A Thirst for Vengeance (The Ashes Saga, Volume 1) by Edward M. Knight Read Free Book Online

“My dear philosopher,” she said, “you are carrying a heavy burden. Tell me, what troubles your mind?”
    “You have been to kind to me,” Rel answered, “and I have no way of paying you back.”
    “That is not your trouble,” Angelica said.
    “You have given me everything a man can hope for,” Rel answered, “and I have no way of paying you back.”
    “That is not your trouble,” Angelica said.
    “You have granted me renewed life and vitality,” Rel answered, “and I have no way of paying you back.”
    “That is not your trouble,” Angelica said.
    Rel thought on his next words. He knew Angelica could see the true hearts of men. He could not deceive her—even if he so desired.
    “My trouble is this,” he told her with a sigh. “And I shall only confide it in you. I have seen the wonders of your world. I have seen the power of your magic. But I am not the one who needs it. It is the men who are unlike me that need to witness it, for it shall grant them hope.”
    “And what good is hope,” Angelic asked, “for men who are unworthy?”
    “Hope is worth life itself,” Rel answered. “Hope is for all kinds of men. Hope is what drives them to build a better future. Hope is what allows men to become worthy.”
    “The ones you speak of are already condemned,” Angelica said. “They are so because of their own choices. They will not change.”
    “You see the hearts of men, but you pass judgment too easily.”
    “You are the only one worthy to walk among our coven.”
    “If that is the true wisdom of your soul,” Rel told her, “then cast me out.”
    Angelica stopped. She turned on him. “You would forsake us?” she asked. “You would turn your back on us, who have given you so much?”
    “You have given me the choice of abandoning my people. It is not a choice I can make.”
    Angelica looked into Rel’s heart, and she saw that his words were true. His sincerity troubled her.
    “Very well,” she said. “I shall not cast you out. Instead, I will let you return to the land you were born. If you come to us with five others—two men, and three women—who have your same purity of heart, they will be allowed to enter.
    “But be warned,” she added. “If just one of them plays you false, you shall never look upon my face again.”
    Rel agreed. He ventured back into the world. It took him twenty more years to find five others. But find them he did. When he returned to the coven, Angelica clasped him to her breast and whispered the words that would bind him to her forever, for she was in love.
    Rel transformed before her eyes. His back straightened. His hair became a rich brown. He felt the energy return to his body. When he rose, he stood forty years younger.
    His five friends saw what Angelica had done. They fell to the ground and praised her mercy. For they knew, deep inside, that Rel’s journey had carried him to death’s door.
    Later that night, in the largest bedchamber of the tallest tower, Angelica and Rel made love. He impregnated her with his child. Nine months later, the first king of Rel'ghar was born.
    That is the founding story of the great city. “Ghar” means, “son of.” The witches named their coven after the man who brought them back to the world, and their magic protected the walls for many years.
    Yet darkness lurks in every man’s heart. Of Rel’s five friends, one harbored a tiny sliver of evil deep in his soul. It was so small that Angelica chose to overlook it, for she knew Rel could have found none better.
    That man wedded one of the women who came with him. Together, they had a daughter. Years later, that daughter married Rel’s only son.
    The sliver of darkness had wormed its way into the royal line at its inception, where it lay latent for many generations, until finally, in the heart of Vontas, it flared to life.
    Continuing the tradition set out by Angelica, the kings of Rel’ghar welcomed all those with a pure heart into their city. They did it to keep