A Crown Of War (Book 4) Read Free

thing. He destroyed the entire dark elf army with one massive spell, the likes of which few had ever seen. She knew Whill now had the full backing and confidence of not only the elven armies, but also her brother. He was Whill, or at least, a part of his mind. She believed the Other was Whill’s tortured self, the one who remembered it all. She had no way of knowing Whill was a prisoner within the Other’s world of nightmares.
    The Other was fulfilling the ancient prophecy, and Avriel decided that no matter Whill’s current plight, it did not outweigh the good that would be done by his alter ego. Only a flicker of doubt nagged at the back of her mind, warning her of danger, but again, the results quieted those thoughts for the time being.
     
    Whill screamed, and his tortured voice echoed throughout the dark chambers of his mind, chambers that once held the Other. He fell so deep into the memory illusions of his prison, he began to forget what was real. Chained to the wall, he remained helpless to the ever-shifting memories of torture. The most brutal sessions replayed in living color, and, ever so slowly, Whill lost himself to the pain. The Other had not only gained control, but would soon destroy him.
    Whill found himself laid out on a table. A cage of seething rats and a large assortment of knives lay on the opposite table. Above him, his hated dark elf torturer grinned down on him.

Chapter Three
Spirit-Elf
     
     
    Eldon Island remained as quiet and peaceful as Dirk remembered. The only people who called it home were the tribal Eldonians, and no trouble was to be found from them. They stayed to themselves and lived mostly on the northern and eastern shores of Eldon. Krentz had flown Dirk to the southern coast, and they had yet to be discovered by anyone.
    M orning had come, and Dirk gazed upon Krentz in the light of the new sun. She was fading. The beams penetrated her body, illuminating it softly from within. The tattoos on her body swirled and danced lazily as she smiled up at him.
    “ I am tired, Dirk. I must return to the spirit world.”
    Dirk turned his head in sorrow and reached for his cloak. From an inside pocket, he retrieved the relic.
    “ What is it like there?” he asked.
    “ Like a dream,” she purred. “Chief’s spirit home is a dark winter forest teeming with streams and wild game. I was there for only minutes, but I spent hours.”
    Di rk gave a smile hearing the experience was at least pleasant for her. “I could come with you.”
    “ Are you mad?” she said, aghast.
    “ You say I die because of you,” he reminded her with an arched eyebrow. “Perhaps we can be rid of the cursed vision also. Suppose I can be taken by Chief as well. We might watch the ages pass, together.”
    “ Who would summon us, who would keep us? If another obtained the trinket, would we have to obey them? Should the trinket become lost, would we be trapped in the spirit world forever?” she asked.
    “ You can’t emerge from the relic at will?” Dirk inquired.
    “ No,” she admitted. “Had you not summoned me, I would not have gotten out. I heard your words loud throughout the spirit world. Your beckoning drew me forth, and, before me, a doorway to this world opened. When I came through, I found you on the ground, disoriented, and you soon passed out.”
    Dirk remembered seeing her fighting the dark elf and dwargon as flames leapt all around them. Krentz had shifted in and out of spirit form, disorienting and getting under the guard of her enemies.
    “ Shifting to spirit form during combat…how did you learn that?” he asked, interested in the concept.
    She chuckled. “Chief taught me. Did I mention he can talk in his spirit realm?”
    “ Yeah.” Dirk shook his head unable to imagine the conversation. Krentz had become almost entirely translucent, and her whispered words became nearly inaudible. Dirk moved to push back the hair from her face, but found no form. His hand went through her and found only