Night of the Storm: An Epic Fantasy Novel (The Eura Chronicles Book 2) by K.N. Lee

ruby-red hair. He kept it with him at all times. Now, he pulled it from his pocket and stroked the iridescent red strand. The colors changed in waves from gold to red. He smelled it, his eyes closing as her scent sent shivers along his ash-colored skin.
    How she’d managed to cloud Emperor Kavien’s judgment was a mystery. All he knew was that he wanted her back.
    Her death would buy him more time.
    The sound of boots plodding hurriedly down the dungeon stairs ripped him from his thoughts.
    “Master Dragnor,” the guard called. The smell coming from the torture chamber kept him back, as did Dragnor’s dark glare.
    “What is it?”
    Even over the stench of blood and rotting guts, Dragnor could smell sweat and dirt on the guard and realized that it was daytime.
    The guard bowed. “The men you summoned, sir. They have arrived.”
    A pleased smile came to Dragnor’s thin lips.
    Dragnor turned and disappeared up the stairs faster than the man’s eyes could see.
    It took only seconds to reach the top. Straightening his clothing, Dragnor made his way to the entrance at the back of the castle that led to the main courtyard.
    Weeks of waiting had finally come to an end.
    The castle was dark, just as he had ordered. The palace finally felt like home. All torches and candles had been left unlit.
    The dark soothed Dragnor. It reminded him of his prior life in Nostfar and even more of his afterlife in the Underworld.
    Darkness was his friend and ally. It allowed him to walk unseen, yet he could see anyone in his path with perfect vision. Servants stumbled to complete their duties, using only the occasional flicker of natural light that spilled through open windows and drapes. He would very much like this darker new world.
    Once he stepped into the light that flooded the room from a sky light at the very top of the palace he folded his hands before him. His eyes shone with pride at what he saw.
    Standing in the wide entryway was the Maloji Tribe. They were in three sets of twelve and all bowed when Dragnor stood before them. Each man had his hair pulled straight back. Their faces were all tattooed with the intricate white symbols of their clan.
    “Brothers,” Dragnor said, and they all nodded in respect.
    No one spoke, but they all stood to their full height. The palace staff all scrambled around, staring at the Shadow Elves, but trying not to be seen. They were even more intimidating than Dragnor. The Maloji were a specialized sect of Nostfar warriors.
    Taken as boys to the underground temples, they were trained to fight with every weapon conceivable and forced to live in the most extreme conditions so that they would learn how to truly survive any situation.
    These were the men responsible for the infiltration of the other realms. They led the Shadow Elf armies and trained the soldiers. These men were the reason the Avia’Torenan army would be made nearly indestructible.
    Back in the ancient days before The Barriers, the fraud Garion had tried to teach a system of fighting to the other races to prepare them for the devastation a Maloji warrior could cause.
    Dragnor grimaced at the memory of seeing Garion in the palace weeks ago. His reputation truly preceded him, and he was made even more frightening after being risen from the dead. He knew how to stop him, though. Kill Elder Delia, and you kill the puppet Garion.
    “The work has begun, Master Dragnor,” Parvos spoke for his troop. They all wore crimson light armor. It fit sleek onto their slim, toned, bodies.
    “We will destroy Kyril.”
    “And Alfheim,” Hitari added. His troop wore black. They simply had to aid what Wexcyn had already started. Plagues, widespread fires, floods, and creatures of the Underworld had been set loose.
    The Maloji entered palaces where no one else could penetrate, and killed entire families, making sure no heir survived. To leave a lone heir of any clan would be a terrible mistake. The power passed down to a Legacy would be almost as strong