Katera

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  Katera

  J.D. Evergreen

  Published by J.D. Evergreen

  Copyright 2018 J.D. Evergreen

  Discover other titles by J.D. Evergreen:

  The world of Katera

  Shadowsoul book one of the Katera rising series

  Short reads:

  Accidental Time Travelers

  Non fiction

  Take Charge of your lifestyle: Save your health, your wallet, and the environment

  ***~~~***

  Katera

  Book one in the Celestia series

  Written by J.D.Evergreen

  For my family, who taught me to dream.

  Table of Contents

  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

  Epilogue

  A Peek Inside Shadowsoul

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  One Last Thing

  Chapter One

  I hack at the wheat with my sickle, ripping up large fistfuls with each swift movement. The job is hard, but after years of working in the hot sun, I have grown used to it. I grab another fistful of wheat and cut it neatly, tossing it onto the growing pile beside me.

  Sighing, I wipe sweat from my brow. I look back at the town, willing the bells that would signal the end of the day and the beginning of the harvest feast to ring. A bead of sweat rolls down my neck and the hot sun does its best to evaporate it before it can reach my collar.

  “Some way to spend your twenty-first birthday.” I glance at the pile of wheat at my feet and the sickle by my side. “Happy birthday to me.”

  I grasp another handful of grain and slice it neatly. This farm is too much for one person to maintain. When there had been three, we had managed. But now…

  “Taliah.” A voice chirps through the field.

  I stop and look around, the wheat rustles as a breeze blows through it. I peer through the grain and listen carefully. A twig snaps and I spin to face it. Nothing.

  I sigh. I am getting too twitchy. I relax and return my focus to the pile of wheat at my feet, I should probably bundle that.

  “Taliah,” a voice comes from behind me.

  Startled, I swing around and grab the person by the shirt. My sickle is up and ready to attack any threat. I gasp as my eyes settle on my friend Chloe, quickly I release her and take a hasty step back, dropping the sickle by my side.

  Chloe holds her hands up in surrender. “Whoa, what are you doing with that thing? Auditioning to be death?”

  I let out a slow breath, releasing my panic. Too many people had been attacked lately, the harvest this year hasn’t been as productive as it should have been. When the disease swept through the region, people became too ill to tend the fields. Those who remain, have already begun taking what they need from others. I shouldn’t stress, the wheat still has to be milled before it will be worth stealing.

  I look back at Chloe and give her a shy smile. “My bad. I am too twitchy for my own good. But I may take your suggestion as future career advice.”

  Chloe laughs heartily. She has a contagious laugh, and a smile spreads across my lips.

  I look over my friend, she is well dressed for the occasion. Her light brown trousers hug her long legs and compliment the light green shirt that clings to her figure. I watch in envy as her long brown hair flows lose and shifts gently in the breeze, if mine did that it would be a big knot by now.

  I glance down at my grubby farmer clothes and eye the holes in my filthy pants. How is it that I always feel like a slob when I am around her?

  Heavy footsteps join the rustling of the wheat behind me, Kent pushes the grain asside. “Damn, you found her first. You didn’t give her the present yet did you?”

  Chloe looks over at her twin brother. “Of course not!” She crosses her arms. “I told you I would find Taliah first.”

  I turn to face Kent. He is just as tall as his sister but built like a mountain. His hair sits in short bristles, close to his head. Sprinkles of coal dust coat it, making it appear darker than it truly is.

  “Present you say?” I ask in my most charming voice.

  Chloe smiles and pulls a wrapped present from her pocket. “Innocent isn’t a good look on you.”

  I nod. “Yeah, it felt all wrong too.”

  Chloe offers me the small brown package, and I take it in my hands. Delicate swirls cover the paper, they interlock and seem to swim before my eyes.

  I look up from the designs. “Kent, did you draw these?”

  Kent nods, pride filling his face. “We couldn’t wrap it in any old paper.”

  I turn the package in my hands. “They are beautiful.”

  Chloe smiles. “You know, usually the present is under the paper.”

  I let out a bark of laughter and unfold the paper, careful not to ruin the beautiful designs covering it. I pull a little pine box from the wrapping and carefully fold the paper and place it in my pocket. The small box fits neatly in my palm. I pry it open, and inside I find a pink gem, I hold it up and it twinkles in the sunlight. Gently, I retrieve the treasure from its wooden nest and hold it in my hand, a stunning hand-woven chain follows the gem out of the box.

  I hold the necklace to my chest and smile up at the twins. “It’s beautiful.”

  “The gem is supposed to have healing powers. I’m sure I read it in a book once,” Chloe supplies.

  “I found the gem in the mines while I was at work, and I snuck it out,” Kent adds with a grin.

  Chloe flashes me a full-toothed smile. “Then we found materials for the necklace, and I put them together.”

  I fling my arms around them. Giving them each a long firm hug. “Thank you. You two are amazing.”

