Azarah looked Graen in the eyes and shook his fist to rouse him from his delirium. “Soon the entire world will look the same. Soon the world you know will burn.”
Graen looked at Azarah with his one remaining good eye. “You think you are the only powerful being left in this world. The Aelaar will rise up and they will strike you down.”
“That my young friend is exactly what I want them to do.” The dark creature grinned at Graen. “Unfortunately, your story is at an end. But within me you will witness your world’s end.”
The light from the fire far below flickered off of Graen’s face. With his good eye he gazed at the fields of Isiir one last time. Even after one thousand years in this land he was not ready to leave it. There was still so much for him to accomplish but it was not to be. Deep within his heart he knew that Azarah would be stopped and whatever evil he decided to spread upon the world, would cause the land to falter, but it would ultimately fail. His only regret was that he was unable to stop him, himself.
Graen looked back at Azarah and he spat blood and spit into his face. Azarah stood on his hind legs and wiped it away. Graen’s breath caught as he looked down at the towering height of Azarah and the sheer drop of the glacier below him.
“Such a respectable end to a glorious life. Witness the end of the Age of the Aelaar and the rise of the Jataka of Isiir!”
Azarah pulled Graen forward and bit deeply into his chest. Pain surged through Graen as he felt his ribs torn away. Pain was replaced by darkness as he felt his very essence get ripped from his body by the dark creature Azarah.
Azarah lowered to his four legs and inhaled deeply as the white mist flowed from Graen’s husk of a body into his own. A satisfied sigh left Azarah as he stared darkly at the world beyond. The firelight of the burning town below him flashed against his black eyes as he took in the horizon. After so many eons, at last his plan had begun.
…To be continued in Out of the Ice…
Did you like this book?
Dozens of shades surrounded C. J. LaPolla, each with a shiny metal dagger wielded in both hands. Their eyes squinted as he implored them for mercy.
“Reviews. I just need reviews.” He pleaded.
The eyes of the shades squinted tightly and they leapt upon him suddenly. The daggers plunged with each finding its mark repeatedly. Blood began to spew forth from hundreds of wounds that opened up on every part of C. J. LaPolla’s body. After seconds of repeated stabbing, the shades pulled back and left him to his bloody end.
“Reviews…” came a final whimper from the dying author who lay in a pool of his own crimson blood.
Dear Reader! Don’t let me die one of my overly dramatic and bloody deaths and please leave a review on my book in whatever venue you found it. Reviews are the life blood of any indie author like myself and I would be eternally grateful if you were to honor me with your review!
I really hope you enjoyed Within the Ice, a story that has haunted my thoughts for over a decade. This final version, which you just read, was the result of a dozen start and stop projects. Now that you’ve finished this book I hope that you will continue the journey and read Out of the Ice which is available now!
For further information about Isiir or about any of the other stories that will be released in the future please visit http://www.clifflapolla.com where I post about my writing techniques, upcoming books, and even historical European martial arts (HEMA) where I bumble my way through wielding and fighting with a steel longsword! If you’d like to stay informed in other ways, please join my mailing list at the website and stay informed on all of the upcoming events.
Once again, thank you from all of my being for reading this book, I truly appreciate it and I hope you will continue to enjoy the stories of Isiir and beyond!
C. J. LaPolla
http://www.clifflapolla.com
Within the Ice Page 24
