Shade of Destiny (The Foreseeing) Read Online Free Page A

Aerona asked him, her grip tightening.
         “ W-William,” William stuttered, he made the mistake of glancing behind the woman and saw a decapitated man sprawled on the floor. Blood soaked into the wooden floor, he could not see the head anywhere in the room.
         Aerona’s eyes flashed red again, drawing William’s gaze back to her. “I remember you, the nosey old man. You didn’t fall for my Charms.”
         William’s face paled as the grip tightened, his eyes darted again to the room which Aerona had left, evidence of how easily this woman killed people who displeased her but Aerona shook him and forced William to look at her. She stared into his eyes and for a moment he felt as though she was inside him, looking at his deepest regrets and fears. It was the most disgusting thing he had ever experienced, she clawed at him and he could not escape her gaze. She saw everything and he was powerless to stop her. Agonising, raw, ripping pain tore through him like a razor. With all his will he moaned and managed to close his eyes.
         “ You’re strong,” Aerona whispered, “but all fall eventually. You fear I will find Elina and her daughter, which means you care about them, and you know where they will be. That crowd were useless really, only a few could tell me where Elina lived and even fewer knew any exact location, and I had to kill most of them for wasting my time; they will serve me well, but you, you will be most useful alive.”
          William felt his life ebbing away as her hold on his neck grew tighter, his limbs had gone numb. Aerona sneered as William began to stop struggling; eventually she dropped him to the ground just as his heart was failing. He gulped at the air, tears spilling from his eyes. He stared at Aerona, the long black robe, the pale skin which it swathed, the long red hair which seemed to writhe like flames, the grey eyes which watched him suffer.
         “ Are you quite done?” Aerona snapped at him, “I’m in a hurry.”
         William slowly stood up; afraid his knees would buckle under his weight. The floor seemed to dance beneath him. The walls quavered as his eyes focused again. Aerona grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the cottage into the square. He saw a massacre before him. Bodies were piled high, a mess of limbs and gore. There was no pattern to the way the corpses lay; it was as though they had all dropped to the ground atop of each other in the same instant. The air stank of blood and William vomited violently, his stomach turning as he recognised the faces; men, woman and children, all ages and genders viewed him with cold, dead eyes. Yet it was not the corpses that made William retch, it was the... the things that surrounded them.
         Malice, Odium, Crass and Spite, William remembered their names despite everything. They looked identical in the moonlight, soulless, rotting bodies that should be dead, yet lived as easily as William. They stood guard over the bodies, arms crossed. When William stood and glanced over at them they nodded their heads, as though to imply that they would be waiting. William shivered.
         “ Where is she old man?” Aerona snapped.
         William glanced at her fearfully. How had his life taken such a drastic and dangerous turn? Only a few hours ago he had been dancing in the carnival, drinking ale and celebrating the New Year with his closest friend, Elina and her daughter. Now he was standing beside a murderer, leading her straight to Elina, what kind of a friend was he? How could he do this to her?
         “You do not have a choice,” Aerona purred, “now think of the location.”
         William slowly raised a shaking arm and pointed towards Lumber Wood, the forest which lay in the opposite direction to Oprend Manor. Aerona nodded and placed a hand onto William’s shoulder. William frowned and saw Aerona concentrate in the direction of the forest, using William’s exact knowledge