Read Online The Queen of Thieves: The Line of Kings Trilogy Book Three by Craig R. Saunders, Craig Saunders - Free Book Online Page B

into my hands!'
                The mage was the
author of her despair. Far more dangerous, she knew without doubt, than the
hundred soldiers arrayed against them.
                He laughed again and
the fire in his eyes grew, like a torrent. There were no further words. The
unnatural, magical fire roared toward them like a rolling boulder, a great rock
made of fire, consuming everything in its path.
                Rena screamed. Asram
loosed his arrow at the mage, but it was burned to nothing as it passed through
the fire.
                Then, there was
nothing but peace.
                Rena opened her eyes,
expecting fire but instead seeing who must be the most beautiful woman in the
world standing before her.
                The woman spoke
again, in Rena's mind.
                Good girl, she
said, mind to mind. You fought the despair. We'll make a witch of you yet,
maybe.
                The stunning woman gave
no indication that holding back the fire was any effort at all. She smiled at
Rena.
                'Tarn was a lucky
man,' said Selana, out loud this time. 'You are truly beautiful, child,' she
told Rena, as though she were just passing the time of day.
                They stood within a
calm circle, untouched by the fire that grew in the air around them.
                'What magic is this?'
said Asram, his face paler now faced with magic than it had been when faced
with an army.
                'A woman's magic,'
said the Queen of Thieves without rancour or passion. 'Learn it well, Rena,
girl who would be queen. Learn it well,' said Selana with a soft smile. She
ignored the fire all around them as though it were no more a hindrance to her
than a balmy summer's day.
                Selana, the Queen of
Thieves, slowly turned in a wide circle.
                She spoke no arcane
words, but where a moment before her face held a gentle smile for Rena and
Asram, now it was cold and harsh and more terrible than anything Rena had ever
seen.
                Selana turned, faster
and faster. The fire around their shell of peace became molten rain that burst
outward in a great flash, blinding Rena.
                Blinded though she
was, Rena had no trouble hearing the screams of the invaders. The fire burned
every soldier in sight, and the Hierarch mage. The screams were horrifying, but
tears no longer fell from Rena's eyes. She smiled herself, a little, and
worried now that she was truly mad...even if a little. She was happy, because
they were safe, and the enemy burned.
                Burn, you
bastards, she thought.
                Rena's sight returned,
slowly, as though she had just glanced at the suns.
                The Hierarch mage and
his soldiers twirled and rolled and tried to put out the flames that lit them.
                They could do
nothing, though. In mere minutes, everything living creature outside the shell
was charred black. There was nothing alive, just smoking corpses.
                'A woman's magic,'
said the Queen again, to Rena more than Asram. 'Can be a terrible thing.'
     
    *
     

 
    Chapter
Twenty-Two
     
    The rain of fire ended, the last
few flames still licking at the frozen trees and the blackened bodies of the
soldiers. The shield that had protected Rena and Asram fell away. Finally she
could hear again, though she had not realised that the sounds outside were
deadened before. She heard the snowfall sizzling, and the trees, charred and
crackling all around them. Every Hierarch surrounding them still burned with
that unnatural fire. Their immolated bodies poured with noxious smoke.
                Gods, thought
Rena, death stank.
                As the enemy burned their
arms and legs gradually curled in, until they looked like babies in their
sleep. At this thought the babe Tarn gave a satisfied