A Sliver of Redemption by David Dalglish Read Free Book Online

ship that sails along the coast is owned or captained by a man with some sort of allegiance to the lords there.”
    Thulos nodded and seemed pleased. He folded his wings about him and sat on the throne.
    “With my portal closed, I cannot conquer as I would any other world,” he said. “My demons are now valuable beyond measure, and every one I lose will never be replaced, not until Celestia is dead and my brothers freed. I need men, human soldiers to fight and bleed for me. If the Green Castle is busy fighting our orc allies, then leave them be. Felwood is our only true threat, so that is where we shall go. They will swear their swords to me, turning a danger into a boon. From there we will go to Angelport. Have every demon ransack Veldaren inch by inch before we leave. Those who will not bow for honor or glory will succumb to gold instead. Besides, from Angelport I can send several men west. You’ve insisted the nation of Ker is loyal to Karak. I want to see if that loyalty still holds true.”
    “I will relay your orders,” Velixar said. After a moment’s hesitance, he bowed. Thulos’s eyes narrowed at the gesture.
    “You are just one of my many soldiers,” he said. “I do not need your worship, nor do I expect it. I am the same as your god, yet greater, more whole. You will come to see that in time.”
    “Perhaps,” Velixar said. “Many things change, in time.”

    T essanna searched the castle for clothes, a singular focus taking over her mind. Her thin red outfit no longer served her purpose. She cast it aside and put on a plain brown dress, the cloth rough against her skin. Not caring if it matched, she found a shirt and put it over her shoulders. She would not bare her skin for taunting enticement. All her life, she had flaunted the curves of her hips, the swell of her breasts, and the long, shining exoticness of her hair. No more. She didn't need that power anymore. Even swords needed sheathed once in awhile, and her beauty was no different.
    Thulos's army had remained disturbingly quiet during its occupation, but when the order came to march, they took to it with a shocking intensity. Angry voices shouted across the city, armor clanked and banged incessantly, and not a soldier remained idle. Into that chaos Tessanna stepped out, no longer the princess with the power of the goddess. She looked like a tired, strained woman, too much of the world on her shoulders. She tried not to admit it, but she was eager for Velixar to see her, to see his reaction. Much as it might burn her, she wanted to be dismissed, no longer desirable to him.
    “So the butterfly returns to the cocoon?” Velixar asked.
    Tessanna startled and took a step back toward the castle door, surprised by how close his voice was. At one time she would have sensed his presence, but her magic had faded, and she felt blind and unaware.
    His hands grabbed her arms, and she winced at the pain. His grip was iron.
    “Qurrah will be so disappointed to see you like this,” he said, his eyes flaring wide.
    “I don't care what he thinks,” she said.
    Velixar laughed, and the sound, so dismissive, so superior, tightened the muscles in her stomach.
    “Is that so?” he asked. “Then who is this charade for?”
    “I felt your anger,” she said, trying to pull away. He grabbed harder, bruising her arm. She stopped her struggle. If she kept going, kept fighting, she knew what would happen.
    “I know how much you hate me,” she said, her voice quieter. “I felt that too.”
    “I have much to hate,” Velixar said. He pressed his body against hers. So cold, she thought. He's so cold, yet on fire.
    “Your lover abandoned us,” the man in black continued. “Just as his brother did years before. The dark paladins, my friends, have lost most of their rank. You closed the portal I spent centuries plotting and killing to open, and now you turn me away, as if afraid.”
    “I am not afraid,” she said.
    “Yet you tremble.”
    He gestured to the war