Becoming D'Vaire (D'Vaire, Book 11) Read online

  BECOMING D’VAIRE

  JESSAMYN KINGLEY

  Copyright © 2019 Jessamyn Kingley

  All Rights Reserved

  All Rights Reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Editing: Flat Earth Editing

  Cover Design: 2019 © L.J. Anderson, Mayhem Cover Creations

  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 are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite eBook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  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

  About the Author

  Also by Jessamyn Kingley

  Chapter 1

  2001 AD

  Prism Wizard Vadimas Porfyra drove toward the orphanage as he worried over the call he’d received from the woman who ran the small place. Mary Simmons had a young boy in her care who’d arrived a few weeks ago. He was four years old and had already been through at least a dozen different foster homes and institutions in his short life. Ms. Simmons wasn’t willing to go into details about why she believed the child was shuffled around so much and insisted Vadimas would understand when he got there.

  Since he’d grown up in an orphanage himself and was born with considerable power—making him an outcast in his youth—Vadimas was more than willing to come and investigate the mystery. He saw to it that he was personally involved in making sure each place for children without parents or whose folks could not care for them properly was given the best care. The last thing he wanted was for a child to suffer.

  As I did, Vadimas thought with a grimace as he pulled into the tiny parking lot that sat alongside the pretty Victorian house Ms. Simmons governed. Life was not always easy for those Fate gifted with great magic, especially since his people were once ruled by Arch Wizard Egidius, who’d punished children that might someday grow up to challenge him. Vadimas’s potential was apparent from birth, and he’d been barred from using any spells in his school of magic.

  Each wizard was born with an inherent affinity for a specific hue within the seven colors of the rainbow. Their eyes or hair reflected that color; Vadimas was born with irises of brilliant violet. By the time he was a teenager, they’d turned a muddy brown—a mix of all the tints found flowing out of a prism and one that he still saw in his reflection. It was ironic that the burden placed on him by Egidius led to his current status as Prism Wizard. When a bevy of wizards decided to follow the Council of Sorcery and Shifters to North America, they created a new group called the Spectra Wizardry. The rest of the large population of their kind stayed behind in Europe to create a new government which served the selfish needs of their Fate-chosen leader, Egidius. Vadimas had been eager to escape and once there, the sorcerers were told by the Council that they needed a leader.

  Their solution was to create a position for a wizard who oversaw all of them, but he would be aided by a panel. There would be one wizard that reached the highest rank in their structure for each color of the rainbow. The problem was, there was only one High Arcanist and it was Vadimas.

  He had not wanted to take on any kind of ruling position; Vadimas simply desired to accept the violet inside him and focus on his studies, but his people needed him. His lack of hue meant he wouldn’t favor anyone. They’d all watched the mages squabble pettily over the differences in their elements, and they didn’t want that for themselves.

  Vadimas had agreed to forgo accepting his true nature until at least one High Arcanist graduated from the Academy of Wizards. Almost two hundred years later, Vadimas was still waiting. Pushing aside his thoughts on his own predicament as he hauled himself out of his vehicle, Vadimas ran a hand over his snow-white hair to make sure it wasn’t sticking up and walked toward the lovely house. He was not even halfway up the short staircase when the door swung open.

  “Prism Wizard, thanks so much for coming,” the woman said as she reached out a hand.

  Vadimas shook it eagerly as he looked down at her and offered a smile. Her hair was a vibrant red, and she barely reached his armpit. “You must be Ms. Simmons? I’m very eager to hear about the young boy you spoke of on the phone.”

  “Prism Wizard, please call me Mary. Come on in. We have a small playground out back where he’s playing. I hope you’ll see why he simply can’t stay here.”

  Vadimas’s brows drew together in confusion. “From what you said, he’s only just arrived. He’s been here a few weeks at best.”

  “That’s true, Prism Wizard, but he’s upsetting the other children.”

  “He has behavioral issues?”

  Mary hadn’t let go of his hand, and she hauled him through the house. “I wouldn’t call it a behavioral issue, Prism Wizard. Come on, you’ll see for yourself.”

  Rather than try to extricate himself, Vadimas willingly allowed her to drag him down the hallway. When they got to the rear door, Mary opened it and finally released him. Then she put her palm on his back and gave him a push. For a petite woman, she has a great deal of strength, Vadimas thought as he tried to keep his balance. Once he was out on the deck, she disappeared into the house. Deciding to ignore her strange actions, Vadimas searched for the small boy causing the uproar.

  It didn’t take him long to spot the child. He was alone in the backyard, sitting on the edge of a sandbox. As Vadimas walked toward him, he must have sensed he was no longer alone, because he looked up and offered a friendly wave. When Vadimas noticed the deep, dark eyes tilted up in his direction, he understood exactly why people feared him. They were so black, it was nearly impossible to distinguish his pupil from his iris. Although that color was not on the rainbow, this child was already an exceedingly powerful sorcerer.

