Season of Sacrifice Blood of Azure In a world ruled by decay, what chance does life stand? Jonathan J Michael Copyright © 2021, 2019 Jonathan J Michael All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission of the copyright owner, except for the use of quotations in a review. ISBN: 979-8-5718230-1-2 Some characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Editing by Mary DeSantis https://www.kitnkabookle.com Cover Art by John Poh Visit http://jonathanjmichael.com Contents Prologue 1 Jaymes 2 Stone 3 Goose 4 Stone 5 Elder 6 Harris 7 Stone 8 Ellia 9 Stone 10 Goose 11 Harris 12 Goose 13 Jaymes 14 Stone 15 Ellia 16 Elder 17 Stone 18 Jaymes 19 Goose 20 Elder 21 Stone 22 Jaymes 23 Goose 24 Stone 25 Jaymes 26 Stone 27 Goose 28 Elder 29 Harris 30 Stone 31 Jaymes 32 Goose 33 Stone 34 Jaymes 35 Ellia 36 Goose 37 Stone 38 Goose 39 Jaymes 40 Stone 41 Harris 42 Goose 43 Stone 44 Ellia 45 Elder 46 Jaymes 47 Stone 48 Elder 49 Goose 50 Ellia 51 Harris 52 Goose 53 Stone 54 Ellia 55 Goose 56 Astor 57 Stone 58 Jaymes Epilogue Races & Hierarchy of Azure Acknowledgments About the Author I once lived in a world with unrestricted knowledge for all to consume, expand, and exploit. Appealing? All men sought after the stars—if their passions allowed it. But then, how does one control passion if their boundaries of knowledge are infinite? Our self-indulgent nature doesn’t allow it. That is how we became who we are. The blood of Azure. Prologue S tone stirs under the cover of his linens with violent dreams invading his sleep. The elaborately hand-crafted oak bed rumbles, but his posh bed mat absorbs the ruckus, leaving him to the agony within his mind. The room quakes. His mate, Elder, pops upright and rushes to the open window above his bed where a warm summer breeze tosses the curtains about. Elder’s careless curiosity plucks Stone from his slumber. “Ugh… Damn, Elder!” Ignoring Stone’s displeasure, he peers out the window. “St-St-Stone…” he mutters. Stone reluctantly rises to see what warrants Elder’s restlessness. A thundering boom erupts. A score of rhinos hammers through the impenetrable façade of the McLarin Manor, and Elder tumbles out the window. Stone lurches forward to grab his best mate, but his arms move slower than a honey-drip. Stone peeks through his eyelids, vanquishing the beasts and the ruckus. He’s back in his bed. His best mate asleep in the guest bed across the room. Feeling warm, he raises a hand to his forehead. There’s a light sweat accumulating. A tension within tells him it wasn’t an ordinary dream. Stone rises to look out the window. Nothing unusual. No armored beasts. He recoils to the comfort of his linens once more. Dawn has yet to climb over the horizon, but Cerise, Azure’s mother terra, illuminates the sky with its crimson ambiance, and it creeps into Stone’s sleeping quarters. A thundering sound strikes. Stone’s hands tremble. He grips the linens over his head and holds onto a meek hope that one of his parents will come into the room to tell them everything is okay. He peels the cotton shield away. There’s nothing to be seen except the crimson shadows looming in all corners of the room. Then, another resonating beat sounds. It’s real! The power vibrates through his bones as he tries to persuade himself it’s only fear causing the trembling. Not danger. Except…the cracks and booms of a stampede erupt, emulating the nightmare he just awoke from. Stone struggles to gain function of his senses. Elder startles from his covers, sitting straight up. He rubs his eyes. “Jaymes!” Stone cries. He throws the linens off and, following his gut, rushes to grab Life Bringer, a family heirloom recently handed down to him. He straps the cross-sheath of the dual blades over his shoulders and makes his way to the door. The stupor of the early arousal causes him to stumble upon his approach. He falls through the door into the hall as he opens it, creating a loud boom of his own. The thundering beats stop, only to be replaced with the sound of tramping boots. Stone races to the end of the hall where there is a balustrade overlooking the foyer below. He creeps toward the rail, crouching low to remain hidden, and presses his forehead through the balusters. A horde of men darts in and out of rooms, searching for something, or someone. Stone stumbles back from the balustrade and struggles to get to his feet, climbing backward on all fours until courage finds him. He rushes down the hall, past Elder, who’s poking his head out of the doorway, and to the spiral staircase leading to his sister’s quarters. “Come on! Let’s go!” Stone quietly urges as he makes a turn. Elder hesitates. Stone’s eyes widen as he looks beyond Elder, down the hall. A group of men surges up the stairs. Elder’s hesitation vanishes, and he pushes past Stone, nearly knocking him over the rail to get up the stairs. Two of the men are Sprhowts with healthy green eyes revealing their race. And the man leading them is the notorious Harris Martelli, the Taoiseach, tyrant of the realm. Harris, a dark and fearsome man, is the type of man you go out of your way to avoid. He’s the type of man children have nightmares about. He’s taller than most with a bald scalp, skin the shade of night, eyes the color of obsidian, and a permanent, cheerless grin. Dark features are typical for Dihkai, but Harris is a shade darker than any other man Stone has ever seen. The children
