The Lion's Gambit Precursor (Before Book One) Fully released

Precursor Chapter III - Dawn Breaks

Alexis forced her eyes open as she regained consciousness, seeing a small ray of sunlight through the shards of the broken window as water dripped off the glass. Planting a firm elbow into the ground, she forced herself into a sitting position as she looked around the room. She saw the broken glass and wood scattered all around her. Maneuvering herself to stand, she felt a sharp pain in her chest. She looked down, and sticking out of her silver breastplate by her left shoulder was the ice mace head that she had created on the tip of her spear.

As she staggered to her feet, Alexis untied the cloak from around her neck. It dropped to the floor beside her, revealing the silver armor she had on her chest, the shoulder armor, and the gauntlets she wore of similar design. Reaching around her back, she grabbed for the straps of the armor, loosening them as she winced in pain. "Damn! That is the last time I try a new technique during a battle."

After the straps were undone, she pulled off the breastplate to reveal a leather piece underneath, covering her torso. She looked at the armor and the ice mace sticking a touch through her side of the silver armor. Seeing the ice through the armor, she touched her left shoulder directly below her collarbone. She traced the newly formed gap in the leather armor that had stopped any part of the mace from piercing her skin.

She placed the breastplate with the ice mace on a table as she moved toward the window that was shattered. Removing her gauntlet, she placed her hand on her head, feeling some wetness by her right eye. She looked at her fingertips and saw the red of blood. Grabbing a piece of glass that lay on the windowsill, she used the reflection to examine her cut.

Alexis saw the cut faintly above her right eye. She put the piece of glass down and moved back toward the table to her breastplate. Reaching behind her back, she loosened more straps, and her shoulder pieces fell to the ground. She then moved to her other gauntlet, letting it crash to the floor in the same manner. This just left the skintight black cloth around her arms, stopping right before her wrists.

As she looked down at the damaged armor, she stretched her right shoulder. That woman was more trouble than I thought she would be. Maybe I needed the backup more than Kota did, she thought.

Examining the armor below her waist, she saw her silver greaves and clothes were still in good shape. She tightened a strap on her right leg before grabbing her torn cloak. Finding the hood, she began wrapping it back around her shoulders and draping it over her body. She also tightened the leather straps around her neck to prevent herself from being recognized by those who would wake this morning. She grabbed the wooden shaft of her broken spear. Then she tightened her grip as she lifted the mace out of the breastplate. Breathing softly, she stared as the ice mace melted and disappear into a puddle of water on the table.

Alexis moved the spear to her waist and tucked it into the waist straps next to a sheathed sword, then moved toward the broken window. Placing her hand on the right side of the window, she lifted herself up and out of the building. Landing in the cobblestone alleyway, she placed her right hand over her eyes as, over the top of the forest to the east, the sun rose on a new day. She looked around at the destruction, noticing the charred wood scattered throughout the alleyway, the holes in the walls where the woman had used her calling, and ice melting alongside the buildings.

Puddles remained on the ground after last night's rainfall. She moved toward the hole in the inn and looked inside. She examined the destruction the woman had caused as she fought Kota earlier. Letting out a deep sigh, Alexis turned and moved toward the front of the inn, in the direction that she had sent her brother in to flee. As she neared the front of the inn, she placed her right hand on the edge of the building. Peeking around the side, she heard the voices of townsfolk investigating.

As Alexis averted her gaze from the gathering townsfolk, she caught sight of the birthmark on the back of her hand, depicting the star that signified she was of royal blood. She placed her hood over her head and looked away from the crowd. Then she took the bottom half of her cloak and began ripping a line of fabric from it. Wrapping the cloth around her palm, she covered the mark as she heard one of the townsfolk ask, "Did a bear attack the inn last night? Look at these marks."