"Terence West - Wraiths 1 - Darkness" - читать интересную книгу автора (West Terence)

blazed around him, he lifted his sword high into the air. тАЬDeath to all vampires!тАЭ he
roared.
Turning, he saw his men falling quickly to the advances of the vampire army.
Rage gripped him. This was not a battle they were destined to win. The vampireтАЩs
numbers were far too great. The Esgobaeth had sent them carelessly to their deaths.
All his men would be sacrificed on this field. For what cause, for what future
purpose would this serve? Hundreds would die here tonight. Gritting his teeth, Cole
decided, at that moment, he would not be one of them. He would fight until there
were no vampires left standing. Spinning around, he charged blindly into the waves,
killing everything he saw.
As the last remaining soldiers under his command fell, he found himself
surrounded on all sides by leering golden eyes. His steed whinnied and bucked,
almost knocking him free of his saddle. He held on tightly knowing that the horse
was his only advantage. The wave of darkness surged forward again, ripping and
tearing at him. His steed whinnied and bucked again and again as it tried to escape
the claws and fangs, but it was no use. There were simply too many of them. As his
horse was brought down, Cole continued to fight, slashing wildly with his sword.
The screams of his men filled his ears as his mount came down hard, pinning his
right leg beneath it.
тАЬThe Wraith will never give up,тАЭ he grunted in pain. тАЬI promise you!тАЭ
The scores of golden eyes hovered around him in the inky darkness, hissing and
giggling with glee. In one horrible movement, they surged toward Cole. He flailed
wildly as the razor-sharp claws and fangs dug into his exposed flesh. Piece by piece,
his armor was ripped away, exposing the clothing and flesh beneath. He roared in
rage as the claws of unseen bodies began to tear at the golden crest of his family
emblazoned on the purple shirt he wore. As the claws ripped through his shirt, he
lifted his eyes toward the heavens. Blocking out the pain, he uttered a silent prayer in
the hopes that God would look after his wife and child. He screamed in agony as the
first set of fangs dug into his flesh.




CHAPTER ONE
┬л^┬╗
The room was bathed in darkness as the hopefuls were led inside. These were the
chosen few, those who had completed the training and excelled in their courses. This
would be part of their final test. If they passed, they would continue the crusade
begun centuries ago; if they failed, it meant certain death. Such as it had been for
hundreds of years, so would it continue to be with this new generation. As the
hopefuls were led through the darkness, each was instructed to kneel with their
hands clasped behind their backs. If they were to break the link of their hands at
anytime, this test would become null and they would lose their chance to complete
the training. There would be no make-up day if they failed, no do-overs. This
portion of the test was far too important.
Each of the sevenтАФthe largest graduating class the academy had seen in some
timeтАФwere blindfolded to keep them from seeing the members of the High Council.
This was done for not only the studentтАЩs safety, but also for the council members.
Though it was not revealed at any point in the training, as a Wraith aged, their
features became more and more vampiric in nature. It was becoming increasingly