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    Twisted Karma
    Twisted Karma
    Twisted Karma
    Ebook408 pages6 hours

    Twisted Karma

    By Lizzy Ford

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    Book six, Rhyn Eternal Series. Responsible for her brother’s inability to protect the Future, Karma is helpless to do anything for him and quickly finds herself in a worse situation. She’s found her mate - and he’s bad news. Wild, emotional, and naïve, Karma is a wildfire without restraint. Her mate is her polar opposite – and the threat her brother foresaw tearing apart the Immortal and human communities.

    Meanwhile, Stephanie has been left to figure out her role within the Immortal community. Tasked by her mate – Fate – to stop the Immortals from imploding, lest demons take down the human world, she struggles to find a way to bring her family and the Immortals together, or at least, to keep them from falling apart. Wynn soon gives her a greater task: she’s going to head the Council and lead the Immortals. He’s ready to execute the plan he’s been nursing for thousands of years, no matter what damage he does in the process.

    With no mate to guide her, and few allies to call upon, Stephanie chooses to make a deal with the Dark One in order to stop Wynn and save her people.

    It’s all or nothing. Rather, all or Hell.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLizzy Ford
    Release dateSep 15, 2017
    ISBN9781623783389
    Twisted Karma
    Author

    Lizzy Ford

    I breathe stories. I dream them. If it were possible, I'd eat them, too. (I'm pretty sure they'd taste like cotton candy.) I can't escape them - they're everywhere! Which is why I write! I was born to bring the crazy worlds and people in my mind to life, and I love sharing them with as many people as I can.I'm also the bestselling, award winning, internationally acclaimed author of over sixty ... eighty ... ninety titles and counting. I write speculative fiction in multiple subgenres of romance and fantasy, contemporary fiction, books for both teens and adults, and just about anything else I feel like writing. If I can imagine it, I can write it!I live in the desert of southern Arizona with two dogs and two cats!My books can be found in every major ereader library, to include: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Sony and Smashwords.

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      Twisted Karma - Lizzy Ford

      One

      Two months later

      Had Karma been born in the current human era and dimension, she would have been the little girl with unkempt hair and dirt-streaked cheeks who sat at the back of the class punishing toys for misdeeds they may or may not have committed. The other children would have instinctively known to avoid her, the teachers hesitant to discipline her, and the parents would have warned their children about the wild girl no one should invite to birthday parties or sleepovers.

      In any era or dimension, Karma would have been lonely. Classified as a soul-eater deity, she had no friends and only one member of her family remaining, a brother named Fate, a deity with no concept of love, boundaries, or discipline. He could not teach what he did not know, and the little girl he was left to protect was more troublesome than the hundreds of billions of lives he was charged with managing. Even so, he cared for her in what ways he knew how to, and she worshipped her big brother, the only person who didn’t back away in fear when she tried to talk to him.

      She listened to him alone, but without the boundaries and discipline children needed, she didn’t always understand his perspective or why he could meddle with humans and deities and she could not. She held the power to judge the soul of anyone and everyone, and she determined what punishment would be meted out for sins or wrongs committed. In the hands of a child, unlimited power was nothing short of a nightmare. Because she had yet to try to balance a god or goddess, Fate was content to sit on the sidelines and let her do as she pleased.

      It wasn’t until she officially came of age and her power manifested that Karma charged into the dangerous, highly political world defining the deities’ relationships with one another. Karma didn’t just try to balance one of the many gods or goddesses, she challenged the oldest reining deity, the Dark One. If she could balance the most evil, depraved soul in existence, then wouldn’t that help balance every other sinner in existence?

      Fate, fearing for his sister’s life, stepped in to prevent the destiny he foresaw, should she confront the Dark One. With the help of Death, he exiled his sister to the only place the Dark One couldn’t reach her – a cold, dark cell at the bottom of a cold, dark palace in the one domain the Dark One couldn’t enter: Death’s Underworld.

      Karma sat in a cold, dark dungeon, in a domain where night made up most of the day, and each day ranged from minutes to hours to years to decades. She interacted with no one, aside from the occasional visit by her beloved brother or Death, and learned nothing about self-control. She sat in her cold, dark cell for a millennium before she was discovered by the queen of Hell, Deidre.

