Coal: Book One of the Everleaf Series

  Contents

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Book 2 of the Everleaf Series

  About the Author

  Author Notes

  Also By Constance Burris

  Copyright © 2015 by Constance Burris

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  Dedication

  "Write the book you want to read"--Toni Morrison

  These people not only made writing less lonely for me, but they made Coal better: Heather L, Becky, Tahmeka, Christina, Sara. And of course, my Wattpad crew: dostwinjas, greyrabit75, Lomber09, and brownstickybunz. Thanks for giving me the confidence I needed to publish.

  I also want to give a special thanks to my husband and my kids for giving me permission to take the time I needed to pursue my dreams.

  .

  You Can Get Book 2, Chalcedony, FREE!

  (http://eepurl.com/b0WzHX)

  Chapter One

  Coal held the newly forged sword at arm's length. The sentient weapon vibrated in his grasp, urging him to attack, but he tightened his sweaty hands around the leather hilt and ignored the foreign impulses. He had been forging swords and practicing with the completed weapons long enough to know when to attack and when to bide his time and let the fight come to him.

  Grigory, the master swordsmith, advanced. Coal parried, stepping aside and swinging his sword with all of the skill he'd gained from the two years of working the forge. Grigory fell to the ground, effortlessly rolling beneath the sword before bouncing back to his feet.

  "Is she overwhelming you?" Grigory asked as they faced each other. They had been dueling for the past hour. Sweat dripped from Coal's forehead, back, and arms, but just like every other time they'd dueled, the master swordsmith showed no sign of exertion.

  "She's restless." Coal wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. "But I'm in contr--"

  Grigory rushed forward with an arcing swipe. Coal raised his sword to meet the strike. For a moment, their strengths were equal. His sword vibrated with glee as Coal threatened to overcome Grigory.

  Forcing the sword's excitement to the back of his mind, Coal focused all of his strength into his upper body and pushed outward.

  Overwhelmed, Grigory leaped back.

  During the two years of forging swords and sparring with the master swordsmith, Coal had never had the strength or skill to complete such a move. For an instant, he let himself--and the sword--enjoy their accomplishment.

  He was so distracted by his small victory that he almost didn't notice when Grigory spun around, his left leg heading towards Coal's knees. Coal dove away, Grigory's boots just skimming his leg. He rolled over to find a sword pointed at his neck.

  Grigory lowered his blade. "You were distracted."

  "I almost had you," Coal said with an intense rush of pride and confidence.

  "You did not," Grigory said, scratching the eye patch over his left eye. "You've been slow and lazy all morning."

  "But I finally completed the block."

  "Not with any speed. You're gaining strength and height, but that's nothing to be proud of. What is the point of winning the bind if you are beheaded a moment later?"

  Coal let Grigory's words sink in while he caught his breath. "You're right. I've been a little distracted. I'm supposed to meet Princess Chalcedony soon." He glanced at the sun, trying to gauge the time. It hung low in the morning sky, but the springtime rays were much stronger than they were when he'd arrived.

  Time for him to go.

  Grigory lifted the eyebrow above his remaining eye. The other had been gouged out 200 years ago when he served as a soldier instead of a swordsmith. "How long has it been since you've seen her?"

  Coal bit his lip while he pretended to think about the answer he already knew. "Two months."

  Grigory took the sword from Coal's hands. It would be presented to Chalcedony on her coronation as queen. Magic reinforced the silver shaft, and its black leather hilt emanated heat and welcomed touch. By far, it was the best sword they'd forged.

  "Before you go, I have something to ask you." Grigory kept his shoulder-length black hair tied in a low ponytail and his beard trimmed. Both elven and dwarf blood coursed through his veins. As the only known half-breed of his kind, he had the height of an elf and the thick, muscular build of a dwarf.

  "What is it?" Coal asked. The way Grigory spoke made Coal wonder if he'd done something wrong, besides being too distracted during the fight.

  "I'm getting older," Grigory said. "I need to choose a full-time apprentice, and it needs to be soon. Do you want the position?"

  Coal's breath caught in his throat. Had he heard right? "I thought I was just helping out until you found a full-time apprentice?"

  "Well, you've passed the two-year audition, and now I'm offering you the job."

  "But humans can't do magic." It was one of the first things Coal had learned when he'd arrived in the fey realm eleven years ago. Powerful swords were impossible to make without magic. It made the swords stronger, lighter, and prevented someone else from using it.

  "I'm half dwarf and half elf," Grigory said. "For years, my master refused to teach me because he didn't think a half-breed could make a great sword. Now, I am the best swordsmith in Everleaf. It's what's inside that makes a good swordsmith. I believe you could be one of the greats."

  Coal had been coming to the forge almost every day for two years, but he was allowed to come and go as he pleased. With a full apprenticeship, he'd eat, breathe, and sleep smithing. He'd have to move out of his home.

  "I don't know, Grigory. I need time to think about it." Coal enjoyed forging swords. He especially loved practicing with them, ensuring they would endure battle, but he didn't know if he wanted to make it his life's work.

