Title: The 13th Brigade
Author: Kylie Lehman
Genre: Paranormal Romance
The Light
bore her.
The Earth
whittled her.
The Air
swayed her.
The Water
cleansed her.
The Fire
renewed her.
And after
thirteen lifetimes, her blood still condemns her...
As the
final battle between her ancient enemies and her kin rages around her, Ren must
decide if it will be her first great love, or the great man who has loved her
since the first, who will sacrifice their last life on Earth to bring the truth
to light to save a world teetering on the brink of eternal darkness.
This
second installment of The Rosefire Trilogy by Ky Lehman: a series created for
all young adults at heart, answers many of the questions raised in Book 1, THE
13TH DESCENT, as the individual battles of Ren, Josh, Mike and the Tor all come
to a head as they wage their final war against humankind's greatest threat. Ren
also must cross swords with the traitorous Tor Princess, Avira, who is
determined to claim Mike as her own, so they can live, and forget, together
under the Bloodstones dictatorship of the new world: a darkness Ren and The
13th Brigade will fight until their last breath to save Mike, Josh, and the
people of Earth from enduring.
The third and final book in The Rosefire
Trilogy, THE 13TH RISING, is in the making, and will be coming...soon...
Author Bio
KY LEHMAN is a novelist, a children's author, a
teacher of swimming and water safety and a swim school owner, wife to her high
school sweetheart and the proud mother of their three very tall sons. She lives
in the Yarra Ranges, Victoria, Australia with her husband and their children
where she is currently writing the third book in The Rosefire Trilogy, THE 13TH
RISING.
https://www.facebook.com/kylehman
https://www.amazon.com/author/kylehman
https://www.goodreads.com/kylehman
@KyLehman13
Text copyright © 2015 Ky Lehman
All Rights Reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, events, or locales is entirely co-incidental.
EXCERPTS
We have killed before.
But it has always been in self-defence, when there was no other way.
For as long as I can remember, those not draped in the protection of the Bloodstones red cloaks have been threatened. Belittled. Persecuted. Imprisoned. Demonised. Raped. Tortured. Crucified. Burned at the stake. Murdered in unimaginable and sadistic ways. Have had war waged upon them; their homes destroyed and their territories left in rack and ruin. Their loved ones exiled, in this world and the next.
And now they are trying to poison us…
All the while, we have been treating this gangrenous limb with internal medicine when, as soon as we had the tools, we should have just amputated it.
So, I am justifying my next actions as self-defence…
And I will keep hacking away until I hold their diseased heart in the palm of my hand.
xxXxx
Some of the Tor raise their voices in suggestive panic until Mike bellows from the mound, “The Luminary of the East has not finished speaking. And, like each and every one of you, he is allowed that right.”
Immediately, the Clearing quietens.
My father appreciatively nods to Mike and continues, “Lifetimes of us guiding the lost out of the shadows and into the light have brought us all here to witness the alignment for the last time this age. But, in order for humankind to bask in their presence long after our bodies have turned to dust, we need to use this last chance we have to show them,” Eli says.
“Last chance?” Tre, the Clan Leader of the Triton’s, calls out.
The few of us who already know the answer hang our heads in sorrow.
My father looks up at Mike, inviting him to answer.
Inhaling deeply, Mike pulls himself up to stand even straighter and on a rushing exhale, he announces, “Even if we do get Josh back, and the world is spared from the Bloodstones rule, I have run out of time. This is last human life I will have on Earth for at least another two thousand years.”
Besides the odd gasp, the Clearing stills into stunned silence.
“This is the thirteenth and final time I can rise with you,” Mike addresses us all, but the amber flaring in his eyes is directing its heat straight at me. “Love led me into becoming the Fire Prince of the South, and to this day that love still burns as brightly as the Sun. But in the short time I have left, I will proudly stand with you as a man. As your servant. And as a Son of the Light. And I hope to show you…all of you, and the world, even well after I am gone, that I will burn for you, always.”
xxXxx
“Two minutes!” my father calls out from the winds eerily whistling above our heads.
