His name is Mirfio, and he's unlike anything Anoera has ever seen before. His eerie yellow eyes, fangs, and claws are the only things that indicate he is more than human. But what is he exactly? What does he want? And what kind of history do he and Andreena share? Find out in The Guardians of Light, Book Two, but in the meantime, here's a little sneak peek at the newest threat to Kandin and his friends...
When the
sun was directly above them, and hunger was gnawing at their bellies, Andreena
would not let them stop.
“Do
you plan on starving us to death?” Bandin
snapped.
Andreena
ignored him, continuing to walk at the front of the group. Kandin was following directly behind her…and
nearly ran into her back when she came to a sudden stop.
“Hey,
careful!” he growled.
She
didn’t seem to hear him. Her body had gone
rigid, and she was as still as stone.
“Andreena? Are you okay?” Kandin frowned, moving around
so he could see her face. Her eyes were
wide, her mouth was gaping, and her cheeks had turned white. “Andreena?”
He reached out a hand to touch her shoulder, but she was gone before he
even realized she had moved.
“Where
did she go?” Kandin cried, frantically searching the area for her. How could she have simply vanished like that? Had something taken her? She had been right in front of him seconds ago…
“Up
there!” Shaena exclaimed, pointing towards the treetops. Kandin gazed up, and spotted Andreena
crouched low on a large branch high above him.
“How
in the world…?” Bandin gasped, craning his neck to gawk up at her.
“She’s
been holding back…hiding her abilities from us.
She doesn’t have to anymore now that we know she’s an Immortal,” Shaena
muttered, stunned.
“You
mean she jumped up there?” Kandin breathed in awe. Andreena, like a cat, peered off into the distance,
and then suddenly disappeared again.
“Come
on!” Shaena shouted, breaking into a run.
“We need to follow her!”
Kandin
briefly wondered how they’d even find
her, but then saw her blurry figure appear on another branch before
disappearing again.
At
that moment, Andreena had completely forgotten about the others. Something was in the air. A scent, a power she recognized…but it
couldn’t be right.
This
dark power, she thought.
It can’t be him…it’s impossible. She continued to race towards the source
of the power she sensed, anxiety and dread making her stomach queasy.
Andreena
came to a halt when she was directly above the cause of the disturbance she
felt. Jumping out of the trees, she did
one flip, and landed neatly on the ground.
She slowly raised her head, and then stumbled back in shock.
Within
seconds, Kandin and the others burst from the trees behind her. Kandin came to a sliding stop when he spotted
what had startled Andreena. Nearly
twenty large demons stood before them in a line, snarling at them. A giant black warhorse pawed the ground
impatiently in front of the demons, but it was the beast’s rider that proved
the most menacing sight. It appeared to
be a man, not much older than Kandin himself, but he wasn’t a man…not
really…but he also didn’t appear to be a demon.
He was something else, something Kandin had never seen before.
He was
cloaked in blood red and was handsome, but in an inhumane, almost frightening
way. He had yellow eyes, slitted like a
cat, and wild black hair that had undertones of deep red. His ears were pointed, and small fangs
glinted between his lips as he smirked at them.
No, he definitely wasn’t human…but Kandin wasn’t sure what he was.
Kandin
looked from the rider to Andreena. She
was staring, wide-eyed, at the strange creature.
“Mir…Mirfio?”
she finally stammered.
“Hello
Andreena,” the man said in a cool, deep voice.
“It’s been a long time.”
“Wait…you
know this guy?” Kandin blurted.
Andreena
ignored him. “Mirfio…is it…is it really you?” Her voice was a hesitant whisper. She took a step forward.
“It’s
me, Andreena,” Mirfio nodded, dropping from his horse. He began walking towards them…his eerie
yellow eyes locked on her. Kandin,
Shaena, and Bandin each stepped back, but Andreena stepped forward again.
“Mirfio,”
she breathed his name.
“Andreena, what are you doing?” Kandin demanded to know
when she took yet another step towards Mirfio.
What is going on? Kandin thought, his heart racing. Why won’t she move away? He
didn’t know what to do.
Mirfio
walked right up to Andreena and stopped when he was directly in front of
her. She had to tilt her head back to
meet his gaze. They stood silently,
staring at each other.
