Prologue — Betrayal (Book I)

The Streets of Annwyn

Rain fell on Eve like a waterfall as she waited for him to arrive. She couldn't remember any storms like this all summer, or ever. The sky became an artist's madness as lightning ripped through the heavens and revealed the torrent of storm. Clouds swirled in an ever-changing nightmare with unending frenzy. She was not ready for this; what she wore allowed her to become shadow, to hide her face and move about unseen. None of this prevented her from being soaked and battered by the storm.

Priest Kristov had called on her to perform a task at an odd hour and in a suspicious place. The bond was easier to use to communicate and more discreet, but meeting in person was better. As Kristov's Handii, paired with him for nine decades, she trusted him with her life, but things around the city were mystifying as of late. The little things didn't add up. This storm was no exception. Storms gave signs beforehand, revealing themselves through dark clouds forming in the sky, the sun's color, and heavy moisture in the air. But this storm had come bout without warning only moments ago.

Winds whipped all around her, pushing her left and right. The hair on her head and arms stood on end as lightning struck nearby, and the thunder vibrated through to her core. Branches and leaves circling everywhere. Eve didn't mind storms; in fact, she liked them. She enjoyed lying in bed at night looking out the window and seeing the lighting flash, listening to the thunder roll through the night sky. This was not an ordinary storm, however. She kept seeing shadows out of the corner of her eyes that made her jump.

"What am I doing?" Handii didn't jump at shadows; they were the shadows.

Lightning struck the ground with a deafening roar. That in itself wasn't normal. The storm was being driven like a herd of cattle to a place it didn't want to go, raging toward a cliff of suicidal destruction. She truly hated being here at this moment.

He informed her of the meeting place; she contemplated the location, not one she would choose. On this bridge, they would be seen from every direction. From experience she knew you can hide things in plain sight, and no one will notice. That did not apply here. She didn't like the area. A meeting at midnight on a bridge only meant someone was up to something. She didn't understand his thinking.

But now, she could see the storm, in all its glory, prevented anyone from seeing them.

She observed him as he approached from the southern part of the city. Kristov wore a long greenish-black coat, which protected his tall, trim frame. He dressed as if the storm had roared for hours. How did he know about this?

"What am I doing? That is the question."

A fleeting sense of fear shot through her heart. What was he doing?

He walked, no, he strolled his way towards her as if he hadn't a care in the world. As though for him it were another perfect summer day, the birds singing about him and a gentle breeze blowing on his back, instead of a sadistic storm surrounding them both and threatening their lives. He came at her with an air of superiority and stopped out of arms reach. He didn't care. Everything about him suggested that he had complete control. She sensed nothing from him. She wondered, did he summon this storm? She understood he'd betrayed her, not because of the bond they shared but based on his swagger, his stance. The stench of his arrogance oozed from him.

Kristov stared at her in disdain. "Yes, whatever have I done?" He lifted his right hand above his shoulder and spoke a single word, "Sha-tu."

Lightning bolted downward from the sky into his hand and straight at her, throwing her backward several yards. Eve's mind was simultaneously devoid of thoughts and reeling. How could he have done this to her? They were paired for life. Her clothes smoldering, the stench of her burnt hair wafted through her nostrils. She tried to stand, but he struck her again.

"Oh, please do get up. You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this to you. I am Soooo going to enjoy this."

...the betrayal unfolds...