“For you, anything,” he said, and then he was gone.
I got to my feet, rising up above the wheat, and looked around. We were in a huge, open expanse, but there was an old stone farmhouse about half of a mile away. I recognized the place. It wasn’t an exact match, but it was close enough. Dante had delivered us to Tuscany.
“I guess he’s still afraid to go back to Florence,” Charis said, putting her hand on my shoulder.
“It seems that way,” I agreed.
“I’m going to go check out the farmhouse,” she added. “I don’t know about you, but my head is killing me.”
She wasn’t alone. Ross’ efforts to extract Josette had taken its toll. I focused, finding the threads of our souls. Right now, they were in tatters. “We’ll be along soon,” I said, taking her into a strong embrace. “Thank you, for everything you did.”
I didn’t hold her long, but when I let her go she was crying. “Thank you, Landon. You saved our lives.”
I shook my head. “We all did our part, together. Besides, the Beast is yet to come.” I gave her a stupid smile, trying to ease the moment. She couldn’t hold back her laugh.
“That was really bad,” she said.
“So bad it was good,” I replied.
She didn’t say anything else. She just started walking towards the farmhouse.
Sarah’s empty eyes were already soaked before I lifted her up in the biggest hug I had ever given anyone.
“Landon, I’m so sorry,” she cried. “I’m so sorry.”
“Shhh,” I said. “It’s okay. It’ll be okay.”
“I ruined everything. I killed so many people. I was so angry. I just wanted the pain to stop. I just wanted the world to stop. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” She clung to me tightly, burying her face in my neck. I held her close and stroked her hair.
“It’s okay,” I repeated. “We’ll make it right. Don’t worry.”
“I’m evil. I’m so evil. I don’t deserve to be alive. I don’t deserve to have a brother like you, or a mother like mine.”
Her words twisted the knife that was already planted in my heart. I picked her up and kept her close, carrying her all the way back to the farmhouse. In that moment, she was ten years old again, and all she needed was someone to protect her, to look out for her, and to care.
I used my foot to push open the door to the house. It was old, and not in great shape, but it was more than good enough. Charis was sitting in a dilapidated wooden rocking chair in front of an empty fireplace. It was clear to me she was mourning the loss of Ezekiel, but she still glanced over at us for just an instant, and I could feel the warmth of the caress.
I carried Sarah up the stairs in search of a bed. She had stopped apologizing, and was sobbing quietly into my shoulder.
The master bedroom had an old four-posted queen in it. The mattress was barren, and looked worn well past its time, but I’d never been so grateful to have it. I put Sarah down as gently as I could, and slid onto the bed beside her. As soon as I leaned back, she scooted over to me, putting her head on my chest. I rubbed her back, feeling her breathing even out. A few minutes later, she was asleep.
“Sweet dreams,” I whispered to her, hopeful that she could escape the nightmare for a little while at least.
Left alone in the dark, my mind flashed back to Rebecca. She was crying out for me to save her, Malize’s sword stuck in her heart, burning her in its heavenly light. My own tears ran freely while I remembered her, and all that we had gone through together. Did it matter that she had betrayed me? We had all made mistakes. Hadn’t we only done what we believed was right?
I saw Ross’ face then; the sick, wicked smile he had given me as he cut her down. He was the Beast. He was destruction. He was the universe’s answer to God in a game that would never end. “They can’t win, if you don’t play,” Sarah had once said to me. The trouble was, neither could you.
Game on.
****************************************************
This is the end of Book Two, but Book Three is coming!
Please turn to the next page to see how you can participate in the story.
Win An Amazon Gift Card!!!
One of the most awesome things about digital publishing is that a novel can be easily distributed the moment it is determined to be complete, which in turn allows the author the opportunity to experiment with ways to get you, the reader, involved in the creative process at a slightly deeper level than can be afforded a pulp book.
So, what is this experiment of which I speak? I’m glad you asked! :)
If you’ve reached this point, I’m assuming you’ve read this novel, and most likely Balance, the first novel in the Divine Series. I already have an outline for the remaining two novels in the initial story arc, which as you can now surmise revolves around Landon and company’s battle against the Beast. There are; however, some decisions to be made. Decisions which I would like you to help me make.
Please visit http://bit.ly/18GPX6u and cast your vote. As an incentive for your feedback, one lucky voter will win a $50 Amazon gift card plus a free copy of book 3, and five runners-up will win free copies of book 3. The contest will run from now until September 1, so make sure to cast your vote today!
Oh, and if you liked Betrayal, please consider sharing the love and leaving a review. Thank you so much for reading!
Books By M.R. Forbes
The Divine Series
Balance: http://amzn.to/10KdkJW
Betrayal
Thank You!
It is readers like you, who take a chance on self-published works that is what makes the very existence of such works possible. Thank you so very much for spending your hard-earned money, time, and energy on this work. It is my sincerest hope that you have enjoyed reading!
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Thank you again!
This one is for the bears.
10% of all royalties will be shared between the WSPA and Animals Asia,
two charities who work to end the suffering of these incredible creatures.
WSPA: http://bit.ly/1172I9F
Animals Asia: http://bit.ly/10KP7D2
About the Author
Michael Forbes is mobile and web application engineer and author of science fiction and fantasy. He has a degree in fine art, and loves animals, the outdoors, good user interface and industrial design. Michael lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife, a cat that thinks she’s a dog, and a dog that thinks she’s a cat. If you like what you’ve read, he’d love to hear from you!
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About the Cover
Credit goes to the following for the royalty free stock imagery used in the creation of the book cover. All graphics licensed under Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Design Elements Collection (fire):
GoMedia.us
http://www.freevector.com/design-elements-collection/
Japanese Fighter (sword):
Rockagraphics.de
http://www.freevector.com/japanese-fighter/
Creepy Werewolf:
VectorOpenStock.com
http://www.freevector.com/creepy-werewolf/
Silhouette
GotemCZ
http://www.freevector.com/fashion-models/
Eiffel Tower
LogoOpenStock.com
&n
bsp; http://www.freevector.com/landmarks-vector/
Grunge Background
ImaginaryRosse
http://imaginaryrosse.deviantart.com/art/Grunge-Textures-117555400
Cityscape
Stockgraphicdesigns.com
http://www.freevector.com/cityscapes-vector-graphics/
Betrayal (The Divine, Book Two) Page 27