Fated, A Timeless Series Novella (A Timeless Series Companion Novel)

Copyright

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or used factiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, my not be reproduced in any form without permission from the author. The scanning uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the author is illegal and punishable by law.

Copyright © 2012
by Lisa L. Wiedmeier

Editor: Sam Dogra

Cover design
by:
Indie Book Covers

For more information on the Timeless Series visit:
http://www.lisawiedmeier.com
/
timelessseriesnovels.com
/
www.facebook.com/TimelessSeriesNovels /
http://lisawiedmeier.blogspot.com/

Edition
-I

ISBN:
978-0-9839052-6-4

For Julia,
and
Sandra, thank you for believing in me.

And for all my fans…

May you have C.A.T.T.S. forever!

(
C
hronic
A
ddiction
T
o
T
imeless
S
eries)

Fated

A
Timeless Series Novella

A Timeless Series Companion Novel

Lisa L. Wiedmeier

&

Sam Dogra

Part One: Cheyenne

Edition One

Chapter One- Callon

Chapter Two- Colt

Chapter Three- Daniel

Chapter Four – Callon

Chapter Five – Daniel

Chapter Six
–
Colt

Part Two: Promises

Edition Two

Coming
Summer 2013

Part Three: Daylight

Edition Three

Coming
Winter 2014

Part Four: Awakening

Edition Four

Coming
Summer 2014

Chapter 1

“
It’s not a question of can or can’t. You just do.”
~
Callon

It was raining again, and the constant pattering on the windows made me
sigh
. I’d had a late night talking with Daniel back home, but today all my
enthusiasm
seemed to have stayed in bed. I could hardly concentrate on the reports, and I was so restless. One minute I’d be in the study, the next I’d be pacing the main room, before circling through to the kitchen.

Yet my agitation wasn’t totally random. I was waiting for an important letter
, it was the only safe method right now
. I’d not heard from her in weeks, and it was somewhat nerve-wracking, knowing she’d had such a close call only a few mont
hs back. I knew, even as acting
clan regent, I couldn’t show
favoritism
to my friends, but sometimes I wished I could. Though she’d never let me hear the end of it if I took her from the front lines…

The distant hum of an engine caught my ear, and I glanced through the front room window. A mail truck was speeding away, and I swallowed. Perhaps I’d finally have the news I wanted.

Snatching an umbrella from the hall, I hurried into the downpour and retrieved the envelopes. As I walked back, I flicked through them. Some water and electricity bills, an offer for free pizza, something about a book signing for a new author…and a letter from an address in Idaho I didn’t recognize.

Hmm.

Back in the house, I dumped the umbrella and tossed the bills onto the kitchen counter, then began to open the unknown letter. Who would want to write to me?

‘To whom it may concern,

We write to you for your timeless counsel on a matter of destiny. The light of hope threatens to wane as her sunrise approaches, and though we have guarded the flame since its birth, the winds of change are drawing near. Help us protect it, else all will fall
to the dark fangs. The record-keeper and his aide will meet us at the pearly gates near their home. Come visit with them, and we can discuss things further.’

I blinked, flipping the page over. There was no signature or name, other than what was written on the envelope: a ‘G.A. Wilson’. One thing was for sure, though. The letter was important.

After grabbing a
water
from the fridge, I perched on the kitchen table and read through the message again. It shouldn’t be too hard to figure out.

The first thing that stood out was the reference to the ‘timeless’, and I frowned. The writer was a bit careless to drop that hint if they’d gone to the trouble of creating a riddle. But it also got straight to the point. This was from one of the clans, and they had to be desperate if they’d written to me directly.

The style was also pretty stilted, and I guessed the author was probably a little older than I was. That ruled out some options, but I couldn’t think of anyone I knew who lived in Idaho. It was possible they’d only moved there recently, as our kind couldn’t stay in one place for too long, but Dex usually kept track for me, and he hadn’t been in touch in the last couple of months.

Who was G.A. Wilson?

