TIMELESS

  SCOTT PRUSSING

  This is a work of fiction. All the characters or events portrayed in this novel are either fictitious or used fictitiously.

  TIMELESS

  Smashwords Edition

  Copyright © 2015 by Scott Prussing Publishing

  All rights reserved.

  Smashwords Edition, License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  AUTHOR’S NOTE:

  Timeless is an ambitious and challenging undertaking for me. It is a “combination sequel,” meaning it is a sequel to both the Blue Fire Saga books and to my Anomaly book, mixing characters and storylines from both. I’ve made every effort to write the book so that it can be enjoyed by Blue Fire fans without reading Anomaly first. Even so, you will almost certainly enjoy Timeless much more if you do read Anomaly prior to embarking on your journey in Timeless. If you wish to do so, the Smashwords link to Anomaly is below. If not, enjoy!

  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/434227

  LEESA

  CHAPTER 1

  THE FIRST TIME the unusual dream visited Leesa’s sleep she didn’t think much about it, other than it would have made a great beginning to a pretty cool book. She had dreamed about a bunch of teenagers called the Miracles, all but one of them possessing a specific magical power. It wasn’t wizard magic like hers, but some of the powers were similar. One curly-haired blond girl could perform telekinesis, and her handsome Mexican boyfriend could create magical light, similar to Leesa’s illumination orbs. A beautiful Asian girl possessed a healing power. Other powers were very different from anything Leesa or Dominic could do. One freckle-faced, red-headed guy could rewind time for a short period—that was a very cool trick, she thought—and the youngest guy could turn himself invisible.

  The girl who didn’t possess a power was named Leah, and she was about to turn eighteen. Leesa remembered how her own magic had begun appearing shortly after her eighteenth birthday, and she hoped something similar might happen with Leah, who seemed pretty bummed to be the only Miracle without a power. Like Leesa, Leah was a tall young woman. Her dark blond hair was cut short and streaked with red highlights.

  The Miracles lived in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic world filled with nightmarish monsters. The dream took place in San Diego, where Leesa had lived most of her life until moving to Connecticut for college. She guessed it made sense for her subconscious to draw upon a setting she knew so well.

  She found it quite amusing to dream about a dystopian San Diego, because in many ways the place was not all that different from a volkaane settlement. The energy fields produced by electrical and battery-operated vehicles and appliances attracted dangerous portals to another world, so they had been dismantled and outlawed. There were no cars, no televisions, no phones—her subconscious must have played a role in that, too. In any case, Rave certainly would have felt right at home in such a place.

  The most fun part of the whole dream, though, was when three beautiful mermaids suddenly appeared off the coast playing with a pod of dolphins. Mermaids hardly fit with the fearsome beasts Leesa had dreamed about up until then, so it was a nice shift. The mermaids carried a message for the kids. Leesa wished she hadn’t awakened before she got to hear what the message was. She couldn’t begin to imagine what the mermaids might have said to the Miracles.

  Even though it was a totally cool story, Leesa had no time to even think about writing a book, not with her own magical training taking up so much time—and with the training of five-year-old Ralin consuming still more. She filed the details of the vision in the back of her mind, thinking it might make a fun story to tell Ralin when he was a bit older.

  The second night the dream came to her, it lasted much longer. The mermaids told the Miracles they needed to journey to Alcatraz Island to stop an unnamed event that could destroy their world. They had begun their journey by boat, but their ship had been attacked and destroyed by a kraken. Leah and the Miracles were in the midst of a harrowing journey up the California coast with a company of Marines when Leesa woke up.

  As soon as she opened her eyes in the darkness, two thoughts came to her. First, with all the adventure and magical monsters in the dream, there definitely was a good book there, and probably a movie, too. Second—and more importantly—because the dream had repeated itself she now worried that it might be one of her magical visions. If it was, it was certainly the strangest she had ever experienced, and that was saying something. She wondered what this one might mean. Once again, she found herself wishing the dream had continued longer.

  Her dream power had been the very first of her magical powers to appear, early in her freshman year at Weston College. She had dreamed of zombies digging themselves out of their graves in a nearby cemetery, but it wasn’t until Cali told her about a news report of vandalism in a that same graveyard that Leesa realized there had been something special about the dream. The supposed vandals had dug up a number of graves, but there was no evidence of any digging equipment. Only later did Leesa learn that one of the Necromancer’s wizard servants had been experimenting with raising the dead.

  Like this new dream, that one had also been incredibly realistic and detailed.

  In the darkness of their bedroom, she could just barely make out Rave’s dark outline lying next to her. It looked like he had his head propped up on his elbow, watching her sleep the way he so often did.

  “You were dreaming,” he said. “And something about it concerns you. What is it?”

  Rave’s question didn’t really surprise her. His volkaane eyes could pierce the night as easily as if it were daylight. He must have seen something in the expression on her face to prompt his query.

  “I’m not sure,” she replied. “It was a really cool dream—fun and exciting—but it’s the second time I’ve had it. I’m wondering whether it might be one of my magical dreams, and if there’s some kind of message in it for me.”

