Ascendants of Ancients Sovereign (Worlds of the Crystal Moon, Book 1) Read Free

These people are fanatical. They won’t be so interested if I lose.
    Women were shouting marriage proposals, which startled him. One woman lifted her shirt. “Sam Goodrich, marry me, and I’ll take care of you, baby!”
    Like most red-blooded males, Sam surveyed the woman’s figure. He took the time to admire her long, shapely legs, and curvy hips. They were perfect. As his eyes moved upward, the coolness of the night only added to her beauty. Everything was exquisite, until his eyes focused on her teeth. They were the antithesis of her silky, brown, flowing hair. Her wretched smile exposed twisted gaps he could drive a bus through. Forcing a pleasant nod, Sam rushed inside.
    The woman called after him. “Wait! Come back!”
    A barrage of flashing lights greeted Sam as he stepped through the door. Almost blinded by their intensity, he somehow managed to work his way through the mob.
    “Sam! Sam Goodrich!” a woman wearing a dark-blue, Dior, business suit and a large smile hollered. Her hair was pinned up, exposing a slender neck, and she was waiting next to the hallway which Sam had to enter to get to his dressing room. “Sam Goodrich, Martha Haige, ESPN. Will you take a moment to allow the fans to get to know you?”
    Putting on his best smile, Sam responded, “Sure thing, Ms. Haige. What do the fans want to know?”
    With cameras flashing and live video streaming throughout the Pay-Per-View world, Martha changed her tone. Her smile vanished and was replaced with a more serious expression. “You seem to be a bit of a mystery. I think the fans would like to know why a doctor would choose to fight. Why would a genius elect to be a part of the brutality? Can you help us understand what drives you to break your Hippocratic Oath?”
    Sam searched for a response to Martha’s inquiry, but he was left speechless. The depth of her probing made him realize he could not answer because he did not understand the conflict within his own heart.
    After an embarrassing moment of silence, Sam responded. “You’ll have to excuse me, Martha, I’ve got a fight to win.” He pushed past and hurried to the locker room, thinking, Ravenous woman! You’ll just have to wait until the show is over before I give you an answer.
    The locker room door closed, shutting out the noise and providing a welcomed quiet. As Sam changed, one of his trainers readied the tape for his hands. He looked up. “Jerome, give me a minute, will you? Can you believe the audacity of that woman?”
    Jerome gave an understanding nod, the light glinting off the gold ring in his ear. “You okay, man?”
    “I wish John was here. I need him.”
    “You don’t need John. You know he’s got to take care of the fam first. Besides, I got your back. We’ve got this under control!” Jerome patted Sam on the shoulder.
    “Okay, okay. Just give me a minute.”
    “Sure thing, bro, but you need to warm up, so think fast, alright?”
    Sam watched as Jerome left the room. Martha Haige’s question continued to weigh on his mind. Why don’t I know this? Why can’t I answer her questions? Dang it, John, I need you.
    Despite Sam’s agitation, he knew John’s daughter needed her father more than he did. Little Fannie was in stable but serious condition after a hit-and-run while she crossed the school crosswalk with her bike. Sam would not have come to the fight, but John had insisted. During his flight, he said another prayer for Fannie’s well-being. She was simply too young to end up paralyzed for life.

    Sam’s opponent was tough, a man from Brazil who held a Mixed Martial Arts record of 18 wins, 3 losses, with 17 wins coming by way of knock out. This Muay Thai specialist was a nightmare to face for his first professional fight, and everyone was betting on the Brazilian to hand Sam his first trip to the mat, knocked out cold. A member of the press had joked, “The good doctor will be able to stitch himself up to save on medical bills.”
    After warming up, the time