Kingdom of Dark Souls: The Dark Kingdom Book One by Jaci Miller

Author:Jaci Miller [Miller, Jaci]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780998806983
Publisher: Solitary Pen Press
Published: 2022-01-22T06:00:00+00:00

36

Cereli

She rode her steed steadfast through the lands, passing rivers, dells, and farmsteads until she reached the dark forest in the north of her kingdom. Her scouts had reported seeing him here days before, and she hoped, knowing his insufferable ego, that he was still lingering in her domain.

A whiff of campfire smoke confirmed he was.

Pulling on the reins, she directed her horse off the main road and into a beaten trail that led straight into the heart of the thick forest. It took her only minutes to see the glow of the campfire and hear the crackle of the burning wood.

Dismounting she tied the reins to a tree and proceeded to walk carefully toward the encampment. The last thing she needed was to startle one of the most infamous assassins on the continent. If her death was to come soon, it would not be at the hand of this man and his unsavory lot.

As she mulled her potential demise, movement to her left caught her eye.

From the shadows of the trees stepped a hulking figure. He wore a black leather jacket tight over his large frame with matching pants tucked into brown leather boots. The sleeves were pushed high up his muscular tattooed forearms and the jacket was open, revealing a dark hairy chest. Multiple small silver rings pierced his nostrils, and a solitary silver key hung from a thick black cord around his neck.

It was rumored that key opened a vault hidden somewhere in the Kingdom of Zion that was full of riches. Cereli surmised it was all a ploy, a rumor started by the big man in front of her to enhance his already ominous reputation.

“Fancy seeing the queen herself in this forest.” His voice was deep and bellowed through the stillness of the night. The gold tooth at the front of his mouth glinted as he spoke.

“It is my land,” she pointed out.

“It is that, but so far away from the comfort of the castle.” He looked around. “No royal guard commander?”

“I’ve come alone.”

A wry smile slid over his face. “Do you think that wise, Your Majesty?”

“I think it smart.”

“How so?”

“I like to keep my business private.”

“Ah, so you’ve come to hire, then?”

“Yes.”

“And what could the powerful queen of Ravenia possibly need a treacherous fiend like me for? Doesn’t the commander do all your dirty work?”

Cereli remained passively disinterested. “The commander is otherwise engaged.”

“So you’ve come to ask Dagget Ra to fill in?” He chuckled and gestured for her to follow him to the fire.

Dagget Ra was a for-hire type mercenary. If the price was right, he didn’t care much for the details of the job. He’d steal, kill, maim, kidnap, mutilate, or rape if someone lined his pockets with gold. His only redeeming quality, and it was a stretch, was that he did none of those things for fun.

After pouring her a goblet of sour wine, he sat across from her and asked, “What is it Her Majesty wishes done?”

“I want Jerome Mensah dead.”

Dagget Ra raised a brow.

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