Siege of Night by Jeff Gunzel Read Free Book Online Page A

or night, a hard thing for Eric to understand or even explain, but certainly the least of his worries, as he had other burdens weighing heavy on his mind.
    He began his march toward Shantis’ mini temple. Dark thoughts of the epic battle that had taken place only a few days ago began to swirl in his mind. Each time he mentally relived the events, unrelenting regret nearly filled him to the point of breaking.
    What could he have done differently? Should he have recognized the threat sooner, when that gate first appeared? Could they ever forgive him? Did he even deserve forgiveness for leading this threat right to the crytons’ doorstep?
    However, the staggeringly small number of cryton casualties would indicate this had been a lopsided victory. Their combat prowess and natural strength were well- documented and had never been in question, but it also turned out they were at least semi-immune to the poisonous tails gifted to those black, leathery creatures. That is not to say they didn’t get violently ill, as Eric could still remember several kneeling on the ground, vomiting hard and unable to return to the battle.
    When the nightmare had ended and Eric had somehow closed that gate, only seven crytons had lost their lives. Seven! At first he had found that to be nothing short of a miracle, given the sheer numbers those winged creatures possessed that dark day. But in the end, whether the number of casualties had been one or one thousand, the death and violence was still his doing.
    The guilt still ravaged his insides as he recalled being momentarily pleased with the amazing survival rate of the crytons when it was over. That was, until...
    He could still remember the little boy leaping on top of his fallen dad, crying and begging for him to wake up; the woman who dropped to her knees, wailing for hours on end as friends and family tried their best to calm her. She swore over and over to give anything to trade places with her fallen husband. Only seven? Seven too many! Seven, who were my fault—seven who will never be forgotten.
    The paths remained mostly untraveled this hot, sticky morning. The few crytons he ran across either bowed repeatedly before scampering out of the way or lowered their gaze, not wanting to look the legendary Gate Keeper squarely in the eye. Eric found their behavior annoying and bordering on absurd. After all, who was he to gain such fame for simply doing what had to be done?
    As far as his strange control over gateways and the very energy that allowed them to function as they did, he didn’t know how he did it at all. In fact, all the achievements that had earned him this undeserving fame had been accomplished during an emotional surge. He had no idea how he had accomplished such things, yet alone if he could ever do it again. It seemed as involuntary as sneezing—not something a person could do on command, but just happened when the conditions were right.
    He continued down the path until he reached the pearl-white steps that seemed to gleam in the scattered soft light—a light that seemed to have no real source at all. He slowed his pace considerably as he ascended the steps, not really looking forward to the assembly. Eric paused a moment in front of the dark, wooden door, clearly stalling. He took a deep breath and caught himself wishing Jade were here with him, before flinging it open and entering.
    He glanced around the white-walled room as if seeing it for the first time. Nothing in this building had been touched during the battle. All the same wood-framed oil paintings of odd rituals being performed, as well as the polished bone furniture, were all still in place.
    “We’re in here,” came Jacob’s familiar call from the other room. “Come on, hurry up before it gets cold. I’m not waiting for you two.” It never ceased to amaze him how Jacob could be so relaxed no matter the situation. It would seem that the man was completely immune to pressure.
    Eric walked into the room and