Braving the Storm

by Xenia Melzer

  Renaldo sensed that his heart had finally given up. Basking in his triumph, he took what was exclusively his the entire night.

  IT WAS already afternoon when Casto woke. He could sense Renaldo’s presence next to the bed, and before he could stop himself, a surge of heat blasted the god’s way. Instead of reprimanding him for it, Renaldo started to speak in hushed tones.

  “Casto. I’m so sorry. Believe me, I never wanted things to turn out like that. Please, just listen to me, let me explain.”

  “I’m not talking to you, Barbarian. Not for a long time.”

  Renaldo sighed. He knew he had messed up badly; still, he wanted Casto to at least understand the reason.

  “It was just too much, all that power filling me up. I couldn’t think clearly anymore—it was all a blur. And when you resisted even though I needed you so badly, I lost it.”

  “So it’s my fault, then?” The words came out biting; there was no doubt about Casto’s point of view and his current mood.

  “Of course not. I’m just asking you to understand.”

  Pointedly, Casto turned his back to Renaldo, ignoring his pleading mate.

  Sighing, Renaldo took a small box out of his pocket and placed it on the nightstand. “This is for you, Casto. I’ll be leaving you alone now.”

  When the door had closed, Casto reached for the box. For a moment he considered not opening it, for it felt too much like the payment a whoremonger would give after a heated night. Nevertheless, some kind of perverse curiosity made him peek inside the box. A seal ring with the rune for “rider” lay on a silken cushion. Something was etched into the gold on the inside of the ring.

  To my own. R.

  The inscription undid Casto. With a scream of rage, he threw the offending piece of jewelry against the wall, and since he was at it, he did the same with everything he could get his hands on. Letting out his helpless fury in such a destructive manner helped him cool his head. When he looked at all the destruction he had caused, he even felt a certain satisfaction. Some of the items that now lay broken and scattered on the floor had been dear to the Barbarian.

  When Casto looked out the window, he saw it was already getting dark. As if he was in a fever, he hurried to put on his warmest clothes and the thickest boots he possessed, and then filled two leather pouches with gold and jewels. In the kitchen he obtained a bag full of provisions, and in the armory he took a sword, four daggers, and two knives.

  Lys was waiting for him in front of the stables. Since the sun was already down, Casto hurried to put the saddle and bridle on his brother. The stallion whinnied softly, a comforting sound meant to reassure Casto. The king patted Lys’s neck.

  “Thank you, my friend. Let’s get out of here. This time forever.”

  Gracefully he leapt into the saddle, and Lys started to run. His body became one with the shadows, so the few people who were still out did not see him. The wolves realized they were leaving, but since Casto was no longer a slave, they had no reason to stop them. Once Lys and Casto had left the Valley behind, the stallion called a storm to hide their tracks, just like he had done when they had fled this place for the first time. Given what Renaldo had done to his rider, Lys was sure they would never return, no matter how much Casto loved the Barbarian. The Emperor of the Storms was satisfied. He did not like the Angel of Death for various reasons; that he had almost killed Casto was only one of them. When all was said and done, he was still a creature of chaos, while the divine brothers represented order. Because of Casto, he had put up with them until now. Casto’s happiness was the most important thing for Lys, and as long as he found it with Renaldo, Lys had accepted that. Things had changed, though. The Barbarian had broken his vow last night; he had hurt Casto so deeply, it made Lys shiver with rage when he thought about it. His determination to protect his rider at all cost grew with every league they put between themselves and the Valley. He would definitely not allow Renaldo to haunt Casto in his dreams as he had done before.

  SPEECHLESS, RENALDO stood amidst the chaos that had once been his chambers. He had dared to return this morning to see if Casto was still holed up or if he had gone to Lys, as was his usual reaction when they had a fight. Casto was gone, and the room was torn apart. In his rage the young man had not only destroyed every breakable item he could get his hands on, but he had also thrown the chairs against the wall and broken the table. Feathers flew up whenever Renaldo moved, because Casto had also slit all the cushions. The destruction worried the Angel of Death. Never before had his heart reacted so harshly. There had always been a last vestige of control that prevented Casto from doing something irreversible. Making such a mess only showed how terribly Renaldo had hurt him.

  The Angel of Death was just about to call for some slaves to clean up when Canubis entered the room. He looked so worried, it alarmed Renaldo.

