Exiled
Page 21
With that, I reach into my robe and pull out the dagger I have secreted there. It is black like polished onyx, a flawless emerald set into its pommel, and it seems to glow with the infernal green light of the Eleven Hells themselves. Laramie lets out a gasp as I plunge the blade into his chest, the point driving inward as easily as it would through butter, and it seems to suck the life force out of him, his skin becoming a dull grey as his eyes shrivel up and become smoking black holes.
Before his corpse even hits the ground my Harbingers jump into action, pulling out daggers of their own and striking at the mages with savage fury.
Grunts of pain and shouts of alarm ring out in the chamber, but there are none that can come to their aid.
A handful of the mages manage to get out their talismans and frantically cast spells, magefyre flaring to life around us, but it ultimately proves to insufficient. Blood spills on the cold stones as every one of them falls beneath the onslaught, our blades too quick and our attacks too abrupt for them to mount any sort of defense.
The acrid stench of burnt flesh fills my nostrils as two of the Harbingers burn to death, but I pay them little notice as I approach the massive floating crystal. Even now, standing before the artifice, I can sense the sickness within.
The Arc of Radiance is dying, and there is nothing any mage or man can do to stop it.
Holding the Prince’s bloodless dagger in front of me, I stare at my reflection in the glassy surface of the Heart for just a moment. Dark eyes stare back, set into a stony face of rough lines and sturdy features. A receding hairline of brown hair compliments that week’s growth of stubble on my cheeks, and my lips curl back in a grin of victory as I sense the hunger emanating from the blade in my hand.
The remaining Harbingers, having done their bloody work, gather behind me with a sense of apprehension, their nervousness apparent in the postures of their uneven reflections.
“Fear not, my children,” I intone, raising the dagger up as if to strike. “When we awaken, we will be crowned with glory. Our eternal treasures are already being prepared.”
Nobody responds, and for a second it seems as if the entire world is holding its breath.
Then, I plunge the dagger into the Heart, its crystal giving way easily before the magical blade. It cracks, splintering like shattered crockery and emitting a high-pitched whine that pierces the ear, until everything goes quiet. Things grow deadly still for the barest instant, as if time has suddenly stopped, but then the Heart explodes outward in a powerful rush of heat, the jagged shards tearing my flesh and the fire searing my bones.
Intense pain unlike anything I have ever known overcomes me, a fraction of a second that stretches on for an eternity.
Then, the sweet darkness overtakes me.
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Arc of Radiance Book 5
The end has come at last.
With the Arc of Radiance gone, Asmodeus, the Prince of Darkness, marches on Tarsynium with an inumerable demon host at his back. It would seem that the end of the world has finally come.
A slim hope remains as our heroes ride forth, determined to cast an ancient spell that has not been used in centuries. Their success hinges on their ability to hold back the R'Laar long enough for them to try their desperate plan. Their failure means extinction for all humankind...
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About the Author
Blake Arthur Peel is a fantasy junkie, and has been since his youth. Growing up on a consistent diet of video games, cartoons, and fantasy novels, he has always created worlds and stories in his head. Now, he finally has the opportunity to give life to those worlds by publishing his own novels.Nowadays, Blake lives in Tennessee with his wife and two boys, who are well on their ways to becoming nerds just like him.Follow him on Instagram @blakearthurpeel, or on Facebook at facebook.com/blakearthurpeel.
Read more at Blake Arthur Peel’s site.