Arise (After the Reign Book 1)
Page 8
Sawyer nodded once.
Conor nodded back, understanding he too was to play a role in Mira’s escape.
The two disliked each other, but it was apparent that they trusted one another to have the other’s back in a fight. There was something else, though. Sawyer was acting strange, as if he and Conor were nothing more than bait, distractions, maybe even collateral damage.
No, Mira thought, –sacrifices!
With a look that said goodbye, Sawyer kissed her lips before he turned away. Pushing and shoving frantic people aside, he ran full out toward the Fates. “Mira, go. Run!”
But she couldn’t. Like emerging from a fading dream, she got up, and let his silver-lined jacket fall to the ground.
A bright pink object rolled out of the pocket. Her childhood butterfly watch wobbled onto the asphalt. Sawyer must have picked it up off the breakfast table that first morning, thinking she might want it back someday.
He cared for her, and she for him.
Her heart was going to burst.
She couldn’t run and leave him behind.
She wouldn’t.
“No.” She stated, calmly. She focused all her energy like a laser beam into the core of who she was, who she wanted to be. All her emotions were accessed, from her feelings for Sawyer and her parents, to the simple way the color teal made her happy, even to how kind Professor Bradbury’s encouraging nods in class made her feel included and loved. All of it became her strength, her power.
Trusting her instincts, she pulled her Horseman hilt from its sheath, and stared the Three Fates down. Knowing that that time somehow, finally, the weapon would yield to her will.
Never taking her eyes from the Fates, she called her blade and brought its fire. A metallic shink rang out, like a long sword being drawn from its scabbard. Then, as if a match had been struck against a gas line, the sound of a roaring fire filled the street. Blinding white flames engulfed the length of her newly born blade, from the protective guard all the way down to its sharpened tip. The flames licked the edge of the new blade as if it were ready for war. Bright white symbols glowed in an undulating motion all along the forged metal.
Mira welcomed her Horseman weapon.
She felt the pommel and grip change under her fingertips from that of her father’s into brilliant white ivory etched with intricate feathers and scales. And for the first time in her life, the weapon became hers, singing to her, guiding her to unleash her stead’s potential.
Listening to her blade’s song, she released the tension between her shoulder blades. She welcomed the peculiar ripping sensation she had kept shuttered and denied for so long.
“Stop!” Her booming Horseman voice commanded.
Sawyer and Conor stopped dead in their tracks before they could reach the Fates. They turned and watched Mira in unexpected awe as did everyone else still on the street.
White iridescent wings emerged from Mira’s back, unfurling in a single quick motion like the sails of a ship struck by the wind on the edge of a hurricane. Her soft feathers erupted into flames, radiating out into the sky, consuming and claiming the air all around with her white fire. The smell of sulfur dioxide like a match being lit engulfed the air and the heavens above ignited into the palest shades of oranges, pinks, and teals under her power. Wielding her blade, she took a fearless stance, a warrior’s stance, and aimed her fiery blade’s tip at the Three Fates, “My turn!”
To Be Continued
Ready for the next installment of After the Reign? Check out
AWAKEN (After the Reign Book 2).
AWAKEN (After the Reign Book 2)
Available now for pre-order now!
Mere mortal. Eek! Fae apocalypse?
Yeah, that happened!
Remnants of Ash (Reign of Fae Book 1)
Wondering if there’s a story behind the mentions of Mira’s legendary mother and father? There’s not just a story but an entire UNIVERSE waiting to be devoured. Start the complete Reign of Fae series today and read how it all started!
Also by CK Dawn
Crimson Hollow: CURSED (Reign of Fae Fallout Book 1)
A dark curse. An eternal betrayal.
The bond they wouldn't break.
Beyond the wall of red doors rages the war of fae and men. New York, Rome, and Paris, destinations dripping in mortal delights for bloodthirsty and war-weary vampires. The three cities are within steps of one another, linked by the magical doors inside the decadent hidden lair Crimson Hollow.
But what happens when war spills over, and the vampires’ sworn enemy, the werewolves, come knocking on one of those red doors?
Dark magic will rebound, and the bonds of love tested, all with a wolf’s CURSED first bite.
Crimson Hollow: CURSED is a spin-off within the Reign of Fae universe. Reign of Fae Fallout can be enjoyed as a stand-alone series, or read chronologically beginning with Reign of Fae Book One, Remnants of Ash.
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About the Author
USA Today Bestselling author, coffee loving gamer girl, and sci-fi enthusiast. CK Dawn always loved to snuggle up with her cat Hagrid (the shadow-seer & Netherwalker inspiration) and read. But with a nudge of encouragement from her lil’ sis, she found writing fantasy stories was even better than only reading them. So, a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, CK let her unique modern tale of knights and Camelot dancing in her head take form and fly with Cloak of Shadows, her Readers' Favorite award winning debut novel from the Netherwalker Series. Now, you can find CK writing in the witching hours with Hagrid by her side while being distracted, far too often, by social media. There's more fantasy adventures to come. Seriously, the stories have only just begun.
I love connecting with readers and fans! Hope to talk to you soon in my FB group the CK Dawn’s Crusaders. -ck