Traitor & The Cursed (eBook)

Koel Alexander (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 1. Auflage
384 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
979-8-3509-9200-7 (ISBN)

Infos

'The Traitor & The Cursed' is the third installment of the Raven & Fire series, promising to return you to the exciting and enthralling story of our heroes as they look to save themselves from the evil spirit Delphi and the revolving games of the Gods.

Koel Alexander was born in Newark, New Jersey. He enjoys reading, video games, making music, and playing sports, but nothing compares to his passion for mythology. Mythology has sparked his boundless imagination and inspired him to complete his first novel, 'The Axe & The Spear.' Recently becoming a father has motivated Koel to do everything he can to show his son that anything is possible with enough effort. After self-publishing his debut novel, Koel discovered that nothing brings him greater joy than immersing himself in the worlds of his characters-a joy he continues to embrace through his writing.

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Kole and Octavia's honeymoon turns perilous when the vengeful spirit Delphi traps them in Midselium. Meanwhile, the other Kings and Queens, unaware of the danger, disperse to their kingdoms, savoring a fragile peace. Rollo takes the throne alongside Marcella, while Cassia retreats to Gracia, grappling with her role as Queen. Kare's transformation begins under Gio's guidance, but their bond is tested as secrets and tensions within the family rise, threatening to unravel their unity. Amidst this turmoil, whispers of an ancient artifact surface one that could imprison Delphi and end her schemes forever. Yet the looming silence from the banished princes in the north casts a dark shadow. The warning delivered at Kole and Octavia's wedding feels closer than ever, and unease spreads among the heroes. As they struggle to navigate fractured alliances and the gods' cryptic messages, Delphi strikes with a devastating move that risks plunging the realms into chaos. Can Kole and Octavia escape Midselium in time? Will the artifact be found before Delphi's power grows unstoppable? Or will the kingdoms fall prey to the gods' games and Delphi's wrath?

Textauszug

2 — Baecation - Rollo

 

 

It was right around midday when I was thrust out of my sleep. We managed to find a quick shelter to lay low for the night and used the furs to make ourselves comfortable. Now the thought of traveling in the night with Marcella sounded amazing at first, but maybe I underestimated a few things.

For one, I didn’t anticipate how exhausted I would be. I was barely sleeping. I got a few hours here and there throughout the day, but it felt unnatural to sleep the entire day away. When nightfall came, we tried to cover as much ground as we could on our way to Ragnarsson. I never thought I would miss the daytime so much. Sometimes when Marcella was asleep, I would just sit and bask in the warmth.

Was this something that I would have to give up being with her? I hope she didn’t see the uncertainty all over my face because honestly, even though I was having a hard time adjusting, I would have made the same choice a thousand times over. I glanced over to Marcella. She was in her usual unnatural deep sleep, and her hair was draped over her face as she lay motionless. She tried to warn me about it, but it’s something that you have to see for yourself. I checked to see if she was still alive, which I do every night even though the answer is always the same. Even half dead and asleep, I was speechless. I had to just chuckle at the half-dead part.

I needed to stop staring so I took a walk outside of the cave for a minute, giving my mind some relief so that sleep would come. We were only a day or two away from Ragnarsson at this pace, but I was going to end up slowing us down if I didn’t get some rest.

I sent word with my army to start building the dome on the land behind my father’s longhouse, this way I could see Marcella whenever I wanted to and she wouldn’t feel so contained.

I could not wait to get home. I’ve been away for too long, and I needed to give my mother and sister a break from ruling over my kingdom… not that I have been much of a king since my father died. I wrote a couple of letters back to Gio to keep in touch with him and Kare. Surely they would be the first to know when Kole and Octavia returned, but as of the last letter, there was still no word from them.

Seriously, how long could the two of them do it? I immediately regret asking that question considering the only thing that occupied my thoughts day and night was doing the same with Marcella.

We slept separately because I did not want to overstep, but it was painful to be near her and not be able to touch her. I didn’t recognize myself. I have no idea who I have turned into. I was never one to take it slow, but something about her demanded my respect and my honor. She didn’t have to worry because I was going to adhere to it.

“So much for clearing your head,” I said to myself. I opened my fist and let the lightning dance across my palm. After my fight with Marcus, my powers continued to grow like a muscle that was building strength with every exercise.

My next goal was to be able to control an energy mass the same way Marcus did. He held so much power, and if that idiot could do it, it wouldn’t take me long to master it. I closed my eyes and willed the power to my palms, funneling all the energy I could muster into one place. It sprang to life in my hands, initially unpredictable and volatile, but slowly I tamed and sculpted it. I was so close to perfecting it, I could feel it. I just needed to maintain my focus.

A branch snapped behind me, jolting me out of my concentration as a bunny scurried across the forest. The lightning ricocheted out of my hand, splintering the ground and all the trees around me.

