The Wilds (Reign and Ruin 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

marble and wake up here, all for the sake of a
'walk'."
    Cirrus looked
suddenly at me and gestured to the footstool beside him. He seemed
to find it funny as I sat down.
    "Look at you,
the next in line . . . sitting at my feet. It's a fitting place. I
love the way it feels. You understand that, don't you?
    "You like
power," I said. Cirrus nodded.
    "Of course.
Most people do."
    "I really
couldn't give a shit about power."
    Cirrus steepled
his fingers together and seemed to be fighting back a smile.
    "That, my
darling, is one of the reasons this will be so easy."
    "Well, you seem
to be finding getting to the point pretty damn hard" I said as my
patience whittled away. Cirrus chuckled and rubbed his jaw.
    "Your spark
will come in handy out here in Palet." He paused, as if to
ascertain my understanding. I was obviously an idiot. "Palet, as I
am sure Mr. Kleizenberg explained, is the land created by your
uncle. We are still young, but not once in over one hundred years
did we think this would, or could, happen." He continued, relishing
his next words. "Never thought our god was . . . mortal."
    "Hundred
years?" I scoffed. "My uncle might look older than he is but he's
actually younger than my mom." Cirrus watched me as I babbled on.
"And even though she's been 30 for over twenty years now, there is
no way my uncle has been around for more than forty."
    Cirrus shrugged
and swept a palm over the warm air emanating from the fire.
    "Time runs
differently here. It must. Your uncle has been inciting awe and
fear into the hearts of men since the dawn of time. But not now.
Now he's as cold and dreamless as yourself." A chill ran down my
spine and I shivered.
    "What is that
supposed to mean?" I asked. Cirrus rose and walked over to a side
table. He placed his fingers lightly on a piece of paper laid out
on its surface.
    "Yes, the 'why
me' part of this conversation. The heir to the throne and the
Painter's niece." Cirrus spat out those last few words as stood
from the footstool. "When this world was created, it came with a
history. A code. According to tradition you should rightfully
ascend to leadership. The books were written on the subject years
ago when men thought it sufficient to declare the rules on paper."
Cirrus sighed and turned around. "But there are those that
challenge, that hope for something different and more ordered.
Science, you could say, and reason instead of mystical
la-de-dahs."
    "Wonderful. I
think that sounds great," I said, cutting him off. Cirrus raised
his eyebrows and a wry smile touched his lips.
    "That is all
very well and good, Maggie but the people will never accept me as
their king that easily. It would be considered a takeover or a
coup. So I need to win fair and square, and there are traditions
for that, as well." Cirrus looked at me brightly, his eyes suddenly
lighting up with a new and less foreboding energy. "Drink?"
    He brought out
a crystal decanter full of a soft, golden liquid. I might have been
in a different world with an incredibly handsome but power-hungry
gentleman or tripping frantically on Marty's magic marble, but
either way I needed some alcohol.
    "Yes, please,"
I murmured. I accepted his outstretched glass gratefully. The
golden liquid was whiskey, a low and mellow type that was so light
it lingered more in the air than on the tongue. I looked up to see
Cirrus considering me thoughtfully.
    "You are of
special interest to me, Maggie," he murmured. "Well, that's an
understatement of sorts. What you are is an impossible, walking
miracle."
    Those words,
coupled with the strong drink, sent a slight temporary numbing
feeling along my arms and a heat rushing to my cheeks. He had
thrown his net out and now, twisted up with his green eyes, I felt
my body slowing expanding towards him. It didn't feel good, but it
didn't feel unnatural either. But it was definitely out of my
control. "You don't dream. I'm sure you've come to discover that
this is a very rare phenomenon." Cirrus laughed shortly.