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

I’ve come across other gardens of gloom, but Harris’s is unlike any other. He not only has hundreds if not thousands of mushrooms thriving around the entire complex, but they are all colossal shrooms. There isn’t a mushroom in his garden smaller than I am. Walking through a fungi forest of this magnitude could dampen the spirits of the deceased.

I remain silent and ogle at the fascinating sight until we enter his home through a side door that is not being guarded. It must be another secret entrance because it’s concealed behind a thick, brown creeper climbing up the side of the building. Ellia grabs a vine, and they all disperse, revealing a wooden door.

Once inside the building, Ellia leads me directly to a pair of doors, of which I assume the Taoiseach is on the other side. The entire walk through the manor, Ellia leads without so much as a glance over her shoulder to see if I was following. Either she’s gaining trust or has wild senses beyond her telepathy that allow her to know if I’m in proximity. Based on the skillset she’s demonstrated thus far, I wouldn’t be surprised of the latter.

What’s more interesting is I haven’t seen a single guard since we crossed the fortified barrier around his estate. Not even at the entrance to his chambers. Is he so arrogant?

“Wait here,” Ellia instructs. “An escape is impossible, so don’t bother.”

She raps on the door, and it opens. I don’t see by who. She steps inside to discuss matters with the Taoiseach, I presume.

My stomach is tied in knots, and my palms are damp with sweat. Why am I nervous? Ellia says she will protect me from his touch of death. Maybe I don’t honestly believe she’s capable of it, even with the amount of skills and talent she has. Now that I think on it, the Taoiseach defines what power and fear are. How could she possibly protect me?

I wait in the hall long enough to convince myself to run then to talk myself out of it. Like Ellia said, it’s pointless. And the closer I can get to the Taoiseach, assuming he doesn’t execute me, the better chance I’ll have of paying back the favor of my parents’ deaths.

The door opens. Out steps a young girl, probably a few seasons younger than me, with olive skin and dark features. She dons a servant’s uniform. Without saying anything, she gestures for me to follow her into the room. I acquiesce even though my body tells me to run the opposite way.

There he is. There’s the man who murdered my parents. He’s dark, just as I remember seeing him that night four seasons ago, peering between the baluster. A shade darker than his already dark room, he sits with a fine posture and a menacing stare. The same stare he had that night. He looked up at me from the floor below, and something happened. I can’t remember what, but there was something about him that shifted my nerves and sent me running. The memory evades me.

The Taoiseach’s hands are interlaced on his desk as his eyes look me up and down. I tremble on the inside, but I refuse to let it show. I refuse to let him witness the effect he has on me. He may be a man of greatness. He may be the ruler of our civilization. But he won’t have any power over me.

Ellia stands silently in one corner of the room. The handmaid escorts me to a chair across from him before she walks to the opposite corner from Ellia. I sit down.

Like the rest of the mansion, this room has dark hardwood flooring, dark wainscoting on the walls, and dark trim throughout. The walls above the paneling have a light-grey tone, which is the only aspect of the room that doesn’t make it feel like an oversized coffin. This guy must really have some dark emotions running through his soul if this is where he chooses to reside.

“Welcome,” he says with a deep, dark voice that matches his dark skin and dark persona perfectly. “I’ve been awaiting you for some time. How long—”

“Four seasons,” I interrupt. I hope that wasn’t a mistake.

“Ah…yes, four seasons I have been searching for you. I don’t know if that is a compliment to you or a blow to my competence. I suspect a trace of both.”

“Why? I didn’t do anything.” I speak out of turn again. I’m digging my own grave where I stand. Might as well, I suppose. I’m already in a coffin.

The Taoiseach looks at me with abhorrence. Then, he looks to Ellia and raises an eyebrow. She remains silent. I don’t dare take my eyes off the Taoiseach to see what she gestures. He soon turns his attention back to me. “I think you are well aware of that by now. If you behave like a child, you are worthless to me, and I will carry out your sentence. Or…” He pauses. “…you can exceed the high recommendations Ellia has bestowed upon you and carry out a more satisfying life.”

“No.” I reply as politely as I know how to a man who murdered my parents.

Again, the disgust on his face is apparent. “No?” His gaze shifts to Ellia then back to me. I can see frustration growing within him. “What do you mean?”

“No, I’m not aware of why you’ve been searching for me.” I reply with complete composure. I’m not sure how. This man is terrifying. “Not entirely. I don’t remember anything from that day. All I know is my brother hates you and you murdered my parents. So, no…I’m not aware of why we were forced into exile.”

“You’re very spirited, aren’t you? Careless. But spirited.” He doesn’t allow me time to respond. “Well, if you truly don’t remember what took place that day, let me start