Prelude to a Dream by Rebekah Daniels Read Free Book Online Page A

chest. The older man
easily slid his sword along the side of his, before circling his
wrist and moving Malachi’s falchion off to the side.
    The way his instructor could easily defend
himself against Malachi’s attacks raised his ire even more. With
clenched teeth, he ground out, “In case you have forgotten… you are one of ‘those people’.”
    It was true. Gerard was as mortal as they
come. Someday he would grow too slow to train, too old to take care
of himself, and then eventually die. With the thought, Malachi’s
throat caught fire. That was not a day he was looking forward
to.
    Malachi had confronted him about asking
someone from their camp for more time. Gerard just told him that he
had lived his life, and was ready to go when his time came. Of
course, Malachi had taken that personally, thinking that he didn’t
want to stay longer with him.
    “I may be human, but it’s not the same, and
ye know it,” Gerard spat out.
    Malachi once again pinched his lips together
and nodded. He knew there was a difference. Gerard knew what he
was, who his great-grandfather was, and what the majority of people
in the camp were as well. No mortals were allowed here, but there
were exceptions to that rule.
    Years ago, Gerard was invited to stay by one
of the nephilims in charge of the camp. Rumor had it that Gerard’s
village was attached by demons that had slipped in under the radar.
The village was half destroyed by the time the nephilim warriors
got there. Gerard was one of the few people left alive, and that
was only because he had not stopped fighting.
    By the end of the battle, the majority of the
villagers were dead, including Gerard’s entire family. Most of the
village was destroyed, but instead of staying to rebuild, he had
wanted to avenge his family any way he could. After much
determination on his part, and an intense discussion between the
leaders of the camp, Gerard was let in. Now, for almost a decade,
he had been trying to prepare Malachi to defend against, as he put
it, “all the ugliness in the world”.
    Malachi brought his arm up, and did a
backward swing, arching down toward Gerard. “It’s not fair!” That
was as far as he got before Gerard’s sword came up, and the sound
of metal colliding rang through the air.
    Before Gerard could go on the offensive
again, Malachi stepped back and lowered his falchion. “I’m 14 years
old! I don’t see why I can’t act like other boys my age.” This was
an old argument between the two, and one Malachi didn’t ever think
they would see eye to eye on.
    “Because ye’re not like the other boys in
that village.” Gerard lowered his sword, and swung his other arm
out in the direction to go to get down the mountain. “Ye’re so much
more important. One day, ye will be a fierce warrior… a leader. Ye
will be such a powerful force that any demon will dread going up
against ye.”
    “I don’t think you get it. What if I don’t
want to be the leader you keep saying I will be?”
    Gerard didn’t look too concerned. “Nonsense!
I didn’t bring ye up te back down from a challenge. There is so
much evil out there, Malachi… the fallen ones, demons, possessions,
even some humans… the world and the lord will need as many warriors
as it can get.”
    Rolling his eyes at the same argument that
Gerard used every time, Malachi shook his head. “Don’t you think
that’s a little extreme? You talk as if there’s evil lurking around
every corner.” He let out a humorless chuckle and shook his head at
the mere thought.
    Gerard wasn’t laughing though. “That’s
exactly what I’m saying,” he snapped. Standing there, Gerard
examined Malachi’s reaction, and must not have liked what he saw,
because he let out a loud sigh and sheathed his sword at his hip.
“One day, ye will learn, and that day will be bitter-sweet. Ye will
finally learn why ye and this fight against evil are so important.
Unfortunately, I hate te think what the consequences of that