We’ve seen this before, but as the next e-book I’ve got planned is the finished version of Rebel Revelations, I thought it might be nice to revisit the first chapter.
Of course, regular readers will already be familiar with the first two books in the series, Rebel Princess and Rebel Priestess.
Pain. Darkness. More pain. The memories of the past year blended into one another in a great rushing wave of torment that finally broke on the soft smooth linen shores of Iskendar’s royal infirmary. Kai emerged with a coughing squeal from dark dreams of imprisonment to find herself not shackled on a filthy cold stone floor, but lying on what had to have been the softest bed in all the world.
She looked about herself in a daze, noting that things certainly had taken a turn up for the books. Instead of slime dripping walls and the howls of other prisoners, there were warm wooden walls lined with shelves upon which potions and poultices were stacked. It was so quiet too, peaceful, the only sounds being the cheerful chirping of the love bird in a wicker cage by the window, and beyond that the low hum of Iskendar’s citizenry going about their daily lives.
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Sometimes it takes a conflict to solve a conflict.
Chapter seven of Rebel Revelations everybunny! Enjoy!
After days of sulking in misery, avoiding all those she knew and those she did not, it was the unmistakable noise of conflict that finally drew Kai out of hiding. The granite barracks lined a large arena used for the purposes of training and they were often filled with aggressive manly shouts that Kai had learned to ignore for the most part as she took refuge atop the stone structures, where she was not visible from below. She suspected those whose business it was to know such things knew where she was, but they left her to her own devices, for which she was grateful.
She was laying on her back, warming herself in the midday sun when the sound of steel on steel interrupted her reverie. In between the clashing of blades, utter silence. That was exceptional. Her curiosity piqued, Kai peered over the edge.
Below, two feminine figures circled one another. It did not take long to recognize Constance, and, to Kai’s great pleasure, Queen Rael. Kai’s bottom did not sting anymore, but her pride stung deeply.
For days every move had reminded her of that blonde woman’s easy domination of her. Constance had made a fool out of Kai, and Kai could not forgive that. Rael on the other hand, Rael was the best fighter Kai had ever known. She would soon put that uppity wench in her place.
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My dear readers, allow me to make up for the misery of a broken game by resolving the cliffhanger you were left with in the last chapter of Rebel Revelations…
Kai breathed deeply, watching Constance closely. The woman seemed disinclined to move out of the bed, probably because she knew all too well that it would be the work of a moment to catch Kai if she ran in her weakened state.
Her mind whirring furiously, Kai drew herself to her full height. Perhaps there was a way out of this. Perhaps there was a way to convince Constance that punishment was not the answer. She would not end up over this woman’s lap without a fight, that was for sure, though the fight did not have to be a physical one.
“What am I going to do with you, I think that is a better question,” Kai said, her tone forthright and assured.
Constance quirked an eyebrow in surprise. “What on earth do you mean?”
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In which you can’t keep a good woman down, but you better be careful when getting a good woman up…
Fingers of dawn began to creep over the horizon of the great city of Iskendar, but someone was up before the sun. A young woman dressed in dark leggings and an oversized tunic crept along the parapets of the royal castle, a slim dark silhouette against the faintly lit skies. There was a slight limp in her gait, and a slight rattle of breath as the effort of sustained motion seemed to cause her some distress.
“Bloody sickness,” Kai swore to herself as she stopped and wiped her mouth and nose on the back of her sleeve. Illana said she was no longer contagious, but she certainly was still feeling the effects of the illness. Illana had also told her to rest, but there was no rest for the wicked, and there was certainly no rest for Kai.
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