Read Online Firebrand by R.M. Prioleau - Free Book Online Page A

sat on the filthy ground in front of a closed tailor shop. His eyes stared up at the sky while one of his labor-worn hands clutched a sheepskin flask. Kaijin studied the symbol embroidered on the man’s tunic. The image of an eye, Kaijin recalled from one of his books, was a brand associated with the god Malik.
    A small sigh of relief escaped Kaijin’s lips. He slowly rose, dusted himself off, and gathered the parchment. He regarded the man warily as he reached for a stray parchment that sat beside him. “I’m—I’m sorry, sir, but I must go.”
    The man snorted and took a long sip from his flask before exhaling, his breath reeking strongly of ale. He wiped his lips with the back of his sleeve. “Damn right, we all gotta go. It’s war, I tell ya! They’re coming t’eat us all! T’feed on our souls like hungry wolves!” He rumbled in laughter.
    Kaijin made a face and covered his nose to suppress the sickening smell. He tried making sense of the man’s ramblings. “Who’s coming?”
    The man scratched the salt-and-pepper stubble of his beard. His hazel eyes gleamed at the boy. “Monsters! Undead! Things that go bump in the night, y’know? Spooky critters that hide under th’ bed while ya sleep! I saw a man walk with th’ dead before, I did!” He paused, thumped his chest with his fist, and belched.
    The man’s warning left Kaijin shaking. “M–monsters?” He stared at the man, wide-eyed before averting his eyes to the night sky. “No. You’re only joking. There are no monsters ... right?”
    “Seen ’em with my own eyes, I did.” He ran his hand over a rusted mace at his side. “Don’t waste ya time praying t’ no damn god. They won’t help ya. No one will. There’s too many of ’em. Th’ end is comin’ sooner than ya think! Th’gods failed me—they failed us all! From that wench, Celestra, to that flaming nuisance, Ignis, to that damnable bastard, Malik!” He paused and clutched at the symbol emblazoned on his tunic as he spoke the latter name. “To hells with them! To hells with every single damned Exodean god in existence! They allowed this to happen!” Growling, he reached inside the front of his tunic and pulled out a golden priestly charm that hung around his neck. It shone weakly in the moonlight. He tore off the necklace and tossed it to the ground. “S’only a matter of time before this place is overrun. Run while ya can, boy, ’cause when ya can’t run no more, death’s gonna come!”
    Kaijin’s eyes scrutinized the discarded necklace in the dirt at his feet. The charm was the symbol of a burning flame. He blinked at the drunkard. “That—that’s the symbol of the Firelord!”
    The man grunted and kicked at him. “It’s junk. I don’t serve none but myself. Th’ worthless gods ain’t protectin’ us. They never gave a damn about us. We’re all doomed.” He paused to drink the last bit of ale from his flask.
    Kaijin reached down, snatched up the golden holy symbol, and stuffed it into his belt pouch while the man was occupied with his flask. Kaijin proceeded to leave the drunkard to his thoughts but was stopped by a shrouded figure looming behind him.
    “Stealing from a holy man?”
    Kaijin gulped, startled by the closeness of the sickly voice. He whirled around and stared up at the deep shadow of the stranger’s face. Kaijin’s heart pounded, and he stepped back. “Ahh ...”
    “I asked you a question, boy.” The stranger stepped forward into a small patch of moonlight. The dim glow revealed the thin, bony face of a diseased-looking man. He stood hunched over in tattered cloth robes, his dark eyes scrutinizing the boy. His brown hair was long, scraggly, and matted with dirt.
    Kaijin inched backward. His shaky hands clutched the bundle of parchment while his eyes scanned the area, trying to find a suitable escape route.
    The stranger closed the short distance between them. He eyed the parchment in Kaijin’s hands. “You look familiar. Where are you going