"Bad dreams, huh?"
"I couldn´t fall asleep," Neran replied. "I need to get all sorts of annoying thoughts out of my head."
"I quite like being awake," Gerrat declared with a grin. Neran stood up.He was just a few inches taller.
"I guess I ought to properly apologise, huh?"
"You can try, but it wouldn’t be much help."
"It might comfort you to know that I would be now more than happy to rip Aragen’s head off."
"That makes two of us then, brother," Gerrat grinned. "So what about that elven?"
"What about her? I've already told you everything."
"Sure, but ... I hope that you haven’t fallen in love with her or something. You´re hanging around her all the time."
"Nonsense," Neran snorted, suddenly feeling a bitterness behind his ears. "I can´t stand elves. Have you forgotten, or what?"
"No, I haven’t forgotten anything," Gerrat uttered in a strangely mysterious voice. Now, he stared into the water and was unusually serious.
"I hope that one day, you’ll forgive me, brother ..." Neran said in a choking voice.
"That won’t be easy," Gerrat responded quietly. To Neran, it seemed like a growl. "Actually, it's impossible."
"What?" Neran turned to him. "I thought you weren’t angry."
"Not angry?" Gerrat's eyes twinkled. An evil premonition seized Neran. "Not angry?” Gerrat growled again. "You tried to kill me, your own brother."
"I know, dammit, I wasn’t ..."
"Sure," Gerrat barged in so furiously that it caught Neran by surprise. "I longed for this for seven months!"
"What do you mean?"
His brother's hand suddenly moved. Neran felt the sharp pain too late. He could do nothing. Gerrat’s hand broke through his ribs and his fingers grabbed Neran’s beating heart. The pain was severe and unbearable. His knees buckled and his hand caught his brother's arm. Now he felt every heart beat knowing that it could be the last.
“What does it feel like, dear little brother?" Gerrat whispered in his face, “Dying at the hand of your own brother. Nice show in the afternoon, wasn’t it? I played it masterfully, even if I say so myself, but it took a lot of restraint, believe me. I wanted to kill you the very first moment I saw you."
Neran wheezed, wanting to speak but he could not.
"You're so dull," Gerrat continued, his eyes sparkling with hatred. "Did you really think that I would forgive you, just like that? Did you really think that you could just show up with some stupid cure and everything would be all right again between us, two loving brothers, perfect family, huh? No way!"
Neran thrust his claws into Gerrat´s skin. Gerrat bared his fangs.
"You-won’t-kill-me," Neran managed to wheeze. His brother’s killer eyes gleamed.
"Watch me!"
Hatred begets fear
Love turns into a snake
Hope and loyalty are dear
Denial is a mistake
Who holds the life in his hand
Who’s soaked in despair and filled with hate
Pulling the trigger
My brother, my killer
END OF PART ONE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Neran’s story would not have been created without the help of my loved ones. I would like to thank all of them.
I could not do what I do without the rock-solid support of my family. Mum, Dad, you're the best parents in the world! Brother, continue to be as you always were – a great guy! To my Grandmother in Sedlčany, thank you for your infinite confidence in my abilities, I love you! And to my Grandmother in Rovina, that you read all my books so fast makes me so incredibly happy!
A huge thank you also goes out to you, Mark. You're my muse. With you, I can relax when my fingers and head refuse to write. With you, I share my enthusiasm when I get a great idea. You understand when I'm escaping into other worlds. It´s thanks to you that the Son of Hell became what it is. Although you've never been a great reader, each chapter I sent to you, you read with delight. I appreciate it.
Writing and creating are an integral part of my life as is my little Terezka. Your every thought, your every idea, your every word is an invaluable inspiration to me. I can count on you in any situation and you never disappoint. One day, I will write a book about you and your patience! You can tell me who is going to be in it - Neran or Gerrat?
Péťa, your support and encouragement, as always, drives me forward. I am very happy to know that you have become a reader! It is an honour for me that my books can take credit for it.
Finally, I would like to thank all my readers, without whom my books would never come to life! You are my driving force and inspiration. I am looking forward to living through all our future adventures together!
Michelle Burdová
September 20, 2012
Son of hell: Blood of wolves Page 28
