The Darkest Sword
Page 22
Ashiyn placed his hands over Soryn’s.
“Brave of you after what I just did to Sia,” Soryn said, clearing his throat and regaining his composure.
“I am immortal. I am not worried,” Ashiyn reminded him. When Soryn hesitated Ashiyn tilted his head expectantly. “You hesitate, why?”
Soryn took a deep breath then shook his head. “No reason, it’s nothing,” he said quickly, then sent his magic through his hands and into Ashiyn.
Ashiyn felt the magic change him. He could see the cosmos and the many planes and worlds within it flow through his mind’s eye. When Soryn stepped in between he kept his hand in Ashiyn’s, but Ashiyn knew what Soryn would not tell him. Ashiyn had been given the celestial power to walk between whenever he wished. Still, he pretended not to know as Soryn called forth the doors that showed the various other worlds and together they chose a new place to start over.
EPILOGUE
When Ashiyn and Soryn appeared out of nowhere, the primitive natives of this world had assumed they were gods. Ashiyn had not corrected them. After all, next to them, he was a god. Soryn took some convincing to accept their worship but he still could not deny Ashiyn. For seven years they had lived comfortably in the remote tropical paradise. Not as large a kingdom as Ashiyn had expected to rule but he rather enjoyed being a god instead of just a king.
Ashiyn half dozed in the breeze created by the giant frond one of his six wives waved to shade and cool him from the afternoon sun on the beach. The laughter of children and the snort of an equine made him crack open his eyes. His two oldest children chased each other across the sand, startling Illusion into trotting through the waves to get out of the way.
The children had different mothers but both looked exactly like Ashiyn, pale hair and golden eyes. He watched them almost stumble over the dark-haired boy building a castle in the sand. Sian, Soryn’s son, waved them away and bent over the castle to protect it from his rambunctious friends. It had taken Ashiyn a year to convince Soryn to take a wife. It had not changed their relationship though and the villagers did not question it.
The sandcastle brought back the nightmares of the previous world and Ashiyn waved his wife away as he rose. This primitive world was free of darkness, beautiful and untainted. A smaller kingdom than he expected, but that was all right for now.
“Daddy!” Shyael ran directly into Ashiyn’s leg, grabbing onto it. Ashiyn swung the little boy up onto his broad shoulder and away from Indiyra who had been trying to dump sand on her brother’s head. Indiyra stomped her feet in anger then turned and tried to dump the bucket of sand on Sian instead. Wings sprouted from Sian’s back and shielded him from the sand, and he flung it back at her instead with a laugh.
Soryn picked the little boy up and scooped him away from Indiyra. Then he set the boy down on the other side of Ashiyn. “Their mothers are calling for them,” Soryn said casually.
“Go and see your mother,” Ashiyn told his children as he put Shyael down. Not that he even remembered which of the six women that was. Shyael ran ahead with Sian. Ashiyn did not miss the look of darkness that lingered in Indiyra’s eyes as she glowered at them. When Ashiyn just crossed his arms, the little girl finally obeyed and ran to the small village as well.
Ashiyn glanced at Soryn and saw his friend had seen the look as well. They didn’t speak, merely turned to follow the children together. After all, it was Soryn who had said Ashiyn carried all the darkness of their world.
Ashiyn was the bringer of apocalypse. It had only been a matter of time before he passed on that trait.
THE END
About The Author
Samantha Kroese is the author of seven published Dark Fantasy novels including the best-selling Fading Lights Trilogy. She has also written Restless Dreams of Darkness, Regret, and Ladykiller. She loves to write dark tales about hope surviving against impossible odds and brings a refreshing perspective to the genre. From a young age, her goal has been to write stories that will shine the light of hope for those living in the abyss. She has been writing fiction for nearly thirty years, ran a fantasy writer’s critique circle for fifteen years, and has edited works for other authors. She has completed writing dozens of fantasy novels and created thousands of detailed characters. She hopes to be able to present most of them to her reading public in due course.
In addition to writing, she is an avid horse lover and an animal rescue advocate, often speaking out for horse rescue and feral cat causes. She writes from the frozen tundra of Minnesota where she lives with her Arabian stallion, that she is convinced is really a unicorn, and her army of delightful rescued cat minions.
You can find her online at the following web addresses:
Author website: https://vnvstables.wixsite.com/authorsnkroese
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorKroese
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