Ransom and ruin jesimae.., p.1
Ransom & Ruin: Jesimae Book I, page 1
Ransom & Ruin
Jesimae Book I
S.E. Zell
Copyright © 2023 S.E.Zell
All rights reserved
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Cover design by: @brosedesignz
Printed in the United States of America
To all the freaks with crazy stories trapped in their heads— I let mine out. Your turn.
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Author's Note
Pronunciation Guide
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
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Epilogue
Memory & Mutiny
Chapter 1
Acknowledgements
Author's Note
This is a fully edited, revised, and expanded edition of my 2016 novel, Jesimae. After many years off from writing, I knew I had to revisit this world of my own making and make it even better, if I could. If you are here for the first time, welcome and thank you so much for being a part of this epic journey—these siblings need all the allies they can get. If you are here for the second time…shh no spoilers! But thank you for returning. Thank you all for your support, enjoy the adventure, and please come back for book 2 in December 2023!
Pronunciation Guide
Aedrian—AY-dree-an
Aedrik—AY-drik
Ashdan—ASH-den
Baela—BAY-luh
Besian—BEE-zee-en
Calloway—CAL-o-way or just Cal
Daeva—DAY-vuh
Deorick—dee-OR-ick
Emyr—EM-er
Kilian—KILL-ee-en
Silvija—sil-VEE-uh
Prologue
The Daeva
“I should have killed you the minute you walked in here,” drawled King Besian of Jesimae.
The Daeva sauntered over to the chair on the other side of the king’s desk and sank into the plush cushions before responding, “You’ve had plenty of chances to kill me over the years, Besian. And yet, here I am. I thought for sure when you banished me after your wife’s death, that would be the last I’d hear from you. Pray tell, what drove you to call on me after nearly three decades?”
They sat back in the seat, waiting for his answer. Besian “The Conquerer” was a hard and unforgiving man. It had pleasantly surprised the Daeva to receive a summons from the King of this embittered and war-torn land.
In their youth, the two had been close. The Daeva had been instrumental in Besian’s strategic marriage and his conquering of the northern territories. They often mourned the loss of those early, bloodthirsty days.
“Well?”
“That upstart in the Black City, Angerona. What’s his name…Aedrik. He’s still calling himself King of Thieves?”
The Daeva felt a sneer of derision cross their face at the mention of their enemy. “Of the Western half anyway.”
“Indeed,” he said, acknowledging that the Daeva ruled the eastern half of Jesimae’s criminal underworld. “Indeed. I’ve had enough of his posturing. He’s an arrogant, irreverent, and spoiled child—” He cut off as if trying to rein in his more virulent emotions.
“I won’t disagree with you, Majesty. Go on.” The formality in their voice and the subtle flash of red that lit up the crimson glyphs on their arms told the king he might be better off getting to the point. The Daeva already knew all of these things about Aedrik and had no interest in sitting around complaining about him.
Besian always had a tendency to stick his nose where it wasn’t wanted. His subjects faced some serious neglect as the king spewed vitriol about a twenty-something common thief.
“I want the boy dead.”
“That’s it?”
“Well, not entirely.”
“Of course not.”
“I want him discredited and his ‘empire’ torn apart. I can’t have a commoner—a half-breed no less—thinking he is on equal footing with me. It will give the people ideas and we’ve only just stifled the northern rebellion.”
The Daeva studied the king for a moment, choosing to ignore the racial slur against the people of which they were a full-blooded member, before asking, “When do you want to start?”
“Soon,” he replied, eyes simmering with malice and a touch of madness. “Before we start the Royal Progress. By the time we reach Angerona, I want him ground to dust.”
The Daeva smiled. There weren’t many people who felt free to express themselves as such in front of them, but Besian had always been dear to them. Besides, why deny the man when their desires were one and the same?
“Very well. I expect the proper payment and reinstatement in your court after the deed is complete.”
“Done.”
Chapter 1
Aedrik
Four months later.
Aedrik was sprawled sideways across the arms of his ebony throne. It was a beautifully carved stone seat that he liked to think was as grand as the one that tyrant who called himself King sat on down in the Capital. The stark room was currently empty except for him. His sister had dubbed it the Vault when it became his base of operations. Iron brackets were bolted to the wall and held torches burning with a steady blue flame. The only furniture in the room was a round obsidian table and four chairs including the one he currently draped himself across.
