Annie Windsor - Arda 03 - The Sailkeepers Bride.pdf - ELLORA'S CAVE (Maykelll) - bugnme5

ARDA: THE SAILKEEPER’S BRIDE

An Ellora’s Cave publication written by

ANNIE WINDSOR

MS Reader (LIT) ISBN # 1-84360-506-6

Other available formats (no ISBNs are assigned):

Adobe (PDF), Rocketbook (RB), Mobipocket (PRC) & HTML

Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc. USA

Ellora's Cave Ltd, UK

This e-book may not be reproduced in whole or in part by email forwarding, copying, fax, or any other

mode of communication without author/publisher permission.

Edited by Ann Richardson

Cover Art by Christine Clavel

Warning:

The following material contains strong sexual content meant for mature readers. ARDA: THE

SAILMASTER’S BRIDEhas been rated NC17, erotic, by three individual reviewers. We strongly

suggest storing this electronic file in a place where young readers not meant to view this ebook are

unlikely to happen upon it. That said, enjoy…

To:

My precious family, especially my Manysouls. Without your help, I’d be nothing, and nowhere.

Special thanks to my critique partner Cheyenne. You keep me in line.

Prologue

Ki Tul’Mar hadn’t struggled as the Ord’pa forced his neck to the chopping block and chained

him to the loop on its surface—but he struggled now to see the fireworks in the Eastern sky.

The battle had come planetside, and this gave even the die-hard law followers pause. Some were

thinking to let the Sailmaster live a few moments longer, if only to turn back this threat.

Akad was certainly of this mind. Of course, Akad had been doing everything within his priestly

powers to draw out the execution.

Ki was grateful, until the moment he could no longer sense his wife, his child, or his sister.

Thinking so many of his heart’s family dead, he wanted to die himself—but then the stars caught

fire.

And Ki thought he caught a glimmer of Elise’s life force.

Forcing his way to his feet, pulling at the chopping block’s ring with his bull’s neck, Ki snarled at

the red-robed Ord’pa. The poor lesser priest stepped back, even though he was armed with a

double-bladed axe and every muscle in Ki’s body wore a chain.

Reaching his thoughts to all available pa, Ki located a crashing speeder. With lives inside. He

couldn’t read them well—Elise, but not Elise. Krysta, but not Krysta. And another. Primitive, yet

not primitive.

Not bothering to sort it out, Ki flung almost the full force of his psi power into slowing the ship’s

descent. He left only enough energy to keep the Fleet sailing. The rest went to his task.

In his mind’s eye, the blazing bubble of pa skimmed treetops, coming closer—and then his actual

eyes could see it. A twisted, mangled piece of a speeder.

The crowd gasped and murmured.

Ki guided the flaming bubble to a halt above the Tuscan clearing, and lowered it to the ground

beside the Platform.

Immediately, the priests and witnesses set about putting out the flames, using coats and psi power

and what water could be had.

Akad leaped off the platform and waded into the ruined ship—but quickly ran back out again,

screaming like a hog at slaughter.

This caused the Ord’pa to raise his horrid axe beside Ki.

At that moment, the crowd around the speeder fell away. Many yells and shouts could be heard,

and then Ki saw the reason.

A woman came stalking from a rent in the dead ship’s side, wielding a great emerald sword

above her head.

But not just any woman.

Ki’s mouth fell open in wonder.

Lorelei. By the Gods. The Lorelei have come!

Her clothes were torn and smoking, leaving her barely clothed. Great tendrils of pa marked her

hands, arms, chest and face, ending in stark flame patterns about her smudged, desperate eyes.

And yet, this wild woman looked and felt familiar. The curve of her hips. The grace of her walk.

The wild abandon of her moon-kissed blond tresses.

Elise. It had to be Elise.

And yet…not. She was changed. Different.

As she approached, Ki realized that somehow, Elise had merged with pa, like a true Ardani. Raw

pa had touched her, and yet instead of burning her or killing her as it would most primitives—or

at best touching her and fleeing when put down—the universe’s life force had joined with her

flesh and spirit.

