The Sixth Key: Love on a Magical Planet

By Sue Perkins

Hurrying through the teeming rain a squeal of brakes alerts Riley to a big truck which hits her and turns everything black.

 

She wakes beside a pool in a land where a lemon sun shines from a pale lilac sky in a strange land . She knows she's not on Earth and wonders how much worse her life can get?  

Kidnapped by her boyfriend Jothur, she has been taken to Sacral, his home planet. Jothur's father is the king of a castle full of psychic inhabitants, mainly telepaths, and they are at war with the non-psychic Mutes in the forest. The psychics' plan is to test Riley, a native of earth, to see how she blocks her thoughts so they're not accessible by telepathy. Success with these tests will enable them to completely eradicate the Mutes who are a mixture of free telepaths and non-telepaths. 

Riley escapes from the palace and seeks help from the Mutes where she meets Tynan, their leader. She hopes Tynan will help her escape the King's tests. She is horrified to discover the magic of Sacral is dying due to an imposter being on the throne. As Jothur's father is the king, this means they have no right to the throne of Sacral, but who is the true king?
Riley and Tynan work together to discover the real king in order to place him on the throne. Part of their plan relies on Riley returning to the castle to delve for more information. Will she survive or will her mind be torn apart by the tests the false king has in store for her?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Caishel Books
• Release date: Dec 8, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386219699

Sue Perkins

Sue Perkins grew up in Devon, England and emigrated to New Zealand with her family. Sue and her husband live at the top of New Zealand’s South Island. Her interests include writing, reading, genealogy and aqua jogging. Sue’s first romance novel was released in May 2007, quickly followed by a fantasy trilogy, more romance books, young adult and middle grade novels. Visit Sue Perkins webpage to discover more of Sue’s books, including her fantasy romance novels and middle grade level fantasy books. Her aim is to write a full length epic fantasy novel. The outline is complete, and Sue hopes to finish it by the end of 2018.

Book preview

Prologue

Acold drizzle fell on Riley as she left home on Monday morning. The weather matched her mood. Another weekend wasted waiting for Jothur to contact her.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. He’s gone Riley. Left without a word. He’s probably taken up with a sexier woman in another town.

Head down, she pushed her way through the crowds the rain soaking her copper coloured hair as she headed for the bus stop. Riley didn’t pay any attention to those around her, her thoughts were fixed on the time spent with Jothur.

They met at a party. A casual friend asked her to be nice to the stranger who had only recently arrived in town and didn’t know anyone. Riley clutched her drink tightly, heart beating wildly as she gazed unbelievingly at the tall, blond, handsome man. His smile made her insides melt, and when he spoke, the liquid tones of his voice flowed over her like molten chocolate.

Desperate to keep his attention, she offered to show him around the town. Jothur accepted, and for several weeks they were inseparable. Riley couldn’t help herself. She fell hard for this gorgeous man. Did he feel the same way? Her hopes and dreams stirred excitedly when he talked about their future together. The day after they’d discussed the future – he disappeared.

No explanations. No note. No phone calls. Riley’s worries surfaced when he didn’t turn up for their next date. To make sure nothing had happened to him, she’d grabbed her jacket and opened the front door before realising she had no idea where Jothur lived. He’d always been pretty vague about his address, but at the time Riley hadn’t thought anything of it.

Days passed. None of her crowd knew where Jothur lived either. Her misery increased. This had been her fourth weekend alone and Riley had to accept the man of her dreams had left with no intention of coming back. It didn’t mean she had to like it though.

The drizzle turned into a downpour. Raindrops bounced off the black road surface, but through the noise she could hear a bus approaching.

Great. Miss this one and she’d be late for work. She dashed out into the road, head down, trying to keep the rain from her face. A horn blared and brakes squealed. Riley stopped. Her head jerked up to see a huge yellow truck bearing down on her. The driver’s horrified face filled her vision before everything went dark.

Chapter One

Awarm breeze wafted over Riley’s body. She stretched her arms above her head, luxuriating in the feeling of calmness and serenity surrounding her. The delicate perfume of flowers tickled her nose. The gentle song of birds serenaded her in the background. Warm rays of the sun warmed her face. Dreamily she opened her eyes and frowned. A pale lilac sky and a lemon yellow sun swam above her.

