Niyx by Samantha Kroese (websites to read books for free TXT) 📕

want right?” Onyx asked, excited. He rubbed his hands together. “So make an ice fortress! Then Aderaan will know you mean business.”

Niyx turned back to the cursed graveyard and walked to the entrance. He pulled his giant blade and set it firmly into the ground in front of the graveyard and closed his eyes. He willed the moisture in the air around him to freeze, summoning a sudden blizzard. He ignored the startled shouts of Onyx and his people as the snow piled around them. He used it to create slick walls, floors, and a ceiling of ice. When he opened his eyes, he stood within a huge, crystallized ice fortress. His Night Creatures slowly filed in behind him to stare in awe.

“You couldn’t build it out of something less frigid?” Demi complained, rubbing his scaled arms as his breath misted in the air.

“It’s beautiful!” Kiril exclaimed, tears in her eyes as she hugged Nial close. The little boy was staring at the throne room with eyes as wide as saucers.

Niyx crossed the throne room. The graves were now entombed safely in crystallized ice  caskets that glittered like diamonds beneath the floor. Ice flew in one of the windows and landed behind the throne to curl up around it as Niyx sat down. Yes. This felt like home now. “Good idea, Onyx,” he said, grinning at his twin with pride.

“Glad I could help. I’m leaving before I freeze to death,” Onyx said as he disappeared through the door with a wave.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Onyx growled as he tightened the garrote. The man struggled and clawed at the wire around his neck, but Onyx kept behind him and out of reach of the man’s flailing hands. This was the last noble on his list and his arms were starting to ache and his hands hurt. It had been a long time since he had killed so many in a short time. He watched the man’s eyes bulge and it disappointed him. They were all the same. First it was disbelief, then anger, then denial, and then their eyes pleaded for mercy as the light went out of them.

Finally, the man fell limp and Onyx dropped the corpse on the floor. He wound his garrote wire back around his wrist, then hauled the body over to the massive trunk in the corner. He threw the body inside and locked it. Someone would come and retrieve it later. No one would ask about the mysterious group of missing nobles, or wonder why they all went missing today. It was how the game was played in Aderaan. Oppose the ones in power, and you died.

He left the manor without incident. It was too simple, really. Was that all it took for the power in Aderaan to shift and fall? Was the stolen dragon magic all there was to the power behind the magic of the ancient houses? Onyx felt a little bit of disappointment at that. He had always thought Aderaan a place of mystery and magic as he grew up outside of it. It was disappointing to find out most elves were probably born with just a small amount of magic.

As soon as he stepped into Ruel’s manor, he knew something was wrong. His Night Creature magic flared in warning, painting everything blood-red and making his skin crawl. A chill ran down his spine. Ruel! He hissed and broke into a run, calling for his brother.

He stumbled to a stop at the main room of the manor. Rebekah lay crumpled against the wall nearest to him. Floof and several of the other shadow creatures hung suspended in the air, snarling and making horrible noises, but unable to move. In the center of the room stood Demi, no longer just an elf with dragon scales. He had sprouted massive dragon horns, wings, and a tail. He held Ruel suspended in the air with his magic, Ruel kicking and grasping at his neck as if he were choking. Magic drifted through the air between them, from Ruel and into Demi.

Onyx resisted the urge to shout. They had not yet noticed him. He could sense Ruel’s panic, and it made him want to rush into the room and save his brother, but he knew better. Demi was too dangerous a foe for him to just rush in like a maddened bull this time. Instead, he summoned his blood magic and used it to slip into the shadows. He moved between them like a ghost, untraceable, as he snuck up behind Demi.

Once he was directly behind Demi, he snarled and grabbed Demi’s shoulders, yanking him backward in an attempt to bite him. His fangs slid off the scaled skin of the dragon-humanoid. He couldn’t find purchase. His opportunity for surprise wasted, he grabbed for his daggers but before he could release them from his belt, Demi’s newfound tail lashed out and knocked Onyx away. Onyx hit the wall hard, stunned, the breath knocked out of him.

“I have scales you know,” Demi said with a laugh then he tore his gaze away and raised his other hand, focusing both on Ruel now. “Don’t worry, this won’t hurt the boy. Much.”

“Onyx…stop him…he’ll kill Floof!” Ruel managed to choke out.

Onyx struggled to his feet and pulled his daggers but as he prepared to make another leap at Demi, a blast of winter wind knocked them both to the ground. The manor doors had swung open in the howling gale as Niyx stalked in. Ruel and the shadow creatures fell to the ground. Freed, Floof immediately ran to Ruel’s prone form and shifted into a lion to crouch threateningly in front of his fallen master.

“No, wait…let me explain,” Demi stammered as he scrambled to his feet to face Niyx. That was as far as he got before chains of frost wrapped around his neck and Niyx yanked Demi to him.

“You dare attack my family, Demi?” Niyx snarled, pulling the chains so Demi fell to his hands and knees at Niyx’s feet,