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Chapter 37: Reaping the Harvest
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Warrior of the Way Chapter 38: Reaping the Harvest
A gentle breeze came off Manatee Creek, keeping the late-morning sun from becoming unbearable. A momma duck floated past, trailed by seven little babies in a zig-zag pattern. About three feet behind them was baby number eight, not seeming to care that it wasn't with the others. Rhychard took a pull from his Rocky Patel as he watched the loner stop here and there periodically to investigate some floating leaf or pesky insect. Take your time and enjoy the sights, my friend. Things change all too quickly.The flat rock—his Thinking Rock as he liked to call it—was warming as the sun floated higher into the morning sky. The creek lapped at the stone as the water drifted by, a harmony mixing with the rustling leaves above him. A mullet jumped off to the west. Rhychard tilted his head back and allowed the sun to warm his face. The heat helped cool the tension his morning had brought him, and there had been quite a bit of tension.He heard the snap of twigs behind him. Out of reflex, he sent a
Warrior of the Way Chapter 39: Reaping the Harvest
Rhychard took a long pull from his cigar, allowing the mild smoke to linger before exhaling. He stared at the glowing tip as he recalled the fiasco of breaking into Adrian's office. "It was worth a try. Without the pastor's so-called evidence people can stand up to him. Too bad gargoyles can get on to church property now." He knew he sounded bitter, but he couldn't help it. Everything they told him seemed to have been a lie.Tryna nodded, her tiny, childlike lips pressed into a stern line. "It is worse than I feared.""We have another problem. Jerome, Buttercup's pimp, came looking for her. I had to convince him to leave.""This is the man she works for?" Tryna turned and looked at him, her brows bunched in a confused knot."Her boss, so to speak, yes. He didn't like the fact she wasn't working his streets. My guess is Adrian told him where to find her, and Vargas told Adrian.""That is unfortunate." Tryna turned back to the water.He could tell that something was on her mind, but he w
Warrior of the Way Chapter 40: Reaping the Harvest
"If there is no job, where are we going?"Rhychard glanced over at Trace Wheeler, who was only slightly rough in appearance as opposed to his usual total mess. "To finish one."The afternoon made its slow slide into evening with the sun dipping toward the west. Shadows were getting longer, and rush hour clogged the narrow streets. Rhychard had called Trace and told him to be ready. Luckily, his friend was never into anything more important than the new level of Angry Birds and a Cheetos sandwich, so there was never a problem getting his help.Rhychard could have done the job by himself, but since Trace had been the one to get the gig in the first place, he should be a part of its conclusion. Besides, Rhychard needed to redeem himself in the eyes of his friend.It had taken Rhychard a while sitting on his Thinking Rock, but common sense somehow seeped through his thick skull. Both Tryna and Kree had been right, and Trace for that matter. Bitterness was like a cancer that devoured a pers
Warrior of the Way Chapter 41: Reaping the Harvest
Rhychard reached over his shoulder and pulled one of his short swords out of the harness. The man's eyes went wide. "I get the gun comment quite a bit, but in the end, it doesn't matter. These aren't your normal swords; in case you hadn't noticed. But please, run, and let's see how far you get."The burly man stared with dark eyes at both swords. Rhychard just shrugged and smiled. The man turned to his friend and gestured to the boxes, grumbling to Justin that he would suffer for their embarrassing labor. Justin paled even more, a feat Rhychard didn't think possible.Every time Justin went to move, Kree growled him back into place. The man was beyond frustrated, but still too scared of the massive hound in front of him to do anything about it. "What do you want? You can't just take my things!""First, they are not your things. Second, we aren't taking them. Are we, Trace?" Rhychard glanced at his friend who had his arm around Mrs. Ivy in a protective gesture."No, we're not." Trace's v
Warrior of the Way Chapter 42: Reaping the Harvest
Rhychard took the Guardian Sword away from Justin's throat, wiped the blood from the tip on the grass, and then sheathed it. The voices went quiet. As it vanished from sight, the Warrior walked over to Kree and scratched the coshey behind his ear. The elven hound closed his eyes and leaned into his hand, enjoying the attention. "Going to tattle on me?":Warrior, I am not an informant for the Seelie. I am a coshey. I am your elven hound. I chose you. The Seelie did not send me. My loyalty is to my Warrior.::Thanks, I needed to do this.:Kree opened his eyes and swung his muzzle to glance up at Rhychard. His dark eyes revealed the depth of his care for the human. :I know this. If I do not agree with something, I assure you I will be forthcoming with it. However, I will always support you. As you humans say, I have your back.:Rhychard scratched harder in gratitude. He needed the coshey's acceptance more than he realized. He had felt so alone since everything happened to him. Yet, Kree h
Warrior of the Way Chapter 43: Reaping the Harvest
Rhychard sat astride his Suzuki and stared up at Renny Saunders townhouse. The chilly, quiet night entirely swallowed the Friday sun. The sky was clear, the stars pin-pricking the night canopy. It was the first night of the Dark Moon. Tomorrow that moon would hold power, power Vargas would harness and use to open a Gateway to the Nether.Rhychard still wasn't sure how he would stop the Unseelie demon or if he even could, but he knew he would tell Renny the truth. He didn't think it would change anything between them, but she would know he hadn't cheated on her. That was all he wanted at this point, to clear his name in her eyes. He hated that she thought badly of him, especially since he hadn't really done anything wrong.Except not trust her. He should have told her everything from the start and not hid it from her no matter what Kendalais had commanded. Four years the two of them had been together, and he had listened to some pompous elf he had only known for a short time instead of
Warrior of the Way Chapter 44: Reaping the Harvest
Rhychard closed his eyes and took another deep breath. You need her to listen, Rhychard. Don't fight. "No. But, that was the night everything changed. I know you'll doubt what I'm about to say, but hear me out. I can prove it."Renny crossed her arms and just stared at him as she arched her eyebrows."Oookay." Rhychard took a deep breath and began. "The night started when I got held up by a train, and then I heard someone scream. I went to investigate and wish I would have stayed in the truck." Rhychard told Renny how he came upon the gargoyles attacking Jamairlo. He explained how he felt a strong compulsion to get involved and how he joined in the fight and even killed a couple of the gargoyles himself. He told her about his last conversation with the elf and Jamairlo making him promise to hold on to the Guardian Sword until another elf appeared. He described his fear and how Kendalais arrived and announced Rhychard as a Warrior of the Way. He held nothing back no matter how crazy he
Warrior of the Way Chapter 45: Reaping the Harvest
Rhychard walked over and scratched Kree behind the ears. The elven hound pushed his head into Rhychard's fingers. "He really is harmless, unless you're a pepperoni pizza, that is." :Thank you, my friend.: Rhychard turned to Renny but stayed where he was. "These are my friends. They've saved my life, as well as the lives of others. Tryna is the one you heard me talking to that night, and it was about me saving the police captain, John Relco. Renny, I have never lied to you or cheated on you. I just couldn't explain everything that happened to me. To be honest, I still can't. They are going against rules passed down over thousands of years to help me convince you of what is really happening. You have to believe me, Renny. Your life does depend on it."Renny sat there for a moment, staring. Rhychard just waited, giving her time to process what she was seeing; what she was hearing. He knew the shock it generated. Her living room had become a living fantasy novel. Yet, thanks to his friends
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