Page 1 of Desolation
Prologue
Ashes and embers flow in the air, the evidence of a dying—no,dead—battle. Soot plasters my skin, coats my hair, completely obscuring the copper hues from sight. My eyes drift across the blood-soaked battlefield.
Body parts scattered across the grounds that had been my home only hours before. An arm, a leg, a beheaded corpse.
My gaze catches, my heart stops, as the bodies of my loved ones come into view. My kingdom's people, my parents, my best friend—
My mates.
I’ve lost every single person in my life in what feels like seconds.
I stumble over a decapitated body and fall to the ground.When did I start walking?A sharp rock lances my hip, piercing through my thin armor, as my leg gives way under my weight. In my desperation to get to my mates, I forgot that the bastard Dark Fae fractured my left leg in battle.
But nothing else matters besides them. I must get to them. This can’t be the end.
I put my weight on my forearms and push, hissing out a breath between tightly clenched teeth. My biceps shake from the pressure and my shoulders collapse before I manage to lift myself up. The pain in my leg is excruciating, causing me to clench my teeth so hard they might crack. My vision fills with black dots and unconsciousness threatens. I can’t think, only breathe, only hope that the agony lessens.
With every turbulent heartbeat, the memory of broken promises stab at me.
I promised them I would see us through this unharmed.
I promised them I would marry them after this war was over.
I promised them I would finish this today.
Choking back a sob, the finality of the situation sinks into my soul. I had been overconfident in my abilities and my loved ones had suffered the consequences of my arrogance. This ismyfault. There is no one to blame but me.
So many broken promises … How did I let this happen? This has to be a nightmare. Please, Gaia, don't let this be my reality.
A sharp kick to my chin snaps my head back as pain spreads through my jaw. The recoil from the kick causes my head to fall forward, dangling towards the ground, exhausted.
Blood pools in my mouth and I spit it onto the ground, trying to hold onto consciousness when a deep, rumbling laugh echoes across the open expanse of my fallen home. The hairs on my arms stand up and my burned-out power flares within me, reacting defensively to the sound.
Anshar.
I may have broken many promises but I can still honor one.
This ends today.
He kneels, invading my line of sight, staring into my eyes with a sadistic grin. "Are you done feeling sorry for yourself, Oslana? Or should I continue to beat the self-pity out of you? I could keep playing kickball with your pretty little head."
He holds a lock of my hair, rolling it between his fingers, that smirk ever-present. "Or I could give you a quick and painless death. It’s your choice. All you have to do is take the lock off of your soul’s power. Let me consume it and I will end this now. Look around. You have nothing left to live for anyway."
I stare into his eyes, searching for the soul that I know he used to have. The boy he used to be. The friend I spent my childhood playing with. Surely, he has to be there.
"Your mates," he says with a delighted sigh in his voice, a maniacal glint in his jade-colored eyes, as he stares at his bloodstained talons in adoration. "Cutting their hearts out with my bare hands gave me such a rush."
My blood turns to ice.No.The boy I had loved is dead. In his place stands this sick monster before me.
Even as sadness flows through me for the boy he used to be, my resolve steels and calmness overwhelms the grief of what I must do. This man can never have my powers. Gaia gifted them to me at my birth, prophesying a disastrous future in need of salvation. Salvation only my abilities can provide.
He will never have access to my Goddess-given gifts.
My mind works overtime and a plan forms.
A single talon runs down and across my cheek, forming the letter ‘A’ into my skin, marking me as his. Warm blood trickles down the side of my face but I won’t give him the satisfaction of seeing my discomfort. In truth, the pain of this minor cut is nothing compared to the loss of my family.
He was right when he said I had nothing left to live for.
