by Candy Crum
CONTENTS
Kurtherian Gambit
Dedication
Legal
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Epilogue
Author Notes - Candy
Author Notes - Michael Anderle
Social Links
Series List
THE DAMNED
Tales of the Feisty Druid Book Six
By Candy Crum and Michael Anderle
A part of
The Kurtherian Gambit Universe
Written and Created
by Michael Anderle
The Kurtherian Gambit Universe
(and what happens within / characters / situations / worlds) are
Copyright (c) 2015 - 2017 by Michael Anderle and LMPBN Publishing.
DEDICATION
From Candy
To my boys, thank you for
being my reason for everything.
To my family who support me
no matter what.
To the fans and readers--thank you!
From Michael
To Family, Friends and
Those Who Love
To Read.
May We All Enjoy Grace
To Live The Life We Are
Called.
The Damned Team
JIT / Beta Readers
Larry Omans
Kelly O’Donnell
Joshua Ahles
Thomas Ogden
Kimberly Boyer
Micky Cocker
Paul Westman
If we missed anyone, please let us know!
Editor
Jen McDonnell
THE DAMNED (this book) is a work of fiction.
All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Sometimes both.
This book Copyright © 2017 Candy Crum, Michael T. Anderle, CM Raymond, LE Barbant
Cover by Mihaela Voicu http://www.mihaelavoicu.com/
Cover copyright © LMBPN Publishing
LMBPN Publishing supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.
The distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
LMBPN Publishing
PMB 196, 2540 South Maryland Pkwy
Las Vegas, NV 89109
First US edition, December 2017
The Kurtherian Gambit (and what happens within / characters / situations / worlds) are copyright © 2015 - 2017 by Michael T. Anderle.
PROLOGUE
Just outside the area of greatest impact, lying amongst the damage, were several people. Some of them were dead, their bodies mangled and blown apart, while others were unconscious, near death.
On the ground, but separate from the rest among charred grass, plants, and trees that still smoldered and cracked with the intense damage that had been done to them, laid a young woman. She didn't move, didn't breathe, and was facedown with blood pouring from her ears and down her face.
Her eyes shot open, and a deep breath painfully filled her lungs. A scream bubbled up in her chest, but her broken ribs wouldn't allow her to call out as she continued to gasp for air, tears coming to her eyes.
Slowly, she stood on shaky legs, clutching at her side as she leaned against a tree and looked around the area with blurry eyes. The light that shone through what was left of the canopy blinded her, and there was an intense ringing in her ears. Everything else sounded muffled in comparison, like she was listening through a thick pillow.
Smoke was wafting into the area, and though it wasn't enough to choke her, she certainly felt the dryness in her throat and nose with every painful breath. She could hear the faint crackles of the trees still on fire echoing through her impaired ears, and something else made its way to her.
Is that crying?
It was only a faint sound, but it seemed foreign to her right then.
Letting it go, the woman turned, taking in the sights around her. A few yards away, she saw what must have been gallons upon gallons of blood, splattered all over the trees and forest floor; intestines, organs, and human limbs littered the ground all around her. There were also intact bodies lying all over, but she didn't recognize any of them.
She felt cold inside, distant. No sadness. No anger. No emotions of any kind.
She felt as if she were asleep, dreaming. None of it was real. Not the burning forest or the mutilated bodies, however that had happened. Not the scent of smoke or death around her. Not the crying men and women on the ground that grasped at her ankles as she walked by.
It was all a dream.
Her ears still ringing and her eyes still sensitive to the light, the young woman stumbled through the woods, periodically wiping the blood streaming down her forehead. It continued to drip down her brows and into her eyes.
She came to a stop, leaning against a tree, and wondered if her body knew something that she didn't. Am I tired? I don’t feel tired…
She sighed, letting that go, too. It didn’t matter. She wasn’t really in control of herself, and that was fine. It was just a dream. She would be awake soon. She continued to walk, not knowing where she was going, and not caring. She just needed to get away from that mess, that nightmare.
Before long, she came to the edge of a river. There was something familiar about it, but she just assumed it was the dream playing tricks on her. She smiled suddenly as she looked down at the rushing water.
She wondered how badly it would hurt to bend over and take off the boots she didn't remember putting on. She decided against removing them—they would dry eventually. It was the water that was important now. Maybe it will help me wake up.
The ringing in her ears had yet to stop, but through it, it sounded as though someone was screaming at her from below the surface of the water.
