The true ruler, p.1
The True Ruler, page 1
part #5 of Worlds Apart Series
The True Ruler
Worlds Apart Series: Book Five
Evelyn Lederman
Copyright @ 2016 by Evelyn Lederman
All rights reserved
Paperback: ISBN-13: 978-0692798461
Paperback: ISBN-10: 0692798463
ebook: ISBN-13: 978-0996629881
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
Cover Design by Fiona Jayde Media
Interior Design by The Deliberate Page
Editing by Tina’s Editing Services and Lori Garside Editing
Titles by Evelyn Lederman
Worlds Apart Series
The Chameleon Soul Mate: Book One
The Crystal Telepath: Book Two
The Warrior Woman: Book Three
The Mind Control Telepath: Book Four
The True Ruler: Book Five
Nightshade Saga
Nightshade: Book One
Feral Nightshade: Book Two
Lethal Nightshade: Book Three
Magic New Mexico Kindle World
A Touch of Patience (Novella)
Zaratan Trilogy (YA Sci-Fi Adventure)
Selected: Book One
Once again I dedicate one of my books to my father, Ralph Lederman.
My father taught me many things, including the importance of finishing what I started. When I began the Worlds Apart series, I had a starry-eyed intention of finishing all five books. Since ‘The Chameleon Soul Mate’ was the first book I ever wrote, that was a significant commitment I made to myself. His teaching and the wonderful readers I met along the way made ‘The True Ruler’ a reality.
When Cassie calls her father ‘Daddy’, I channeled myself calling my dad that same name. A day does not go by that my father does not enter my thoughts. He has been gone thirty years, but he still has a major impact on my life.
Chapter 1
The Troyk Penal Colony World
Cassie Jarlyn scoured the lakeshore for flat stones she could skip across the water. Darden kept telling her it was all in the wrist. She hated the inane games he invented to distract her from what she really wanted. Sex.
The water was calm compared to what brewed inside her. Since entering this parallel dimension, she felt like one festering wound opened after another. She could not control the men in her life.
“How is this one?” her friend Beatrice asked.
The girl was from the Nightshade universe. A parallel dimension populated by vampires. The blonde sixteen-year-old had escaped a breeding farm with her sister Miranda. For some inexplicable reason, Miranda chose to stay in the Nightshade universe. Taking care of Beatrice became Cassie’s recent mission in life.
“It’s perfect,” Cassie responded. She praised the girl as often as possible. It was important to build her self-esteem, something sorely lacking.
Cassie knew firsthand how self-confidence could erode based on one’s surroundings. She was a mind control telepath who grew up in a non-telepathic world. Her father Benko Jarlyn was a political refugee after failing to overthrow the Troyk government led by his father. It was not a stretch to believe her dad would have been happier if she had not inherited his gifts.
“And what is the purpose of skipping stones?” Beatrice asked.
“I have no idea,” Cassie mumbled to herself, loud enough for Beatrice to hear. “It’s Darden’s way of distracting me from what’s important.”
“And what’s important?” the quizzical teenager parroted Cassie’s words.
Cassie was not discussing her sex life, or the lack there of, with a sixteen-year-old. Especially one petrified of men. They had finally gotten to a point where Beatrice didn’t flinch when Darden approached.
“We should get back to camp before Chartail comes after us,” Cassie said. Using her father’s soul mate as a diversion seemed the easiest way to escape a discussion she felt ill-prepared to have with Beatrice.
“Yes, we would not want the evil stepmother to complain to your father,” Beatrice replied.
Cassie winced at the reference. She told Beatrice as many fairytales as she could remember when the girl first arrived. It was Cassie who first brought up the comparison. To be fair, she was no Cinderella. Chartail was the one who worked from sunup to sundown, even while pregnant.
They walked to camp and were immediately set upon by Chartail. Cassie did not miss the sideways glance Beatrice shot her once the teen saw the topic of their conversation. She knew the young girl was trying not to break into laughter. That reaction would only further aggravate her father’s soul mate.
Cassie had to admit her instant dislike for Chartail Adholm was due to the other woman’s beauty and the position she held in her father’s life. For as long as she could remember, it had just been Cassie and her dad. Now, he had Chartail and eagerly awaited the birth of a son.
The tall blonde was stunning with her perfect complexion and china blue eyes. She always wore outfits that accentuated her full breasts. How she managed to scrape up the alluring clothing in a penal world was beyond Cassie’s comprehension. Cassie’s own negative body image only helped to fuel her initial loathing of the other woman. The more Chartail pushed their relationship, the further Cassie pulled away.
“How come you girls steal away every time there is work to do?” Chartail asked.
Cassie found it amusing that her father’s soul mate instigated a plot to kill his father. She was ultimately sentenced to the penal colony world because of her failed attempt to assassinate the Prime Ruler of the Troyk universe. Due to the ramifications of that experience, Chartail felt hard work was the best means to help Beatrice recover from her own trauma.