  "Your childhood friend is soon to be queen. She will not have time, or tolerance, for a lovesick human."

  Coal was hurt, but not surprised by Grigory's words. No one said anything to his face, but he heard the servants and soldiers gossiping about him and Princess Chalcedony when they thought he wasn't listening. "You're right, but give me time. It's not easy choosing one life over another."

  Grigory's eye softened. "You and the future queen still have much growing to do. Decide soon. I won't wait long."

  Coal glanced back towards the rising sun. "It's time for me to go."

  Grigory waved his hand as if to swat a fly before he turned back to the forge.

  Bees and butterflies as big as his hands buzzed around Coal's ankles while he walked through a meadow of red, yellow, and blue wildflowers that separated the forge from his home. He felt guilty for not accepting Grigory's offer, but as he approached his home, the guilt faded, and a smile grew across his face.
He lived in Legacy, the biggest tree in the fey realm, with his best friend Princess Chalcedony, her staff, and a handful of ambassadors from every part of the realm.

  At 850-feet tall and ten times as wide as Grigory's modest home, Legacy seemed to be larger than life. Residing inside of a living, sentient thing, made him feel like he was a part of something remarkable. The moment he saw it years ago, Coal knew he'd made it home.

  "Legacy." Coal touched the coarse bark of the oak tree and instantly felt the life thrumming inside it. "Is Chalcedony back?"

  There are so many here today. How am I supposed to keep track of any one person? Legacy said, its voice full of annoyance. Legacy was neither male nor female, but its voice sounded female nonetheless.

  "Come on, Legacy. Is she in her room?"

  The tree gave an exaggerated sigh as the breeze rustled its leaves. When last I bothered to listen, she was in her office, and she was asking for you.

  "Thanks," Coal said, relieved to hear that Princess Chalcedony had returned. He removed his hand and approached the two female sentries guarding Legacy's main entrance. Like all of Everleaf's elven soldiers, they wore a dark green shirt with black sleeves and black pants.

  "Where are you going?" asked the taller of the two, who had light green eyes. She stepped in his way, blocking the door. "The servant's entrance is around the back."

  "I'm not a servant." Coal held the sentry's gaze. He'd never seen these two before, but he'd done this dance countless times over the years. He was a human in a world where humans were mostly banned and thought of as violent, ignorant, and greedy. His stomach churned as he faced the sentry, but he stood his ground. If he showed fear, it only made the taunting worse.

  "No." The other sentry stood a head shorter than her partner, but where the other was slender, she was more muscular. "He's not a servant. He's just human trash."

  He swallowed. "Let me through."

  "Or what?" The taller sentry placed a hand on her sword. "You'll tell the princess I was picking on you?"

  "I don't need the princess to protect me," he snapped. "I can take care of myself."

  "Calm down, Sophia," the shorter sentry said. "Let him through. Today will be his last day here anyway."

  "What are you talking about?" Coal narrowed his eyes, his pulse quickened. This was not part of the usual bullying.

  "Don't worry about it," the sentry said, pulling the green-eyed sentry away from Coal. "I apologize for my partner. Her great-great something or other died in the human and fey wars."

  "Well ..." Coal deepened his voice, his attitude bolstered by the change in her tone. "Don't let it happen again."

  "Of course not." The shorter sentry bowed. "Again, I apologize."

  Coal walked past the sentries and through the entrance, deciding they had only been trying to scare him. But why would she say it was his last day here?

  Once he entered the grand hall separating the entranceway from Chalcedony's offices, he understood why Legacy sounded upset. Staff bringing food from the kitchen and filling mugs with milk, juices, and mead crowded the hall with bustling energy. Almost every race of fey had gathered here--or at least every race of fey that ventured out in the daytime--elves, giants, dwarves, satyrs, nymphs, and even a few trolls.

  Coal touched the wall and said to Legacy, "The ambassadors aren't supposed to be here until tomorrow." It had been quiet for the past three weeks. However, now that Chalcedony had returned from the human realm, fey from every corner of Everleaf came to meet with her.

  Obviously, they decided to come early, Legacy said.

  Disappointed, Coal broke the connection with the tree. Before she'd left on her last training trip, Chalcedony had said she had something special planned for the two of them. Her duties came first, though. If she had to work, she wouldn't have time for him.

  He peered into the crowd, searching for the path of least resistance. Finding it, he lowered his head, stepped out of the safety of the entranceway, and walked into the congested gathering. The smell of goat sausage and fried eggs wafted towards him, making his stomach rumble with hunger. He'd awakened before the kitchen staff, and only had time to eat an apple before he'd left for Grigory's.

  "Did you really think you were going to walk by me without speaking?" A deep voice said from behind. Coal twisted around and looked up into the gray eyes of the eight-foot tall, tawny-skinned giant named Octavius.

  "Soon..." Octavius winked one of his gray eyes at Coal, "I hear you'll be reigning next to Chalcedony."

