Aventurine

  Aventurine

  Book Three

  The Chalcedony Chronicles

  By

  B. Kristin McMichael

  Aventurine

  Book Three of The Chalcedony Chronicles

  Copyright © 2015 by B. Kristin McMichael

  All rights reserved.

  April 9, 2015

  First Smashwords Edition

  Lexia Press, LLC

  P.O. Box 982

  Worthington, OH 43085

  ISBN-10: 1941745938

  ISBN-13: 978-1-941745-93-9

  Cover design: Alexandria N. Thompson

  Cover Picture and necklace design: Lunarieen

  Editor: Kathie Middlemiss of Kat’s Eye Editing

  Proofing: Ashton M. Brammer

  This book is licensed for your personal use only. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by electronic or mechanical means without written permission of the author. All names, characters, and places are fiction and any resemblance to real, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  If you did not purchase this book or get it from the author, please go to a legit website to purchase the book. It may not seem like much to you, but it means the world to the authors to have people purchase the book and stop pirating indie books. Please don’t contribute to pirating and the demise of the cheap indie book.

  Summary: Mari finds herself trapped in the past and lured into Logan’s grand plans. Only thing is, Seth isn’t ready to give up on her, and soon Mari is torn. Should she follow Logan and save everyone from going back into the past, or should she follow her heart and Seth to the past they were meant to have?

  Other Books By This Author

  The Night Human World

  The Blue Eyes Trilogy (Series One)

  o The Legend of the Blue Eyes

  o Becoming a Legend

  o Winning the Legend

  The Day Human Trilogy (Series Two)

  o The Day Human Prince

  o The Day Human King

  o The Day Human Way [2015]

  The Skinwalkers Witchling Trilogy (Series Three)

  o The Witchling Apprentice [2015]

  The Chalcedony Chronicles

  o Carnelian

  o Chrysoprase

  o Aventurine

  o Chrysocolla [2015]

  Standalone Books

  o To Stand Beside Her

  Join my mailing list for exclusive discounts and new release notifications.

  Table Of Contents

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter 1 – Prince Arik-ninari

  Chapter 2 – Stuck in the Past

  Chapter 3 – Broken Promises

  Chapter 4 – Heartbreaking Terms

  Chapter 5 – Breaking Up

  Chapter 6 – New College Semester

  Chapter 7 – Second First Date

  Chapter 8 – Disaster of a Double Date

  Chapter 9 – Anniversary Date

  Chapter 10 – Real Friend

  Chapter 11 – Old Friends

  Chapter 12 – Changing the Game

  Chapter 13 – Returning to the Past

  Sneak Peek: Chrysocolla

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Other Books By this Author

  Bonus Chapter: Dream of Me by Quinn Loftis

  For all book lovers—may I raise my children to love books as much as those who are reading this one.

  Prologue

  Logan Jones had already changed history. The goddess had watched as Mari fell even further into his schemes. She hadn’t been sure about him before, but the goddess now saw that she had overlooked the young man. He was a much bigger player than she would have ever imagined. She’d thought he was involved only by chance the first time, but now could see it wasn’t so. The goddess hoped she had done it right by making Mari able to travel through time. It could be different this time. She hoped it would be enough to stop the world from suffering. The goddess had tried many scenarios, but the future had never been what it was meant to be. She couldn’t let him win. His version of the future didn’t bode well for mankind.

  The goddess had hoped that, by pulling Mari out of her time, it would enable her to have the future she was meant to have. Even in the past, Logan was infatuated with Mari. He had changed the past twice already to go back and have her. He wasn’t her future, yet he couldn’t accept that. The goddess was unsure how he had found her in the present, but he did. The goddess was only glad that Seti had also found her. One thing was always the same--once Seti and Mari met, there would be no breaking their love. The goddess was depending on that love to keep the world going astray.

  The goddess watched as Mari huddled on the floor. She was waiting to go home, or to be found by her cousin. The goddess already knew the outcome, yet she watched anyway. Mari had sent Seti to the future. It was a smart move. If he had been found with Mari, he was sure to be executed and war would ensue. By sending him to the future, Mari halted a new war from beginning, and ensured the possibility that Seti would still have the life he needed in the past. There was still a chance for peace between the Egyptians and Nahrins. The goddess had to hope it was so. The past needed to remain the same for now. By telling him who her father was, Seti now knew the truth about who Mari was. Would it make a difference? Would he know what it meant?

  The goddess watched as a guard approached Mari. He wasn’t one who she recognized, and the goddess had seen the past hundreds of times. He was a new player in the game. A new person was interesting, and the goddess wanted to know more. Who was he, and where was he from? Would he help Mari correct the outcome Logan was trying to bring upon them? The goddess would have to wait until the future solidified to find out the identity of the young man.

  She could do nothing but watch now. Would Mari be able to stop Logan, or would he get the timeline he wanted? Mari was her last hope. The goddess wouldn’t get any more chances. The chalcedony stones were all gone. This was their last chance. It would be the real ending if Mari couldn’t change it.