Willing time to stop, staring into each other’s eyes with so much left to say before he offers himself to Avira, Mike takes a step towards me bringing our torsos so close together that he can easily rest his chin on my crown. As he wraps his arms around my shoulders, I throw mine around his waist, and as he puts his nose to my scalp and inhales deeply, I smile as I find myself doing the same; standing on tiptoe, craning to lift my face up above the neckline of his armour so I can breathe in the sweet, woodsy, hearth burnt hickory smell that has always emanated from stubbly skin at his throat. I draw in as much of his distinctive scent as I can and hold my breath, willing it to fill my airways and every corner of my mind.
He drops his warm hands to where mine are locked around the small of his back and peels them away. With my trembling hands still folded in his, he takes a small step back, presses his soft lips to my forehead, and lowers his chin so his eyes once again meet mine. And as the amber shards scattered around his rich brown irises flicker with poorly hidden reluctance, he whispers, “Goodbye, Ren…” and turns and runs towards the small group of Tormen assembled at the North end of the Clearing: my father, Tallulah, Morgan, Teddy, Mercy, Mani and Gai included, all readying themselves to meet the attacking force of Avira, the turncoat Goligians and the Bloodstone battalion.
“Goodbye…” I squeak as he sprints further and further away, just like Josh did when he felt he had no choice but to run from me and the fallen body of this father, and into the hands of our ancient enemies.
And like I did Josh, I will Mike to look back but he doesn’t.
Suddenly hollow and lost, I allow the tears to fall, standing in the truth of what all of my births and deaths have taught me: that an end must precede a new beginning, and that Mike and I have just initiated ours.
xxXxx
“DO IT!” their Commander shouts. “The bastards killed Jonny! DO IT! DO IT NOW!”
The eight soldiers in the trees all want out of making this choice; every single one of them wants to run out of the forest, over the hills and far away, to leave this magical isle and misunderstood beings who inhabit it in the untouched natural splendour they see before them, in hope that, one day, they will be able to return with their loved ones to the place and the people a now unforgotten part of them feels akin to.
But they all know that no matter how far they run or how well they hide, they will be found. And under Bloodstone law, desertion is treason and the punishment for treason is death; not only for them, but for their immediate families as well.
Threatening what a person loves holds more clout than just threatening the person, I hear in Georgie Pa’s voice, quickly dismissing it as the echo of a memory it can only be.
Scorpion, who has executed more targets than he has had Sunday dinners, carefully considers his options. He has no family to speak of, except for his Bloodstone brothers, and most of them are trapped in a pit in the middle of what they see as a battleground; in what he now sees as an oasis. He can’t just leave them here, even though, through a surety he can’t fathom, he believes they won’t be hurt. But if he does tuck tail and run, he won’t just burn at the stake, he will burn in hell for all eternity…and he is not ready to meet his father there just yet…
“Sundowner One One, this is Scorpion One Eight, preparing to launch the Millipede, over.”
“Scorpion One Eight, affirmative. We are ready and waiting, over.”
Even though the eight men in the woods are all holding the same toxic grenade, the Commander’s hasty affirmation of one soldier’s acknowledgement of his orders can only mean that a single Millipede is all that is needed to do what they came here for…
xxXxx
Breaking his nose, kicking out two of his teeth, splitting his lip and dislocating his kneecap was the initial result, but realising that I was capable of doing much worse was what summoned the rain, dowsing the flames and clearing the way; when I backed off and Teddy saw my hesitation and grabbed me. It was through my hate-fuelled rage that I realised I could brawl, but in it was in my retreat that I realised how well I could fight.
I won’t deny that beating the crap out of Gil didn’t appease me a bit. At the time, it actually felt quite good unleashing my fury on someone I believe deserved it. But it was when my thrashing fists turned into calculated actions, and the reactive blocks I had stashed in my expanding back pocket weren’t getting any play that I saw his meekness, felt his sorrow and received his surrender. And it was in the subduing humility of his strength where I finally found my own.
We make it to the outskirts of the forest and part ways with Aiden, Ash and Kade, who we will soon see on the other side. As they race around to the front of the fortress and disappear
in through the main entrance, we all assemble behind a thicket of trees only strides from the moats edge.
After their uncoordinated gallop through the woods, Morgan, Tre, Kolora, and Hali will get in a good five minutes of rest and refreshment before they have to swim me, Teddy, and Gil - snug Stu’s wetsuit gear - across the moat: a circular stretch of water that looked big and wide on the map, but in reality, looks much bigger and wider than I imagined, making the Bloodstones stronghold look illusively small in the distance.