  "Princess Chalcedony and I are only friends," Coal answered, suddenly losing his appetite. Humans were considered weak. If Chalcedony took on a human mate, she would be considered weak also.

  The day had started full of promise. He'd looked forward to spending time with Chalcedony, but his plans were quickly unraveling. With the giants and dwarves here, it would be impossible for her to slip away. And, for the second time today, someone had reminded him he didn't belong.

  "Don't look so insulted." Octavius grabbed Coal's shoulder. "My great-great-grandmother was human. I'd consider it an honor to have a human reigning beside the queenling."

  "Hmph, that would never happen," said Ambassador Eli. The dwarf seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, his head a mass of dark curls. "Humans are exiled for a reason. They are violent, greedy, and, above all, parasitic." He stared at Coal with light blue eyes and sneered.

  Octavius shook his head and clicked his tongue. "No, giants are humans, only taller. That's why we can't wield magic. And there is nothing extraordinarily violent or parasitic about us."

  "Stop it with the myths. That's like saying dwarves are human, only shorter," Ambassador Eli said. "If your brother heard you speak like that, he'd have you whipped."

  The temptation to stay and listen to Octavius and Ambassador Eli argue nearly overpowered him, but the idea of seeing Chalcedony pulled much stronger. They were too busy debating the differences between humans and giants to notice Coal slip away.

  Coal stood outside of Chalcedony's thick wooden door and straightened his brown pants and the white shirt he wore underneath his green jerkin. He ran a hand over his braids and noticed one of them had unraveled. Cursing under his breath, he quickly re-braided the stray kinky hair. Satisfied he was presentable, he knocked on the door.

  "Who is it?" asked a gruff voice from inside the room. It was Chalcedony's royal advisor, Madoc. Coal was convinced that Madoc's primary goal in life involved making Coal miserable.

  "It's me," Coal said in his most formal voice. "Legacy told me that Chalcedony is looking for me."

  The door opened, and Princess Chalcedony stood on the other side. "Legacy's right. I am looking for you." She wore a black sleeveless shirt and matching pants that were only a few shades darker than her brown skin.

  Coal bowed, bending low at the waist while happiness surged in his chest at the sight of his oldest friend.

  "How can I help you, Princess?" he asked.

  "Come in." She stepped back from the door, her muscular arms flexing as she motioned for him to step into the room. "Since when do you bow or call me princess?"

  Since last week, when Madoc lectured me for ten minutes about properly addressing a future queen, Coal wanted to say, but instead, he kept quiet. The less he said, the less Madoc could use against him when Chalcedony left.

  Once he stepped into the room, he saw there were three other fey sitting around the table in Chalcedony's office. Madoc sat closest to the door, scribbling on a sheet of paper. He scoffed at Coal before he turned back towards the table.

  "If I am no longer needed, I'll be retiring to my room," said Binti, the female waif who had been sitting at the end of the table. She had a jumbled network of tiny blue veins that showed underneath her pale translucent skin. As she stood from the table, the loose pink dress she wore buckled around knobby knees before she pulled it down.

  Binti and her twin brother acted as a tether between the two realms. If a rogue fey used magic in the human realm, her brother
felt it. Through the link the siblings shared, her brother would let Binti know. Then, Binti would alert Chalcedony in the fey realm.

  "Go ahead," Princess Chalcedony said. "Thanks for your help."

  Binti nodded briefly at Chalcedony as she walked away from the table and towards the door. Coal shivered as she passed. The waif lowered the temperature of any room by five degrees just by her presence. They were rumored to be children of reapers sent into the physical world to live until they replaced their parents as harvesters of souls.

  Motion next to Chalcedony caught his attention. His eyes were drawn to the blonde, blue-eyed elf standing next to Chalcedony.

  Tetrick.

  Chalcedony had spent the past two years with the high-born elf. He was appointed by his mother, Queen Tasla, to teach Chalcedony how to patrol her part of the human realm for fey who were there illegally. "Are you sure you wouldn't like me to escort you, Princess?" Tetrick asked.

  As usual, the royal elf paid Coal no attention. Coal didn't know if it was better to be ignored and made to feel like he wasn't worth a second thought, or to be constantly ridiculed and belittled like Madoc treated him.

  "No, thank you, Tetrick," Chalcedony answered.

  "You should let him escort you," Madoc said with a tone that suggested it was more of an order than a choice.

  "No," Chalcedony said with such intensity that her long, sharp incisors were visible. "But thank you anyway," she said to Tetrick, her temper back under control.

  "Very well, Princess." Tetrick bowed, and then the elf disappeared as if he'd never been there.

  "You should have let him take you," Madoc said.

  "Take you where?" Coal asked. "I thought we had plans for today."

  "We do." Chalcedony's red eyes were wide with joy. "It's a surprise. But first, go get your clothes. Then, I'll meet you upstairs in my room."

  "What clothes?" Coal asked, confused. She'd changed from all business to playful so quickly it took Coal a moment to adjust.

  "The ones you brought back from the human realm."