The Final Redemption by Michael Manning (little red riding hood ebook free .txt) 📕

presence was likea warm balm soaking into me. Her hand reached out, but before ittouched my face, Gareth had caught it.

“Careful!” he warned her.

She gave him an angry glare,“Why?”

I silently cheered forher, you tell that bastard!

“He’s still a shiggreth,” said Gareth.“Even now his body is slowly absorbing aythar. If you touch it…” Heglanced around, looking for something to illustrate his point.Unable to find an insect, he settled for a torn clump of grass thatwas still green. Placing it on my chest he told them,“Watch.”

My eyes still wouldn’tmove, so I couldn’t look down, but I knew what they must be seeing.The grass was turning gray. The thought made me feelashamed. After everything I’ve beenthrough, this is the greatest indignity yet, having them display mycorruption for her to see.

Her voice came back defiantly, “He’smy husband. He won’t hurt me.”

“I doubt it would be intentional,”said Gareth, “but in his current state he may not be able tocontrol himself.”

“Allow me,” said Millicenthunexpectedly. “I can prevent him from taking much. A small amountshould help restore him,” said the goddess, and before Gareth couldreply she reached out and placed her hand on my chest.

I could feel my body tugging fiercelyat her, but only a trickle of aythar emerged. The Lady of theEvening Star’s will was far more powerful than mine, and shecontrolled her energy flow with great precision. She had beendesigned that way, long ago, by Moira Centyr, to make her aneffective healer.

As the aythar flowed into me, my bodybegan to awake, returning to a more human-like state, but the worldwas growing dimmer, fading. A darkness was rising around me, theprison of Lyralliantha’s spellweaving. It had been weak, thin,deprived of all but structure by Mal’goroth’s hand, but now it wasgaining strength. I could feel another mind stirring, one similarto my own, yet different.

“Stop,” I managed to croak through drylips.

Thankfully, the goddess withdrew herhand.

Something wet fell on my face, and Irealized Penny was crying over me quietly. She urged me, “You needmore. Your body is healing. Let her help you.”

“No,” I said, strugglingto make my stiff mouth form the word. I could feel my other self,shifting, confused. Brexus,I realized. The aythar had roused his awarenessas well as restoring my soul’s prison. He was trying to regaincontrol of his speech.

The strange duality of my existencereturned to the foreground of my memory as I recalled the bizarreevents of the past few months. I had awoken many times, sometimesin a lonely darkness, accompanied only by thoughts that soundedlike my own, but were in fact a stranger’s. On one or two occasionsthough, I had been able to see through his eyes, trapped like apassenger on a runaway horse, observing with no power to affect hisactions.

Awake now, I could remember everythinghe had done, but it felt strange. Like the memories of the loshti,they were there, but they were not my own.

“No more, it will trap me again,” Isaid, desperately hoping she would understand.

My wife stared at me with uncertainty.“What can I do?”

“Where is Peter?” I chokedout.

Her expression changedfrom puzzlement to annoyance, “I should have known. Youstill have a schemedon’t you.”

In her irritation I could sense aglimmer of hope. She still believed in me. She thought I had ananswer. That insight pained me more than I had expected. Unable tohide my despair I told her the truth, “He promised to killme.”

Eyes wide, she stared at Gareth, whocame to the same conclusion. “The knife,” he said atonce.

Penny’s reaction was more specific,“Someone has to stop him!”

“No,” I uttered, not that anyone waslistening.

“He should be in your hiddensanctuary, wherever it is located,” said Karenth. “If you tell mewhere it’s at, I can fetch him.”

My foolhardy wife began describing itto the best of her ability, giving away the general location of mygreatest secret almost immediately. “That’s hundreds of miles fromhere,” he replied in frustration. “Even flying, it will take memore than a day.” He was already rising from the ground on wingsthat had sprouted from his back.

“You’ll never get there in time,” saidGareth, but the deity had already taken flight.

He thinks he’ll be trappedif I die, I observed. Karenth doesn’t know I gave Gareth the keys to unmakethem. That made me chuckle inwardly. Thegod of justice had caused me enough trouble in the past; hedeserved to panic for a while.

“It will take him days searching thosemountains, even if he knows the region,” said Millicenthdisapprovingly.

I saw Gareth’s head turn in thedirection of Cameron Castle. “The pressure is growing. Mal’gorothis moving in our direction.”

Penny seemed unaware, and even Walterwas surprised. “I can’t feel anything yet,” heannounced.

The ex-dragon raised one red eyebrow,but didn’t comment. He had explained their differences oncealready.

I watched them start to draw away,preparing to leave. Millicenth was changing shape, to become somesort of graceful bird, except on an entirely different size scale.I could feel their urgency, but Penny held back.

Go dammitt!I cursed silently. Contrary as usual, she camecloser. I struggled to speak, but in my distraction Brexus hadtaken control. My voice was no longer my own.

“We need to make haste, Countess,”said Gareth warningly.

She held up her hand, “Just a minute.Give me that. Let me say goodbye.” The look on her face frightenedme. She was about to do something stupid.

Somebody put her on thedamn bird and get her away! I swore atthem.

My lips parted without my wishing itand a word emerged, “Penny.”

She was kneeling beside me now with aface that made me wish I was truly dead. No man should see that.Her lips and cheeks were contorted with grief and her eyes weregrotesquely swollen. Her shoulders were contorting with suppressedemotion.

I had never seen her look so perfectlyugly in my life. Her nose alone was… well it might have made meshudder if I’d been alive.

Somehow, despite the mucus and theretching sobs, she was still the most beautiful thing I had everseen. I would have given anything to hold her once more.

And so you shall,came Brexus’ thoughts. Even knowing they weren’tmy thoughts, it still felt odd. Even in my own mind, he soundedexactly like me.

“Penny, help me,” he toldher.

Inside I raged athim, What are you doing?! She has toleave.

“I can’t