Daughter of Hell

  Daughter of Hell

  By

  Thomas Green

  http://thomasgreen.info

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with.

  Copyright © 2018 Thomas Green. All rights reserved. Including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof, in any form. No part of this text may be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the author.

  Version 1_2018.09.20

  Contents

  1Luna

  2Luna

  3Luna

  4Zerae

  5Zerae

  6Luna

  7Zerae

  8Zerae

  9Lucas

  10Lucas

  11Luna

  12Zerae

  13Luna

  14Zerae

  15Lucas

  16Zerae

  17Luna

  18Zerae

  19Lucas

  20Luna

  21Zerae

  22Luna

  23Lucas

  24Luna

  25Luna

  26Zerae

  27Zerae

  28Zerae

  29Luna

  30Raven

  31The Battle of Snowhaven

  32Raven

  33Zerae

  34Lucas

  35Luna

  36Lucas

  1

  Luna

  The room tilted, throwing Luna from the bed. She hit the table, cursed, and scrambled to get on all fours. Nothing was familiar. She had never seen the windowless chamber or the simple furniture within. The air carried the smell of wet wood, and the walls kept creaking.

  She tried to stand up but froze when she saw her forearms. Long, thin, almost mere skin stretched over bones. Where are my muscles? In disbelief, she moved the hand in front of her face to verify it was hers. Disgust sent an urge to vomit through her throat. She failed to stop the retching, but nothing came out. The room swayed, and the movement threw her at the frame of her bed.

  Pain burst from her head as it hit the wood. What building is this? She stared at the skinny caricature of legs attached to her body. Luna turned to her inner spirit, to the beast latched onto her soul. What happened to us, Wolfie?

  The beast spirit that had been her companion for her entire life offered no answer. Not even a huff.

  This is no time to toy with me.

  Silence.

  Ice filled Luna’s insides while her breath became shallow. She dug into her memory. The distant memories were present, but the recent ones were veiled and clouded as if something blocked them. She reached for her aether. The reserve of her power lay full, bringing a smile to her face. The wolf may have been dormant, but she was still far from defenseless.

  The room’s next tilt sent her to the floor. Her cheeks caught red with embarrassment. She should have expected that.

  Luna crawled to the wardrobe. Inside, she found her tunic, trousers, boots, and brigandine, all neatly folded. She paused. She would not have had her things ready in her room if she were somewhere hostile. A quick search found a handwritten note, saying:

  ‘Hi, after-ritual-Luna,

  you are in the army because you are a wanted criminal everywhere else. Sorry, I fucked up.

  before-ritual-Luna’

  What ritual? Luna stared at the letters. The messy, unarranged handwriting was definitely hers. That sounds nothing like me! With a frown, she put on the tunic. The leather felt as if made from lead while ending by her belly button. The sleeves reached barely beyond her elbows. She grabbed the brigandine, but could not raise it from its shelf. The excuse for an arm she had attached to her body had nothing of her usual strength.

  As she raised her leg to put on the trousers, her knee gave in, sending her to the floor. While cursing in her mind, Luna crawled to the chair to try again. She managed after a moment but noticed the loosely hanging pants ended five inches above her ankles. These used to fit her. She gazed at her hand and realized her fingers were excessively long as if they doubled in size while beneath the wrist, a dark bruise circled her arm. A quick glance found the same bruise around her other wrist and ankles. The marks didn’t look like a result of something she would have wanted. I need answers.

  She forced her way to the door and passed through. Everything yawed, throwing her through the wooden corridor. She dragged herself along the wall, trying to steady her step as the floor pitched and swayed, following the trail of moisture in the air, up the stairs. A trap door stopped her atop the next set of stairs, which were drenched. She pried open the latch that held the door, ducked on the step below them and pushed.

  After several excruciating attempts, the trap door gave in and opened. Luna crawled up. As the sharp wind slapped her face and the pouring rain gripped her with its icy touch, she stared at the deck of a massive galleon and the sea swaying beneath a raging storm. No amount of blinking and pinching herself changed the view.

  A male voice shouted at her from the starboard. “You aren’t supposed to be there. Get down below!”

  She turned toward the sailor, eyeing his red-gold uniform with a symbol of the sword with wings, the symbol of Palai, the God of War, etched upon its chest. With a quick look, she spotted dozens of other sailors in the same uniforms, all of whom were working with the ropes, adjusting the sails.

  A wave broke over the bow. Its freezing grip caught Luna, throwing her across the deck. She crashed into the main mast and shouted shout with pain as the air blew out of her lungs.

  The uniformed sailor let go of his work and approached her, keeping balance on the ever-tilting main deck. He grabbed her by the shoulder, but stopped, staring over the starboard. Luna traced his gaze.

  A strange wave swelled upon the sea, akin to a tumor manifesting on the ocean's skin, moving irrespective of the currents, approaching their ship. The sailors shouted out the alarm, and the bell followed. The wave rose and slammed into the ship’s port, shattering the wooden railing. Splinters exploded through the air, hitting her shoulder, digging into her flesh before the sailor shoved her behind the mast. A blast of pain radiated down her arm while the storm swallowed her cries.

