Niyx Samantha Kroese (i am malala young readers edition .TXT) 📖

emotions weighing him down. He was having trouble sorting out how he felt about Jadeia’s death. He and Ruel had spent the last few hours with Niyx telling him everything they knew about the Templars, which did not amount to a lot of information. Onyx and Ruel worked within the noble circles, which existed outside the influence of the Templars. The Templars were the holy order of guardians that were charged with keeping the law in Aderaan and protecting its people from all threats.

Ruel drummed his fingers on the table, staring at nothing, lost in thought. “I still don’t believe they’re involved. Everything I grew up reading about the Templars goes against this. They wouldn’t break the treaty without a reason. Surely we would have heard if there was some zealot leading a campaign?”

“Not necessarily,” Onyx said with a frown. “That might be the exact thing that the Templars would keep secret from the general public. Especially if the current King approved of it. I think there’s something more to it. Maybe they are looking for something in the forest and Niyx was in the way?”

Niyx leaned against his throne, steepling his armored fingers. “How do we find out?”

“That’s a good question. I haven’t made any connections inside the Templars yet.” Ruel shrugged. “I didn’t have any reason to. Everyone just assumes the Templars know what they’re doing, they’ll follow their rules and the law, and don’t need to be governed or watched by anyone.”

“To be honest, most of Aderaan would probably agree cleansing the forest of the Night Creatures was for the good of the people,” Onyx noted, as he tried to shake off the exhaustion creeping on him. Dusk was only a few hours away and that was the best time for him to obtain information. “I need to get back to work. My mark got away from me the other night. I have to finish that job. While I’m at the parties, I’ll try to prod people for any news of the Templars.”

“I cannot just go capture one and torture them until they tell me what I need to know?” Niyx sighed dramatically. When the other two stared at him, he grinned, baring his fangs. “I am joking.”

Ruel didn’t seem convinced. He stood and pushed away from the table. “Sorry I wasn’t more help. I’ll go to the city library and peruse the one at the manor and see if I can dig up anything for you.”

“My thanks, Lord Ruel,” Niyx nodded slightly.

“You’re my brother now. Just like Onyx. I’ll do anything I can to help,” Ruel smiled warmly. He gave Onyx a worried look. “Be careful, Onyx. I don’t think they’ll like us poking around the Templars.”

“I’m sure they won’t. Don’t worry,” Onyx waved off his concern, then he and Niyx watched as Ruel left the room. Onyx sat for a moment longer before he stood as well. “Word will get out that you destroyed the Divide. However, people didn’t dare attack the Den before.”

“If they were afraid of The Divide and stayed away, they would be foolish to attack now,” Niyx agreed. “Do not worry. I will set magical wards, as well as defenders, at the entrances.”

Onyx glanced toward the doorway then frowned. The Divide had been attacked once. It was what had driven him and Ruel to their freedom. He had never found out the details of that attack. Ruel had said it was many armored men. They had thought at the time it was knights from the human kingdom, but that had not made any sense. Would the Templars have attacked the Divide just to get at him because he was a Night Creature? That also didn’t make sense, since he faced off against them in Aderaan after that and the Templars had seemed to have no interest in him.

“What is it?” Niyx asked, breaking into Onyx’s thoughts again.

“The Divide was attacked once. Right before Ruel and I fled. Ruel thought it was an armored group like the Knights from the human kingdom, because it didn’t make any sense for the Templars to do it. The Templars always stayed out of the way of the Divide. They hated each other but they co-existed.” Onyx sighed. “You know, if anyone needed to be tortured for information; it was the Lord of the Divide.”

“It would have done you no good. He would have died before he would have talked,” a smooth male voice interrupted from the shadows by the door.

Onyx started, turning around with daggers drawn against the intruder. Niyx did not move, though, except to look that direction. Sephyrn leaned against the wall, partially hidden by the shadows.

“Sire,” Niyx acknowledged and motioned for Sephyrn to join them. “Have you come to offer your assistance?”

“I’ve come to watch my sons destroy the corrupt powers of this world. Nothing more.” Sephyrn shrugged then headed out the door.

Onyx hissed and ran after him, determined not to let his mysterious father disappear again so easily. “Wait!”

Sephyrn kept walking until they were halfway to the surface and turned only as Onyx caught up to him. “What is it? You have pressing business in Aderaan, don’t you?”

Onyx slid to a stop a short distance away. Sephyrn looked so much younger than Onyx expected now that he was close. His father didn’t look a day older than Onyx, perhaps even younger. How was that possible? His blue-green eyes glowed in the dim light, magic flowing through them. It was the strongest and strangest magic that Onyx had ever sensed. Now that he had confronted his father and the man stood before him, his mind went blank. All those questions he’d wanted to ask disappeared as he looked into depths of his father’s eyes and found the soul of a predator. Onyx saw himself reflected in them looking like a confused child. He recovered his senses enough to say, “You’re my father but I know nothing about you. I have questions.”

“You would not like the answers.” Sephyrn smirked at him, then turned