by Morgan Rice
“Your people,” Andronicus continued, “well, I may not kill all of them, because of what you’ve done here today. But I will kill a great deal of them. And the rest I will enslave. I’m afraid they won’t know what freedom is anymore. But then again, few people do.”
He sighed.
“And as for you my dear,” he said, “you should know that there are no positions of honor in my ranks. There are no leaders but me, and all those who are slaves to me are slaves. Including you.”
Andronicus nodded and two soldiers rushed forward and grabbed her arms roughly.
“Let me go!” Gwen screamed, struggling. “You promised. You promised! Where is your honor?”
Andronicus laughed heartily.
“Honor?” he asked. “That is something I lost long ago. And I am so glad I did. I can’t think of how many battles I would have lost without it.”
His laughter died down.
“I’m afraid, my dear, that an example must be made of you. A particularly brutal example. You see, it is the only way that anyone who dares to defy me will learn.”
Andronicus turned.
“MCCLOUD!” he shrieked.
From out of the ranks, to Gwendolyn’s horror, there emerged the elder King McCloud, his face disfigured, half of it branded, marked by a huge burn mark with the emblem of Andronicus’ Empire.
“It is time we teach this MacGil girl a lesson,” Andronicus said. “I would do it myself, but I get more pleasure from watching my enemies torture each other. In fact, is one of my greatest hobbies.”
“I will do anything you say, my lord,” McCloud said humbly to him.
“I know that you will,” Andronicus sneered back coldly. “You are going to have your way with this woman. Maybe you’ll get lucky and she will bear you a son. And I shall watch it all.”
A huge smiled crossed McCloud’s face, as he looked Gwen up and down as if she were his prey.
“It will be my pleasure, my lord,” McCloud said.
Gwendolyn screamed and struggled as McCloud charged her. She managed to break the grasp of the two soldiers—and turned and ran.
But she did not get very far. She had only gone a few feet when McCloud tackled her from behind, sending her flying, face-down to the ground, laying on top of her, knocking the wind out of her.
“NO!” she screamed, flailing.
But he was too strong for her. Soon his thick, rough hands were tearing at her clothes, and she felt the cold winter breeze sting her bare skin.
She heard the cheers of all of Andronicus’s men, and she screamed and screamed, struggling with every she had, wishing and praying that she were anywhere else. Somewhere, high overhead, she could have sworn she heard Estopheles, circling, screeching.
She closed her eyes, trying to make it all go away, imagining herself someplace, anywhere else. She imagined herself with Thor. With their child. In a field of summer flowers. In a paradise far, far away from the horrors of this world.
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
Thor stood alone in a vast field of scarlet flowers, lit by a blood red sunset. Over his head, somewhere high up, circled Estopheles, screeching. Up ahead, in the distance, there was a lone figure, lying limp in the grass. He could not tell who it was.
Thor walked towards it, his heart pounding as he went. The sky darkened with each step, and he felt an increasing sense of foreboding. Something inside told him it was the body of someone he loved.
As he approached, he could tell, from the flowing white lace spilled on the ground, that it was a woman. He saw her long, blonde hair, spilling out around her shoulders, with dread, and before he reached her, he knew who it was.
Gwendolyn.
Thor reached out with a trembling hand, grabbed her shoulder, and slowly turned her over, afraid to see what he might find. He was breathless at the site.
There Gwendolyn lay, her body covered in blood, not moving.
Thor began to weep uncontrollably, unable to stop himself. He leaned down, scooped her up in his arms, stood, and leaned back and shouted to the heavens.
“NO!” Thor shouted.
His cry soared up, echoing, reaching to the very heavens, as he held her limp, in his arms, the love of his life. The one woman who had meant more to him than anyone he had ever known. The woman he had planned on marrying. Somehow, dead. And he not there to save her.
“NO!” he shrieked again.
Thor’s cry was met by a screech, as Estopheles circled and swooped down, claws out, right for his face.
Thor woke breathing hard, sitting straight up, looking all around, his heart slamming in his chest. Disoriented, he had a hard time discerning what was real, where he was.
Thor gradually realized that he was still in the boat, that he had fallen asleep in it—that all his Legion brothers had. The whole group of them were lying there, sleeping, as the boat slowly drifted down the river, carried on the slow current. He tried to remember, wondering how long they had been sleeping, how far they had drifted, where they were going. He felt as if they had been on this journey forever.
