Season of Sacrifice (Blood of Azure Book 1) by Jonathan Michael (best ebook for manga txt) 📕

“We split ways here, Stone.”

His mind is set. Everything about his comment—his tone, his gaze, his posture—is rigorous and unwavering. My stomach suddenly feels queasy. Four seasons our family has held tight. We escaped the Taoiseach’s grasp once before. We survived the beasts of the Broken Forest, and what now? I’ve lost the last member of my family. I plop back down onto the pew, defeated.

“So, it’s settled,” replies Gunther cheerfully. He cracks his knuckles with a few boisterous moves to validate the possibilities of his regenerated spine. “I’ll make the necessary preparations.”

An idol rises alongside the Hybreed. Competition for the savior of mankind. This man, the Taoiseach, a Dihkai, represents strength and power. The balance we strive for is weighted by this idolization he demands.

18 Jaymes

“P

eaches! Can we not find anything better to eat in the forest?” My stomach rumbles. I sink my teeth into the fuzzy fruit, cringing at the soft, succulent texture. It’s not right. The two don’t belong together. It tames my hunger, regardless, and rescinds my thirst a tad too.

“First, you’re too hot. Then, you’re too sweaty. Then, too hungry, and now, you don’t like peaches. Do you come from a line of princesses?” Ellia shakes her head at me. The look in her eye is murderous. But then again, that’s her norm.

“I would agree with Jaymes,” Astor pipes in.

That was a mistake. Ellia takes every opportunity to make Astor her chamber pot, disparaging her in any way possible. How does Astor not recognize this?

“Peaches are not ideal,” she continues. “And everyone is entitled to their own opinion. It doesn’t warrant frustration.”

There’s that murderous glare again. The band concealing one eye, her dark hair, her olive skin, that intimidating claymore strapped to her back—they all complement the wickedness within.

“If you keep expressing yours, I’ll pull out your teeth one by one until your mouth is so swollen you won’t be able to open it. Understood?”

“Why are you so crude?”

Oh no, Astor reaches for her limit. Too much sass. This could get ugly.

“Did your mother not teach you anything about being a lady when you were a child? It’s not me who needs to…understand.” That last bit comes out hesitantly. “You need to understand that I have an allergy. When I was a young girl, I ate a juicy peach just like this one. And you know what came of it?”

“No!” Ellia swats the peach from her hand and stomps on it. “And I don’t fucking care. Now you’ve lost your breakfast and you’re on your way to losing your first tooth.”

Ellia punches Astor in the mouth, knocking her down. “Argh! You fucking wench! What was that?” Ellia palms her fist, massaging it, then inspects her knuckles. “It’s not broken, but damn near. What the fuck was that? Did you just petrify your face? That’s taboo, you know.” Ellia sneers at Astor, then wanders into the wood. Likely nature’s calling.

Astor quietly rises to her feet and massages her jaw. She appears to be in good condition. She doesn’t spit any ivories this time, but she hangs on the edge about to flop into a ravine of real pain.

“Did you?”

Astor smiles. A few curse words nearly slip off my tongue, but I refrain.

She gestures for a glance at my wounds. The body exams have become routine, so I no longer retract or tease when she touches my bare skin. I lift my tunic on her approach to be done with it quicker.

“May I?” she asks politely.

Her hands are warm on my abdomen as she pokes around at the lacerations. They remain ghastly, but that’s because they weren’t properly healed by a Lahyf. This is the product of a Hiberneyt, not a Healer.

I adjust my posture and bare my cheeks, not without offering a suspicious glare.

“The bite doesn’t appear to be getting any worse,” she notes and leans back.

Done already? And she managed to keep her hands off my ass, thank Susy.

“May I take another glance at your abdomen?”

I roll my eyes, pull up my cut-off trousers, and lift my tunic again.

“That Cryptid really did a number on you,” she mutters.

“No shit.”

“The precision. I cannot get over the magnificence of how clean this laceration is. It’s hard to fathom this was done by a beast. Once we find you a real Healer, I do believe it ought to close up fine. You really lucked out.”

“Yeah, I suppose you can call it luck. I was strung up like a piece of meat and almost eaten alive by a wild beast. A miracle, really.” I roll my eyes again and pull my shirt back down, implying the exam has ended.

“Unfortunately for me, your wounds are doing great,” she whispers. “The suspended animation has prevented any further infection. Some phantom pain will remain until it is properly healed, and you’ll continue to have a bit of a limp, but overall, you’ll live.”

“Thank you.”

Astor looks at me with a caring expression. She smiles.

“How is it?” Ellia appears from the shadows.

“Compassion?” Astor replies.

I can see on her face there are so many more comments waiting to escape. She’ll be one ivory down if her mouth opens too wide.

“Don’t make me ask twice.”

“Besides the creeping infection, she’s fine,” she lies. “I can keep it at bay for the duration of the journey, but she requires a Healer proper. If I continue to suspend the newly infected tissue daily, it’ll slow the rate immensely. So I’ll keep at it. It may be her only chance of survival.”

“You wouldn’t be lying to save your own ass, would you?” Ellia moves closer and pulls my tunic up. She grimaces and drops it.

Astor stands firm with a fixed stare. “Well…I suppose you’re going