Salvation (The Captive Series Book 4) by Erica Stevens Read Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Erica Stevens
his blood red haze, he could barely see them slinking through the trees as they climbed steadily up the hill. Jack stood behind him, while Gideon moved to the front. “There are at least fifty of them,” Gideon remarked.
“We’re here to start a war,” Braith reminded him. “Do you propose we retreat every time there is a threat?”
“We do not want to confirm our presence in these woods.”
“He knows that we’re here anyway, why else do you think there are fifty some-odd soldiers creeping through the woods right now?”
“I don’t understand why there are so many,” William muttered. “They only saw four of us in the town.”
Gideon folded his arms over his chest as he pondered the hill before him. “ Perhaps Aria told him there were more here.”
“She’d never do that!” William retorted.
“You don’t know what goes on in that palace , what the king is capable of.”
“No!” Max stormed forward. He thrust his finger into Gideon’s chest, startling the older vampire into taking a step back. “ You don’t know what goes on in there, and you don’t know Aria. She wouldn’t tell them anything, she’d die before she ever put any of us in jeopardy!”
Gideon grasped hold of Max’s finger and thrust it away. “Don’t touch me!”
“Enough,” Braith barked as he stepped between them. “It’s my blood that has drawn them out, that has alerted the king to my presence within these woods. He suspects that we are here for a reason, but he has no way of knowing how many are with us. Send most of the humans to the caves; they can decide who amongst them remains outside. I want most of our troops to remain hidden. If any of the king’s men survive I do not want them to be able to report the extent of our force back to the king.”
“And if we lose some of our own?” Gideon wasn’t as much of a shadow as the soldiers creeping through the forest, but Braith couldn’t clearly make out his features.
“It’s a war Gideon, we will lose some of our own,” he snarled. “Get the humans into the caves. You can come back,” he added before William could protest.
William nodded and rushed into the woods. “What about you Braith?”
“What about me?” he demanded of Ashby.
“Your vision…”
“Is fine.”
“Your vision?” Xavier shouldered his way through Jack and Ashby. “What about your vision?”
“Its fine,” Braith insisted.
Xavier seized hold of Braith’s arm when he went to tu rn away. “Is it tied to her?” Xavier demanded. Braith ripped his arm free of Xavier’s grasp. “I had assumed your eyes had finally healed over the years, but was it her blood that brought your vision back?”
“Xavier…”
“Answer me Braith!” Xavier’s voice was high; there was a tone to it that bordered not on consternation, but rather disbelief, maybe even enthusiasm.
“No, it was n’t her blood.”
“Oh.”
Xavier seemed to deflate before him but there was something about the vampire’s reaction that piqued Braith’s curiosity. Something that made him decide to reveal more, and what difference did it honestly make anymore? Most everyone standing here already knew his vision was linked to Aria, the ones that perhaps didn’t were her family.
“It was because of her though .”
There was a shifting amongst the bodies and judging by the smell, it was Max that stepped forward. “What do you mean?” Xavier demanded.
“ Her presence, just being there, was what brought it back. She was dirty and disheveled, but she was the most beautiful thing I’d seen in a hundred years as she stood there waiting to be auctioned off.”
David inhaled sharply, Xavier muttered something that sounded like a prayer, and Max took a step closer to him. “When Jack took her from the palace, I lost my vision again.”
“But you can still see
“We’re here to start a war,” Braith reminded him. “Do you propose we retreat every time there is a threat?”
“We do not want to confirm our presence in these woods.”
“He knows that we’re here anyway, why else do you think there are fifty some-odd soldiers creeping through the woods right now?”
“I don’t understand why there are so many,” William muttered. “They only saw four of us in the town.”
Gideon folded his arms over his chest as he pondered the hill before him. “ Perhaps Aria told him there were more here.”
“She’d never do that!” William retorted.
“You don’t know what goes on in that palace , what the king is capable of.”
“No!” Max stormed forward. He thrust his finger into Gideon’s chest, startling the older vampire into taking a step back. “ You don’t know what goes on in there, and you don’t know Aria. She wouldn’t tell them anything, she’d die before she ever put any of us in jeopardy!”
Gideon grasped hold of Max’s finger and thrust it away. “Don’t touch me!”
“Enough,” Braith barked as he stepped between them. “It’s my blood that has drawn them out, that has alerted the king to my presence within these woods. He suspects that we are here for a reason, but he has no way of knowing how many are with us. Send most of the humans to the caves; they can decide who amongst them remains outside. I want most of our troops to remain hidden. If any of the king’s men survive I do not want them to be able to report the extent of our force back to the king.”
“And if we lose some of our own?” Gideon wasn’t as much of a shadow as the soldiers creeping through the forest, but Braith couldn’t clearly make out his features.
“It’s a war Gideon, we will lose some of our own,” he snarled. “Get the humans into the caves. You can come back,” he added before William could protest.
William nodded and rushed into the woods. “What about you Braith?”
“What about me?” he demanded of Ashby.
“Your vision…”
“Is fine.”
“Your vision?” Xavier shouldered his way through Jack and Ashby. “What about your vision?”
“Its fine,” Braith insisted.
Xavier seized hold of Braith’s arm when he went to tu rn away. “Is it tied to her?” Xavier demanded. Braith ripped his arm free of Xavier’s grasp. “I had assumed your eyes had finally healed over the years, but was it her blood that brought your vision back?”
“Xavier…”
“Answer me Braith!” Xavier’s voice was high; there was a tone to it that bordered not on consternation, but rather disbelief, maybe even enthusiasm.
“No, it was n’t her blood.”
“Oh.”
Xavier seemed to deflate before him but there was something about the vampire’s reaction that piqued Braith’s curiosity. Something that made him decide to reveal more, and what difference did it honestly make anymore? Most everyone standing here already knew his vision was linked to Aria, the ones that perhaps didn’t were her family.
“It was because of her though .”
There was a shifting amongst the bodies and judging by the smell, it was Max that stepped forward. “What do you mean?” Xavier demanded.
“ Her presence, just being there, was what brought it back. She was dirty and disheveled, but she was the most beautiful thing I’d seen in a hundred years as she stood there waiting to be auctioned off.”
David inhaled sharply, Xavier muttered something that sounded like a prayer, and Max took a step closer to him. “When Jack took her from the palace, I lost my vision again.”
“But you can still see