Eden Undone (The Dawn Mirror Chronicles Book 2) Read online

  The girl who conquered an Angel rises again. The Angel Nestor is gone, a mysterious stranger lurks in the shadows, and Penny Fairfax has tempted the Cardinal’s ire. The adventures continue in the second volume of Dawn Mirror Chronicles, Eden Undone.

  A war is brewing in Elydria. In the months since Penny thwarted the Angel Nestor’s barbaric plans, turbulent times have been raging throughout Elydria. As Penny deals with the aftermath, a gruesome catastrophe rocks Iverton. The Cardinal threatens a political coup by the Order of Nestor if the Angel isn’t soon found.

  Follow Penny as she travels to the distant Nation of Faeries, searches for those who hold the pieces of a shattered Angel, and seeks the truth of her mysterious origin in the Garden of Eden itself. As the secrets of Penny’s past unravel, she must look within herself to find the courage she never knew she had.

  Eden Undone

  Copyright © 2015 A.R. Meyering

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the publisher.

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Published by

  Innisfree Press

  Print edition ISBN numbers:

  ISBN-13: 978-1514785096

  ISBN-10: 1514785099

  The Dawn Mirror Chronicles

  BOOK 1

  THE ANGEL OF ELYDRIA

  BOOK 3

  NELVIRNA SLEEPS

  RELEASING 2016

  Other Novels

  UNREAL CITY

  THE RESURRECTIONIST

  RELEASING 2016

  Multi-Author Collections

  IN CREEPS THE NIGHT

  FEATURING THE STORY THE DANDELION CHILD

  To my grandfather Jerome,

  who made everything possible

  Something peculiar was happening to the shrubberies outside Annette Deveaux’s manor. It appeared that the manicured flower bushes began to shiver and shake of their own accord; something was emerging from the greenery. With a cough and sputter, a young woman tumbled out from the shrubs and onto the lawn.

  Her short black hair and boyish traveling jacket looked out of place in the neighborhood of lovely prim mansions with their luxurious gardens, flowering trees, and proud occupants.

  Penny Fairfax rose on uncertain legs as she picked the leaves and sticks out of her hair, glancing behind her. She had made her escape from the damaged shrubbery with as much grace as her bruised knees could muster. Annette was not going to appreciate what had befallen her bell-roses.

  That was too close for comfort, Penny thought as she glanced in the direction of the offending object that had caused her distressed dive into the shrubbery: a royal carriage with high-nosed anteloos. She exhaled as she rounded the corner and retreated deeper into the gardens. None of it would have been necessary if it wasn’t for this ridiculous festival.

  Penny’s brow knit as she took a seat on a garden swing bedecked with a profusion of flowers. She grimaced at their presence as she rocked back and forth.

  While she swayed, she ruminated over her desperate move to avoid the man who’d arrived in that carriage. Right about now, Hector was likely being forced to entertain King Noah Ontellos Vennioch the Fourth—and not for the first time this month. She wouldn’t hear the end of this any time soon.

  Penny leaned back in the wooden swing and tried to relax, allowing the warm spring air and heady scent of the flowers to induce a feeling of drowsiness. Her eyelids began to droop, lulled by the rhythmic swinging.

  A pair of hands clasped Penny’s shoulder. “Penny, my sweet—there you are!”

  Penny bolted up and out of the swing. Noah! She swiveled around, her stomach clenching. Seeing her assailant, her surprise turned to vexation. The man behind her cackled with delight, his skinny mustache curling upward.

  “Simon! What is wrong with you?” Penny cried, swatting the top hat off his head before reclaiming her seat. The man in the sleek tuxedo retrieved his fallen hat, still chuckling.

  “Oh, man, that was worth it. You should’ve seen the look on your face,” Simon sang. He sidled around the bench and took a seat next to Penny, still smug. “We wouldn’t be avoiding anyone, now would we?”

  “Mind your own business,” Penny snapped, looking away from Simon’s mocking grin.