“Damnit!” Another attempt failed. How was I ever supposed to use it in a fight if a tiny bunny caused me to lose control? I laid my head back against the tree and closed my eyes and to my surprise, I managed to drift off into some semblance of rest.

“Maybe you have met your match, young king,” I could hear her beautiful voice before I saw her. “What did those poor trees do to you?” I blinked my eyes open, and she was standing in front of me. Her hair was neatly braided down her back and her eyes pierced mine followed by that devilish smile. The sun grazed the outline of the scar her cowardly father had given her. My beautiful monster. She was dressed in a black shirt with pants, her sword was strapped to her back obviously waiting for a reply from me.

“I must have dosed off out here,” I said embarrassingly.

“You sure you weren’t trying to keep your distance from me,” she smiled.

“Now why would I ever want to be parted from you?” I rose to my feet.

“I mean I look dead when I sleep for one, but there are many other things you don’t know that would make you run,” she moved closer.

“I’m still waiting to hear about these other things because right now you couldn’t get rid of me if you tried,” I smiled. “Now let me gather our things so we can be on our way.” I walked back to the cave only to find everything packed up and ready to go. “Seriously, how long was I asleep?” I turned to her.

“Not that long but I’m faster than you think. How about we get going? We can’t be far from Ragnarsson now,” she assured sounding confident.

“How can you tell?” I asked.

“I can feel the energy shift in the air like the power in this land just feels different. It's hard to explain,” she looked up to the sky.

“Don’t worry I know exactly what you mean. The closer I get to home the more connected I feel, we aren’t far at all. I’ll grab my hammer then we can go, it should be a smooth trip the rest of the way.”

We made our way quickly through the woods. I tried to keep up with Marcella, but she was so fast most of the time I just struggled to keep pace with her. She moved so effortlessly like obstacles were never a problem, like she could see what was coming before it even crossed my vision.

This was getting ridiculous. Why is she so damn perfect? Not that I’m complaining, but seriously nothing about this woman could turn me away. All the other things I liked about her were completely occupying my thoughts, I didn’t even realize that she had stopped running just ahead of me. I shifted my momentum to the side, so I didn’t slam into her.

“If you’re going to outrun me and stop in the middle of the path, you should give me some kind of signal. I almost trampled you,” I joked.

“Shh,” she put her hand up to shield me.

“What’s wrong?” She didn’t say anything, just tilted her head to the side and slowly crept forward.

The forest was silent. Whatever she heard was quiet enough to avoid my hearing.

“There is something out there,” she whispered softly.

“I don’t see anything,” I tried to squint hoping that something would become visible to me. “How do you know something is out there?” I asked.

“I’m not sure, but I can feel it. Like a part of me is watching but at the same time it’s sending a chill up my spine.” She turned to me and moved me out of her way again.

“I’m not usually afraid of anything, but you’re kind of freaking me out. We can outrun whatever it is. Let’s try to put some distance between us and regroup when we aren’t the ones being hunted.” The way she was moving had me on edge, making it even harder for me to relax. I tried to grab her arm and steer her back toward the path. We were so close to home. Whatever she was hearing we could easily defend ourselves with more soldiers. “Come on Marcella, let’s get moving,” I urged.

“Shit! It’s too late,” she said. She reached back and grabbed her sword and pushed me out of the way with her other hand. I fell to the ground shocked by the force of her push. Before I could protest, a giant blur swept through the forest with unbelievable speed, scooping Marcella off her feet and carrying her into the brush of the trees. It was so fast I barely had time to react. The only thing I could do was head in the direction I think they went.

“What the fuck was that?” I grabbed my hammer and took off with everything that I had. The Gods could not be that cruel to bring this woman into my life and have her taken from me in an instant. The only thing I could hear was my feet slamming into the dirt and my heart pounding in my chest. The silence was crushing my spirit, but wherever she was I knew she was putting up a fight. Marcella was too stubborn to give in.

“Marcella!” I screamed at the top of my lungs as I kept running. “Marcella!” I heard a struggle coming from just over the hill followed by a deep feral growl. I changed directions quickly and ran as fast as I could.

What animal could have snuck up on both of us, especially Marcella? She was a protégé of one of the greatest hunters that was ever created. What the hell was fast enough to carry her this far that fast?

“Marcella!” I screamed one more time, my throat was getting hoarse from yelling so much.

“Can you stop yelling like a little girl and help me?!” I heard her voice just as I got over the hill. She was pinned under what looked like the biggest dog I have ever seen. She was using her sword to keep its jaws from closing on her face. Marcella was focused on the beast trying to avoid him ripping into her flesh, her fangs protruded from her mouth, and maybe I was losing my mind but I could swear that she was smiling. God, I love this woman.

“Are you going to stare all day or are you going to help...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 4.4.2025
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Fantasy / Science Fiction ► Fantasy
• ISBN-13: 979-8-3509-9200-7 / 9798350992007