Penny gripped the edge of the table. This was all happening too fast. Only two days had passed since the battle. They were supposed to have more time to think, to plan, to come to terms with the facts of the situation.
“Well,” she said, “if I only have one day left, I’m not going to waste it staring at a map. Where’s Owen?”
“I’ll send someone to find him,” Anneli said.
“Faric and Stephen, too. I want us all to be together for as long as possible.”
“Of course.”
William put his arm around her waist. “Things will work out, my love. Have faith.”
She turned into him and let him fold his arms around her. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe that King Edward would receive them warmly, that Anneli would be able to hold back the combined armies of Dourok and Gronstave, that her brother and her friends would be safe. But the sword humming at her hip told her a different story. Ever since the battle, the weapon was almost always active, always pulsing its energy through her body and responding to every change in her mood. And it was a dark energy. It was the energy of ruin and death. As much as she wanted to hope for the best, she couldn’t overcome the feelings of despair. She wondered if the sword knew what was to come, if Lanioc had given it a power that neither she nor Anneli had yet guessed at.
Whatever unknown abilities it might possess, the Lion’s Sword had been disturbed from its slumber after nearly two thousand years. It had been freed from the crypt where it had slept, and it had once again spilled the life essence of its enemies. But the past battles had only given it a taste of what it desired. Penny knew that when the time came for it to slake its thirst, neither she nor anyone else would be able to contain it.
~ ~ ~
The Emberlyn Chronicles will continue this December in The Lion’s Court! Visit michaelkrose.com for news and updates.
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Fiction by Michael K. Rose
The Emberlyn Chronicles
Book I: The Lion’s Crown
Book II: The Lion’s Crypt
Book III: The Lion’s Court (December 2017)
The Sullivan Saga
Book 1: Sullivan’s War
Book 2: Sullivan’s Wrath
Book 3: Sullivan’s Watch
Book 4: Sullivan’s Blood
Book 5: Sullivan’s Reign
Book 6: Sullivan’s Fire
The Sullivan Saga Omnibus 1 (Collecting Books 1-3)
The Sullivan Saga Omnibus 2 (Collecting Books 4-6)
The Sullivan Saga: Parallel Tales
No. 1: “Sergeant Riley’s Account”
No. 2: “Sleep”
The Strange Lands Saga
Book I: The City Beyond the Sands
Book II: Riders of the Red Land
Book III: The Sea Dragons
The Strange Lands Saga Omnibus Edition (Collecting Books I-III)
Other Novels
Chrysopteron
Darkridge Hall
Provocation
Other Short Fiction
The Vast Expanse Beyond: Ten Short Stories
“The Human Body”
Anthologies
A Plague of Dragons
A Legion of Dragons (Spring 2018)
For more information, please visit:
http://www.michaelkrose.com
To receive notices about new releases and free, exclusive stories, subscribe to the author’s newsletter at:
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About the Author
Michael K. Rose is an author of fantasy, adventure, paranormal and science fiction.
His first major work, Sullivan’s War, has been called “… a sci-fi thriller that definitely delivers!” His second novel, Chrysopteron, has been hailed as a “… gem of a novel…” and “a masterpiece.”
Michael holds a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from Arizona State University. He currently resides in the Phoenix area and enjoys board games, tabletop role-playing games and classical music. You can connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
http://www.michaelkrose.com
The Lion's Crypt (The Emberlyn Chronicles Book 2) Page 18