Free Marcael: A Terraneu Novel, Book Five by Stormy McKnight Page A

pale
and sweaty. I knew instantly that he had contracted Elyon’s Madness, the
disease she had created that was ravaging all of Terra.”
    Brennae had to break in. “How could he have caught it. Wouldn’t he have
isolated himself for protection?”
    Marcael shook his head, stating sadly, “He was not that kind of leader.
As long as even one of his people was in harm’s way, he would be in harm’s way
as well. When I saw the Queen move toward the King, I tried to stop her. Not
because I wanted to protect her, but because it was expected of me. As I knew
she would, she did not hesitate to keep going toward the King. She was so full
of hate and loathing I knew she would not let him out of the room without
insulting and physically assaulting him and I had to stand by and watch. When
the King grabbed Elyon and kissed her, I knew it had been his plan all along to
be brought in front of her. She was furious with him and demanded that I
torture my King.” Marcael’s voice grew softer, “I pulled my blade, the Un’bah
given to me by your grandfather on my Knighting day. I walked up to him and I
put my blade through his heart.”
    Brennae sat in stunned silence for a second, “You knew my grandfather was
sick and that is why you were able to kill him. How is it that my uncle could
get any indication of ‘happiness’ from you?”
    Marcael rubbed his eyes wearily, “Because I was happy to do it! The Queen
would have taken great pleasure from his suffering. If I had not killed him,
the King would have been tortured just so she could laugh while he screamed. I
knew my blade through his heart would end not only any torture, but also his
decline from the disease. I risked the Queen’s wrath in killing him outright,
but I had to do it.”
    Marcael had finished his water and rose to get more, giving her time to
think about what he had said. He had killed her grandfather, but there was a
greater good from the act. He had been able to stay in the Queens guard and was
assigned to her mad uncle. When he sat back down she offered, “Since you
answered one of my questions, it’s only fair you get to ask one.”
    He looked surprised, “Okay.” Tapping his finger against his chin, he
thought for a second, “Tell me about life on Terraneu.”
    “Well, we have a giant swimming pond and park area. Everyone loves to
spend time there! It is like the oasis where you found me, only in the safety
of the community.” Brennae smiled at the thought of the waterfalls and lazy
river. “We also have sporting fields for football games.” At his confused look
she laughed, “Football is a game played by two teams. The object is to get the
ball into the opposing teams net. You can’t use your hands and there are other
rules...but it is very fun to play. My brothers are on a team and they are
constantly talking about football or playing football.” When he just nodded his
understanding, she continued. “We have these small creatures called gnowlers
that eat the grass around the community. My mom calls them lawn mowers. She has
one that she domesticated that she calls Chewy, and I have befriended a few as
well but they are nocturnal and no one else has them for pets.”  
    Sitting forward Brennae smiled widely, “We have pet sacath! You saw my
parents’ at the oasis, Cebat was the golden one and Tabec is his mate, she was
the black one. My mom calls them ‘saber toothed cat-dogs’. I always had an
affinity with animals, so when it came time to choose a job that I would enjoy
it was a natural choice to work with them. I work with a nice man named Iesti.
He has taught me all about the sacath and sorrem. Those are the pack animals we
use to move around Terraneu. Everyone gets to choose what job will make him or
her happy. For instance, my Uncle Knaleg and Aunt Catherine are both very
militaristic, so they chose jobs that lean toward security and weapons. My
Uncle Kneus and Aunt Gwen are both very scientific, so do a lot of work with
the