AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My treluria leaned closer to the man, which sent a jolt of alarm through me. If there was danger, she should not be risking herself by coming anywhere near it.
“What problem could a mere part of your uniform present?” she asked cautiously.
“It’s not just that.” The soldier lowered his arm. “It was made by the queen years ago. A new way to stop traitors like the one they found in Orlindria during the war.”
A sickened look crossed Dex’s face, and the broken one’s memories supplied the reason why.
The so-called traitor had been him.
“This prevents solders from betraying Aneira,” the soldier continued. “And now from betraying her. It also keeps giants from using their magic on us or knowing where we are.” Once again, he glanced at me, and pride swelled. I was not a giant. He could not stop me and he knew it.
This is why he spoke.
“It does what now?” Clay threw an incredulous look at the others and then extended his hand at the man. Twisting rivulets of moisture swelled from the earth and then flung themselves at the soldier.
The water dissipated long before it reached him, each rivulet falling apart like the magic holding it together simply ceased to exist.
Alarm shimmered up to me from the broken one, and he wasn’t alone.
“Lars?” Clay prompted. “You, uh…”
The irritating twin lifted his hand. The air ahead of him shimmered with heat, turning to flames only to have them vanish into useless smoke long before they came anywhere near the man. Appearing perturbed, the redheaded scholar held up a small nugget, bringing it closer and closer to the soldier until suddenly the silvery gleam upon the mineral became dull. He drew back sharply and then froze as the silvery gleam returned.
At the edge of their group, the beast suddenly shifted back to his other form, bare-chested with no boots on his feet, but his pants remained in place.
Clothes were so strange.
“The earth cannot feel him,” the beast-man said as if this should mean something.
Dread came from the broken one.
With a grim expression, the vampire walked closer to the soldier. His hand extended, and magic tingled across the air.
I hissed, recoiling. It felt too bright. Burning but not like my flames.
Angels, whispered the broken one. He’s descended from angels.
I knew nothing of angels, except now I knew I hated them.
But the vampire paid me no attention, the idiotic creature. His power wrapped around the soldier, making the man gasp in terror. Holding it there for an eternal, awful moment, the vampire narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. Finally, he lowered his hand, letting the wretched magic dissipate. “Only Erenlian powers are muted, then.”
“All the soldiers have this?” the irritating twin known as Lars asked. His voice held strain and more than a little apprehension.
Jerkily, the man nodded.
The broken one’s dread deepened, and it was mirrored across the faces of his friends. They had known crossing Aneira would be difficult. They’d expected risks and dangers.
This was something else entirely.
But they were not thinking clearly. I was not muted by this strange bracelet. They had nothing to fear—nor did they need that vampire.
Yet they did not realize this, and thus they were not reassured.
“How the hell did we miss this?” Clay asked.
The redheaded giant shook his head. “We were in the mountains beyond Aneira. We only had the magic mirror to watch them with for years. How would we have known the queen crafted such a thing?”
While worried looks passed among the others, my treluria stared at the band on the soldier’s wrist, her head shaking.
