Astrodiac (eBook)

Signs of a New World

Eric Kitchen (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2017 | 1. Auflage
328 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
978-1-5439-0266-2 (ISBN)

Infos

In the land of Austere, a select few are blessed with supernatural abilities based on their Zodiac Signs. Of these few, the highest-ranking form the powerful governing council known as the Hierarchy. When murderous conspiracies erupt within the Hierarchy, the consequences threaten to disrupt the lives of a corrupt conspirator, the son of a slain leader, a girl kidnapped at birth, a research scientist, and a young woman seeking justice-all of whom navigate a path which will connect their destinies in their pursuits of love, discovery, and revenge.

Textauszug

CHAPTER ONE

Landon

An ominous wind blew cold through the grand city of Prominence. Rarely did the cold winds from the far regions of Austere reach the inner city, but when they did, it was certainly a bad omen. The woman lying on the ground, cradled in a pool of her own blood, proved such a superstition.

The cobblestone streets were empty, and the few lantern posts that lined the main street weren’t lit as was usual. Only the post above the body glowed with the light of fire, the wind rocking the lantern that hung from it back and forth.

Landon Radke stood over the body, his glowing blue eyes scanning the blackening night. He wore a black cloak, exposing only his left arm where a black swirl that had branded him at birth marked him as a Sign Leo. The separate emblem printed in bold silver on his cloak proved him to be a member of the Hierarchy, and that meant he was of the highest ranked Signs in all the land—head and strongest member of his Sign Leo. He ran a hand through the dark waves on his head and let out a heavy sigh. Kivah stood alert at his side, black as night with bright, luminous yellow eyes that could frighten the life out of a man. She let out a low growl, and her fur stood on end. With the panther at his side, the two made a formidable duo few were willing to confront. Still, someone was trying hard to get his attention.

Something’s wrong, Landon heard in his mind as Kivah growled, and he knew she was correct. Her voice was clear and smooth, whispering what her senses told her as she peered through the darkness.

Varrick stepped into the only lit portion of the street, a golden crest on his cloak displaying his Sign, Gemini, and below it, the same bold silver emblem that was printed on Landon’s cloak, marking him the head and strongest Sign Gemini in the land and current member of the Hierarchy.

“Who do you think would’ve done it?” Varrick inquired as he took in the grotesque scene. Though a tall man himself standing just shy of six feet, Varrick was dwarfed by Landon’s height. That, however, didn’t make him any less a force to be reckoned with. Greeting Kivah with a nod, he wished he had a black panther of his own to stand at his side and intimidate the masses, though he knew Landon was capable of that with or without Kivah.

“I wish I knew,” Landon finally answered after a long, brooding moment. “This is the third one in six weeks.”

“All with the same mark cut into their foreheads,” Varrick added. “I’ve never seen anything of the like.” Austere was a grand country, and with the Art of War Law forbidding any form of military, it was a wild and free land, brought together by the wealth and order of Prominence. Crime was rarely a problem, so a murder in the grand city was certainly something to be investigated, and three was worth grabbing the attention of the Hierarchy.

“Call for an emergency meeting,” Landon ordered suddenly. Varrick noted Kivah’s low growl and hunched shoulders, then he saw Landon’s own pupils narrow from round black dots to thin slits, much like his animal companion’s.

“An emergency meeting at this time of night?” Varrick questioned. Landon didn’t respond. “The rest of the Hierarchy are not going to be pleased.”

“Then soften their moods, old friend,” Landon suggested in a low, smooth voice, though Varrick could sense the urgency. They’d been friends since before they ranked in the Hierarchy, and Varrick knew something bad was coming.

“We’ll convene in an hour then,” Varrick decided as he rushed off into the distance, the two emblems printed on his cloak flashing in the light of the single lit post. Almost as soon as he’d fled, another cloaked figure stepped out of the shadows, sword raised towards Landon.

***

Emiliana Radke folded and placed the last bit of laundry in the basket. Three baskets filled with fresh linens sat on the folding table ready to be placed in their proper rooms. It was a chore that would wait till the morrow, she decided internally, and picked up the candle that sat on the table beside her. She made for the door, stopping only momentarily to turn the dial on the wall-mounted lamp, extinguishing the flame before exiting the room.