  Chapter 1

  Prince Arik-ninari

  I waited in the spot where Seth was just standing. I had sent him to the future to save him from whatever fate was coming my way. The lines had vanished from my arm. My power was gone for now. I couldn’t let him be punished for being with me after I had run and hid. It was safer to send him into the future with the last of my time travel power. Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I could still feel his lips on mine. I’d carry his strength with me to face whatever came my way. Steps came close, and I was anxious to see what would happen now. Tears threatened to fall, but I kept them inside. I came to the past and did exactly what I wanted to accomplish. My mother, Dee, and Seth were all safe in the future. It was going to take a few more days before I could say the same about myself. I prayed that the next handful of days would be uneventful.

  Less than six months ago I had learned the truth of my family. My mother was from the past, the ancient past, and she had come to the future so that I could have a future of my own. I was raised in the twenty-first century, thanks to my mother. The world of the past I was now sitting in had nothing to offer me. Women were traded like cattle to make alliances. To even the field of being powerless in this male-centered world, the women here struggled and plotted against each other. I had met one of the most evil women I had ever known, and now I would be taken back to her lair if the prince didn’t outright punish me for my disobedience. I rejected the suitor he needed me to marry. It was going to be a long few days to wait. If things got too bad, I’d have to use any little power I could store to actually escape, but that would just lengthen my stay in the past. I was pretty much screwed for the time being.

  The people neared, and I waited. A guard of some sort found me first. I could have sworn I had seen him before, but I didn’t take a close look at any of the guards. They were all over the palace since I arrived. He bowed when he saw me. I could almost make out a small smile at the corners of his mouth. Was he happy or relieved? I didn’t smile back. I was a prize, but my situation left nothing for me to be happy about.

  “I found one here,” the guard yelled, and many more footsteps followed. More people gathered into the little room. I didn’t recognize any faces. I hadn’t been in the past long enough to know more than a couple of women. None of the males beyond my mother’s cousin, Saru, were recognizable.

  “Where is your mother?” one of the men next to the first guard demanded. He stepped closer, almost threatening me.

  “I don’t know,” I replied. I kept my eyes downcast. I needed to play a better submissive girl if I were to get back to the future, and it was much easier to lie if I didn’t look into his eyes. They didn’t exactly like me being outspoken here. “She disappeared, and I was left here alone.”

  “Were you trying to escape?” another man added while the first guard looked me over, still saying nothing.

  I was a mess from running away from the man that tried to assault me. It didn’t help that I was running through the palace at nighttime. On top of everything, the room I was sitting in was covered in dirt and dust. I didn’t have a clue where I was in the palace, but I could tell in the daylight that it wasn’t a place used much. Dirt was caked on the fancy outfit I wore. I really didn’t care, but it seemed to make the first guard grin more, which he then had to hide.

  “No. I was lost, and the more I walked, the more confused I got. Finally, I decided I had no clue where I was. I figured if I stayed still someone would eventually fin
d me,” I replied, trying my best to look scared.

  It wasn’t hard to do with several men all carrying weapons crammed into a little space with me. The man who found me first gently took my arms and picked them up. He paused briefly, noticing the barely visible lines, but didn’t say anything. They should have been invisible to everyone there. I held my breath, wondering if he knew what they meant. If he saw them, it meant he knew the goddess. He turned me a bit in a circle and was satisfied that I was safe, maybe a little dirty, but unhurt.

  “Send word to the Prince that we found the daughter. I’ll take her back to the women’s quarters to clean up before seeing him,” the strange guard added. He must have been in charge, the men moved and did exactly what he told them.

  “Lady,” the man spoke to me, but paused as if he had just figured out he didn’t know what to call me. No one had yet to ask me my name.

  “Mari.” I filled in the blank.

  “Lady Mari, please follow me. I’ll take you back to your aunt,” the man replied. I nodded. My aunt was better than my cousin’s evil wife.

  The walk back through the palace was very enlightening. We had come far in the darkness the night before. I couldn’t tell exactly how far away from the main part of the palace we had run, as I wasn’t sure how much we had traveled in the dark. We passed through several courtyards and hallways that seemed endless. I hadn’t realized it, but the palace was huge. Somehow my mother had found the point farthest away from the royal side of the palace to hide. In the light of the day, I had a chance to see the elaborateness around me. The walls were finely finished stone, and if it wasn’t immaculately smooth, it was covered with pictures of men, rows of men, chariots with horses, fighting, winning; anything you could imagine was delicately painted on the walls. I always thought of the past as dirty and worn down. Any pictures you ever saw in the twenty-first century of ancient Egypt were pieces falling apart. Even the Great Sphinx was missing parts of its face. I never imagined the past being real. Now I was walking through it, and it was very real. Part of me wished I could pause and look closer at everything until the guard spoke and brought me back to reality.

  “Lady Mari, are you hurt?” the mysterious guard asked politely. He had already checked me over, but I guess I still looked ragged.

  “No,” I replied. My dress was torn in a few places, but that was from our dark run. I felt fine.

