D Fischer [Fischer - Decimate

D ECIMATE

B ook F our of

R ISE OF THE R EALMS

D. FISCHER

Decimate (Rise of the Realms: Book Four)

Copyright 2019 by D. Fischer

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any printed or electronic form, without written consent from the author. This book is fictional. All names, characters, and incidents within are pure fiction, produced by the authors vivid imagination.

This book contains adult content. Mature readers only. The author will not be held responsible if a minor reads this book.

ASIN : B07SD5FB37

D. Fischer

19 published books

|THE CLOVEN PACK|

A Gifted Curse Out of the Darkness

Above This Grave Caught in the Crossfire

|RISE OF THE REALMS|

Reborn Disobedient Rift The Vault

Decimate Ruin coming 2019

|NIGHT OF TERROR|

Book One Book Two Book Three

|GRIM FAIRYTALES|

When Hope Was Forgotten Cure The Enemy

A Cold Soul

FIND MORE

at D. Fischer's Amazon

A Dedication to YOU...

This book is for all those who are different, all those struggling to be normal.

Be you because theres so much beauty in it. Be strong because you are iron, you are steel, you are fire. Fight for whats yours. Fight for your place in this world. Embrace the hard times because youre worth it. No matter what they say, what they think, or how they act: You. Are. Worthy.

Everything in this book is fictional. It is not based on true events, persons, or creatures that go bump in the night, no matter how much we wish it were

CONTENTS

Ever since the day I died, its been one battle after another. A battle for love. A battle for my soul. A battle for life. A battle just to breathe without crumbling under the weight of the realms and those who rule them. And here I am again, fighting for the one I love while facing more danger, more tragedy, both mental and physical. Im constantly running or continually fighting to survive. And even though Fate has some sort of majestic plan to save us from being wiped from the realms, from complete decimation, it doesnt make me feel safe. Not in the slightest.

Because nowhere is safe, and none are protected.

- ELIZA PLAATS

CHAPTER ONE

TEMBER

DIVINE REALM

I sharply inhale, and the unfamiliar smells of another realm stroke my taste buds. Theyre pleasant, an utter delight to my hypersensitive senses, and my eyelids flutter with the deliciousness of it all. Almost floral with each subtly warm breeze, then a musky taste lingering in the pockets of my cheeks between each inhale.

Frowning, eyes closed, I try to place the aroma with the many stored in my memory but fail to recall. Lilac? No, not quite. The sickle tips - the buds which never bloom on the sacred fields of the Kaju tribe? No. No, its not that either.

Nevertheless, I drink it in and it eases my frayed nerves, knits my broken heart, and lulls me into a sedated state. All feels right across the realms like I didnt just watch the woman I love die. As though my throat doesnt burn from my screams when I wailed her name with the agony of a thousand lifetimes. When her soul fled to a place unknown, a place I couldnt follow. Did she travel to the void? Is there a special place for the fee when their ruling ends?

Slowly, I open my eyes and survey my surroundings, attempting to rid myself of the ache by distraction alone. The forest Im standing in is dark, absent of the flowers I seek. Dim shadows cast by thick tree trunks blacken the atmosphere, but not so much that I cant see. Some shadows are exiled, lit by bright radiant bugs clinging to the profound beige bark. The palm-sized bugs iridescent wings beat furiously even as their legs clutch the tree. When the wings rub together, it sounds like a soft humming pull of violin strings.

I reach out to touch one of the alluring bugs closest to me, hovering my hand in the air. But then I think better of it. The tiny insect didnt instinctually fly away like I had anticipated. In not doing so, an internal warning bell grates at my nerves. No matter the species, those who dont seek shelter in the presence of a seemingly bigger threat are usually the threat themselves. A single touch isnt worth discovering their nature, nor devising if theyre as silky as they appear.

The trees canopy of branches adorning dark purple leaves block the light from the sky. Water pockets itself in the clear veins, swelling the center. No vegetation blossoms below my feet, further aiding the dancing shadows that call me to frolic like a wood nymph with their silent song. Instead, black dirt blankets the forest floor. The dirt is deeply cracked, every ounce of water drained by the roots it shelters.

I turn. The end of the forest is up ahead, and shimmering gold grass rolls down a gentle hill. Across the large pasture is the base of a mountain, rigid and full of rocky chunks fallen from age and wear.

A cave entrance opens above the base, the hole dark and dank. I stride toward the pasture, leaving the bugs behind. Its brightly lit grass is more appealing than this shadowed, hollow forest. While doing so, I survey my surroundings for any sign of humanoid life. Id even settle for the one who forced me here, for the one who ripped me from my lovers side.

Fate? I call, rustling my wings as I walk.

No one answers, and I frown. Why would he bring me here if he wasnt here himself? I was lifted into the air after Ermas death. I felt his power behind it and could do nothing to stop it. By the will of the Divine - Fate, more specifically - I was given her power. I dont feel that power here. I only feel like... me: an ordinary angel with black wings gifted from a dragons tear. It makes me question why Im here and what purpose this Divine, god-like species has for me. What would be the purpose otherwise if not but for a private conversation? Or does he plan to keep me here... forever?

The dry dirt crumbles below my firm feet until I reach the edge of the forest and tentatively step onto the gold grass. Its short and kept nicely, trimmed on a regular basis. Or perhaps it just doesnt grow at all.

When Im sure I wont break the gold slivers, I plant both feet and crouch. My fingers reach for the grass, intent on feeling if its as soft and smooth as it suggests. As soon as my skin touches the blades, it slices my index finger and slurps the blood before the droplet can plop to the soil.

Hissing, I yank my hand back. It doesnt hurt because I still cant feel pain, but grass that drinks only blood? Nature that takes only sacrifice? This isnt a realm I should be on. Nope. I should not be here.

Im a guardian. Guardians dont believe in sacrifice of the innocent.

But Im not a guardian anymore, am I? Im... more.

And maybe, Im not so innocent as I believe myself to be.

I tilt my head to the sky, rapidly blinking at the change of light. The sun is large, so large that I cant peer at it for long without seeing green stars flecking my vision. Twisting, I quickly shield my eyes from it, and a movement catches my attention back inside the forest. Automatically, I hold out my hand and call upon Ire, but the weapon doesnt materialize. I frown, glancing at my palm where it should rest and then back to the trunks.

A shadowed figure, black and sparkling like it holds the stars the sky is meant to, darts from tree to tree. I fully stand, unsure if this is an attack by the creatures roaming this realm. Its a quick human-shaped being, female in gender, and her hair wisps from her back with her darting speed. Its difficult to make out the rest of her features, no matter how hard I squint. However, after a few moments of watching, I relax and roll the strain from my shoulders.