had before.

  Glossary of Characters

  Crius – God of the Underworld

  Cyake – God of Divination/God of Prophecy

  Dimithinia – Ancient Ritrioan Queen

  Dyletri/Salicyar – God of Fertility

  Enteax – Aviraji

  Evesse Salazar – Ismini’s best friend

  Ianthen – God of the Hunt

  Ianythi – Goddess of the Wild

  Ismini Harrovnian – Prophexia, the Prophesied One

  Lisrn – Aviraji

  Lizzisi – Exivisi Genelhi, Goddess of Light

  Maivera – Goddess of Illusions

  Nylicia – Watcher of Destinies

  Sillizi – Exivisi Genelhi, Goddess of Darkness

  Soleria de Leon – Ismini’s best friend

  Vedlyl – God of Medicine

  Vermylea – Goddess of Deceit and Maivera’s sister

  XreakLi – Sesengt, Guardian of the Earthen sector

  Zeniel/Mavrak – God of Tranquility/God of Vengeance

  Zexistr – God of Existence

  Glossary of Terms

  Abideos –The Chamber of Souls; inside Renentr.

  Aristi – Soul Orbs.

  Aviraji – Corrupted gods who want full control over the Universe.

  CeFtut – Monsters created when the Aviraji combined the DNA of the worse creatures in the Universe.

  Dixieme Eductu – Melting of the ice sheets that submerged hundreds of ancient kingdoms.

  Enzyria – The Szolite’s domain.

  Etaeryb – Mind-meld/mental connection.

  Fieren – Illness resulting from an unrequited mating.

  Gnetica – Shield that hides things from human eyes.

  Haklenayasas – The dream realm/Nylicia’s realm.

  Illion – The source of all things in the Universe.

  Kystm – The veils, or barriers, between dimensions.

  Prophexia – Prophesied female.

  R’ma – Female mate.

  R’mann – Male mate.

  R’mmanev – Mating between two beings.

  Renentr – The main underworld/Crius’s realm.

  Ritrio – The Empire of Blood, one of humanity’s earliest empires.

  Ritrioan – People from Ritrio, Dimithinia’s people.

  Sesengt – Guardians who watch over the Universe and all its dimensions.

  Sivigh – Door to the Underworld of Renentr.

  Szolites – Group of gods defending the Universe.

  Terets – Weapons, molecule destabilizers.

  Utorou – Portal to the Haklanayasas.

  Ziaphrite – Mating ritual.

  Prologue

  – Enzyria, Viewing Chamber

  Salicya
r felt warm air caress his cold flesh. He clenched his fists, his nails almost breaking through his gloves and digging into his palms. Stars zoomed past, their white light surrounding him on all sides. The projected image moved at the speed of his thoughts—thoughts that were frenzied and crashing together. His chest tightened, the muscles stiff and aching.

  A blink of his eyes brought the image to a halt. All around him, the circular chamber cast a three-dimensional replica of the Universe upon the walls. He refused to turn away, even as the anger in him spread and made his eyes heavy. A planet that had once held life was gone. His jaw ticked as he took in the large rocks left floating in its place.

  He told himself not to look any further. Wasn’t this proof enough?

  His nostrils flared, and his blood boiled hotter. Fuck that. He needed to see more. Not being on the dimension was fueling his denial. A pitiful voice whispered inside his head and reasoned that perhaps that corner of the Universe had been spared.

  Stop. Do not do this to yourself, you ass. You already know.

  He was not good at listening, even to himself. A sharp turn of his head had the image in front of him rotating, spinning. Stars once more flew past. Salicyar took one step closer to the image, the dread inside him turning acidic. His mind raged, tried to stop him. Another quick movement and he was staring at what had been another planet with intelligent life.

  Sentient beings, weaker than his kind, but no less aware, destroyed for no reason. He had seen destruction since the beginning of time, but that had been before living creatures had begun to inhabit the planets.

  Why the hell would they do this? The waste. The callous destruction of the thing his kind was supposed to hold so sacred.

  Energy crackled at the tips of his gloved fingers. He bit through his cheek to keep himself from flinging bolts at the walls of the chamber. Air burned through his lungs. Salicyar reached inside himself for the courage needed to seek out the other planet. The one that was most important to him.

  He was a fucking god. There was no way he would let something like fear hold him back.

  But still, it roiled inside him, warning him that he might not be able to handle what he was about to see.

  Growling under his breath, he focused on the projection before him and willed it to move again. It took mere seconds to find what he was looking for, though it felt like an eternity. The slow muttering of chaos inside his mind, the what-ifs, only served to increase his apprehension.

  Would it be as the rumors said, flooded and devastated? Or would it be gone, obliterated like the others?

  The moment the image stopped, he stared at the small blue planet on which he’d spent so much time. Horror settled deep. The changes he saw, even from afar, made him feel as if he’d been pummeled by one of the meteors projected in the room.

  The reports circling the dimensions had been true. The planet before him had once been mostly land, land which was now missing. He didn’t need to look closer to see they had melted the ice caps. The oceans continued to rise, swallowing up whole countries before his eyes.

  It had been half a day since those cocksuckers had unleashed this havoc, and the devastation had only begun.

  Stop. You have seen enough. You have your proof.

