The Chaos Crystal Read Online Free

quite believe the turn of events that had brought him here to this icy cliff with a clutch of legendary immortals as his companions. Not so long
    ago he had been a nobody, his only claim to importance his role as the King of Glaeba's spymaster. But for an accident of fate — a fire in Lebec Prison in which he should not have been caught — Declan might have lived and died ignorant of his immortal heritage. But the flames had consumed him and that's when he discovered that he wasn't just Declan Hawkes, slum- child made good. He was the son, and the great- grandson of two powerful immortals whose bloodline was stronger than the flames, stronger than anything. He wasn't the bastard get of a Glaeban whore. He was a Tide Lord.
    'Shouldn't we be moving back a little, my lord?'
    Declan stopped pondering his strange fate long enough to glance over his shoulder at the fearful Crash waiting behind them. Being out on the ice with the Tide Lords — who were immune to the vagaries of the weather — meant Jojo was forced to wear a coat. He could tell by her sour expression how much she hated wearing it, almost as much as she despised wearing boots. Her feet must be cramped, he guessed, and there was nowhere to rest her tail comfortably under the weight of the long fur jacket protecting her from the cold. But Jelidia was a bitter place. Even though it was summer here, and Lukys insisted it was getting warmer — a fact that seemed to be borne out by the ice breaking crashing into the ocean — it was still a bitterly cold place. So Declan insisted she wear the coat outside if she wanted to remain in their company. The feline shifted position again, undoubtedly wishing her masters would get over their fascination with the disintegrating coastline and return to the palace.
    Not that the palace is much warmer, Declan thought, turning back to watch the breakup of the ice- shelf, although these days it was hard for him to tell. Declan had gained immortality, but along with that, he'd lost the ability to feel temperature extremes. It
    remained to be seen how many other things he'd lost the ability to experience.
    'Bet she wishes we were back in Senestra,' he remarked to Arryl. The poor creature had no option but to do as the Tide Lords commanded. But Declan wasn't sure if that meant the Crash had also lost her ability for wishful thinking.
    Arryl shook her head, sparing the shivering feline a brief glance. 'She's not missing Senestra one bit.'
    'Really?'
    'I think you'll find she's never been happier.' 'How do you figure that?'
    'The feeling of fulfilment she's enjoying simply by being in the presence of true immortals is enough to mitigate the worst discomfort.' Arryl frowned. 'Even the awkwardness of wearing boots. That's the tragedy of them, you know. That's the true weakness bred into them when they were created.'
    'Tell her to strip off and stand there until we're done, if you don't believe Arryl,' Taryx suggested, stepping forward until he was right on the very edge of the cliff. The ice was raw and jagged where it had broken away and the ice behind it already riddled with hairline fractures that would soon expand to crack even more of the ice-shelf from the main ice-sheet. Taryx studied the cliff edge for a moment and then straightened, turning to look at Declan. 'She'll happily freeze to death with a smile on her face, if you command her to.'
    The immortal leaned over to stare at the crashing ocean once more, ignoring the bitter wind that whipped his dark hair around his face. He wasn't as powerful as the other immortals, but he effectively ran the palace and certainly kept it intact. Taryx's gift was manipulating water. The ice-wrought Palace of Impossible Dreams remained standing and functioning, thanks to him. Declan wondered why he was doing nothing now to prevent the ice from breaking away from the coast,
    because if it kept disintegrating at this rate, in a few weeks the palace itself would be in danger.
    'Might be a close