Paradox - Progeny Of Innocence (bk2) (Paradox series) Read Online Free PDF

tears, but she quickly forced them back as she looked on in horror as prisoners were pushed, shoved, and beaten. Some had fallen and were being trampled under hoof. She heard a soft whimpering beside her. She turned to see Keyla’s face awash with tears. "Oh, dear child," Temulun said, fighting back her own tears. She put her arm protectively around Keyla’s shoulders and pulled the child toward her. "Dry your tears quickly; it is not wise to be seen showing sympathy toward these prisoners. There are too many guards, too many prying eyes." She quickly ushered Keyla away from the savage onslaught before them, away from the Grigorian monsters with their massive spectre hounds. Two beasts fought ferociously over the body of the dead Bulguardian. A third came forth, pulling and chewing until little was left.
    Temulun pushed a heavy door open toward the furthest end of the high stone wall. It opened into a dark musty room. By the glimmer of sunlight stealing its way inside, they could just make out a disorderly pile of discarded furniture, tapestries, and oil paintings in golden frames. Keyla closed her eyes and held her hand out. Ever so slowly, a small, glowing ball formed, rose above the palm of her hand and spun. It began to spin faster and faster, until eventually it ignited into a ball of fire that hung suspended above their heads. She blew at it softly until six in all illuminated the room. The bright balls of fire revealed three massive gold chairs among the pile at the rear of the room.
    Temulun gasped. "The three missing thrones from the throne room," she said, dragging a long roll of carpet entwined in spider webs off the thrones and onto the floor. It hit the ground with a heavy thud, sending a deluge of dust motes into the air. She ran her fingers down the gold and velvet armrests. "I have only ever heard stories. They truly are beautiful, aren’t they, even in this state? Just think... the Royal Guardians have sat upon these thrones." She pulled matted cobwebs from her fingers. "There used to be twelve of these, you know. But every time a Guardian has been killed since the beginning of time, they burn the throne with the Guardian seated upon it, so the fire can take the body back to the Gods. Back to the time before time." Temulun paused for a moment. "One of these thrones shouldn’t be here. A Royal Guard was killed on the night of the equinox. It is said that his body was thrown out in the streets to burn." She shook her head mournfully. "Cerberus now sits upon the fourth throne in the Great Hall."
    Keyla said nothing. She walked over to the stone wall, easing herself down its rough surface and onto the cold, dusty floor. She hugged her knees tight up against her chest.
    Temulun walked toward her. "What is it, child?" she asked, sitting down beside her. "My story, it saddens you?"
    "I saw everything they saw, everything they felt," she said, pushing her face into her hands. "How could they do that, treat those prisoners like worthless animals?"
    "To the Grigorians, those prisoners are animals. Nothing more than a meal to fill their bellies... That is their way. For some, that is all they desire, all they have ever known. It is an empowering delicacy, the forbidden fruit." Temulun held Keyla’s hand. "Now tell me, child, what exactly did you see?"
    "I saw it all. In their eyes, on their faces. The night of the fall… So much death, so many souls lost." She took a long breath, labored with heart-wrenching sobs, and continued. "They fought gallantly, but the Grigorian monsters, with all their cunning, outnumbered the innocent, and the Bulguardian Army. Soon the Royal Palace fell, and it fell right into the hands of Lord Cerberus and his men. Within hours the Imperial City was engulfed by a barrage of hungry flames. There was nothing left for the Bulguardian Army to do but to save as many as they could and flee the city and head south."
    "And your family?" Temulun asked softly. "What became of them?"
    Keyla shook