Swords of the Six by Scott Appleton

Author:Scott Appleton [Appleton, Scott]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction, Christian, Fantasy, Epic, Religious
ISBN: 9780899578606
Google: h053cgAACAAJ
Amazon: 0899578608
Publisher: Amg Pubs
Published: 2011-02-28T23:00:00+00:00

TRAITOR’S END

The sisters drew near, the witch’s face paled ghastly white, and they grasped their swords. Drops of red liquid collected at the blades’ lowered tips and splattered on the stone floor.

“No, it cannot be.” The witch tried to rise to her elbows, but she fell back. Her sapphire eyes fastened on the swords and she swallowed. “This cannot be,” she repeated, still gazing at the sisters’ rusted weapons.

Caritha’s hand shook as she raised her blade, holding it over the woman’s heart. A tear formed in her eye. “Please,” she said, “do not make us do this. Let us continue on our way. I don’t want to kill you.”

“What?” Rose’el snarled, glancing at Caritha. “You’re going to let her live? After—after she tried to kill us?”

“Mercy? You want to show me mercy?” The witch laughed. “You have not the courage it would take to strike me down, daughter of the dragon, and I deign not to accept your mercy. I will kill you—and your sisters—before you set one step farther into my chambers.”

Rose’el reacted so quickly that she took Dantress by surprise. “Hmph!” the sister said, flipping her sword upside down and grasping it by the blade. And she struck the sword’s pommel against the side of the woman’s head.

The witch’s eyes rolled back into her head, her body fell limp.

Rose’el flipped her sword’s blade pointing it up and grasped its handle, “Now, that ought to take care of that nasty tongue of hers.” She nodded at Caritha.

Her older sister stared past them to the far end of the room and did not respond. Dantress followed Caritha’s gaze. A large oval bed stood in the midst of white and red strips of cloth hanging from the ceiling. Fluffy white pillows scattered over its thick quilt-like cover. Six bronze posts supported the bed, each of them fashioned in the form of a King Cobra ready to strike.

A baby cried.

Dantress’s sisters grabbed her shoulders to hold her back, but she pulled away. The baby’s cries led her around the bed to a crib made of dark wood. She touched it and it rocked gently, leaning over to watch life’s little miracle.

“Shh, don’t cry.” She reached down. She had never held a baby before. Its face was red, and its tiny, tiny hands were balled into weak fists. And it had thick, dark hair.

“Dantress, what are you doing? We shouldn’t linger here.” Caritha walked around to the opposite side of the crib.

But Dantress reached down anyway, pulling the little one from its loneliness and holding it to her bosom. The child’s cries softened.

“Can I see?” Evela approached and pulled aside the child’s wrapping. “Ooh, it’s a boy.”

Levena smiled. “He’s cute. Wonder if he has a name?”

“Girls!” Caritha bit her lower lip. “What do you think you are doing? Don’t you realize what that is?”

“I think they know perfectly well.” Laura stood next to Dantress and ran her finger along the infant’s naked arm. “He is the son of a witch.” She turned to point at the prone woman.

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