Read Online Siege of Night by Jeff Gunzel - Free Book Online

something Dragot would have to do himself. But, as had always been the case, his abilities with using the magical arts, whether elemental or traditional, were too limited to comfortably aid him.
    This was silently yet another reason Dragot hated humans so much. The simple fact that the inherited magical benefits of having the blood of a greater being somehow did not manifest properly within him was obviously the fault of the weak human blood that coursed through his veins. There could to be no other explanation. Dragot could not deny that he did dwell on this little reality from time to time.
    When he was first created centuries ago, the notion had been simple. Krytoes knew the planets would be aligned one day, and the power of the stars would finally allow him to cross into the world of men. But he would need someone working for him from within that realm. To crossbreed a demon and human seemed a logical choice, as the cross would produce someone who would at least have some understanding of how humans thought and why they did the things they did; someone whose body could handle the elements of the human world: be able to breathe the air, drink the water and such.
    The hybrid would also retain all the benefits of demon blood as well: nearly eternal life, magical abilities, and being able to communicate through gateways. But it seemed Dragot fell a bit short in some of these categories. At least he did have the ability to contact Krytoes whenever he needed to. This also seemed to be getting easier and easier with each attempt.
    Not that Dragot was growing in power or any such thing, but with the planets getting closer to the proper alignment, Krytoes was slowly gaining a foothold here as his reach seemed to be growing. He couldn’t penetrate the realm just yet, but he could now touch and influence a great many things he couldn’t before.
    Dragot finally approached his private chambers and entered, feeling a bit more confident than before. What he was asking the dark lord for was truly a simple gift indeed; one that could be provided quite easily. It would put his mind directly in touch with the Gate Keeper’s.
    * * *
    Lord Corzon walked thoughtfully down the stone hallways with his two longtime guests following closely behind. He continued to stroke his thick, black beard as they talked. This particular conversation was of great importance, and he was trying to take in every word. They spoke Common, so he had to concentrate just a little bit harder to be sure fine details were not lost in translation, but only a little, as his grasp of Common was actually quite good, given all the business he conducted regularly with foreigners. They each spoke a touch of Dronin as well, but it was so broken, Common was the better choice here.
    These two guests had come to the city several years ago. Although many came here to buy furs and conduct other business, few of the light-skinned race ever called Dronin home. These two had not only stayed, but had worked their way into mild positions of power over time, each proving themselves to be quite capable in their own right.
    “Only a little farther,” he said over his shoulder as they marched on. “You’re completely sure the city of Taron has been in on this ruse the entire time?”
    “Quite sure, my lord. We have no reason to lie about such a thing,” replied the large man as he quickened his pace to try and keep up. His large, dark eyes glistened as they passed by flickering oil lamps spaced out evenly throughout the hallway. “Isn’t that correct, Tamera?”
    The tall, blonde girl with the puckered mouth smiled for an instant. It seemed to take a bit of effort to get that mouth to change shape. “We were fooled ourselves, my lord. That snake of a queen has had her own agenda the entire time and made fools of us all. Luckily we were able to see through her venomous lies before it was too late.” At times her deep voice sounded just like a man’s.
    Corzon gave a little nod to