Jonathan Moeller - The Ghosts 08 - Ghost in the Mask (42 page)
Read Jonathan Moeller - The Ghosts 08 - Ghost in the Mask Online
Authors: Jonathan Moeller
Tags: #Fantasy - Female Assassin
“Use me,” said Rhames, his voice whispering inside her head.
Of course the Ascendant Bloodcrystal would speak to her in the voice of the man she hated most.
“Use me,” said the crystal with Rhames’s voice, “and fulfill my purpose, and you shall have your vengeance at last.”
“I cannot believe,” said Ranarius, “that she fell for the decoy. I was certain we were defeated.”
“You were certain,” said Jadriga, “that I was dead and Rhames was destroyed, and you could claim the crystal’s power for yourself.” She closed the lid, the green light winking out, Rhames’s voice vanishing from her head. “But she has slain you twice now, has she not?” Ranarius scowled. “Perhaps you have learned that guile is often better than force. Which is why Caina Amalas must die.”
“Mistress?” said Sicarion, a smile starting on his scarred features. “It is time? May I kill her at last?”
“Yes,” said the Moroaica. “The great work is ready. I have everything I need. But if Caina learns of it, she will try to stop me. She might even suceed, as she stopped me below Black Angel Tower. So I have a task for the two of you.” She regretted it. Caina would have been a powerful ally. But she would understand, once the great work washed away all suffering. “Find her and kill her. Use whatever means you think best, but kill her, and ensure that she never comes to New Kyre.”
Ranarius laughed, and Sicarion bowed.
“It shall be as you command, mistress,” said Sicarion with another florid bow.
Jadriga knew she ought to order the death of Corvalis Aberon as well.
But she could not make herself say the words.
###
In New Kyre, in the Sanctuary atop the Pyramid of Storm the Surge started to scream.
“She comes!” she said in her threefold voice as the priestesses rushed to attend her. “She comes! The darkness comes at last! The night without end, the fire that is never quenched! The world burns! The world burns! The great darkness comes!”
The priestesses looked up, and saw the woman standing in the entrance of the Sanctuary. She was a Caerish peasant girl of about seventeen or eighteen, clad in a red gown, and carried a staff of gray metal, fire and ice and lightning dancing around its length.
“Greetings,” said the Moroaica. “At last it is time for the great work to begin.”
THE END
Thank you for reading GHOST IN THE MASK. Look for the next book in the series, GHOST IN THE SURGE, to appear in the first quarter of 2014. If you liked the book, please consider leaving a review at your ebook site of choice. To receive immediate notification of new releases,
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Other books by the author
The Frostborn Series
The Orc’s Tale (Tales of the Frostborn short story)
The Soulblade’s Tale (Tales of the Frostborn short story)
The Third Soul Series
Computer Beginner’s Guides
The Windows Command Line Beginner’s Guide
The Linux Command Line Beginner’s Guide
The Ubuntu Desktop Beginner’s Guide
The Windows 8 Beginner’s Guide
The Linux Mint Beginner’s Guide
The Ghosts Series
Ghost Dagger (World of the Ghosts novella)
Ghost Aria (World of the Ghosts short story)
Ghost Claws (World of the Ghosts short story)
The Fall of Kyrace (World of the Ghosts short story)
Ghost Omens (World of the Ghosts short story)
The Demonsouled Series
The Dragon’s Shadow (World of the Demonsouled novella)
The Wandering Knight (World of the Demonsouled short story)
The Tournament Knight (World of the Demonsouled short story)
The Tower of Endless Worlds Series
Otherworlds
About the Author
Standing over six feet tall, Jonathan Moeller has the piercing blue eyes of a Conan of Cimmeria, the bronze-colored hair a Visigothic warrior-king, and the stern visage of a captain of men, none of which are useful in his career as a computer repairman, alas.
He has written the DEMONSOULED series of sword-and-sorcery novels, and continues to write THE GHOSTS sequence about assassin and spy Caina Amalas, the COMPUTER BEGINNER’S GUIDE series of computer books, and numerous other works.
Visit his website at:
http://www.jonathanmoeller.com
Visit his technology blog at:
http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/screed
Contact him at:
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Table of Contents
Chapter 2 - History of the Dead
Chapter 3 - The Physician’s Apprentice
Chapter 5 - Followers of the Dead
Chapter 7 - The City of Skulls
Chapter 8 - Brother and Sister
Chapter 16 - The Disciple and the Assassin
Chapter 18 - Shadows in the Night
Chapter 23 - The Oldest Enemies
Chapter 25 - The Chamber of Ascension