Genesis (Prophecy Rock Series, Book 1)

Chapter Thirty One

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General Brontes was a hero of the Second Great War. He alone had commanded forces throughout the Vicedonian theatre, while King Maximus and General Constantine were conquering new territories across the Great Sea in the New Lands. The Renzai had pushed hard into the southlands trying to gain ingress into the Vicedonian territories, but General Brontes had managed to fight them off at every incursion. His cunning and determination pushed him to begin his own offensive, forcing the Renzai armies back east past the River Fate. He attempted to push deeper into the heart of the Renzai Empire, but encountered too much resistance. He was too far away from his headquarters in the capital, and knew he couldn’t command effectively having his forces stretched out across the lands. He gave up on his decision to push further, and retreated back across the Hydas River. It was here that the current borders of both kingdoms came into existence, with the Disputed Lands remaining in between.

“He’s the one General Yagar doesn’t like to talk about?” Gama punched Kara in the arm at a not-so-subtle attempt to get her attention.

“Yeah. I’ve tried to ask him about what happened between them during that time, but he refuses to discuss it. I can’t even speculate on what it could be about.”

Gama chuckled. “Wow, to not even tell his own daughter. Must’ve been something heavy.”

Kara loved her father. He was everything a father could be. She had never known him to keep secrets from her, but something about Brontes struck the wrong chord within him, making him despondent at times, or angry at others. So she learned to never mention his name. Something inside her began to stir, she couldn’t help it, but she recognized the feeling. Hate. Hate for this man who had scarred her father so deeply. She resolved in that moment that she was going to make him pay.

“If I get the chance, I’m going to kill him.” She spoke with an iciness that both Gama and Raden had never heard before.

“That won’t be an easy task. The beast even seems intimidated by him.” Raden’s comment brought their attention back to the events unfolding before them.

The beast snarled and growled at Brontes, but he continued marching forward, unfazed. It was behaving like a wounded animal that had been cornered by its predator. Survival instinct had taken over. It lashed out violently. Tossing anything within its vicinity; metal wreckage from the mangled cage, broken chunks of rocks, discarded weapons from the Vicedonian guards, an endless assault of debris bombarded Brontes. The general still had not taken his trident off his back. He dodged, swayed, and rolled so quickly it shocked them as they watched. It wasn’t just his quick reflexes that made him a force to be reckoned with, it was something more. He had a presence about him, an aura that you could feel. Even while they hid in a bush high above the cliffs, watching in secret, they felt the air shift about them when he arrived. His presence was what the beast was reacting to, and it was terrified of Brontes.

Brontes came within a few feet of the beast now. Remaining completely still, he stared deep into its eyes. The beast saw within Brontes a coldness that it had never experienced before. Brontes’ glaring look indicated that he had seen, and perhaps even done, such horrific things in his life that even the power of a god could not faze him. The beast reacted by throwing a powerful punch, but Brontes caught the massive hand in the air. It tried again, but with the same result. Slowly, the beast’s body language began to shift. Its shoulders sagged, body hunched over, knees bent low to the ground. Soon, the beast had dropped to one knee, eyes downcast. It appeared to be crouching now.