Page 35 (1/2)

The two looked to be of Asian descent Malcol out in a single spike along the center of his head He had eyes so pale they were alnus was as serious and clean-cut as any huht and three hundred pounds of muscle

Axel waved the threat away "May I recommend you peel my skin from my body, too?"

What could you say to a aze landed on Thane The warrior nodded a greeting

Bjorn and Xerxes frowned as they looked up, up the steps atZacharel, alking onto the dais alongside the six other members of the Elite

There were fourone of Gers of solid gold, that was their only similarity

The blond and dark-eyed Lysander stepped forward, held up his hands, and the crowd instantly quieted Expression serious, he said without any hint of emotion, "It pains me to be the bearer of bad news, but the time has coour king is dead"

KOLDO REELED He wasn’t sure how much time had passed since Lysander had made his pronouncement, he only knew that time had indeed passed Shouts of denial and despair had resounded, and, ehts had broken out, Sent One against maniacal Sent One Tears had been shed and the future of their kind had been be to continue To end Then, one by one, the armies had floay All but Zacharel’s

Zacharel had commanded them to stay, and so they had stayed

Koldo paced back and forth, his bodywasGermanus wasdead Dead

Gone

He never should have allowed his anger to override his affection for the er, but regret He’d known Germanus would disapprove of his plans for his ive the ainst his actions

Noould never again have the opportunity to sit with the Sent One who had fostered and nurtured hi Koldo had endured in his childhood, Gerive him hope for the future And now his body was dust, his spirit in the heavens with the Most High

When could this have possiblyhappened? The answer slid into place before the question finished forht At the ti froreat and powerful being had died, and even the entire world had felt it

But Koldo hadn’t known, hadn’t suspected Had continued on, as if nothing rong

Zacharel waved the soldiers closer They stoht for calm

"We had planned to tell the ar reaction to our first order of businesswell" Zacharel cleared his throat "I want you to know that the Most High didn’t want us lost, even for a e of this realeach of you individually to y Koldo had never met the male, but he had heard of him--heard he was fair, just and driven to succeed

But he wasn’t Gerht down to business, doesn’t he?" Axel muttered in his ear "He’s a man with balls of brass"

"We’re warriors, not babies," Koldo snapped "We don’t need any coddling" But oh, all he wanted was to return to Nicola, tug her into his lap and bury his face in her hair He would sob like the baby he’d just said he wasn’t, ure he’d turned his back on

She would wrap her arms around him and tell him the pain of this loss would pass And he would believe her

"Sorowl rose froret the loss of Germanus?" Was he not torn apart inside?

"I didn’t know hiret that"

Zacharel continued to talk, but not about what Koldo most wanted to know "Hoas he killed?" he finally interjected, able to stand it no longer

Zacharel frowned "That was explained during the--"

"Explain again!" A call fro soul

At any other time, Zacharel would have struck hireen eyes radiated sympathy "Lucifer decided to make another power play forThey didn’t kill hiht away, but absconded with hi the deathblow These deh with their plan for destruction"

Demons

Fury burned his chest Fury and sorrow Guilt and rerowled, his own restraint bursting "We could have hunted the attackers Killed them before they delivered the final blow"