Scowling, I picked apart the other sentences. ‘
The light of hope threatens to wane as her sunrise approaches
’ could’ve been about someone near their twentieth birthday, soon to transform into a Timeless, though the ‘
hope’
thing threw me. The ‘
dark fangs’
must have meant the Tresez, the wolf-like beasts who murdered Timeless while they were still human.

Next came ‘
the record-keeper and his aide’
. That had to be Dex and Lilly. Dex was currently the eldest Timeless clan leader, and while I was clan regent, my job focused on the war against the Sarac. He, on the other hand, was in charge of our historical records, amongst other things, and many clans valued his wisdom more than mine. Finally, the ‘
pearly gates’
—I knew that was a reference Dex used for our safest meeting place, the old cemetery.

I sighed, dropping the letter to the table. Well, that had been easy enough. It seemed this ‘Wilson’ character had someone—a son or daughter, maybe—who was about to turn Timeless, and they wanted help, most likely to protect them from the Tresez.
Still,
why had they got Dex and Lilly involved? And why had they approached
me
?

It could only mean they were guarding someone special.

But who?

The water lashed into my helmet visor as I rode down the narrow country road. I hadn’t wanted to take the motorbike, but the truck was still in for repairs, and
wouldn’t be ready until next week. If Colt was around, I knew he’d have been able to fix it, but he’d gone off on a world trip a few months back, so I was stuck.

I’d called Dex earlier—by some miracle managing to find a decent signal—and he confirmed that someone had asked to meet with them. In fact, he was the one who’d suggested they get in touch with me. He didn’t tell me much else, other than what time to expect them. It was annoying, but he and Lilly lived in such an isolated area, and power outages weren’t uncommon, so telephone conversations were something of a luxury.

Guess I’d find out what all this was about soon enough.

The cemetery was a little way from the road in the middle of a
cornfield
. Surrounded by the beautiful mountains and lakes of Montana, it wasn’t surprising that anyone would want to be buried here. It was a little more open than I liked, but I wasn’t afraid. If the Tresez sniffed us out and decided to make an unwelcome appearance, I could deal with them.

I parked next to the cemetery gate, and removed my helmet. The rain was pleasantly cool, and I ran my hand through my hair as I stepped into the rows of gravestones. The tombs were overgrown with ivy and weeds, and there was a stone shelter at the back. I made my way there, scanning the area. The place was deserted.

A quick glance at my watch told me I was a little early, so I leant against a pillar and closed my eyes. It was peaceful here. In fact, it reminded me of home. I always loved the rainy days, which made the whole estate so lush and green. Yet no matter how many times Daniel begged me to come back, I wouldn’t. After Dad passed away, I vowed never to set foot in that mansion again. Not when it was my fault…

“Callon?”

My eyes snapped open, and I caught sight of a man entering the gates. His
brown
hair had more
gray
in it
than I recalled
, and he smiled. Behind him shuffled a short lady with long black hair, and she waved at me.

“Hello Dex, Lilly,” I said, walking up to meet them. Dex gripped my hand, and Lilly kissed my cheek. “It’s been a while. You both look well.”

“As do you, Callon,” Dex said. “I’m glad you made it at such short notice.”

“I hope your journey was alright,” Lilly added. She held me at arm’s length. “You’re skinnier than I remember.”

“My weight hasn’t changed, Lilly,” I said, laughing. “It’s good to see you.” She was always so motherly.

We were interrupted as a car drew up the road. It stopped by the gate, and a couple got out. One was a dark haired man with broad shoulders, while the other was a slender woman with blonde hair.

“Ah, they’ve come right on time,” Dex said. He strode out to greet them, and then led them into the cemetery. “Callon, I’d like you to meet the two who wrote you the letter. These are Gene and Alexis Wilson. Gene, Alexis, this is Callon O’Shea, the leader of the Consilador clan, and acting regent of the Timeless.”

The two stopped between a set of gravestones, and bowed their heads.

