A Sword Of Wrath, Book I by K. E. MacLeod (best way to read ebooks TXT) 📕

Timonus listened and soon heard the dreaded sounds of a riotous crowd coming from the city.

"Maybe the Giants have beaten us here after all!" shouted someone.

"No," he shook his head, "that's not the Giants." He turned and addressed them, "Stay here! All of you! It's not safe!" Timonus began to run towards the gates.

"Where are you going?"

"I will return for you. Do not leave this place, no matter what may happen!"

Hannah started to follow him but Julian grabbed her.

"Let me go, Julian! He needs me! I can save the Emperor!"

"No! If the Legate says stay put, it's for a reason!"

"Let me go! He needs me!"

He turned her towards him and shouted at her, "He doesn't even know you're his daughter!"

She could say nothing as tears began to form in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Hannah. Maybe we should've told him, after all."

She looked back over her shoulder and watched the Legate fade from her view. Her body sunk with the realization that she would probably never see him again and would never be able to tell him the truth of who she was.

Timonus ran around the city's walls until he arrived at its entrance. The gates had been left open and unguarded and he entered into Odalia in stunned silence. All around him people were fighting one another, including his men. He looked towards the palace and shaken from his stupor, headed towards it.

"Legate!" someone called to him. It was the Centurion. "You have returned!"

"What’s happened here?"

"The people revolted during the munus and the Emperor gave the order to slaughter everyone in the Ala District!"

"Where is he?"

"The curia. He’s safe there!"

"I'm taking command! Stop the slaughter immediately and have the legionaries return here!" Timonus ran into the Palace and made his way to the curia. The outer door was locked but easily broken as he used the hilt of his sword to smash into he door.

He was unprepared for what he saw before him.

Spurious stood before the throne, holding the blood covered Sword of Irae while his father lay face down at his feet, the floor awashed in his blood.

"Spurious," the Legate's face went white, "what have you done, boy?"

"I cured his headaches," he said, a strange light in his eyes.

Timonus ran and knelt down besides the Emperor's body, disbelieving what he saw before him.

"Rise, Legate," he heard a low female voice say to him. He looked up to see an older woman, dressed in the black robes of a venefica, step from the shadows behind the throne and place her gnarled stained hand upon Spurius' shoulders.

The boy's face lit up at the sight of her, "Mother! You are here! I knew you were!"

"I am, my son. Did I not tell you that I am always here, watching over you?" She looked back at the Legate and repeated, "Rise, Legate. Greet your new Emperor!"

"Your mad! I will do no such thing-"

She laughed, "Or if you do not, you will suffer a fate worse than death."

"I am in command of the Lycanian forces, they will be here soon and you will be-"

"Oh but, Legate, I have an army of my own and ah," she raised a finger to her ear, "I think I hear them now!" She laughed again as Timonus ran to the window, where he was greeted by terrified screams.

The Giants had arrived in Odalia.

"No!" he gasped as he turned back to her.

"You see, Legate, you have little choice. Serve the Emperor... or face the Giants. The choice is yours."

"But who are you?"

"I am Mother Marcella, once an outsider to the court but now no more."

Timonus thought of Hannah and the rest of the Lupa Faction that were camped outside of the walls. He thought of the people of the Ala District, being slaughtered where they stood. He thought of the steady flow of Giants as he could hear them marching into the city.

"What is your choice?"

Timonus looked from the screaming masses outside of the window and back to Mother Marcella, then to Spurius. Feeling powerless, he dropped to his knees, "I serve the Emperor of Odalia, as I always have."

She smiled coyly, her hands clasped around the boy's shoulders from behind, "As it should be. Long live Emperor Spurious!"

***

A few hours after the Giants' siege of Odalia, the Cavalli crested over a hill where they could see the grand city shinning in the distance. The weary warriors couldn't believe their own eyes, for even from the safety of where they stood, they could see that Odalia was now crawling with Giants.

Severus' insides became ice as he turned to his brother, "What do we do now?"

Tacitus swallowed deeply, "We return home immediately and prepare for battle."

"We can't fight them, Tacitus!"

"Alone, no, but send your scouts to Noba, to the Tundra, the Land of the Golden Sun and all areas in between. We'll build our own army - the likes of which they've never seen!"

"Will such a thing work?"

He looked at his brother, "It must... for there is no other choice."

***

Away from the chaos, unaware of anything that was going on around them, sat Sotiria, rocking the infant Alexia. She smiled down at the baby who was making cooing noises as she looked up at her.

"My sister Agatha says there are no special children but don't listen to her. You are special, little one. More special than you know. You want me to tell you a story?"

The baby yawned and Sotiria laughed, "Alright, little one. Once upon a time, on the island of Icanthia existed a mighty kingdom called Thera. Thera was the most beautiful city in the world, even more beautiful than Odalia. Everyone in the world came there to do business and buy our steel. Then, one day, many generations ago, the Lycanian ruler grew jealous and decided that he wanted Thera for himself. So he mounted an attack with hundreds of ships.

"The people of Thera were furious! They defended their land and very nearly destroyed the entire Lycanian fleet. But just as the Emperor’s ship landed upon Icanthia a large volcano erupted on the other side of the island, spewing ash and lava everywhere.

"Then while everyone was fleeing the volcano, the Emperor of Lycania cowardly slew our Queen, stealing her Sword of Irae for himself. He then returned to Lycania, claiming that the gods had buried Thera." She fell silent a moment as the images of the escape from her homeland flooded her mind.

Sotiria then began to rock the baby again as she continued, "Only, while most of the island was lost, Thera wasn't really buried and the people there began to rebuild, stone by stone, all in the hope to one day reclaim their former glory. And you, my dear," she lightly tapped the baby's nose, "are descended from that Queen and one day you will reclaim the Sword of Irae and Thera will be restored."

***

Text: K. E. MacLeod
Publication Date: 03-03-2014

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