Forged by Battle (WarVerse Book 1)

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Book: Read Forged by Battle (WarVerse Book 1) for Free Online
Authors: Patrick J. Loller
but she remembered the imprint he had left in her mind. A pathetic, lecherous creature, which no one would miss, and yet she stayed her hand.
    The dagger screamed in her mind, fighting against her to stab it into the human’s blood, to give it the power it so craved. Exile's hand trembled as she lifted it over her head. Lose one, save many. The dagger plunged down into the man's chest, and Exile felt every inch of skin that split, every strand of muscle severed, and the scream of sated hunger when the dagger found his heart.
    Though he had been incapacitated by her attack, the human screamed, his voice raw from the terror and pain. It was not just the physical shock of the steel in his heart as the Shadow spread from the wound and exchanged blood for darkness. Within moments, it spread through his body, consuming him as though he were skewered with flame. The man was no more, and a being of darkness lay in his place.
    The dagger clattered to the floor as Exile pulled away, and the Shadow slipped away from the body. Then the black energy twisted into a point and shot out of the cargo hold. Walls, atmosphere, the vacuum beyond—none held sway over the creature. He was darkness given form—an elemental made of absence. Exile sank to her knees, the overwhelming knowledge of what she had unleashed too heavy for her to keep on her feet. One man was not enough for the monster to come fully into the world—it would have minutes at best, but minutes were more than enough. Her shuttle would be safe, but fate would take those who got in its way.

Chapter 8
    Vincent
     
    Alarms wailed as Vincent's world became a swirling miasma of nausea and fear. His control board was dead, and his fighter was out of control. The Duchess and Zombie took up defensive positions around him as Rover came alive. Springing from its position, it skittered into Vincent’s view and crouched down beside the damaged thruster. From beneath Rover's eye-shaped sensors, a laser played across the exposed wires and rent metal, assessing the extent of the damage. The enemy strike had punched through the port stabilizer, grazing enough to cut through the control lines, and without regulators attached, the powerful thruster was pushing well past its safe limits.
     Duchess called, worry permeating the unspoken connection.
    Vincent fought to stay alert as the spin pushed him into the seat, his suit rippling and tightening to keeping his blood flowing.
    "I was hit by a fighter, watch your six," he said.
    
    "You need to get out of here. Take the Reapers back to the ship," Vincent ordered.
    
    " There's nothing you can do."
    
    "Damn it, Duchess, take the others and get out of here. Protect the Inferno. "
    Whether it was fear for his pilots, or his home, or something else, Vincent did not know, but it was enough to force him to key the command he never thought he would use. His AMI sent the data packet that overrode Duchess’s system, and twisted her fighter back to the safety of the Inferno .  The other Reapers followed in her wake. He made sure they could still maneuver—he wouldn't forgive himself if they were killed because of his order—and then he cut off his incoming communications to focus on his own crisis.
    He struggled to make out the HUD's readout of the damage, but his vision blurred and he nearly blacked out. He tried to reach out for his control board, but the spin was too great. He cut short a groan, and with a short mental command, the lights in the cabin flashed colored lights to alert him of the damage severity. When a red light washed over him, fear threatened to grip the edge of his mind. The grav prop had automatically throttled back to its lowest setting, keeping the artificial gravity as well as inertial compensation active. If the prop stalled, the g-forces would tear Vincent

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