  With a grunt, she pulled out the piece of wood, staring at her blood spilling from the wound. Why isn’t it healing? This was a gash her regeneration was supposed to fix in a second. She focused on her hand, trying to make her fingertips extend into claws. For the first time in her life, she couldn’t do it.

  The sailor jerked her to the side. “Look out!”

  She blinked to focus. At the port lay a thick wyrm with dark-blue scales and shining yellow eyes. Out of its open mouth, dozens of smaller creatures swarmed onto the deck.

  They were three feet long, snake-like with a ridge of fins and a pair of arms, each one ending in a single claw. Instead of a face, they had a circular hole rimmed with teeth. The sailor drew his sword and stepped toward the demons.

  From the corner of her eye, Luna noticed two of the creatures slithering toward her. Her gaze darted around, looking for a weapon or help. She found nothing. I need to stand up. She dragged herself upward, but her knees couldn’t hold her, making her tumble. Panic flooded her veins.

  She kicked off the deck to push herself away from the demons, but they followed the trail of her blood. Her back hit wood, and the coldness of dread tied her insides in knots.

  The creatures spru
ng at her. She rolled to the side, grabbing the stairs leading to the upper deck. With her teeth gritted, Luna crawled her way up, hitting herself on the steps with each move.

  Once she clawed to the top, she glanced over her shoulder. Her heart froze as she watched the snake demons sliding up the railing. She tried to stand, but her legs failed her. With cold filling her entire body, she kicked away. Her back hit the railing.

  The creatures reached the upper deck and coiled toward her. She glimpsed the sailors fighting the demons at the main deck and paused. I need to help them. Luna reached for her aether. She didn’t want to use her strength before figuring out what was going on, but the soldiers weren’t hostile, and so she refused to watch them die. Luna pulled onto the lid sealing her aether, releasing a flood of power into her body. The intoxicating sensation of strength filled her bones, her muscles, and her soul, overwhelming her senses. The demons threw themselves at her. She dodged to the side, leapt to her feet and pried a belaying pin from the railing.

  As the demons slithered to her, she stepped in and swung down the pin. She crushed one and whirled to knock the other one off the ship.

  The ship yawed in the waves, but the aether-induced strength allowed her to keep her balance. I can do this. The tilt freed the wyrm on the main deck, allowing it to weave across the ship, snapping after sailors with its vicious jaws.

  Luna grabbed the railing between the upper and the main deck to throw herself over it. She landed among the smaller creatures. Her knees gave out, making her collapse to the ground. The demons sprung after her. Luna kicked around, swinging wide with the belaying pin. Everything her legs or the pin touched died.

  The wyrm caught a sailor into its fangs, crushed his body with a single bite and threw him away before he lunged at another. Luna dashed toward the demon. It whirled, forcing away the surrounding sailors and charged an isolated one.

  She recognized the sailor. He was the one who shoved her behind the mast. Luna jumped to her feet, bolted to the man, pushed him aside, and weaved backward. The wyrm’s mouth flew between them. The demon coiled, its body hit her, knocking her away. The air blew from her lungs as the impact sent her flying into the railing at the port. While shouting with pain, her eyes darted around, looking for a weapon. A spear lay few feet away from her. Luna scrambled to it and then used it to claw her way to her feet.

  As the demon kept attacking the sailors, Luna threw the belaying pin at its head, hitting the eye. With an angry snarl, the wyrm slithered after her. Luna gritted her teeth, propped the spear against the railing behind her and waited. The demon launched itself at her. At the last second, she raised the spear and leapt to the side. The wyrm impaled itself but bit her leg.

  With a shout of pain, Luna collapsed next to the demon's corpse. She pulled her leg from the fangs. Blinding pain shot into her mind with every move. The flesh of her calf was torn, bleeding rapidly. She gazed around. The sailor she saved from the wyrm lay dead on the deck while one of the smaller creatures feasted upon his throat in a fountain of blood.

  She sighed as emptiness filled her insides. While her strength waned, the ship pitched, throwing Luna to the wall of the upper deck. She screamed in pain as she smashed into the wet wood. The wave ahead of them broke over the bow, descending onto her. She reached for something to catch, but her hands found nothing but air. The water fell on her like a crashing sky, hammering her into the deck before sweeping her over the starboard.

  She gasped for air before the sea swallowed her. The seawater was heavy and colder than the rain, clawing at her strength. She sunk beneath the surface, losing sight within the embrace of the darkness of the deeper waters.

  Ignoring the ringing in her ears, Luna straightened her body and kicked her healthy leg while trying to help herself by paddling with her arms. Frozen, weak, and almost out of aether, her head popped above the surface. Her eyes widened as she saw a man standing on a plank floating before her, somehow keeping the balance among the shrieking wind and raging waves. He was tall, wore unadorned, brown robes and was peering down at her from between his wild, gray hair.

  She blinked a few times, but he was still there, his hair and robes drenched, his face split into a pleased smile. Luna grabbed the plank to catch a moment of respite. Her attempts to speak failed.

  He arched an eyebrow. “In case you were wondering, your ship is that way, Lunariel Laen’Ash.”

