A Temporal Trust (The Temporal Book 2) by CJ Martin Read Free Book Online Page A

Nephloc without heavy Morphic screening, the kind only the High Lady could bestow.
    It was both angry and envious of the Perazim that blocked the door and prevented its freedom. It had been promised Perazim status upon successfully bringing back the Temporal woman dead or alive. It had failed.
    “Pleeease...have meeerc...” It stopped mid-sentence.
    “Mercy is for the weak. Have the Temporal influenced you, corrupted you?”
    She lit the lantern and adjusted the flame until it burned to the fullest. The Nephloc looked away, but even at a dozen feet away, the flame was already burning its skin. Through holes that once housed nostrils, it detected smoke and burnt flesh—its flesh. It wasn’t the light itself that was painful, although eyes spent at length in darkness stung when shown artificial light. The skin and inner being of a Nephloc reacted to the electromagnetic radiation from natural light with intense pain, with burning. Prolonged exposure of even a small measure of natural light meant death.
    “Now, you will pay for your error.”
    But just as she took a step toward the sobbing creature against the wall, there were knocks at the door.
    Her head turned and her mouth made a slight snarl manifesting her disgust at being interrupted.
    “Enter!”
    She made a slight gesture with her fist. The guards took a step aside and the door opened of its own accord.
    On the other side of the doorway stood three bowing Nephloc—the remainder of the four spies. They instantly recoiled at the sight of the burning lantern even as Kaileen returned it to the far table. Equally painful was the fourth spy’s presence. The three hissed and spat in its direction. They were soon goaded inside by several baton-wielding Perazim behind them.
    “You? I thought you had been captured.”
    She snuck a look at the cowering figure against the wall with a look of anger and suspicion.
    “You and you,” she said, pointing at two of the Perazim, “search the perimeter. Make sure these fools were not followed.”
    “Weee traveled far and deep. No one followed.”
    “And why are you not dead?”
    “It was a trap. Wee fought, but there were too many,” said the first of the three.
    “Wee...is fast. Faster than Temporal,” said the second.
    “It,” said the third, pointing at the cowering Nephloc in the corner, “did not fight. It abandoned uss, exposed our weakness.”
    The Nephloc that had arrived first jumped from its balled position and charged toward its erstwhile partners. It had murder in its eyes and death in its outstretched arms.
    Kaileen stuck her left arm out, stopping the advance of the first Nephloc even as it was six feet away. Her other arm extended directly at the three newcomers. Her fingers were parted wide, but as she slowly brought them into a fist, the three Nephloc were pulled against their will deeper into the room toward her. The pulling ended with the three Nephloc a few feet away from the woman. They immediately fell to the ground, bowing and wailing.
    “You all failed me. I gave you power. I gave you a chance to enter the cocoon and change. You could have been Perazim! And what did you do? At the first sign of danger, you reverted to your pitiful state. But more so than this. Either you,” she said pointing to the single Nephloc to her left. “Or you three are lying.” As she said the last word, her face burned red as if momentarily on fire.
    The four were sobbing, but otherwise silent.
    She heard the screech before anyone else. “Guards!” she said to the Perazim near the doorway. “Keep these fools here. I shall return momentarily.” She released her hold on the Nephloc and the two Perazim quickly moved in, corralling the prisoners into two groups.
    Kaileen was outside and beneath a large oak with such a speed that it startled the great bird.
    “You have news, spy?”
    The eagle was perched on the lowest branch, some twenty feet above ground. Its eyes were focused on hers. The mode of communication was