  Vadimas smiled. The boy might be the world’s only dark wizard, but he was also exactly what the Prism Wizard needed. Someday he would be a part of the Spectra Wizardry leadership, and Vadimas was going to make sure no one denied him his destiny.

  “Hello,” Vadimas said to him once he was about a foot away. He lowered himself to the ground, heedless of his expensive suit, so he was not towering over the small child.

  “Hi.”

  “I’m Vadimas, what’s your name?”

  “They call me Scary.”

  Vadimas wanted to sigh, but his smile didn�
�t falter. “Is there any other name they call you?”

  His mouth twisted as he thought it over. “Maybe…sometimes they call me Freak.”

  “What does Ms. Simmons call you?”

  “Scary. That’s my name.”

  Vadimas’s grin disappeared. Something had to be done for the child, but he was not sure exactly how to proceed. He would love to bring him into his own home and make him understand. He wasn’t the problem—it was everyone else, and someday the boy would be ruling with him. Vadimas was not going to have him grow up and embrace his destiny with people whispering behind his back that he was Vadimas’s puppet. It was necessary for him to learn to think independently. “I think we can do better than that for you.”

  “Good. I don’t like it.”

  “Let’s see. We need something that suits you. What about Delaney?” It was a name that meant “child of dark defiance,” and Vadimas could not think of anything more appropriate for him. He didn’t know where he’d learned the word; perhaps his brain had stored it for just this occasion.

  “I think I like it.”

  “Do you like it here with Ms. Simmons?”

  Delaney shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “Would you like to leave?”

  “Could I?”

  “Yes. Do you know about magic?”

  “People talk about it a lot. I know I have some.”

  “You have a great deal. I’d like you to begin learning how to use it. Other children live at the school I’d like to bring you to—would you like to join them?” Vadimas didn’t mention that the normal age for residency was twelve. Delaney needed to have a place where he could embrace the power within him, and there wasn’t an orphanage on this planet where he’d be comfortable.

  It was going to take some time for the people of the Spectra Wizardry to accept him, but Delaney could be a wonderful asset, given the right resources. He had a vibrancy that hadn’t been dimmed by the world around him, and there was plenty of curiosity lurking in those unique eyes.

  “Are there vampires at the school?”

  “I’m afraid not. We only have wizards. Have you met any vampires?”

  Delaney nodded emphatically. “Vamress Irina was here yesterday and she read us stories from a big book.”

  “Vampyress,” Vadimas automatically corrected.

  “She has fangs. Can I have fangs?”

  “Wizards don’t have fangs.”

  Delaney thought it over as he reached across and scratched his elbow. “One story had dragons.”

  “Beautiful creatures.”

  “Can I have one?”

  “When you get older, you’ll get the chance to summon a familiar. You could choose to make yours a dragon.”

  “I can really have a dragon?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Delaney cocked his head to the side. He had straight black hair that was sorely in need of a cut, Vadimas noticed as it fell into his dark eyes. “Will my dragon have fangs?”

  “Dragons do have fangs…so yes.”

  “I’m going to feed my dragon cookies.”

  “Do you like cookies?”

  “The big kids take mine.”

  “We’ll make sure you get plenty at school.”

  “I peed in my pants yesterday.”

  Vadimas did his best not to smile as the child hopped from one subject to another. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “Ms. Simmons was mad. I forgot to tell her I had to pee.”

  “It happens to the best of us.”

  “Why do you have white hair? Are you very old?”

  “No, I look old because I haven’t embraced my magic properly.”

  “Why not?”

  “It wasn’t best for our people.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because the other colors would feel left out if I chose mine without any High Arcanists to assist me.”

  “What’s a High Arcnst?”

  “Arcanist,” Vadimas corrected. “It’s the title you get when you reach the highest level of wizard magic.” Removing his jacket and rolling up one sleeve, Vadimas showed Delaney the ten white lines that wrapped around his arm. “Do you see these lines? I got one for each level of study I completed.”

  Delaney traced a tiny finger over the marks that got thicker and more ornate toward Vadimas’s elbow. “I want circles like these. Will mine be white too?”

  “At first, yes.”

  “When will they be different?”

  “When you reach High Arcanist, you’ll accept the color you’re drawn to and the lines will change.”

  “I want to be High Arcanist.”

  “I promise you that someday you will be.”

  “What color will my lines be?”

  “What’s your favorite color on the whole planet Delaney?”

  The boy grinned widely, and it charmed Vadimas. “I like black.”

  “In the future, they’ll call you Delaney the Dark, but you will have to work hard at school and practice your magic.”