Where am I? Riley wondered and jumped at the sound of her own voice breaking the quietness of the scene. How on Earth did I get here?

She frowned as her mind struggled to recall what had happened. Her last memory had been the truck heading straight for her. Cautiously, she moved her arms and legs. No pain. There didn’t appear to be any injuries, but the vehicle couldn’t possibly have missed her. Slowly she sat up and looked around.

Riley sat beside a small pond in a grassy clearing. Reeds grew along the edge of the water and huge, but strangely delicate, trees clustered at the edge of the grass. The singing of birds floated down from the branches.

Oh great. Just when I think things can’t get worse I get run over, die and end up here. I suppose this is Heaven. Riley didn’t know why the thought of dying upset her so much. Her life sucked, but at least there had been the remote chance things would get better.

Funny, I never thought Heaven would look like Earth. What happened to the angels sitting on fluffy clouds playing their harps? Where are the beautiful people and the Pearly Gates?

Riley stood and stretched. High above her, the trees entwined their branches in a delicate filigree, making the forest look light and airy. Birds swooped in and out of the aerial canopy, chirruping happily. Beneath the trunks nothing stirred.

What happens next? Do I find St Peter and sign in? Or do I wander around until I find someone? Perhaps I should tidy up first.

Riley looked at her reflection in the pool. Her short copper hair looked tousled and using her fingers she straightened it, then rinsed off her face. She turned to look up at the lemon sun and within moments its warm rays had dried her skin.

A rustle in the undergrowth caught her attention. Frantically, her head turned this way and that, looking for somewhere to hide. Out here in the open she couldn’t help feeling vulnerable but before she could move, a figure detached from the shadows and entered the clearing.

Eyes open wide, Riley stared in disbelief. The woman who stopped at the edge of the trees looked different from anyone she’d ever seen. Tall, with dark hair and tanned skin, she reminded Riley of the big cats in the television documentaries alert and ready for danger. The woman’s weird clothes held Riley’s attention the most.

Soft leggings hugged long limbs until they disappeared into tall boots of tanned leather. The tunic top had narrow leather laces at the neck and a broader band at the waist. A leather thong held back dark hair. In the right hand a longbow reached from her shoulder to the ground.

Who are you? The accent sounded strange but Riley understood the words. Answer me. Are you a Mute?

Sorry. Riley frowned. No, I’m not mute. I can hear and speak perfectly well, thank you. Where am I?

Don’t try and trick me. If you’re not one of our people, you must be a Mute.

How do you know I’m not one of your people? Do you know every single person in your land?

Riley hid a smile of triumph when the other woman stopped a moment to think this over. The stranger’s eyes narrowed and her piercing stare bored into Riley. A dull ache sprang into existence in the back of her skull but stopped as soon as the woman looked away.

This might sound stupid, but did you just try to read my mind? Riley didn’t care if her question sounded ridiculous, since she’d woken up in this strange place nothing had made any sense.

Maybe you are telling the truth. If you were from here you would know what I tried to do – unless you really are a Mute and you’re lying. My name is Zlora. I am a huntress for my people. We rule the lands of Sacral.

I guess this isn’t heaven, but it’s certainly not the Earth I know. I wonder if I’ve landed on another world. Riley remembered the stranger could read minds and frantically hoped she’d kept her thoughts to herself.

Come. I’ll take you to the royal court. The king will want to find out more about you. What did you call yourself?

I didn’t tell you my name, but I’m Riley. There couldn’t be any harm in giving Zlora this information. What if I don’t want to come with you?

You will be considered an enemy of Sacral and I’ll take you prisoner. This means I’ll take you to the royal court either willingly or by force. Zlora’s expression showed she longed for Riley to object, giving her the excuse to use violence.

Riley thought for a moment. There weren’t any other options open to her so decided she might as well go with Zlora.

Lead on. A small smile played on her lips as a look of disappointment crossed Zlora’s face. Riley marched past her and the tall huntress hurried to catch up and lead the way through the forest. Happiness bubbled inside Riley for the first time since Jothur had disappeared. A spring came to her step as she walked beside Zlora. This could be the start of an adventure and a new life. What did it matter how she got here? It had to be better than her lonely existence back on Earth.

