Kay L. Moody - The Elements of the Gate

Books by Kay L. Moody

The Fae of Bitter Thorn

0: Heir of Bitter Thorn

1: Court of Bitter Thorn

2: Castle of Bitter Thorn

3: Crown of Bitter Thorn

4: Queen of Bitter Thorn

The Elements of Kamdaria

1: The Elements of the Crown

2: The Elements of the Gate

3: The Elements of the Storm

Truth Seer Trilogy

1: Truth Seer

2: Healer

3: Truth Changer

To receive special offers, bonus content, and info on new releases, sign up for Kay L Moodys email list! Youll also get this story for FREE. Winds of Flame is a short story companion to The Elements of Kamdaria series. Manipulate the elements. Do an illegal job. Save a life. Its all in a day at Kamdarias finest academy.

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The Elements of the Gate

The Elements of Kamdaria, #2

The empire is full of unrest.

Talise is ready to accept her new leadership roles but isnt sure how. It doesnt help that the emperor wants to take out enemy bases, yet he remains oblivious to the other conflicts around them.

The aristocratic citizens of the Crown are angry at the emperor for lying about their enemy. The middle-class citizens of the Gate are angry at the state of their once great empire. And the poor, desperate citizens of the Storm are beginning to awake after years of oppression.

Problems multiply when the enemy obtains knowledge about a mysterious amulet that has the power to destroy armies. With her heart still in pieces, Talise struggles to meet the obstacles ahead. But the truth soon becomes clear.

If she cant gain back loyalty from the citizens and find the ancient amulet, the empire will be lost forever.

Publishers Note: This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, organizations, or locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the authors imagination or used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business or government establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

The Elements of the Gate

The Elements of Kamdaria, #2

By Kay L. Moody

Published by Marten Press

3731 W 10400 S, Ste 102 #205

South Jordan, UT 84009

www.MartenPress.com

2020 Kay L. Moody

All Rights Reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permissions contact:

help@martenpress.com

Cover by Angel Leya

Edited by Deborah Spencer

The Elements of Kamdaria, #2

The Elements of the Gate

Kay L. Moody

LIFE DOESNT ALWAYS

GIVE PEOPLE

THE THINGS THEY DESERVE.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART ONE

GAINING AN AUDIENCE WITH THE EMPEROR HAD become an ordeal.

Talise edged her way through the thick crowd gathered outside the throne room. One woman held a handkerchief against her heart. In the other hand, she gripped a letter so tightly it had crinkled in several places. Her eyes burned red as she glared at the crumpled paper.

The imperial crest of a silver crescent moon adorned the outside of the letter. At the sight of it, grief pressed in on Talise, choking her steady breaths.

A death letter, thats what it was.

After Kessokus brutal attack on palace soldiers during the masquerade ball, the citizens of Kamdaria had been angry. When they found out it hadnt been the only recent attack, their outcries became hysterical.

When they further learned the emperor didnt even know which soldiers were dead and which were possibly being held captive by Kessoku, the citizens had practically revolted. Dozens of them camped out in the throne room demanding answers.

Talise had missed most of that after being kidnapped by Kessoku and held prisoner in their dungeons for three weeks. During her escape, she had managed to secure a notebook with information about the missing soldiers. She and her friends had learned that Wendys brother, Cyrus, was still alive and being held in Kessokus main base in the Gate. Not all the missing soldiers still lived but many of them did. That notebook was supposed to change things.

Now the citizens knew who lived and who had died. Letters had been sent. Death letters as Talise called them.

But then the palace began overflowing with people, and each seemed angrier than the last.

The letters were supposed to help. They were supposed to provide closure. Shed been so certain the truth would make things right.

But people kept coming. Their shouts grew angrier. Nothing felt better. Somedays, she wondered if being honest had truly been the best action after all.

Then again, maybe anger was the first step to closure. Maybe things would get better soon.

The womans trembling lip haunted Talise as she pushed past. At least the angry ones were easier to deal with. It didnt hurt so much looking into their faces.

A man with fiery eyes stepped in front of Talise, making her feet land at an angle as she tried to stop. He raised a pointed finger, clearly ready to release a string of curses.

Before the man could utter a word, someone tugged on Talises silver tunic. When she turned to greet the person, her gaze drifted downward. A young child with innocent eyes looked up at her. Excuse me. He pointed up at the silver pin attached to Talises tunic.

A thinly engraved X split her pin into four sections. A waterfall had been engraved in the top section, a tornado in the section on the right, a tree in the bottom section, and flames were engraved in the section on the left. Though these symbols of the four elements were used frequently in Kamdaria, this particular arrangement of them usually denoted a Master Shaper. The design was said to have been created by the first emperor, Kamdar himself.

Are you a Master Shaper? the boy asked.

I am. Talise paired her reply with a smile. Since bringing back that notebook, every interaction with the citizens of Kamdaria only brought her a sense of hopelessness. But perhaps with a child things would be better.

The boy blinked. Why are you alive? He scratched his nose and a bit of ink from his fingers stained the skin. My parents said my aunt died just because she was a Master Shaper. They said all the Master Shapers were dead. Why did they kill my aunt and not you?

There it was again. The familiar sensation of guilt that liked to plague Talise at all hours of the day, but especially when she had something important to do. Her smile had fallen away.