Season of Sacrifice (Blood of Azure Book 1) Read online

  Season of Sacrifice

  Blood of Azure

  In a world ruled by decay, what chance does life stand?

  Jonathan J Michael

  Copyright © 2021, 2019 Jonathan J Michael

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission of the copyright owner, except for the use of quotations in a review.

  ISBN: 979-8-5718230-1-2

  Some characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Editing by Mary DeSantis https://www.kitnkabookle.com

  Cover Art by John Poh

  Visit http://jonathanjmichael.com

  Contents

  Prologue

  1 Jaymes

  2 Stone

  3 Goose

  4 Stone

  5 Elder

  6 Harris

  7 Stone

  8 Ellia

  9 Stone

  10 Goose

  11 Harris

  12 Goose

  13 Jaymes

  14 Stone

  15 Ellia

  16 Elder

  17 Stone

  18 Jaymes

  19 Goose

  20 Elder

  21 Stone

  22 Jaymes

  23 Goose

  24 Stone

  25 Jaymes

  26 Stone

  27 Goose

  28 Elder

  29 Harris

  30 Stone

  31 Jaymes

  32 Goose

  33 Stone

  34 Jaymes

  35 Ellia

  36 Goose

  37 Stone

  38 Goose

  39 Jaymes

  40 Stone

  41 Harris

  42 Goose

  43 Stone

  44 Ellia

  45 Elder

  46 Jaymes

  47 Stone

  48 Elder

  49 Goose

  50 Ellia

  51 Harris

  52 Goose

  53 Stone

  54 Ellia

  55 Goose

  56 Astor

  57 Stone

  58 Jaymes

  Epilogue

  Races & Hierarchy of Azure

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  I once lived in a world with unrestricted knowledge for all to consume, expand, and exploit. Appealing? All men sought after the stars—if their passions allowed it. But then, how does one control passion if their boundaries of knowledge are infinite? Our self-indulgent nature doesn’t allow it. That is how we became who we are. The blood of Azure.

  Prologue

  S tone stirs under the cover of his linens with violent dreams invading his sleep. The elaborately hand-crafted oak bed rumbles, but his posh bed mat absorbs the ruckus, leaving him to the agony within his mind.

  The room quakes. His mate, Elder, pops upright and rushes to the open window above his bed where a warm summer breeze tosses the curtains about.

  Elder’s careless curiosity plucks Stone from his slumber. “Ugh… Damn, Elder!”

  Ignoring Stone’s displeasure, he peers out the window. “St-St-Stone…” he mutters.

  Stone reluctantly rises to see what warrants Elder’s restlessness. A thundering boom erupts. A score of rhinos hammers through the impenetrable façade of the McLarin Manor, and Elder tumbles out the window. Stone lurches forward to grab his best mate, but his arms move slower than a honey-drip.

  Stone peeks through his eyelids, vanquishing the beasts and the ruckus. He’s back in his bed. His best mate asleep in the guest bed across the room. Feeling warm, he raises a hand to his forehead. There’s a light sweat accumulating. A tension within tells him it wasn’t an ordinary dream.

  Stone rises to look out the window. Nothing unusual. No armored beasts. He recoils to the comfort of his linens once more.

  Dawn has yet to climb over the horizon, but Cerise, Azure’s mother terra, illuminates the sky with its crimson ambiance, and it creeps into Stone’s sleeping quarters.

  A thundering sound strikes.

  Stone’s hands tremble. He grips the linens over his head and holds onto a meek hope that one of his parents will come into the room to tell them everything is okay. He peels the cotton shield away. There’s nothing to be seen except the crimson shadows looming in all corners of the room. Then, another resonating beat sounds.

  It’s real! The power vibrates through his bones as he tries to persuade himself it’s only fear causing the trembling. Not danger. Except…the cracks and booms of a stampede erupt, emulating the nightmare he just awoke from. Stone struggles to gain function of his senses.