They entered another clearing. Zlora walked to the centre and stood for a few moments with a vacant look in her eyes.

I wonder if she’s talking to someone and telling them about me.

Zlora turned to look at Riley and beckoned her to move again.

Where are we going?

The huntress didn’t reply. Riley followed and wondered what would happen when they reached the king’s court. Officials were bound to question her about where she’d come from. Would they believe her if she pleaded loss of memory? Or would it be better to tell the truth? Neither explanation sounded right, so Riley stopped thinking about something she had no control over, and looked at her surroundings.

The leafy canopies of the tall trees let the sunlight filter through to make patterns on the forest floor. The birds still sang, but no animals appeared to be in the undergrowth.

Probably due to Zlora. Animals with any sense will disappear when a hunter comes on the scene.

Born and bred in the city, Riley found this countryside strangely soothing. She didn’t notice the trees had thinned, and nearly bumped into Zlora when the other woman stopped. They had reached the edge of the forest.

Riley expected to see a road. Zlora’s huntress clothes indicated the planet might be lacking any technology for sealed surfaces, but she’d thought they would have tracks for carts and wagons. Traffic continuously using the same route eventually made ruts in the ground to show the way. The earth in front of her lay undisturbed.

Can you ride? Zlora interrupted her thoughts.

Horses? Yes, I’ve ridden before. Riley neglected to mention she based her riding experience on a brief holiday on a dude ranch. Thank goodness I wore trousers to work today.

A vacant look appeared in Zlora’s eyes again. Riley stood quietly, not wanting to interrupt the huntress. After a few moments Zlora relaxed and looked up at the sky. Riley followed her gaze to an empty sky. What was the huntress looking for? A smudge at treetop level quickly turned into –.

Riley stared in disbelief. Two flying horses headed in their direction. She gulped nervously. Zlora had asked about riding – not flying. Her novice experience might have been able to cope on the ground, but flying through the sky with so much space below her? What about the gravity itching to drag her down to earth? A shudder of apprehension passed through her.

The flying horses landed and pawed the ground. Up close they looked completely different than the horses of Earth. They were twice the height of a normal stallion, but much finer boned. Once they had landed, the wings folded neatly along their sides. A glorious black stallion and a delicate golden-brown mare stood before her. Both sets of wings were pure white.

The black lifted his head and looked at her. Riley’s eyes opened wide as his fierce gaze fixed intently on her.

I hope he’s not my mount. He looks mean.

I’ll take the black and you can have the brown. Zlora headed for the stallion. The tension in Riley’s shoulders relaxed as she moved toward the mare. Unfortunately, her relief didn’t last long.

The mare stood quietly while Riley used a large boulder to clamber on her back.

I wish I could spring up on her back like Zlora, but I’d probably end flat on my face on the ground on the other side.

Zlora took off immediately, and before Riley had time to think, the mare followed.

One moment she’d been settling herself on the mare’s back, the next they were airborne. Riley tilted backward; grabbed the mane and dragged herself down onto the neck of the mare, where she hung on for dear life. Luckily her mount didn’t need guiding as Zlora’s stallion led the way.

Riley eventually settled. Carefully – and swallowing quickly to keep the contents of her stomach – she looked down at the ground flying past. They’d left the forest far behind and now flew over cultivated fields. The flight became enjoyable as she watched the changing scenery with interest until her flying horse abruptly headed down to earth. Ahead she saw the reason for their descent.

A huge stone castle dominated the large settlement pressing against it on three sides. Their mounts headed for the landward side of the moat. Zlora slid to the ground as soon as they stopped. Riley clambered down in a less dignified manner. The mare turned amused golden eyes on her before launching back into the air. The two women walked across a drawbridge so old the landscape had begun to absorb it. Riley longed to stop and take in the view, but Zlora marched ahead to the castle gateway where they were challenged by one of the sentries.

Zlora, identify yourself.

Riley wondered why the huntress had to prove her identity when the sentry obviously knew her. Zlora simply looked at the man. Something must have passed between them as the sentry nodded and turned to Riley.