Thor took a deep breath, thinking of his dream, of Gwendolyn, trying to shake the awful image. It had seemed so real. Too real. The image terrified him.
He knew it was just a dream, yet at the same time he sensed that it was more than that. He sensed, in every fabric of his body, that she was in danger. That something horrible had happened to her.
It tore him up inside. More than ever he wanted to jump from the boat and run to her, to rescue her from whatever it was.
But he was a world away, and there was nothing he could do. He had never felt more helpless. A part of him hated himself for going on this quest. Should he have stayed behind?
Thor sat up straighter, and Krohn sat up beside him, whining, leaning his head into Thor’s chest as Thor stroked him. Krohn kept whining, and Thor knew that Krohn sensed it, too, that Krohn, too, knew that something had happened to Gwendolyn. After all, Krohn was almost as attached to her as Thor was.
Thor felt a pit in his stomach that would not go away. He felt as if he had abandoned her in her time of need.
Thor looked up and saw yet another breaking dawn here on this side of the world; it broke as a day of gloom. There was no sun to be seen anywhere, only thick black clouds, with a muted light struggling to appear through them. They floated past vast stretches of wasteland, nothing but those dead black trees everywhere, those eerie birds, staring back, watching them. Apparently they did not sing in the morning. Instead, they watched them silently, their glowing eyes moving slowly, following the tides of the boat.
Thor looked straight ahead, and as he did, he was surprised to see that the river was coming to an end. In a few feet, their boat slammed into land, startling him, and waking the others.
The others all sat up with a jolt, one by one, and looked around, startled. Without waiting, Thor gained his feet, walked to the front of the boat and jumped onto dry land, Krohn on his heels. The other boys followed him.
“Where are we?” Reece asked, jumping onto dry land beside him, looking around in wonder.
“Is this where the river ends?” O’Connor asked.
“I have no idea,” Thor said.
The three brothers jumped off the boat, too, Drake holding out the map and looking around.
“Is this where your golden map has lead us?” Indra asked sarcastically.
“We are exactly where we are supposed to be,” Drake answered defensively.
“And where is that, exactly?” she said. “In the middle of nowhere?”
“Actually, our destination is close,” Dross said, leaning in. “According to this map, it’s not much farther now.”
“Follow us,” Drake said, setting off with his two brothers.
“I don’t like this place,” Conval said to Conven, standing close.
Thor was just thinking the same thing. It was hard to see far ahead, with the thick fog rolling in and out. He could only catch glimpses of the trees, of a barren wastelan
d.
After trekking for some time, finally, the fog cleared, and Thor spotted a huge, circular clearing open up before them. The landscape changed abruptly from dirt to a purple grass, as if one land was being demarcated by the other. It was as if they stood at an intersection: in one direction was a land of green, in another a yellow desert.
“What is this place?” Elden asked.
“It looks like a crossroads of sorts,” Reece said.
“The crossroads of the dead,” Indra said. “From here the land leads to three terrains. It is the edge of the underworld.”
“Now what?” Thor asked, turning to Drake.
But something strange happened: as Thor turned to look at Drake, he saw the three brothers suddenly retreating, taking several steps backwards, away from the others.
Before Thor could process what was happening, the fog lifted again, and he suddenly saw, bearing down on them, a hundred Empire soldiers.
Before Thor could reach to draw his sword, he felt himself pounced upon from behind, grabbed by several soldiers and slammed down to the floor. All around him, his Legion brothers were ambushed, too.
In the blink of an eye, they were captured and bound, rendered helpless. They had been setup.
Everyone, except for Drake and Dross and Durs. The Empire did not touch them.
The three brothers came forward and stood over Thor. All with malicious smiles across their faces.
Thor could not believe it. He had been betrayed. By his own brothers.
“I trusted you,” Thor said to Drake.
Drake smiled and shook his head.
“You never had good judgment,” he responded.
“But why?” Reece asked. “Why would you betray us? Your own Legion brothers?”
“You are not our brothers,” Dross answered, then turned to Thor. “And especially you. We have waited half our lives to see you dead. And now your day has come.”
“Say goodbye, little brother,” Durs said.
He drew his sword with a distinctive ring, as the Empire soldiers held Thor down tight.
Thor tried to struggle, but it was useless. There was something about these ropes that nullified his power. He could not even muster the strength to squirm.