  Elder startles from his covers, sitting straight up. He rubs his eyes.

  “Jaymes!” Stone cries. He throws the linens off and, following his gut, rushes to grab Life Bringer, a family heirloom recently handed down to him. He straps the cross-sheath of the dual blades over his shoulders and makes his way to the door. The stupor of the early arousal causes him to stumble upon his approach. He falls through the door into the hall as he opens it, creating a loud boom of his own.

  The thundering beats stop, only to be replaced with the sound of tramping boots.

  Stone races to the end of the hall where there is a balustrade overlooking the foyer below. He creeps toward the rail, crouching low to remain hidden, and presses his forehead through the balusters. A horde of men darts in and out of rooms, searching for something, or someone.

  Stone stumbles back from the balustrade and struggles to get to his feet, climbing backward on all fours until courage finds him. He rushes down the hall, past Elder, who’s poking his head out of the doorway, and to the spiral staircase leading to his sister’s quarters. “Come on! Let’s go!” Stone quietly urges as he makes a turn.

  Elder hesitates.

  Stone’s eyes widen as he looks beyond Elder, down the hall. A group of men surges up the stairs.

  Elder’s hesitation vanishes, and he pushes past Stone, nearly knocking him over the rail to get up the stairs.

  Two of the men are Sprhowts with healthy green eyes revealing their race. And the man leading them is the notorious Harris Martelli, the Taoiseach, tyrant of the realm.

  Harris, a dark and fearsome man, is the type of man you go out of your way to avoid. He’s the type of man children have nightmares about. He’s taller than most with a bald scalp, skin the shade of night, eyes the color of obsidian, and a permanent, cheerless grin. Dark features are typical for Dihkai, but Harris is a shade darker than any other man Stone has ever seen.

  The children skip every other step as they climb the stairs to Jaymes’s quarters. In a flash, the two open and slam the door shut behind them. Stone doesn’t hesitate to move the nearest piece of furniture in front of the door. Then he leaps away from it as if it is going to bite.

  Elder squeezes his eyes shut and shoves fists into them to rub away the nightmare he’s witnessing. “What is happening?”

  The door now barred with an armoire allows Stone time to collect his thoughts. He knows this won’t thwart the assailants permanently because whatever created those loud noises broke through the thick façade of his home. So why would a heavy piece of furniture keep them from entering a bedchamber?

  “Jaymes!” Stone whispers with aggression.

  The circular tower, twenty paces in diameter, doesn’t allow too many hiding places. Stone checks the closet first, rifling through the clothes, searching behind them twice.

  Elder digs through t
he mountain of frilly pillows on the bed, tossing them on the floor.

  Stone whips around and dives to the ground to look under the bed. Sweat drips from his forehead. The warm breeze relieves it a bit.

  The window!

  As he pokes his head out into the open air, he glimpses a small figure scurrying around the bend of the tower.

  “Jay!” No response. “I think I just saw her on the ledge, Elder.”

  Stone hurdles over the sill and lands on a thin ledge outside the window. Tardily aware of his carelessness, he fumbles for the window and latches on tight. His bold younger sister can’t go anywhere except the roof, so he has time for caution.

  “Elder! C’mon!”

  “Me too? What’s going on?” There are too many questions without answers anchoring his feet to the floor. What business do they have out on the ledge?

  “I don’t know. It’s not good. Just get out here.”

  Stone looks down, and his face turns pale. With hardly anything to hold onto, a fall wouldn’t be fatal, but would test his fate. Even more, sweaty bare feet are bound to test his balance and agility more than the tiny ledge already would have. He eases forward.

  Elder follows.

  The armoire vibrates. A violent rumble overtakes it, and small hairline cracks form in an isolated area before the entire piece bursts. Shrapnel flies throughout the bedchamber as bright green vines crawl through the remnants. The children take the cue and muster the necessary courage to get moving faster.

