The Lion's Gambit (Book One) Fully Released

Preview Of Book Two

Alexis groaned as she leaned her head forward while opening her eyes to see the small light through the fabric that covered her head. "Where am I?"

She tried to move her arms as they stretched behind her back to no prevail. Trying again, she felt her hands bond to the chair she sat on. Alexis flexed her fingers before feeling them, unable to move within a metallic contraption. The cold metal held her fingers tight as she focused did not have enough room to fully use her calling on the contraption.

Alexis moved her legs before she felt the ropes around her ankles, tying her to the chair. She moved her neck around, feeling the hit on the back of her head as she groaned in pain again. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

"Why are you here?" asked a grizzled woman's voice through the fabric as Alexis focused on where her voice came from to see a shadow standing to her left.

Alexis looked around to see various shapes within the structure of her location. Every object laid in shadow with the flickering lights of the surrounding flames. "Not be rude, but I don't even know where I am. Care to fill me in?" Alexis asked as she looked around before feeling a fist hit her right below her ribs on the left side as she gasped for air.

"Then why did you mention the name Cordelia?" asked the female shadow through the fabric while Alexis coughed and leaned forward. "No one should know she is here and yet you do."

Feeling as though there were multiple eyes on her within the room, she looked around as she recovered from the hit. "Why don't you ask her yourself?" she questioned as she grunted, noticing her breastplate was not on her person. "She stole something precious from me. Let us not forget tearing my family apart, so I am just trying to have a simple conversation with her before I cut that head off her shoulders."

Alexis braced herself as she heard the figure walk towards her as she grabbed the top of her head, gripping onto her hair. She gritted her teeth before a fist connected with her face. Alexis' head turned to the left as the chair left the ground and fell over. As she hit the ground, she let out an echo of pain before coughing again. Alexis focused as she saw the shadow of the figure walk closer.

She closed her eyes, expecting a hit, before she heard a familiar male's voice say, "Enough. Cordelia does not want her harmed. No matter how much she deserves it."

The shadowy figure walked up again, pulling off the fabric over her face as her eyes adjusted to the torches and lanterns of the surrounding fires. Alexis glanced around the tent with three soldiers standing in front of her. Her eyes moved to focus on the male figure, who stood well dressed in a red and gold tunic with his arms crossed. She gathered the blood within her mouth as she spat in front of her, missing his feet by inches. "Michael, the traitorous brother of mine. If they did not tie me to this chair..."

Alexis stared into the brown eyes of her brother as he smiled before reaching up, slicking his brown hair backwards. He looked over at the woman in the red iron armor who was standing beside him and moved his head a bit. "Hit her again, below the ribs."

Alexis examined the woman who wore a golden cloak over the red iron armor of her subordinates. She wore a helmet that only covered the top of her face over her nose with a red tail coming out the top backside of the iron helm. She smiled as she leaned down, raised her fist back as Alexis tightened her stomach as much as she could. The woman's fist struck forward, connecting with her side right below her ribs on her right side. Alexis grunted in pain as she smirked, looking at her brother before spitting more blood up on the floor. "Can't... hit me yourself, can you, brother? You always enjoyed doing things yourself."

"Do not act like you care about me."

Michael walked closer than smiled at her before taking off his gloves before placing his hand on her shoulder. Tightening his grip on her shoulder, she gritted her teeth as he leaned close. "You wish nothing, but death upon me after my actions to the royal family, including that wannabe prince, Kota."

Alexis closed her eyes and shook her head slightly. Regaining her focus as her brother walked behind her, before gripping both shoulders. She glanced down and saw the now bloodied black cloth she wore under her armor. Alexis wiggled her toes, feeling her feet were without boots and the weight of her armor on her legs was not there. Moving her head upwards, she watched the soldiers in front of her before she regained her composure while blowing a loose hair in her face off to the side. His grip tightened on her shoulders while he leaned forward, placing his mouth near her ear. "I know you are not alone. We found other supplies where my men picked you off the ground in the forest. Where is Kota?"

"Do not worry, he is off gallivanting somewhere else. Enough about our little brother," said Alexis as she moved her head backwards, seeing him standing behind her, still gripping her shoulders. "Let us talk about how you think these are your men and not Cordelia's. She will betray you and leave you for dead."

He squeezed his fingers into her shoulder, making her bring her head forward, before he let go of her shoulders and patted twice with closed fists. She watched as Michael walked back in front of her, patting her on the right shoulder as he did. "These are my men," he said as he gestured his arms wide at the camps.

Michael turned to the soldier who was hitting her earlier and smiled before watching her take off her helmet. Alexis watched as the woman placed the helmet against her right hip. The soldier smiled with her red lips revealing more of her tan skin and her black hair slicked back into a braid onto her back. Michael looked at the woman and smiled before turning his focus back on his sister. "General Prax here is a powerful leader. She is under my command."

Closing her eyes for a second, she heard her brother move closer, stopping only a foot or so away. Alexis looked back at the woman named Prax before he told her, "Thanks to the King of Mara and Cordelia, I now have the troops to change the order of things in Damira."

"Cordelia killed our father!" yelled Alexis as she tried to lounge forward at her brother, only moving across the ground slightly as the chair lifted and fell back.

Michael shook his head in response to her outburst. "That was a shame, really; but he was weak and was leading or Kingdom to its demise. A Kingdom such as ours should not fall to a man like that, not after over thousand years, sister."

"So, this is about the power? Feeling like you cannot live up to your little sister, is it?" asked Alexis, smirking and pooled more blood in her mouth before spitting more at Prax. "I hope you haven't slept with him yet. He is kind of a snake."