Free The Lords of Valdeon by C. R. Richards Page B

boy."
    "Never! You’ll have to use your sword, murderer."
    "Aren’t we full of ourselves. Do you imagine yourself to be a warrior now simply because you fought off raiders?"
    He flew at Seth, throwing him to the floor. Air rushed out of his lungs in a painful burst. Struggling for breath, Seth was helpless to prevent the killer from pinning his arms. The Dagger pressed his knee down hard upon Seth’s chest. He was forced to take a hand away from Seth's arms as he popped the top off the vial. Seth gagged. The poison smelled of dying flower petals and rotting fruit. He clamped his mouth shut and turned his head away.
    "Now, be a good boy and open your mouth."
    Desperate to break free of the killer's grip, Seth thrust his body upward, throwing the Dagger off balance. He slammed his free fist into his attacker’s side and pushed at the man’s body. They rolled along the cold floor until Seth found himself pinned again.
    "One last show of spirit!" He jabbed Seth in the midsection with a lightning blow. His mouth involuntarily opened as he gulped for air. The Dagger's hand slammed Seth's head against the floor and poured the murderous liquid into his mouth. It tasted bitter, almost like berries that weren’t quite ripe. His tongue and throat began to burn. He tried to spit the poison out, but the Dagger held firm. His killer pulled away at last. Seth turned onto his stomach, vomiting the nasty liquid out of his body. The floorboards began to swirl and blur beneath him.
    "Try as you might, D’Antoiné, death comes for you and your house."
    Power thundered into the room with the force of a savage storm. Its large gray body slammed into Seth's killer, propelling him across the room. The Dagger's body disappeared from Seth’s blurring vision behind the wall of gray. Angry flashes of red and gold hues crackled around the new stranger's body. When he finally spoke, the walls of the room shook under the power of his voice.
    "Sandor, you fool! We had an agreement. I need this boy."
    "Anne!" Emma's sobs lifted the haze about his heart. It was true. His mother was dead and he would soon join her.
    "The boy, woman! See to the boy. Are we in time?"
    Insistent fingers pushed at Seth’s throat, then moved to his face. They gripped a clump of his curls, forcing Seth’s head back and a cup to his lips. A nutty fragrance mixed with the scent of dried herbs made his stomach lurch. He tried to pull away.
    "Drink it, Seth." Emma forced his mouth open again. He swallowed the bitter liquid. Then he fell back on the floor, coughing as the burning in his throat grew worse.
    "Will he live?" the new stranger asked.
    "We reached him before the poison stopped his breathing. There’s still a chance he’ll survive."
    "How many will thank you, woman?" The Dagger's blurry body came to join them.
    "This boy has grown dangerous, though his mother tried to hide it. Don't deny you feel the power radiating about his body. It has drawn out his temper. One can only imagine what he’ll be capable of when he reaches his seventeenth year in a few months’ time." The Dagger turned to the stranger. "I've grown weary of this island, ranger. You cannot expect me to continue to languish."
    "Be grateful you still draw breath after betraying me! You will continue to watch over this boy until it is time. I found you once, Pavel Sandor, don’t think I won’t hunt you again. Now do what you do best. We need everyone to believe the raider trash is responsible for this mess."
    Strong, rough hands lifted Seth's torso off the floor until he was sitting up. His head fell on his rescuer’s chest. The proximity brought the patch on the man’s uniform into focus. Embroidered into its shape was a golden sword stretching over a bright star. The words “Jalora Legion” had been sewn in crimson. He was a ranger, and someone Emma knew well enough to run to for help. More lies and secrets. What else had they hidden from him? What other dark secrets would he discover about the