How could this be?

More screaming filled the clearing, this more untamed than the bestial noises coming from Elise.

Another naked female left the smoldering wreck. This one was firehaired and pale, but also

covered in magnificent pa designs. She held not one sword, but two ruby blades.

A third woman, oddest yet, followed. This one was completely silver, soaked in pa, iridescent in

night’s cool light. And she bothered with no simple blade or dagger. No. This one held two

blasters, one in either hand.

Krysta?

Ki had no time to ponder the meaning of the strange sights before him, as Elise had reached the

Platform.

She climbed the steps slowly, and lesser priests scattered in every direction.

The Ord’pa trembled. His axe rattled in his hand.

Witnesses crowded back, away from the avenging spirit.

Ki stared at his beloved, and tentatively reached for her thoughts.

Shanna?

Elise’s silver-framed eyes blazed as she looked at him. Her mind joined his, and the force of her

rage nearly blew Ki off of his feet. Her sword still glinted above her head, and she locked her

hands on its hilt.

“You—you bastard!” she roared, and brought the sword down with the force of a thousand

warriors. The blade smote the chain binding Ki to the chopping block. Sparks flew, and the

chain’s links exploded.

The rest of Ki’s chains fell to molten dust at his feet.

Below the Platform, the firehaired Lorelei let out a whoop and rattled her dual ruby blades.

“Y’all want some of this? Come on!” She stamped the ground. “Who’s your mama? Huh? Who’s

your mama now?”

Chapter 1

Fari Tul’Mar, Sailkeeper of Arda, never believed he would feel the Ardani mating fervor.

He had lived 120 stellar years. He was large and powerful even by Ardani standards, fit, battle-trained,

and bloodthirsty when challenged. He guarded his brother Ki, the Sailmaster, with a ferocity akin to

beasts of the woods. Fari knew the schematics of alien vessels as well as he knew the frigates and

speeders in the Royal Fleet. His lawkeeper’s mind stayed three steps ahead of potential adversaries and

saboteurs.

He had no time for lunacy, and absolutely no time for a shanna , a soul’s mate.

And yet, the moment Fari saw Georgia Steel swing her swords in front of the Tuscan Platform, the fires

of mating madness had scorched him thoroughly. Stellar week after stellar week, he had been forced to

consume calming elixirs prepared by the High Priest Akad. Without the drugs, and without satisfying his

mounting desires, Fari would surely lose his mind.

On this day, one more in a long line of endless, grating days of frustration, he tamed his lust enough to

fulfill his duties to Arda. Fari took these responsibilities more than seriously. He had learned at a tender

age that mistakes and carelessness could cost precious lives.

The stables of Browntown, on the far side of Camford Lake, had been burned. The townspeople had

called to the Tul’Mar Clan for help and defense, and that meant the Sailkeeper’s involvement. He had

made the journey by Chimera, without hesitation or delay.

As Fari stood in Browntown amidst the smoking rubble, he used the full measure of his psi gift to see

what might elude duller minds. Behind him, the town’s meager population stood in silence as he worked.

There . Fari narrowed his eyes. Wood burned beyond char. Accelerant.

And there. The way the structure collapsed inward. Accelerant spread in a careful circular pattern.

This was not done in passionate rage. This was cold. Calculated.

“A message.” He stroked the stubble on his cheeks.

The smoldering ruins cast sinister shadows on the scarred ground.

No Chimeras had died. They had been stolen.

Fari strode across the ashen boards to get a view from the back. Almost immediately, he caught an

irregularity in the nearby dirt—and an all-too-familiar object.

“ Knador !” Arda’s worst curse left Fari’s lips even as he knelt to grab the rare black falcon feather.

Grinding his teeth, he crushed the plume in his fist.

Annie Windsor - Arda 03 - The Sailkeepers Bride.pdf

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