      Deidre was the first person in existence Karma balanced only to discover a woman so pure and good, she could murder a hundred Immortals and still have room for more evil on her scale. The queen of Hell helped Karma escape, and the goddess re-entered the world wild, eager, naïve and ready to balance every single soul she crossed. What she hadn’t yet learned: even if the original Dark One had been replaced, the oath she swore to balance him had transferred over to his successor. One day, Karma would be forced to confront the one being in any world capable of destroying or enslaving her.

      But that was not this day, when she sat struggling to understand the youngest deity, Peace, explain the concepts of compassion and understanding.

      Peace was an Ancient Immortal whose ascension to a god was considered by most other deities to be a scandalous accident. Fate alone knew Andre had always been destined to take on his new role, for no one else had the personality required of his position. Fate’s favorable view of Peace was the only reason Karma trusted one of the two deities younger than she was.

      How can you tell me someone who murders others deserves to live himself? Karma asked.

      My point is that no person is fully good or truly evil. No one is bad or good. No one is right or wrong. We are all rainbows of infinite hues, not black and white, the Immortal-turned-deity formerly known as Andre replied with patience. He sat across from Karma in the study of the rebuilt castle in the French Alps belonging to the Council That Was Seven. Currently under the control of his father, Wynn, the castle and Council were hostile to everyone else in the family except for Peace, who was welcomed wherever he went, with the exception of Hell. You can see good in bad people, can’t you?

      Yes, but they must pay for their misdeeds, she insisted. Karma can do it with some level of compassion, but Karma still must do it.

      Peace raised an eyebrow.

      Karma sometimes slipped back to talking about herself in the third person. She caught herself most days, but when her thoughts were preoccupied, she did it without realizing it.

      "I can do it with compassion, but I still must do it, she corrected herself. I must balance him."

      So we are talking about one person in particular, Peace said. What if this person is trying to redeem himself?

      Karma frowned. Her thoughts were on the one soul she’d tried to balance who epitomized what Andre was patiently telling her. Light and dark had been intertwined in this person, bad deeds for good purposes, good deeds for bad purposes. She’d never met anyone as complex, and she’d spent weeks struggling to understand whether or not he deserved to die for his misdeeds or live to champion his cause.

      If someone commits evil, repents, and then intends to spend the remainder of his life doing good, but you kill or damage him first, are you causing more evil or more good by ridding the earth of him? Peace swirled the brandy in his glass, legs crossed at the knee and warm, dark eyes on her features.

      Intentions shouldn’t matter. Actions do, she replied, unconvinced. Troubled, her hair and eyes were both rotating through colors, black then white then every hue in between.

      You’re still interfering, Peace said.

      I’m doing my job. I’m balancing. It’s for their own good.

      Without compassion, without clarity, without fairness. Without justice.

      Karma was silent. Occasionally, Peace said something that resonated within her, and she wasn’t certain what to do about it.

      I can see your mind working, Peace encouraged her. You’re not one to hide your thoughts. Tell me what you’re thinking.

      You’re right. I am talking about someone in particular, she said slowly. Someone … perplexing. I can’t make sense of him or what I should do.

      You want me to tell you it’s okay if you don’t balance him.

      She gazed at him, hating that she was incapable of hiding anything from anyone. Her brother was a man of secrets, whose mind and duty were too complicated for him to reveal the truth and his thoughts. If he weren’t careful, he could alter the Futures of billions with a misplaced word.

      She, on the other hand, couldn’t lie or suppress her feelings. If her expression didn’t give her away, her chameleon hair did.

      Maybe, she said. I can’t see the rainbow you’re talking about when I look at someone’s soul. I only see good or bad, light or dark.

      From my experience mediating, the rainbow isn’t visible on the surface. It lies somewhere beyond the black and white. It’s the context of why someone chose good over evil or evil over good, Peace explained. That’s why you’re confused about this person, because you sense there’s something deeper than what you can see on the surface.

