Foretold (Daughters of Saraqael Book Three) by Raine Thomas Read Free Book Online Page A

Olivia. The second sister wasn’t as strong as the first, but he had directly witnessed her remarkable courage and sensed her underlying power. She would make an excellent mate. However, Kanika had only just learned that Olivia was now also avowed. Grolkinei had to believe that another pregnancy could result as quickly as the firstborn’s did, meaning that he was probably already too late.
    Downing the contents of his cup, he refilled it with more water, his gaze idly following the motions of his soldiers as they worked. His thoughts then moved to Skye, the youngest of Saraqael’s daughters.
    Her ability to command holy light made her the least appealing of the three. After all, he had no desire to feel its brutal and scarring effects. But he was obviously short on choices now. He had been giving some consideration to the problem these past few days. Layla had been able to use her powers to command Skye to sleep after the Becoming ceremony. He wondered if Layla could somehow suppress the youngest daughter’s abilities while he was in her presence. It was something he would discuss with Layla when he caught her in the right frame of mind. Her hatred of the half-human who had scarred her face was no small thing. Perhaps between Layla’s unholy motivation and some input from their new traitorous ally, he could figure out a way around the problem of the holy light.
    Leaving the forge and heading back to his current home base, he wondered again about the identity of the mysterious traitor. They hadn’t been able to determine much about him or her, which told him that the Estilorian was likely fairly old and experienced. Not many beings could mask most of their thoughts while opening themselves to be read for honesty by one such as Kanika. He wasn’t even certain of the traitor’s motives yet, which he found mildly troubling.
    He had considered and dismissed the fact that this was someone attempting to lead them into a trap of some kind. The traitor hadn’t asked them for any information at all about their location or their plans. He or she seemed content to simply feed the Mercesti what information they could without crossing a line that would convert them.
    And thanks to the traitor, they knew that the Orculesti elder, Malukali, and her commander, Ailfrid, had instituted regular, ongoing scans for treacherous thoughts. It made the traitor’s actions even more risky and puzzling, but also told Grolkinei that the elders were nervous and going to great lengths to protect Saraqael’s daughters. Although he had realized how valuable the girls were considered by the other Estilorians when they came after Olivia, it was helpful to have that punctuated.
    After all, he now knew what it would take to draw the Estilorians away from their hidden base and into battle. And he now had someone on the inside to help him accomplish it.
     

Chapter Five
     
    Standing at the crest of the hill, Skye studied the landscape with deep curiosity. The grass was vibrantly green and as high as her bare knees. Deep purple flowers dotted the meadow and scented the breeze that lifted her hair. To her left several hundred yards away was a dense forest that stretched as far as she could see. To the right, the ground sloped down. Although she couldn’t see where it ended, the sound of roaring water told her it was probably a cliff. The warm sun lit the sky to a brilliant azure. Huge clouds floated lazily overhead, casting shadows as they passed in front of the glowing orb.
    She had no idea where she was, but she knew it wasn’t Central. The home base of the Estilorians was filled with magnificent buildings and structures in tones of white, blue, gray, pink and violet, blending with the sky around them in magnificent and mystifying ways. While there were also a few forested areas around the buildings, there was nothing as relatively flat and expansive as this.
    Not to mention that fact that she was entirely alone for the first time in