Echoes Of Empire Novels & Stories

Then, quieter… “Whatever it is… it’s not hiding.” Lena swallowed. Because she felt it too. Not hiding. Watching. Waiting. The ruins stretched out around them, older than anything she had ever seen. Stone pillars cracked by time, strange symbols carved deep into the ground. The air felt heavy, like the place itself was breathing. Vance stopped suddenly, eyes locked on the symbols. “I know this place,” he said, voice tense. Lena’s heart pounded. “You do?” He didn’t look at her. “Echo training ground. From before the council banned them. They wiped every record. Burned every map. This is one of the last ones left.”

All— Owned. Like me. Like Hope. Like— Everyone. Eventually. If his plan worked. If we succeeded. If— We continued. Spreading. Converting. Destroying. Building— Empire. Perfect empire. Ashford empire. Where everyone smiled. Everyone served. Everyone— Died inside while appearing alive outside. Like me. Like Hope. Like— Future. Entire future. If Marcus won. If we—if I— Succeeded in mission. In expansion. In— Everything he commanded.

This, I thought, was just the beginning of the curse. "Three years, and your nerve has grown? You dare to disobey me?" "Mia is my daughter. It is my right to see her. I suggest you hand her over willingly. Don't force my hand. Have you forgotten your last lesson so quickly?" My soul shudders. The last lesson? That nightmare from three years ago? I gaze at the familiar infirmary and the memory consumes me. Three years ago, when Oliver's Bloodline Decay first manifested, he needed a life essence transfer—a forbidden ritual—to survive.

Then he took my hand and led me toward the car. Shawn's voice cracked behind us. "Scarlett!" "Anything else?" I turned around. His lips parted, but no words came out. His face looked paler than winter snow. Edith tilted her head. "Mommy, is he ill? He looks pale, like when I was sick." I didn't know how to answer her. Byron took her from my arms and spoke gently. "Want some cupcakes tonight?" "Cupcakes! Hooray!" she chirped.

She still wanted our bond even after everything that I had done to her. It was as if the universe was listening to my thoughts or some shit because I heard my voice echoing in the auditorium. “You’ll fight me until you can’t. And when you finally break, when you surrender—I’ll be there to show you what all of my whores like. You’ll be begging me not to stop. You’ll beg for my dick like a good little bitch. Who knows? Perhaps I’ll give you a taste.”

he said, “we’re out of time.” Outside, thunder rolled—low, deep, not quite thunder at all. More like footsteps. Far, but coming closer. Seraphine stood, bracing herself on her staff. “It’s begun, then.” Aelin met her gaze. “What’s begun?” “The Second Echo,” Seraphine whispered. “The one the gods swore could never cross.” The wind picked up, carrying with it the faint sound of whispers—dozens, hundreds, in no tongue any of them recognized. The marks along the Spire walls began to flicker again, burning with strange, inverted light.

Nichola’s pov.. The loud crash jolted Nicholas awake. He sat up in bed, heart pounding, and glanced at the clock: 3:00 AM. Groaning, he threw off the covers and stumbled out of bed. The noise had come from downstairs, from the direction of the mansion's grand hall. I crept down the hallway, the old wooden floorboards creaking beneath my feet. As I neared the hall, I could hear frantic shouting. "Dad?" I called out, my voice barely a whisper.

“Of course, amidst this disparity, the empire was solidifying its foothold on the colonies seated at the edge of the Throne system. Of course, it had been done through the use of obscene force and violent power.” The image switched again, this time to that of a blasted landscape. The skies were far from blue or even gray. They were dark from the thick clouds of smoke that continually poured into the air. And the horizon was red from the fires that consumed it. The quality of the recording was the worst of the three. It was shaky, incredibly scratchy, and skipped numerous frames. As a result, the drogar on it seemed robotic and unnatural and inhuman in their movements. Not that they did much.

Terrifying. “Focus,” Elara commanded as I accidentally let loose a burst of power. “Your emotions are tied to your power. You must maintain control.” “Sorry!” I tried to rein it in, but everything felt so big. “This is just… a lot.” “I know.” Her voice softened. “But you must learn quickly. There are those who would restore the old ways – the violent ways – and they will come for you when they learn what you are.” Shadowy figures flickered at the edges of my vision, making my wolf – Nyx – bristle and growl.

I tried to make out words and voices, but there was too much going on for much discernment. The commotion was wild and intense, a symphony of grunts, thuds, and muffled shouts that painted a chaotic picture. I could hear furniture scraping across the floor, a lamp crashing to the ground with a shattering of glass, and the unmistakable clatter of bodies hitting the walls. It was a tumultuous dance of unknown combatants, and I was anxious to know what had happened.