  “I want to!”

  “Good. I think you’re exactly what the people of the Spectra Wizardry need.”

  “I am?”

  “You are.”

  Delaney scowled. “People don’t like me.”

  “You’re different, but that’s okay. Once in a while, people need time to accept someone who’s not just like them. Hold your head high, because the problem is them and not you.”

  Delaney’s brow wrinkled, and Vadimas wondered if he was laying too much on the kid. “Okay,” the boy finally said.

  “I think we should get your things packed so we can get you settled at school. What do you think?”

  “When can I have my dragon?” Delaney asked after jumping to his feet.

  Vadimas stood and slung his jacket over his arm. He reached out a hand to Delaney who immediately grabbed it. “It’ll be a few years yet, I’m afraid.”

  “What if I wanted it right now?”

  “The spell might not work properly, and you’d wind up with a messed-up dragon. He might not even have fangs.”

  “He has to have fangs.”

  “Indeed.”

  The pair walked toward the house, and Delaney peered up at him. “You sure I can’t have fangs?”

  “Pretty sure.”

  “Okay,” he said in the most forlorn voice Vadimas imagined a child of his age could manage. He might have been feared by everyone around him, but there was plenty of evidence to suggest it was not doing much to dampen his personality.

  “Remember, your dragon will.”

  “Yeah.” Delaney was quiet as they stood on the back deck and waited for Ms. Simmons to answer Vadimas’s knock. “Vadimas?”

  “Yes, Delaney?”

  “Will you be my friend?”

  “I will always be your friend, Delaney,” he told him seriously.

  Delaney nodded and grew silent for several minutes while Vadimas wondered where the hell Ms. Simmons was, and then he asked, “Will there be milk at school?”

  Vadimas chuckled as Ms. Simmons finally arrived to allow them entry. “Ms. Simmons, I’ve decided young Delaney will find school more to his liking. There’s plenty of milk there, and he’ll need it for his cookies.”

  “Cookies!” Delaney yelled as he let go of Vadimas’s hand and tore into the house.

  “No cookies until we get your things,” Vadimas called out after him.

  “Thank you, Prism Wizard. I really hope you’re able to fix him at school.”

  “Fix him, Ms. Simmons?”

  She leaned in close. “Prism Wizard, there’s no such thing as a dark wizard.”

  “Fate has decided differently, and we’re always to follow her dictates. The boy told me his name was Scary.”

  “Prism Wizard, that’s what his previous orphanage told me to call him. It’s on his identification card.”

  Vadimas lifted a brow and fixed her with a stern look. “You thought that was appropriate for a child of any age?”

 
“Well, no but—”

  “Ms. Simmons, this orphanage is supposed to be a haven for children. I suggest you remember that, or I’ll be shutting the doors. I plan to keep an eye on the welfare of the kids in your care. Is that understood?”

  “Of course, Prism Wizard.”

  “I’d suggest you get used to the idea of a dark wizard. Young Delaney’s going to be a powerful sorcerer. Someday he’ll be High Arcanist, someone who will help me run the Spectra Wizardry. It might not be a smart idea to make an enemy of him at the tender age of four.”

  “Of course, Prism Wizard,” she repeated with her head bowed.

  Vadimas made a note to look in on the other children in Ms. Simmons’s care, and he was going to have words with all the people Delaney had been placed with. In the meantime, he had a child to get settled at the Academy of Wizards and a young mind to expand. He was going to make sure Delaney understood that there were no limits for him, that he was an asset to wizards everywhere.

  Chapter 2

  2007 AD

  “I’m worried about Grigori,” Vampyress Irina Volkov told her mate.

  “He seems happy enough,” Vampyr Consort Alexei Volkov replied.

  “He spends all his time in that lab you built him,” she accused as she brushed out her long hair. After another hectic day as leader of the Vampyr Clutch, she was glad to be home and to have the damn pins that kept her tresses in place out. She’d dealt with one poking her in the skull since noon.

  “Grigori loves science. He’s a bright boy, so was his brother.”

  “Yes, but Nikolai grew up a thousand years ago. The world was much different then.”

  “Tell me about it. How did we survive without indoor plumbing?” Alexei teased. Although she loved him with all her heart, his attitude toward their youngest child was grating on her nerves.

  “Alexei, we have to pry him out of that room.”

  “He’s a wonderful student. All his teachers tell us that, and there hasn’t been a single assignment in his life that he’s scored less than perfect on. They’ve been begging us for years to advance him by a few grades.”

  “He’s already in classes meant for boys three years older than him, and look at his life. He has no friends. All he does is schoolwork, then closets himself in that lab. Grigori’s fourteen. He should be flirting with girls and going out to the movies.”