  Rave sat up, leaning his back against the headboard. Past experience had proven that Leesa’s dreams could sometimes be important.

  “Tell me about it,” he said.

  Leesa sat up and snuggled against Rave’s side. He draped his arm around her shoulders.

  She repeated her dream in as much detail as she could recall, telling him about the Miracles and their powers, about the monsters who inhabited her version of post-apocalyptic California, and about the message from the mermaids telling the Miracles they needed to go to Alcatraz to stop some kind of impending disaster.

  “There’s a guy in the dream named Kai who’s from another world,” she told him. “He kind of reminds me of you. He doesn’t have any magical fire, but he’s supernaturally strong and fast.” She turned her head and kissed his cheek. “He’s nearly as handsome as you, too. Leah has the hots for him, but he’s only shown mild interest in her so far. I hope those two get together—I can’t imagine how I would have felt if you hadn’t liked me as much as I liked you.”

  Rave took her hand in his. “Well, you’ll never have to worry about that.”

  Leesa smiled and squeezed his hand. “I know. But let me get back to my dream. First, Kai used a bow and arrow to kill a two-headed cyclops who was about to smash Leah—and maybe eat her, too, for all I know—and then Kai saved her father from being turned to stone by a gorgon. Thanks to Kai, the company also survived an attack by a flock of wyverns. They had just made it to San Francisco when I woke up, so I have no idea what kind of dangers were awaiting them on Alcatraz.”

  She drew in a deep breath when she finished. “Quite a story, huh? And those were just the highlights. I left a bunch of stuff out.”

  “It does sound like it would make a pretty good book,” Rave acknowledged, “but I don’t see what it could have to do with us. It’s pretty far out there from our reality, even back when we were fighting super vampires, zombies and the Necromancer.”

  Rave was right, of course. Leesa had already thought much the same thing.

  “I know,” she agreed. “But it still worries me that I’ve dreamed it twice. That has to mean something.”

  “Maybe you’ve been growing bored,” Rave suggested. “Things have been pretty peaceful for several years now, which I for one find a pleasant change. Perhaps your brain is just trying to create some excitement for you.”

  Things HAD been peaceful for them, especially since Ralin’s spontaneous eruptions of volkaane fire had ceased shortly after his third birthday, the way they usually did with volkaane children. Leesa wasn’t sorry to see them go, but a tiny part of her missed the excitement of the days when she and Rave and Dominic had battled the Necromancer, the black waziri, and their undead minions.

  “Maybe,” Leesa agreed. She snuggled tighter against Rave. “Let’s hope that’s all it is.”

  When the dream invaded her sleep again a few weeks later, Leesa no longer had any doubt it was one of her magical ones. The fact that she had now experienced it for a third time was one sign; a second was how clear and sharp the details of the vision were, just like in her other magical dreams. The problem was, she still had no idea what this vision might mean. It didn’t seem remotely connected to anything in her life or even within the b
ounds of her knowledge.

  This time, the story had proceeded even further than before. On Alcatraz, Leah and her friends had been attacked by a giant lava dragon from the other world—a balrog, Kai had called it. Leesa recognized the word from The Lord of The Rings books. At the last moment, Leah’s power had finally appeared—she had absorbed the dragon’s fire and turned it back upon the beast, slaying it. The monster’s belly had been filled with eggs, which the soldiers had destroyed. Had the eggs been allowed to hatch, lava dragons would have overrun Earth.

  Leah wasn’t done yet, though. After slaying the dragon, she destroyed a magical portal that looked like a black hole had been ripped into the fabric of the universe. The portal was called an Anomaly, and it had been the cause of all the problems in the first place.

  With the destruction of the Anomaly, it seemed to Leesa that the story had reached an end, but then a voice emerged from a new, similar portal asking Leah and her friends to come help save the world on the other side of the opening. Leesa awoke before Leah could reply, but having grown to know and like Leah in the dreams, Leesa was pretty sure she knew what the answer would have been.

  The only real question remaining was what could these events in that far off, fantastical future possibly have to do with her? It was a question with no real answer at present, and Leesa didn’t like that one bit.

  CHAPTER 2

  RALIN’S MAGICAL TRAINING was very much a hit or miss affair. Even though he now looked like he might be ten or twelve years old, Leesa had to constantly remind herself that her son was barely five, with all the exuberance and inconsistency that manifested in any young child.

  Dominic’s dampening of Ralin’s waziri magic had by and large been successful, especially for the first few years after Leesa had rescued her mentor from the Necromancer’s magic table. Once Ralin’s volkaane magic stopped bursting forth out of nowhere, Dominic had slowly and gradually weakened the spell he had cast to mute the boy’s wizard powers.

  Ralin still had no control over when his magic might appear, or over what form it would take when it did. Whenever it arose, Dominic tried different methods and exercises to try to help Ralin control it, or at least for them to figure out what the magic might be trying to accomplish. The strange green spirals still appeared now and then, but neither Dominic nor Leesa had the faintest idea what the purpose of that particular magic might be. It was unlike anything Dominic had ever seen.

