By Patrick D. Kaiser
Also by
Patrick D. Kaiser
Poetry Collections
Catch the Moment
Colors of the Heart
The Light Before We Land
The Crimson Minds
Trilogy
Crimson Minds
Crimson Crown
Crimson Lilies
The Death-Bringer
Chronicles
Frost
You can find all of these on Amazon.com
Copyright © 2021 by Patrick D. Kaiser
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review.
Book two of The Death-Bringer Chronicles
Table of contents
Out of the frying pan
Going blind
And then there were three
Out of tune
The frozen dead
Willows and wisps
Impossible to break
Taxing taxi
Toil town trouble
Churn and burn
Debt of the dead
A twist of the knife
The unwinnable game
Dragging dragons
Lies and pride
Battle on the bars
Sight untold
What was lost
Sneak Peeks
To My Elder Sister Holly,
For all the love & encouragement
You give me.
Even when I'm an annoying little brother.
Thank you for loving & supporting me.
Trial 1: Out of the frying pan
Panting heavy, hard for breath
Legs fighting to keep the pace
The box in my arms weighing me down
I don't care when – I don't care how
I refuse to let this box drop
I refuse to give up
“Get back here!” Their high voices call in pursuit
Smithing elves, tiny and cute
Save for the fact they're cannibalistic
You won't see that in a Christmas movie
Or maybe you did and I just missed it
Now they start speaking elvish
As steam blasts hot and hellish
In the steam ducts there's little room
As from above I hear a giant boom
Running, running, keeping pace
With her help
I might just win this race
Who's she you ask?
My partner fierce
As suddenly I feel my skin being pierced
“Get the hell off!” I shake my leg
His fangs clamping harder still
One of the elves in a tiny red hat
Pointed ears, he gives a laugh
Glaring at me right in the face
His beady red eyes go wide
As I give him a look
Instantly, without touch, he's knocked to the side
It's amazing what happens when you actually train
Joining the Organization certainly has its perks
That's actually the reason I'm here – For work
Intel said there was an illegal weapons factory
It was said there might be a lead
To another Seer
But that still remains unclear
As another elf jumps trying to attack me
I tilt my head as he flies past – Wheeeeee!
Then I break into a run
This is actually a lot of fun
The booming sounds up above
Explosions and fighting – She's having a blast
The shaking of the structure giving me a shove
I think that means we're about done
As I continue to frantically run
The box hefty and not at all light
Wriggling and whimpering sounds inside
“Just hold on buddy, we're almost there.”
Suddenly, there's a burning smell on the air
She didn't?
Crap
Time to book it
Unless I prefer to let her cook him
A fiery blast implodes from behind
That's definitely not a good sign
The fire quickly starts to spread
The smell of sulfur and of ash
Safe to say she's incinerated the weapons cache
I'd rather not wind up dead
I need to find an exit and get ahead
The flames quickly coming from behind
As I trip – Don't worry I'm fine
Finally, she shows up just in time
With her magic acuity she bars back the flames
She is, after all, a fire mage
Shielding the box I smile and say
“Hiya! Nice job Leigh.”
She gives me the look
“Mission clear?” I ask
To the back of my head she gives me a smack
“Nathan, what was so important that you had to leave
me to fight alone?
Because you were gone, I ended up torching the entire zone.
That means no evidence, no way to convict.”
“You'll understand.” I say quick
I open the box as there he lies on a pile of rocks
Small as a kitten and sly as a fox
The lion's head gives a meow
As it stretches it's hooves
And rattles it's snake tail proud
“Let me get this straight.” She glares down
“You made us fail the entire mission
All to save a chimera kitten?”
“Well, yeah.” I say petting his fur
“You're such a good boy.” I say in a cute tone
Leigh yells “It's a her!
You are such an idiot!”
Immediately she starts to steam
As the whistle of sparks begin to scream
Instantly, I realize I screwed up
Pissing off Leigh is something you never wanna do
Granted, however, it's not very tough
But still
I take in the sight of her burning up
“Leigh, calm-” Suddenly, I'm having a vision
I'm a Seer so I use eye magic
Basically my eyes have god-like precision
My sight is greater than any other
And there are many other gifts I've yet to discover
Before I could ever learn, they killed both my mothers
That's why we're looking for a link to Seers
In the end it works out because my vision's clear
My brother and Jameson
That's not actually his name...
But in the end it's all the same
They sit there in a dimly lit room
My brother muttering “It'll be done soon.”
