Soul of the Crow: An Epic Dark Fantasy (Reapers of Veltuur Book 1), стр. 70
“Acari!”
The king jerks, and for a moment, I feel relief surge through me when I realize I have just thwarted whatever attempts on the king’s life that Acari was about to take. I have alerted the king, and now he and Acari both shall live.
My running feet slow to a stop though once I’m close enough to see how very wrong I am. In Acari’s hands is an empty glass box. The king’s thrashing continues, not the startled jerking of someone who has just been surprised, but the frantic and desperate flapping of limbs of someone fighting for their life.
“No,” I whimper. “You didn’t. Please tell me, you did not just kill him...”
The king convulses once more, twice. As his body floats in the water near stillness, I see the mollusk-like creature attached to his neck, and I recognize the aacsi, the same creature that has now taken all but one of Acari’s family members from him.
The king blinks up at the ceiling, before his final breath wheezes from his lungs.
My tear-filled eyes find Acari’s. His gaze lingers on my forehead, then shifts to my hands.
“You—your hands are… What did you—How did you—”
If he has no words, then neither do I. Maybe if we had more time, but I already know we do not. The king’s dying breath is like a beacon. It won’t be long now before—
The shadows in the room waver, inky blackness creeping along the walls and ceiling. They reach across the floor, clawing for Acari. He scrambles backward, trying to get away, only to stumble into a waiting claw. Another emerges. Then another.
“Help!” he yells, reaching toward me.
If I was anyone else, I would likely charge toward him. I would grab his hands, and I would yank and pull, I would strain my muscles to try to pry him free. But I am not someone else. I am a former Reaper. I was claimed by the Wraiths and taken to my own initiation in Veltuur, and I know that now that it has begun, there is nothing that can be done.
I shake my head, trying to convey my sorrow.
His hand drops, slowly to his side, understanding settling, though it does nothing to tamper the rampant rise and fall of his chest.
Once the Wraiths have hold of his ankles, I hear the feathers.
I duck as birds soar through the room, diving at me and diving for him. They circle him, closing in tighter and tighter until I can barely see him.
As I watch Acari disappear behind smoke and feathers, I yell the only thing I can think might bring him comfort. “I will protect her! I will protect Gem!”
But he does not respond. Instead, the shadows blink, and the room goes back to normal, and I am left entirely alone, with nothing but a corpse and a satiated aacsi for company.
27
A Reaper Born
Acari
Stagnant air fills my lungs and fogs my mind. I blink rapidly, eagerly, trying to remember…something. I rub my hands together to help me focus and notice they’re clammy to the touch, but I can’t remember why.
“Acari.”
The name is familiar and sweet, and I long to respond to it, like it is a summons that I can’t deny.
I turn to face the person using it and find a gaunt man in red robes. I—I should feel something, but I don’t. I am just simply here.
“Welcome,” the gaunt man says, his smile thin and taut. “You know what is to come?”
I think for a second, considering the question. When an answer comes to mind, I wonder if maybe that’s what I was trying to remember earlier. “Yes, Councilspirit.”
The other Councilspirits emerge around him, and I nod at each of them with respect. I don’t know why, but it feels like the right thing to do.
“Then go, walk among the trees and select your crow.”
To be continued in…
Heart of the Sungem
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Acknowledgments
Special thanks to my brother Michael and my mom Julie for letting me brainstorm this series extensively with them.
As always, I also have to thank my editor, Sandra Ogle, who continues to amaze me with her fine attention to detail. Any typos still existing in this text are most certainly my fault for making last-minute tweaks.
My cover designer, Clair Holt of Luminescence Covers deserves a tremendous round of applause as well. Not only did she rally behind me when I told her I wanted to get this book on a bestselling list, but she went above and beyond to do everything she could to help me do so. At the time of writing this, the book was still on pre-order, so I’m not sure if it made it, but regardless, I will always be grateful to her for sprucing up the original premade cover I had purchased from her a year prior.
And last, but certainly not least, a HUGE shout-out has to go to the alpha readers for this one: Elina V., Geetha K., Tony D., Eryn R., and of course my Ink & Insights judges: Amy, Brittany, Esther, and Jennifer. Your feedback changed this story, and for the better! It helped me get a better understanding of my characters and the world I created and thought I knew. Thank you so much for taking the time to read the first draft and write-up your feedback.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jessaca