“Mirfio…I
thought…I thought you were…thought you were dead!”
“Dead? How could I be dead, when you are still alive?” the creature murmured.
“What
do you…?” Andreena began. Suddenly,
Mirfio’s hands shot out and he grasped her shoulders, cutting off her question.
“Andreena!”
Kandin cried in alarm, lurching towards them.
Before he could reach the pair, however, Mirfio slowly leaned in to
Andreena…and kissed her. Her eyes went
wide in surprise, but then she closed them and returned the kiss, reaching up
to clutch his shoulders with her fingers.
“An…Andreena?”
Kandin gasped in disbelief. Pain seared
his chest, and it felt as if his heart was being ripped apart. His legs all of the sudden felt weak, and he
slowly crumpled to his knees as he watched the two embrace.
“What…what
is she doing?” he heard Shaena ask in
shock.
“She’s
lost her mind,” came Bandin’s dumbfounded reply.
Finally,
after what seemed like eons to Kandin, Mirfio broke the kiss and stared down at
Andreena. He wrapped one arm around her
shoulders, pressing her tightly to his chest, and let his other hand drop to
his side.
“Mirfio,
I’ve missed you so much,” Andreena admitted in a pained voice. Her eyes shimmered with tears, and she gazed
up at him looking very much like she was…in love. Kandin felt like he was going to vomit.
“I’m
here now, Andreena…after all this time, I finally have you.”
Something
in Mirfio’s tone raised the hairs on the back of Kandin’s neck. He fought back his crushing disappointment to
try and understand what it was that seemed so off about the creature’s words…
Mirfio
squeezed Andreena tighter, and she buried her face against his chest.
“I was
afraid I would never see you again!” she sobbed. “All these years, I’ve wanted so desperately
for you to be alive…to find you. I’ve
wanted to apologize to you so badly for…”
“Betraying
me?” Mirfio finished in a cold, flat voice.
Andreena’s
head shot up, and she gaped at him. Then
she screamed.
“ANDREENA!”
Kandin roared, shoving to his feet as her arms fell away from Mirfio. The creature released his hold on her and
shoved her backwards, yanking a long, bloody dagger from her belly.
She
flew back, slamming into Kandin, who caught her in his arms. The impact threw him off balance, and he
stumbled, falling to the ground. He
twisted so his body absorbed the impact, and clutched Andreena to him
protectively.
“Andreena!”
Shaena cried, and he heard her and Bandin run towards them. The demons watched, snarling and growling in
excitement over the bloodshed.
Kandin
sat up, gently cradling Andreena in his lap.
Her eyes were closed, and her torso was soaked with her blood. Frantically, but attempting not to hurt her
in his panic, Kandin laid a hand over her wound to try and staunch the flow.
“Andreena? Please, wake up,” he whispered, terrified
that her eyes remained closed. “You’re
gong to be okay. Please…just wake up.” Her heartbeat was weak, and his hand was soon
drenched.
Finally,
with a tiny gasp, she cracked open her eyelids.
Kandin’s relief was short-lived, however, when her gaze landed, not on
him, but on Mirfio.
“Wh…why?”
she stuttered weakly, tears running down her cheeks.
Mirfio
smirked as he sheathed the dagger. It was
still covered in her blood.
“Idiot,”
he hissed. Then, he clenched his jaw and
his eyes turned fiery with fury. He bellowed,
“It’s your own fault! You are the one who turned your back on me!”
“I…I said…I was…sorry,” Andreena moaned.
Mirfio
glared at her. “Sorry? That’s all you can
say to me? When I needed you most, you betrayed me! The only
thing that has kept me going, that has given me any sort of will to live, has been the thought of killing you. We are far beyond sorry.”
“Don’t
you dare talk to her like that,” Kandin spoke with quiet ferocity. Rage burned in him like a wildfire, scorching
his insides and blocking all but one thought from his mind...making Mirfio pay.
Andreena peered up at Kandin, and was
shocked to see the fierceness of his expression. He glanced down at her briefly, but then
focused all of his attention back on Mirfio.
“I swear to you, if she dies, New Opitimass will seem more merciful than
me.”