“I’m sorry, Chartail,” Cassie answered. “We were looking for stones for my next match with Darden. I need to have a better showing since I represent all womankind.”
If the widening of Chartail’s eyes was any indication, Cassie had surprised Chartail with her response. She was trying to be nicer, not the spoiled brat Cassie generally presented to the world. She had even embarrassed herself with some of her behavior toward her father’s mate. The juvenile antics she was guilty of was beyond what one should expect from an eighteen-year-old woman.
Before Chartail could react, a portal opened and two women entered the penal colony world. They were immediately followed by their soul mates. Without hesitation, Cassie ran into the tall blonde’s arms and embraced her. Her old friend, Shirl, was a regular visitor to the world with her soul mate Starc. The crystal telepath was not scheduled for a visit today.
Shirl’s beauty could easily rival Chartail’s. They had the same shade of blond hair, a honey-golden yellow rather than a white hue. Their eyes were both blue, but Shirl’s were closer to a blue-gray. The big difference between them was that Shirl never seemed to realize how attractive she truly was, nor did she use her looks to get what she wanted.
Starc was Darden’s fraternal twin, but there was only a slight resemblance between the two brothers. Shirl never traveled through portals without Starc providing her companionship and additional power. Something had happened on one of Shirl’s portal trips the crystal telepath had yet to share with Cassie. She did not want to press her friend for the particulars. Shirl would share what occurred when she was ready. Cassie knew she was still troubled by whatever happened.
Cassie lifted the aquamarine that hung around the crystal telepath’s neck. She’d given the necklace to Shirl for her birthday years ago. “You still have it.”
“It’s one of my prized possessions,” Shirl responded. “Your gifts always made my birthday special. I always looked forward to what crystal I would be adding to my collection.”
The other woman who arrived with Shirl was JoAnna Carlson. Like Cassie, she was a mind control telepath. Unlike Cassie, twenty-three-year-old JoAnna had mated with her soul mate Koel and started the evolutionary process enhancing her telepathic abilities.
JoAnna was stunning. She wore her long black hair loose and it shimmered in the sun. Shirl was a little taller than JoAnna, but the mind control telepath’s regal bearing made her appear taller. Confidence in herself and her abilities seeped from her. Rather than wearing the usual tunic and leggings the Troyk people wore, JoAnna had on a short skirt and a beautiful fuchsia top. She could have stepped off the cover of Vogue.
“What has happened?” her father asked. Cassie’s father and Darden had to hide when other crystal telepaths arrived in case they were accompanied by Chartail’s father, Prime Adholm, and members of his security force. Benko was a wanted man, so was Darden by his absence from his duties to the Prime Ruler.
Benko left working on the construction of additional housing when he saw the party arrive. Her dad always seemed to have one eye on the area containing the inter-dimensional gateway. They were safer here than on Earth, but her dad never let down his guard.
“Somehow, your father knows Cassie Clark is his granddaughter and is demanding to see her,” JoAnna relayed. On Earth, Gingko Terra, they were known as Ben and Cassandra Clark. “He is becoming unstable, abusing the power of crystals. Shirl, Candy, and I may be in danger. His warped mind may use us as a means to get his granddaughter into the Troyk universe. Fortunately, he doesn’t know who Alex really is. She is safe for the time being.”
“Where is Candy?” Benko asked
“Off world collecting crystals,
The Warrior Woman of legend would go on missions when not guarding Shirl. Very few people knew of Candy’s additional gifts made possible once she mated Tolfer. Cassie wished her father had taught her how to physically defend herself rather than focusing solely on telepathic defenses.
“I should join my grandfather in the Troyk universe,” Cassie said.
As expected, her declaration was met with shocked silence. Cassie had kept quiet too long. She was no longer going to hide who and what she was. It was time she started to live up to her future destiny.
“It is too dangerous,” Chartail cried. “You are an innocent and Jeryl Jarlyn is a monster.”
Cassie had not expected Chartail to be the first to voice her opposition. She was dumbfounded when Chartail ran to her, taking Cassie into her arms. Pregnancy must have stimulated her maternal instincts.
“Chartail is right,” Benko added. “My father is a dangerous man. He will not hesitate to manipulate you or your powers for personal gain. JoAnna has witnessed firsthand his growing madness because he is abusing the power of crystals.”
Cassie was not sure how crystals could be used to enhance telepathic powers, but she did not doubt what JoAnna and Shirl had shared. Her father had once tried to teach her how to use them to enhance her abilities if she was attacked.
Both women were suspiciously quiet. Each of them had returned to the universe of their birth and faced her grandfather. It was their counsel she most sought.
“What do you two think?” Cassie asked.
The two women exchanged glances, daring the other to answer first. From what Cassie witnessed watching the two, Shirl generally conceded and always spoke first.
“Although you were not orphaned, you are one of us,” Shirl said. “We each returned to the Troyk universe to meet our destinies. It’s your time now.”
