Read Online Pursuit: An Urban Fantasy Novel (The Lillim Callina Chronicles Book 4) by J.A. Cipriano - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: J.A. Cipriano
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couldn’t even see the fence anymore. Some of the Royal Guards slumped against the gate, electricity sparking through across their bodies. Evidently, even Vajras had limits. Good to know.
“Hey yo,” I called as I whipped out the twin blades that made up my swords. “How are things?”
“They are well,” said the modulated voice of the first Royal Guard, but I could tell he was in pain. I hated the sound of the modulator they used when they talked. I knew it was to help disguise their identity, but still… I mean it made them sound like some kind of robot.
“Good to hear,” I said with a shrug. “If you back off, I’ll come out and you can leave this nice lady’s gate alone.”
“Very well,” said the Royal Guard with a hint of relief as he pulled his hand back with a loud pop. Electricity arced between his hand and the gate like one of those tesla coils before dying away. “I am trusting you, Lillim Callina.”
“Hey, I’m good for it,” I replied with a shrug. I got the impression he was smiling at me as the rest of them removed their hands. As soon as the last one had relinquished his hold on the gate, it began to fade in color, losing that neon glow of energy that had warped and twisted its shape. It slowly bent back into its normal, white picket form as though it had never been touched at all.
“I really need something like that back at home,” I said with a smirk as I pushed on the gate. It opened easily on squeaky hinges, pushing out toward them. Well that was odd, hadn’t it swung inward last time?
“Don’t gates normally swing into a yard?” asked the guard.
“That’s just what I was thinking,” I said as I stared at it. I moved to take a step out, and as I did so, I felt the magical energy of the place sucking at me, trying to keep me inside. I shut my eyes for a second and concentrated on taking a few steps forward. The moment I crossed the border, I felt it like waking from a deep sleep.
I shook my head groggily and opened my eyes. Royal Guards surrounded me from every angle. There were so many. It seemed hard to believe that there were this many of them. One of them made a move to grab my arm, and without thinking, I lashed out with my wakazashi. The flat of the blade caught him across the chest, knocking him backward against his friends. They seemed to stand there unmoving for a moment before reacting to my attack. Well… that was odd.
“You know what’s strange?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at the lead guard. “That there’s so many of you. There probably aren’t this many Dioscuri in the whole of Lot right now, and even if there were, I doubt that there’d be this many Royal Guards.” I smirked and took a step forward, pointing my katana at the leader.
The leader looked down at my katana and snorted. The sound coming out of his voice modulator reminded me of a struggling computer. “Lower your weapon Lillim Callina, you are under arrest,” he said, raising one hand toward my blade to push it away.
“Yeah, that’s not happening,” I replied as I leapt forward. I hit the leader in the chest with my knees, driving him backward under the full force of my weight and riding him down to the ground. His head struck the sand with a wet-sounding thunk.
I was able to stand and dust myself off before the other guards even reacted to my presence. They came at me all at once, movements jerky like wind-up toy soldiers. I dove to the left, passing through the ring of guards with ease and smirked.
“Okay Charlie Thompson, I know you’re out here, just stop before I figure out which one of these duplicates you actually are and feed you to Grover,” I said, jerking my thumb toward the open gate.
“How did you know it was me?” called a lone voice from the back. Despite the modulation, it cracked half-way through with that characteristic screech of a teenage boy.
“Um… how many other Dioscuri have the ability to duplicate themselves?” I asked with a
“Hey yo,” I called as I whipped out the twin blades that made up my swords. “How are things?”
“They are well,” said the modulated voice of the first Royal Guard, but I could tell he was in pain. I hated the sound of the modulator they used when they talked. I knew it was to help disguise their identity, but still… I mean it made them sound like some kind of robot.
“Good to hear,” I said with a shrug. “If you back off, I’ll come out and you can leave this nice lady’s gate alone.”
“Very well,” said the Royal Guard with a hint of relief as he pulled his hand back with a loud pop. Electricity arced between his hand and the gate like one of those tesla coils before dying away. “I am trusting you, Lillim Callina.”
“Hey, I’m good for it,” I replied with a shrug. I got the impression he was smiling at me as the rest of them removed their hands. As soon as the last one had relinquished his hold on the gate, it began to fade in color, losing that neon glow of energy that had warped and twisted its shape. It slowly bent back into its normal, white picket form as though it had never been touched at all.
“I really need something like that back at home,” I said with a smirk as I pushed on the gate. It opened easily on squeaky hinges, pushing out toward them. Well that was odd, hadn’t it swung inward last time?
“Don’t gates normally swing into a yard?” asked the guard.
“That’s just what I was thinking,” I said as I stared at it. I moved to take a step out, and as I did so, I felt the magical energy of the place sucking at me, trying to keep me inside. I shut my eyes for a second and concentrated on taking a few steps forward. The moment I crossed the border, I felt it like waking from a deep sleep.
I shook my head groggily and opened my eyes. Royal Guards surrounded me from every angle. There were so many. It seemed hard to believe that there were this many of them. One of them made a move to grab my arm, and without thinking, I lashed out with my wakazashi. The flat of the blade caught him across the chest, knocking him backward against his friends. They seemed to stand there unmoving for a moment before reacting to my attack. Well… that was odd.
“You know what’s strange?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at the lead guard. “That there’s so many of you. There probably aren’t this many Dioscuri in the whole of Lot right now, and even if there were, I doubt that there’d be this many Royal Guards.” I smirked and took a step forward, pointing my katana at the leader.
The leader looked down at my katana and snorted. The sound coming out of his voice modulator reminded me of a struggling computer. “Lower your weapon Lillim Callina, you are under arrest,” he said, raising one hand toward my blade to push it away.
“Yeah, that’s not happening,” I replied as I leapt forward. I hit the leader in the chest with my knees, driving him backward under the full force of my weight and riding him down to the ground. His head struck the sand with a wet-sounding thunk.
I was able to stand and dust myself off before the other guards even reacted to my presence. They came at me all at once, movements jerky like wind-up toy soldiers. I dove to the left, passing through the ring of guards with ease and smirked.
“Okay Charlie Thompson, I know you’re out here, just stop before I figure out which one of these duplicates you actually are and feed you to Grover,” I said, jerking my thumb toward the open gate.
“How did you know it was me?” called a lone voice from the back. Despite the modulation, it cracked half-way through with that characteristic screech of a teenage boy.
“Um… how many other Dioscuri have the ability to duplicate themselves?” I asked with a
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