by Krystal Wade
“Your Brad did not do those things. Dughbal tried to taint your friend years before the two of you ever entered Encardia. My brother heard your prophecy. He traveled to Earth, hoping to find you, but your mother’s protections over you were powerful. Dughbal found Brad in the forest, but was unable to turn him. The boy’s mind is strong. However, the poison of the coscarthas was stronger.”
“So, when he was lost in the forest when he was ten, really Dughbal had captured him?” Another lump forms in my throat.
Griandor nods.
Tremors take control of my hands. Brad was so frightened. I thought he’d never go in the woods again. “Why didn’t he remember anything?”
“Your mother erased the memory of the encounter.”
She lied? Why didn’t she tell me the truth? I understand why she didn’t tell me before I came here, but why not now? “Did my mom know Brad was going to be a part of this war?”
Griandor arches his eyebrows. “Your mother knows much. She is a fool to keep it from you, but I understand why she has. Her desire for you to stay on the path of Light is her way of protecting you. Find a way to forgive her; she has lost everything, much as you have.”
I nod, but Griandor’s plea for forgiveness does not make me any happier. Mom may have her reasons, but she needs to keep me in the loop. I don’t want to be surprised. I want to know if someone else I love is going to die, so I can spend as much time with that person as possible.
“What about Mark Evans?” I ask, remembering I still have a reason to be mad at Brad.
Griandor places his hand on my shoulder. “That was a misunderstanding, Katriona. Mark Evans had intentions for you Brad was not fond of … neither was I.”
My heart sinks to my feet. I shouldn’t have doubted Brad, or thought he was a monster. I shouldn’t have brought him here. Tears fill my eyes. I cover my face with the sheet.
“None of this is your fault. Brad was not right for you. I believe you are aware of that, but you can still help him. When the war is over, I will see to it that his life is returned to him, that he is sent home, and that his heart is mended from the loss of you in it.”
I stifle my tears and look up at the kind god. “How do I end the war?”
Griandor smiles. “What Dughbal does not know is our father stripped his immortality from him when he was cast down from the heavens. Dughbal may have great power, and continue to steal great power from innocent lives, but he can be killed. You must seek him out, fight him, burn him as you do his daemons,” he says, eyes flashing with golden flames.
“You need to stop him soon. Daemons draw the magic out of their victims and become stronger with each new life they steal, making Dughbal more powerful. We fear he may venture into the remaining seven worlds and decimate life there, the way he has here. The gods and goddesses are at an impasse with Dughbal. If we fight, our battle might destroy worlds, and the life they carry. If we do not fight, our lack of interference could do the same.”
Overwhelmed. That’s how I feel. “How am I supposed to get to him? I couldn’t even kill his bats.”
“You need to establish your own army. It will not be easy for you to convince Maher, Dufaigh, and Murchadha to follow you—”
“Who is Murchadha?”
“He is another Leader of Encardia. The three have grown fearful of Dughbal and are afraid of any more blood being shed. You must do whatever it takes to convince them.”
Putting my head between my knees, I swallow hard. “I have to work with the Ground Dwellers?”
Griandor places his hand on my head. “You must find a way to unite everyone.”
“And the others? Dughbal said he captured them,” I say, not wanting to think of the Ground Dwellers or of a marriage to Perth. Instead, I worry about the children, my family, and my heart.
“It will be your first test to find them and save them. There will be many more tests along the way.”
“How—?”
“Going forward, you must trust in yourself and those around you. Most importantly, you must trust in those you love. You will need no other guide. You could fail, Katriona, but we hope you do not.” Griandor removes his hand from my head and clasps his fingers in front of him, eyes staring beyond me again.
“My sister predicts you will revolutionize this world. She predicts you will surprise many … even yourself. Be strong, child. We will be watching, and will send messages when we can. However, the closer you are to Arland Maher, the harder it will be for us to communicate. He protects you in more ways than one.”
Griandor grins, then fades from a man back into the swirling golden light.
“Wait!”
He pauses, not returning to his human form, but floating in the air around me.
“Who betrayed us? Dughbal said there were two of his servants living amongst us.”
“Katriona,” Griandor says, his melodic voice vibrating on my skin, “you must discover this on your own. Trust yourself.”
Before he disappears, his light touches my face, taking the pain out of my eye. My skin is still swollen, but the ache is gone.
I’m alone.
I don’t have to leave this room to know Arland is gone, Brit is gone, Mom is gone, everyone is gone. Pulling clothes from the drawers that have been maintained for me by dedicated soldiers of Arland’s … of mine, I get dressed.
Sliding my claymore through its holster, I walk out of the bedroom, probably for the last time ever. I turn to close the door, but cannot see it. It’s as if no room exists on the other side, just as the stables didn’t appear until Arland whispered Nochtann.
I’m not sure what everything Griandor told me means, but I will go forward. I will find the soldiers, my family, and my heart.
I will seek out Dughbal and destroy him for hurting those I love.
My name is Katriona Wilde, and I have fire.
Thank You For Reading
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About the Author
Official Homepage | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | GoodReads
Krystal Wade can be found in the sluglines outside Washington D.C. every morning, Monday through Friday. With coffee in hand, iPod plugged in, and strangers – who sometimes snore, smell, or have incredibly bad gas – sitting next to her, she zones out and thinks of fantastical worlds for you and me to read.
How else can she cope with a fifty mile commute?
Good thing she has her husband and three kids to go home to. They keep her sane.
A Division of Whampa, LLC
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© 2012 Krystal Wade
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Cover design by Harvey Bunda (http://soulspline.deviantart.com)
ISBN 978-1-62007-056-7 (ebook)
ISBN 978-1-62007-057-4 (paperback)
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Table of Contents
Appetizer:
Book Cover
Title Page
A Message From The Author
Dedication
Main Course:
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Dessert:
Closing
About the Author
Copyright & Publisher
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