She smiled, a laugh threatening to come forth. That can't happen. They would drown. She shook her head and quickly wiped away the blood that dripped into her eyes, burning them unmercifully.
There it was again: the sound, that yelling. It was louder now, but she couldn't understand what that person was saying.
It’s so peaceful here. Why would anyone want to scream?
The sound came again, and this time she made out the word.
"Arryn!"
Turning, she looked around. She saw nothing, but the action made her feel a little dizzy, and she laughed as she stumbled over to a large rock on the riverbank.
"Arryn!" The
voice had completely broken through the ringing now. She saw a man step out of the forest and come walking toward her.
Who is he? Why is he shouting at me?
"Arryn!" he said, his voice taking on a relieved tone now instead of the frantic one it had before. As she looked at him with total confusion, the relief fell from his expression, a look of worry replacing it. "Arryn?"
She laughed again, pointing at the man who seemed terribly worried about someone named ‘Arryn’. "I…" She coughed, realizing the smoke had done more to her throat than she had thought. But she would wake soon—so again, it didn't matter. "I don't know who that is. You have the wrong person."
The man stared at her, his long, blonde hair blowing slightly in the breeze. He began to shake his head a bit as he stepped closer. "You are Arryn."
The young woman's smile fell as he began to approach her. She had no idea who he was, and he was much larger than she was. There were knives on his belt, and blood on his clothes and hands. There were even a few drops on his face.
She thought back to the dead bodies littering the area where she had awoken.
"It was you! You hurt them." The thought occurred to her to run away, but she wanted to see where this dream went.
The man's eyes flashed green, earning a gasp out of the young woman, before he said, "I'm sorry to do this, but it's for your own safety."
Dream or not, she didn't want to stick around to see what he meant by that.
She tried to move quickly, but he was much faster. Vines shot out from the ground, wrapping her from her elbows down to her ankles. They held her tight, keeping her from moving.
The man made his move then, running up and placing his hands on either side of her face. His hands were large and very warm, and something about that warmth felt familiar as it raced through her entire body.
And then everything began to change.
Suddenly, she was painfully aware that her ribs had been crushed, and she had a splitting headache. Memories flashed through her mind, the explosions in the forest.
This isn’t a dream. It’s not a dream at all.
Within moments, which felt like an eternity, her ribs cracked back into place, her headache dissipated, and she took her first painless breath.
"Is it you?" he asked cautiously. "Do you know where you are, what happened?"
She slowly nodded, her expression reflecting the rage that was quickly returning along with all her other emotions, now that her broken mind had been healed. The sight of all the bodies in the forest came back to her—that hadn’t been a dream, either.
They will pay for this.
Wasting no time, Arryn said, "Get me a fucking healer. I need to be at full capacity. I made a promise to Alaric, and I'm about to make good on it."
CHAPTER ONE
Two Weeks Earlier
That morning in the forest was not unlike any other. The warriors were beginning to make their way to the pit, as they did every day. The children were all stumbling out of their parents' cabins, rubbing their little eyes on their way to meet the Chieftain.
But up and ready that morning were Celine and Samuel.
She stood, staring deep into Samuel's eyes. He swallowed hard as his brows furrowed, confusion all over his face. She gave him the softest smile before taking a step forward, and then another.
"Uh," he choked out before clearing his throat. "Wh-what're ye doin'?"
Her smile broadened as she took another step closer, sauntering toward him as she closed in. She giggled, her eyes almost twinkling as they crinkled in the corners with her genuine laughter.
"Oh, you'll see," she said as she took another step forward.
Samuel obviously felt uncomfortable and had no idea how to react.
Celine placed a hand on his chest and leaned forward, her lips only a heartbeat away from his. Her nose gently brushed the tip of his, and she smiled again. "What's wrong, rearick? You act like you've never been around a woman before."
"I-I... uh..." He seemed to be at a loss for words.
Lifting her head just a little, she kissed the tip of his nose, his eyes widening as she smiled one more time. And then everything around him swirled, as he quickly found himself flat on his back with Celine straddling, holding a dagger aimed for his heart.
"Oh! That wasn't fair at all!" he said, easily throwing her off.
She laughed, quickly climbing to her feet before making her way back over to him. "Aw, now. Don't be angry. You were the one who got distracted! This was an excellent exercise for both of us. I proved men really are as easy to distract with sex as they seem to be, and you now know you are very susceptible to the charms of a woman. Were I an enemy, you’d be dead."