  After shifting down the ledge and climbing over a few parapets of the layered roof, Stone lifts his head over the upper deck.

  “Jaymes!” He bounds over the last parapet. She’s huddled on the far end of the roof. “Jaymes! Are you alright? Are you hurt?” he yells. Her head is hidden between her legs, but she’s alive, and safe.

  Elder, having followed close behind, lumbers over the roof’s edge, mumbling frustration under his breath. Scaling the McLarin Manor before sunrise wasn’t on the agenda.

  “Elder, we need to get off the roof,” Stone urges, pacing up and down the parapet with sharp glances to the fatal drop below. He stops and looks out toward the Great Oak Forest, searching for anything that can help. “Ideas?”

  “How about the way we just came?” Elder suggests. “We don’t know what these men are after.”

  “Or why they‘re so eager to catch us, but their intentions are clearly uninviting and, more so, violent,” Stone adds with a scowl.

  “But we don’t know what they want. Do you? Your parents are important people, so maybe the Taoiseach was invited.”

  “Mother? Father?” Stone mutters. His first thought was to protect his sister, then to flee. He hadn’t stopped to think what may have become of his parents. Were these men after them too? Did they get taken?

  He shoves the emotions down and studies his surroundings. The forest! The distance to the nearest branches is a spread. But there’s no way down without risking the fall.

  “Don’t do it, lad.” A low voice sounds. “You’ll break your legs attempting that jump. Calm down. There is no need to run from us.” The Taoiseach stands at the opposite side of the roof and gestures toward two men standing on either side of him. It’s the same two Sprhowts that were in the hall with him.

  They’re large men of equal size to the Taoiseach. One with short, dark-brown hair, the other with shoulder-length, golden locks. Both are dressed in the same fashion as the Taoiseach with the standard cross-sash warrior’s tunic. And each is equipped with a pair of katanas strapped to his back. They look as if they would rather enjoy ripping off the heads of children. There’s no doubt they are here for a battle. Who do they intend on battling?

  “What would you like us to do with the extra brat?” one of the men asks.

  “He’ll join them. Wrong time to be acquainted with a McLarin, I suppose.” The Taoiseach’s facial features distort unnaturally, like a wave of discolored flesh eager to burst out. It fades back to normal.

  Elder’s gaze narrows on the Taoiseach. His curiosity keeps him grounded despite the underlying threat.

  Then, green vines dart toward the children. They grow at a rapid pace, ejecting from one of the Sprhowts’ fingertips. Taboo! He’s augmented his body.

  Stone looks down to his sister with a distant stare. He’s out of options. Stone steals Jaymes from the rooftop and throws her over his shoulder. He steps onto the parapet and, with a gentle push, falls.

  Fear overtakes Elder’s curiosity, and he leaps after Stone.

  Stone’s hands brush against the branches, one after another after another as his stomach hits his throat. But even with Jay clutched under one arm, he manages a secure grip on a lonely outstretched limb, which reduces his plummet to a gentle rappel.

  Elder’s velocity sends him plummeting past the two. There’s a vacancy plastered on his face that says Goodbye, Stone. Goodbye, friend.

  In a quick decision, with no hands available, Stone kicks his legs out. He’s successful! Elder’s arms tangle with Stone’s legs, slowing his fall. But the downward momentum is too powerful, and his success slips away. Stone watches in anguish as Elder continues to drop. His best mate hits the ground legs-first, and they collapse beneath him.

  Stone has no time for thought or compassion. They’re not safe yet. The Sprhowt assailants swing from the rooftop on green vines. With extraordinary strength, he curls Elder over his shoulder. Jaymes on one and Elder on the other, he trudges away from his home toward the stable.

  There’s a small meadow spreading the distance. If he can make it there, his odds of escaping into the surrounding forest improve significantly. The knee-high grass and wildflowers poke at Stone’s bare feet, but he hardly notices with the adrenaline surging through him.

