Johnson Legion of Pneumas

Book One The Condemned
1. Auflage 2020
ISBN: 978-1-0983-1999-1
Verlag: BookBaby
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 330 Seiten

Safe in the Sonara plains after London is married to his life sweetheart, the king's daughter. London is then sent out to hunt down a beast who has been terrorizing the land. On the hunt it goes terribly wrong and London is killed. London finds that his death is not the end, but just the beginning. After coming back from death, he soon finds, that his soul called a pneuma is its own living thing. Together London and his pneuma most work together, to overthrow an evil king, and find their place in a harsh unforgiving world. They most find their place amongst friends and foes, and conquer in empire or fail into darkness, a place worse than death.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Johnson, Lily

Leseproben

CHAPTER 1

Marriage

I take a deep breath as I look into the mirror. I smile, thinking I look good dressed in a fine suit. I have been nervous about this day for a while. I will be no longer a single man, but married to a beautiful woman. I do not know her as well as I would like; it is an arranged marriage although I have always been attracted to her. When we were young, we would meet in secret. She was the first girl that I kissed.

Time has passed since I last saw her. I will get the time to know her again after we are married. It helps me to know she is excited about our wedding; I am but I am also nervous about the whole thing. Sometimes, I wonder what I am even doing.

“I am so proud of you, London. This is a big day for you and the whole family,” my uncle says, standing behind me at the mirror.

I know he means my family marrying into the royal line. I turn around to my uncle with a smile, “It is my honor to make this family proud.”

“You are marrying a very beautiful bride. Be a good man to her now,” he tells me.

“I swear my life on it,” I tell him as I put my jacket on. “Is grandfather here yet?” I ask, looking in the mirror again.

“No, he is not here yet, but don’t worry, he will be. You just worry about getting married; I will take care of everything else.” I turn around to face my uncle, and he starts to fix my jacket collar.

“You never seem to get this right, London,” he says as he fixes it.

“Well, I can’t be perfect at everything,” I reply with a devious smile.

My uncle shakes his head. “You are right. No one is perfect. Now get out there and greet your guests. There are a lot of people here for your wedding.”

I swallow hard hearing that piece of news. I have been expecting it, but I am far from ready. I had no part in the wedding plans, so I have no idea how big it is actually going to be. All I know is we are getting married in the chapel of our kingdom’s capital, Galencia. It is the largest and most spectacular castle where we live in the Sonara Plains. I would have liked to have had the wedding in my grandfather’s castle, where I grew up, but it wasn’t my choice to make. The king has chosen me to marry his daughter and wants us wed under his roof.

I walk out of the room with my uncle beside me. A few steps down the hall, I part ways with my uncle and go to check on my mother in her room.

There has always been a dark history between my mother and the family. I feel that in a way, they have disowned her. They are never friendly to her and have always treated her as if she isn’t worthy. Yet in all these years, I have never found out why they are so cruel to her.

My mother doesn’t have any friends, unless you count the housemaid who has worked here since before, I was born. She is the only other person my mother is close to besides me and my great-grandmother Anna. I still don’t think the maid knows much more than I do about my family’s secrets. My mother does not talk much, and I am one of the only people she will talk to. My mother has always been unhappy. It’s as if she is missing something and waits for its return. I want to help my mother, but she won’t tell me the reason for her longing, and I don’t know if she ever well.

I never knew my father. People have told me stories about how he was a war hero. They said he died in battle before I was born, but I don’t know how much truth is in that story. My mother has never talked about my father. I want to hear the story from her own lips, and because I haven’t, I question it. I don’t know what she is hiding, why I am not told who my father is. It is just another lie and mystery of the family that I am not allowed to know. I am determined to find out someday, even if I have to dig deep into my family’s past.

I knock on the door to my mother’s room, and I hear her voice from inside reply, “Come in.”

I walk into the room. My mother smiles when she sees me, and we embrace.

We let go, and my mother holds me at arm’s length, eyeing me up and down.

