Forbidden Knowledge Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  About the Author

  Forbidden Knowledge

  Koven Chronicles Book Five

  By Andrea Pearson

  Copyright © 2018 Andrea Pearson

  Book design and layout copyright © 2018 Andrea Pearson

  Cover copyright © 2018 Andrea Pearson

  Series by Andrea Pearson:

  Kilenya Chronicles

  Mosaic Chronicles

  Koven Chronicles

  Ranch City Academy Series

  License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction, and the views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author. Likewise, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are represented fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  http://andreapearsonbooks.com/

  Dedication

  To

  Adriel Wiggins

  and

  Roger and Judith Cohen

  Chapter One

  I sat on the grass next to Abel, handing him his slushie before taking a sip of mine. We were at the Pioneer Day celebrations at Thanksgiving Point in north Lehi. I was there as a Fire Impeder—to make sure nothing bad happened and to be on hand in case anything did—and Abel was there because we rarely left each other’s side these days.

  The band exited the stage, and the audience cheered, the sound of their whoops overcoming the sound of the rushing waterfalls behind the stage. Even though I knew the waterfalls were man-made, they were still beautiful and peaceful, and this was one of my most recent favorite places.

  The sun had set twenty minutes earlier, and the fireworks show was about to start—the reason I was there. Abel took my hand, stroking the back of it with his thumb. He sent me a smile, which I returned, before leaning over and placing a kiss on my cheek and whispering “I love you” in my ear.

  I shivered, enjoying the physical reaction his touch and whisper created. Ever since Abel had told me he loved me and had finally kissed me for the first time, he’d showered me with affection. I couldn’t believe this was the same man I’d met several years earlier. He was still austere, yes, but the gruffness had given way to a soft and squishy side he showed me regularly.

  He pulled away, directing his attention to the deejay on the stage, his thumb going back to circling on my hand. A faraway expression crossed his face, and pain and despair clouded his eyes. I knew without asking what he was thinking, and I vowed yet again to help him find his mom as soon as I could.

  The first of the fireworks exploded in the sky, and I set aside my concerns and focused on reaching out magically, monitoring the fireworks and the surrounding crowds. It was unlikely this event would turn into a shooter situation. I was there in case it did, but I expected that if there were any problems, they would happen because of the fireworks.

  And of course, they did.

  Right before the finale, a large firework fired incorrectly, heading straight into the closest residential development. I knew the organizers had all sorts of gadgets and systems in place to prevent this sort of thing from occurring, but even so, accidents still happened.

  I jumped to my feet and scrambled up the hill, knowing I’d get a call at any moment.

  Abel and I were in his car already, heading out of the parking lot when the Lehi Fire Chief called. I hadn’t seen where the firework had gone, but I’d definitely felt the resulting flames and was prepared to guide Abel in that direction.

  “Miss Ashton, in case you didn’t notice, a firework landed in a residential neighborhood,” the chief said. “Only one house is on fire, and we’re working on getting it contained, but we’re worried the flames will spread.”

  He relayed the address, and Abel and I arrived soon after.

  Apparently, as a firefighter informed me, the firework had burst through a front window on the first floor of the house before going off, spraying the place with bright colors. The owners weren’t at home. That was a good thing, since it meant no one had been hurt. Firefighters had arrived only moments before me and were struggling with the flames that had already spread to the second story.

  I glanced around the neighborhood. This community had been built with barely a couple of feet between each house. I knew it was great for starter families—less property meant easier-to-manage prices—but it was awful for those of us who worked to keep them safe. I immediately reached out with my magic, grasping at the sparks and commanding them to die.

  As usual, it was grueling, exhausting work. The closer we got to the house, the farther the fire spread toward the back. I couldn’t risk going between houses to stop it from behind—it was too hot and dangerous. The house was up against a ravine that firetrucks couldn’t access, and the risk of the flames spreading there were high.

  I pushed as hard as I could, willing my magic to last long enough for me to help stop the fire and protect the neighboring homes.

  We almost had the fire under control—and good thing, too, since my magic was nearly gone—when an old man tapped me on the shoulder.

  I barely glanced at him, noting the nice-looking suit and cane, before turning my focus back to the fire. “Just give me a minute,” I said. Couldn’t he see I was busy?

  He grabbed my arm, heedless of my situation, pulling me to face him. He held a small globe in his hand, which he tried to get me to take. “Dorothy Elizabeth Ashton, this device is hereby loaned to thee for nine days. Return it by the deadline, or the ten plagues of Egypt shall befall thee and the countryside surrounding thee.”

  That got my attention. I pulled my hand away, refusing to accept the globe, and stared at him. “Wait.” Did he mean the country I currently was in, or the countryside that would surround me regardless of where I was? “Who’s going to be affected by this?”