Identify yourself.

She can’t. The sentry’s bow abruptly appeared in his hand, an arrow already notched to the string. I don’t think she’s Mute, but this woman’s not one of us either. I’ve brought her to the king. He must decide what he wants to do with her.

Wait. I’ll get a guard to escort you. The young sentry didn’t lower his bow or take his eyes off Riley. Within moments a female guard appeared at his side, a small crossbow pointed directly at Riley.

Zlora led the way to the main doors of the castle. Riley looked curiously at her surroundings. The building reminded her of the ancient castles of England with their huge stone blocks sitting neatly on top of one another. She expected the inside to be poorly lit and chilly, but when she crossed the threshold, light and warmth flowed around her.

Wow, central heating.

Silence, the guard snapped. You will not speak until given permission to do so.

In single file the three women entered a large hall. To their left the wall curved around until it met the one on the far side. At the centre of the curve a large ornate throne sat in the middle of a dais; a lower platform on one side held a smaller, less elegant throne. On the opposite wall a huge fireplace filled with glowing logs dominated the stone wall.

An overweight man sat on the big throne, luxurious robes draped across his body and a crown on his head. Riley guessed this must be His Majesty, the King of Sacral. A fuzzy red carpet stretched forward, then turned sharp left to approach the dais. Zlora walked along this strip and stopped immediately in front of the king. The huntress dropped to one knee and bowed her head. At the same time the guard put her hand on Riley’s shoulder and forced her to kneel. For a brief moment Riley thought of resisting, but decided it wouldn’t do any harm to make this small obeisance. To object would certainly cause offense.

King Hurat, Zlora rose to her feet and Riley followed. I bring before you one who has the attributes of a Mute, but I don’t believe she is from our world.

The man on the throne looked down his long nose at Riley who smiled back at him. Her mother had taught her to always be pleasant to others, especially when those around you were trying to be nasty. The king’s lips twitched in the beginnings of a smile, but he concentrated on straightening his robes. He cleared his throat before looking down at the women once more, but this time his gaze rested on Zlora.

Where did you find her?

In the royal hunting forest, my king. The woman stood beside the Pool of Beauty.

Doesn’t seem to have worked on her. Riley heard the king mutter and wondered if he had insulted her. Does she have a name?

Riley.

Neither woman had time to speak before a familiar voice called her name. She didn’t know anybody here, so who could it be? Her head turned as footsteps sounded behind her.

Riley, welcome to my world.

Chapter Two

Riley’s mouth dropped open. She knew this made her look an idiot but the surprise had been so great she couldn’t help herself.

Aren’t you going to say hello?

Jothur? Is it really you?

How could her disappearing boyfriend suddenly reappear on this strange world? Her confused mind found an acceptable explanation. Hallucination. The lorry had knocked her down causing seriously injuries. They’d taken her to hospital where she lay unconscious, suffering visions of another world. One problem interfered with this surmise – were hallucinations this real? Did figments of the imagination include smells and sounds?

I think I’ll accept this for now and see what happens. There’s nothing I can do about it anyway.

Of course it’s me, silly. I’m glad you got here at last. Jothur’s smile had the usual effect of turning her legs to jelly.

Oh Jothur, I’ve missed you so much. She leaned toward him but he quickly stepped away from her and turned toward the king.

Your Majesty, may I present Miss Riley Wynd. She’s the lady I met when I visited Earth.

Ah, so this is the young lady who took your fancy. King Hurat allowed a thin smile to drift to Riley. You are welcome my dear. Jothur has told me a lot about you.

Thank you, Your Majesty. Riley dipped her knee to the king. "May I enquire where here is?"

I’ll tell you later, Jothur murmured and turned to the king. Majesty, may I take Riley to her room and explain things to her?

Very well. I shall expect you both to join us for dinner.

Of course, Your Majesty.

Jothur bowed low and his hand on Riley’s back forced her to bob her knee again. He took her arm and led her from the hall. Riley glanced over her shoulder to send a smile of thanks to Zlora as they went through the doors. Her steps faltered at the look of pure hatred in the eyes of the huntress, and a shiver of fear passed through her.

