BooksBarbecue
Back Sea of Shadows Save as PDF
Chapters (61)
  1. Dedication
  2. Prologue
  3. Ashyn: One
  4. Two
  5. Three
  6. Four
  7. Five
  8. Six
  9. Seven
  10. Eight
  11. Moria: Nine
  12. Ten
  13. Eleven
  14. Twelve
  15. Thirteen
  16. Ashyn: Fourteen
  17. Fifteen
  18. Sixteen
  19. Moria: Seventeen
  20. Eighteen
  21. Nineteen
  22. Twenty
  23. Twenty-one
  24. Twenty-two
  25. Ashyn: Twenty-three
  26. Twenty-four
  27. Twenty-five
  28. Twenty-six
  29. Twenty-seven
  30. Twenty-eight
  31. Twenty-nine
  32. Thirty
  33. Moria: Thirty-one
  34. Thirty-two
  35. Thirty-three
  36. Thirty-four
  37. Thirty-five
  38. Thirty-six
  39. Thirty-seven
  40. Ashyn: Thirty-eight
  41. Thirty-nine
  42. Forty
  43. Forty-one
  44. Forty-two
  45. Forty-three
  46. Forty-four
  47. Forty-five
  48. Forty-six
  49. Forty-seven
  50. Forty-eight
  51. Forty-nine
  52. Moria: Fifty
  53. Fifty-one
  54. Fifty-two
  55. Fifty-three
  56. Fifty-four
  57. Fifty-five
  58. About the Author
  59. Back Ad
  60. Credits
  61. About the Publisher

“I’m going to leave now, Moria,” he said. “You can’t fight me.”

“By the spirits, I can. And I will, if I need to wrap my hands around your throat and choke the life from your body.”

She dove for the nearest dagger. He tried to intercept her, but she twisted and went for the other one instead, yanking it from the wall. She spun. He lifted his blade.

“You cannot fight me with a dagger, Moria. You’re outmatched and—”

She threw it, but she was too angry, every lesson evaporating from her head. The dagger flew off-target, Gavril easily dodging it. She went for the second blade, but his sword struck her again, broadside, knocking her into the wall. Then it was pointed at her throat.

“Enough, Moria.”

She stepped forward, the edge of his sword touching her throat.

“Enough!” he said.

She met his gaze and moved a little more, letting the edge dig in.

“Moria! Stop this. Are you mad?”

“If you want to stop me, you’ll have to kill me.” She met his gaze and eased forward again, feeling blood trickle down her throat.

Gavril’s eyes filled with fury. “Blast you, Keeper. A pox on—” He snapped his mouth shut. “You will not do this.”

“Is it so hard to kill me?” she said. “Perhaps it’s not the same when you aren’t ordering dead men to do the deed.”

“I would not kill you, Keeper. Not kill you. Not harm you. Not ever.” He looked her in the eyes. “I regret any hurt I have brought to you. Most of all, I regret what I had to do to Daigo.”

“Daigo?” Her heart thumped. “The infection? You caused—”

“No, not that. What I did tonight. After we spoke in the garden. I went to your rooms, hoping to take your sister as a hostage, but Ashyn was not there. Daigo was. He knew something was wrong.” Gavril looked at her. “He attacked me, Moria. I would not have harmed him, but I had to defend myself. I hope . . .” He paused. “He was alive when I left him, though barely.”

Rage blinded her. She reached to grab his sword, not caring if it sliced through her hand, but he’d already lowered it. She dove for her blades. Then she felt something hit the back of her head. Everything went dark.

Fifty-five

Fifty-five

Moria bolted upright, pulse racing, mind on fire, knowing she had to do something, had to get somewhere, but she was momentarily dazed. She looked around.

Where am I?

An empty room. Her gaze snagged on one of her daggers lying on the floor, and it all rushed back.

“Daigo!”

She grabbed the dagger and ran. She tore across the gardens and threw open the door to their quarters. As she raced through, she could see Daigo lying on the cushion, a pool of crimson beside him.

“Moria?”