Shadowed by Demons by Jim Melvin

Author:Jim Melvin [Melvin, Jim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: Bell Bridge Books
Published: 2013-05-29T05:00:00+00:00

Madiraa startled him by touching his shoulder. He turned and smiled at the king’s daughter, and his mind drifted again, this time to the day Madiraa had been born thirty years ago. That day’s joy had been overshadowed by sadness. The queen had died while bringing Madiraa into the world.

I remember it as if it were yesterday.

The princess gave him a puzzled look. “No words for me, Chieftain?”

Kusala chuckled. “As my Vasi master liked to say, ‘The Tyger got my tongue.’”

“You looked almost pale. Are you a Jivitan in disguise?”

“Neither Jivitan nor Nissayan, my lady. For better or worse, I am a Tugar.”

“We both know it’s much for the better. At the least, your people are less judgmental than the rest of us. Will you join me for dinner in the great hall?”

“It’s such a long walk to Nagara,” Kusala said. “Come instead to my pavilion. Churikā slew an elk early this morning. Our cooks are making a stew with strips of Cirāya added to enhance the flavor.”

“I could think of nothing better,” she said.

Then they walked together beneath a hot sun.

“Today is warmer than yesterday, and yesterday was warmer than the day before,” Madiraa said. “If this continues, Nissaya will be an oven by the time the battle begins. Is Invictus somehow to blame for this?”

“Nothing that the sorcerer accomplishes would surprise me. But right now, I’m more concerned about your father. You were going to try to make amends. How did it go?”

The luscious corners of Madiraa’s mouth curved downward. “It was worse than I expected. Not so much because he shouted at me, but because he didn’t. When I caught up with him, it was as if he barely recognized me. Indajaala, of all people, treated me with more courtesy. The conjurer and I followed him all the way to his quarters in the keep, but Father slammed the door in our faces. His eyes looked strange, Kusala. He reminded me of a man addicted to the milk of poppies. That thing consumes him. He has not emerged since yesterday afternoon. What can I do? What should I do?”

“How well do you trust me, my lady?” Kusala said.

“You are like a second father to me. I trust you with my life.”

“And you are wise to do so. I will say this: Your father has a strong will. He won’t change—for good or ill—just because we tell him to. But when Mala arrives, someone must lead Nissaya. Do not be surprised if the rule falls to you and me.”

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