I’m so pleased you’re here. Jothur led her up the wide curving staircase.

Riley vaguely remembered him saying something similar when he’d first seen her in the hall. This raised a question in her mind, but it could wait. First she needed to know what had happened. Why was she here and where was here?

Jothur, you called this place Sacral, how did I get here?

Here is my home planet. I don’t expect you to understand what’s happened. Sacral is a world of two continents. Its people are similar to Earth people, but here magic rules instead of science. He threw open the double doors near the end of the corridor. This is your room.

Riley smiled her thanks and entered the room. A gasp escaped her lips. The bedroom had sprung intact from a fairy tale. Thick white carpet covered the floor. Dark blue drapes hung at the windows and along three sides of the four-poster bed. The brilliant white linen on the bed stood out against the dark blue coverlet thrown over the top.

Your own private bathroom’s through there. Jothur pointed to a doorway in the wall opposite the bed. I’ll leave you to freshen up and change your clothes. Dinner won’t be for another two or three hours so I’ll come back in an hour and we can talk before I take you down to the hall.

Jothur wait –

Too late. He’d already left the room, closing the door behind him.

He’d told her to freshen up, so Riley opened the door to the bathroom. A sigh of pleasure escaped her lips. A sunken bath took up the centre of the floor. Steamy, scented water filled it to the brim and without further ado Riley stripped her travel-stained clothes from her body and eased herself beneath the surface. A ledge ran along beneath the water, at a height to sit and submerge the body, but still keep her head dry.

Riley had never been in such a luxurious bath before. She closed her eyes and lay back to enjoy herself. Ten or fifteen minutes passed before she decided her hair and body really did need a wash. The water hadn’t cooled at all. Maybe the bath had built-in heaters. She found soap and shampoos laid out along the edge. Riley frowned.

I don’t remember seeing those when I got in. They must have been there and I didn’t notice when I slipped into the water.

The aromas from the toiletries were heavenly: sandalwood, lavender and several others she didn’t recognize. She chose sandalwood and after washing her hair and body, Riley stepped reluctantly from the water’s embrace. If she stayed there any longer she wouldn’t be dressed when Jothur arrived. A smile crossed her lips as she thought of meeting him naked.

Going on past experience he’d probably get her something to cover her body. Their relationship had been reasonably intimate but they’d never made physical love. He’d fondled parts of her body, bringing her to an aroused state, but she knew Jothur to be positively Victorian when it came to scanty clothes.

Back in the bedroom, she hummed a tune under her breath, but abruptly stopped. Clothes! Jothur said to change, but into what? The clothes she’d arrived in had been smart when she set out for work, but now they were wrinkled and dirty. A shudder passed through her at the thought of putting these garments on her clean body.

On the far side of the room Riley noticed a large carving on the wall. She crossed the room and examined the two panels, each depicting life on Sacral. At the top of each panel, identical carvings caught her attention. A long-tailed bird flew out of high-reaching flames. The carvings reminded her of a phoenix rising. This did not help her find clothing for her body. Riley looked at the panels again.

I wonder. Could they be doors? It’s a good way to keep them from destroying the beauty of the room.

The panels had no obvious way of opening – no handles, no indents in the appropriate places to provide finger holds. A push and a pull nearly broke her already short nails. The doors remained stubbornly closed.

Tears pricked Riley’s eyes. How could she appear at her best before the king, not to mention Jothur, without any clothes? These had to be doors to a clothes cupboard. There weren’t any other options in this room.

Think Riley, think. What other ways are there for doors to open?

Various ideas came to mind and she tried them all to no avail. What had Jothur told her about his planet? ‘...ruled by magic instead of science....’ In desperation she cried out Open Sesame. To her surprise the doors swung open to reveal a walk-in closet and dressing room.

At last. They must be voice activated. Jothur could have told me. How did he expect me to know something which isn’t normal on my world?

Jothur didn’t belong to Earth so the way things worked on Sacral would be normal to him. His words of greeting returned to her, and with it, the question which bothered her. What did he mean, ‘you got here at last’? How could he have known Riley would be coming to his world? Jothur had a lot of explaining to do before all her questions were answered.

