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    Of Blood and Rain
    Of Blood and Rain
    Of Blood and Rain
    Ebook83 pages1 hour

    Of Blood and Rain

    By Beth Alvarez

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    About this ebook

    Until the riddle is answered, the curse will grow.

    It's been twenty years since a curse drove the kingdom of Strale into drought, leaving only a witch's riddle to offer clues how to break it. Countless people have tried and failed, their bones littering the kingdom's deserts.

    When one last, desperate plea goes out, the call is answered by the Knights of Sonus, an all-female band of mercenaries whose ancient order serves a water spirit. There is no one better suited to breaking the curse and, as a first-year Knight, Aryina craves victory more than most. But the desert can only support so many, so when the king turns away all but two Knights, the task of solving the witch's riddle falls solely on Aryina's inexperienced shoulders.

    If she can't unravel the puzzle and break the curse before their water supply runs out, then all that's left of Strale--and the reputation of the legendary Knights of Sonus--will crumble like the desert earth.

    Of Blood and Rain is a fantasy novella approximately 20,000 words long. Enjoy this complete adventure in one sitting!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBeth Alvarez
    Release dateApr 17, 2018
    ISBN9781386296409
    Of Blood and Rain
    Author

    Beth Alvarez

    Beth Alvarez is an Illinois native living in Memphis, Tennessee, along with her husband, daughter, a Siberian husky, and a very mean cat. A visual arts major, she formerly worked as a freelance graphic designer. Against all advice, she makes her own book covers.Reading The Hobbit led Beth to fall in love with fantasy at age 8. She later developed a love for vampires and the supernatural, which is unsurprising, given she never outgrew the goth phase.In her free time, Beth enjoys drawing, hitting the road in her beloved Mustang, sipping tea, sewing for her Asian ball-jointed dolls, and making her prior-Marine husband spar in the kitchen for sake of writing more convincing combat scenes.She can be contacted via her website, where you can find her personal blog, and also sign up for bonus content and advance notification of new and upcoming titles:http://www.ithilear.com/newsletter.html

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      Book preview

      Of Blood and Rain - Beth Alvarez

      Chapter One

      Dust flowed across the scored earth in rivulets and collected at her feet. Aryina of Sonus lifted her boot and watched the whirlwinds carry the trails away. She'd heard the drought was bad, but she'd never imagined it would be like this.

      Brittle trees scraped the sky with branches like bony hands, their bark long since lost. Aside from those, there was no sign the cracked red earth had ever hosted life.

      How long has it been this way? Aryina turned as another knight approached her, leading her exhausted mount the same way Aryina did.

      The drought started here. It's been more than a decade. Maybe two. As acting leader of the Knights of Sonus, Lady Skelris should have been unflappable. She'd traveled the world, fulfilling more contracts than any of the younger knights—Aryina included—could fathom. Yet standing near the heart of the kingdom of Strale, Skelris appeared as troubled as anyone else.

      And the king believes we'll be able to fix it? Better to get her doubts out now, Aryina thought. Once they reached the dark-walled city looming against the horizon, Skelris would be too busy for questions. Especially those from a girl no more than a year into knighthood.

      Skelris tapped the toes of her boots against the hard ground, one after the other, then tugged her horse forward. King Charom has requested assistance from half the world. Half the world has failed. I expect he'll keep requesting help until someone solves the problem, regardless of whether or not success seems likely.

      Aryina started after her, gritting her teeth when her horse resisted. She caught the reins in both hands and pulled hard. And if we can't?

      Then there's no contract and no money. That's why we brought the water.

      And why the knights rationing it were so stingy. Aryina's throat had been dry as the dust under her feet for the better part of a week, her head pounding with a dehydration headache, but they'd stopped allowing the knights to refill their own water skins on the second day of the journey. The horses were treated better than the knights, but even they flagged. A small group of knights had already been ordered to leave Strale, taking the most valuable animals in hopes they could be saved. Aryina envied those women. By now they'd be near the coast, back to the massive stills where salt was separated from the water drawn from the sea. From there, they'd travel north until they reached the Holy Order's headquarters. Thinking of the monastery nestled at the meeting point of a deep river and the ocean shore, Aryina fought a pang of homesickness.

      Her horse still refused to move. Defeated, Aryina turned back and led the weary beast to the procession of lumbering water wagons that snaked its way across the desert. Put him with the others, she said as she passed the reins to one of the women atop the wagon's tongue. I think I'll fare better on my own.

      Chin up, knight, the woman replied. We're almost there.

      The dust-hazed sky made it hard for Aryina to judge the distance from sight alone. The wagon keepers had no such trouble. The order of Sonus was particular about bookkeeping; they even logged the distance traveled. How long do you think it will be before we reach the city?

      I haven't checked the meter, but two hours ago we were ten miles out. With the city in sight like that, I imagine we'll be there in another two. The wagon driver frowned and shook her head. But don't hope for a night in the city just yet. There are inspections required, and tariffs to be paid for water import.

      Skelris had warned them there would be, but Aryina couldn't help her disappointment.

      Tales of King Charom's hospitality were common even outside of Strale, and many of the knights had latched onto them in hopes they'd prove true. Aryina was one of them, though all she hoped for was a chance to drink her fill. She'd long since given up on the idea of washing her face, never mind her dust-filled hair.

      Even being indoors would have been a welcome comfort. Blistering heat filled the dust-choked days and bitter cold fell with night's arrival. They couldn't spare animals to carry wood for fires, forcing the knights to huddle together at night in a nest made of their bedding. Those in the center were sometimes warm enough to sleep. Aryina, on the other hand, had spent much of the past week watching the stars instead of sleeping.

      Murmuring a half-hearted thank-you, Aryina fell in step alongside the wagon and allowed herself to disappear among the dozen other knights there.

      The city loomed nearer and smaller buildings stood out against the murky brown stone of the great walls. From a distance, it had appeared the wall encompassed everything. Seeing the city's outskirts stretched beyond it provided some reassurance. If there were inns outside the walls—which surely there must be, with Strale being one of the largest kingdoms this side of the sea—there was still a chance for Aryina to find a bed instead of another frigid night sacrificing her blanket to keep someone else warm.

      Be wary, Lady Skelris ordered as they neared the city, and do not stray from the wagons. There will be time to visit markets and rest once we're beyond the wall. It's best if we stay away from the rabble out here. Don't forget, we are outsiders. That we are here at the king's behest only makes us prime targets. Until our job here is done, we are people of importance.

      Without a doubt, there would be people eager to hinder them along the way. Contracts often worked that way; a person with wealth sought to hire the knights, and either another wealthy person or someone after the money themselves did their best to obstruct their goal. As new to the Knights of Sonus as Aryina was, she'd already grown accustomed to

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