Her sobs were silent. "Please forgive me, General. She doesn't understand."
The General tried to relax away the nervousness, but it wouldn't leave him. "The typical punishment for your crimes is death. For both you and your child."
She nodded and straightened her spine. "Take her. I care not for my own life. Pretend she's your own. I beg you to let her live."
Something was coming over the General, and it felt like a conscience. This hadn't been a problem for any of the other executions he'd uttered, particularly for Ferrick Galloway, the former leader of Razellia's village. For some reason, this woman's argument was more compelling than the others had been.
"I wish to let you both live."
Pluric gasped. "But sir! The things this woman has done are inexuse–"
"Do you dare question me?" The General felt his temperature rise. "In my own court?"
Pluric took a few steps away from the throne. "Of course not."
The General projected his voice throughout the room. "The girl will become property of the stronghold. The mother will be confined to the dungeon, though she can provide daily lessons to the girl. Now take her out of my sight."
Razellia smiled and bowed. "Thank you, General! Your leadership is–" She started to cry again. "Thank you."
The General clutched at his stomach as the sickness crept over him again. It was the third time this week he'd run to the bathroom with discomfort. The previous two instances had induced vomit, but a few splashes of water had made him feel much better this time. A knock came at the door.
"Give me a moment."
The clicking of Pluric's tongue made his identity obvious through the door. "Are you doing alright, General?"
The General hesitated for a moment before opening the door. Pluric looked more annoyed than sympathetic.
"It's better this time."
Pluric looked back to the throne room. "You have a dozen more trials to see to."
The General nodded. "The last few weeks have been... strange."
Pluric tapped his commander on the shoulder. "Soon enough, you'll be back to normal." He looked deep into the General's eyes. "I think you should reconsider the decision you made about the girl's mother."
The General once again saw the memories of Razellia and Vella. There were bits and pieces of other people interspersed throughout the thoughts. The humans Natalie and Travis, and the protector, Erica LaPlante. There was a sweetness to the images. He wasn't seeing enemies. He was seeing friends. His friends. The realization came over him that he wasn't the General after all.
As soon as the epiphany came, it started to dissipate. A tiny memory formed far back in his mind. It was as if it was miles away. He remembered Tank, one of Nigel's gang members calling out to him after he'd first used his powers. The voice was like an echo.
"What the hell are you?"
I'm Ted.
The memory came and went. It'd been wiped from his mind.
The General blinked. "What was the woman's name again?"
Pluric smiled. "Razellia."
The General straightened his clothes and grinned back. "You know, we do want to send the right message to the people." Warmth filled him as he pictured his kingdom yet to come. "Kill her. And make the daughter watch."
About the Author
Bryan Cohen is the author of the Ted Saves the World series and a collection of creative writing prompts books. Bryan is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 2013, Bryan appeared on an episode of the nationally televised "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." He did just fine. Bryan lives with his wife, their cat Rocket, and their Netflix account in Chicago.
Acknowledgements & Legal Info
Thank you to everybody who made this book possible. My beta readers Julianne Clancy, Tim Matson, Barbara Pohland, Dan Brian and Rachel Bean made a difficult project much easier with their notes. James Olsen did a great cover, and Oomphotography did an amazing job with the key art. Thanks to Alisa Rosenthal for helping out and to Michael Silberblatt and Cordelia Dewdney for bringing the characters to life. Ashley Gainer was fantastic as always. My wife is incredible, and I'm glad she puts up with my "story time."
I'd like to dedicate this book to Joss Whedon whose painful plots continue to toy with my emotions.
Click here to see copyright info for The Light, the Dark and the Ugly.
Thanks from Bryan
Thank you so much for reading my novel The Light, the Dark and the Ugly. Would you be willing to post a review of the book on Amazon? It would mean a lot to me. Click here to post your review.
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Ted Finley will return… in book 5 of the Ted Saves the World series in October 2015.
Look for a special prequel of the Ted Saves the World series in July 2015.
Table of Contents
PART ONE
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
PART TWO
Chapter 11
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
PART THREE
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
PART FOUR
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
PART FIVE
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Epilogue
About the Author
Acknowledgements & Legal Info
Thanks from Bryan