Read Legends of Marithia: Book 2 - Darkness Rising for Free Online

the name, wondering at
the strange familiarity of the word.
    She quietly whispered to herself,
“Daessar,” biting her bottom lip as she always did when she was
deep in thought.
    Kari breathed deep and took one final
look at the only home she’d ever known. The shelves were full of
mementos of years gone by that induced an overwhelming sense of
nostalgia inside her. Leaving a letter on Aldorus’ favourite bench,
she carefully tiptoed out to the stables with a heavy pack full of
supplies. Her heart pounded inside her chest like a drum with the
anticipation of what may lay ahead of her and equally stung with
the sadness of leaving her familiar grounds behind.

    Marithians still hoped for the
Talonsphere prophecy to be fulfilled, but their faith would be
tested by the turning wheels of the Blood Red Moon prophecy. Like
the Talonsphere prophecy that they believed would save them from
the Forces of Darkness, the underworld had their own belief that
their seers had predicted for thousands of years. It was written in
dark scripture that a girl of both darkness and light would destroy
all living creatures and rule under the shade of the Blood Red
Moon.
    Kassina, daughter of a high priestess
sorceress and vampire king, was believed to be the girl of their
prophecy. The wheels of the prophecy were finally set in motion by
the countless fallen souls at the battle of the Elven Woods, and
there had been new reports of clouds raining blood on the lands at
nightfall, under the eerie glow of the burgundy moon.
    The dark scriptures stated that once
enough souls had been captured and reanimated in the underworld,
then the protective barrier separating Marithia from the underworld
plane would grow weaker and would gradually become one with the
underworld, starting with the Blood Red Moon and blood filled
clouds.
    The balance of souls had greatly
tipped to the underworld’s favour and Marithia began the horrid
plunge into darkness. The sun still rose as a beacon of hope and
served as a continual reminder of what they all stood to lose, the
impending doom that all living creatures face, and what had to be
done to stop it.
    Queen Andrielle did everything she
could for her people, human and elven alike. Many souls perished on
the battlefield of the Elven Woods. The few survivors journeyed
together to the badly damaged Elven City of Veldrenn to recoup, and
rebuild it as the new fortified home of the resistance.
    Helenia was at her mother,
Andrielle’s, side and for the first time in her life she felt the
sickening pains of despair, as if heavy weights dangled from her
heart. The battle had failed to avert the Blood Red Moon, despite
the dark sorceress Kassina being struck down and the allies
seemingly emerging triumphant. Many of their people had been killed
or injured—including her love, who was battling for his own life in
a place far from her reach.
    Ashes and charred trees littered the
once breathtaking elven forest, resulting in the location of the
great city no longer being a secret. The destruction acted like a
pathway that guided those seeking shelter and safety. Stragglers
and lost warriors walked the beaten path to reunite in the troubled
city, which needed all the help it could get.
    Andrielle spent weeks clearing the
city of rubble and useless burned wood. Nicolai, the queen of
faeries provided great assistance and the faeries scouted out prey
for their hunters to feed the ever increasing population, as their
crops had been completely obliterated.
    Many of the faeries had died or
suffered injuries in the battle of the Elven Woods, and their
wounded lay healing alongside the other inhabitants of Veldrenn.
Their entire population was forced to shelter in the city as their
homes had been destroyed along with the forest.
    The majority of surrounding trees and
buildings were repairable, and many human, faerie and elven hands
worked together to restore the city. Differences were put aside as
they stood together to face a common enemy.