Legend of Oath and Blood Read online

  The cold, wintry air swept around her, lifting her hair from the hood of a fur-lined cloak. Back home, the sun would rise above the distant mountains, and cast its glow onto her as she lay in the hay, chewing wheat and daydreaming of the ocean.

  She’d never seen it before, and the tales her grandfather would tell would feed her imagination for the rest of her life.

  Violet flowers bloomed along emerald ivy that wrapped around the iron gates that separated the monastery from the wild world beyond. It was a stark contrast to the white snow.

  A pop of color in untainted territory.

  She observed the towers, and the guards who stood high above, looking over the entire frosted valley.

  It would take some crafty thinking to get past them.

  She took off her gloves, in need of true feeling. With her hands wrapped around the bars of the gate, she breathed in a cleansing breath. The chill of the iron was almost too much to handle, but she held on, wishing by some divine intervention, that the gate would creak open, and she’d be free to run.

  Did her grandparents know what they were sending her off to? That this place was more of a prison than a sanctuary?

  The questions fleeted from her mind as her eyes narrowed at the majestic white wolf standing on the other side of the gate. Only a few feet away, he blended in with the snow and ice-covered trees that lined the road leading to town.

  Where did he come from?

  Her breath caught in her throat as bright blue eyes met hers, and white smoke puffed from the wolf’s snout.

  She wasn’t sure why, but something stirred within her. She knelt to the ground, and without hesitation, reached out a hand through the bars.

  As if pleading, she reached for him in a silence that spoke volumes.

  “Please,” she whispered. “Don’t leave me.”

  A grunt escaped her lips as someone grabbed her by her hair and yanked her to her feet. She shot a look over her shoulder, not surprised in the least to see Father Lewis glaring down at her.

  “What are you doing out here?”

  She shook her head, utterly terrified of the leader of the monastery, his dark eyes portals to true evil.

  With trembling lips, she turned to seek out her white wolf.

  To her dismay, he was gone.

  She closed her eyes, wondering if he was real, or just her imagination. At times, it was difficult to tell the difference.

  But, the truth remained, Father Lewis had her in his clutches, and she’d be punished.

  Turning to face him, she feigned innocence.

  “Nothing, Father,” she said, speaking as sweetly as possible over the shaking of her voice. “Just a walk through the gardens. Apologies if I’ve gone too far.”

  “You could have been kidnapped, or murdered!”

  She nodded, frantically. “Yes, Father. I know, Father. It won’t happen again.”

  He frowned, but considered her words. He let go of the handful of her hair, and shoved her back toward the main building. “Off with you. Repent for you sins at the ceremony today, you foolish girl.”

  She nodded, thankful to be let free with such minimal scolding. She ran, not looking back, snow flying as her boots carried her along the path.

  No gods or wolves will set you free, she told herself.

  Still, there had to be another way.

  A Look at Mark of Chaos

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  Three days before the darkness.

  I shouldn’t have been there that day—I knew that.

  These lush, green grounds were off limits for hunting. Whether it was for foul, deer, or hogs, it was strictly prohibited.

  I wasn’t there for either of those.

  Wild gryphon were my target.

  When you’re starving and—more importantly—your mum and sister are starving, you’re willing to do crazy things to make sure they get fed, even if that crazy thing entails convincing your best friend to sneak past palace appointed fences and poach in the emperor’s own backyard.

  A gryphon would not only feed my family, but the feathers, claws, fangs, and fur would bring enough money into my life to provide for the entire cold spell. I wouldn’t have to hunt again for months. For once, I could be free to truly live.

  If only for a little while.

  That was all wishful thinking, though, because the guards were onto me after only a few minutes inside the grounds. I was up in a tree, arrow nocked and ready to be released when the branch gave way and deposited me on my backside against the cold hard dirt. I should have known better. I wasn’t the hunter in the family. That sort of thing was left to my older brother.

  Eden had been my superior in nearly every way that counted. Now, he had also been in the ground for nearly three weeks, and that meant things like this were my responsibility.

  I cursed as the gray gryphon catch sight of me and outstretched its magnificent feathered wings. Frustrated, I watched it fly off into the blue-green sky with ease toward the mountains, taking all promise of a new life along with it. I was going to have to get better at this if my mother and little sisters were going to have a chance of making it through the cold spell.

  Even now, as I stood and dusted my worn leather pants, I felt a chill in the breezy air.

  It wouldn’t be long now. In the coming weeks, the clouds would grow, obscuring our suns and sending the entire Empire of Embers into our yearly lockdown.

  The gates of the kingdom would be shut tightly. Any assistance, which had never been much, would cease until the thaw came. We would be on our own again, and this time without Eden to carry us.

  I swallowed hard, realizing I had no time for excuses or the like. My brother used to tell me many things, but one always stuck out to me.

  Life is hard, Moira, he would say, even though he had a way of making it all look easy. We have to be harder if we’re going to survive.

  “Be harder,” I muttered to myself, looking at the sky and wishing to the Creator that it had been me who had breathed her last instead of my brother.

  A tear escaped my eye.

  It should have been me.

  Two imperial guards were upon me in an instant, sidling up to me on hoverboards that looked absolutely nothing like the third generation hand-me-down flyer I’d received when my dad died nearly a decade and a half ago. Where what was worn, a little rusted, and embarrassing to fly on, these were sleek, small, and emblazoned with the royal crest of Odin; two dragons poised and ready for attack.

  The crest was supposed to have something to do with the twin kings who ruled Freyr eons ago.

