Bloodlust

By

Copyright 2014 by Nicole Zoltack

Published in the United States of America

Publish Date: February 24, 2014

Cover Artist: Brenda Gonet of Gonet Design

Artwork: Raven Morgoth

Cover Art Copyright by 2014

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Names, characters and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination, or are used in a fictitious situation. Any resemblances to actual events, locations, organizations, incidents or persons – living or dead – are coincidental and beyond the intent of the author.

In a world torn by prejudice and hatred, six races struggle for supremacy.

Desperation...

Barbarian-Princess Ivy is unwilling to allow her father to provoke the other races into war and forms an unlikely alliance with Lukor the goliath to save her people from utter destruction.

Betrayal...

Unbeknownst to her, Lukor blames the barbarians for murdering his sister and plans on sabotaging her goal.

Bloodlust...

Almost despite each other, they grow to respect one another on their journey to decode secret messages from the trolls. But nothing Ivy can do will prevent the war as her father is blinded by Bloodlust and incites it himself. Not even killing him and becoming Barbaroness can stop the tide. And when Bloodlust claims Ivy, forcing her to kill everyone in her path, she must make a choice to destroy even Lukor, who she may have started to fall for, and him her in return.

To those who are willing to look beyond prejudice to truly get to know a person and love him or her.

Barbarian-Princess Ivy had circled the outskirts of the barbarian land five times that day when she finally detected something out of the ordinary — merely a twig snapping and the stench that could only belong to a goliath.

Vile creature, what is it doing so close to Barbadia?

She lifted the flowing white skirt of her armor dress to ease removing a simple dagger from her dragonhide boot. With steps softer than a gnat's, she hid behind an oakpine tree in Forest of Gildersnatch before inching closer to the underbrush. Soft sounds tickled her ears again, faint but distinct, another twig snapping followed by a grunt.

Ivy gripped the hilt, the dagger one with her arm. A giant leap and she found herself standing proudly above a lowly goliatha, several years younger than Ivy's twenty.

The goliatha dropped her collection of wild flowers. With a snort, she straightened, almost as tall as Ivy, and backed up until she bumped into a tall oakpine. Its leafy branches cast shadows on her faint pink face.

"Please, spare me." She wrinkled her large nose and glanced behind her. "I was only—"

"Save your breath." Ivy advanced on her, the dagger in her hand never wavering. "How many more are there?"

"N-none! I swear!" A pink tear shed from her eye. With a hiccup, she turned her head aside.

"Then why do you keep looking back?" Ivy grabbed the girl's green tunic and pressed her against the tree to keep her pinned there. "Give me one—"

"Your Highness, what are you doing?"

Ivy grounded her teeth. Who dared to interrupt her? She was interrogating her prisoner. Had they not eyes to see that?

Still holding the goliatha, Ivy rotated her neck to see a tall barbarian guard. He had the audacity to tsk with his tongue. "The barbaron will not be pleased."

"To hear of goliaths wandering near our borders? Surely not."

The guard's orange eyes bore through her. She knew he meant none were to engage another race without backup. Proper protocol dictated she should have sounded the alarm once she suspected a goliath, or goliaths, was nearby. But who could blame a barbarian for rushing headfirst into battle?

Angar was not one to keep his mouth shut. Out of all the guards to have found her, it had to be him.

"Go and check for more nearby," she demanded.

Her body grew hot when he remained by her side. "Allow me." Without touching the barbarian-princess, he gripped the goliatha's arm so tightly the goliath girl cried out.

Fury reddened Ivy's vision to the point she could not see the tree in front of her. Once the wave of emotion passed, Angar and the prisoner were gone.

Accursed guard! He would rue the day he crossed her.

Before Ivy could inspect the Forest for other goliaths, more guards descended. The closest approached. "Your Highness, the barbaron has requested you."

Just how long had her blackout spell lasted? Muttering curses she had learned from her mother, she rushed back to the fortress, hoping the conversation would not take long so she could join the search of the Forest. Her father sat not upon his throne, so she checked the library and his sleep room. Down in the dank, cold dungeon she found him, standing in front of the iron bars that jailed her goliatha.

"Father." She knelt before him, so low her forehead touched the ground.