  Unable to glance over his shoulder, he doesn’t look, but he hears consecutive thuds and grunts. The two assailants have landed.

  Stone’s heart hammers in his chest. He won’t let this happen to his sister. Or Elder. He pushes forward with a faster pace, trying not to collapse and hide in the grass like he desires to.

  Without explanation, the grass grows as he moves through it. With every step, it shoots high into the air. Startled, he slows his already trudging pace and turns to see if they’re following. The meadow is no longer there. In its place is a field of elephant grass taller than any man. And the assailants are nowhere to be seen. Stone forges on.

  The stable is a simple structure with a large door on both ends and stalls in between. Stone rests his friend and sister against one of the stalls and promptly bars the doors. Now, which tiger to prep?

  Lance is large enough for the three of them but graying around the whiskers, and his back isn’t fit for the weight. Stellar, an adolescent, would easily fit the task of a get-away beast, but his rogue moments are too risky. Flare is pregnant. That only leaves Helios, undoubtedly their most loyal and quickest tiger. He stands as tall as a man, with paws the size of Stone’s head and teeth longer than Stone’s fingers. The obvious choice.

  “Stone, what’s happening?” Jaymes whispers in a gruff voice. Her blank stare has washed away.

  Stone wastes no time to kneel by her side and comfort her.

  “Jay! Thank Susy. I don’t really know… I don’t know what’s going on, but we need to leave now. Those Greenthumbs weren’t friendly. Mount up.” He gestures for her to hop onto Helios’ back and moves to check on Elder.

  Jaymes offers a reproachful glare in return.

  “I’m sorry.” He returns to her side. “Are you okay? We must hurry, though. How can I help?” He offers her a hand.

  Jaymes accedes and allows him to pull her to her feet. “Where’s mother and father?”

  “Please, Jay, just hop on. We need to leave now. Mother and father are capable of handling themselves. I need to get you out of here.”

  Jaymes, still groggy, obeys mechanically and straddles the tiger.

  Stone drapes Elder over Jaymes’s lap and signals Helios to head out. He pushes one of the rear c
arriage doors open and mounts Helios, holding on tight to Jaymes as they dash through the exit.

  But the children are too predictable. The Sprhowts wait outside the stable doors with their augmented fingers stretching toward them.

  The tiger leaps out of the way, too quick for the attack to be effective, but nearly tosses the children in the act. Helios counters their attack by pouncing on the short-haired Sprhowt first. The tiger’s claws tear into his chest as he’s forced to the ground.

  The blond one, now gawking at his companion, turns to retreat. Helios cuts him off and swipes, causing his entire mass to fly through the air. The tall grass catches him and softens the impact with the ground, but the blow is severe. The surrounding blades are stippled with blood, and there is a large crimson pool accumulating below him. Several lacerations stretch from the back of his head to his nose. Flesh hangs from his cheekbones, and his ear is missing.

  The children decide not to stick around to see if either of them climbs to their feet. They look back in the midst of fleeing into the Great Oak Forest to see a few men standing beside a large oak tree along with two burning bodies dangling from it.

  Mother? Father?

  I am the only one who sees it. It was apparent when I watched a man—a gentle Greenthumb—a friend, slay his own wife. Temper is a controllable trait, but tangible consequences no longer have any effect on the inhabitants of this world. His perception of hope was nonexistent. He had no passion to control himself. Man puts itself above insignificance.

  1 Jaymes

  “M

  other?” A tender whisper escapes me as I rub my eyes. “What are you doing here?” A lofty figure hovers in the shadows of my sleeping quarters. The broken shutter the boys have yet to repair reveals a soft breeze wafting through the graceful gown she’s wearing. Tonight, her hair is in a tight braid, the same as she used to style my own. She is beautiful as always. I try to resist, but a dimple forms in my cheeks nonetheless. I brush my thumb across it the same as she once did.