  He ran his fingers through his hair, tugged roughly, and blinked away.

  That one small motion put him eye-level with Earth's destruction. As if he were standing on the planet itself, the roar of crashing waves filled his ears. Lingering screams echoed around him as he witnessed the people running, fleeing stone-forged cities with panic written on their faces.

  They ran for naught. Even as they tried to find shelter, there was no escaping the ocean. No way to avoid the tsunami that headed toward them. It was so large that, once it was close enough, the sky was no longer visible above it.

  The deafening roar it made barreling down on the land was enough to even shake him, a god.

  Those fucking bastards. I swear to everything . . .

  The urge to kill something, anything, was growing. He managed to slide his eyes closed. For a second. Like a masochist, he could not keep from opening them to look again.

  “Salicyar?”

  Nylicia. Fuck. He didn’t have time to deal with her right now. He growled as the images flickered and then disappeared, leaving the chamber silent. He wasn’t done. He wanted, needed, to see it all. Every last ripple of destruction. He deserved it.

  She had willed it off, but the sounds of despair continued to reverberate inside his mind, careening inside his skull.

  He couldn’t blink, couldn’t process. The gods be damned, he needed to tear into something.

  Dimithinia was gone. He had no choice but to admit it to himself. The one mortal he’d truly cared for was gone. As were millions. Millions had been wiped out with her. How many innocents had been amongst the dead? He could imagine the fear, the panic—the faces of the children and their parents as they realized there was nowhere to go. No escape.

  Everything. They’d almost destroyed everything. Why?

  “Salicyar?”

  He stared off into space, barely able to control the violence inside him, let alone give Nylicia his attention.

  She repeated his name.

  “What!”

  The Watcher of Destinies moved closer. “Things will get worse.”

  “How much worse can they get? The Aviraji said they intended to punish a few beings. This . . . this was an apocalypse!”

  “Not quite. An apocalypse would have killed all the humans and almost every living thing in the Universe.” Nylicia sounded way too calm for his liking.

  “Why?”

  She responded softly, her voice near a whisper. “This was not about punishment of the mortals. It’s about war, Salicyar.”

  “War?” Although he should have not been surprised.

  “This is nothing compared to what the Aviraji plan to do.”

  It was enough to make him turn toward her. His eyes landed on her see-through form, her body as much of a projection as the one he had been viewing. He had met Nylicia, the self-proclaimed Watcher of Destinies, a few hundred years before. To an immortal, it was a short acquaintance, but he’d already come to trust her. From the moment she’d made herself known to the Szolites, everything she had foretold had come to pass.

  “Salicyar—”

  “I do not wish to be called by that name anymore. That is the name the Aviraji gave me, along with my duties, and they have betrayed me.” His tone was harsh, but it was only a fraction of the bitterness consuming him.

  “They have not only betrayed you. They have betrayed thousands. Perhaps even millions. But come sunrise, they plan something worse.”

  “Worse than this?”

  “I told you. War. Many of your friends and allies are destined to die—”

  “More death!” His body flared, white light surging through his veins. It lit up his skin, his eyes. Even the ends of his hair glowed with the intensity of the anger he felt. He looked down at himself, sneering. Disgusted. The light flowing through his veins reminded him of who had given him those powers in the first place. The very beings he now ached to destroy.

  He’d been faithful to what they’d asked of him. As God of Fertility, he’d practically whored the hell out of himself in order to help the human species survive. He had given his body to any human female who had asked, for the sake of fulfilling the purpose the Aviraji had given him. All that, yet the moment he actually came to care about one of them, she’d been murdered.

  “Yes, more death. This is why we need you to get yourself together and fight—”

  “No!”

  Nylicia tilted her head, piercing him with a stare. “And if I told you there is a way you can find your true happiness? That you can have that and bring Dimithinia back?”

  The question intrigued him. Just as she knew it would.

  He stormed up to her. Whatever she was, her form wasn’t really there—no one had seen Nylicia “in the flesh”—but he
still sneered down at her. He stared into her multicolored eyes and let her see every bit of the rage churning inside him, trying to intimidate her.

  “Explain.”

  She gave him a look that clearly told him such tactics were not going to work.

  He gritted his teeth together as she deflected his demand in that airy, frustrating way she possessed. “First off, what do you wish to be called now?”

  “Damn it, that does not matter to me—”

  “It does to me. Hmm, perhaps I shall name you then? Let me see . . .” She tilted her head, one finger tapping on her small chin. “Oh, I know. You strike me as a Dyletri!”

  “Which means I am destined to be named that. So be it. I could not care less about that.”

  “Are you not even going to ask me what the name means?”

  His teeth ground together, and his patience dwindled rapidly. He could find out the meaning of that name himself, if he so chose, but he knew to indulge her. At least for a few seconds. After that, he might just snap and treat her to the sight of him tearing apart the chamber.

  “What does it mean?”

  “The handler of change. Constant change, to be exact.”

  He had no idea why that applied to him, and he did not really care. His brows tensed, his patience shrinking down to one atom’s worth. “As I said, that does not mat—”

  “I have a talent for naming. I think I shall stick to it. Name a few more.” Nylicia’s expression was gleeful, although she had come with news of disaster.