Born of Magic: Gargoyle Masters, Book 2 by Missy Jane Read Free Book Online Page A

course, brother.”
    Long minutes later he was finally in the air. Gregori had assured him a fast horse would be waiting in Keva. For a moment he considered staying the night with a willing woman, but the question of whether the stone around his neck truly worked changed his mind. It would be best to have this task done quickly.
    He landed in Keva to a warm welcome from an old friend. Krista was a beautiful woman with short-cropped honey-colored hair and light blue eyes. Kephas had spent many nights with her over the past few years.
    She smiled at him as she handed over the reins to a powerful stallion. “This is Triton and he’ll serve you well. Are you certain you wouldn’t rather stay until morning?”
    He returned her smile and placed a quick kiss on her lips. “Yes, I would. Which is why I shouldn’t.”
    She laughed and stepped back as he mounted. “Perhaps on your return journey? Just remember to find me and not one of my sisters.”
    He nodded in reply before turning the horse toward the border gate. Keva was a large kingdom full of female warriors, but they remembered well their times of war and guarded their lands strongly. Phaidra was Kevan but nothing like her sisters. She was soft and kind. Most Kevan were not, though Krista came close. Kephas enjoyed his time with her but had never felt the need to remain with her past sunrise. Would that ever happen for him with any female? Perhaps such a thing was not in his nature.
    * * * * *
    Theda brushed an arm over her eyes, wiping away sweat, dirt, and tears. It was okay to cry now. No one was left to witness her weakness or remark on it, not that she cared any longer. In truth, she had never cared about the whispers that accompanied her through the village. It was her mother who had worried. Her mother who had tried so hard to blend in and pretend they were something they were not.
    But now her mother was dead, so it no longer mattered. None of it did.
    She shoveled the last pile of dirt onto the mound and straightened her aching back. She could’ve used magic to bury her mother, but there was small satisfaction in doing it by hand like any other human. The burn in her muscles was a small price to pay for this final act. She loved her mother, truly she did. But they had almost never seen eye-to-eye on things, especially where her father was concerned.
    She pushed the thought away, along with the loose auburn hair hanging over her sunburnt face. It was a curse of her mother’s people that her light skin burned at the slightest hint of sun. Today was full of bright light and absent clouds. Not even a breeze was in evidence to cool her heated flesh. She focused on her physical discomforts to mask the emotional pain. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on her loss. She needed to get as far away from here as she could, and quickly.
    The mound was a small but noticeable mark in the earth. Surrounding trees shaded the spot and Theda pulled brush from around her to cover it. She yanked a knife from her belt and stood before the large tree at the head of her mother’s grave. Her palm vibrated with life when she rested it against the bark. “Forgive me this trespass. And please look after her for me.”
    She went down to one knee and cut a crude cross into the bark at its base. It would be the only marker for this grave. Theda couldn’t name her enemies but they were still out there. She knew they were Kevan and they were well trained. Other than that she had no clue.
    Had they been sent by her father to wipe his mistake from the land? Had they been sent by his enemies to bring him to heel? She didn’t know and she didn’t care. Vengeance sang in her blood, but first she had to survive the night.
    Night came quickly to the southern rim of Lenara. The vast continent was home to many friendly species, but violent creatures of all kinds also roamed the land. Theda and her mother had been living in the wilds for years, traveling from kingdom to kingdom in search of a place to