THE Knights of emerald , livre ebook

THE KNIGHTS OF EMERALD, BOOK 5 : REPTILE ISLAND
by Anne Robillard © Wellan Inc. 2016
Illustrations © Wellan Inc. 2016


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ISBN: 978-2-924442-53-1



Ebook produced by
ANNE ROBILLARD



The K nights of E merald




Book 5

R EPTILE I SLAND






DIGITAL
C ROSS OF THE O RDER OF
THE K NIGHTS OF E MERALD
M AP OF E NKIDIEV
T HE O RDER of the
K nights of E merald



F irst G eneration



Knight Wellan of Emerald
Squires Bailey and Volpel
W
Knight Bergeau of Emerald
Squires Arca, Kumitz and Bianchi

Knight Chloe of Emerald
Squires Jana and Maïwen

Knight Dempsey of Emerald
Squires Atall and Kowal

Knight Falcon of Emerald
Squires Offman and Yann

Knight Jasson of Emerald
Squires Hiall, Lornan and Zerrouk

Knight Santo of Emerald
Squires Chesley and Herrior







S econd G eneration



Knight Bridgess of Emerald
Squires Gabrelle and Yamina

Knight Kerns of Emerald
Squires Madier and Sherman

Knight Kevin of Emerald
Squires Curri and Romald

Knight Nogait of Emerald
Squires Botti and Fossell

Knight Wanda of Emerald
Squires Joslove and Ursa

Knight Wimme of Emerald
Squires Amax and Callaan







T hird G eneration



K night Ariane of Emerald
Squires Winks and Kisilin

Knight Brennan of Emerald
Squires Drewry and Salmo

Knight Colville of Emerald
Squires Silvess and Prorok

Knight Corbin of Emerald
Squires Brannock and Randan

Knight Curtis of Emerald
Squires Davis and Dienelt

Knight Derek of Emerald
Squires Daiklan and Kruse

Knight Hettrick of Emerald
Squires Candiell and Izzly

Knight Kagan of Emerald
Squires Fallon and Sheehy

Knight Kira of Emerald

Knight Milos of Emerald
Squires Carlo and Fabrice

Knight Morgan of Emerald
Squires Heilder and Zane

Knight Murray of Emerald
Squires Dyksta and Reiser

Knight Pencer of Emerald
Squires Akers and Alisen

Knight Sage of Emerald

Knight Swan of Emerald
Squires Dillawn and Robyn
1

D ELIVERANCE

I n the land of ice and snow, near the ruins of Shola, the Knights of Emerald had once again intervened and foiled Asbeth’s plans just as he was about to capture the Dark Emperor’s daughter. Nomar, the Immortal, had then imprisoned the bird-man in a ball of energy that even his great sorcery could not get him out of. Cursing humans and the magical beings who protected them, Asbeth floated through the air for days and weeks before crashing down in the frigid lands at the end of the world. His powers could keep him alive almost endlessly, but if he couldn’t quickly get out of the enchanted cage that was holding him tight, he would die just like all other mortals.
For months on end, Asbeth focused all of his energy on escaping from his prison. Finally, thanks to his evil powers, he managed to break through the invisible wall of his cell and collapsed onto the snow. Totally exhausted, he had to fall back on his claws and beak to feed himself, seizing small furry rodents as they scurried by near him looking for their own meager meal in this freezing desert. Each time he captured something to eat, the sorcerer’s hate for the Knights of Emerald who were the cause of his misery grew more and more intense.
Mostly, however, it was his anger, not the food, that kept him warm in the inhospitable climate. As soon as he got his strength back, he tried to orient himself. He needed to get back to Amecareth’s fortress so that he could tell him how his daughter, who was now more human than insect, had betrayed him. The emperor would never get this mauve monster to obey him, She had been under the influence of those human vermin for too long.
Asbeth knew where Irianeth was located, but he also knew that between him and it there lay numerous desert lands. There was no point in calling for help. For thousands of years the insect people had gone about their daily tasks without worrying about the fate of individuals. When one of them died, he was simply replaced and forgotten.
So he set out on his long return voyage, first on foot and then, when they were strong enough, he used his wings. The winds were against him, but nothing could stop him from carrying out his new mission. He had to convince Amecareth that his daughter Narvath was a dangerous impediment to his desire to conquer the world and he had to get official permission to slit her throat. At the same time, he would execute the Knights who protected her one by one. After that, he would settle scores with the master wizards and the Immortals who had frustrated his master’s plans ever since the beginning of his reign.
It took him nearly four years of flying over snow-covered lands, setting down only to sleep, drink and eat. However, since he was half insect, time for him was not like time for humans. Gradually, the climate warmed up. He ran into a colony of strange little creatures, no bigger than human children, who lived in holes in the snow. Asbeth landed in the middle of their village causing such fear and panic that they all ran away by diving into their holes. Fortunately, they didn’t take their prey with them. The sorcerer hopped over to the strange beast that they had probably captured on an ice floe. It was a marine animal, as big as a black dragon with smooth gray skin covered here and there with black splotches. Asbeth sniffed it to make sure that it was really dead. Whatever it was, it had long claws and the sorcerer couldn’t risk getting injured at this point in his journey.
Reassured, he tore off a chunk of meat from the creature’s side with his beak. This meat was far more nourishing than the snow rats. Suddenly, sharp spears began falling around him. The males of this miniature species had come cautiously out of their holes and wanted to take back their game. Asbeth ripped off another big piece of flesh and took flight before he himself got killed.
As he flew he ran across numerous villages, all pretty much the same. He became a skillful looter, his feathers gradually got their sheen back, a layer of fat built up over his bones and he could stay airborne for longer and longer periods.
A few weeks later, he reached the frozen ocean to the north of Shola. He saw herds of enormous white dragons plowing through the dark waters, mostly made up, on one hand, of females and their young, and on the other, of young males. But attacking such gigantic beasts would have been too risky. He would have to find something else to eat on the continent once he got across the water.
He took off again, fighting against the cold winds until he could finally make out familiar territory: the crater in the Kingdom of Shadows, the one he had made by blowing up all the tunnels in the hybrids’ underground city. He landed, thirsty and starving. A river still ran at the bottom of the gaping hole and he was able to quench his thirst. A movement up on a ledge caught his attention. His piercing eyes made out the silhouettes of humans, probably looters rummaging through the honeycomb of old cells where his master’s offspring used to live. Asbeth could have easily dealt with the bandits, but why bother? Nomar had certainly left the area and without the Immortal’s intervention the Esperitians would all die anyway.
There was no more food in the Kingdom of Shola because it had been ravaged many years ago by dragons. However, in the valley, at the foot of the cliff, there were vast forests where Elves and small animals lived. Asbeth decided to sleep in one of the caves formed by earthquakes in the mountain range that separated Shola from the Kingdom of Shadows. He got underway again at sunrise.
As soon as he crossed the stone wall that divided the northern lands from their southern neighbors, he felt the warm breeze penetrating right to the roots of his feathers. He flew over the forest, looking down carefully, and landed on a branch where he could survey the wildlife on the ground. He swooped down on a family of wild pigs, easily cutting the throats of the piglets with a single swipe of his claw, in spite of the angry cries of the parents who ran off with the survivors.
Asbeth wolfed down the bloody flesh so as to build up his strength for the long flight over the Western ocean to Irianeth. He had left his own people such a long time ago. Maybe there was another sorcerer serving Amecareth now. Would he have to unseat a rival when he got to the emperor’s palace? The thought of such a challenge made his blood boil. He rose up into the air and flew tow