Volcrian's Hunt (The Cat's Eye Chronicles) (52 page)

The words hurt far worse than anything Sumas could do with his fists. His brother seemed to know that. He glanced over Caprion's shoulder and then to the ground, as though embarrassed for him—which was more terrible than anything Caprion had felt before.

“I'm so angry at you, I want to pound you into the dirt,” Sumas muttered, his voice thick. “How could you do this to the family? You don't care about anyone but yourself.”

“You think I did this on purpose?” Caprion said defensively, frowning. “I tried, Sumas.”

“Esta said you slept late this morning. You missed the greeting hour.” He sneered. “My lazy, irresponsible little brother. You really deserve a mauling. If a soldier were to sleep in late, he would have to answer for it.” He glanced over Caprion's shoulder again at the empty space where his wings should be. “But you're not a soldier, are you?” he finished softly. “You've already paid enough, I think.”

Caprion took deep, short breaths, trying to remain calm. He wanted to launch across the grass and wrench the smug look right off Sumas' face—pummel him to the ground, crack his teeth, break his proud jaw. But he knew his brother would welcome a fight and Sumas was bigger and stronger. He could still crush Caprion's windpipe and steal all chance of him finding his wings.

Sumas finally turned away. “Don't let me see you around,” he said, his voice thick with hatred. It vibrated across Caprion's skin, a shiver of magic, both a warning and a threat. “You're not my brother anymore, not after this. If I see you again, I won't hold back.” Then Sumas spread his wings and lifted swiftly into the air, flying away quickly over the round white huts.

Caprion watched him go until the glow of his wings vanished against the stars. His shortcomings were most apparent in that moment, his inability to follow, forever rooted to the ground, the great burden he would carry for the rest of his life: a world without wings, without flight. He could only rely on his legs—slow, clumsy limbs, incapable of anything other than moving forward.

He let out a long, deep sigh. He pressed a hand to his chest, a great heaviness settling over his heart. His throat constricted, stifling his voice; soon his magic would be gone forever.

He walked to his hut and his body felt twice as heavy as before. He entered the dark room through an open archway and laid down in his bed, his brother's voice resonating through his thoughts.
How could you do this to the family?...You deserve a mauling....But you'll never be a soldier, will you?

He clenched his jaw. Anger, frustration—no solution in sight. He needed to speak with Florentine and find out what went wrong. He needed to fix this. He needed to crush Sumas' face into the ground.

To be continued....

Get ready for....

Ferran's Map

(The Cat's Eye Chronicles, Book 4)

Release: Summer 2014

The next full-length installment of
The Cat's Eye Chronicles!
Sora and company must travel to The City of Crowns. They arrive just in time for the Winter festival, two weeks of extravagant parties, fine wines and legendary debauchery. Intrigue abounds as Sora and Crash infiltrate the First Tier nobility and track down Grandmaster Cerastes. She will be forced to face her past, don the guise of a noblewoman and uncover the Shade's dark intentions. Add
Ferran's Map
on Goodreads today!

Want more?

Visit
The Cat's Eye Chronicles
website!

http://www.catseyechronicles.com/

If you like Paranormal Romance, check out T. L. Shreffler's
The Wolves of Black River
series!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

T. L. Shreffler is a noblewoman living in the sunny acres of San Fernando Valley, California, a mere block from Warner Bros. Studios. She enjoys frolicking through meadows, sipping iced tea, exploring the unknown reaches of her homeland and unearthing rare artifacts in thrift stores. She holds a Bachelors in Eloquence (English) and writes Fantasy, Paranormal Romance and poetry. She has previously been published in
Eclipse: A Literary Anthology
and
The Northridge Review.
Feel free to connect online! She loves hearing from readers, reviewers, orcs, elves, assassins, villains, figments of her imagination and extraterrestrials looking to make contact. Her online accounts are as follows:
Email: [email protected]
Website:
www.tlshreffler.com
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/tlshreffler
Twitter:
@poetsforpeanuts