  Kent awkwardly pats me on the back, but Chloe loops her arms around my waist and returns my hug.

  Chloe steps back. “You just say that because we bring you nice things.”

  I nudge her playfully. “Well I can’t just keep you two around for your good looks, can I?”

  Chloe takes the necklace from my hands. “Here, I will put it on for you.”

  I turn around and move my hair away. Chloe’s cool hands clasp the chain together, and her fingers brush my neck as she pushes my hair back into place.

  I hug her again. “Thank you.”

  The town’s bell rings. The sound echoes throughout the field. Birds burst out of the wheat and fly into the sky as they flee their hiding spots. That bell rings every day, and the birds launch out of the grain in terror every time.

  I scoop up a large armful of wheat, the tough fibers stab at my exposed skin. “Yay, dinner time.”

  Kent and Chloe help me carry piles of
wheat over to the nearby wagon, and we pull the canvas over it. Can’t have the rains ruining the crop. I have already had to wait far too late to harvest the grain, I don’t need it going moldy as well.

  Kent ties the last knot. “I’m starving.”

  Chloe raises an eyebrow. “You are always hungry. This isn’t a new development.”

  Kent ruffles Chloe's hair and she swats at him and makes an effort to restore order to her hair.

  I chuckle and lock the tools inside the small wooden shed. I take great care to ensure it is closed. Tools are something people will steal.

  Kent is still attempting to ruffle Chloe's hair, and so I step between them. Together we head towards town. We encounter many people leaving their farms and heading towards the center. Most of them are in similar states of dress to me, and I feel better about my appearance. We hurry through the town, past the tailor shops and the cheese mill. We have to wait for the nobles pouring out of the large hall before we can continue our trip.

  A drunk man bursts out of the inn and stumbles about. His cheeks lined with stubble and his eyes reddened. It is my neighbor Jink. He hasn’t been the same since his wife died. His son, Ango, rushes up and assists him, together they stumble towards the town center.

  I turn my gaze away from the family and stare at the cobblestones that line the streets. At least they still have each other.

  Kent nudges me, and we resume our journey. The going is much slower now as the streets are filled with townspeople catching up after a day’s labor. We dodge a cluster of gossiping women and finally make it to the cleared town center.

  Elegantly decorated tables and chairs fill the space, and the buildings surrounding them have been cleaned down in preparation for the feast. We sweep through the area and pass the quickly filling tables in search of one of our own.

  The tables up the front are empty, but it is not appropriate for us to sit there. Those seats are for the upper-class citizens of our town. I can’t help but notice the food on their table is much more extravagant than the food on other benches throughout the square.

  We manage to snag a place where the three of us can sit together and I pull up a seat. I look up at the harvest decorations, excitement wells up inside me in anticipation of the feast to come. I can almost forget how heavily our harvests had been taxed to supply it.

  I sit between Chloe and Kent, looking in amazement at the abundance of food around me. Plates of warm bread, roasted meat, vegetables and fruit platters fill every table.

  We sit quietly. No one touches the food. We are waiting for the whole town to take a seat and for our king to make an announcement. Then we will eat.

  The food is less abundant this year. Probably a result of our failed harvest. My stomach clenches. Then again, there are fewer people here to eat it. I sigh and force a smile onto my face.

  I look at the large wooden stage. Glowing crystals are placed around the outside of the platform, carefully secured in unique holders. Each crystal fades slowly in and out, emitting a gentle white light.

  The Mayor lumbers from his mansion and waddles over to his table. After fussing about his chair and having a new one brought out, he finally sits. A servant carefully moves one of the gems on the stage, and the crystals shine a bright blue.

  The light is so intense I am forced to redirect my gaze to the table. The flash recedes, and I flick my eyes back in time to see each crystal shoot a beam of colored light towards the center of the stage. Within seconds, the figure of our king is projected in front of us, displayed in a series of vibrant colors. A display like this will be present in every town across the country.

  “People of Katera,” The King speaks in a deep, confident voice and the entire town falls into silence. “This year we celebrate another bountiful harvest.”

  The working class citizen’s shift in their seats and cast glances at one another. I wouldn’t consider this harvest bountiful. Perhaps other farming towns had fared better than us this year? The nobles make up for our lack of excitement by clapping and cheering at the holographic figure of our king.

  The king holds out his light woven hands. “Thanks to the hard labors of our citizens, we have this delightful feast before us.” He gestures regally at us all and smiles charmingly. “Without further delay, please enjoy your lunch.”

  With that, the image of the king simply vanishes. A moment of silence follows before everyone digs into the food around them. On this particular day of the year, everyone gets enough to fill their bellies. The hierarchy formed by the town and state systems ensures a pyramid of social classes that determines who regularly gets enough to eat.

