Ghosts of Lyarra Read Online Free Page B

will not live long enough to see them come to light!” the assassin growled hatefully. “Her fate was sealed when she let the Harbinger fall!”
    There it was; the answer Aen was looking for! Tossing his crippled prey back against the wall he began to contemplate his next actions. Iana was obviously in danger and knew little or nothing about this coming storm so it was pertinent that he warn her, but first he had to wrap up this loose end. As he moved in for the kill, the assassin struck out with its good arm in a surprise attack. To Aen, it was not a quick strike but a slow lumbering lunge that was easily side stepped. He caught the assassin by the neck as it passed him and whispered in its ear.
    “Your death comes in vain, and your Guild betrayed the Empress for no reason. Today you were sent to kill a God and before you die, know that you fall at the hands of Aen.”
    He felt the gasp of surprise, as his whispers were heard and realized before Aen snapped the would-be killer’s neck quickly and letting the body fall to the floor in a heap. Immediately he began to contemplate what the creature had said. The Guild had turned against the Empress and unbeknownst to her they were obviously plotting to take the throne as well; the whispers of the darkness were true. Even from out on the edge of time and space Aen could see the storm building. He knew the puppets, but he would have to look a lot closer to see the puppeteer.
    Leaving no evidence, he lit the corpse ablaze and reduced it to ash within seconds. The killers had done him a favor. Not only had they slipped up and let him know what was happening, but they had also given him an important gift; a ship! His time aboard the Brink had come to a close, and it was time to rejoin the land of the living. Aen walked the lonely halls to the control room and inserted a control chip into the main panel. Within the chip lay a time coded program so that as he departed in the assassin’s ship, all traces of him being aboard the station began to be wiped clean. As he made the jump to the Lyarran system, the station resumed normal automated functions with internal sensors registering a malfunction for the last three years. A malfunction that upon reset would show nothing had ever come aboard including the three dead Forgotten.
    —
Lyarran Throne World Havyiin, Palace Gardens
    Lyarra shone brightly in the morning sky and warmed the palace gardens giving Havyiin its mid-summer glory that was longed for throughout the Empire. Iana loved the feeling of the warmth on a summer day, basking in her gardens and shirking off some of her daily responsibilities. There was nothing better than strolling through the maze of flowers and trees that lined her palace on Havyiin barefoot, she loved the feeling of the soft grass on her feet. It was a place to regain her composure, the last sane place in an ever growing insane galaxy.
    She felt the wind race through her waist long orange hair and her matching flame-lit eyes were closed to revel in the sensation. Her six-foot seven inch frame was stretched out on the bluish-green grass; her one attempt to enjoy a moment of quiet solitude. Sunlight glistened off her golden skin, and she felt Lyarra’s light nourish her every fibre. But despite the serene setting, Iana couldn’t shake the shadow of gloom that had begun to envelope her as of late.
    Nothing had been what it was since she arrived back home. Before, the Council was peaceful and pleasurable to work with. Fleet Command was gracious in their dealings with her and the Guild had been like family to her. All that had changed since Aen, his life had altered everything! Now the Council was bitter, always bickering about the loss of an asset and a great weapon. Fleet Com simply bypassed the Empress with important decisions and the Guild seemed distant and cold. Other than her protector Bryx, Iana felt alone at the center of the great empire of Lyarra; a feeling she was not reveling in.
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