      Yeah, she agreed. That’s one reason. But I’ve judged others for far less, and I never tried to look at the context of their deeds.

      You’re evolving. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.

      Guess I need to watch more movies. Fitting in with others was not something Karma innately understood how to do. Movies filled in the gaps in her limited understanding of interacting with others.

      Try dramas instead of romance, Andre advised. His eyes went to the door of the study. You should go, before Wynn finds you and traps you in the catacombs again.

      Wynn, Karma hissed. There has never been anyone who deserves to be balanced more.

      I’m surprised you haven’t done it yet.

      Wynn was the man vexing her, and she wasn’t about to tell anyone that. She’d tried to balance him and failed for reasons only she and Wynn knew.

      Wynn had committed the ultimate evil.

      Wynn had also committed the ultimate good.

      Far from balanced, he was too layered for her to determine the best course of action. If context was the issue, then she needed to understand more about him and how he thought. That, too, was complicated, given the reason behind her inability to judge him.

      Wrestling with herself, Karma stood. I’m not coming back tomorrow, she told Peace. These talks are giving me headaches.

      You know where to find me. Unfazed, Peace sipped his brandy. I’m on house arrest until further notice.

      He was entirely too calm, too gentle. Karma possessed no such traits, but she did feel better around him, less conflicted, less anxious. Why do you bother with me? she asked. You must have better things to do than talk me out of murdering bad people.

      When you put it that way … Andre laughed. I believe everyone is worthy of a second chance, even those who don’t seem to be salvageable on the surface.

      She eyed him, suspecting he was talking about her as much as any of the humans, Immortals, or demons she balanced.

      The door to the study started to open.

      Without another word, Karma summoned a portal to the place-between-places, a cavern whose floor was covered with a thin layer of mist, and left the study. She didn’t shy away from confronting anyone, but Wynn was a different kind of animal. A healer who used his gift to kill, Wynn was the only Immortal to have earned the respect of deities near and far, even after his resurrection weakened him. He’d been able to trick her into prison the first time, where he could use his power, and that of the castle built on sacred ground, to prevent a deity from escaping.

      She possessed raw power, and he never resorted to anything other than his mind. Somehow, it didn’t make him any less dangerous. It wasn’t in her nature to manipulate anyone, and she didn’t have the benefit of the lessons learned over thousands of millennia that Wynn had. Robbed of the one power she held over everyone else, she didn’t know what to do when it came to Wynn.

      Peace’s calming effect quickly wore off. Karma stood in the place-between-places and gazed in the direction of the one portal not open to her: the black gateway that led to Hell. She’d tried many times to enter it to rescue her brother, who was imprisoned by the Dark One. The portal wouldn’t open for her. With no experience navigating the lethal world of deities, and no collected favors she could trade, she – one of the strongest and most universally feared goddesses ever to exist – was completely helpless. Her brother had all but forbidden her from trading her own favors. After weeks of struggling to find any other way to help him, she began to think this was the only path that might help her reach him. She couldn’t ask him if he’d forbidden it because granting a favor would change the Future for the worst.

      Afraid to fuck up the worlds, afraid she’d lose her brother if she didn’t do more, Karma had been warring with herself since her brother disappeared.

      There was one person who claimed to be willing to assist her, the only person she’d never consider asking. She’d march into Hell and confront Dark One before she’d go to a twisted politician with a polluted soul for help.

      Karma hates feeling like shit, she murmured.

      Two

      Wynn stepped into the large study that smelled of sunshine and books. He recognized the trace of power remaining and touched his damaged wrist, the permanent reminder of how dangerous the loose cannon of a goddess was. In her attempt to balance him, Karma had nearly severed his hand from his arm. He’d stopped the worst, but all his healing abilities couldn’t reverse everything she’d done.

      A man of vision, foresight and control, Wynn hadn’t determined the best means of handling Fate’s little sister, who had come into her power a millennium ago. She was a baby on the grand spectrum of deities who wielded their power for millions and millions of years. Strong enough to cause chaos, too feral to care about collateral damage, Karma was raw power without the will to control it, a lethal combination that clashed violently with Wynn’s usual calm, methodical approach towards life.