  Though our king ensures peace across the kingdom, he doesn’t exactly monitor equality amongst his subjects. While I am a lucky middle-class citizen with a farm that provides income and shelter, some people are so poor they are forced to become servants to survive.

  The clink of utensils and the scraping of chairs indicates the meal has begun in earnest. I dig into the food in front of me, loading my plate with bread, vegetables, and meat. I attempt to eat slowly, but hunger brought on by working in the fields makes me eat a little faster than my parents would have liked.

  Kent inhales large forkfuls of food at high velocity. “Mmm, good food.”

  I nod, not slowing my eating to give him a verbal answer.

  Chloe eats at a far more respectable pace than Kent or myself. “I wish we could eat like this every day.”

  “Some people do,” Kent reminds us through a mouthful of potato and a glance at the Mayor's table.

  My eyes flick over to our Mayor, who is eating from two separate legs of meat, one clenched in each of his greasy fists. He wipes his oily face on his shirt and tries to claim a kiss from his wife beside him.

  I crinkle my nose, that shirt is probably worth more than my yearly income. He bobs his balding head at a noble who has approached his table, and he talks to him around mouthfuls of food. Even from this distance, I can see whole chunks of food in his mouth.

  His two wives sit on either side of him, eating small mouthfuls of vegetables and salad. Both are a healthy size, much younger and better looking than the Mayor himself. The Mayor’s wives go to great pains to continue to look as young and healthy as they can.

  The Mayor is well known for replacing his wives when they grow old or large. As it stands, these are wives four and five. I don’t know what happened to the other three, I haven’t seen them since The Mayor replaced them.

  “I’d rather be poor and hungry than as mean and repulsive as him,” I mumble to Chloe and Kent.

  They glance up at The Mayor’s table and nod in agreement.

  I return to my meal, and when I have eaten as much as I can safely carry in my stomach, I lean back in my seat with a sigh. I eye the food on my plate. Maybe if I wait a few moments, I can cram more into my stomach.

  The Mayor drags himself out of his chair and lumbers his way up the stage. Breathing loudly with every step he takes. Finally, he stands in the center of the stage and leers at the women in the crowd, paying particular attention to Chloe.

  “I think you have just become next on the wife menu,” Kent whispers to Chloe.

  “I’d sooner throw myself to wolves than stand beside a man as cruel and heartless as he is,” Chloe snaps back at her brother. “Besides, he isn’t my type.”

  Kent lets out a soft snort of laughter.

  The Mayor coughs at the top of the stage and wheezes with his hands on his knees. A young male servant approaches the Mayor, but he is roughly shoved away.

  The mayor wipes the sweat from his head, with the same sleeve, he used to clean his face. He turns towards us, his flabby cheeks flushed from the exercise. “As you know, today we celebrate the harvest.” He pauses and bends as a fit of coughing overcomes him. One of his servent's darts upstairs to offer the Mayor a glass of water.

  She stumbles on a loose board in front of the Mayor, and a small amount of ice-cold water spills on to the stage and across the Mayor's shoe.
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  The poor girl stops, frozen in terror. Everyone shifts uncomfortably as the Mayor directs his full attention to the young servant girl.

  He swiftly raises his hand and slaps the young girl so hard she falls off the stage, landing heavily on the ground. “You stupid girl,” The Mayor yells at her crumpled form.

  I jump to my feet, and the twins are quick to hold me back. Thwarting my attempts to aid the young girl.

  Chloe gently tugs my hand. “Taliah, sit down. You will just bring his wrath upon you, and it still won’t spare the girl.”

  Reluctantly I sit, and Chloe slips her arm around my waist, holding me close for comfort, or perhaps to make sure I don’t stand again and cause the Mayor to direct his rage at me.

  “Get her out of my sight,” The Mayor screams, waving his arm at the girl on the ground below him.

  Two male servants dart in from the sides of the feast and scoop up the girl, carrying her limp body out of sight.

  The Mayor stomps his foot. “Where the hell is my water?”

  Another slave rushes up the stairs. Taking great care not to make the same mistakes as the last one, and hands The Mayor a glass of water.

  The Mayor snatches the glass from the young girl’s hand, spilling it everywhere in the process, and gulps down the remainder. He shoves the empty cup back in her face. The young girl takes the cup with shaking hands and quickly exits the stage.

  I clench my fists. “I can’t believe this man is in charge of us.”

  Chloe gives my side a squeeze. “No one likes it Taliah.”

  I let out a sigh and force myself to relax a little. The Mayor wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and belches loudly. He readjusts his food stained shirt, and a button in the middle pops loose. I crinkle my nose and rub my face.

  “It is so hard to get good help around here,” The Mayor sneers, returning his attention to the crowd.

  A few upper-class citizens laugh at the Mayor's joke. Everyone else remains silent.

  “Now, back to my speech,” the Mayor announces. He pauses for a moment. “Eh, it’s not important anyway. Eat, drink and be back at work by 6am tomorrow.”