LAURA SAT ON the floor in her private tent, her back to the flap, thinking of what had happened that day. Was Lucas a Rift Walker? No, he couldn’t be. But hadn’t he also used a Corruptive spell to counter her magic? That would mean he was a Corruptive Wizard – but Walking through Heaven would suggest the opposite. These thoughts all added to the confusion she felt every waking moment. Her tent flap opened. She recognized the soft footfalls of Kaz’ak.
“What do you want Kaz’ak?” Laura asked.
When she received no answer, she looked behind her. Kaz’ak stood over her with a knife in his hands and a crazy glint in his eye. The man who had raised her was trying to kill her. Laura dodged a strike and scrambled to her feet. Her weapons were behind Kaz’ak and she had no way to get to them. Kaz’ak stood before her, ready to murder her.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked while trying to move her weapons to her with her magic.
Kaz’ak didn’t reply. He took another step toward her and then said, “You humiliated me. I WILL BE THE RULER OF THE EARTH, NOT YOU!”
“You would defy the wishes of our master?” Laura asked as her sword slid out of its sheath and pointed its tip at Kaz’ak’s back.
“I will prove to him that he was wrong – that I am better! I am his most loyal servant, not you!”
“Then, Kaz’ak, why don’t you join our master?”
Laura’s sword struck. The sword sunk to its hilt in Kaz’ak’s back. Kaz’ak spat blood, and then collapsed to the floor. Laura removed her sword from his back. She went outside of her tent and found some soldiers.
To the soldiers she said, “Follow me.”
She led them back to her tent and showed them Kaz’ak’s body.
“This man betrayed us all. He tried to kill me. Remove his body from my tent.”
“Where do you wish us to dispose of it?” one of the soldiers asked.
Laura thought for a moment, “Hang it from the willow out on the plain. He will receive no burial.”
After the soldiers had left the tent, Laura sank to the floor. She clutched her knees and sobbed. Why had the man she had thought of as her father tried to kill her? She was so confused... who would betray her next?
“What are they doing?” Asked Prince Asgald as the company of Kings, Rulers and Lucas’ travelling companions watched.
Five men were walking to the willow tree. They were carrying something – a body, Lucas realized. The five men tied the body by its feet and tied the other end of the rope to the willow tree.
“He betrayed them, I suppose,” Lucas said.
“Why would they hang him, though?” Asgald asked.
“To make an example of him,” Bjeu said sullenly.
The angels were camping in the woods with the rest of his men. Lucas had already thanked them, but sought to know the reason for their coming. He spoke with Theon, the angel he had seen when he had Walked to Heaven.
YOU ARE READING
The Gods' War
Fantasy[I DO NOT OWN THE COVER IMAGE] When two friends, Lucas and Adrian, are abducted by men in black cloaks who wear masks of gold, it marks the beginning of a great adventure that will cause the two friends to find love, power and war. Betrayal is often...
