The Eden Series: The Complete Collection Read Online Free PDF Page B

High King after his passing, so no one would ever know. It was this mystery that truly fuelled the new King’s hatred toward his brother and his allies and would help him to eventually defeat them. Hopefully.
    The problem remained, however, that the north’s army was just too big. There already had been raids on small villages that sat close to the mountains, and many had already died. Not only were their men significantly more cruel and violent in their attacks, but the beasts that had been conjured up by the evil sorcerer Aziz were something the King’s men couldn’t overcome. Their weapons were not strong enough to penetrate some of their skins. What they needed was a wild card of their own, and that was exactly what Elisa was out there to do tonight.
    Early in the afternoon she had been practicing her targets by herself, when her father appeared suddenly.
    “Elisa, the High Priest has asked for your attendance,” he said in a thoughtful voice.
    She looked over in surprise, not understanding the look on his face. “Is there something wrong?” she asked.
    He shook his head slowly, and told her to pack up her things and go. The High Priest was usually in his chambers in the domed sanctuary at the far north side of the city. The Capital was laid out like a maze, making it harder for intruders to manoeuvre through the streets, if they were ever attacked. In the direct middle of the city was the palace, which was surrounded by an inner wall, similar to the outer wall that surrounded the whole city. The central square sat in front of the palace, where most of the city’s events took place. There they would hold the spring festival, which was scheduled for the next full moon. Elisa was admittedly excited about the festival, finding pleasure in the madness that took place on nights like that. Everyone let loose, and the constant fear of a war that lingered in everyone’s mind would for one night be forgotten.
    Off the main square was an array of streets that intertwined into a confusion of twists and turns. Elisa had lived there her whole life, however, so she had never gotten lost. Behind the palace sat the city’s sanctuary. It was a tall white building, with a large dome that filled the sky. Every other building in the city was made of a grey stone, the roofs all brown, but the sanctuary was white, the dome a bright blue in the sky. In her opinion, it was even nicer than the palace itself.
    One of the younger priests waited by the door, a small dagger in his hand for extracting the blood sacrifice. This was one of the reasons why Elisa didn’t pay too many visits to this place. Not that she wasn’t a spiritual person—she put her trust in both the God and his Goddess—but being cut every time one wanted to enter made her feel queasy. She held out her arm, and the priest made a small cut on the back, and held it above the bowl until a drop fell to mix with the others that rested in there. She didn’t turn away, although she wanted to. She couldn’t show her weakness in front of the small man. Everyone in the city knew her, and knew who her father was. She was well known to be a worthy archer, even at the young age of seventeen. Unfortunately, she was also known to the younger men as a beautiful, sought-after mate, so most men were kind to her. The arrival of Wolf not too long ago had put some of them at odds, but most seemed to pursue her anyway.
    “I’m here to see the High Priest,” she said in a clear voice.
    The man nodded his head. “He is waiting for you.” He led the way through the small hallways to the large wooden door that she was familiar with. After knocking lightly three times, she heard the High Priest beckon for her to enter, and she thanked the man for his help. The cut on her arm still bled, so she held a small handkerchief on it tightly.
    “Good afternoon,” she said, bowing toward the High Priest. Alistair was almost sixty now, but was still a tall and regal man. He had been the best