  “Your aunt will be glad to hear that, as will the Prince,” the guard stated.

  “Why would the Prince care?” I asked.

  My cousin had told his wife, Lady Saska, to give me over to a Lord Enil to try out before marrying me off to the old man. I didn’t exactly do as I was told. The past might be a bit different from the present, but I was pretty sure going against what the Prince wanted wasn’t going to earn me points with my cousin.

  “The Prince?” The guard asked, surprised. “Because he has chosen your betrothed. If he gave you away in any condition other than perfect, Prince Arik-ninari would seek retribution. Prince Arik-ninari specified that you were to be unharmed in every way possible. Lady Saska was putting up a real fight about punishing you when I left to find you. You’ve seemed to have made an enemy of that lady.”

  That made no sense. Lady Saska made it seem like Lord Enil was the final choice to be my husband, and now he wasn’t. Was he ever even one of the options? A lord or a prince… I didn’t know much about the past, but I was pretty sure marrying your cousin off to a prince would help you better in the long run than marrying them off to a lord. I had no clue what it meant, but it seemed like my cousin’s wife was trying to just hurt me.

  The guard kept quiet for the rest of the walk, letting me contemplate what he had told me. He had been kind and reassuring. It was as if he already knew what I had gone through, and was trying to let me know not to worry. Could he have known where I was all along? I was sure other people saw, but I would have guessed that he would have led everyone else right to me if he knew where I ran off to. He kept walking, and I stayed near him so as not to get lost. He was growing more of a mystery.

  As we finally made it back to women’s quarters, I dreaded entering. I had directly defied Lady Saska when I fought back against the Lord Enil. The guard may have said I was safe, but I didn’t feel safe anywhere in the lady’s quarters where Saska was in charge. I walked into the courtyard and held my breath, waiting for the onslaught of words from the wicked lady. I opened my closed eyes to find that it was surprisingly empty.

  “Where is everyone?” I asked the guard escorting me. He stood just outside the pillars, watching the room.

  “I’d guess at the midday meal,” he replied, satisfied I would be safe. His talkativeness seemed to have faded.

  “Everyone?” I asked.

  “Except me, dear,” my great-aunt Juni told me.

  I turned and found her walking into the room. She was my mother’s aunt, and mother to the current ruler of Nahrin. The regal older lady was waiting for me. She was the only kind soul I had met in the palace, and I was more than happy to see her waiting there.

  “We need to get you cleaned up. My son will be here soon to question you. He won’t like to see you in such a state.”

  I was dirty, but nothing was wrong with me. They had a strange sense of what okay was. I guessed that as a prince and future king, my cousin would want things however he wanted them. I followed my aunt anyway as we went off to the baths. It wasn’t the relaxing bath I had the day before with my mother’s help. This was a mission to clean all the dirt off me as quickly as possible. Even Lady Juni got her hands wet as she hurried to clean me along with her maids. I was washed, cleaned, and prepped to be presented to the Prince in what seemed like record time. As soon as we finished, we returned to the courtyard to find Prince Saru pacing around alone. I glanced at the entryway and didn’t see the kind guard anywhere. Fortunately, my aunt was nearby.

  “Dear cousin,” Prince Saru said, eyeing me suspiciously. He was happy to see me, yet holding back anger. That wasn’t a good sign. I had directly disobeyed his wife. I didn’t think I stood a chance. I didn’t glance at my arm, but hoped I had enough power to get away if I needed to.

  I stood where I was and waited for him to say more. He huffed and studied me at the same time. I had no idea what to think now. I couldn’t tell which side he felt more, happiness or anger. When it seemed like he was finally done analyzing me, he paced a little. With his thoughts cleared, he turned back to me.

  “Where is your mother?” he asked, getting right to the main question.

  He wasn’t a person you would want to lie to. I learned that already about the curly-haired man. I had a feeling he knew when someone was telling the truth, or at least when I was. My mother and aunt seemed a bit more immune to his gaze, but I couldn’t help it. I never had to lie to someone before. The past was a bit harder than I had imagined. It was time for me to learn the game if I wanted to survive until my powers to time travel returned. I could tell him no lies, but I could never tell him the whole truth.

  “I’m not really sure. I chased her through the halls of the palace, as I don’t know my way around. She just vanished,” I replied. That was the truth. She did just vanish. I might have been the one to make her vanish, but my cousin didn’t need to know that. He nodded at my reply.

  “Was her Egyptian guard with her when she vanished?” The prince moved closer. He was intimidating.

  “No, he was not. He was further behind us. I think he was trying to keep up with us, but neither I nor he knew our way around the place like my mother,” I answered. I was glad that Dee had left at a different time. I could be truthful about that also.

  “And where is he now?” Prince Saru stood in front of me and stared directly into my eyes.

  “I don’t know. He chased after her. I think he was trying to get to her to keep her safe,” I replied. I hoped he would believe me and that there was enough conviction in my voice. It was hard to keep thinking up answers that fit the truth and that fit what he asked without telling him exactly what happened. I had to stay vague, yet give just enough information to make it sound convincing.