“It’s an
honor
to meet you, Callon,” Gene said, extending his hand. “My name is Gene Wilson. This is my wife, Alexis.”

“A pleasure,” I said, shaking his hand, and then the woman’s. “So, I’m guessing you have something serious to discuss?”

“That we do,” Gene said. “But let’s talk out of the rain.”

We went to the stone shelter, and spread out beneath the pillars. The raindrops splattered into the roof, making for a soothing background. Dex sat on the edge of a broken wall, Lilly at his side, while Gene and Alexis sat together on the lone bench. I leant against a marble tomb, and folded my arms.

“We’re from the Coltooro clan,” Gene began, taking his wife’s hand. “We have never made ourselves known before, and I apologize for this sudden intrusion. But we have had reason to lie low, even amongst our own kind.”

I nodded.

“It’s about our daughter,” Alexis broke in. She swallowed,
trying to
hid
e
the tremor in her voice. “She’s in great danger, and we don’t know what to do or who to turn to or…”

“Hush,” Gene soothed, stroking her hand. “Calm down, sweetheart. That’s why we’re here, to get her help.”

Alexis nodded, though I could tell she was close to tears.

“It’s probably easier if I explain the details,” Gene said, wrapping an arm around Alexis. “Our daughter, Cheyenne, isn’t our biological daughter. We adopted her when she was very young.” He licked his lips. “We’re not sure who her real parents are, but we know they were also Timeless.”

“How long ago did you adopt her?” I asked.

Gene sighed.

“Almost seventeen years ago,” he admitted. “We’ve been very careful, making sure not to stay in one place for too long and keeping her scent hidden, but as she’s become older and more independent this is getting difficult. She wants to go to college and study journalism, but she doesn’t know the truth. And we’re not sure how to break it without frightening her.”

“I see,” I said. “And you’re absolutely sure she’s Timeless?”

“Yes,” Gene said. “She has shown a few signs, and I’ve caught glimpses in the shadows that worry me. But we haven’t dared tell her anything. We don’t want to upset her, and we’re not sure she’d believe us, anyway.”

“She knows she’s adopted,” Alexis said—she seemed to have regained control of her emotions. “And she’s a bright girl. She’s started to notice things about us. Like how we haven’t aged, and how we always seem to be moving and changing jobs.” She let out a breath. “Sooner or later she’s going to start asking questions, and we want to be able to support her when she nears her twentieth birthday.”

“We called Dex for advice, since he’s our clan leader,” Gene said, “and he suggested we write to you. I’m sorry the message was so cryptic, but I didn’t want to take any chances.”

“That’s fine,” I said. “So what you’re saying is, you want me to keep an eye on your daughter until she transforms?”

“Yes,” Gene replied. “We’ve done our best, but things are starting to get on top of us, and she still has four years before she’ll become Timeless.” He hung his head. “Please, I know this seems a lot to ask from you, but we love her so much, and she has so much to live for. I don’t want the Tresez to find her. We just can’t do this on our own anymore.”

I fell silent, mulling over their words. While I was moved by their story, I sensed there was more to it than they were letting on. Why else would they involve both Dex
and
me? Why not keep it within their own clan? It just didn’t add up.

Who was this ‘Cheyenne’, really?

“It may seem odd that I asked them to contact you,” Dex said, breaking my thoughts, “but you are our closest ally, and I felt you’d be best trained to help them. Lilly and I live too far away to watch over Cheyenne, and as you are closer to her age in appearance, she would be more inclined to trust you.”

“Perhaps,” I said, “but I feel you’ve not given me the whole story.” I looked Gene in the eye. “Is there anything else I should know?”

“We’ve told you everything,” Gene said, meeting my gaze. He reached into his pocket and drew out a photograph. “Here, this is what she looks like.”

As I took the picture, Lilly crept over, and peered from my elbow. The photo had been taken on a mountain hike, and showed a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. She was grinning, standing ankle-deep in a fast running stream. Even though I’d never met her, I couldn’t deny she had a striking resemblance to someone I’d seen before…