  “I suppose that means His Royal Majesty has come round for another visit?” Simon guessed. He pushed off the ground with his polished shoes and set the swing into motion once again. Penny stewed in thought before answering.

  “He won’t let up,” she admitted. “It’s just—I don’t know how to act around him. Especially today. He’s always so polite and he comes to see me so often, but then sometimes things just get weird. And I don’t know if I’m supposed to be flirty or just friendly, and then I remember I don’t know how to flirt at all so I start to panic and I get really sweaty—” Penny glowered as Simon’s laugh rang out again.

  “That’s no way to treat your beau.”

  “He’s not my beau,” Penny retorted. “Anyway, what are you doing here? I thought you’d be stalking Annette and bribing her with candy in hopes she’ll agree to a date? I thought that’s what this festival was all about.”

  Simon leapt from the swing and turned to face her, his arms crossed. “Oh, Penny. You should be thanking me right about now.”

  Penny raised her eyebrows. “Oh? And why is that?”

  “Because I have the perfect solution to your little problem,” he answered.

  Penny remained skeptical but waited. Simon swept his shiny top hat off and extended his other hand to Penny as he sunk into an elegant bow. “Come out with me today and I promise Noah won’t find you.”

  “What’s the catch?” Penny demanded.

  Simon narrowed his eyes. “Come on, it’s just a little harmless fun. We’ll be back before you know it.” He gave Penny a crooked grin and she accepted his hand with a grin of her own.

  “Well, Don Juan, even I can’t say no to that. Let’s go.”

  The two of them headed through the picturesque residential area surrounding Annette’s overgrown dollhouse of a home and toward the center of the city.

  The streets of Iverton were alive with florid splendor. It was a short walk to the Business District of Iverton, but with every step forward the floral displays and decorations became larger and more intricate. An intoxicating scent of flowers and nectar hung in the air. From the tops of the steeples, shops, and eaves hung wreaths of fresh blooms. Petals floated on the zephyrs like delicate snowflakes. Carts and stalls crowded the Business District, some selling seasonal wines and special treats for the festival. Girls handed out flowers with advertisements for restaurants and sales tied to the stems. From far in the distance beyond the brightly-colored flags, excited chatter buzzed in the air while a loud waltz chugged away.

  “This is unbelievable,” Penny marveled, growing giddy with all the sounds and smells. “All this fuss over a holiday.”

  “These people need something to celebrate,” Simon murmured. A group of giggling young ladies pushed past, clutching boxes of sweets. “The news gets more depressing by the day, and Iverton has changed. Wraiths are everywhere, people are disappearing, the clergy is furious. And still no sign of Nestor.”

  Penny had also noticed this change, felt it creeping up on the city with every passing day. A fractured ex
pression of hopelessness hovered behind the gazes of Iverton’s citizens these days, gradually spreading from one face to another, infectious as it was oppressive.

  The cheer of Blossom Day had granted the city a brief respite. Blissful smiles lighted the faces of the elfin men rejoicing while they drank sweet rose wine and called out to the girls. Two faeries in their spring robes examined the jewelry that hung like glittering fruit from stalls. Soothing as it was, it seemed to Penny like a beautiful façade, desperate to conceal something bleak and ugly.

  Or maybe I’m just being paranoid. Nestor has been gone for months, there’s no reason why these people should fear anything, Penny reasoned with herself.

  She was distracted from her dismal thoughts by a vendor selling sweet, spongy cakes festooned with fruit and syrup. Pointing this out to Simon, she got in line and craned her neck to see what choices of toppings were available. Penny felt her prior agitation melting away as she became absorbed in conversation with Simon about the delicacies they planned to consume. Then the sound of fluttering gossamer and jingling bells made Penny’s heart sink once more.

  Glancing back, Penny noted three priestesses had stepped into line. Consumed with laughter when they first approached the queue, their faces soon fell in unison. They’d recognized her.

  “Don’t look, but there’s a problem behind us,” Penny whispered to Simon.

