Legends of Marithia: Book 2 - Darkness Rising by Peter Koevari Read Free Book Online Page A

been? What happened? Helenia! Dryden!
Father! Are they alive?”
    “ Vartan, calm down… relax,
you don’t want to collapse again,” Trisa pleaded.
    Vartan took a deep breath and focused
to calm himself.
    “ Brother, I have so much to
tell you—and don’t worry… Helenia is fine, as is Dryden and father.
We will send them a message immediately. Now, drink some water and
when you are ready, I will fill in the gaps for you. I am curious
though, what is Daessar?” asked Finn, cocking his head
sideways.
    Vartan looked into thin air, his mind
grasping for a memory as he vacantly asked, “Daessar?”
    “ You yelled it out at the
top of your lungs when you woke up. What does it mean?” asked
Trisa.
    “ I really don’t know… but
it must have come to me from Talonsphere,” he said, wincing with
pain.
    Finn’s eyes widened in
disbelief and his mouth gaped open in surprise as he asked, “You
spoke… with Talonsphere ?”
    Vartan smiled and the colour began to
return to his cheeks. “It’s going to be a long day,” he
laughed.

Chapter 5 : Twisted
Minds
    “ My Anakari, I will miss
her. She brought me happiness I had never known, and joy as a
father that I am forbidden to be.
    So, her journey begins. Does she know
that I had foreseen this since the day I found her?
    I must protect her from those who would
seek to harm her, as she is all the family that I have
left.”
    (Aldorus – Master Sorcerer)
     
    The warm cottage was filled with
sweet, honey scented elven candles that blended with the air
surrounding them. Vartan had just finished a long, relaxing bath
and the silk of his purple robe caressed his softened skin. The
smell of the candles drew a smile across his face on this quiet
night and a lone wolf’s howl was heard far from their
home.
    With each creaking of wooden planks
beneath his feet, he neared their bed with the calming sounds of a
crackling fireplace putting his mind at ease. This was their home,
and under their woollen blanket awaited the woman he wanted to
spend the rest of his life with.
    Something bright caught his attention
from the corner of his eye. Vartan turned to the window to see
small flashes of light in the clouds far beyond the woods
surrounding them and inhaled the moist air deeply. He sat down to
gently sink into the bed, pondering what their precious future
together would bring.
    With the sounds of gentle tapping on
the roof, it began to rain.
    What a beautiful
evening, he thought.
    Helenia was deeply asleep, covered in
her smooth, silky hair. Watching her rest was both hypnotic and
peaceful. The sheets slowly rose and fell with her breath, and the
relaxed appearance on her face made him want to join her, but he
was not yet tired enough.
    Looking down at his newly adorned ring
of gold, he couldn’t help but smile.
    Not wishing to disturb his wife, he
decided to carefully walk to the window to feel the cool breeze
accompanying with the rain. Moonlight covered the lands in a
heavenly, white glow… as if the gods themselves lit a light from
above in their honour.
    Everything just felt
perfect.
    Vartan closed his eyes to focus solely
on the sounds outside the window and could hear frogs croaking from
the nearby creek. He put his hands out the window to catch the cool
rain and breathed out a long breath as a small pool of water built
inside them. The night was enchanting, relaxing, and he brought the
cool rain to the warm skin of his face. The water was soothing to
the touch, and a small amount found its way into his mouth. At
first the taste was pleasant, but suddenly he tasted
blood.
    His eyes shot open with
panic.
    Something is
wrong , he thought.
    He put out his hands again and watched
as the rain pooled there once more. He realised that it was not
water that filled his hands, it was blood. The white glow from the
moon began to turn red. Shaking off the blood from his hands as if
it were acid, he stumbled back.
    Bang
    He bumped into what felt like a body
behind him, but its skin