He had nothing left to do but watch helplessly as Durs stepped forward and raised his sword high, aiming for Thor’s exposed neck. Thor knew that his time had come.
And he had but one wish left in the world: if only he could see Gwendolyn again.
About Morgan Rice
Morgan Rice is the #1 Bestselling author of THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS, a young adult series comprising eight books, which has been translated into six languages.
Morgan is also author of the #1 Bestselling THE VAMPIRE LEGACY, a young adult series comprising two books and counting.
Morgan is also author of the #1 Bestselling ARENA ONE and ARENA TWO, the first two books in THE SURVIVAL TRILOGY, a post-apocalyptic action thriller set in the future.
Morgan is also author of the #1 Bestselling epic fantasy series THE SORCERER’S RING, comprising five books and counting.
Morgan loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.morganricebooks.com to stay in touch.
Select Acclaim for Morgan Rice
“Rice does a great job of pulling you into the story from the beginning, utilizing a great descriptive quality that transcends the mere painting of the setting….Nicely written and an extremely fast read.”
—Black Lagoon Reviews (regarding Turned)
“An ideal story for young readers. Morgan Rice did a good job spinning an interesting twist… Refreshing and unique, has the classic elements found in many Young Adult paranormal stories. The series focuses around one girl… one extraordinary girl!… Easy to read but extremely fast-paced…. Recommended for anyone who likes to read soft paranormal romances. Rated PG.”
—The Romance Reviews (regarding Turned)
“Grabbed my attention from the beginning and did not let go….This story is an amazing adventure that is fast paced and action packed from the very beginning. There is not a dull moment to be found.”
—Paranormal Romance Guild (regarding Turned)
“Jam packed with action, romance, adventure, and suspense. Get your hands on this one and fall in love all over again.”
—vampirebooksite.com (regarding Turned)
“A great plot, and this especially was the kind of book you will have trouble putting down at night. The ending was a cliffhanger that was so spectacular that you will immediately want to buy the next book, just to see what happens.”
—The Dallas Examiner (regarding Loved)
“A book to rival TWILIGHT and VAMPIRE DIARIES, and one that will have you wanting to keep reading until the very last page! If you are into adventure, love and vampires this book is the one for you!”
—Vampirebooksite.com (regarding Turned)
“Morgan Rice proves herself again to be an extremely talented storyteller….This would appeal to a wide range of audiences, including younger fans of the vampire/fantasy genre. It ended with an unexpected cliffhanger that leaves you shocked.”
—The Romance Reviews (regarding Loved)
Books by Morgan Rice
THE SORCERER’S RING
A QUEST OF HEROES (Book #1)
A MARCH OF KINGS (Book #2)
A FEAST OF DRAGONS (Book #3)
A CLASH OF HONOR (Book #4)
A VOW OF GLORY (Book #5)
THE SURVIVAL TRILOGY
ARENA ONE: SLAVERSUNNERS (Book #1)
ARENA TWO (Book #2)
THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS
TURNED (Book #1)
LOVED (Book #2)
BETRAYED (Book #3)
DESTINED (Book #4)
DESIRED (Book #5)
BETROTHED (Book #6)
VOWED (Book #7)
FOUND (Book #8)
THE VAMPIRE LEGACY
RESURRECTED (Book #1)
CRAVED (Book #2)
COMING SOON….
Book #6 in the Sorcerer’s Ring
Please visit Morgan’s site, where you can join the mailing list, hear the latest news, see additional images, and find links to stay in touch with Morgan on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and elsewhere:
www.morganricebooks.com
Copyright
Copyright © 2013 by Morgan Rice
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the author.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
FB2 document info
Document ID: b91db015-afb7-46d9-b411-f66a7101fc32
Document version: 1
Document creation date: 12.7.2013
Created using: calibre 0.9.38, FictionBook Editor Release 2.6.6 software
Document authors :
Namenlos
About
This file was generated by Lord KiRon's FB2EPUB converter version 1.1.5.0.
(This book might contain copyrighted material, author of the converter bears no responsibility for it's usage)
Этот файл создан при помощи конвертера FB2EPUB версии 1.1.5.0 написанного Lord KiRon.
(Эта книга может содержать матер�
�ал который защищен авторским правом, автор конвертера не несет ответственности за его использование)
http://www.fb2epub.net
https://code.google.com/p/fb2epub/