  “You and the countryside surrounding thee.”

  He only repeated what he’d said, but I think I understood. “How many miles are we talking about?”

  “Like unto the size of Egypt—”

  “Wait a second. Hold on. Only nine days? That’s nowhere near long enough. Give me more than that.” This device would help me find the stupid hounds, and I knew there was no way—not with what was going on—I’d get things done in only nine d
ays.

  “Nay. Nine days be all I can give thee.”

  “Are you serious? Nine? That’s ridiculous. At least give me ten.”

  “Nay.”

  “Please? Pretty please?”

  He shook his head. “I cannot.”

  “Oh, come on!”

  The man growled. “Fine. Ten days, but that is all.”

  “Thank you.” Relief rushed over me. I hadn’t actually expected him to bend, but miracles apparently still happened. “Where do I return it?”

  “To the Akashic Record at Mount Koven. I shall pick it up there when thou art done with it.”

  Only hesitating a moment longer—wondering if there were other questions I should ask but unable to think of any—I finally opened my hand and accepted the globe, tucking it into my pocket. I needed it, after all, to complete my task.

  The man turned and walked away, leaning on his cane as he did so, the silk of his nicely tailored suit gleaming in the light from the fire.

  Oh, crap. The fire!

  I blinked, realizing the houses and people surrounding me had disappeared while the man was there. They came rushing back the moment the man was out of view, and I gasped when I realized Abel and a firefighter were yelling at me. The firefighter was shaking my arm, and Abel held my face in his hands, urgently calling my name, a panicked expression on his face.

  I jumped, stepping away from him. “Sorry! What’s going on?” I brushed past them, reaching out magically to figure out what had happened while I’d been talking to the man.

  To my surprise, the fire had spread to both neighboring houses. How long had I been out of it? It had felt like only a couple of seconds.

  I was also surprised to find that my magical reserves had been replenished somehow. Had the man done that? Or had it been long enough for me to have regained them on my own? That couldn’t be it—it usually took me an hour, sometimes two, to gain my powers back once I’d spent them. The flames hadn’t burned unattended that long. If they had, the firefighters would’ve gotten them out on their own already.

  With my powers regenerated, I attacked with gusto. The volunteers around me also fought with renewed vigor once they realized I was helping again. Finally, we got the fires under control. I slumped to the grass in front of the first house, again exhausted from my efforts.

  Abel joined me. “What happened?” he asked.

  “What did you see?”

  “You went into a trance. We couldn’t get your attention, regardless of what we did.”

  I pulled the globe from my pocket, showing it to Abel briefly before tucking it away again. I didn’t want it to draw attention from the others around us. “Did you see a man? Wearing a suit and using a cane? He gave it to me while I was working.”

  Abel shook his head, then chuckled mirthlessly. “He picked the perfect time to interrupt.”

  I nodded. “Let’s get back to my house. We’ve got work to do.” The presence of the globe was reassuring, and I couldn’t wait to get started.

  A groan rumbled in my chest as I realized something. Before I could get to work on anything, I needed to hire an assistant. If someone had been with me fighting those fires, that magical visit wouldn’t have derailed the job, and other houses wouldn’t have been affected. I couldn’t believe it. Yet again, my special calling had messed up my duties.

  Eleanora and Chief O’Hare were right. This was unacceptable.

  Chapter Two

  I brought the globe with me when I headed to the Fire Impeder training center in California. Abel and I had messed around with it the night before, but nothing happened. I didn’t know how to use it. I also didn’t know if I’d dropped the number of hounds to fifty or less. It was possible the globe wouldn’t work at all until that happened.

  Knowing I didn’t have a lot of time, I hopped on a plane to Vegas and from there, I took a military helicopter to Fort Irwin in California instead of driving. Yes, I had friends in high places down there. I couldn’t have gotten a helicopter on my own.

  Fort Irwin was the Army’s main training center. It was also the largest of the four Fire Impeder training facilities in the world.

  The Fire Impeder center didn’t follow a regular college schedule—training started every two or three months as new students were brought in. There were only three instructors, and they constantly had eight to ten Fire Aretes training in different phases at any given time. It was a lot like an elongated boot camp. The first two months were grueling physically. The next two were grueling mentally.

  Instructors made sure students were comfortable with Fire, as the natural human reaction is to shy away from it. Fire Impeders couldn’t do that. They’d have to be able to confront it and even risk getting burned.

  Magical flames, of course, didn’t hurt us, but real flames did.

  After the first four months of physical and mental training, instructors then branched the Fire Impeder trainees into the subspecialties. Sparks, including engines; wildfires; guns; bombs; etc.