Mirfio
appeared momentarily taken aback, but then shrugged Kandin’s threat away. “What’s this?” he grinned evilly at Andreena. “Have you already snared another’s
heart?” He looked away from her and
addressed Kandin with a sneer. “I would
be careful of her if I were you,” the creature warned mockingly. “She will rip it right out of your chest if
you give her the opportunity.”
“I’ll
take my chances,” Kandin growled. Andreena
tried to turn her head back to look up at Kandin, but she was too weak. She slumped over, her eyes closing.
Kandin felt her body grow heavier. He shook her gently, then slightly harder
when she made no response. “Andreena? Andreena!”
Mirfio’s
look of satisfaction broke the last of Kandin’s control over his fury. “I hope she dies and rots in…”
Kandin
suddenly appeared inches from Mirfio’s face.
Andreena lay on the ground behind him.
The creature was too stunned to immediately react. Kandin grabbed his collar, and lifted Mirfio
off of his feet. “If she dies, I will tear you apart.”
Instead
of appearing afraid, Mirfio smiled savagely.
“Then start tearing. She’s as good as dead, and if you kill me, Andreena
and I can live together in oblivion forever.”
Kandin’s
grip on Mirfio tightened. His rage was
all-consuming, and in that moment, something snapped inside of him. His power shifted…grew heavier…darker…stronger…
“What’s this?” Mirfio calmly observed, sensing the change. Kandin clenched his teeth, and tightened his
grip further.
“If she dies…” His eyes turned bright red, and his power swirled
around them like a wind.
“What’s
happening to Kandin?” Shaena asked, bewildered.
Bandin shook his head, and stared at his best friend wide-eyed…and
fearful.
Kandin
relished the familiar sensation of power pusling through his body, but that
wasn’t all he was feeling. Something was
happening. Something new. It started as a soft thumping in his chest, but
the beat slowly increased until his heart pounded against his ribs so hard, he
thought his chest would burst. It was as
if something inside was breaking, and some strange substance was leaking out to
mix with the power soaring though him. It
burned differently, and felt toxic, but strangely glorious at the same time.
“Look!” Shaena exclaimed.
“Look at Kandin’s eyes! They’re turning
black!”
Apparently,
his internal transformation was becoming a physical one as well.
“What are you?” Mirfio asked with curioustiy. There was still no trace of fear in his voice…which
only angered Kandin more.
An excrutiating
pain suddenly shot through his whole body, and he dropped Mirfio with a cry. He clutched his head in his hands as his
skull began to throb, feeling like it would split in two. Shaena and Bandin helplessly watched in horror
as Kandin began to scream in agony. He pulled
his hands away, and saw his fingernails start to lengthen and sharpen into…claws. His teeth pierced his lips as they grew into
small, sharp fangs. He threw his head
back and roared. The demons, in a
frenzy, answered it with roars of their own.
They quickly took to flight, panicked and terrified, leaving Mirfio
alone.
“What’s
happening?” Bandin cried.
“I
don’t know!” Shaena replied, horrified.
“But whatever it is, I don’t think Kandin can fight it!”
“Is he
even trying to?” Bandin shouted.
Growing
overwhelmed, Kandin tried to control the change, but it was too powerful. Why is this happening? Where is this coming from? he thought desperately. He felt something tugging at his mind, trying
to pull him towards a darkness that he knew he would never escape...
Hope you enjoyed it! Keep an eye on the Facebook page for more updates and news!
E.K. Broich
The first week of NaNoWriMo has almost drawn to a close, and I have had a weak start to say the least. 50,000 words in 30 days is so many words. The current official count is 4364, and just to save you from doing the math, I'm behind schedule. Like, really behind. However, I'm not throwing in the towel just yet. Just like the last time I did this challenge (the Camp version), I will use this blog and other outlets to hold myself accountable. It's harder to slack off on something when there are a The Fire Crystal Chronicles. I finally finished the first book about two weeks ago (it took six months...and would have taken less time had I not refocused on The Guardians for awhile). However, since the first book of the new series is not out among the world yet, and talking to much about book two would mean massive spoilers, I can't say a whole lot about it.
