Free In Darkness We Must Abide (The Fallen King, Episode 8) by Rhiannon Frater

fed the first of the wolf-children,” he said in awe, then released her.
    The long, black claws of the She-Wolf tapped against the metal rail. “I have what you crave. A legacy of children.”
    “ What I will have. The purge will wipe clear the world of the undesirables and I shall begin again. My children will rule by sun and moon and no one will stand in their way.” Aeron straightened his spine and stood tall, facing the salty wind. “The Seven Sisters are dead. It’s a new era. Soon, the new Seven will rise to claim the world in my name.”
    Leto regarded the sliver of the moon hanging in the dark sky above them. “As it was prophesied...”
    “ As it was prophesied,” Aeron agreed. “I will not forget my vow to you, Leto. The wolves will once again be strong and not feral beasts lurking in the shadows.”
    “ As long as you do not keep your promise to me in the same manner as you kept your promise to Carlotta, I will stand with you.”
    Aeron regarded the woman beside him that was virtually a goddess. She was beautiful, deadly, cruel, and powerful. A worthy ally in every regard. If Vanora was not his prophesied future, he would have tried to woo Leto into his bed and make her his queen. Instead, he was determined to have the She-Wolf at his side as his most trusted general. Yet, he wondered how long their truce could truly last. Once he claimed the world, would she turn on him? He supposed he would have to wait and see.
    “Leto, Carlotta is a child. You are a trusted ally. I will not break my word to you.”
    Leto gave him a curt nod. “Then all is well.”
    “ All is well,” Aeron agreed.
    The ship sailed onward toward Houston.
     
     

 
    The story continues in Episode 9, The Purge.
    Available August 17 th , 2013.
     

 
    Rhiannon Frater is the award-winning author of the   As the World Dies  trilogy (The First Days, Fighting to Survive, Siege,)  and the author of three other books: the vampire novels  Pretty When She Dies  and  The Tale of the Vampire Bride  and the young-adult zombie novel  The Living Dead Boy and the Zombie Hunters.  Inspired to independently produce her work from the urging of her fans, she published The First Days  in late 2008 and quickly gathered a cult following. She won the Dead Letter Award back-to-back for both  The First Days  and  Fighting to Survive,  the former of which the Harrisburg Book Examiner called ‘one of the best zombie books of the decade.’ Rhiannon is currently represented by Hannah Gordon of the Foundry + Literary Media agency. You may contact her by sending an email to  [email protected] .
     
    Visit her online at rhiannonfrater.com
     
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