House of Ravens (The Nightfall Chronicles Book 2) Read Free Page B

been men turned against their will. Babes stolen to be nothing more than food. You must uphold your oaths."
    The Queen speaks from her floating throne. "I have punished those who have transgressed, and new policies are being put in place so that this does not occur again."
    Varian bows his head a fraction. "Then our alliance holds."
    "Our alliance holds," the Queen agrees.
    The stage grows darker and thunder claps overhead as a voice off stage calls out, "No!"
    The theater fills with white smoke, and lightning flashes through the auditorium. A man flies above us, emerging from the mist, his wings like shadows. He wears a white mask.
    Nyx, the leader of the Nephilim during the war.
    As he flies overhead, audience members cry out, shrinking from the sight of him.
    "You have been deceived," he says to the representatives of the Four Orders. "There will be no alliance."
    Seraphina rises from her throne, her body floating in the air above them. "Be silent."
    Nyx does not back down. "No. Too long have we tempered ourselves. Too long have we allowed a lesser race to rule."
    Seraphina's guards charge forward, but Nyx disarms them instantly with a sword black as night. He moves for the Four Knights as other Nephilim, clocked in black, join him from around the auditorium, flying over us all like avenging dark angels.
    "Now," Nyx says, holding his sword high and hovering above the slain bodies of the guards, "it's our turn." The stage roars with thunder, and lightning rips through the darkness.
    The audience cheers at the spectacle. We can feel the energy moving under us, shaking us.
    I sit on the edge of my seat as I watch this version of history unfold. So real. So raw.
    Nyx overthrows the Queen, but Varian escapes. Battles blaze above us as Nyx and his army of Nephilim win victory after victory.
    The climax mounts as Nyx and Varian set to duel each other.
    They battle, Nyx flying through the sky, Varian fending him off with two swords expertly wielded. The fight is long and brutal and I honestly can't say who I'm cheering for.
    In the end, they are both wounded and can no longer fight.
    It looks to be a draw. Neither can defeat the other.
    But then the winds of the battle change. The Pope arrives with reinforcements. Varian never needed to best Nyx one on one. He just needed to distract the Nephilim long enough for backup to arrive. It was all a trap.
    The play ends with Nyx executed by beheading and Varian bowing before the Pope as he is named King of the re-established kingdom of Sapientia, a kingdom spanning the south of England, once great but lost even in stories so long ago. Varian's father died in the war, making Varian heir to throne.
    He receives his cloak and sigil, a golden raven on black, and as he leaves the ceremony, his three small children run up to him, hugging him. Two boys and a girl. He's finally reunited with his family after many years of bloody war.
    The stage goes dark and the crowd rises to their feet in cheers and applause. My heart pounds in my chest, the whole experience so very visceral. I can't help but join in the enthusiastic applause.
    Corinne stands next to me, clapping politely. "Not entirely historically accurate," she says. "But it is a great show."
    The actors all take their bows to more applause, and a woman comes on stage holding genetically modified roses that glow in the dim theater.
    "She's the director," Corinne says.
    "Thank you for attending our show," the director says. "Next week, for our fifth anniversary, King Varian himself will be amongst the audience. We are honored and privileged to have him as our guest and hope you all will join us for another rousing night of theater. Have a good night."
    As we begin to file out of the auditorium, a man ahead of us scoffs. His hair is long and blond, and a red cloak drapes his shoulders. "We all know he's coming for Nightfall, not this stupid show."
    My heart skips a beat as I lean into Corinne. "You know anything about this?"
    "About what?" she