Whispers of the Storm (Song of the Damned Book 1) by Z.B. Steele

Author:Z.B. Steele [Steele, Z.B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2025-03-25T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 26 - Trials and Tribulations, Part II

They split us into three groups of four. One from each school per group. With my pre-ordained wind disposition and cynicism of all things godly, I was misrepresenting Balin, but I was partnered up with Yuna from Tidur’s camp and two other true believers of their respective gods, Odis and Samira. One group was told to wait in the lobby, one was ushered away to converse with Asher, one to talk with Shur, and mine was taken to talk to the woman I hadn’t met.

“Weapon of choice?” she asked. No introduction or explanation were given.

“Liuyedao,” I answered, taking charge of the group.

“Longsword,” Yuna said. I didn’t think she had it in her with her small frame.

“Dual blades,” the boy from Odis’ camp said. He had a body that was hard to visualize, long of arm but short of leg.

“Bo—” the boy from Samira’s group started.

“Sorry, did you say dual blades? Like two swords at the same time?” the woman interrupted.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said with confidence.

“Only the profoundly stupid or the profoundly brave try to wield two blades at once,” she said flatly, cutting the smile off his face quicker than a knife ever could. “Which one are you?”

“I’ve always found them one and the same,” I cut in, trying to cover for him while he floundered for words.

“Cute, already backing one another.” She pulled out a dagger from her belt and began to inspect it. “And you?”

“Bow,” the boy from Samira’s group announced.

“A sensible weapon,” she said pointedly. “But good enough. I’m Cyn’se, second in command of the Vanguards, leader of the Hunters. We hunt, if that wasn’t clear from the name.”

“Who do you hunt?” I asked.

“Heretics, criminals, and general threats to the realm of Usmal,” she answered, still examining her knife.

“I thought Vanguards were meant to protect,” I said.

“Sometimes it’s better to remove a cancer than let it fester. There’s no better way to protect the nation and the Pantheon than to hunt those that would do it harm.”

“What about Reapers?” the dual-wielding boy asked.

That brought her gaze from the knife to us. She smiled then, the smile of vengeance, the smile of sated wolves. At that moment, she reminded me of Lyra.

“Oh, we hunt those. With fervor.”

I resisted the urge to shudder and saw Yuna fail that temptation. The boy with the two blades attached to his hips seemed largely indifferent to the news.

“I’m supposed to test you, so here it is,” Cyn’se said. “In the city, there’s a woman with blonde hair, a green cloak, and a silver medallion. She works in Booktown. Go find her, tell her that Cyn’se is looking for her, and report back. Do it in four hours or don’t come back at all.”

-

We left in a line that was devolving into a panic.

“This is bullshit,” the boy from Odis’ school said. “We’re supposed to be Vanguards, not looking for random women in the biggest city in Usmal.”

“Part of the job,” I said. “First thing’s first, I’m Redlin, and I know where Booktown is.

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.