Rise of the Phoenix (Return To Avalore #2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

up.
    Wesken stepped up next to her. “What’s your plan?” When she couldn’t respond right away, he continued, “I’m taking the lead from here. You’re too invested.” He gave her a moment to argue, but she was no fool. He was right. “Here’s what we’re going to do.”

Chapter 4
    In all the years of suffering after his mother’s demise, Evan had never wished for death more. Pain ravaged his body with every single breath. Dark shadows, his silent tormentors, danced around him, mocking him as they breathed down his neck.
    He hadn’t been able to see much of anything in the days since his capture. Part of him wished the swelling on his face hadn’t receded to allow his sight. A single lantern, hanging on a wire above, cast the room in an eerie glow. It swung back and forth as though the shack shifted in the howling wind.
    At the opposite end of the room, one of their own hung on a large metal hook by the wrists just as he was. The Erritrol didn’t move. Was it even alive? Were they keeping it for food, or just to torture for their enjoyment? Crates, stacked tall, kept Evan from seeing the rest of the room and the only exit.
    Somewhere behind him, on the other side of the makeshift wall, a door slammed open. He shuddered as the rancid stench of Erritrol wafted to him, shaking him to his bones.
    A low growl reverberated in the air, and then Evan’s legs flew out from beneath him, kicked out by one of the beasts who strode past. Without warning, the larger of the two reared its meaty fist and slammed it into the hanging beast’s chest. “Wake up, traitor .”
    The soft snarl coming from the injured animal should have been warning enough, but the beast stepped closer. The creature on the hook moved in a blur of motion, snapping its razor-sharp teeth, and tearing a mouthful of flesh and fur before its assailant could retreat to safety.
    Vicious blows rained down on the animal unable to do anything more than accept the punishment given. The furious roars of their captors shook the tin walls. Evan wasn’t foolish enough to hope they would spend all their aggression on the beast. His muscles clenched and he took a steadying breath, a vain attempt to center himself enough for the beating to come. The phoenix struggled for freedom, and Evan welcomed the strong, coppery taste in his mouth as its fury rose, yet nothing happened.
    “You think to attack?” Pain exploded from Evan’s back.
    So focused on what was happening before him, Evan hadn’t realized another had come with them and lain in wait. The beast walked around him, a metal pipe with a wicked looking hook at the end gripped in its hand.
    Violent shudders tore through him at the sight. Heart pounding, he tried in vain to free himself, to move further from the wicked instrument.
    With the sharp tip, the Erritrol poked at Evan’s chest. He expected the blade to stab, or at least cut into his flesh, but instead of blood and pain, a soft ticking sound rose from where the beast tapped on his chest. An opalescent stone hung from his neck on a length of rough twine, the smooth rock resting against his breastbone.
    “What’s wrong? Can’t move?” A sneer twisted the beast’s face as it brought the hook to Evan’s cheek, pushing his face back up to look at him with the sharp point.
    Holding his breath, Evan pulled his head back as far as he could. His heart hammered as the hook edged up closer and closer to his eye.
    “Stop fucking around and get what you came for.” The shortest of the three rubbed his hands together, the anticipation too much for it to contain.
    The hook hovered for a moment before the Erritrol pulled it sharply away, gouging him just below his eye. Blood, warm and sticky, flowed down Evan’s cheek and neck. The phoenix helplessly flapped its fiery wings, fanning the embers higher and higher with no way of releasing the energy it built.
    “I’m going to give you one chance.” The Erritrol trailed the hook down Evan’s naked chest,