      I still don’t approve of you setting her free, he said to his eldest son, Andre, also known as the deity Peace, who remained as a voluntary prisoner to watch over his brothers and sister. The other surviving members of the Council That Was Seven currently resided in Wynn’s dungeon, and his daughter was restricted to the castle.

      She spent her entire life as a deity in prison, Andre replied. She won’t learn if she’s confined. She needs guidance.

      A hopeless endeavor, I imagine.

      She’s smart. She’ll understand one day.

      But not before she gets herself and everyone around her killed.

      Andre turned towards him, curious.

      Wynn checked the anger in his tone. I don’t like deities trespassing without permission, he said coolly. Especially not that one. If she plans on visiting daily, she can return to the catacombs.

      You could block her access to the grounds, like you do most other deities and demons, Peace said with a smile. Or, if you were ten seconds earlier on any of the past few days, you could have told her yourself. You haven’t taken any of the steps within your power to banish her completely.

      Our first interaction did not go as either of us planned, Wynn replied vaguely. I imagine she is preparing for our next encounter, as am I.

      Karma is pure emotion. She does not plan, Wynn.

      Karma was a headache. The best Wynn could do when it came to her was hire a death dealer to assassinate her. But she’d recognize an assassin a mile out, balance him, and send the body back in pieces, if Wynn had to guess. In all the scenarios he’d devised over the past few weeks, since he imprisoned his sons, he hadn’t found one where he successfully managed Karma. He was even reluctant to renew the offer of the original deal he had almost convinced her to take. Her favor was one of the final ones he needed for his collection, and he hesitated to pursue her for reasons only the two of them understood.

      Andre was right. Wynn didn’t want Karma anywhere near him and simultaneously hadn’t taken the steps he could have to banish her from the property. He’d been in a state of conflict since he’d seen the true damage to his forearm and wrist.

      His eyes went to the diaries lining the wall behind his desk. He’d read through every one of them, seeking information about Karma, one of the few deities he hadn’t met in either of his Immortal lives. There was nothing, except one anecdotal piece about the origins of her real name. The next step in his plan was to study what he had written, observed and heard about her brother Fate, her father – Past-Fate – and her mother – Past-Justice. If there were a familial weakness, her relatives could lead Wynn to it.

      But all the effort expended on Karma interfered with his primary concern: regaining his original power, which was stripped from him when he died the first time around. He’d begun crafting his plan early on in his first Immortal life. Resurrected Immortals returned with a fraction of the power that once belonged to them, and he’d need every piece of influence he could muster to move to the second stage of his plan.

      He’d already decided to adjust the timeline of his plan, in case Karma became more of a liability than she already was.

      Turning away from the disappointing diaries, Wynn leaned against his desk and folded his arms across his chest.

      How long do you intend to torture my brothers? Peace asked.

      The usurpers who planned to tear our society apart more than they already have? Wynn countered.

      Andre sighed. Yes. Those brothers.

      I still cannot fathom why you stood with them against me.

      Do not try to change the subject, Father. Unlike my brothers, I’m well aware of your attempts to manipulate us. You succeeded in destroying our united front.

      Wynn smiled. He and Andre were alike in that they appeared thoughtful, diplomatic and cultured. Unlike Wynn, Andre was what he appeared to be, while Wynn covered his ruthless maneuvering beneath a civilized façade.

      I took no pleasure in it, Wynn said.

      Peace studied him hard, unable to determine if Wynn spoke the truth.

      You would’ve been a competent administrator, Wynn added. We both knew what Kris was, competent but arrogant and incapable of impartiality. No one else was remotely fit to lead.

      I think you miss the greater point that all of your children were left with no parent or mentor to guide them, no one to help them, and no one but ourselves to fend off the Immortals and deities who have stalked and manipulated us since our births. You killed all of our mothers, apart from Stephanie’s, to prevent our respective clans from influencing you or your children. Andre pointed out. You left us for the world to raise, and the world turned us into the men and woman we are.

      I was raised the same way. It fashioned me into a ruler, not a selfish child incapable of putting the greater good before my own concerns, Wynn replied.

