Angel of Death: Book One of the Chosen Chronicles by Karen Dales Read Free Book Online

position. She could not work in a place where she was unwelcome.

    Ignoring the burning of Jeanie’s hatred on his back, he focused only on traversing the streets to get to the Theatre that was now the central hub of the Chosen in the United Kingdom. People passed him by, leaving him alone in the crowd. Only on the occasion did someone notice him due to his unusual height. These he ignored knowing that the night and the cloak obscured how different he truly was.
    This night it was easier for him to ignore the strangers and their looks as his mind shifted from the argument he left to the confrontation he was heading towards.
    Tumultuous emotions roiled within him, blocking out the undercurrents of his rising hunger. He understood Jeanie’s desire to help Notus. She was right that his Chooser had done much to help so many people. Notus deserved and received the love and respect of those he helped – even Jeanie’s love. She was also right that he did not help Notus, especially when he needed it the most.
    The Good Father. That was what everyone called Notus. A prodigious title for a simple man of God who was nearly as ancient as the Christ himself, who earned money through his illuminations and scribe work, only to give it to those in need. And me, he sighed; I am the Angel – the one who takes. A disturbing accuracy even Jeanie easily figured out.
    Crossing the street, he absently shook his head. He knew that he had, again, become too dependent upon his Chooser, but Notus never seemed to mind. They had a strange symbiotic relationship that was formed in an age of violence. Now it was no longer necessary. People no longer came out of the wood to accost them. No longer were there villages fighting villages and clan feuds that resulted in bloodshed. It was in those brutal days where his warrior skills were needed by the monk, and honed by centuries of practice.
    Now, in these days of peace, the warder had once again become the ward and had neglected his responsibility of protecting his Chooser. Because of my lassitude Notus is gone. He prayed that he could remember how to be the protector and not just the Angel. He had to get Notus back.
    He needed and missed the monk more than anyone in his life. Not discounting the rare few that Notus had introduced him to, who, accepting his strangeness, had become friendly and even a fewer still became teachers. Nor could he ever forget Auntie and Geraint.
    A special few knew their secret and accepted them still, marking them more precious in their immortal hearts. Only Father Colwyn knew in this time and place. Not even Jeanie could find out. Too many times they were forced to flee because someone either figured out their secret or broke their trust in exchange for money from the Witch Finders.
    Sure, the girl was trusted with everything pertaining to their home. Her loyalty in trying to defend Notus and her insistence on helping to get him back was proof, but she also was very young and liked to gossip with her friends at the Inn. It had gotten so bad at one point that one night, when he walked Jeanie home; he was accosted by one of her girlfriends, forcing him to make a hasty retreat from Jeanie’s company.
    He rounded another corner; the old Theatre that now served as the Court was only a few blocks away, down through some back streets. He could not fathom the reason why they would abduct Notus, nor why they wished that he attended the Mistress. It was well known within the Community that he and Notus preferred to be left alone. He agreed with Notus that the changes overcoming the Chosen were vile; threatening to expose them to the mortals they had remained hidden from for centuries.
    The new Chosen, the Vampires as they liked to be called, were sadistic, living only for the next rush the blood gave them. They killed indiscriminately and revelled in a new hedonistic lifestyle. None of the older Chosen, who tried to distance themselves from their younger’s, could understand or