She closed the door behind her and leaned against its frame, only then feeling the full weight of her exhausting day. Sadly, even that slight moment of peace didn’t last long before the twins began to cry again.

She made her way towards the twins’ room, but she noticed immediately when the boys’ cries stopped suddenly, and her heart sank with worry. She rushed down the hall, the wind from her sprint threatening to blow out the candle she held. She burst into the boys’ room, and her heart immediately calmed in relief. It was the captain of the family guard. He wore one of his rare smiles that revealed slightly pointed canines, and held Ian in his arms while leaning over Liam’s tiny bed, the rails pulled high so that he didn’t tumble off.

“Goodness, William, you nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“My apologies ma’am,” he said, turning his attention away from Liam and replacing the rare smile with his far more common stoic expression. He was well kept, his long blonde hair pulled back into a lengthy braid and his beard trimmed to a light scruff. A Sign Leo by birth, just like her husband, he was a strong young man, though his eyes gave away his Sign more than the emblem printed on his tunic. Sharp yellow pits with narrow pupils like a cat stared back at her, a permanent trait of his Sign. They were eyes that many would fear, though he had a way with the twins, calming them sometimes better than she could.

“I should consider hiring you as my nanny,” she laughed, though her breaths were still rushed from the race to the boys’ room. She placed the candle on a nearby stand and gently took the tired boy from William’s arms. Ian held his arms out to her, bright blue eyes heavy with sleep. His soft little hairs tickled her cheek as he snuggled into her shoulder. She knew he would grow to look exactly like his father. Liam, however, had her brown eyes and chestnut hair, and though he would also look just like her husband, she often gloated in the fact that the younger of the twins had taken some of her traits. At first she had been worried when they had both been born Unsigned—lacking the physical mark on their bodies that linked them to their astrological Sign. Her husband, Landon, was Signed, marked at birth with the astrological emblem for the Sign, Leo. It only made sense that he would want sons who were Signed as well, but he loved the boys all the same, markings or not.

“I figured you’d come back to the twins eventually,” William said as Emiliana began to dance about the room in her attempt to rock Ian to sleep. “So I waited for you here.”

“Waited for me?” Emiliana questioned. “Is something wrong?”

“No,” answered William almost too quickly. “I’ve just been informed that Landon has called for an emergency meeting.”

“So his errand was quite serious then.” She said it more to herself than to William. She had been married to Landon almost three years, and she knew him well, so when he had left in a hurry, she could sense that something was wrong.

“I’m sure his safety isn’t in question,” William reassured her, seeing the worry grow on her young face. “I don’t know a single person capable of taking him down, especially not with Kivah at his side.”

“I’m sure you’re right,” she agreed, just as Liam began to stir again which, of course, meant all her efforts in rocking Ian were lost.

“Unfortunately, I must leave you to tend to the boys,” William said. “I must get on with my rounds.” With a quick bow, the man left with his usual stoic expression in place. With a final nod, he closed the door behind him and left without a sound.

Liam almost immediately began to cry, and Ian mimicked his brother’s fuss. Emiliana scooped the second boy up into her arms and bounced them both on her hips, her tired arms aching beneath their weight.

It only took her an hour to get them settled, a new record as far as she was concerned. Liam lay in his bed, and she still held Ian in her arms, breathing in his scent. She had begun to drift into a dream herself when she suddenly jolted awake. Frantic and shaken, she glanced around the dim lit room. The lanterns were burning low and all was quiet. Ian stirred at her sudden movement, and she quickly tried to hush him before he woke Liam. Standing and bouncing Ian around, she walked towards the window and peeked out into the darkness. Nothing. Her heart raced, and her breathing was rushed, though nothing seemed out of place. She pulled the drapes back over the window and had almost convinced herself to calm down when the door nearly flew off the hinges with a loud bang.

William stood in the doorway, clothes torn and blood dripping from a wound on his forehead. Ian startled awake clinging to her and beginning to cry. Everything in Emiliana’s world came to a sudden, crashing halt.

“There’s been an attack on the manor, ma’am,” William croaked, blood steadily rolling from his wound and dripping from his bearded chin as he spoke. He neither...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 13.6.2017
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Fantasy / Science Fiction ► Fantasy
• ISBN-10: 1-5439-0266-9 / 1543902669
• ISBN-13: 978-1-5439-0266-2 / 9781543902662