“You are too good for her, London,” she says flatly, with no tone to her voice.

I look at her with a small frown. She lets me go and walks over to a small table with a teapot. I know my mom isn’t happy with this wedding, but she won’t just say it. I wish she would, but I already know why she doesn’t like it, or at least I believe I know why. I could never tell anyone, but I am far from ready for marriage myself. Who likes the idea of marrying a woman you only knew a little in the past? As hard as it may be, though, I am confident that I can make things work. Sometimes, you just have to take one for the team.

My mother fills two cups with tea and asks me without looking, “Do you want one?”

“All right,” I reply.

She walks over and hands me a cup, then sits down at the table. I sit down in a chair facing her. I watch my mother as she sips on her tea.

Many people have said my mother is one of the fairest women in all the land. Many men tried to win her hand before she settled with my father. She has long, black hair, which is usually braided. Her dark brown eyes miss nothing. When I was younger, there was nothing I could get away with. She always seemed to know when I was lying. People say I have my mother’s eyes, I have no idea what I inherited from my father. No one ever mentions me looking anything like my father. Makes me wonder if anyone here even really knew him.

I take a deep breath, knowing one of the hardest things in the world is getting answers from my mother. She is a woman who says what she thinks is needed and nothing else. Even though she is my mother, I have always seen her as a mysterious woman. She is nothing like the rest of the family, except my great-grandmother, Anna. I would believe my mother isn’t even related to them, but there is no mistaking that they share the same blood.

I was told my great-grandmother Anna practices magic, magic that she also taught my mother. My family looks down on my mother for it. My mother doesn’t use magic often, but I just know she is powerful with it. It is kind of like a feeling I get around here. There aren’t a lot of magic people around here, but one time someone else came to our castle who was, and I felt the same thing. For whatever reason I seem to sense those who are. Maybe everyone can, I don’t know, for I never mention it to anyone. For whatever reason I feel it better not to.

My mother is a tall proud woman, who most people, upon first meeting her, respect. She has long black hair that comes down to her lower back. She has hazel eyes, that are captivating and a depth of mystery in them, that’s beyond comprehension. Despite her serious appearance, she has a charming humorous side to her. When I was little, she was my best friend, I have never felt alone or unloved when she was around.

“What is wrong, Mother? I can see in your eyes you are not happy,” I said, looking at her. I cannot drink much of my tea because I am nervous about the wedding. I am often the center of attention, but I don’t like it. I don’t like people thinking so much of me. It becomes stressful if I can’t live up to their standards. I would rather not have that weight on my shoulders all of the time.

“I just wonder—is that really what you want, London? Or is it what your grandfather wants?” She says after a few minutes of silence.

I take my time to reply. She does have a point: my grandfather was the one who arranged this match with the royal family. My grandfather has always been my father figure. My mother and grandfather dislike each other, and they have different ideas about what I should do with my life.

I look back at my mom. I know that, to her, my silence only proves my uncertainty.

“I like Sara … she is a good woman,” I finally reply.

“She is for show, nothing else,” she tells me.

My frown deepens and I answer quickly in defense, “You don’t know that.”

“London, don’t tell me otherwise. She has her looks, and that is all she’s got. And I hope that is not the reason you are going through with this because I know I raised you better than that.”

I immediately feel guilty. If I am not marrying Sara just for her looks, why else am I marrying her? I don’t know her that well. I know it is not for her personality. I am not the kind of man to marry for show. No, I am not doing this for my grandfather. I am doing what I think would be best for my family.

I tell her truthfully, “I am going through with it because I am trying to become the man my family wishes of me.”

My mother grabs my hand and looks deep into my eyes. “No, London, you can’t care about what they want of you. You need to follow your own heart—what does it tell you?”

I grip her hand but look away. “I don’t know.”

My mother grabs both of my hands and continues, “Well, no matter what happens, I know you will. Just promise me something, London.”

“What would that...