Unraveled Homecoming Read online

  UNRAVELED

  HOMECOMING

  UNRAVELED

  HOMECOMING

  The Children of the Stone—Book three

  By

  J. L. SHELTON

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters and events in

  this book are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Any similarity to real persons living or dead is coincidental

  and not intended by the author.

  Unraveled Homecoming: Children of the Stone

  Published by Gatekeeper Press

  2167 Stringtown Rd, Suite 109

  Columbus, OH 43123-2989

  www.GatekeeperPress.com

  Copyright © 2019 by J.L. Shelton

  All rights reserved. Neither this book, nor any parts within it may be

  sold or reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical

  means, including information storage and retrieval systems without

  permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a

  reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  ISBN (paperback): 9781642377088

  eISBN: 9781642377095

  Printed in the United States of America

  Contents

  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

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Epilogue

  Determined Heir

  Chapter 1

  By all that is Holy, kill me! Just make this stop!

  Alarmed by the desperate male scream inside her mind, Mattie swiftly sat up in the bedroll. Her hazel eyes were madly blinking due to the sudden shock of waking so unceremoniously, and she began to search the tent for any danger. There was no one there except for her husband lying beside her, whose rugged face was scrunched up as if he were in extreme amounts of pain.

  “Garin!?” she frantically inquired as fear, rage, and desperation crashed in on her!

  The feelings were coming from her husband as he was experiencing a hellacious nightmare. Thanks to an accidental blood bond that had happened when they were children, the couple could often pick up the thoughts and emotions of one another. Sometimes it was a good thing; sometimes it was annoying as hell!

  Mattie firmly shook his shoulder, but all that action did was elicit a slumbering snarl. She let out a soft noise of frustration. This was the tenth time on their trek back to Crosshawk that Garin had been haunted by the memory of his time trapped in an enchanted sleep. Something life-altering had happened to him yet again thanks to the Dragon’s Heart, though she didn’t know the full story this time. The only thing certain at the moment was that she needed to wake him as soon as possible!

  Too late! Mattie thought to herself after Garin violently released an animalistic growl in his sleep—because a rumbling sound came from deep within the earth a second later.

  The ground directly underneath them quaked! By the sounds of things, the whole entire campsite was being shaken as well. The horses were beginning to whiney in fright, a shrill and heart-stopping sound. A shriek came from the direction of Selina Galleti’s tent. The young lady was swearing up a storm soon thereafter, not appreciating the wake up call. From the opposite end of the clearing, Leto’s deep male voice added an accompaniment of additional and rather unique profanities, most of which were in a different language.

  Then a booming crack! sounded inside the tent as a hill began to slowly form next to Mattie!

  “Garin!” she screamed as the area beneath them started to tip to the east. Their bedroll was gradually inching down the growing slope. “Wake up! Wake up now!”

  The ground quickly righted itself back into its original position with a thunderous noise! Garin jumped out of bed the same instant the world snapped back into place. Black hair was soaked from sweat, and spikes were created when he ran his hands through the finger-width strands. Those brown eyes of his were wide with fearful shock as he began to pace.

  While Mattie usually enjoyed any chance she had at viewing his muscular chest, this wasn’t a good time for her hormones to have a mind of their own. Garin was dealing with some inner demons he hadn’t been willing to share with her yet, not even through the bond. Somehow, he had the ability to shut her out—like he was doing right now!

  Not often known as a patient person, Mattie’s tongue was beginning to bleed from biting it. The couple had been through this before, and any nudging for information on her part usually ended in a fight that had him feeling wretched afterwards. The conversation about this seismic event could wait until he was ready.

  Garin finally turned to her, his elbows sticking out towards their respective sides when he placed both hands behind his head. “Damn it, Mattie; I’m sorry.”

  She shook her head. “Don’t be. We’re both getting used to these new powers growing inside us.”

  He took in a deep breath before letting out a sigh. Weariness from more than the lack of sleep came over his expression. “I don’t know if those creatures living in the Dragon’s Heart are visiting me again or if it’s the memories of what they did to me. I only know that it’s hell because things go out of control when I’m just having a damn nightmare!”

  “The First Ones are a pain in the ass no matter which it turns out to be,” she said companionably. “And I have faith that you’ll get to the point where your dreams won’t wreck the countryside.”

  “Says the one who set our last bedroll on fire.”

  “That happened to be a particularly bad nightmare involving some white-haired monster wanting to steal you completely away from me. I’ve had others that didn’t leave anything else reduced to cinders.”

  He chuckled at that and sat down next to her. Holding her close, he kissed her on the nose. “I’m glad I’m not facing these challenges alone. It’s nice to have someone who understands this weirdness.”