  Leesa’s own powers had improved dramatically over the ensuing years, thanks to countless hours of training with Dominic. Her energy blasts, while still nowhere near as powerful as the older wizard’s, were far stronger than they had been during the struggle with the Necromancer. She could cast air shields of many shapes and sizes with scarcely a thought now, and maintain them easily while doing other spells at the same time. It was amazing to think that the air shield had once been her most challenging spell to master.

  Her growing skills had also made her pretty much impervious to the weather. She was able to regulate her body heat to a comfortable temperature even while performing two or three other spells. Air shields kept her dry in the fiercest storms, and if she was somewhere in public where a shield would draw unwanted attention, a continuous drying spell dried her off as soon as the rain or snow hit her. Her clothes would look wet, but her body remained dry. Like Rave, she had to remember to dress appropriately for any nasty weather if they ventured out somewhere they could be seen, lest people wonder how they could withstand the chill in lighter clothes.

  Today, the four of them had trekked a short distance into the woods behind their home for Leesa and Ralin’s daily practice. No weather-proofing spells were needed—it was a pleasant, late spring morning with no wind and barely a cloud marring a high, crystal blue sky.

  Leesa and Rave stood quietly, holding hands in comfortable silence while they watched Dominic work with their son. Ralin sat on the ground, his back resting against the wide trunk of an ancient oak and his legs crossed Indian style. Dominic squatted close in front of him, his forearms resting on his thighs, talking softly. As far as Leesa could tell, Ralin was giving Dominic his full attention, which was not always the case.

  For more than a month now, Dominic had been trying to teach Ralin the everywhere/nowhere thought control technique that was the basis for controlling so much of their magic. So far, he had met with little success. Like most young children, Ralin’s mind preferred to be everywhere and EVERYWHERE, not everywhere and nowhere. Sitting still for more than a minute or two was not his forte, either. He seemed to be managing okay this morning, though.

  Apparently finished with today’s instructions, Dominic passed his palm slowly down across Ralin’s face. When the wizard removed his hand, Ralin’s eyes had fallen closed.

  Leesa edged quietly closer. Rave moved forward even more silently. For the first time, Ralin appeared as if he might actually be getting it.

  A full minute passed, and then another. Ralin’s face remained serene and expressionless, his breathing slow and even. Were it not for the erect posture of his neck and head as he sat against the tree, he could have been asleep.

  Finally, Ralin’s eyes popped open. He seemed to take a moment to gather himself, then looked up at Leesa. His face remained expressionless.

  “The horse lady needs help, Momma,” he said softly.

  Leesa had no idea what Ralin was talking about. “What horse lady, sweetheart?”

  “The horse lady in my dream,” Ralin explained. He thought for a moment and then added, “I think she’s a queen or something. She needs help.”

  Ralin had never spoken to Leesa about any dreams before. She wondered if some sort of vision had come to him during the everywhere/nowhere state, or if the relaxed condition had simply allowed an earlier dream to bubble up into his consciousness. Either way, she knew enough not to brush it off with a simple, “It’s only a dream,” reassurance, especially given Ralin’s complex mixture of waziri and volkaane magic. They had seen no sign of any dream power in him so far, but he might possess a similar power to hers. She needed to hear more about his dream.

  She crouched down in front of her son. “What kind of help does the queen need?” she asked, keeping her tone matter-of-fact so as not to raise any alarm in him.

  Ralin frowned. “I’m not sure,” he admitted. “I thought you knew.”

  Leesa tried to hide her surprise. “Me? Why would I know? I don’t know any queens.”

  Now Ralin looked confused. “You don’t? Are you sure, Momma?”

  Leesa nodded. “I’m sure. I’ve never met a queen, sweetheart. I’ve never even seen one, except on television.”

  Ralin’s brow furrowed as he processed this new information.

  Until recently, he had only seen television on their infrequent visits to his grand aunt and uncle’s house. Leesa and Rave always made sure to keep him a safe distance away from the set, but like any young child he was fascinated by the things he saw on the colorful screen. On his fifth birthday, Leesa bought a widescreen for their house, deciding Ralin could now be trusted never to touch it, or even go too close. He had seen queens in several Disney videos she had purchased for him, so he knew what a queen was.

  “Oh, I thought you had seen her,” he said after a moment. “She’s the one who sent the mermaids.”

  This time, Leesa could not conceal her surprise.

  “Mermaids?” she asked, astonished. She was almost afraid to ask the next question. “What mermaids are you talking about, Ralin?”

  Ralin’s face took on that exasperated look only a frustrated young child can achieve.

  “The mermaids, Momma. You know—the ones who brought the message for Leah.”

  Leesa felt her jaw drop open. Somehow, Ralin had shared her dream—and it seemed as if he might have seen even more than she had.

  “What is it?” Dominic asked. “What’s all this talk about queens and mermaids? And why has it upset you like this?”