Urzra (Knights of Order #10)

Chapter One

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WIND BLEW IN A CONSTANT flow as Bria Janke tended to her vegetable garden.

It carried the salty scent of the ocean to her as it cut down on the heat.

It was almost the end of July and summer was hotter than usual on Block Island.

The island was small, with few year-round residents.

They usually had an influx of tourists at this time of the year, but the Rapture had killed tourism as well when it had taken so many people away.

“Now there’s just me and the loonies,” Bria said, standing up straight to stretch.

A recluse by nature, she’d chosen to move to this tiny island so she could escape from humanity.

The apocalypse hadn’t affected her as much as most people.

If anything, it had done her a favor by getting rid of so many of them.

Bending over to continue weeding, Bria thought back to when all hell had broken loose eight months ago. She hadn’t even known anything was wrong until one of her neighbors had paid her an unwanted late-night visit.

“That was the first time someone tried to kill me, but it probably won’t be the last,” she said with a grimace.

Her neighbor would have succeeded if it wasn’t for her secret talent.

“He wasn’t just going to murder me,” she said, used to talking to herself after being alone for the past few years.

“He was going to molest me first,” she added grimly.

In his forties and far too old for her, her neighbor had tried to speak to her several times after she’d moved in six years ago.

Her property was isolated, just like the others nearby.

She kept her gate locked and had put up no trespassing signs to keep people out.

He used to watch her like a hawk and waited for her to drive to the store before approaching her.

Bria had used her talents to fend him off each time.

“His mind snapped after the Rapture,” Bria figured. “He had to give it one more try after his mom vanished and he realized what had happened. He broke into my house and he would have captured me if my hearing wasn’t so good.”

Bria shuddered at the memory of waking up to see her neighbor standing at the foot of her bed.

A rope was in one hand and a gun had been in the other.

She’d had to use her talent to confuse him long enough to wrestle the weapon away from him.

One shot had ended his life, but it had destroyed something inside her as well.

“Now I’m just as tainted as every other dark soul who still haunts this world,” she said mournfully.

She’d tried to call the police, but couldn’t get through.

She’d turned the TV on to see news reports of worldwide disappearances.

Thanks to her enhanced strength, Bria had dragged the man outside and had buried him in her field.

Her neighbor was just one more person who’d vanished.

It had been a relief that she wouldn’t go to jail for murdering him.

Other people had come to her house periodically since that traumatic night.

Bria’s innate skill worked each time and sent them on their way.

As far as she could tell, only a few dozen people were still inhabiting Block Island now.

Or there had been the last time she’d bothered to leave her property to scan the island.

“I wish I knew why I’m so different from everyone else,” she said, pushing her hat back when it fell too far forward.

At only five foot two, she had a delicate build and could pass for a teenager.

Her mom was small as well, but they looked nothing alike.

Bria had dark blonde hair and gray-green eyes.

Her mom had dark hair and eyes. “Mom has no idea who my dad is,” she said.

“It could have been any of the junkies she used to hook up with.”

Bria often speculated that she’d been born with special abilities due to all the drugs her mother used to take.

The one and only time she’d seen a doctor about her skills had ended badly.

He’d accused her of being delusional. She’d had to use her talent on him to stop him from trying to have her committed.

One of her abilities alerted her that trouble was approaching and her head snapped up. She’d always been able to sense people from a distance. Three people were showing up on her radar. She dumped the weeds in a bucket, then raced for the house.

Bria entered through the back door and raced to the front door. “It’s the old hags from two houses down again,” she said in annoyance as she peered through the peephole. They’d had to climb over the gate and walk all the way to the house, but it hadn’t deterred them.

The three women in their fifties were sisters. They were carrying plastic containers, no doubt intent on raiding her property. Her magic didn’t last forever and it had worn off again.

Heaving a sigh, Bria had to wait until they were within her range before she harnessed her skills.

Putting her palms against the door to help her focus, she sent out a blast of power.

“There’s nothing here worth taking,” she murmured, sensing their avaricious emotions and changing them to disappointment.

“You looked and found nothing and now you’re going home,” she added, sending out another wave of magic.

The trio stopped a few yards from the door, faces blank and eyes glazed.

“I thought for sure we’d find something worth taking here,” the oldest one said.

“We had to look,” the middle one muttered.

“This was a waste of time,” the youngest said in disgust. “Let’s go home.”

Bria sagged against the door in relief, standing on her tiptoes to watch the sisters make the long trek back up the driveway. “Stay away this time,” she muttered in annoyance. “The greedy, lazy cows can’t be bothered to grow their own vegetables,” she said in disgust.

Before the Rapture, Bria used to sell her excess vegetables at the local grocery store.

While she’d avoided everyone, they all knew her.

A young, attractive woman would draw attention no matter where she lived and she was no exception.

She’d only been eighteen when she’d first bought the property.

Now twenty-four, Bria had successfully kept to herself for the most part.

“I don’t care how hungry my remaining neighbors are,” she said with a scowl. “Those harpies would try to kill me and steal every last vegetable from my garden.”

Using her magic was always a strain. Wielding it against three targets at once had exhausted her.

They would be back in another couple of months once her power wore off again, or so she assumed.

Bria wasn’t really sure how it worked. She just knew she could manipulate people’s emotions.

If someone was angry, she could make them happy.

If they were feeling desire, she could turn it to disinterest. It always confused her targets long enough for her to escape from whatever situation she was in.

“It worked against the guy I shot,” Bria said, turning to put her back against the door.

Her neighbor was the only person she’d ever killed and she hoped he would be the last. Unfortunately, only bad people were left now.

The survivors would get more and more desperate as their food supplies dwindled.

Eventually, they would all turn on each other.

She just hoped she could stay hidden in her small home and remain isolated from the beings who’d caused her so much pain and anguish.

Now that the danger was over, Bria returned to gardening. She pulled all the weeds out and checked her vegetables. The carrots, beets, cucumbers and tomatoes were doing well. She would have plenty of canned food to last her through winter.

Feeling content, but weary, she headed inside and took a quick shower.

An avid reader, Bria had thousands of books stored on her e-reader.

Her house had solar power and a battery, so she didn’t need to worry about running out of electricity.

A generator and cans of gas were in a shed in the back yard.

She read for a few hours, then turned in.

Her exhausted slumber was broken when bright gold light blazed through her curtains. Wincing at the light, Bria rushed to the window to see a comet descend into the ocean nearby. The water was hidden by trees, but she could reach it in a few minutes on foot.

“Another gold comet,” she said, turning away to head back to her bed.

Her spine was tingling and she felt strange, like something had just shifted inside her.

She was about to climb back into bed when agony tore through her right thigh.

Gasping in reaction, she looked down, but couldn’t see anything amiss.

“It felt like something just bit me,” she said as tears of pain gathered in her eyes.

The phantom wound stung as if salt was being poured into it.

She turned to the window where she’d watched the comet fall. A feeling of dread suffused her and she limped to her dresser to get changed. Bria had no idea what was going on. She just knew she had to head to the beach before it was too late.