Read Online Faery Queen by Michelle M. Pillow - Free Book Online

battlefields. Such was the lot of a knight. But, never had they seen a man come back from the dead.
    â€œLord Eadward?” Hugh whispered, seeing the crest on the creature’s cloak. The symbol was as familiar to him as his own crest. Eadward was Juliana’s dead fiancé and had been a friend of Hugh’s father. The man had been killed by his demon-possessed son, who also happened to be their childhood friend—Sir Nicholas. It took place right before Juliana was taken by Merrick to the Otherworld.
    â€œIt cannot be,” Geoffrey said. “Lord Eadward has been dead for nigh over a year.”
    The fire spread, heating the structure. Hugh kept his eyes forward, ordering the others, “We need to save the horses. These are the best of Bellemare’s stock. We cannot lose them.”
    They slowly backed away, keeping their eyes on the creature. Hugh shivered. Should they confront it? Or did they save the horses and run away? If they chose to fight the beast, how could he kill a dead man? And how could they run away with such a beast on the loose?
    Eadward opened his mouth, gurgling. It was an awful sound, one the man would never have made in his living years. Or was it wrong to think of the creature as Eadward? Hugh’s mind raced, trying to grasp what he was seeing. He knew the possibility of such things as this could exist, but that didn’t make witnessing it any easier to believe.
    Hugh wondered how the creature could see them without eyes, but the face turned as if it knew exactly where the men were. Suddenly, Eadward lunged, baring unholy fangs as he flew through the air with predatory ease, taking them by surprise. Hugh automatically lifted his sword to fight, the motion a reflex from years of training.
    The blade slid into Eadward’s stomach, but the man-beast didn’t stop coming. Bony fingers bit into Hugh’s shoulders seconds before Eadward’s teeth sunk into his neck.
    â€œAhh,” Hugh yelled, pushing the hilt of his sword forward to get the dead man off of him. But Eadward possessed a strength in death that he never had in life as he latched himself into Hugh’s flesh.
    â€œHugh!” Thomas cried.
    â€œKill him,” Hugh yelled, desperate to have the creature off as he was brought to his knees. The blade stuck out of the creature’s back, having run him through to no consequence. Hugh pushed at the bony chest with his free hand as the hilt of his sword pressed into his stomach. His wrist twisted as his sword hand was trapped at an odd angle. Eadward pinned him to the ground, feeling five times heavier than he could’ve possibly weighed.
    â€œPull him off,” Geoffrey hollered. Hugh’s body jerked as they tried to free him from the man-beast’s hold. Eadward gripped him tighter. “Get the head!”
    â€œStand back,” Thomas ordered.
    Hugh’s vision swam and bright spots of light made it hard to see. The fire danced all around him, heating his flesh as the stables continued to burn. Weakly, he mumbled, “Save the horses. They are the best of the stock.”
    Thomas didn’t appear to hear him. The sound of footsteps and yelling ensued behind his head and he knew his men had come to fight the fire. In the chaos, he saw Thomas above him, his sword drawn, his face tight as he swung the blade down. Hugh closed his eyes, his body braced—braced for hope of liberation from his pain, braced in fear that the strike wouldn’t come fast enough. Water doused his head as more shouts sounded. Thomas screamed. Eadward’s body jerked off of Hugh, releasing the pressure on his stomach, but the creature’s gnawing head was still in place. Then, a fiery heat cut through his arm as Thomas didn’t stop the swing of the blade in time.
    Dizzy, Hugh opened his eyes to see Geoffrey pulling Eadward’s head from his neck only to toss it into the flames. He heard the horses being led to safety, or was that