The Gift of Battle by Morgan Rice Read Free Book Online Page B

hard,
covered in sweat, her heart still pounding, Loti dropped the hoe in disbelief,
sprayed with the man’s blood, and exchanged a glance with her brother. They had
done it.
    Loti could feel
the curious stares of all the other slaves around her, and she turned and saw
that they were all watching, mouths agape. They all leaned on their hoes, stopping
work, and gave them a horrified look of disbelief.
    Loti knew she
had no time to waste. She ran, Loc beside her, shackled together, to the zerta,
lifted the longsword from its saddle with both hands, raising it high, and
turned.
    “Watch out!” she
yelled to Loc.
    He braced
himself as she lowered it with all her might and slashed their chains. It
sparked, and she felt the satisfying freedom of their chains being severed.
    She turned to go
when she heard a shout.
    “And what of
us!?” shouted a voice.
    Loti turned to
see the other slaves come running over, holding out their shackles. She turned
and saw the waiting zerta, and she knew time was precious. She wanted to head
east as soon as she could, to head to Volusia, the last place she had knew
Darius was heading. Perhaps she would find him there. Yet at the same time, she
could not stand to see her brothers and sisters shackled.
    Loti raced
forward, through the crowd of slaves, slashing shackles left and right, until
all of them were free. She did not know where they would go now that they
were—but at least freedom was theirs to do with as they wished.
    Loti turned,
mounted the zerta, and held out a hand for Loc. He gave her his one good hand
and she pulled him up—then gave the zerta a fierce kick in its ribs.
    As they took
off, Loti exhilarated at her freedom, in the distance, she could already hear
the shouts of the Empire taskmasters, all spotting her. But she did not wait.
She turned and directed the zerta down the ridge, down the opposite slope, she
and her brother bursting out into the desert, away from the taskmasters—and on
the other side of freedom.

CHAPTER NINE
     
     
    Darius looked up
in shock, staring back at the eyes of the mysterious man kneeling over him.
    His father.
    As Darius stared
into the man’s eyes, all sense of time and space fell away, his entire life
freezing in that moment. It all suddenly fell into place: that feeling Darius
had had from the moment he had laid eyes upon him. That familiar look, that
certain something that had been tugging away at his consciousness, that had
been bothering him ever since they’d met.
    His father .
    The word did not
even seem real.
    There he was,
kneeling over him, having just saved Darius’s life, having blocked a deadly
blow from the Empire soldier, one which surely would have killed Darius. He had
risked his life to venture out here, alone, into the arena, at the moment
Darius had been about to die.
    He had risked it
all for him. His son. But why?
    “Father,” Darius
said back, more of a whisper, in awe.
    Darius felt a
rush of pride to realize he was related to this man, this fine warrior, the
finest warrior he had ever met. It made him feel that perhaps he could be a
great warrior, too.
    His father
reached down and grabbed Darius’s hand, and it was a firm, muscular grip. He
yanked Darius to his feet, and as he did, Darius felt renewed. He felt as if he
had a reason to fight, a reason to go on.
    Darius
immediately reached down, grabbed his dropped sword off the floor, then turned,
together with his father, and they faced the oncoming horde of Empire soldiers
together. With those hideous creatures now dead, his father having killed them
all, horns had sounded, and the Empire had sent out a fresh wave of soldiers.
    The crowd
roared, and Darius looked out at the hideous faces of the Empire soldiers
bearing down on them, wielding long spears. Darius focused, and he felt the
world slowing as he prepared to fight for his life.
    A soldier
charged and threw a spear at his face, and Darius dodged right before it hit
his eye; he then swung around and as the