Child of Blackwen (An Artemis Ravenwing Novel Book 1)
Read Child of Blackwen (An Artemis Ravenwing Novel Book 1) Online
Authors: Melanie Rodriguez
Copyright © 2014 Melanie Rodriguez
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 1499717245
ISBN 13: 9781499717242
Library of Congress Control Number: 2014909908
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
North Charleston, South Carolina
For my mother, Agie, the believer behind the dreamer.
etrayal
.
The word repeated in the mind of the warrior woman fleeing her pursuers within the Woodland Realm, the forest of the elves. A chill wind pricked her pale-skinned face; sweat-soaked brown hair stuck to her forehead and neck, her violet eyes wide with terror
.
The woman did not dare to glance over her shoulders; she could sense the others trailing her. If she was caught, she would be forced to fight back. Had the circumstances been different, the idea of a clash wouldn’t have distressed her so; as it was, she had more important priorities to consider
.
She clutched a bundled blanket close to her chest as she ran. Spotting a cliff up ahead, her nerves flared. Tightening her grasp on the bundle, she hesitated a moment before she sprinted forward and leaped off the cliff’s edge. In midair, she cursed her overcompensation as she knew she wouldn’t get the desired landing. She angled her body and roughly landed on the side of her back
.
From the way her clothes suddenly clung to her body, the woman knew she was bleeding. She could smell it as well. She swore under her breath, as she knew her pursuers would be able to also. She felt her eyelids grow heavy, and they involuntarily closed
.
Muffled cries tore through the bundle, snapping the woman out of her momentary slip of consciousness. Frantic, the woman unfolded the blanket and sighed in relief
once she realized all was well. The little face that stared at her from the bundle, unharmed, stopped its cries
.
“I will keep you safe, my love,” the woman promised, her voice wavering despite the comforting coos. “I will die before I ever let those bastards harm you. I swear it.”
illow damn you. Willow damn all those bastards to Avilyne’s hell!” I wanted to stop crying, but found I cried even more the harder I tried. I didn’t want to see those two leave. If I watched them go, then I’d have no choice but to accept that I would be utterly alone in a world where I already didn’t belong
.
Why did there have to be so much fighting in this world? So much hate? Why couldn’t they just send someone else into battle to settle the damned matters?
“Artemis!” a familiar voice yelled
.
His
.
I shook and then buried my head in my knees to muffle the sound of my sobs. Maybe he would miss me if he didn’t hear where I was
.
As light as they were, I could hear the footsteps. When it was silent, I knew he had found me
.
Willow be damned
.
I heard a soft sigh and felt gentle caresses along my back. I was running out of mental curses
.
“Artemis.” The same voice spoke, almost a whisper
.
Biting my lip, I finally moved my head and gazed into his warm green eyes; the face that watched my own was lightly tanned, framed by dark blond hair that hung loosely along broad, war-molded shoulders
.
To the world of Arrygn, he was the famed Shadow of Ellewynth, a soldier to be feared. To me, he was just Shadow the elf, my dearest friend
.
“You found me.”
“You’ve never been good at hiding from me,” he said with a heavy sigh
.
“You can’t leave.” I felt another tear slide down to my chin. “
You can’t.”
Shadow looked away, guilty. “I wish I did not have to.”
“Avilyne’s hell, wish harder then!” I snapped. “While you’re at it, wish for Talisa to stay too! Wish for this stupid war to end!”
Shadow frowned as he sat down beside me. “Artemis, you and I both know that Talisa and I have a duty to the realm and her people.” He grasped my hand and gave it a light squeeze. “I have no choice. I am a soldier of Ellewynth, first and foremost. The elves stationed in Fieros Mountains require my presence on the battlefield now. The faster an end can be reached, the sooner Talisa and I can return.”
“Shadow…don’t you know what this means?” I asked. “The elves will no doubt torture me more than they already have. All because I’m…I’m different.”
“I have faith in my kind,” he stressed. “You
will
find a friend.”
I shook my head. “Unlikely.”
Shadow caressed my back once more. “I promise, Artemis. I will return to Ellewynth as soon as my service ends.”
“Don’t you understand that you could be gone for
years
?” I cried. “Goddesses, you’re fighting
dragons
!”
“I’ve fought in numerous wars Artemis, and I’ve fought dragons before,” Shadow reminded me. “It’s just another nuisance to take care of.” He stood while he took my other hand and raised me up. “I
will
return. I swear it.”
I sighed and fumbled with the ring on my left hand. Taking it off, I gazed at it. It had two birds carved within the silver band, and a small garnet was set in the center. Talisa had given it to me in my tenth year; she called it the “Gift of Peace.”
Noting the look of confusion on Shadow’s face, I held it out for him to take. He did so
.
“I-I want it back, elf,” I explained, while trying to hold back more tears. “It will protect you out there. Until you come back.”
“I’ll miss you too, my dear.” Shadow softly smiled, and held the ring in a firm grip. “I promise to return this to you.”
I awoke to the sound of the bells ringing deep within the city; they sang with a range of high peals, the very ones that called for the people of
Ellewynth to venture out for celebration. I jumped from the bed and ran to the window; in the distance I watched the elves of the Woodland Realm flood the main square, rejoicing with glee and dancing with one another in bliss. It could only mean one thing—the soldiers that left eight years ago had finally returned home.
Kiare be praised, the war with the dragons was over!
“Thank the goddesses,” I said, as I felt the depressing weight I carried for those eight years lift. “Willow be damned for the dream, though.”
It was when I looked away from the window that I felt the apprehension. A bundle of bloodstained clothes lay on the ground by the bed. I picked them up and caught the flash of a memory: I was running through the woods, chasing something red.