Realm Shifters by Forever Fantasies Publishing

Author:Forever Fantasies Publishing [Publishing, Forever Fantasies]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-03-11T18:30:00+00:00

Kyla looked up, letting the rain wash the tears off of her cheeks. She’d managed to hold it together long enough to inform Nameer and the rest of the task force, but as she’d tried to get ready for bed, panic and guilt had overwhelmed her. The storm was holding steady, but the balcony had been the only place she felt like she could breathe.

She gripped the stone railing of the balcony, scraping her fingers as she did so. Rain burned in the wounds. It was nothing compared to what her men had gone through. A sob ripped free of her painfully tight throat and she went to her knees. How could this have happened? They had trusted her!

Kyla wasn’t sure how long she crouched there, letting the rain pelt her back and soak through her clothes. She didn’t pull away when Nameer knelt beside her and put his hand on the nape of her neck, but she didn’t go into his arms either.

“I led them to their deaths,” she said, her voice so low that it was almost covered by the thunder.

“Is that what you think?” he asked. “My love, they chose to follow you.”

“How do I know that?” she asked frantically. “How do I know that they weren’t just doing what they felt like they had to do?”

“Have I ever told you about my father?”

“What?” She squinted up at him. He looked strangely calm.

“My father. The king before me.”

“No,” she admitted.

“His name was Fanrith,” Nameer said, leaning back against the balcony rail and pulling Kyla against him, his arm around her shoulders. For all of his apparent ease, it might have been a bright summer day, rather than a raging storm. “Fanrith the Unwavering.”

“Are you a the?” she asked, momentarily distracted.

“What?”

“Nameer the...”

“Oh. No. I have not yet earned my title. I have been king too short a time.” He sighed. “With this unrest, I wonder what they will choose to call me.” When Kyla ducked her head, he went on. “As I was saying, his rule was long and largely uneventful. But he used to tell me stories from our history. Once, long ago, there was a king called Trushir the Victorious. He lived in a time of war.”

“And I guess he was good at it,” Kyla murmured.

“That’s what I thought,” Nameer replied. “But my father said he was only victorious on the backs of his soldiers. He conscripted them into service whether they wanted to fight or not. He forced whole families to give their lives for small causes in his search for power. Our troubles with Seeba began then, as well as our troubles with many other surrounding lands. For decades the cities were damp with blood. Finally, my ancestors overthrew him. Part of our promise was that no man would fight a battle that he did not choose.”

“So this guy wasn’t your ancestor?” She was strangely relieved.

“No. But our family has ruled ever since. And we’ve ruled over men who were never forced to fight. Kyla, your soldiers were with you because they believed it was the right thing to do.

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