The Crowned (The Blood and Brotherhood Saga, Book 6) by Jeremy Laszlo Read Free Book Online

ethereal heads nodded in
agreement, and resumed his pacing. It was true what Ximlin said, but if they
did not act soon, they would be too weak to retaliate.
    “Then we try something new.”
    “And what does the mighty Gorandor suggest?” asked Lorentia,
the goddess of nurturing and healing.
    “What do we know about what she has changed and what she
plans?” Gorandor asked the gathering.
    “She has created her own champion and made him an
abomination,” offered one of the many gods.
    “She altered the tapestry of fate, opening us all up to
dangers,” added another.
    “She seeks to gather followers from all the races,” added a
third. “Though I doubt the elves will follow, nor the dwarves if they still
recall her history.”
    Gorandor listened to each of his kind. They all had a
different perspective, each having learned different traits from the peoples
they had once inhabited. They spoke of the winged beast the abomination had
created. They spoke of the abomination’s lover and wife. They fleshed out every
detail of the happenings upon Thurr that had any connection with the strand
that served as the abomination’s fate. And there were multitudes of connections
to discuss. They spoke of subtle influences and alterations they could make
that would not disrupt time and destiny, simply guide it.
    In mere hours upon Thurr the gods managed years of careful
planning, coming to several logical and carefully constructed decisions.
    “We shall see if we are right,” said Valenore, the druidic
god of creation. “I will intervene and see if it goes unnoticed. But I dare not
remove the blight the abomination planted within my followers. Ishanya would be
sure to notice.”
    “Fair,” Gorandor agreed. “See to the plague, then. If we
cannot dismantle her plan without danger, then we shall make it impossible for
her to control.”
    Nods again filled the gathering, and then all were gone. Gorandor
stared out across the tapestry that intertwined time, fate, and destiny, and
watched as tiny possibilities already began to weave themselves into threads
that created events. Just their decision to act was having a positive effect on
the outcome, though it was only a chance, and a miniscule one at that.
    As possibilities were not a constant, the tapestry had
frayed endings. Looking across the expanse of time Gorandor saw infinite
possibilities, but paid special attention to three. Free will of their
creations made any of them a possible outcome, but these three were at present
the most likely to occur.
    In the first and most likely occurrence, Ishanya was
victorious in her plan and eventually Gorandor and his brethren all succumbed
to her. Beyond that he could not see, as in that possibility he no longer
existed.
    The next that troubled him was a possibility where Ishanya
was again defeated, and this time it was she who came to an end. Looking beyond
her demise, fate hinted that another of the gods would take her place as a
usurper to their equal and combined efforts.
    The third and final possibility simply ended. Whether the
meaning was that Thurr itself came to an end, Gorandor could not be sure. All
he knew for certain was that the most common thread shared amongst all three
possibilities was the life of the abomination himself.
    Looking then to Thurr, the world he helped create and bring
life to, he peered down through space and time at what he thought was his best
chance for survival. This thread was nearly lost to fate, having unraveled to
the point of breakage, but still Gorandor had faith that it could be restored. Even
now, nearly completely severed, Gorandor’s hope endured, and the god vowed not
to give up.
    Curious once more, he then turned his attention to see how
Valonore fared in his intervention.
    * * * * *
    Sara sat with her eyes closed, her head tipped back against
the bars. Day had come long ago and the sun shone so brightly this day, off of
newly fallen snow, that it pained her eyes even through the crimson