  “By the royal order of Prince Teagen of Freyr, you are hearby-”

  “Eat dirt,” I said.

  My jaw tightened as I fumbled for something in my pocket. Tossing out the tiny metal orb, I shut my eyes tightly and turned away.

  The guards were all decked out in metallic silver. Even their heads were covered with the sleek and bright armor, their faces shielded from both sight and the elements by a tinted black glass piece. That tinting wouldn’t help them now, though, not against the glow of a sun orb.

  I felt the rush of heat as the thing exploded in front of me, sending out a blast of harmless, but very debilitating light. With my eyes still closed, I scrambled to my feet, hearing the guards scream behind me. They probably didn’t expect me to have one of these beauties. I didn’t blame them. After all, orbs and weapons of the like were for official kingdom use only and on the dark market, they were so expensive that there was no way I could afford one.

  It didn’t hurt that before my dad died, he worked as a weapons engineer for the empire. It also didn’t hurt that he’d taught Eden some of his skills. With my brother gone now, the weapons I had in my possession were finite.

  Finally opening my eyes, I darted out of the way of a tree I was about to slam headfirst into.

  Though I had been turned away from the explosion of the orb, and though my eyes were still closed, there were spots in my vision. It would keep the gua
rds out of commission for at least a few minutes. They’d probably have to go to the infirmary. And, if they were the only guards on these grounds, it would mean I would be able to slow down.

  I knew the world better than that, though—I knew my luck better than that. So, I kept running. My legs kept pumping toward the gates—toward the hole that had been burrowed into it in secret, probably by some foolish kid as hungry and desperate as I was right now. It had been something of an open secret for as long as I could remember, and for just as long I’d imagined anyone willing to risk their lives like that must have been an idiot.

  I had never been this desperate before—never this hungry.

  The gate was in my line of sight now. I would pass it, slink off into the thicker, but emptier, woods outside and hope my friend would be out there as well. He had to hear some of what had gone on.

  Before I could reach the gate, though, something struck me at my back. It send me winding forward and crashing into the ground. I felt my nose crack as it hit the hard rock and leaves too quickly for me to brace myself. Spinning around, I tasted the sharpness of blood in my mouth.

  Looking up into the early morning light of the suns of Odin, I saw a young man standing over me. He stood on a hoverboard too, though he wasn’t dressed in the garb of the guards. He wore golden armor. His hair, as black as the evernight, wavered and rustled with the breeze. There was something about his crystalline blue eyes that tugged at me, though.

  I didn’t have time to worry about that right now, though, not when he had a glowing sword pointed directly at my head.

  A steeled look crept over his face as he looked me over, pausing at the ragged shoes barely covering my feet.

  “You shouldn’t have come here,” he said in a voice that tugged at faint—distant—memories. “You should have never-”

  His voice stopped suddenly as he made his way up to my face. Silence passed between us as his eyes widened and the sword dropped to his side

  “What is this?” he asked, his voice panicked. “I had no idea. What are you doing out here?”

  I fumbled for something else in my pocket. I wasn’t sure why this man hesitated the way he was, but I wasn’t one to complain about good fortune, especially given how unfamiliar I’d been with it.

  “You’re not a guard, are you?” I asked, swallowing hard.

  “I am not,” he answered, obviously confused. “You know this.”

  “I know I’m trying to survive,” I said. “And that I’m sorry about this.” Feeling the copper shard in my pocket, I tossed it out. It latched onto the hoverboard carrying him, and did its job instantly. Reversing the workings of the machine, it shot him backward.

  I grinned as he went yelling off into the distance, going reverse at full speed.

  I watched him for a second longer than I should have given my situation, but I couldn’t tear my eyes off of him.

  He was shouting something, but I could no longer hear the words coming from his mouth.

  A ripple of warning rose from my belly, and up my throat.

  Why did he look at me in that way?

  About the Author

  K.N. Lee is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who resides in Charlotte, North Carolina. When she is not writing twisted tales, fantasy novels, and dark poetry, she does a great deal of traveling and promotes other authors. Wannabe rockstar, foreign language enthusiast, and anime geek, K.N. Lee also enjoys helping others reach their writing and publishing goals. She is a winner of the Elevate Lifestyle Top 30 Under 30 "Future Leaders of Charlotte" award.

  She is signed with Dragon Roots Emporium and Captive Quill Press.

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  Also by K.N. Lee

  The Wicked Crown:

  Throne of Deceit

  Throne of Malice

  Throne of Peril

  Throne of Envy

  Dawn of the Seraphim:

  The Blood Lottery

  The Fallen Wall

  The Ashen City

  The Dragon Born Saga:

  Half-Blood Dragon

  Magic-Born Dragon

  Queen of the Dragons

  War of the Dragons

  Fate of the Dragons

  Curse of the Dragons

  Wrath of the Dragons

  The Chronicles of Koa Series:

  Netherworld

  Dark Prophet

  Blood Princess

  Crimson King

  The Eura Chronicles:

  Rise of the Flame

  Night of the Storm

  Dawn of the Forgotten

  Prophecy of the Seer

  Battle of the Heirs

  Empire of Dragons Chronicles:

  Fallen Empire

  Reign of Magic

  Fire and Fury

  Dragon Realm

  Guardians of the Five Worlds:

  Fate of the Goddess

  Fall of the Gods

  Battle for the Half-Blood Princess:

  Academy of Lost Souls

  Academy of Darkness

  Jewel of Ages:

  Awakened

  Enchanted

  Charmed

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