  “What?”

  Canubis put a hand on his little brother’s shoulder. “He’s gone. I just talked to the wolves. Casto and Lys left the Valley last night.”

  Renaldo didn’t know what to say. Blood roared in his ears. Torn between anger and worry, he could only listen to what Canubis had to say.

  “I told you he would blow up in our faces! You need to get him back right away, and this time, I want him punished severely. Even though we are his gods, even though he has witnessed our strength, he still dares to defy us. He needs to be broken, Renaldo. It’s too dangerous otherwise.”

  Slowly, Renaldo shook his head. “Witnessing our strength is what drove him away. Of course I’ll call him back, but brother, breaking him should be our last resort.”

  Canubis leaned his forehead against Renaldo’s.

  “I know, little brother, I know. It pains me to see how much he’s hurting you, and I want him to pay for making you so miserable.”

  Renaldo managed a weak smile.

  “Thank you, brother. I really appreciate your care.”

  THAT VERY night, Renaldo tried to establish a connection with Casto to call him back. Unlike the first time he had run away, Casto did not reach out for his mate this time, and so Renaldo had considerable problems finding the king. Once or twice he thought he had tracked Casto down, only to realize that he had seen nothing but shadows. The Angel of Death kept running around in circles, chasing phantoms as insubstantial as a dream and as hard to catch. Three nights he struggled in vain to find Casto. On the fourth night, the king finally allowed him to come closer, and once Renaldo thought he had managed to get Casto at last, he had taken control of the dream.

  And so Renaldo found himself standing in the throne room of the palace in Ummana, trying his hardest to regain control over events. He still couldn’t believe Casto had managed to drag him here, to this place Renaldo had hoped to never see again. Casto was sitting on the throne with a golden crown on his head. The throne itself was surrounded by shadows that were dancing and coiling like living things. Between them, Casto’s past unraveled in a series of flickering images. The day he had been born, scenes from his earliest childhood that seemed almost happy if one ignored the fact that the friendly governess had been a spy Queen Isiris had skinned alive once she found out about her treason. Or that the servant who was singing Casto a lullaby had been poisoned by an assassin from the Donai family because they wanted to place one of their own slaves there. Then Renaldo saw the day Queen Isiris died, and what came afterward made him heave. Casto had told him everything that had been done to him, but now, in the dream, Renaldo could also feel it. The realization of what his heart had endured without breaking forced him to his knees.

  Casto’s voice cut through the images like a knife.

  “This is what they did to me. I was constantly forced against my will, and all I could do was bear it with gritted teeth, not showing anybody how deeply I was hurt. Then you came along and you forced my trust. You made me rely on you, only to betray me even worse than they did. How dare you follow me into my dreams and try to get me back? How dare you?”

  Renaldo swallowed hard. Ever
ything Casto had said was right. He had betrayed him, had done to him what he had sworn would never happen. There was no excuse for it, no sugarcoating it with nice words. He had broken his vows to Casto, had hurt his precious heart on more than one level. All he could do was beg.

  “Casto, please.”

  The king rose from his throne and started to walk away.

  “Goodbye, Lord Renaldo.”

  When he realized that his heart was about to leave him, that he would lose the one thing most precious to him, the Angel of Death panicked and reached out for Casto with his power, forced him to turn around and face him again. What he then saw made Renaldo recoil. The clear blue eyes had gone cold, the sensuous lips were pressed into a thin line, and the noble features had hardened. It was as if Casto had turned into a statue. When he spoke again, his voice was like icicles.

  “You went back on your word, Barbarian, so there’s no need for me to keep mine.”

  While the deeper meaning behind those words slowly sunk in, Lys suddenly appeared next to Casto. The stallion seemed to be taller than usual; his presence was suffocating, like the air just before a summer storm set in. Renaldo realized Lys was the reason he hadn’t been able to reach Casto, and that the Emperor of the Storms would take the young man away from him again. The shadows slithering around the throne started to expand, hugging the horse and the man. Like a wall they solidified around Casto, obscuring him from Renaldo’s view. Driven by fear and utter despair, Renaldo roared. His fire exploded and hit the shadow wall with full force. He could feel his power burning the dark and ripping it open. When the blaze subsided, the shadows were gone, shattered by the Angel of Death’s will.

  Casto was gone as well. For a heartbeat, Renaldo thought he could hear a condescending snicker.

