Free Crystal Throne (Book 1) by D.W. Jackson Page A

up into his son’s face, Thad couldn’t help but to laugh. “You might not think so, but your eyes tell a different story, but I won’t push it, not today, but soon you will tell me the truth. Life is too short to hold such feelings especially from yourself.”
    As Thad got to his feet, Bren turned and walked back toward the three sets of double doors that led to the road outside and drew his obsidian sword. Thad didn’t know why, but each time he saw that sword something inside him shivered. It was much like the feeling the white swords had given him when he had fought against the Brotherhood, but it didn’t have the same sense of dread, then again the sword wasn’t trying to cleave his head from his shoulders.
    Don’t you think that you should get ready?
    Without replying, Thad moved into a position beside Humanius and drew his own sword, thought it felt a puny thing in his hand. As his fingers tightened and squirmed on the hilt of his sword, Thad wished he had his sword back in his hand. If only the sword headed his call as Thuraman did, Thad thought as he looked toward the doors and his son.
    “Stay back,” Humanius said placing a comforting hand on Thad’s shoulder. “There is little you can do against the likes of the scions. The godlings stand a decent chance, but you would be killed before you could make a chip on their crystal hide.”
    Thad felt like a child as he looked at his son and the other gods. For the first time, Thad believed that he should have stayed back if all he could do was be protected. It was a new feeling for him. Not once in his life had he needed to be protected, or he had never believed so himself, his wife might have disagreed with him on that point if she was here.
    Taking up a place next to Humanius, Thad looked out the window and watched to road leading to where they waited.
    Thad didn’t have to wait long before he got his first glimpse of the scions. Unlike the creatures they had seen before, these did not look like an animal, but stood upright and walked slowly on two crystal legs. There were three of the scions and Thad couldn’t help but think of them as humans. The way they walked, and looked around as if surveying the area, was far different than the scions they had seen last time and from what Thad could tell, it seemed as if they were talking among each other. It wasn’t that their mouths were moving, but from the way they looked from one to the other every so often.
    When the scions were no more than a hundred feet from where Thad and the others hid, all three of the scions turned in their directions and walked straight toward the building where they were.
    Right before the scions reached the door, the Godlings burst through and attacked them. Unlike the creatures before who moved like animals, these scions fought with an almost calm understand of their enemies. Within moments the only Godling that was left was the elven god, but the fight was not completely one sided, as one of the scions lay on the ground, its pieces scattered and broken.
    The tall, strong elven god moved with grace; dancing outside of the scions grasp of death, striking whenever a chance presented itself. Each blow of the elven god’s blade made another chip in one of the scions, but it was making little difference until the blade dug deep into one of the creatures and its leg shattered.
    Thad almost yelled with joy, but the scion was not the only one surprised by the shattering limb. The elven god lost his balance and fell on top of the scion as it tumbled to the ground. As it impacted the ground, the scion’s right arm shattered and large cracks formed on the creature’s head.  The elven god tried to scramble away, but the scion grabbed at him as he tried to roll away and before the Godling could get free of the creature’s grasp, the other scion grabbed the elven god’s head and pulled it free from the Godling’s body as if he were picking a ripe grape from the vine.
    Thad felt his