Siege of Night by Jeff Gunzel Read Free Book Online

using it to hoist her to her feet. Suddenly, the girl turned and bit down hard on the back of Tamera’s hand, instantly drawing blood into her own mouth as she shook her head back and forth violently. A hard knee caught the girl in the stomach, driving all the air from her lungs as she collapsed.
    Grimton grabbed the girl by her hair and dragged her across the sanded floor. He opened a thick wooden door and pulled her down the stairs in a series of harsh tugs. “They make me waste my time on this ?! You’re about to learn the lesson of a lifetime!” he yelled as she thumped along all the way to the bottom step. It was clear this lower room was some kind of custom add-on, given the sheer size and depth of it. Homemade heavy bags filled with rags and sand hung from thick wooden beams that crossed the ceiling. Various metal weapons racks were lined along the walls, filled with everything from swords to spears.
    He began to tie a thin white rope around one her wrists as Tamera did the same with the other. When they each pulled an end, the girl’s arms levitated up, spreading out like wings. She never tried to resist, not even once. Her face remained hard as stone; eyes glistening with unshed tears she refused to release even as her light blue dress was torn from her back.
    She could hear them behind her as the familiar sounds of leather being snapped in the air echoed through the room. She could feel the man’s hot breath pulsing angrily against the back of her neck. Grimton growled, “This is what you get for wasting my time!”
    CRACK!
    * * *
    Jade jolted awake and sat up quickly, gasping for air. Eric sat up next to her and placed a strong hand gently on her shoulder. “Sweetie, what is it? Is everything OK?” he whispered in a soft voice deep with concern.
    She reached over quickly, pinning his hand to her shoulder as if she were afraid he might remove it. Snuggling her head hard against his huge chest, she replied, “It’s nothing, I just had another nightmare. Nothing to concern yourself with.”
    Nightmares had haunted Jade most of her life. Although there were fewer these days than at any point before, it still seemed as though they would always be there in some form or another. She unconsciously moved her other hand toward the deep, aged scars on her back before realizing what she was doing, then cautiously pulling her hand back to her knee.
    “I’m sorry. I wish there was something I could do,” he said as he pulled her in close. He kissed her and gave her one last hug before rising from the bed. “It’s time to get up, anyway. We need to have our meeting with Shantis. I have to figure out what our next step is going to be. Do you need a minute?”
    Jade rubbed her eye with the back of her hand, purging a tear before it escaped. “Yes. Just give me a moment. I’ll be there soon, OK?” She forced a smile as her head tipped all the way to her shoulder. Her long, dark hair formed a veil around her face, covering a single eye. She made no effort to brush it aside.
    “OK. I’ll let them know you’re coming.” He held her gaze a moment longer while forcing a smile of his own. It wasn’t easy. Sure, he was madly in love with her and could gaze into her eyes all day without any thoughts of food or sleep, but that had little to do with his inner conflicts. Her brave face had never fooled him for even a moment. He knew the girl he loved had demons; nightmares both real and figurative that tormented her regularly. Eric couldn’t think of a single thing he wouldn’t give up to make her pain vanish, but for this he was powerless. All he could do was love her with all his heart and hope it would be enough. He turned away from the white, polished, bone bed frame and dragged himself out through the bamboo-crafted door.
    When he stepped out onto the dirt pathway, hot, humid air smacked him right in the face like steam from a cooking pot. The Dead Forest seemed to always be warm and sticky no matter if it was day