With the seven of us crouched in the bushes, Teddy looks over at a visibly tired Morgan and in a hushed voice, he cheekily asks, “How do you explain it to the girls at the beach when they see you swimming laps around the ocean, but after walking up the sand dunes and across the parking lot to your car, you need to take a nap in the back seat?”
“First of all, considering that I’m the size of a little surf grommet, they’d probably assume that I rode my bike,” he snippily whispers back. “But if I was asked, I’d tell them that water fitness trumps land fitness any day of the week…hang on, what the hell are you talking about, Teddy? You’re puffing and blowing too!” he points out.
“You can do a lot more with babes on land than you can on water, my friend. And let’s just say, I’m land fit enough for that,” Teddy jibes.
“Horny Earth Tormen. You’re all about pro-creation, aren’t you?” Kolora hisses at Teddy, rolling her eyes.
“Repopulating the Earth is our duty,” Teddy responds with a wink.
xxXxx
All Rights Reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, events, or locales is entirely co-incidental.
EXCERPTS
We have killed before.
But it has always been in self-defence, when there was no other way.
For as long as I can remember, those not draped in the protection of the Bloodstones red cloaks have been threatened. Belittled. Persecuted. Imprisoned. Demonised. Raped. Tortured. Crucified. Burned at the stake. Murdered in unimaginable and sadistic ways. Have had war waged upon them; their homes destroyed and their territories left in rack and ruin. Their loved ones exiled, in this world and the next.
And now they are trying to poison us…
All the while, we have been treating this gangrenous limb with internal medicine when, as soon as we had the tools, we should have just amputated it.
So, I am justifying my next actions as self-defence…
And I will keep hacking away until I hold their diseased heart in the palm of my hand.
xxXxx
Some of the Tor raise their voices in suggestive panic until Mike bellows from the mound, “The Luminary of the East has not finished speaking. And, like each and every one of you, he is allowed that right.”
Immediately, the Clearing quietens.
My father appreciatively nods to Mike and continues, “Lifetimes of us guiding the lost out of the shadows and into the light have brought us all here to witness the alignment for the last time this age. But, in order for humankind to bask in their presence long after our bodies have turned to dust, we need to use this last chance we have to show them,” Eli says.
“Last chance?” Tre, the Clan Leader of the Triton’s, calls out.
The few of us who already know the answer hang our heads in sorrow.
My father looks up at Mike, inviting him to answer.
Inhaling deeply, Mike pulls himself up to stand even straighter and on a rushing exhale, he announces, “Even if we do get Josh back, and the world is spared from the Bloodstones rule, I have run out of time. This is last human life I will have on Earth for at least another two thousand years.”
Besides the odd gasp, the Clearing stills into stunned silence.
“This is the thirteenth and final time I can rise with you,” Mike addresses us all, but the amber flaring in his eyes is directing its heat straight at me. “Love led me into becoming the Fire Prince of the South, and to this day that love still burns as brightly as the Sun. But in the short time I have left, I will proudly stand with you as a man. As your servant. And as a Son of the Light. And I hope to show you…all of you, and the world, even well after I am gone, that I will burn for you, always.”
xxXxx
“Two minutes!” my father calls out from the winds eerily whistling above our heads.
Willing time to stop, staring into each other’s eyes with so much left to say before he offers himself to Avira, Mike takes a step towards me bringing our torsos so close together that he can easily rest his chin on my crown. As he wraps his arms around my shoulders, I throw mine around his waist, and as he puts his nose to my scalp and inhales deeply, I smile as I find myself doing the same; standing on tiptoe, craning to lift my face up above the neckline of his armour so I can breathe in the sweet, woodsy, hearth burnt hickory smell that has always emanated from stubbly skin at his throat. I draw in as much of his distinctive scent as I can and hold my breath, willing it to fill my airways and every corner of my mind.
He drops his warm hands to where mine are locked around the small of his back and peels them away. With my trembling hands still folded in his, he takes a small step back, presses his soft lips to my forehead, and lowers his chin so his eyes once again meet mine. And as the amber shards scattered around his rich brown irises flicker with poorly hidden reluctance, he whispers, “Goodbye, Ren…” and turns and runs towards the small group of Tormen assembled at the North end of the Clearing: my father, Tallulah, Morgan, Teddy, Mercy, Mani and Gai included, all readying themselves to meet the attacking force of Avira, the turncoat Goligians and the Bloodstone battalion.