  At once he cast a clumsy, obvious glance backward. His face turned stony. Trying to ignore the whispers that were fast transforming into an angry buzz, Penny kept her eyes fixed on the woman in front of her, who held a squirming bat-eared creature in her arms.

  “It is her, right? You’re sure?” Penny overheard one of the girls. The bells of a bonnet tinkled as one of the priestesses leaned forward to get a better look at Penny’s face. Simon gave Penny a look of pained solidarity as the flock goggled at her. The whispers hissed up anew and Penny gritted her teeth, trying to block it out.

  “Please, let’s go away from here. Madame Gelda told me she’s a witch—the kind that knows how to make wraiths. What if she…” the shortest priestess’s whine died away while she tugged at her friend’s sleeve.

  “You’re safe as long as you’ve got your name, just hush up!”

  “But Madame Gelda said she’s got ways of knowing, that if she was strong enough to harm the Angelic Lord, then she can force you to tell her your name. Please, I’m scared.”

  “Is that why Cardinal Rhea wants to―”

  “Shush, Abby! She’ll hear you!”

  Penny had heard enough. She put on her most daunting grimace and turned on her heel to face the trio. “Oh, you’ll be begging to be turned into a wraith once you hear what I can really do to you! RARGH!”

  Her animalistic snarl sent the three girls skittering away shrieking, their bells clinking madly. Penny straightened her jacket as Simon looked at her with a mixture of admiration and shock.

  “Well, that was something any reasonable, emotionally-balanced person would’ve done in that situation,” he chuckled.

  Penny shrugged. “Sorry, I got a little carried away. I’ve just had enough of the idiotic rumors. After they refused to help treat any of us after coming back from Hulver and denied Argent medicine when he got sick, well, I just can’t take it anymore.”

  Simon laughed, then cleared his throat as an expression of concern passed over his face. “Ah yes, Argent. Everyone’s favorite creep. Have you, um, seen him today? He’s been missing, not even lurking around his secret laboratory,” Simon said as the woman in front of them shuffled away while feeding bits of fruit from the top of her dessert to her purring pet. The man tending the stand beckoned to them.

  “Out with Annette again. He still hasn’t found a shop that he wants to live in. Um, I’ll take a small one with fonfon berries and sweet-shrums please,” Penny requested and the vendor moved to assemble the dessert.

  “That’ll be one ruby and two topaz yuebells,” the man said as he handed Penny her treat.

  “Oh, my date is buying for me! Thanks, Simon!” Penny turned and gave Simon a cheeky wink as she licked the sugary syrup from her fingers and moved away. Simon shot her a testy look before speaking to the vendor.

  “I’ll get medium…with, uh, whatever that blue stuff is,” Simon said, gesturing. After collecting his purchase, he forked over a handful of yuebells and joined Penny.

  They wandered through the crowded Business District with its plethora of festivities, browsing through shops and meandering away the hours. Penny was not keen on returning to Annette’s house until she was sure that Noah had departed, and therefore took her time in each boutique they visited. From there, Penny and Simon moved to the sprawling mosaic in the center of the District where a lively waltz streamed through the air.

  As the sun burned orange and sank down beyond the high walls of the city, they found a seat to watch the dancers. Penny was starting to feel drowsy again when something in the crowd commanded her attention.

  Beyond the rollicking dance, Penny glimpsed a still, lone figure through the gaps between the couples. It was the figure’s rigid nature that she noticed first, but as she looked again, she realized the person was staring in her direction. A white mask with a striking red pattern hid the stranger’s identity, but Penny noted the person was rather thin and of short stature. She sat up a little straighter and narrowed her gaze at the stiff-armed figure swathed in a black coat. Slowly the figure turned in Penny’s direction, as if regarding her intrigue.

  “Simon, look at that.” Penny tapped him on the shoulder and pointed toward the on looking stranger. He looked over with sleepy eyes.

  “What?” he asked.

