Free Marked by Pedro Urvi Page B

blood-red swords. Their faces were hidden behind a red mask that revealed only their almond-shaped eyes and a cold stare—the stare of elite soldiers. On their heads was the peculiar-looking, traditional helmet; it extended down over their necks and the visor hid the warriors’ faces. They were the Moyuki, the elite guard of the Dark Queen, the best warriors in all of Toyomi. These soldiers were recruited and trained because of their formidable physical strength and abilities with the sword. Tall, strong, lethal, obedient, and loyal unto death. An select force whose only mission was to safeguard their queen’s well-being.
    Isuzeni smiled as he observed them. A thoroughly commendable mission; an honor without equal. He had seen them in action on many occasions during the military campaigns over the last several years, and it was quite a spectacle. They made up a fiendishly dreadful killing machine, capable of spreading waves of destruction and death wherever their lady required it. One hundred Moyuki fighting in closed formation created so much devastation they could completely alter the course of a battle, shifting it in favor of the Dark Queen.
    Yuzumi inquisitively fixed her eyes on Isuzeni. “Are the rumors credible or simply another pack of lies like the ones we have been chasing down over the past few years?”
    “I believe they are... credible, my lady. The incident took place in front of an entire village during a sword tournament. Many people witnessed it. From that moment on, the rumors rapidly spread until finally making their way to the ears of our spies.”
    “How old is he?” persisted the queen, intrigued.
    “Nineteen. That coincides with the supposed age of the Marked.”
    “How much time has passed since the incident?”
    “Hmmm... A little more than sixteen weeks. It takes time for news to cross the seas and get to us, Your Majesty.”
    “It is possible he is no longer in that town, that he’s gone into hiding now that his power has been revealed,” pondered the Dark Queen as she stroked her long, silky, jet-black hair.
    “Do you think he is conscious of his power... of his possible destiny, my Lady and my Queen?”
    “No, I do not believe he is aware of it, although it is possible that he is under the protective custody of someone who knows of The Premonition. That would explain why all our efforts to find him have been in vain. Even now, we do not have enough information available to ensure that it is he. This could be some other young man with the Gift—but not necessarily the Marked. However, as you say, the age and the magnitude of the power do coincide... Still, I do not want to take any chances.”
    “What do you want me to do?”
    “Eliminate him immediately.”
    “Shall I send one of the Dark Assassins?”
    The Queen had at her disposal a secret order of assassins to whom she entrusted the task of finding and killing fugitives. These assassins relentlessly pursued their victims; failure to carry out a mission led to dishonor and, consequently, an inconceivably painful death. Thus they unrelentingly hunted down even those who fled by ship to faraway lands—as far away as the prosperous continent of Tremia. Distance did not bring salvation to their victims; it simply postponed the inevitable. Precious few had succeeded in fleeing the ruthless and bloody claws of the Dark Queen.
    “Where on the great continent is this village located?”
    “To the west, Your Majesty, north of the kingdom of Rogdon. Tribes known as the Norriel inhabit the highlands. Wild savages, Your Majesty; uncivilized, though quite skilled fighters according to the rumors. The territory is considered hostile and dangerous. Rogdon has desisted its conquest after several unsuccessful attempts, mostly because of the high cost of the campaigns and the meager gains those territories bring— even though they give way to the North Sea.
    “Send the White Tigers. They manage that kind of terrain better than anyone. But