      It fashioned you into a dictator with a hidden agenda that might just hurt us all in the end.

      Wynn had been called much worse in his life. You went through everything your siblings did, and you turned out as close to perfect as possible, he countered.

      At the beginning, I had a mentor, Andre said. You spent time with me when I was young enough for it to matter.

      I don’t care for distractions, which you and your brothers became.

      You have the potential to care for others. Andre had a calming effect even on him, and Wynn was not the kind of man who raised his voice or hand to anyone. He didn’t need to, not when he was already ten moves ahead of everyone around him.

      Except when it came to the most unstable piece on the board. Karma was an agent of chaos in his otherwise meticulously planned world. Manipulating a raging wildfire required the ultimate patience and care if he wanted to avoid being burnt again. He’d gained the upper hand with her before, only to lose it in a flash of her temper.

      No, Andre was wrong. Wynn had no desire or potential to deal with anyone who didn’t fit into his plans.

      Wynn wrapped his free hand around the wrist that still stung. The sensation of Karma shredding him from the inside out woke him every other night, since their confrontation. It was a distasteful reminder of how frail his body was this time around. She had nearly killed him. If he died-dead again, it’d be permanent. The jarring reality of how fragile his life was had come at the hand of Karma rather than the Dark One, who had imprisoned Wynn for a few weeks in Hell.

      A shrewd creature, the Dark One had a use for the most powerful Immortal in existence.

      Karma didn’t plan ahead far enough to care.

      You and Karma both would benefit from learning a little empathy and, dare I say, compassion? Andre shook his head. You have never loved one person in your life, Wynn. You have never displayed compassion for, or empathized with, anyone in your family.

      What gave it away? Wynn replied dryly. The corpses of your mothers?

      Andre pursed his lips. I refuse to stop believing in you and your potential to change.

      Your brothers will remain in the dungeon until they learn a thing or two about discipline, if that’s even possible, Wynn said, returning to Andre’s initial question. You’re right. I abandoned you all, and your brothers became reckless and forgot their sacred duty. Compassion has no place in this family. If they don’t understand that, then they’ll die-dead in the catacombs.

      The Council That Was Seven had caused more damage to the Immortals and humans they were supposed to protect than the demons hunting them. If not for Wynn’s half-demon son Rhyn, a second breach between the human plane and Hell never would’ve occurred, and the number of Immortal warriors – charged with killing demons – wouldn’t be twenty percent of what it had been a year before.

      There would be no shape-shifter demons or cracks in the Immortals’ solidarity, both of which came into existence at the hands of Kris, whose ambitions and medical experiments had earned him a permanent place in the dungeon for as long as Wynn was in charge. Two of Wynn’s sons wouldn’t have betrayed their siblings and the Immortals to the Dark One. Kiki never thought for himself and swayed with whoever was in charge, and Tamer and his temper answered to no one, respected no one, protected no one.

      The only children who had the potential to lead and the capacity to respect the Ancients’ responsibility to the world were Andre and Stephanie, the daughter Wynn hadn’t known existed before a few months ago. Stephanie was the child born of a dalliance Wynn had with the goddess Chaos during his second Immortal incarnation. Stephanie was new enough to the Immortal world to be molded into the leader their people needed. Andre – the family peacemaker – had always been destined for something greater.

      Torturing them accomplishes nothing, except to make them hate you more, Peace said at last. If you want them to take their duties seriously then show them how.

      This is a lesson, Andre, assuming they’re capable of learning it. Perhaps the next time they unite against me, they’ll not be torn apart by the truth, Wynn said. Your instincts are good, Andre, but you chose not to lead because you know what it takes. It’s not in your nature to commit evil in the name of good and to break people who cross your path. There’s no room for mercy. To rule means to do whatever is necessary at whatever the cost.

      If true, then no one in our family can succeed you.

      I think one of you can, once she learns the greater good will always trump self-interest.

      You can’t put Stephanie in that position with the same lack of support you did Kris. Don’t pretend you don’t have your own selfish agenda. The greater good may be your focus, but you have always sought something more, Andre said. Kris and I are old enough to remember what you were before you died-dead.

