Read Online A Dance of Dragons: Series Starter Bundle by Kaitlyn Davis - Free Book Online Page A

Her eyes widened in
horror and her heart pounded, but she was stuck. Her feet felt too
heavy to move, as if everything was happening in slow motion.
Janu's face flashed before her eyes. This could not be happening.
Not again. Her limbs were stiff, her mouth dry, her brain just
repeated no, no, no unable to comprehend anything but
agony.
    And then a whisper filtered through the
wind, "Jinji," and Leoa's arm reached out.
    Her instincts kicked in. Jinji dashed to her
friend, her sister, catching her just as her knees gave out and her
body fell. They landed together, sliding slowly to the ground as
Leoa's weight pulled them down. Jinji hugged Leoa to her chest,
wishing that the beat of her heart would somehow spread to that of
her friend's.
    But she felt the body in her arms slacken,
felt it drop an extra inch into her lap, heard one last gasp of
desperate air, and knew.
    Her arms lost their grip and Leoa tumbled
onto Jinji's lap, lifeless and wide-eyed, shock written across her
features.
    "Ka'shasten," she whispered, ignoring the
tears that blurred her vision . My family . "Pajora
jinjiajanu." Be with the spirits .
    Her voice cracked and she screamed.
    And then her vision went red. She was not a
little girl this time. She was a warrior. And she would find out
who did this.
    Jinji stood. Her eyes scanned the trees,
searching for the bow that loosed the arrow, searching for any
movement. But the village was still.
    "Who are you?" She screamed.
    A shuffling noise drew her attention. Just
beyond the longhouse, someone was moving.
    Jinji crept closer, pressing her body
against the curved wood of the house, using it as a shield, hiding
from the invader.
    Heart pounding, she peered around the
corner.
    But it was a man she recognized.
    "Maniuk," she hissed, trying to catch his
attention. His spear was poised at the ready, a bow was slung over
his shoulder, and the knife at his waist dripped red.
    Part of her was proud. He was already a
great warrior, and he would be a great leader when this fight was
over.
    But another part was afraid. Where was
everyone else?
    Maniuk didn’t turn to her call. All of his
attention was focused on the trees opposite them. She followed the
line of his head, unable to see his eyes, and scanned the
woods.
    There was nothing there.
    "Maniuk," she called again. Chills ran along
her limbs. It was not the time to be fighting alone.
    Suddenly he jerked into action. His arm
lashed out, releasing the spear in a low arc that sailed through
the center of their small village until with a thud, it landed.
    A body fell forward, scratching against bark
as it dropped.
    But it couldn’t be.
    Jinji stepped back.
    Maniuk?
    He would never…
    But there was Kekohi, one of their own, an
Arpapajo, facedown with the spear through his chest.
    Jinji's trembling hands rose to cover her
lips, holding in the cry.
    And then Maniuk turned around.
    White.
    His eyes were white, drained of all color,
of all spirit, empty and somehow full at the same time.
    The shadow had found her. It had come for
her.
    She stepped back again and again, moving
away from the monster before her until her foot caught, and she
stumbled.
    Looking down, Jinji saw what she had missed
earlier. The feathers along the arrow piercing Leoa's chest were
raven black with red painted tips. They were Arpapajo, not
newworlder. They were Maniuk's—Jinji had plucked those feathers
herself.
    He moved closer.
    Jinji didn’t try to run. She had no weapons,
no hope of outpacing him. She had nothing left to run for.
    Three feet from her body, Maniuk stopped. He
slipped the knife from his waist and held it before him, arm out,
almost as if he were offering it her.
    Her eyes narrowed, traced the bulging veins
up his wrist to his shoulder, until she stared into those absent
yet knowing eyes.
    The knife rose higher, up and up, over the
height of her head, until it rested at his throat.
    "No," she reached forward.
    But in one quick motion, it was over.
    Jinji didn't look away.