Beasts of the Frozen Sun by Jill Criswell

Author:Jill Criswell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Published: 2019-06-19T17:24:38+00:00

Lira didn’t come the next day. Reyker held his breath when the door opened, hopeful despite himself. It was only a guard bringing food and water, shoving it at him, spilling most of it. She didn’t come the day after either.

On the third day, when he’d given up hope, Lira stormed into the cells.

Reyker stared, dumbfounded. Lira sat in front of the bars, offering her hand. “Show me the rest. Show me what you did to that woman.” The challenge in Lira’s voice told Reyker she’d figured out he didn’t go through with it.

He’d pretended not to know how to lie with a woman, feigned ignorance until the other Dragonmen tired of waiting and pushed him aside.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “That I considered it at all is unforgivable.” And the end result was the same. The woman was used. The warlord had made him watch.

“You were only a boy, Reyker. What you nearly did was monstrous, but you refused. You didn’t let Draki turn you into a monster.” Her next words were tentative. “Did the Dragonmen ever … hurt you?”

“They tried.” Over and over. A continuous game. He’d broken men’s arms, jaws, and noses as he fought to get away; he’d broken his own knuckles and fingers. Each time, his escape was narrow. Each time, he feared they would succeed. “I trained until I was strong enough that they stopped trying.”

Others weren’t as lucky. When Reyker could, he protected captives from the Dragonmen’s appetites, but usually he was forced to witness, helpless to stop it.

Reyker squeezed the cell bars so hard the scabs on his knuckles split open and oozed bloody tears.

“What happened?” Lira asked.

“I picked a fight with the wall.”

“Stupid boy,” she chided in Iseneldish. Though she spoke his native tongue awkwardly, it charmed him to hear it.

She tended his knuckles, then made him sit with his back to the bars as she rinsed blood from his hair, her fingers teasing loose the tangles, sending shivers down his scalp.

Why did her mercy hurt more than her hate? Why did it terrify him?

Because you aren’t worthy of it, a voice from the scarred crevices of Reyker’s soul answered. Because you’ll fail her, as you failed your mother.

“I’ve never told anyone about what the Dragonmen tried to do to me,” he said. “Do you think me less of a man for it?” It was easier to ask when he couldn’t see her.

Her hands stilled. Her voice was soft.

“No. You are a man, Reyker. More so than most.”

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.