      And yet the Immortals and humans were safer when I protected them than they have been since then.

      Today is not the day I dissuade you, Andre said. I ask only for you to consider teaching my brothers instead of torturing them.

      Wynn considered the gentle request. In his former life, he would never have bothered hearing it out. In this life, he was aware that he needed his sons and daughter to make up for the gaps in his power. He needed favors and allies, where he never had before.

      I’ll consider your advice, he said finally. My hope lies in Stephanie to lead the Council. She would make a just leader, assuming she could learn to stomach the occasional unpleasantness that comes with the position.

      I concur, as long as you’re there to guide her. She’ll need time to reach her potential, Peace said. My brothers are too much like you. They are too hard. Stephanie has not lost her compassion for others. With your brilliant mind and her heart, I’d trust our family once again to safeguard the world from demons. My brothers would fall into line, once they understood the bigger picture. Andre’s eyes went to Wynn’s bandaged wrist. You haven’t healed?

      All my power and I can’t heal my own skin, Wynn lied. It’s a reminder I’m no longer who I was.

      You’ve proven you are far from weak, Andre said. I’ve spotted a few other deities sniffing around.

      Most of my visitors are here to assess how vulnerable I am.

      I’m not surprised. You’ve had the ability to manipulate as well as any deity.

      I intend to ensure my influence prevents everyone from meddling in our society.

      Protect and torture. You are a paradox, Andre said and shook his head.

      I am what I need to be.

      I’m going to check on Stephanie.

      She’s either in the dungeon, visiting your brothers, or in her chamber, Wynn said.

      Peace stood and strode to the door. It was rare when Andre was flustered, and Wynn sensed he was the only person capable of ruffling his diplomatic son.

      Wynn waited for him to leave before turning and circling his desk. He surveyed the many volumes of diaries only he could read. He’d been dissatisfied during his first perusal. As much as he needed to continue planning, he couldn’t help the worry that crept into him whenever he thought about Karma and the role she could play in his plans. He’d taken the necessary steps he needed to prevent her from entering Hell, which he hoped would eventually give him the leverage he needed to extort the favor he required from her.

      It wasn’t for Karma’s sake he negotiated to have the portal to Hell closed. Darkyn would understand Wynn’s potential vulnerability with one look at Karma, and all of Wynn’s planning would be dashed. Wynn had to kill or safeguard the reckless goddess to carry out the plan requiring all of his attention. Thus far, neither seemed possible.

      After a rare moment of indecision, Wynn removed the diary about Fate and sat at his desk to review all he had written about the god during his first Immortal life.

      Three

      Trailed by a disgruntled guardian demon and a sleepy guardian angel, Stephanie walked through the castle to the dungeons where four of her half-brothers had been imprisoned by their father. She visited once a week, sometimes twice, and had never grown accustomed to the musty smell, lack of sunlight and the narrow hallways made up of uneven stone blocks.

      But her brothers were the only family she could speak to openly, and they’d made an attempt to do the right thing several weeks before, when they united to challenge their tyrant of a father for power over the Immortal society. They didn’t deserve to be imprisoned any more than she deserved to be isolated from her mother and sister as punishment for her involvement in the plot to usurp the tyrannical Wynn.

      The more time she spent with her brothers, the more she began to understand each one – and the depth of dysfunction of her family. Coupled with their brutal upbringings, resentment built over the course of their Immortal lifespans helped create the perfect environment for fights, passive aggressiveness, competitiveness and the occasional sentencing of one another to Hell, prison or exile. The dynamics of their relationships with one another were worse than any soap opera or reality television show she’d ever seen.

      What amazed her most: each of them was a genius in his own unique right and possessed skills that could have changed the world for the better, had they chosen to use them for that purpose.

      Most likely to become a drug lord, she said. Uneasy in the catacombs, she had started a game with Trayern, her guard demon. Bored and hungry, the demon sometimes humored her.

      Kris, Trayern answered. Most likely to become a serial killer.

      Also Kris, Stephanie replied.

      Nope. Kiki.

      How so?

      "Kris doesn’t like to get his hands dirty.

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