  Then he was all alone.

  More from Xenia Melzer

  Gods of War: Book I

  All is fair in love and war. Renaldo has lived happily by that proverb his entire life. But he has finally met his match, and he’s about to discover how unfair love and war can be.

  When demigod and warlord Lord Renaldo takes a beautiful stranger captive during an ambush, he is delighted to have found a distraction that will keep him entertained during the upcoming siege. Little does he know, Casto is keeping more than just one secret from him. Slowly, Renaldo gets sucked into a turbulent roller-coaster relationship with his mysterious prisoner, one that begins with hatred and soon spirals into a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. And when it seems that things can get no worse, an old enemy stirs right in the heart of his home.

  Determined to keep Casto by his side, Renaldo has to find a balance between the capricious young man and his own destiny as a ruler and god to his people.

  Gods of War: Book II

  All is fair in love and war. By now, Renaldo has found out the hard way how utterly stupid this statement is once you’ve met your match. And Casto won’t give an inch in their ongoing war for love.

  After a tumultuous start to their relationship, Renaldo and Casto seem to have finally reached calmer waters. But just when Renaldo starts getting comfortable and thinks he can relax, things get out of hand again. His old enemy, the Good Mother, is dangerously close to defeating the divine brothers by reaching out to what is most dear to him. Casto still clinging to his stubborn pride is all the plotters need to drive him and Renaldo apart. Burdened by the secrets of his past, Casto fights with everything he’s got not only to save his life, but also to secure his future happiness. Facing the destruction of everything they have built together, Renaldo and Casto must choose between pride and love.

  Gods of War: Book III

  In war, loss is the price of victory, and the cost of love is sometimes pain.

  After Renaldo and Casto finally celebrate their marriage, the time has come for revenge against the followers of the Good Mother who tried to kill Casto—though this time, the gods of war won’t use bloodshed to take Medelina.

  As a member of the Confederation of the Plains, Medelina answers to Ummana, the head of the alliance… and Casto is heir to the throne of Ummana. Accompanied by their most capable mercenaries, Canubis and Renaldo travel to Ummana to make Casto king.

  They’ll face the Council of Elders; Lord Aran, Casto’s father; and Princess Anesha, Casto’s sister—none of whom are happy about the king’s return. For Casto, the city is a reminder of a terrible childhood, and Renaldo can only helplessly watch his beloved fight a seemingly hopeless battle.

  Through trickery and political scheming, vengeance against the Good Mother is finally within their grasp—but their success might be bittersweet. Not everyone will return to the Valley with Casto and Renaldo.

  XENIA MELZER was born and raised in a small village in the South of Bavaria. As one of nature’s true chocoholics, she’s always in search of the perfect chocolate experience. So far, she’s had about a dozen truly remarkable ones. Despite having been in close proximity to the mountains all her life, she has never understood why so many people think snow sports are fun. There are neither chocolate nor horses involved and it’s cold by definition, so where’s the sense? She does not like beer either and has never been to the Oktoberfest—no quality chocolate there.

  Even though her mind is preoccupied with various stories most of the time, Xenia has managed to get through school and university with surprisingly good grades. Right after school she met her one true love who showed her that reality is capable of producing some truly amazing love stories itself.

  While she was having her two children, she started writing down the most persistent stories in her head as a way of relieving mommy-related stress symptoms. As it turned out, the stress relief has now become a source of the same, albeit a positive one.

  When she’s not writing, she translates other authors’ manuscripts to German, enjoys riding and running, spending time with her kids, and dancing with her husband.

  Website: www.xeniamelzer.com

  Email: info@xeniamelzer.com

  By Xenia Melzer

  GODS OF WAR

  Casto

  Love and the Stubborn

  Ummana

  Braving the Storm

  Published by DSP PUBLICATIONS

  www.dsppublications.com

  Published by

  DSP PUBLICATIONS

  5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA

  www.dsppublications.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Braving the Storm

  © 2017 Xenia Melzer.

  Cover Art

  © 2017 Aaron Anderson.

  aaronbydesign55@gmail.com

  Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.

  All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact DSP Publications, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dsppublications.com.

  ISBN: 978-1-63533-675-7

  Digital ISBN: 978-1-63533-676-4

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2017950125

  Published November 2017

  v. 1.0

  Printed in the United States of America

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