Broken Forest: Book One of the Daath Chronicles Read Online Free PDF Page B

“Lucino will be furious if we don’t stay on schedule. Pick up the next girl. I’ll make sure we are not being followed. Since your men are incapable of doing anything useful.”
    Another girl? How many were there?

I lunged, stabbing the sword forward until the tip met soft flesh. The guard recoiled into himself and fell over, clutching at his bleeding stomach. I growled and catapulted the sword into the far wall. “Find me someone who will not die within the first few minutes of my training!”
    The standing guard removed the dead body from my sight. Training with humans was an utter waste of time.
    Lucino.
    You better have good cause for bothering me. You should be collecting my shipment.
    My sister’s mental intrusions always happened at the most inconvenient times. Our races’ bloodline communication trait tended to be more of a nuisance. I had already ordered Romulus to discover a way to block her, but so far I had only learned how to break the connection once she entered.
    We ran into a situation.
    Go on.
I shook my head and walked toward the bubbling salt pool that reminded me of home then threw off the remainder of my clothing and stepped down into the hot water.
    During one of our pickups, we were spotted and the two men I sent back have not returned. I think we should call off the rest of the mission and return to Daath.
    Are you giving me orders?
I stretched against the hard stone.
    No, brother. It is a suggestion.
    Finish your task and handle the mess you’ve made.
I broke the connection before she could respond. Hearing my sister babble about minor complications irritated me. I needed quiet, especially after a visit with my pets. Today they had been extremely talkative and touchy; they always wanted to poke or caress me. I spent quite a bit of time trying to learn why. This world varied from ours, in strange ways. I wondered if our people could survive among these humans.
    Steam rising from the pool blocked my vision, but I sensed someone approach. “Speak.”
    A young servant stumbled forward. “Your grace, there is an urgent message from Lord Thebas.”
    The boy placed a scroll onto the table.
    “You may go.” I waved the boy away and closed my eyes.
Urgent, everything with that obese fool is urgent.
I regretted revealing my presence to him, but it was a necessary move. We had control of only three lands of the thirteen (not including Daath—I alone held that treasure). I could’ve slipped one of our own in his place and disposed of the man, but humans were very fanatical, and I found his undying devotion pleasant. My following had bred in his large village, spreading and infecting the surrounding areas. By the time we began the invasion I’d have thousands of hungry followers, and The Order would easily be replaced.
    Yes, The Council made a grave mistake putting me in charge, but one from which I would greatly benefit. They assumed they would take control. Fools.

Derrick paced back and forth across the camp, mumbling to himself. I rubbed my head, releasing the building pressure. The two corpses lay in front of me. Dead eyes staring.
    “Finished?” Derrick said.
    Standing, I nodded.
    “We need to get rid of the bodies and get out of these cursed woods,” he said. “I still think we need help, even if we hire a merc.”
    “There’s no time,” I said, walking over to the corpse with the scar. I lifted one of the lifeless limbs and searched for the tattoo.
Nothing.
I moved on to the other dead man.
Nothing.
 
    “What if we’re killed and Jeslyn disappears? I can’t live with that.” Derrick continued ranting and pacing around the camp.
    “We can’t stop,” I said in a hushed voice. “We’ll lose her.”
    “You don’t know that.”
    “It’s up to us.” Mixed emotions swirled through me. Nothing settled. I rubbed my temples, trying to rid myself of the intense pounding.
    Derrick dropped to one knee. He clasped his emblem and prayed. I used to wear one, too but that was before