  It was while I’d been focusing on bombs that I’d met Blake.

  Blake Cummings had been everything I’d always wanted in a boyfriend and future husband. His darkish hair had only been tinted a little red when he’d turned eighteen, giving him the opportunity to pursue Fire or Earth. He’d decided to pursue making and stopping bombs. That brought him to Fort Irwin, where we met when our groups worked together.

  Blake was a natural at anything Fire or Earth related. He was the only Arete I’d ever met who had equal abilities in both elements. And being the dedicated flirt I used to be, it didn’t take me long to get attention from him. There was, after all, only one other girl in my group.

  Our courtship was intense and short. We started dating and were engaged a couple of months later. I knew what I wanted, and so did he. To be certain we weren’t acting rashly, though, we decided on a six-month engagement.

  We were engaged only two and a half months.

  Blake and I were assigned a difficult lab experiment, along with two other students. He was required to create a bomb, and I was required to stop it while the others monitored and made notes.

  I didn’t blame myself anymore for what happened. I knew it wasn’t my fault. Memories from the experience still caused my heart to ache, though, and even on the helicopter ride to Fort Irwin almost four years later, my mind filled with what-ifs. Even worse than the time when an accident had been my fault—when two people had died and the right side of my body had been burned.

  Blake dying was worse because I hadn’t tried to save him. I didn’t have the opportunity, even standing ten feet away. By the time he was dead, my ears were still ringing and my brain scrambled from the sudden explosion.

  He was setting up the bomb when he made a miscalculation. Several seconds before I was supposed to take over, the bomb exploded. He was killed instantly. The two other students and I sustained only minor injuries. We hadn’t yet stepped out from behind the protective fireproof wall that separated us from him.

  Nothing softened the guilt or the blow of losing Blake. I was lucky I hadn’t seen the actual explosion. My PTSD was nowhere near what it would have been had I witnessed it with my eyes. I was grateful for that.

  Major Alvin Lee—just Alvin to me—had been overseeing the experiment for our instructors. He rushed in and removed me from the room before I could even step out from behind the screen, before I could fully comprehend what had happened. Alvin made sure I never saw Blake’s body or any of its parts.

  I fought him. I fought him hard. And I was bitter about what he’d done. But now, I’m grateful for it. Yes, I struggled from not getting closure. From not being able to say a proper goodbye. But it wasn’t nearly as bad as it would have been if I’d turned the corner of that wall and had seen Blake’s body in pieces.

  With Alvin’s help, I focused on counseling and healing and moving on. It still took me years before I was able to open up to another man—Abel. Thank goodness for him and his patience and understanding. My heartac
hes paled in comparison to what he’d experienced, and yet, his soul was still a balm to my own.

  Alvin and I had kept in contact over the years, and he would be meeting me at Fort Irwin when my helicopter landed. I hadn’t been back since graduating several years ago.

  Memories flooded me as the familiar arid landscape filled the windows of the cockpit. Mountains rose to the west, and a gentle slope surrounded nearly the rest of the fort. I both hated and loved that scenery.

  While I’d been there, I’d stayed in a house with several other Fire Impeders. The Army had allotted forty-four family dwellings for the Fire Impeder training program. My roommate and I had shared one of them with four other women. I smiled fondly at my memories of Sandra, of our late-night ice cream dashes to the commissary, then dragging ourselves out of bed the next morning to get in a good jog at the track.

  The helicopter touched down and I hopped out, not surprised to see Alvin there already. What did surprise me, though, was that he wore the uniform of a general now. Forgetting propriety—I hadn’t been in the Army, after all—I ran to him and threw my arms around him.

  “It’s been so long!” I said.

  Alvin returned my hug, seemingly oblivious to the wide eyes of his officers surrounding us. I stepped back, putting my hands on his shoulders and surveying his uniform.

  “You didn’t tell me you were a general,” I accused teasingly, dropping my hands and falling into step next to him as we headed to the fort’s main building.

  He shrugged, smiling. “It happened in two thousand fifteen.”

  “How’s the base?” I asked.

  “Excellent. Trainings are going forward better than ever.”

  “That’s fantastic. You were always good at organizing people and getting them to do exactly what you wanted.”

  Alvin raised an eyebrow at me. “I seem to remember things with you differently.”

  I chuckled, knowing he was referring to my frequent snide comments.

  One thing I loved about him—even though he’d been a major and I was a lowly citizen, he never acted as if his rank was more important than my position as Fire-Impeder-in-training. It was something that carried over into other aspects of his life. The men and women who served under him did so out of respect. Unlike many officers working around him at Fort Irwin, he hadn’t been the loud, in-your-face type. It made total sense that he was now a general.