Cassie knew Shirl was right. Her father’s world continued to call to her. She somehow knew whoever she ended up being, she was incomplete until she faced her grandfather and evolved her powers. However, she wanted to hear from JoAnna. She was the outsider who left the orphanage by using her abilities to get adopted. JoAnna shared the gift of telepathic mind control. Ironically, she was also Chartail’s cousin.
“You cannot evolve into what you will one day be without learning to use the powers you currently possess,” JoAnna said. “As I keep telling you, you are ill-prepared for further powers if you cannot control what you are capable of now. I know Benko wishes to protect you, but not teaching you to use and control your telepathic gift was a terrible mistake. With all his faults, Jeryl has taught me a lot. Besides, you won’t be alone.”
“Before you make any decision,” Starc advised, “you should discuss it with Darden.”
Starc had not inherited the crystal telepathic gift as his twin Darden had. Now mated with Shirl, he could hear the frequencies in his head and navigate inter-dimensional portals beside his soul mate. He was one of the few beings who knew what Shirl was capable of, but he kept the knowledge hidden.
“If Darden treated me like a soul mate instead of a demonstrative older brother, I would eagerly seek his guidance. Besides, he’s off on a quest for my father searching worlds for more dissidents.”
Cassie had literally run into her soul mate when she was ten years old. For the next eight years, her father had given Darden a say in how she was raised. Their relationship had evolved over time, but paled in comparison to what her friends had with the men in their lives. Darden was truly like an older brother in his behavior and actions. It was not the type of relationship she had longed for.
“Cassie, that is not fair,” her father said. “He has spent years respecting your age.”
She was tired of being treated like a child. Sure, she spent most of her time acting like one, but things had to change. Suddenly, she viewed journeying to the Troyk universe as a new beginning. Maybe some distance between her and Darden was a good idea.
Cassie had been thrilled when Darden came to take her to the penal colony. She thought they would finally take their relationship to the next level. Instead, she was housed with older women who monitored every breath she took. Originally, she thought it would be fun to sneak away with Darden, but he would have none of it. His rejection only fueled her immature behavior.
“Maybe it’s not a bad idea to have someone in the enemy camp,” Cassie said. “If I am in any danger, Shirl can whisk me away through a portal. If Grandfather has me, he may call off the relentless search for you. It’s only a matter of time before he figures out where you are and then the whole settlement is in jeopardy. Haven’t these people suffered enough?”
Her father was at least considering her argument. It was a good sign he would not immediately say no. From Chartail’s body language, she must have been arguing telepathically with her father through their soul mate channel.
“It is out of the question,” her father finally said. “JoAnna is right about one thing. You need to be trained how to use and control your gift. I did you a disservice in not properly training you.”
Cassie took in her father’s words. She knew his intentions were good, but he would unconsciously hold back teaching her about the darker aspects of her telepathic powers. Nature had a balance for everything in creation. The people in this settlement would not have fought the mind control government if there were not aspects of the gift that could be manipulated.
She reached into the telepathic channel opened in the orphanage all those years ago. Cassie often heard the girls conversing in the link and pretended not to hear what was being shared.
“Can my grandfather be trusted to safeguard me or has his abuse of the crystals made him untrustworthy?”
Both Shirl and JoAnna tried to hide their surprise at Cassie’s telepathic question in a pathway they were unaware she had access to. Their reaction would easily be misinterpreted to be in response to her father’s words, although Cassie knew better. Fortunately, Chartail who also had access to the channel, remained quiet.
“Your grandfather feels threatened by my abilities,” JoAnna replied through their closed channel. “Maybe if he focuses on you, he will feel more confident in his own abilities and reduce enhancing his own gift with the power generated from the crystals. It may also buy your father more time to hone his plans to take over the government.”
“I have not shared anything about our relationship with Jeryl,” Shirl said. “We can exaggerate our closeness while you were growing up. It would not be unreasonable for Benko to have found ways for his daughter to interact with the orphaned children of his followers. The Prime Ruler does not know what I am capable of. He will not dare separate us.”
Cassie was frustrated at yet another tease about Shirl’s unknown telepathic capabilities. She hoped her relationship with her old friend would continue to grow until Shirl was comfortable enough to share her secrets. Although, to be honest, Cassie had secrets of her own.
“I will be returning to the Troyk universe with Shirl and JoAnna,” Cassie announced.
Cassie had weighed her options. Beatrice had been adopted by a family who had recently lost their daughter. Her new friend would be taken care of in her absence. This dimension frowned on the use of telepathic powers. If she was going to learn what she was capable of, Cassie needed to enter the Troyk universe.
She raised her left hand to forestall any objections from either her father or Chartail. There was no one she respected more than her dad, but Cassie was now an adult and needed to step out of his shadow. She was scared to death, but knew she had to take this next step. It was time she started down a new path and embrace, rather than run, from her destiny.
Chapter 2