His long jet-black hair nearly brushed the cold floor and his eyes closed in utter exhaustion as he daydreamed. He would be the last to admit it, but after expending the amount of power he had in the last few months, fine lines had started to appear around his eyes and mouth. He was none too happy with the physical toll, but couldn't discount the fruits of his labor.
After months of hard work, the final piece of his plan had fallen into place. All that was left was to set it in motion.
He opened an ice blue eye at the sound of the lift grinding to a halt outside the door. A simple flex of the powers that were his birthright would have told him who was about to enter the room, but he was unable to summon the energy. The markings on his arms merely flickered blue before fading back to black. He was by no means helpless, being just as deadly with his bare hands as he was with a spell, but only four people alive could even access this room, including him. If they meant him harm, he was well and truly fucked.
"I guess the Key is complete, then?" His twin's voice interrupted the peaceful musings on his own excellence and he groaned as he sat up. “You look like shit,” Aedrian grinned as he took the seat to Aedrik’s right.
"Yes. It took more effort than I initially thought, but it should be able to get you in anywhere. I have to say, it's probably my finest work to date.” He smirked and watched Aedrian's cobalt eyes roll. Apart from the slight difference in their eye color and the scars they'd accumulated over the years, Aedrik and Aedrian were identical in every way. Tall, with broad shoulders and jet-black hair, the young men commanded attention wherever they went. Their father used to say they were too pretty to make it very far in the criminal underworld. Of course, that was right before Aedrik had battled him to the death for the title of Rogue.
Aedrik won, gaining him the title and a fresh scar over his right eye, while their father gained a new home—six feet under the cracked and barren ground outside this forsaken city.
Aedrian had taken over as Aedrik’s second in command, sometimes causing a bit of confusion when people were addressing them. They had considered masquerading as the same person so that Aedrik would seem all powerful, but they were already too well known in Angerona. That and Aedrian lacked the angry red scar that had still been healing on Aedrik’s face at the time.
People in the brothers’ domain worshipped them with equal parts love and fear, never really knowing which twin was more dangerous as Aedrian could be just as vicious as Aedrik when pushed.
"The others are on their way. I just heard from Ash. Apparently, she's finishing up a... personal matter," Aedrian said
Ashdan had a fierce sense of justice and would give people one chance only to rehabilitate their ways. If they failed, they were found dead soon after with a bright red kiss on their cheek. Breaking the law was one thing, but harming Aedrik’s loyal followers was something none of the siblings could stand for.
Just then, the grinding sound came again and the brothers' most trusted Lieutenant, Deorick, squeezed his gigantic body through the doorway. At a head taller than the doorframe, he was forced to stoop to avoid hitting his head. He was a full-blooded member of the mountainous Elymas people and the black markings that were only on the siblings' arms and shoulders covered his entire body, including his bald head and stern face. At the moment, some of those markings were obscured by rust-colored splatters of blood. Aedrik merely raised an eyebrow at his friend's appearance.
“Kilian’s people were stirring things up again in the South District. I handled it."
Aedrik exchanged glances with his brother. Kilian was getting to be a problem. His attempts to incite violence around the city in lieu of actually challenging the brothers for their rule had been comical at first, but they would soon have to put him down permanently. Aedrik was sure Ashdan would volunteer for the task; Kilian’s "riots" had caused several deaths of innocent bystanders. She would be itching by now to stick a knife in the bastard.
Speak of the devil...a rail-thin blonde in a tight dress complete with innocent-looking braids and wide blue eyes waltzed into the Chamber and plopped down in Ashdan's seat. She looked like something out of one of the lurid stories the old men sitting in the corners of pubs liked to tell.
"Ash, drop the glamour. You're among family and friends here.”
The blonde pouted in a way that probably had most men bending over backwards to please her, but only made him cringe.
“I mean it.”
She bared her teeth at the command in his voice, but morphed back into his mahogany-haired, green-eyed sister. The glyphs he could just see at the edges of her sleeves faded to black as the three men watched her wipe a spot of blood from her cheek.
“Apparently, that’s become part of the team uniform,” Aedrik said, gesturing to her now red-smeared face. Despite the blood, Ashdan was still completely put together—almost annoyingly so. She was exceptionally gifted with deception magic. It had been her favorite game to try and fool her brothers when they were younger, though their mental connection made it kind of difficult to get anything past them. When she got older, it had become part of the avenging angel persona she created, the Red Lady. No one knew what the Lady looked like, so you had better be on your best behavior because you would never see her coming. Ashdan had been delighted when she learned that the Red Lady was also used as a cautionary tale for children. In her mind, she was "preventing the disloyalty of the next generation."
