Incarnation: Wandering Stars Volume One Read Free Page A

Sariel’s mind.  Iryllur .  Anduar .  Vidir .  Soldiers.  Friends.  He closed his eyes, but the memories only became more vivid.  Ages of loss concentrated into one moment.  When he opened his eyes, tears rolled down his cheeks.
    Amthardel was leaning more heavily on him now .  Gently , Sariel pulled his arm out from underneath his friend’s and leaned away to look into the face of the soldier who had been with him through countless battles.  The angel’s eyes were closed and the pale light that shone beneath his skin only moments ago had now faded.
    In the distance, a faint howl sounded.  It echoed through the valley, a chilling reminder of the enemy’s relentless aggression.
    Sariel remained seated on the shore, holding the last member of his team.  Despite the peaceful rhythm of dancing leaves and soothing melodies of trickling water , th i s sacred valley failed to ease his constricted throat.  He could still see the confused faces of his soldiers.  Their innocent questions reverberated in his ears.
    And what did I tell them?  That everything would be fine.  That this mission was just like all the rest.
    These were a ll the same words that Sariel had heard from his own superiors.  He regurgitated them just as a loyal soldier ought .  And in the end, they turned out to be lies.  As he gently lowered Amthardel’s body to the grass, he noticed the cuts and scrapes on his own forearms .
    Why was I spared?
    Why were his injuries so miniscule by comparison?   Why was he the only survivor when he was the one who led them to their deaths ?
    Another howl echoed through the valley.
    Reaching down, Sariel pried a vaepkir f rom the now sti ff fingers of his friend.  Amthardel h ad clutched it tight until the very end, a testament to his unwavering determination to fight.  Lifting the weapon from the pool of blood beside his soldier , Sariel held it tight and felt the weight of it in his hand.  He examined the three sharpened talons that diverged from the primary blade to cover his knuckles .  Even in the near formlessness of the Borderland , the weapon still appeared graceful.  On the other end, a t the very tip of the deadly instrument of war, the dark stains of demon blood marred its otherwise gleaming surface.
    Another howl sounded.  It was only a few hundred feet away and now accompanied by snorting and heavy breathing.
    Sariel stood up and walked a few paces away from the water, facing the direction of the forest where the howling had come from.   He realized now that his silent promise to Amthardel only moments ago might also have been a lie.
    Don’t let them win.  Don’t let the demons win.  But I can’t control the outcome.  I promised all of them that it would be just like every other mission.  And I couldn’t control that either!
    What he would normally push aside for a more convenient time, he allowed himself to feel.  It had been a pointless battle; an utter failure and a staggering waste of resources.  He and his soldiers had no business being pulled into that operation.  N ow , he was the only one left of a highly-trained and specialized group of soldiers.  M ore than that, they had been his last remaining friends—the only ones he had trusted, and the only ones who had trusted him.  And now , he was alone.
    Sariel’s hand began to shake.  Only then did he notice the bulging knuckles and strained tendons of the fingers that had unconsciously tightened around the hilt of the weapon—a blade that had ended the tortured lives of innumerable demons .
    Shadows moved between the trees, keeping just out of sight.  They were waiting for something.
    Sariel remained still.  His body, rigorously trained by ages of conflict, reacted with a simple determination.  There would be no more running.  Amthardel had died in a place of peace and beauty; not in the wasteland of the demons.  That objective had been met.  And now, while his thoughts were consumed, his winged, warrior form