A Darker Shade of Sorcery (Sample of now published novel.)

Chapter Twenty Six

Lok stood before her, smiling crookedly. His nose ring, a brilliant blue, glinted in the half light.

"What were you doing? You scared me half to death." She was sure he'd done it on purpose.

"You shouldn't be wandering the Fortress so late," he replied, lifting a strange pipe-like object to his lips and inhaling. "The statues here come alive after dark."
"Seriously!"

Lok chuckled, "Only some of them, and they're not dangerous, mostly."
Brooke watched, enthralled, as he exhaled and purple smoke billowed out.
It jogged something in her memory and she blurted out. "Hey, I saw you on the way back from school didn't I? Before the club. You were smoking that pipe."
Lok's smile might have slipped an inch, but it was gone so quick Brooke must've imagined it.

"Ah yes, sorry. I couldn't help but catch a little glimpse of you. I was scouting the area. Once I saw how beautiful you were, I had to get a closer look."

Brooke felt the blood rush to her cheeks and became very self-conscious.

"Better not tell Arantay and Tyrell you saw me first. I might get into trouble for not following specific orders, you know."
She nodded.

"So," Lok said, changing the subject smoothly, "you look different now you're not so hysterical."

She noticed the blatant way he was staring at her, his eyes wandering.

"I like the wet look," he smiled, touching a strand of her hair and pulling it away from her face. She looked at him curiously; his eyes were filled with lust.

"Well what did you expect? You didn't exactly explain anything when you took me. I thought you might kill me."

He laughed quietly, plumes of purple smoke skating about his face.

"Yeah, sorry about that babe, we're told to do it quick in case any demons or Dark-Venators show up."

"Dark-Venators?"

"There's more than just us roaming the realms you know. Don't worry, you're safe now." He winked.

Brooke decided he was being far too friendly for someone she barely knew.

"Well, thanks- I guess."

"My pleasure," he smiled. "What do you think of the place, now you're not whimpering like a baby that is?"

Anger surged inside her, but she refused to let him tease her.

"It's amazing, it really is. I don't like it when people creep up on me in the dark though," she added.

"So, you're ready to leave your old life behind?"

"I-It will be hard, especially not seeing my family too much. But I haven't decided what I'm going to do yet."

"Family huh?" his smile vanished. "Luckily my old man snuffed it before Veneseron found me."

"Lucky?" she asked, perplexed.

Lok looked at her through strands of his white-blond hair. "He wasn't a nice man," was all the elaboration she was going to get.

He took another drag on his pipe and then offered it to her, but she declined, not knowing what it would do.

"What're you doing walking the castle so late?"

"Just been assigned a mission," Lok said.

Brooke was intrigued; after all didn't the people here expect her to go on missions one day.

"Oh, to do what?"

Lok smiled again, but this time it was unsettling. "Kill demons."

Brooke gasped.

"You're really about to go off hunting demons?"

"Yep," he said, nonchalant.

"Do you have to... you know... travel to a different realm?"

"Uh huh, loads of fiends are terrorising some world full of Gorgons. Apparently an Orc pack supplied these demons with some nasty plasma weapons. Our mission group will probably have to deal with them too."

Brooke noticed a feral glint in Lok's eyes. "You wouldn't believe how fun missions are."

"I find that hard to believe," she said.

"Well, peace-keeping missions are lame, but ripping apart demons is the most fun I've ever had, whilst fully dressed. I'm sure you'll love it too."

"Lok, c'mon!"
They both turned in the direction of the shout. A tall, haughtily beautiful girl stood at the end of the passageway, her perfectly straight hair was both silver and gold and her eyes were a fierce blue-green.

"Alright Lyella, calm down."

After another wink and a cheeky smile, Lok proceeded down the corridor to the impatient girl.

Lyella gave Brooke such a look of pure loathing it startled her.

She tossed her glorious mane of hair back as she linked her arm in Lok's and they departed.

Brooke frowned, only her brother had ever given her such a look of pure hatred before, and that had ended horrifically. 

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Author Note:

Hey everyone,

If you've liked the sample chapters so far, feel free to buy the whole thing on Amazon. Available now for only 0.99, for a limited time.

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