"Now that we're all here, let's begin." Aedrik reached under his shirt and pulled out the Skeleton Key he'd created. He placed the small octagon on the table in front of him for everyone to see. From each point of the octagon, the metal curved upward to meet in a spiral at the center. There were glyphs carved in between each section, imbuing the object with Aedrik’s magic. When he glanced at Aedrian's face, he immediately knew what his twin was thinking.
"Don't even say it."
"It's just that-"
"No."
"-You've been talking about it all this time-"
"Stop it."
Ashdan snickered, knowing what was coming.
"It's a bit...smaller than I expected." His smirk said it all. Aedrik narrowed his eyes, giving his brother a glare that stopped most people cold. Unfortunately, his twin was all but immune to the Rogue's hard edges.
Ever the practical one, Deorick spoke up before things could get more juvenile, "Does it work?" Aedrik stroked the intricate symbols carved in the dark wood and shot the other man a baleful glance. Yes, it worked perfectly.
"Have I ever created something that doesn't?" The markings mimicked some of the ones on their bodies and he could feel those corresponding glyphs shiver across his skin in recognition.
"So what now?" This from Ashdan who was looking decidedly bored. “You’ve had this super secret-project for months. Do we actually get to do something now?”
Aedrik waved a tired hand over the glassy surface of the table, but nothing happened. He was tapped out. He gestured to his sister. With an arched brow and look of mild concern, Ashdan repeated his gesture and floor plans of the Angeronian Governor's Palace appeared in the gloom. With that, Aedrik began to outline the plan:
“The King’s annual progress will be stopping in Angerona for the first time in forever in just a few days. Most of the time, the King avoids our unruly corner of his empire. Probably to try to prove to me that we’re not significant enough to warrant his meddling.
This trip works in our favor because the Capital darling, Crown Prince Emyr, is traveling with the retinue. Using the key, Aedrian and Ashdan will be able to enter the Governor’s Palace undetected. The Royal guests sleep in the Keep on the far corner of the Palace grounds, closest to the service gate and the cliffs that overlook the harbor.
Thanks to a couple of inside men, you two can capture the Crown Prince and transport him to the family fortress in the Licean Mountains. Mom is expecting you. There, we’ll hold him for ransom until I’m able to leverage the identity of the Eastern Rogue out of King Besian.”
The Eastern Rogue. Or the Daeva, as most called them, was a complete unknown. Only the King of Jesimae had ever met the Daeva in person and could tell Aedrik who had been encroaching on his territory and ambushing his people for the last four months. That was why a few months ago Aedrik had started working on a plan to uncover the Daeva’s identity and confront this hidden nemesis.
That was the plan, but all four of them knew that anything could go wrong and were more than prepared to fight and magic their way out of a tight situation. In fact, Aedrik figured these three would probably relish a good bloody battle. Possible treachery was also the reason that only six people in the world knew of the plan—four of which were in the room presently. One of the others might as well be blood and would never let anything slip, while the other had been spelled to keep the secret and offered a handsome reward in return for his services.
"So step one: the kidnapping is where the key comes in. It can only be used once in a short period of twelve hours because it will need to recharge. You won't be able to get into the wing where the royal family is staying through the palace. Too many opportunities to be seen. You will enter through the Servants' Gate.”
Aedrik pointed to a tiny square on the edge of the map.
“The wall to the Keep is here near the stables and from there you can temporarily create the door that will give you access to the bottom floor. Ashdan, I'm sure you’ll find a way past the guards outside the Prince's door."
"I've already made up a goody basket," she responded with a thin smile. Aedrik cringed slightly at her gleeful response. Ashdan loved to experiment with poisons, but she tended to go overboard in her measurements and had nearly killed all of them on several occasions. She was more precise than a needle with a blade, but her skill with herbs and concoctions might as well be like that of a cudgel. He did not want to be the recipient of anything she put in that basket, but damn was he glad she was on their side.
“Try not to kill anyone this time. I’ve managed all this time as Rogue to not develop a reputation for wanton murder. I don’t wish to start now. We've got an old friend on the inside too, so try not to break him before you recognize him." His gaze bored into Ashdan.
Aedrian cut in. “Don’t worry, I gave her the ingredients and measured everything out. No one’s dying on my watch.”
Aedrik felt a wave of instant relief. Ashdan may not have a knack for anything to do with plants and animals, but Aedrian could sing to a seedling and have it feeding you ripe apples by nightfall.
