The Darkest Sword Samantha Kroese (easy books to read in english .TXT) 📖

the beautiful animal’s forehead. Illusion had been a normal horse once. His childhood mount. Ashiyn scowled at the memory of the horse’s death. Another one of his Master’s lessons in pain and obedience. Ashiyn had used his dark magic to drain Rhadamanthus of his life-force and revive Illusion as a winged equine.

Illusion bumped Ashiyn’s chest with his nose, the strength of the beast almost knocking him back a step. Ashiyn smiled. Even though the spell had rendered Rhadamanthus much harder to kill, it was still worth it. Illusion was Ashiyn’s only friend.

“Come, Illusion. It is time to fly.” Ashiyn mounted the large steed.

He did not even have to command Illusion. When he was on the steed’s back, they were like one. Illusion bolted from the stable and jumped into the air, massive wings unfurling to catch the breeze and send them soaring into the dark sky.

They circled his castle on the hill for a moment and Ashiyn watched the angry waves crash against the rock cliff below and sizzle on the lava that bled from the cliffs. Then his gaze darted to the plains in the distance. Malk awaited them, and so did his master’s sacrifice.

As they flew from the castle, warning bells sounded across the land. There was a tower set up by his enemies on the cliffs across from his castle. They rang the bell every time Ashiyn left. To warn the world that death was coming upon swift wings.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Illusion landed as gracefully as a bird on the edge of the small village, touching hooves to ground with just a soft thud. Ashiyn eyed the village as he swung down from the winged equine. “Stay,” he muttered to his mount, as he loosed his broadsword from his back and drew it from its scabbard.

Sihtaar woke at his touch, the sword’s corrupt magic licking at its surface like heat lightning. Kill. Kill them all. I thirst.

The villagers at the edge of town saw Ashiyn and fled with cries of dismay. They either locked themselves into their small hovels or ran down the street screaming warnings.

He rolled his shoulders and narrowed his eyes. He expected resistance. Especially since he’d come for children. People were always very protective of their children. His memory flashed back many years to when he had watched a woman fight for her children as his master tore them apart. Ashiyn forced those thoughts away. He had tried to save her, and it had cost them both more than it had been worth. If he did not bring the children, his master would still take them, and it would be in a worse way.

With purpose, he strode into Malk. People scattered from him. He ignored their pleas. Their cries for mercy only disgusted him. Mercy would be destroying them before this world tortured and twisted them. A clean, quick death was the only mercy he still afforded. He used his magic to throw them out of the way as he came to the hut shown to him in Rhadamanthus’s vision. The twins stood there outside the doorway. From behind them, he could hear a woman sobbing and a soft male voice offering comfort. The door was closed, so he could not see inside to confirm his suspicions that the noises came from their parents.

“We know why you are here.” The twins were almost impossible to tell apart, but this one spoke with a soft feminine voice.

“We will come with you,” her brother added. Then as one the twins walked away from their home and down the street toward the spot where Illusion waited.

Ashiyn fought a shudder. He hated the gifted ones. The ones that went willingly to the slaughter bothered him the most, but he had not been able to figure out why. It only made his job easier.

Not a single villager stepped up to stop them as they made their way out of the village. Ashiyn could feel their gazes on him, and a few glances toward the hovels revealed people glaring at him from their windows, but none was brave enough to try to save these children from their fate. The people were defeated. The bravery and boldness to defy their destiny had been crushed out of them under Rhadamanthus’s rule.

The girl stopped at Illusion’s face. The stallion snorted and lowered his head so she could pet him and whisper into his ear. The boy just walked over to the winged equine’s side and pulled himself up onto its back with the ease of someone who was used to riding similar animals. By the time Ashiyn got to them, both twins were seated on Illusion’s back staring calmly at him.

Their calm unnerved him, but he didn’t show it. Illusion was a capricious creature, he normally only let Ashiyn ride, but the winged equine had a weakness for children it seemed. Ashiyn scowled at them and swung up into the saddle behind them. Illusion turned and rose into the stormy sky, and once more without a word from Ashiyn, headed back to the castle.

Once there, Illusion landed, the three of them dismounted without a word, and the winged equine trotted back into the stable to await his next adventure. Ashiyn closed the stable doors. The twins were already walking toward the castle. Of course, they were.

He caught up to them and ushered them into the labyrinth that would be their tomb. He wondered if their powers could allow them to navigate his castle. He caught them looking at each other, but they didn’t say another word. Not to each other, and not to him. He had heard some twins were born with the gift to speak telepathically to each other; perhaps they had it. He did not care enough to ask. They were just an irritant and fodder for his master’s power. He did wonder briefly when killing children had become so easy for him.

They trailed