  A rather accurate description for the mess they found themselves in. Once upon a time, Garin and Mattie were close to being human. Both had been part elf and part royalty, inheriting strange attributes from both sides of their respective families. Then the entities living within an enormous gem had changed Garin and Mattie into dragons, a process made easier because the two had already been shapeshifters in truth. The so-calle
d gift also came with an exponential increase of magic, and neither of them had ever held this kind of power before in their lives.

  Control in many cases was slow in coming, though Garin seemed to be having the worst time getting a handle on things. He carried a lifelong hatred of magic, which made him reluctant to learn what he so desperately needed to know. But after his display of arcane power at the Mage’s Stronghold, his ability to ignore things was becoming impossible.

  “Lord and Lady Von Bos!” yelled Leto from outside the tent. “Since we’re all up anyways, we might as well get this day started!”

  Garin and Mattie both groaned, but the couple wasted no time in trying to get ready. The ancient being who had volunteered to be their teacher in all things dragon was a taskmaster with no concept of personal space. If he thought they were moving too slowly, they knew from past experience that he had no qualms about storming into the tent. The first time had been horrifyingly unforgettable since it had also been a mortifying mood-breaker!

  “Wonder what lesson he’s going to come up with as a punishment for me this time,” Garin mumbled as he put on his tunic. Then he swiftly used his fingertips to comb his hair back down before adding, “This loss of control was worse than the others if it woke up the whole camp.”

  Mattie shrugged as she made sure her tunic and pants were in place, wincing because the garments were starting to get a little too tight. Not an unexpected thing since she was in the fourth month of pregnancy, but still not comfortable in the slightest. “But it was also the first time in three days,” she pointed out. “I know you had bad dreams the night before last, and those didn’t end in any power hiccups.”

  He snorted as he sat down and shoved his feet into a pair of boots. “Hiccups?”

  “Maybe ‘belches’ would be a better phrase?” she joked while using a brush to begin attacking her auburn hair in preparation of braiding it.

  The Star Stone bracelet almost got caught in a mass of wild strands during one vigorous tug. After grafting itself into her skin while they had been at the Mage’s Stronghold, she had feared that her mother’s old jewelry had become a permanent part of her hand. It had taken nearly a week after Falkner Steiner’s death to discover that her fear was blessedly unfounded. It slowly returned to its original dangling form now that the evil mage was no long a constant threat—a form that was making her want to scream at the moment.

  Mattie’s frustrated growl at having to untangle her unruly hair from her left wrist caused Garin to chuckle. But a worried frown too quickly reappeared on his face. “Whatever you call those moments, I really hope we can get them to stop before we arrive in Crosshawk tomorrow. The last thing I want to do is shake up the Hawksthorne Estate.”

  After deciding to just yank out the few remaining strands stuck to the bracelet, Mattie reached over and placed a comforting hand on her husband’s cheek. “We’ll worry about it if such a thing happens. You always sleep better when you’re not on the road, and I have a feeling that finally being back at Crosshawk will help you.”

  He gave her a quick kiss in appreciation. The smile on his face was a little on the wobbly side because his concerns were still eating at him. She wished she could do more to relieve his tension, but this was an internal battle he would have to win for himself.

  ***

  “I hate all three of you!”

  Selina’s snarly voice was the first thing the couple heard upon exiting their temporary dwelling. Mattie’s eyebrow rose at the sullen and angry fourteen-year-old who was fruitlessly poking at the cold embers in the fire pit. The black-haired girl was shivering despite the heavy fur cloak over her shoulders, and it was a good bet that she had put on nearly all of her clothing underneath that as well.

  A grateful sigh came from her when Mattie quickly lit a small fire with a wave of a hand. Then she continued her verbal barrage. “If becoming a dragon means I don’t have to become a ball of bulky fuzz when it’s cold out, count me in! Did you know I had to sleep in these clothes to keep from freezing last night? It’s not fair.”

  “Life is seldom fair, child,” said Leto with a yawn. The wizened, white-haired man had hobbled over using his staff for support, the sculptured snake wrapped around it appearing to be forever ready to strike. “Being up just as the sky lightened wasn’t my plan for this day either.”

  Selina threw a few sticks into the flames before curling back into a ball filled with grumpiness. “This has to be the worst time of the year to travel.”

  “Ask me to take you for a short trip after Yule,” snickered Garin. “Just for comparisons’ sake. I think you will remember this like a walk in springtime.”

  Selina responded with a rather vulgar hand gesture that made Mattie think her father’s work was going to be cut out for him. She still couldn’t quite grasp why he had accepted Asger Loganach’s request that the girl be fostered at Crosshawk. Orla, the northern leader’s granddaughter and Selina’s guardian, hadn’t been too keen on the idea considering the girl’s issues with family abandoning her. The only reason the mage had even relented was because she knew Mattie was going to be stuck at the Hawksthorne Estate as well and could keep an eye on things.

