Read Online Deliverance by Brittany Comeaux - Free Book Online Page A

definitely covetable. The
city is well built, and with all of the magic artifacts and items,
a mage like you could rule this city completely unopposed,” said
Blaze.
    “Not to everyone, of course,” replied
Bogdan, obviously hinting at his own power and authority.
    “Just don’t forget, Majesty,” said Saitar,
“I am getting you into the city, so you had better keep up your end
of the deal.”
    Blaze’s body grew stiff for a brief moment.
It was not a wise thing for anyone to talk to his father that way.
Even he knew to watch his words carefully. The king always demanded
authority over everyone, and if someone talked to him with such
disrespect, they had better pray they still had their tongue before
it was over.
    To Blaze’s surprise and relief, Bogdan
laughed and responded, “You have my word, Elder, you will rule this
city. I’ve no use for it.”
    “Very well then.” replied the elder, “Let us
press forward. I believe we are now passing under the fountain in
the classroom area. We only have a little ways to go until we reach
the Elder’s Hall and be able to enter from below. This tunnel leads
straight to the meeting hall, and the entrance to the chamber is in
that room. I can listen for anyone in the room before opening the
door to assure that no one will see us enter.”
    “This is going to be far too easy.” replied
Bogdan, “Those morons might as well have just handed the Eye to
me.”
    “Which is why it will be too easy to rule
these simpletons,” Saitar said with grim smile.
    The king laughed, but Blaze still couldn’t
shake the uneasy feeling that this plan was not going to go as
expected and he did not know if that would be good or bad.
     
    Crystal waited in the dark until she
suddenly heard voices. She sat on a ceiling beam above the platform
where the Eye of Gaull was placed on a pedestal. A dim light
hanging in a glass orb shined under the beam, barely casting its
light on the blood red gem. The gem was about the size of a human
skull and was round with dozens of facets all around it. Behind the
gem was the stone pillar where the Eye was to be placed. The pillar
had strange black runes marked around the depression that spiraled
outward around the rest of the pillar.
    When Crystal heard several voices, she
realized Bogdan had planned a sneak attack after all. She then
whispered urgently to her friends, who were also hiding in
different places around the room, to get ready to defend the Eye.
She clutched the hilt of her sword and took a deep breath. Her
heart began pounding in her ears when she saw the entrance to the
chamber glow. However, Bogdan was not the first person she saw . .
. or heard.
    “Here it is, my King,” said Saitar.
    Crystal’s face burned. She should have known
an elder was behind this! How else could Bogdan have known about
the Eye in the first place? It made sense how defensive Saitar
became whenever Crystal claimed that the plans he presented were
fake; she should have known that his reaction meant he was hiding
something.
    Bogdan himself then stepped into the room
with who she could only assume was the infamous Prince Blaze
Dracnov. Crystal had never seen the prince in person but had heard
plenty of stories about all the times he destroyed villages and
murdered hundreds of people throughout Cierith. Crystal’s pounding
heartbeat made in nearly impossible for her to hear Bogdan’s words
of praise to the traitor elder. Her hand that brandished the hilt
of her sword trembled with rage and she had to pray to Caris to
control it.
    Bogdan stepped forward and gazed at the Eye
lustfully. “Amazing . . . all that power, and it is only feet away
from me!”
    Crystal, without revealing her hiding place,
then said in a strong, booming voice, “You will step no further,
Your Majesty.”
    The three men stopped in their tracks and
Bogdan looked right and left for the source of her voice. “Who’s
there? How DARE you speak to me in such a way!”
    “HA! You are not worth such