An Exclusive Excerpt
from Lyrinian Blade:
The Chronicles of Koa Book Three
“What
are you going to do with all of this power,” Tristan asked in a hushed tone as
he watched Halston manipulate the air around them.
With a bit of concentration, and a deep
breath, Halston was able to make the fog of the dark alley rise above them.
White mist curled between Halston and Tristan as he moved his left hand in a
swaying motion.
His
brows furrowed. “I am going to use it for something good.”
Tristan
shook his head and sat on the sidewalk. He folded his arms and leaned against
the side of the building. “I don’t know if that’s even possible.”
“And
why is that?” Halston asked as he peered into the mist, hoping to see a glimpse
of the Gate. The entrance into the Netherworld.
“Because
there’s so much evil inside of you now,” Tristan answered after a pause of
silence. His voice was laden with concern, enough to make Halston finally
divert his full attention back to his oldest friend.
His
arms dropped to his sides and he turned to look down at the large War-Breeder
that could have easily passed for a descendant of the race of giants.
But
now, even though he was so big, with muscles that could not be contained by
even the jacket Halston had given him, Tristan looked oddly less imposing.
Tristan
was worried.
This
alarmed Halston. He slid his hands into the pockets of his pants and gazed into
the night sky. The moon was shrouded by clouds, and the mist that Halston had
called forth from the fog further canopied them from the purity of the sky,
from his Father’s eyes.
A
shiver ran up Halston’s spine. Nothing could hide him from the gaze of God. He
would have wept if Tristan had not been there. He wondered if it would not be
better to just be alone. To walk the world in shame for what he had done.
“I
don’t know if you realize it, but I can sense their souls within you, Halston,”
Tristan whispered.
Halston
shot a look at him. “Are you with me, or not?”
Tristan
shook his head. His eyes narrowed. “Of course I am. I’ll always be by your
side. You not only helped me stay out of trouble in the Netherworld, but you
are like a brother to me. It’s just that something stirs in my chest when I
sense a vampire’s soul. It’s like an itch that I cannot scratch. I’ve had to
deal with it all of my life, surrounded by vamps in the Netherworld, and I
don’t like it. Why do you think I chose to live in the south, where vampires
would never venture to?”
“Why,”
Halston dared to ask.
Tristan
came to his feet. He rubbed his chin with his hand and sighed. “To keep from
losing my mind.”
Their
eyes met and Halston saw the fury that was so well hidden behind Tristan’s
thin, dark eyes. He nodded and looked away. “Because it is why you were created.
War-Breeders are the only natural enemies of the vampire race. And now I walk
the Earth with hundreds of their souls feeding this unnatural power to my
body.” Halston’s voice cracked and he stopped talking. He wasn’t sure of what
bothered him more, that he wasn’t sorry for what he’d done, or that he had to
do it at all. He did it for her.
Koa’s
green eyes would always glow in the back of his mind.
The
silence was thick between them, with only the sound of droplets of cold water
trickling from the leaky pipes onto the craggy stone sidewalk.
Halston
didn’t want to say what he thought should happen, but Tristan seemed to sense
what was on his mind.
“Listen,
boss, I’m not going to let you go off on your own. We are a team, and together
we will find Koa and free you of this evil.”
Afraid
to even look at his friend, Halston turned his back on him. He closed his eyes
and sighed. With a nod he gave his acquiescence to Tristan’s words.
The
sound of footsteps made Halston tense. He glanced over his shoulder. Tristan
must have heard the small footsteps as well. He looked past Halston, and
upward.
Realization
flooded Halston, and he drew his infinity gun from its holster out of instinct
and spun around to point it at whatever creature dared interrupt an angel
turned demon, and a top ranked War-Breeder.
To
his surprise, the creature he saw was not one that would ever cause them
trouble. A smile came to his face, and somehow all seemed like it would be
alright.
Before
them flew an angel. She bounded down the side of the building, and soared
slowly to the ground.
An
angel, a ray of light in that dark alley, and a friend.
Alice
landed before Halston on her feet in a crouched position. Beaming, she stood
before him, took two steps towards him, and threw her arms around his neck.
“I
found you,” she said breathlessly.
Halston
held back tears. It took everything within him to do so. Not only had he been
holding them back since he had to break Koa’s neck to free her from the demon’s
curse, but every day since that fateful night. Instead, he closed his eyes and
put an arm around Alice’s small body, and embraced her.
She
pulled back and cupped his face in her hands. Her pink hair seemed to glow even
under the dim light of the street lamp outside the alley. She grinned. “You
look like crap.”
That
twinkle of mischief in her eyes brought a smile to Halston’s face. Somehow, he
began to feel that things might turn out alright after all.
Catch up on the first two books of the Chronicles of Koa series!