  “Look, right th―” Penny made to point at the black-cloaked figure, but the watcher had disappeared. She remained still, her finger frozen in midair as she searched for a mask among the grinning faces.

  “What’s the matter? Do you want to dance?” Simon questioned and Penny shook her head.

  “No, no. I just―I thought I saw something. Never mind. It’s getting dark. We should head back,” Penny suggested, getting up from the bench.

  Now I know I’m being paranoid. Still, no harm in taking caution, what with all the disappearances. However, Penny couldn’t quite quash all her nerves as Simon tailed along behind her. A grayish lavender tint hung in the air, yet the flowers remained illuminated by the bobbing festival lanterns. The sky melted into a shade of deep indigo and the warmth of the day faded into the type of chilly evening that only early spring could deliver. As they stepped past the entrance to the Tunnels and dashed across the busy streets that teemed with clanking contraptions belching clouds of steam, Penny could not help shooting several glances over her shoulder. The vision of the red-and-white mask peering through the swirling, prancing couples still nagged at her.

  As they passed by a line of buildings, Simon came to a sudden halt. “Hell-lo. What’s this?” he hummed, peeking around the side of the shops and into the spacious alley beside them. Penny made a small noise of concern as she followed Simon’s gaze into the dark backstreet. At first, all she could see were piles of old wrappers, rusty cans and disregarded toys. Then the hazy glow of a red lamp came into view.

  Penny crept forward, and more bursts of colored light flooded her eyes. In a large circle toward the end of the dingy enclave were three or four caravans, each with a string of lanterns connecting them. Sheaves of wide fabric speckled with wild, exotic patterns hung from the carts and created a fabric canopy. Strings of beads gleamed, making it seem like tiny stars dripped down from the curtains. The glass that made up the windowpanes of the caravans burned brilliant with intense colors, reminding Penny of her time in Hulver. Then, as if that very memory had become a corporeal entity, Penny realized that under the overhang sat three goblins gathered around an orange-red heater. Their amphibian noses twitched while their large round eyes surveyed Simon and Penny.

  “It’s just a bunch of goblins, Simon. Come on, let’s―” Penny tugged at his sleeve, but he would n
ot budge.

  “I wasn’t talking about them, I was talking about her.”

  A slender young woman with a mess of shoulder-length, sandy blonde hair was emerging from one of the caravans. As they watched, she leaned over a table laden with a collection of crystals and glass pyramids. The yellow light poured from the caravan behind her languid form, casting most of her face in shadow, though Penny noted her eyes were heavy with dark make-up. Above her, a wooden sign painted with spindly writing and the image of a purple eyeball swung, squeaking softly in the breeze. Penny reached into her pocket and withdrew her pair of pince-nez spectacles. After perching the glasses on her nose and peering at the sign for a few moments, the letters became intelligible. “Fortunes Told―Past, Present, Future.”

  “She’s just a fortune teller. Take my word for it, that stuff is a waste of time,” Penny said, thinking with painful fondness of her mother’s shop on Willow Street. She took a handful of Simon’s cape and tried to pull him away. The young woman, now sitting on the caravan steps, straightened and smiled at Simon, a wicked playfulness in her eyes. Her pale fingers fluttered in a coaxing wave, causing the billowy black sleeves of her gown to ripple. Simon waved back to the fortune teller, amorous and thrilled. Penny heard a giggle cross the alleyway as she finally succeeded in pulling Simon away from the fortune teller.

  Once they reached the doorstep of Annette’s home, Penny prepared to sneak in, but Simon threw open the front door with a bang and marched inside the foyer, his shoes clicking on the polished tile. Penny ducked in after him, keeping her head down. As she crossed the cavernous hall, murmuring voices from the sitting room beyond distracted her from her path to the staircase. She crept across the room to the door that stood slightly ajar and peered inside.

  In the sitting room, the very person Penny had tried to avoid all day long lounged on a blue satin sofa while stirring his tea with a silver spoon. Across from him sat Hector, who looked calcified with boredom as he staunchly chewed a scone.