  Mattie closed her eyes for a moment and prayed, May Adonai help me.

  When the girl hadn’t stopped indicating to everyone exactly how upset she was this morning, Leto scolded her, “Try to refrain from making me want to break that finger, young lady.”

  Selina responded by putting both of her hands in the pockets of her cloak. She then muttered something Mattie couldn’t hear, but it had all the markings of being on the rude side. Luckily for the girl, the ancient one only shook his head at her audacity this time.

  Garin had just mentioned that he was fetching some more wood when Leto stopped him in his tracks. “Wait a moment, Lord Von Bos. We need to clean up your mess first.”

  Garin looked confused as he searched the ground for anything still out of place from his self-made earthquake. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

  “The horses,” quipped the white-haired one as he pointed a gnarled finger at where they had been tied up. Only the hefty yet quick Goldenrod was standing there, calmly nibbling at the few blades of grass she could find by her fur-lined hooves. “You seemed to have scared the majority of them off with your theatrics.”

  The man’s angry Son of a bitch! shot through the couple’s bond just fine.

  Garin gave Mattie a quick kiss on the cheek before hightailing it after the renegade animals. Leto’s chuckle wasn’t kind as he followed her husband in order to help, but he decided to do so at a more leisurely pace. That left Mattie alone with a grouchy teenager, so she plopped down beside the girl

  After watching her stare angrily into the fire in sullen silence for what seemed ages, Mattie finally decided that Selina had sulked long enough, “You do realize that it’s technically warmer here than it was by the Stronghold, don’t you?”

  “You do realize that I had a fireplace in my bedroom there as well, don’t you?” she grumbled back. “I’ve forgotten just how bone-chilling it could get at night without one.”

  Mattie leaned forward so she could look into that young face more fully. “Why didn’t you say something sooner? We could’ve heated up some rocks to help keep you warm.”

  “I did that!” she said mournfully as she ran a hand through her short locks. “They still lost heat as the night wore on.”

  Wrapping an arm around her, Mattie gave the girl half a hug. “We should be in a warm shelter tonight, complete with a fire to heat up the place.”

  “And then the next night in my new temporary dwelling,” said Selina wearily.

  “Knowing my family, you’re already a part of it after the last time you were there. Why not just call it ‘home’ from the start?”

  She shook her head and sadly whispered, “You saw what happened the last time I thought that. No. I’m not going to get my hopes up ever again.”

  Mattie held the girl tighter, and Selina surprisingly le
t her. There was a sniffle or two from the youth, but her face was on the hardened side in spite of the tears streaking down her bronze cheeks. She was a ship without a port, and that was no way to weather the storms in life. Mattie’s heart ached for her, wondering if Crosshawk could ever become the home for which she was yearning.

  No question about it this time, Mattie and her father were definitely going to have their work cut out for them.

  Chapter 2

  Of course it would be my horse who ended up being the worst one of the lot to hunt down, thought Garin with a frustrated huff as he finally found his stallion, Blackheart, nearly two miles away from camp.

  Covered with brambles from head to toe, Garin had to admit that the debris and scratches added to his anger at his steed. He had trained Blackheart better than to run off like this! Selina’s horse had been the easiest to find, and Leto had somehow managed to bump into his own mount. Leaving the beasts in the ancient creature’s care, Garin had immediately taken off to search for his own stubborn horse.

  The black stallion flickered his ears at his master’s approach, but he remained stock-still. Garin couldn’t help but wonder what had garnered the animal’s undivided attention. There was not much else in this clearing save wilting wildflowers and an embankment of a rushing river. When grabbing the reins didn’t elicit any response, he finally followed Blackheart’s gaze towards the other side of Hawk’s Run.

  The sight of a gigantic silver horse that could have given the huge steeds found in the north an inferiority complex caused the man to pause—until the beast spoke: “Well met, young one.”

  Garin stopped his automatic response just in time and kept himself from unsheathing his broadsword. His heart hammered because the deep voice had seemed to fill the air, and great power thrummed around the enormous horse. But given this wasn’t the first strange creature he had met lately, it seemed only prudent to now return the greeting.

  “Well met, dear sir,” he said with a respectful nod of his head. “I am Garin Von Bos.”

  The beast kindly chuckled. “I have heard about you,” he said amicably. “And I am Arion, though I doubt you have heard of me.”

  “On the contrary,” said Garin with awe before bowing at the waist this time. Arion, the swiftest horse that had ever lived, was purported to be immortal and had been birthed by gods. Though Garin doubted the truth of that story, he still felt humbled in the creature’s presence. “I am honored to meet you.”