Shadows of the Keeper Read Online Free

chieftain’s aid. 
Only a fool dared confront Pendaran.
    “Your concerns
regarding Aurelia matter not.  Even in the end, she adhered to my father’s
law, protecting the knowledge and ending her life to shield us.  She was
immortal, human, did you know?  Had Ardra been successful, Aurelia would
have been enslaved to their goddess, Shadow, for eternity—which is now how long
you will walk this miserable existence, cursed for your failure to protect the
Keeper.”
    Hastily,
Aunsgar stepped from the ring of his guards.  “Pendaran, my lord, you
cannot do this.  Men craze from immortality.”
    Sizzling eyes
staked the Elf prince.  “ You were to protect her.  His head
should be piked at the end of your sword when he betrayed my trust.” 
Pendaran’s glower speared the growling Outlander before snapping back to
Aunsgar.  “And his betrayal to your queen.  Now, you will protect him
until she returns.  Fail her again, and your bodies will feed scavengers
for eternity.”  Pendaran spun away, wanting nothing more to do with any of
them.  Snow powdered and swirled violently, a vortex towering over
Pendaran.  Stepping into the spinning, churning tunnel, unaffected by the
fierce winds within, he turned slightly, glaring with such rage that even the
Elves collectively stepped back.
    “A thousand
years your kind to roam, a thousand more until history’s unknown.  Shadow
warriors, death you will spurn, to protect the Keeper upon her return.”
    Pendaran and
the lifeless princess vanished.
    Broc snapped
his attention to Aunsgar.  The prince continued muttering.
    “What are your
words?”
    “I send her my
requests for forgiveness.”  Aunsgar lifted his pale face towards darkening
sky, his blue eyes glittering as he openly wept.  “I was to protect
her.”  His eyes squeezed shut.  “I failed.”
    Broc turned
away, visions of horror imbedding themselves deep into his soul.  Ghostly
mists crawled towards them from the forest and prodded the dead before
cocooning them.   Garreck, born of the same mother, searched amongst
the carnage for survivors.  With blessings by Danu, none would be left
alive.  None would be forced to share in the curse of walking forever; of
remembering that Aurelia allowed this to happen.

CHAPER TWO - EMILY
     
    Present Day
     
     “Now see
here, Lord Garreck, she was on the wrong side of the road!”
    “If ye’ weren’t
already dead, I’d kill ye’ myself!”  Footsteps scuffed against . . .
wood?  Emily tried opening her eyes.
    “Christ’s
blood, do ye’ think it’s really her?”
    “She’s the twin
of your laird’s painting, which is all I have to go by.”
    “You’ve nosed
enough with yer’ blatherin’ questions—“
    “I’m a
scholar.  It’s my nature to nose , to seek information.”
    Garreck bristled. 
“It’s your nature to be interferin’.  ‘Tis ‘ow ye’ got yerself stuck in
Netherworld in the first place.  Do you ken what ye’ would ‘ave done had
Aunsgar not advised I take steed and ride day and night?”
    “If I were
alive, I’d have you all committed for madness.”
    The familiar
sound of metal sliding against something likened to a gasp caused Emily to
frown in semi-consciousness.
    “ ‘Tis no’
madness that drives us, English.  We wait for the return.”
    “Yes,
yes.  Thirty-six hundred years, cursed.  I’m acquainted with your
suffering.  Now, put that away lest you slice through my furniture again.”
    Her tongue felt
waxed, her throat burning.  What . . . were . . . they talking
about?  Eyes fluttering, she ached everywhere.  Her fingers prodded,
causing her to flinch against their chill.  She had to verify that her
head wasn’t as it felt: split in two.  Male voices dropped to incoherent
whispers.  Dead already ?  Cursed ?  Was this limbo
before heaven and hell?  Which was she destined for—coffee!  She
smelled coffee!
    “Please,” she
croaked, “please, coffee.”
    “A Yank! 
Told you she was on