He groaned, waving her off. "Aye, ye didn't prove a thing, lass. Ain't no woman gonna come around, flirting with me. You just caught me off-guard is all."
She gave a genuine smile as she walked over and wrapped her arms around him from behind. She placed her chin on his shoulder, her cheek resting against his. He tried to hide his sharp intake of breath, but she heard it anyway.
"Well, then, I guess that makes me special," she said softly.
Samuel reached up and rested his hand gently on hers, his thumb gently stroking her knuckles. "Aye. Now, that, ye might just be right about."
Celine heard footsteps approaching and stepped back, realizing their training time was coming to a close. "Thanks, rearick. I happen to think you're pretty special, too."
She gave him a genuine kiss on the cheek before delivering a quick swat to his rear end. She jumped back, laughing as he spun around to look at her with a shocked expression on his face.
"Oh, lass, yer gonna pay for that," he warned.
She winked. "Promises, promises."
Samuel gave a light laugh before running directly for her, sword raised. He opted for that instead of his normal, heavy warhammer. He had been training her every morning in both hand-to-hand and weapons combat.
She got better and better all the time, but she knew most of that was because of Arryn. Arryn was much younger, but so much stronger than Celine. It inspired her to do more, and with Samuel and her niece's direction, she was improving quickly.
Celine now met Samuel head-on, raising her sword to stop his, and the loud clang of metal rang out around them. She stepped into him, shoving him back using her body weight before running at him again.
This time, she was on the offensive, forcing the rearick to defend himself as she brought the sword down over and over again. He had taught her to judge her enemies wisely. While going in with a flurry of blows was not usually a good idea, it was certainly effective on someone slower who would not be able to keep up.
In this case, Samuel’s bulk and heavier weight caused him to be slower. He was forced to opt for quick, sloppy parrying as opposed to the slower, experienced movement he would use with someone twice her size.
Soon, her speed overwhelmed him, and he tripped backwards.
With a smile on her face, she stepped forward, lowering the blunted end of her practice sword to his throat. "Point to me."
He laid there, staring up at her with an expression she couldn’t quite read. Pride? Shock?
Before she knew what was happening, he knocked her sword out of the way and jumped up, his eyes downcast as he quickly returned his practice weapon to the rack.
"Well, I think that’s good enough for today." Without another word, he turned to walk away.
What the hell just happened? she wondered.
Looking over her shoulder, she saw the shadows of approaching students.
She debated whether or not she should deal with this now or later, but she could tell something was bothering him.
"Hey," she said, making her choice and running up alongside him. "What's wrong?"
He shook his head. "Nothing at all, lass. Couldn't be better. Ye did good out there taday. Soon, ye won't need me at all."
Her brows furrowed as her expression fell. "Is that what you think? Do you think I only n
eed you because you teach me how to fight?"
He shook his head. "No, it ain’t that. I just wanted ta get outta here before those damned younger students show up. Most of ‘em ‘re all right, but some seem ta think their shit don't stink, and they need ta be taught a different kind of lesson."
She sighed, shaking her head as she stared at him. "You rearick really are a bunch of stubborn, hardheaded men. I don’t have experience with the women, but I imagine they’re just as bad. If you have something to say, say it. But make it fast, because those students you like so much are coming."
Samuel opened his mouth several times, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't. Finally, Celine rolled her eyes and laughed before grabbing hold of his shirt and pulling him closer, kissing him.
He gasped, but eased into her.
Just as she felt him getting comfortable, she pulled back and placed her hand on the side of his face. "Quit being such a baby."
With that, she smiled and walked away, leaving a stunned rearick in her wake.
CHAPTER TWO
Arryn sighed as she picked up weapon after weapon, inspecting the blades and the hilts. With so much training, and so many outsiders coming in and out of the Dark Forest lately, their weapons had gone to hell from overuse.
All of the training swords were warped or dented, and some were even cracked—though this wasn’t of great concern, because they had blunted edges, and rounded or squared tips. Most were still useable, but it sometimes negatively affected the way the students fought.
Worse than that, both seasoned warriors and students entering into their final advanced warrior training to become part of the druid army used real swords, and they had been destroyed as well.
Between training the Cella guard, the added Arcadians as of late, the battle in Arcadia, and increasing the training schedule for the students, as well as practice for the seasoned warriors, nearly every blade in the Dark Forest had been terribly compromised in one way or another.