Crown of Steel (Chaos Awakens) Read Online Free Page B

violation and guilt over having survived when her family had died resurface as though it had only happened a few moments before.
    Haley went to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. The drink washed away some of the night's fog, but could do nothing for the heavy weight of shame that still sat upon her shoulders. I'm ruined. Why do I even try? She thought, but she immediately gave a low growl and pushed those negativities away. What would Xan say if he knew she was thinking like that? Xan was gone. Haley took another swallow of her water before heading to the front windows. The barest hint of color was touching the horizon. The sun would be rising soon. Haley squinted out the window, her eyes trying to find the tree line. For some reason she couldn't make it out at all, and it wasn't purely darkness that cloaked it. A heavy fog had settled into the clearing around Shawl's cabin. That was strange. The morning fog never came beyond the trees, or maybe she'd never been up early enough to notice it before?
    As Haley watched, something large and darker than the night moved through the mist away from the cabin. The young woman started, her eyes going wide as she tried desperately to see what had moved with more clarity. There was something in the mists. The events of her nightmare flooded back through her mind and her heart began to beat fiercely in her chest. Could her nightmare have been some kind of portent of things to come? She didn't know, but the thought scared her more than she wanted to admit. She went immediately to Shawl.
    "Johndin!" She called out, and was answered by a grumble. "Johndin Shawl, get up! There is something in the mist outside!" The mage almost jumped out of his bed.
    "Something in the mist?" He said hazily as he slid his feet into his shoes and staggered his way towards her. "What did you see?"
    "I was just looking out the front window and I saw something really large move through the fog away from the cabin." Haley explained.
    "And you're sure you really saw it? It wasn't just your imagination?" He made his way to the front window as waking clarity began to dawn on him. A second later, as though he'd just realized something horrible, he added to his list of questions. "Wait, did you say there was fog around the cabin?"
    "Yes." Haley said, feeling somewhat exasperated. Johndin wasn't particularly functional in the mornings. The mage almost ran the last few feet to the window. He pressed his face against the thick glass and looked out with an unpleasant expression on his face.
    "This isn't right. This fog shouldn't be here. We're surrounded by fairyroot trees. I built my cabin here specifically because this clearing was surrounded. The glimmer mist can't come here!" Shawl was explaining things, but Haley wasn't entirely certain what he was talking about. She knew that the glimmer mist was some kind of fae weapon, and that it wasn't good for people. She wasn't certain what fairyroot trees were, or why Shawl was so upset about the fog. Certainly the glimmer mist couldn't get into the cabin? Fog didn't come inside.
    Haley voiced her reasoning. "We're inside, so it's not really a problem. Fog doesn't come inside."
    Shawl was shaking his head. "This isn't just a fog. This is glimmer mist, it's a type of fae magic. The cabin may keep it out for a time, but only because the walls are made from wood of the fairyroot tree, and even then I don't know how long that'll help. This is a very dangerous situation. The mists are not to be trifled with."
    "Can you cast a barrier like you did to keep the sciarwolf away?" Haley's concern was rising.
    "It would be like pitting my magic against the entirety of the fae magic in the area. It might hold for a second or two, if we were lucky. No, I'm afraid there is very little we can do but wait and hope the sun dispels the mist." Johndin was pushing his bed mangled hair back out of his face. "This is a very bad sign." He mumbled this last bit to himself.
    Kassa