Broken Arrow (Darkened Destiny Saga Book 1)
Page 33
“My lord, what has happened?” he inquired, his terse voice edged with concern. “Why such urgent summons?”
“I have been betrayed!” the Master roared, and even though his anger was great, Warrick noticed the weakness in his voice.
“By whom, my lord?” he asked, truly surprised.
“Bellator! I thought that I knew her mind, that I owned her very soul! But she is clever, more so than I could ever have predicted! How could one so small, so weak, trick one such as I?”
Warrick chose his words carefully. “If you don't recall, I did warn you of her deviousness, sire. Considering her lineage—”
“Silence! I will not have that brought into this! She has become a powerful adversary, and she will pay dearly for what she has done to me!”
“You mean that she is still out there, my lord? Unchecked and unchallenged?”
Zeldek took a loud, shuddering breath. “Against my will. But I am too weak at present to do anything about it. I only barely escaped her treachery with my life! And worse, she has attained the Arrow of Arnon! She has become a force to be reckoned with.”
Warrick glanced down at the splatters on the carpet, and understanding dawned on his face. “Then she resides in Valamette, in her ancestor's castle? I am beginning to understand why you have summoned me here.”
“I want you to find her weaknesses! She must have some.”
Warrick grew uneasy. “My lord, I assumed that her only weakness was that dragon.”
“It was,” Zeldek admitted. “And I had it shot down right before her eyes when she escaped with three of my prisoners. I thought that doing so would break her, but I was wrong. I only succeeded in removing the only leverage that I had against her.” He gasped, and continued with more of an effort. “You must find any kink in her armour that can be found, and if there are none, create some! Do you understand me?”
Warrick nodded. “I do.”
“Good! And I don't want you to stop with just her! I want to see her country burn! The cities, the villages, down to every rock and every tree, will be razed to the ground. The people will be slaughtered and every river poisoned for the rest of eternity so that never again will anyone say that they found refuge in Valamette!”
He stared at his master. Warrick did not wish to risk Zeldek's disfavour, but he wanted to point out the distinct lack of benefit this plan would offer his own ambitions. However, he wisely set his own cares aside for another time. “I will do what I can to assist you in subduing them.”
When Zeldek did not respond, Warrick continued. “I too bring grave news, sire.”
“What news?” Zeldek demanded.
Warrick hesitated for effect. “Leonel is dead, my lord. His younger son will be taking his place on the throne in two weeks time.”
“Leonel is dead?” Zeldek repeated, curiosity filling his voice in place of any sort of concern. “How did that come to pass?”
“His body was found in the courtyard of his residence in Gerithold, my lord. They say he was murdered in cold blood by a young half-breed boy called Ealdred. You and I both know who that is.”
Zeldek slammed his fist into the armrest of his throne, a crazed look entering his eyes. “No! That isn't true! If he is the one of whom the prophecy speaks, he will not have done something so evil!”
“And yet Prince Hamish swears to it, sire, and has sworn revenge against him.”
“Where is he, then? Is he dead? Is he behind bars? Have you brought him here before me to appease my anger?”
Warrick bowed his head. “No, sire. He managed to escape, and somehow disappeared without a trace.”
“NO!” Zeldek roared, and the two burners flew in both directions, the coals in them scattering all over the floor. “I want him found, and I want him back here the moment that you find him! He will learn to rue the day that he ever chose to defy me!”
Warrick bowed hurriedly. “I will begin the search at once, my lord. Will that be all?”
Zeldek growled. “One more thing; call forth Siena and bid her to come to me at once! I will need her magical arts if I am to make any sort of recovery. And send for the Alliance of Shadows to make haste. We must begin our preparations for war!”
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my mother Lindsay for raising me to believe in myself, to work for what I want, and to never give up; and my father Cory for encouraging me every step of the way. I would like to thank my sisters Tabitha and Zailynne for those long hours sitting up late at night talking out the characters and scenes with me, and Tabitha for always being there to give me advice on character development, plot, world-building, and whatever other random snag my story was caught on. I would like to thank my little sisters Tirzah and Gabrielle for being my guinea pigs, on which I tested the impact of the story. I would like to thank all of my reviewers and everyone who critiqued my book who helped to make it what it is today, as well as my team of editors, Julie Sutherland and Kate Sabler, for their work getting this book ship-shape and ready for sale. A special thanks to my friend, Michayla Kerley, for all of the unexpected character development.
About The Author
Azaria M.J. Durant is a passionate writer of fantasy with plans to branch out into sci-fi and dystopian. She enjoys writing stories with lots of adventure, unexpected twists, and fleshed out characters that challenge gender roles and expectations.
Azaria lives in Atlantic Canada with her family, cats, and dogs, and her big dreams to travel the world. In the moments when she isn’t writing, she is sketching concept art for her stories, participating in community theatre, or curled up with a good book and a box of mint chocolates.
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