Sytravious: The Lost Warlock Of Moruz (The Oathbreaker Book 1) by E.B. Acevedo Page B

erupted into splinters that disintegrated into ash midair.
                  Raiven raised her arms up to protect herself from the blast, but sensing the incident was over she relaxed.  A few yards ahead, the ground was blackened.  She stood immobile, awestruck by what had just taken place.  Exhilaration overcame her, and she began to tremble. 
                  “Was that…?”
                  “Yes, my dear that was the hand of Vesalys.”  Vienken shuffled over to her side, chuckling uneasily.  When she glanced down at him, he gave her a kind smile.  “I did not expect it would come so easy to you.  You made my demonstration look like child’s play.”
                  The sounds of running disrupted their conversation.  They both diverted their attention to the group of guardians that were barging into the garden.  A tall young man with a full beard and sandy blonde hair was leading the unit.  He was Bryce Duegar, Raiven’s personal guardian. 
                  “What was that?  Is everyone alright?”
    “Yes Bryce, everyone is quite alright here.  The priestess has just surprised us with her gifts, is all.”
    “ Surprised us?”  The guardian snorted in amusement before erupting into full on laughter.  “More like terrified us, along with every other citizen in the vicinity.  People will be thinking Vesalys is coming to strike them down.”
    With a wave of his hand, he excused the other guardians that had come with him, and continued to laugh.  His jovial reaction was contagious.  Raiven and Vienken joined in the merriment.  This was the most enjoyment she had gotten from a lesson thus far.  She was wiping tears from her eyes when she saw him approaching.
    “High Priest, Raiven, I need you to come with me at once,” Kenshiro ordered.
    “What for?” she asked.
    Ignoring the inquiry, her cousin exited the garden and headed in the direction of the castle.  Vienken followed the general, with Raiven and Bryce in tow.  The walk was a short and quiet one, with only the clicking heels of Kenshiro’s boots to break the silence.
    The group approached the dungeon entrance, an unfamiliar area to her.  She knit her brow in concern.  After many flights of stairs and dark, damp hallways, they stopped at a well-lit room.  A smell reminiscent of decomposing animals she had encountered in the forest pervaded her nostrils.  She stepped into the chamber, only to see several corpses lying on stone tables.  A soft gasp escaped her lips, and her hand covered her mouth in horror. 
    “This is the City Constable, Elric Duegar,” Kenshiro stated.  His indifferent attitude led Raiven to believe her cousin wanted to hurry and get to the matter at hand.  She studied the constable while he took a minute to inspect one of the corpses with his spectacle, before addressing them.  Not one of his features led her to believe he was related to her escort, but the surname prompted her to ask, “Duegar?”
    “Yes Priestess, Duegar.  And yes, that brute behind you is my little brother.” 
    The man smiled at her.  She could heard Bryce sniggering behind her as he stepped out of the room.  Kenshiro’s arms were crossed, and lips pursed.  The rapid tapping of his foot echoed in the room.
    “Good, great, wonderful.  They are brothers.  Can we get on with business now?  Some of us have other matters to attend to,” Kenshiro said, “The constable insisted that you two aid him in this particular investigation.”
    “Of course, how may I help you, sir?”  The old dwarf joined the constable in assessing the cadaver.
    “As you are all well aware, there was a commotion in the Foxfire Woods the other day.  These are the casualties from whatever may have happened.  There are five men total.  Every one of them is missing the exact same section of the skin from their forearm.  I do not know the meaning behind it, but I have ruled out womach attacks.  I