Black Rose Read Online Free PDF

click and Nolan quickly entered the room. Mara was
seated in front of a large mahogany desk, reading over a small stack of papers
scattered in front of her. An unmarked bottle of a clear spirits sat on the
edge of the desk, half empty from the looks of it. 
    She
read to the end of her page, before raising her head and glancing towards her
visitor. “What can I do for you, Nolan?”
    “Captain
Mara,” he began. “I have watched you over the years, and tales of your Guard
are legendary.” He knelt down in front of her. “I humbly ask to join the ranks
of your service, my Lady. I would like to join the Black Rose.”
    Mara
stared at him from her seated position by the desk. “Tell me, Nolan. How old
are you?”
    “Forty-seven,
my Lady.”
    Mara
nodded in thought. “That makes you, what, eight hundred years younger than I
have been Captain of the Rose?”
    “Yes,
but you were younger than I when you were named a Sub-Captain.”
    “Tell
me, have you ever been in love? I am not talking about a one night stand or a
generic girlfriend, but rather, a real, true once in a lifetime love?”
    “I
thought I was once or twice. But it wasn’t with the right girl.”
    Mara
eyed him critically. “If you join the Black Rose, you will never find her.” She
turned to her drink and took a long, deep sip.
    “I
don’t need to fall in love, Captain. I would rather serve the realm.”
    “Serve
the realm?” Mara said sarcastically. “What do you know of service? You, who
have lived in the realm of peace bought by the blood of Roses?” Her speech
slurred as she stared into the eyes of the younger man.
    “I
am brave. And I very much want to join your ranks.”
    Mara
glanced down at the silver rose embroidered on her black shirt. “I suppose,”
she said slowly, “that we seem majestic to you? The feared Order of the mighty
Black Rose. The slayer of daemons, procurers of Kings? Is that how you see us,
young Lord? Are we glamorous, mystical, majestic as the Knights of old?”
    He
drew a deep breath before answering. “I see you as the protectors of the realm,
my Lady.”
    Mara
gave a harsh laugh. “The Black Rose does not defend, Sub-Captain Nolan. We are
not saviors - we are killers. We do not protect; we destroy. We are glorified
assassins and the best at what we do. Look at you with your pretty, idealistic
eyes. Almost thirty years of living and still as optimistic as a child.” She
poured more of the clear liquid into a thin glass and drained it dry. “The
Black Rose destroys the soul of all it touches. It betrays every moral,
standard, value, and person you have ever held dear. I have done things, Nolan.
Things you can’t even imagine. And for that, my soul burns in the fires of
Hell, while my body still breathes.”
    Mara
refilled her glass and took a long, slow draft before turning her violet gaze
back upon the younger man. “You want to serve the realm? Then marry a kind
woman and teach your children to dream of a world where the Black Rose is no
longer needed. A world where I am condemned for my crimes, not honored for
them. A better world, Nolan. One where someone like me will never again see the
light of day.”
    Without
knowing how to respond, Nolan rose from the floor and walked towards the silver
door. As he stepped out into the hallway, Mara’s voice cut through the space
between them. “Nolan.” He turned back towards her. “Tell Captain Edward you
want to serve under him. I will use my authority to sever your vows to Regald.
Serve him well. Then we will see if you still desire to become a member of the
famous Black Rose.”

Chapter VIII
    Mara
walked along the crystal sand of the fabled beach, the waves crashing softly in
the gentle ocean breeze. The water was the deepest blue Mara had ever seen. The
sky was clear, not a single cloud in the pale sky. She inhaled deeply, tasting
the salt on the tip of her tongue. Her white cotton gown swirled around her
body, and her long hair blew behind her brushed back