It's creepy – He looks just like me
We are twins – But from his crimson eyes, malice
seethes
Jameson, a mystery, but still bad news
“Make sure you tell him we have the proof.”
“That's not the issue!” My brother snaps
“What happens if he goes on the attack?
The entire plan goes up in smoke.
There's no point in relying on a ghost.”
“He's under our control.” Jameson says
“It'll be fine. Now, get out of your head.
I need your help with the next phase.
Even a dead man has limited days.
The good thing is we can use him to our advantage.
To one of them he's family.
&nbs
p; Now, get up and help me.
Our pets need to be managed.
By the way,
Tell me that prophesy again.”
My brother gives an irritated sigh
“Damn it. Pay attention this time.
The Seer at the age of sixteen
Will meet his eyes with a snake
And going blind, two years it will take
Setting the stage for Death's upheaval
In the end opening the gates for evil
The world then steeped into chaos
The linking of the twelve leading to destruction
ravenous
One whom the Seer calls friend will be traitor
Passing time, Death's scythe shall pierce
Opening reality to indomitable terror
The eyes of the Seer shall be no more
As Death preserves his title and horde.”
Suddenly the vision ends
My heart heavy
I look to my partner, my friend
“What did you see?” She asks concerned
“They're planning something.” I reply
“There's some sort of prophesy,
But that's all I learned.”
“We need to report to the Chairman now.”
Leigh's voice tense yet stout
Taking the chimera, we head back
Back to our boss to report fast
Those two are planning something
We have to be ready
Opening a portal
My convictions steady
Finally, revenge will be mine
Even if I have to forfeit my life
That'll be fine
They took my hope
My promise broke
My righteous anger they will know
Allow me to introduce myself
Though there's quite a bit to tell
I'm one of the last of my clan
My magic thought to be extinct
With it, I'll push my enemies to the brink
They picked a fight with the wrong guy
I won't let them hurt anyone else
Especially those I've promised to help
Revenge on the rise – An eye for an eye
That said, let's go ahead and start the fun
Keep your eyes open
I am a Seer
My name is Nathan Masterson
Trial 2: Going blind
Arriving in an instant
The Grand Terminal heavy
The rush of O.D.s coursing through the levy
Organization Detectives, as we're also known,
We keep the peace – We protect their homes
Coming and going in the blink of an eye
Magically, to every part of the world we fly
One minute here, then gone the next
One thing's for certain
Our frequent flyer miles are the best
The organization is global
But based here in France
To serve and protect
From Paris we make our stand
As an assistant passes by I yell “Hey!
Take George to my room.
And make sure he has food for the next 3 days.”
“George?” Leigh raises her brow
“Georgette.” I correct myself, loud
The assistant rushes off
“You two!” Jerome calls
A keeper to his core
And just under 7 foot tall
His demeanor pours over us all
Keepers are basically handlers
They grade the mission
“We need to make an urgent report!” Leigh replies
“It'll have to wait.” Jerome won't even listen
“Orders are all O.D.s under eighteen
Are to report to the training hall A.S.A.P.”
“We understand,” I interject “but this is urgent.”
“Nothing from a rookie,” His tone snide “is that
important.
Especially you, who flaunts disrespect for authority.
You think you're special?” He scowls
“I don't care when and I don't care how.
I don't care why the Chairman chose you.
I don't care what your clan is.
You will follow the rules.
Rule number one: I make the rules – That is the truth.
Rule number two: The truth is proof.
And Rule number three: If you can't follow the rules,
you're of no use.
Now get to the training hall and don't be late.”
This is one guy I can't help but hate
My blood boiling as I'm about to speak and regret my words
Leigh grabs me, her eyes firm
As she warns me off, I hold my tongue
Joining the Organization has its perks
But there's always a dark side to any work
We begin walking toward the training hall
Three whole months
And not a welcoming soul that I can recall
Everyone else in this entire profession
Treats my position as if it's just a suggestion
They all look at me like I'm worthless
Like I shouldn't be here
They're honestly right, to be clear
But in the end it doesn't matter to me
As long as I can avenge them
Me being content is guaranteed
“You should learn by now.” Leigh's tone taut
“They make their disapproval loud.
There's nothing we can do except keep on course.
In the end we will find our door.
And when we open it things will get better
As long as we stick together.”
I raise my brow
“Was that off a fortune cookie?” I ask
“Forget it! That's the last time I try to cheer you up!”
She snaps
“Sorry.” I reply “I truly appreciate it.”
She gives a smile, low key and bright
Unaware of the stress of the coming fight