“Goodbye…” I squeak as he sprints further and further away, just like Josh did when he felt he had no choice but to run from me and the fallen body of this father, and into the hands of our ancient enemies.
And like I did Josh, I will Mike to look back but he doesn’t.
Suddenly hollow and lost, I allow the tears to fall, standing in the truth of what all of my births and deaths have taught me: that an end must precede a new beginning, and that Mike and I have just initiated ours.
xxXxx
“DO IT!” their Commander shouts. “The bastards killed Jonny! DO IT! DO IT NOW!”
The eight soldiers in the trees all want out of making this choice; every single one of them wants to run out of the forest, over the hills and far away, to leave this magical isle and misunderstood beings who inhabit it in the untouched natural splendour they see before them, in hope that, one day, they will be able to return with their loved ones to the place and the people a now unforgotten part of them feels akin to.
But they all know that no matter how far they run or how well they hide, they will be found. And under Bloodstone law, desertion is treason and the punishment for treason is death; not only for them, but for their immediate families as well.
Threatening what a person loves holds more clout than just threatening the person, I hear in Georgie Pa’s voice, quickly dismissing it as the echo of a memory it can only be.
Scorpion, who has executed more targets than he has had Sunday dinners, carefully considers his options. He has no family to speak of, except for his Bloodstone brothers, and most of them are trapped in a pit in the middle of what they see as a battleground; in what he now sees as an oasis. He can’t just leave them here, even though, through a surety he can’t fathom, he believes they won’t be hurt. But if he does tuck tail and run, he won’t just burn at the stake, he will burn in hell for all eternity…and he is not ready to meet his father there just yet…
“Sundowner One One, this is Scorpion One Eight, preparing to launch the Millipede, over.”
“Scorpion One Eight, affirmative. We are ready and waiting, over.”
Even though the eight men in the woods are all holding the same toxic grenade, the Commander’s hasty affirmation of one soldier’s acknowledgement of his orders can only mean that a single Millipede is all that is needed to do what they came here for…
xxXxx
Breaking his nose, kicking out two of his teeth, splitting his lip and dislocating his kneecap was the initial result, but realising that I was capable of doing much worse was what summoned the rain, dowsing the flames and clearing the way; when I backed off and Teddy saw my hesitation and grabbed me. It was through my hate-fuelled rage that I realised I could brawl, but in it was in my retreat that I realised how well I could fight.
I won’t deny that beating the crap out of Gil didn’t appease me a bit. At the time, it actually felt quite good unleashing my fury on someone I believe deserved it. But it was when my thrashing fists turned into calculated actions, and the reactive blocks I had stashed in my expanding back pocket weren’t getting any play that I saw his meekness, felt his sorrow and received his surrender. And it was in the subduing humility of his strength where I finally found my own.
We make it to the outskirts of the forest and part ways with Aiden, Ash and Kade, who we will soon see on the other side. As they race around to the front of the fortress and disappear
in through the main entrance, we all assemble behind a thicket of trees only strides from the moats edge.
After their uncoordinated gallop through the woods, Morgan, Tre, Kolora, and Hali will get in a good five minutes of rest and refreshment before they have to swim me, Teddy, and Gil - snug Stu’s wetsuit gear - across the moat: a circular stretch of water that looked big and wide on the map, but in reality, looks much bigger and wider than I imagined, making the Bloodstones stronghold look illusively small in the distance.
With the seven of us crouched in the bushes, Teddy looks over at a visibly tired Morgan and in a hushed voice, he cheekily asks, “How do you explain it to the girls at the beach when they see you swimming laps around the ocean, but after walking up the sand dunes and across the parking lot to your car, you need to take a nap in the back seat?”
“First of all, considering that I’m the size of a little surf grommet, they’d probably assume that I rode my bike,” he snippily whispers back. “But if I was asked, I’d tell them that water fitness trumps land fitness any day of the week…hang on, what the hell are you talking about, Teddy? You’re puffing and blowing too!” he points out.
“You can do a lot more with babes on land than you can on water, my friend. And let’s just say, I’m land fit enough for that,” Teddy jibes.
“Horny Earth Tormen. You’re all about pro-creation, aren’t you?” Kolora hisses at Teddy, rolling her eyes.
“Repopulating the Earth is our duty,” Teddy responds with a wink.
xxXxx
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