Marie Harte - Gale Season

Checking up on her charge, a brooding prince and Storm Lord who had no idea she existed, the last thing Alandra le Aelle expected to see in the grimy little Seattle apartment was bloodshed. She stared at the ongoing fight in shock, safely concealed by the shadows of the dingy room.

Several Light Bringers, Tanselms fierce Storm Lords, duelled with Sin Garu, a malevolent Dark Lord and sorcerer who was seriously beginning to piss her off.

She had missed the signs that Sin Garu would attack this soon, and worse, that hed have the audacity to steal one of the Storm Lords mates, the River Princes beloved affai. Only three of the four Storm Lords were fighting back, and Marcus affai lay unconscious on the ground. Prince Darius, the fourth member of the legendary Royal Four, had returned to his homeworld of Tanselm with his new bride a month ago.

From what Alandra had observed, Darius marriage would be a strong one, one that would bode the land of Tanselm well against Sin Garu and his Netharat, an evil scourge that no one, not even her family, found promising.

Tessa! No! Marcus cried from a large pool of red contaminant that chuckled gleefully in a language only Alandra could hear. Staring at the red goo, Alandra took a deep breath, frustrated that her intention to remain invisible, and thus effective, would have to change. The red goo, an immature youngster known more commonly as a Nocumat, clung to Marcus, his brother Cadmus, and even her charge, prince and Wind Mage Aerolus Storm.

She knew the youngster, Oxcen, would not relent until he had devoured them all. A Nocumats appetite was well-known for being one of the most voracious of the Shadren.

By the Shadows Curse, she hadnt wanted to meet Aerolus like this. Damn Oxcen! She glared at his spreading substance, at the many hands and mirrored form of Marcus that moulded from his red being. How one of the Shadren came to be in this place, a world with so little magic as to be nonexistent, boggled the mind.

She shifted her gaze to Sin Garu, who struggled against Marcus impressive defence. A thin sheen of water encased the sorcerer from head to toe, slowly suffocating him to death.

Good. A fitting end to the Dark Lord, considering his quest to subjugate not only the Storm Lords and their people, but all who opposed his future rule over Tanselm. To that end, he employed ice wraiths, the rebellious Djinn, and a handful of ignorant Shadren willing to believe in his obscene plans.

And speaking of ignorant Shadrenshe glared at Oxcen as he toyed with Marcus and his brothers, and deliberately stepped closer to Aerolus.

Her Wind Mage, as shed expected, had Oxcens appetite in hand, but even he could not hold the Nocumat back forever. Neither, for that matter, could Sin Garu. What had he been thinking to bring a Nocumat here, of all places?

While Sin Garu wrestled with Marcus magic, Alandra noted yet another complication, and her head began to throb. Cadmus, the Earth Lord, began flashing as if under a spell. She rubbed her temple, grimly wishing she had never heard of Tanselm and the Storm Lords. By all that was Shadow, the four identical princes are more trouble than theyre worth. She eyed Aerolus. Well, almost.

A movement to his left caught her attention. As if Cadmus odd shifting werent enough, the white-gold fiery form of a man covered in otherworldly black flames low-crawled towards Sin Garu with his dark hand outstretched, threatening under his breath. A Djinn, a stupid, haughty, trouble-making Djinn, interfered openly in the presence of the narrow-minded Light Bringers. Had he no concept of what the Storm Lords would do with him once they rid their world of Sin Garu?

Similar to the Shadren, the Djinn were widely regarded as evil, simply because they preferred, and even lived in, the dark. But like Alandra, this Djinn appeared to believe in the Storm Lords dynasty, knowing that only with their powerful leadership could the possibility exist that someday, somehow, the Djinn and Alandras people, the Aellei, might be allowed to return to Tanselm, a land of celebrated prosperity, wealth, and magic.

Tessa, Marcus affai, diverted her attention by rising to wield an incredible amount of elemental and psychic energy at Sin Garu, draining some of Alandras psychic energy in the process. Extraordinary, she thought, staring at the warrior-like redhead with a hint of envy.

What she wouldnt give to be that tall.

Sin Garu faltered, and in that moment, the Djinn grasped his ankle, merging his Dark energy with the sorcerers. Moved by his efforts to free his people, even at the cost of his own life, Alandra sent him a hint of her magic, pushing him and Sin Garu towards a dark welling in the floor.

A moment later, a loud boom sounded, the noise made by their clumsy re-entry into the pathways between worlds. She had no idea where the Djinn would take Sin Garu, or if the two would even survive the trip. But she had given the Djinn a chance, one he wouldnt have had if hed used his remaining energy to expel the sorcerer from this world.

Marcus, Tessa cried before falling to the floor.

Quickly noting what shed ignored in her attempt to aid the Djinn, Alandra made a sudden decision to make her presence known. Aerolus couldnt hold Oxcen back any longer, and her red kin was slowly consuming one Storm Lord while easing his way up Aerolus knees. And that would definitely not do.

Shimmering into the image of her aunt, the Aellein queen, Alandra assumed the royal presence shed learned through her miserable years spent at court. She decided to give young Oxcen a piece of her mind.

It would be too much to hope that hed keep the tale of the queens visit to Seattle to himself. No doubt by this time tomorrow everyone in Aelle would know someone had impersonated the queen, yet another sin to add to Alandras lengthening list of crimes against her world and the royal family, of which she was no longer considered a part.

But she would at least have the chance to meet Aerolus face to face and give him the opportunity to see whod been watching over him during his pressing time in this world. She hungrily studied him from head to toe, from his dark hair and glinting, silver eyes filled with power, to his broad, muscular chest, and lower, to that other impressive part of him.

She couldnt help the naughty grin that escaped. Time to show Aerolus her patience had worn thin. And when she was done with him, maybe, just maybe, shed finally get the irresistible Aerolus Storm to herself. What she wouldnt do for five minutes alone in the dark with the Wind Mage

Three weeks later

A little to the left, no, stop, dont move. Okay, two more steps, ah,there. Now, slowly, one button at a time. Yes, yes, thats right.

Alandra, magically disguised as plain, middle-aged Trudy Warner, stared through the telescope carefully positioned in the corner of the bedroom, obscured from view by shuttered blinds and a large, potted fern should the male under scrutiny decide to give her window a second glance. She felt ridiculous having the fern near with closed blinds, but she knew better than to underestimate a Storm Lord.

Oh yeah, baby, she uttered on breath and a prayer. I love that chest.

Helplessly fascinated and growing steadily more aroused, she watched her tall, strapping neighbour lose his shirt as he readied, she assumed, for a baththe light in his adjoining bathroom was on, and steam fogged the bathroom mirror.

She swallowed around a dry throat, wishing for a glass of water, but refused to leave the sight of Aerolus Storm stripping down to nothing.