Dark Gods Rising by Mark Eller, E A Draper Read Free Book Online

face, twisting it into cruel, hard lines as he glared at Larson. “I am not finished, brother.”
    “Yes, brother, you are.”
    In a battle of wills, the two stared at one another, caught in a deadlock. Long moments passed before they both looked away. The room’s tension eased.
    Picking her up, Larson carried her to a dark red leather couch set along the east wall and laid her gently upon it. “Simta, you‘re lucky the demon only touched you once. Malaria is known to be powerful and well connected. Once he got his hooks fully into you, he would have owned you body and soul. Did it not occur to you to wonder why he didn’t just come and get the book himself?”
    “No. Yes. I don’t know,” Simta answered. “I just— I was desperate I guess. I didn’t care why. I just needed the money.” A sudden surge of anger made Simta glare at Calto. Men like him and her father were why she was in this mess.
    Baring his teeth in a feral snarl, the priest took a step forward. “I know what you are thinking, but you have no one to blame for the mess of your life but yourself. No one told you to whore, or thieve, or drink.”
    Like a house made of mud caught in a torrential rain, Simta’s anger dissolved into dark streams of pain. A fresh onslaught of tears coursed over her raw cheeks at the realization all her secrets had been revealed.
    “I saw it all while I was within you.” Calto’s cold whisper opened new wounds. “The petty remarks, the blackmail, the thieving. I even saw how you ended up betrothed to that idiot Charmaine. Did you think to hide these things from me, Anothosia’s most high priest and head of our House?”
    Larson turned to his brother. “I said enough. Simta might be guilty of all you say, but she is also a victim. I won’t allow you to rape her mind further. All deserve Anothosia’s forgiveness. All deserve a second chance.”
    With a toss of his head, Calto sneered at them both. “Fine. She will get her second chance , but she will also atone for this sacrilege. Tomorrow evening she will meet with her demon lover at the inn where he raped her. She will help us spring a trap on him. If she does not, I will march her straight to her father’s house in the evening and explain why she is being stricken from the family books and sold off to the highest bidder in the Illian slave markets.”
    A cold wind tore through Simta’s soul at the thought of facing Malaria again. She started shaking. Even being sold as a slave was a fate she would willingly face over being in Malaria’s presence once more. “No,” she mumbled through numb lips, “please no. Don’t make me face him again.”
    Gods, is this what Calto did to others in his role as Anothosia’s high priest? Is this how he gathered the truth, by shredding a person’s soul, tearing out their hearts, and destroying their minds? Simta shrank as far into her seat as she could.
    Kneeling, Larson placed a reassuring hand upon her cheek. “You won’t face him alone, Simta. I wouldn’t allow anyone to do that. I will be there along with Calto and several of my knights. We will kill him when he shows us his true form.”
    Simta clutched at Larson’s arm. The memory of Malaria feeding on her body remained fresh. “He’ll rip me to pieces again, only this time he won’t put me back together.”
    With a gentle tug, Larson pulled his arm from her grasp. “I swear upon my soul no harm shall come to you, dear cousin.” He stroked her disheveled hair. “You will be safe, but Calto is right. We need you to do this. We have tried to catch Malaria for a long time, but he always sees through our traps and murders our spies. You have no idea how many good men and woman have died at his hands. Help us stop the evil bastard, and you’ll have your second chance.” Drawing back, Larson looked at her with pleading eyes.
    A deep shudder ran through her body. Calto had made it very clear what he would do if she didn’t comply. “I don’t really have a