One (The Godslayer Cycle Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

was too dark to actually see the inverted pair of horns that marked a heretical outcast of the New Order, but the wound was always visible within Avery's mind.  Years had passed since the priest had set the iron brand to Avery's flesh, searing away forever any hope he might have had of ever again returning to a normal life.  Heretics were the pariah of the New Order, lepers of religious stature, forever shunned and scorned for defying the will of the Gods.
    It was no God that wielded that brand , thought Avery.  Though in truth, he had to admit that at least the heat of the brand had to have been magical in nature since no fire had been started to heat it.  The iron had been leaning against the alter, not in a bed of coals or any other visible means of heating it.  For all intents and purposes, the metal should have been cool to the touch, but once in contact with Avery's flesh, his skin had blistered and hissed as if it had recently been pulled from a furnace.
    Yet regardless of whether it was mortal or Godly design, the end result was the same.  The power of the brand through the perception of those who saw it was to effectively ostracize Avery from every community, from every habitated domicile, from any form of civilization.  Occasionally, he could get aid from servants of the Old Gods who had refused to bend to the will of the New Order, but for the most part, Avery had to rely upon himself to survive.  If he could not catch, trap or steal it, he went without.  And far too often, that meant going hungry or staying cold.
    It was a rare night when Avery could enjoy the luxury of a sheltered bed.  Even the cold, drafty loft where he presently had secured himself should have been exquisite to him, even with all its imperfections.  Yet somehow the place roused new anxieties within him that he had not anticipated.  This was not the first time he had stolen into an empty building at night, either.  It was not a common thing, but not so uncommon, either.  So why was he so on edge tonight in this place?
    There!  Avery sat bolt upright with the urgency of the feeling.  There was someone - or some thing – in the dark, in here with him!  He had for a moment felt the tingle of recognition, not quite heard a soft sound just beyond what he would normally have been able to hear.  He felt it more as an absence of real sound than anything truly audible, but he could not mistake that something was out there in the dark...
    Avery could feel the dampness on his forehead, the breeze chilling the perspiration against his skin.  He shivered as the cold, nettling tingles ran once again down his spine.  He realized his jaw was clenched, but when he tried to relax it, his teeth began to chatter so badly he was forced to clench his jaw again to stop them.  Then, of course, the chattering echoed out into his body and he began to tremble all over.
    If someone were down below in the forge and heard him, there would be little he could do to escape.  The opening he had crawled through had been precarious at best to reach in the waning light of day.  At night, he would break his neck trying to climb down, even if he were not in such a hurry to get away.
    He had been beaten before for trespassing.  The laws of society did not punish heretics – they were, after all, nonentities – but they did not protect them either.  The laws of the New Order may have prohibited outright killing of a heretic, but they tended to turn a blind eye to beatings.  A property owner affronted by a heretic could meet out any punishment they desired, short of death, as consequence for any crime committed by a heretic without fear of reprisal.  Heretics were considered nonexistent; They were not members of society, but something society was plagued with, nevertheless.  To see a heretic was seen as an affront, but to be victimized by one was inexcusable.
    The New Order encouraged harsh treatment of its outcasts and made it a matter of doctrine to