Her thoughts were put to one side while she looked at the dresses hanging from the rails. Never a fussy dresser, she preferred jeans, t-shirts and sweaters to the more formal attire of tailored trousers, skirts and blouses she wore for work. Casual dresses were unknown in her wardrobe. How ridiculous she must have looked curtsying to the king while wearing dirty, crumpled trousers.

The closet looked full to bursting with satin dresses at one end and delicate muslin skirts and tops at the other. A cabinet full of drawers sat to one side of the closet. Riley pulled the top drawer open and found neatly folded underclothes. Further investigation revealed everything she needed to go beneath the dresses. The bottom two drawers held soft leggings and tunics in the style Zlora had worn. Beneath the hanging clothes, several pairs of shoes and two pairs of knee-length boots stood to attention.

Riley chose a dress to match the colour of the Sacral sky. It looked good with her short copper hair. While she’d been investigating the closet her hair had dried, and tight curls framed her face. A quick check in the mirror made her smile as her green eyes twinkled at her from the reflection.

Riley dressed for the evening in the full-length lilac dress with matching shoes peeping from under the hem. At the far end of the dressing room a heavy shelf jutted out from the wall. An ancient looking, intricately carved jewelry box sat on this shelf. Riley opened it and gasped. Inside were exquisite necklaces, brooches and rings, all neatly laid out on the velvet base. The gems reflected the light, throwing colors around the room.

No time now to drool over these, I need something to match this dress.

She chose an amethyst necklace then closed the box thoughtfully.

These people must be very trusting. The box isn’t even locked. I could be a thief for all they know.

The full skirt of the dress swayed with every movement. It made her feel like Cinderella. Riley grimaced. Not really her style, but Jothur must want her to fit into his world so she’d go along with it for the time being. A knock on the door heralded Jothur’s arrival and Riley called for him to come in.

You look wonderful! The appreciation glowed in Jothur’s eyes as he took in her appearance and the feelings she’d had for him on Earth returned, flooding through her body, making her knees weak. Thank goodness she’d done her best to look good.

Thank you for the clothes, Jothur. Left breathless by the surge of passion, the words gasped from her mouth. Am I presentable enough for your king’s court?

More than presentable. He spoke softly, and Riley could see desire flash in his eyes. Maybe at last he would feel the longing for her she’d always had for him. Until now he’d always been respectful of her feelings, his excuse being he could see no need to rush things.

Let’s sit down and talk.

He led her to a window seat looking down over the courtyard. Twilight dimmed the day enough for the grooms to go around lighting the lamps before the sun disappeared completely.

Jothur, what did you mean when you said you were pleased I’d got here at last?

I think I’d better start at the beginning. Jothur cleared his throat. Sacral is mainly magical. My people have various psychic abilities. Most of us are telepathic, but we also have other attributes such as telekinesis, teleporting, empathy, flashes from the future: things your people associate with extra-sensory perception. We use these abilities all the time. On top of this, all our people are able to cast small spells. We don’t use them too much, just enough to make life comfortable.

You mean like the always warm bath and the way to open the clothes closet?

Yes, small things. Our council and King Hurat decided we needed to know something of other worlds. They pooled their magic and sent me across the divide between our two planes of existence. My instructions were to gather information and send a signal when I needed to return.

I don’t see how this explains how you knew I would cross over to your world. Riley could feel the irritation rising up inside her. It also added an edge to her voice. Jothur’s words made their relationship sound like a cultural exercise rather than two people falling in love.

Patience Riley, We had a talk about our future, remember? I meant to tell you the truth and ask you to come back with me, but the spell failed before I saw you again. One of those providing the magic died in an accident. The spell collapsed and automatically ripped me back to Sacral.

Relief flooded through Riley and her irritation subsided. He hadn’t left her due to second thoughts about their relationship.

When we got close to one another, I put a marker on you. No wait – He held up his hand to stop any interruption. It’s not what you think. I noticed travelers from other planes of existence on your world. I wanted them to know you were under my protection so they wouldn’t harm you.

Would there have been any likelihood they’d harm me? Without the marker they wouldn’t have known of my relationship with you. Riley’s emotions were in turmoil and her temper rose. How dare Jothur presume he could put a tracking device on her