Lichgates: Book One of the Grimoire Saga (an Epic Fantasy Adventure) by S.M. Boyce Page B
Authors: S.M. Boyce
Ads: Link
savage way of life.
If you are to take my place, you must trust no one who has a blood loyalty. The time will come when you will doubt everything you stand for, but you must push forward and never stop. Don’t let others speak for you, or you will lose your voice forever.
Kara leaned back against the headboard but didn’t lift her eyes from the pages. They began to flip again, one after another, until the book turned to the back cover. A single sentence was carved into the hard binding, written in a crooked and hasty script.
You are the last of us.
CHAPTER NINE
QUESTIONS
“You didn’t hear a thing I just said, did you?”
Kara jumped at the voice and pulled the Grimoire to her chest in her surprise. She had tuned out everything else in her room at Hillside as she read, and it took her a moment to get her bearings.
A slender girl in a simple green gown with no sleeves stood at the foot of the bed, hands making dents in the soft blanket as she leaned on the comforter. The Hillsidian girl had rich black hair, brown skin, and a wide smile that covered most of her face. She laughed.
“I apologize if I scared you! My name’s Twin. I’ve actually been here for a good five minutes, just talking away. I thought you heard me come in. I brought you clothes.”
Twin held up the dress in her hands.
“Oh, thank you!”—Kara paused—“I hope this isn’t rude, but may I please have some pants?”
The girl laughed as if it had been a moderately interesting joke and draped the dress over the mirror, blocking the view of the forest. Kara closed the Grimoire and settled into the bed as Twin closed the window.
“Braeden asked me to help you while you stay with us in Hillside, so if you need anything, just let me know.” Twin glanced over a shoulder. “What book are you reading?”
Kara cleared her throat. “It’s nothing.”
“That sounds exciting.” Twin giggled and walked into an adjoining room behind the mirror, which Kara hadn’t noticed before. The rush of water filling a tub resonated across the room’s tile.
Kara rubbed the small diamond in her pendant and wished the Grimoire away. The red leather glowed and broke into dust that spiraled into her pendant. The diamond gleamed, blue once more.
She stood, wincing as she put weight on her feet. The throbbing in her muscles worsened. Standing was painful, but she hobbled to the window in a stubborn effort to look out onto the forest. Beyond even the most distant line of trees were towering, snowcapped mountains, where clouds scraped the summits and reflected sunlight from the noon sky.
“Well, that should be ready for you,” Twin announced as she came back into the room. “I will let you control the heat as you please, of course.”
“Is there a temperature gauge or something?”
“What?” Twin paused, rubbing her hands together and waiting for the punch-line.
“You know, a knob. A handle, or—”
“You can use whatever method of water-warming you prefer, but I have never heard of this knob technique.”
“What? Oh—” Kara laughed. “I’m human. I don’t know magic, or at least, I’m not very good at it. So unless there’s a knob in there, I can’t really do anything.”
“You—You’re human?” Twin’s cheeks flushed green.
“Oh. Um...” Kara bit her lip. Was that supposed to be a secret?
Oops.
Twin gaped, unable to move, and Kara sighed deeply. That had been stupid. There were gentler ways of introducing herself.
“Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would matter,” Kara said, brushing Twin gently on her bare shoulder to reinforce the apology.
The light in the room drained, dissolving into the same darkness that had preceded Braeden’s memory. Gold and white wisps sprang from the floor and circled around her, streaking across the black horizon in thick strokes as they painted the tree line of a forest. Other wisps carved out a path and created a tall woman with a small nose. She was
If you are to take my place, you must trust no one who has a blood loyalty. The time will come when you will doubt everything you stand for, but you must push forward and never stop. Don’t let others speak for you, or you will lose your voice forever.
Kara leaned back against the headboard but didn’t lift her eyes from the pages. They began to flip again, one after another, until the book turned to the back cover. A single sentence was carved into the hard binding, written in a crooked and hasty script.
You are the last of us.
CHAPTER NINE
QUESTIONS
“You didn’t hear a thing I just said, did you?”
Kara jumped at the voice and pulled the Grimoire to her chest in her surprise. She had tuned out everything else in her room at Hillside as she read, and it took her a moment to get her bearings.
A slender girl in a simple green gown with no sleeves stood at the foot of the bed, hands making dents in the soft blanket as she leaned on the comforter. The Hillsidian girl had rich black hair, brown skin, and a wide smile that covered most of her face. She laughed.
“I apologize if I scared you! My name’s Twin. I’ve actually been here for a good five minutes, just talking away. I thought you heard me come in. I brought you clothes.”
Twin held up the dress in her hands.
“Oh, thank you!”—Kara paused—“I hope this isn’t rude, but may I please have some pants?”
The girl laughed as if it had been a moderately interesting joke and draped the dress over the mirror, blocking the view of the forest. Kara closed the Grimoire and settled into the bed as Twin closed the window.
“Braeden asked me to help you while you stay with us in Hillside, so if you need anything, just let me know.” Twin glanced over a shoulder. “What book are you reading?”
Kara cleared her throat. “It’s nothing.”
“That sounds exciting.” Twin giggled and walked into an adjoining room behind the mirror, which Kara hadn’t noticed before. The rush of water filling a tub resonated across the room’s tile.
Kara rubbed the small diamond in her pendant and wished the Grimoire away. The red leather glowed and broke into dust that spiraled into her pendant. The diamond gleamed, blue once more.
She stood, wincing as she put weight on her feet. The throbbing in her muscles worsened. Standing was painful, but she hobbled to the window in a stubborn effort to look out onto the forest. Beyond even the most distant line of trees were towering, snowcapped mountains, where clouds scraped the summits and reflected sunlight from the noon sky.
“Well, that should be ready for you,” Twin announced as she came back into the room. “I will let you control the heat as you please, of course.”
“Is there a temperature gauge or something?”
“What?” Twin paused, rubbing her hands together and waiting for the punch-line.
“You know, a knob. A handle, or—”
“You can use whatever method of water-warming you prefer, but I have never heard of this knob technique.”
“What? Oh—” Kara laughed. “I’m human. I don’t know magic, or at least, I’m not very good at it. So unless there’s a knob in there, I can’t really do anything.”
“You—You’re human?” Twin’s cheeks flushed green.
“Oh. Um...” Kara bit her lip. Was that supposed to be a secret?
Oops.
Twin gaped, unable to move, and Kara sighed deeply. That had been stupid. There were gentler ways of introducing herself.
“Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would matter,” Kara said, brushing Twin gently on her bare shoulder to reinforce the apology.
The light in the room drained, dissolving into the same darkness that had preceded Braeden’s memory. Gold and white wisps sprang from the floor and circled around her, streaking across the black horizon in thick strokes as they painted the tree line of a forest. Other wisps carved out a path and created a tall woman with a small nose. She was
Similar Books