  Only my father knows that name. She glanced at the three-mast galleon sailing ahead but realized he wouldn’t need to point that out if there weren’t more. She turned her head, gazing behind, freezing. Beyond her back, dozens of galleons covered the ocean, fighting against the storm, filling her view from one horizon to another. What if I don’t want to be in the navy?

  As he sensed her upcoming question, he said. “And yes, this is the Order’s army sailing to holy war to kill three demon princes. Now, swim back. We will talk later, but you need someone to stop the bleeding.”

  Luna pierced him with a glare. As his gaze didn’t yield, she let go of the plank to swim. Since larger moves seemed unwise, she stuck to kicking with her healthy leg while using her arms to paddle.

  He dove into the water next to her, staying by her side, but without helping her. She fought the cold, struggled to stay afloat, but her strength had left her, robbing her of movement, making her sink long before she could reach the galleon. The last thing she noticed before falling unconscious was the man’s hand grabbing her by the waist and pulling her forward.

  2

  Luna

  Luna woke up exhausted. Her entire body was sore and hurting, but also wrapped in a warm duvet that was a touch too short. Happy she didn’t drown, she blinked her eyes open to stare at the wooden ceiling. I’m in my cabin. A quick run of her hands by her torso verified she had all her limbs while she was mostly covered by wet bandages. She sniffed her hand, catching the scent of herbs.

  A dull sound caught her ear, and her gaze darted to the side. A small-framed girl with long, wavy hair sat by a table. She wore a standard Palai sailor uniform, red and gold. Holding a pestle, she ground something in a mortar. She smiled awkwardly as their eyes met. “Sorry, didn’t want to wake you up.”

  Luna frowned. Never in her life had anyone entered her room without being asked to. Yet the girl did but did not seem to have been forced to be there. “What are you doing here?”

  The girl recoiled, her eyes widening. “I’m sorry. I’m preparing the herbs for healing, but I can leave if you would like me to.”

  What am I doing? The girl likely put the bandages. It dawned upon Luna that she must have known nothing about her. There was no other explanation for her not to be terrified to be in the same room. She forced her voice to sound as pleasant as peaceful as she could. “Stay. I didn’t mean it that way… I’m Luna.”

  The girl’s startled expression didn’t vanish. “Okay, I will stay. I’m Nancy.”

  Luna needed to do this differently. She slowly exhaled to steady herself before she conjured the kindest smile she could produce. “Thank you for helping me heal.”

  “It’s what I’m here for.”

  Luna shoved aside the blankets, sat by the edge of the bed, focused not to retch when seeing her withered legs, and rose, naked save for the bandages. The pain shooting from her wounded leg almost sent her crashing to the ground, but she shifted her weight to prevent the fall.

  Nancy stared at her, wide-eyed. “You should stay in bed.”

  Luna stretched, marking in her mind what parts of her body hurt the most so she would place less stress on them. When she finished, Nancy’s face was dark red as she was staring into the mortar. She raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong?”

  “You should put something on yourself.”

  What’s someone this innocent doing here? “Sorry,” Luna uttered and walked to the wardrobe. Her trousers and tunic were a mess, torn at more than a few spots, but they were the only clothes she had, so they had to suffice. Since dressing while standing seemed too much of an eff
ort, she sat onto the bed to don them. “How did you get in the navy?”

  “Well, I applied, went through boot camp, and got accepted on an exception for knowing how to work with healing herbs.”

  That’s not what I meant. Luna sighed. “Why would you join?”

  Her eyes turned glazed. “I’m an orphan from a village torched by the pirates. The Order took me in, raised me in their temple among other orphans. I met there the archbishop. He was so kind, so… holy. And then he died two years ago, and I joined the navy to avenge him. I know we aren’t supposed to seek vengeance, but… I can’t help myself.”

  Luna scanned her with an appreciative gaze. No matter how she looked at her, Nancy was too small, too frail, too girly. “I’m sorry to ask, but how did you ever get accepted?”

  Nancy’s face split into a vicious grin. “I was persistent. They rejected me eighteen times, but then they took pity on me and let me into the boot camp. I failed it, horribly, every time, but Lieutenant Redeye brought me into the 47th Company, anyway.”

  Luna raised an eyebrow. “And exactly are you, specifically, helping me heal?”

  Nancy smiled. “You are to join our company when you recover.”

  Luna froze. Right… that. Never in her life would she have joined an army. Her father, James, was the most famous general who ever lived, the legendary Forsaken Prince. To enlist into the military meant to spend her life as a doomed-to-fail afterthought of his shadow. She needed to talk to someone who knew what she was doing there. As she dismissed the thought of storming out since she didn’t want to startle Nancy any further, she searched for an excuse to disappear. “Do you know where I could find a sewing kit to repair my clothes?”

  Nancy’s eyes widened. “Where did you learn to do that?”

  “I used to work in a smithy.” And sewing was the only thing she didn’t fail at during her apprenticeship.

  “There should be something in the supply rooms. I will go get it for you.” Nancy rose. “By the way, what is the symbol you have tattooed onto your back?”