Ruins of Chaos
By Amelia Hutchins
Copyright ©November 2020 Amelia Hutchins
ISBN: 978-1-952712-07-4
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This book in its entirety and in portions is the sole property of Amelia Hutchins.
Ruins of Chaos Copyright©2020 by Amelia Hutchins.
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic, paperback or mechanical without the express written permission of the author. The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.
This eBook/Paperback is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to the place of purchase and buy your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
Authored By: Amelia Hutchins
Cover Art Design: Eerily Designs
Copy edited by: Melissa Burg
Edited by: Melissa Burg
Published by: Amelia Hutchins
Published in (United States of America)
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Books by Amelia Hutchins along with reading order for series
LEGACY OF THE NINE REALMS
Flames of Chaos
Ashes of Chaos
Ruins of Chaos
Crown of Chaos – 2021
THE FAE CHRONICLES
Fighting Destiny
Taunting Destiny
Escaping Destiny
Seducing Destiny
Unraveling Destiny
Embracing Destiny
Crowning Destiny
Finished Series
THE ELITE GUARDS
A Demon’s Dark Embrace
Claiming the Dragon King
The Winter Court
A Demon’s Plaything
More coming – To Be Announced
A GUARDIAN’S DIARY
Darkest Before Dawn
Death before Dawn
Midnight Rising – To Be Announced
PLAYING WITH MONSTERS
Playing with Monsters
Sleeping with Monsters
Becoming his Monster
Becoming her Monster Spring 2021
WICKED KNIGHTS
Oh, Holy Knight
If She’s Wicked
If He’s Wicked – To Be Announced
MIDNIGHT COVEN BOOKS
Forever Immortal
Immortal Hexes
Midnight Coven
Finished Serial Series
BULLETPROOF
Bulletproof
Fireproof Damsel – To Be Announced
Silverproof – To Be Announced
MOON-KISSED
Moon-Kissed
KINGDOM OF WOLVES
Alpha’s Claim – Spring 2021
If you’re following the series for the Fae Chronicles, Elite Guards, and Monsters, reading order is as follows.
Fighting Destiny
Taunting Destiny
Escaping Destiny
Seducing Destiny
A Demon’s Dark Embrace
Playing with Monsters
Unraveling Destiny
Sleeping with Monsters
Claiming the Dragon King
Oh, Holy Knight
Becoming his Monster
A Demon’s Plaything
The Winter Court
If She’s Wicked
Embracing Destiny
Crowning Destiny
Dedication
To the warriors out there fighting to get through this shit-show year, we’re almost there. Keep your head up and know that it isn’t a bad life; it’s just a really bad year. We’re going to get through it together, and we’re going to be stronger for surviving 2020.
Chapter One
Knox, Outside the Border of Norvalla in Steely Keep
My eyes slid over the dead warriors lying beside camp followers and witches alike. Outside of the keep, the putrid scent of death filled the air. Kneeling, I turned over a warrior, his sightless eyes covered in a milky-white film of death. Studying his body, I noted the lack of injury before standing and staring at the ravens feasting on the dead.
One raven sat fixated on me, an eyeball hanging from its beak, then dropping it loose. Opening its mouth, it forced out a loud gurgling croak before retrieving its find and taking to the sky. Hounds had moved in, growling while ripping parts and pieces from the deceased, unbothered by our presence as we walked through them, searching for any signs of injury that would explain the deaths.
“Well, they didn’t just drop dead all on their own, but I can’t see a cause of death,” Brander stated, holding his forearm against his nose.
I undid the sash from my waist, tying it over my mouth and nose before kneeling beside the next warrior who had fallen onto another body. I noted the marking on the woman’s wrist below him, watching with unease as something moved beneath her lips, forcing them to part. A rat pushed from her mouth, squealing and scurrying across the field, away from those interrupting his supper.
“Nothing but fucking scavengers are alive within this keep and its village. I see no wounds and no trace of dark magic that would have brought them down without a full assault. They had magic protecting them,” I stated, standing to nod at the six-foot towers of smoky quartz that marked each corner of the camp. “The land remains purified and protected, yet something powerful got through their wards and spells. This keep is one of the older, more powerful strongholds in which we trade, yet their lord and lady sit headless, with no other signs of injury, and all their guards lay dead but unwounded.”
Someone massacred every village we passed through on the way here. Bodies were shredded and mutilated until they were unidentifiable as human or anything else. Either the dark witches had grown bolder, or they no longer fought alone. They hung people and enjoyed their victim’s deaths as entertainment before removing their heads. “Whoever went through those villages before us, relished in the deaths of their inhabitants. My guess is the beasts that fled from the Kingdom of Unwanted Beasts joined forces with Ilsa. I can’t explain this shit, though. It is morbid and just fucking wrong,” I said, sliding my attention over the chaos.
They pillaged most of the annexed villages we’ve protected and used for trade, slaughtering all life, sparing no one. I agreed it didn’t seem like something witches would do. Then rumors surfaced from those who had seen the unwanted beasts slaughtering and creating chaos in villages that had joined the trade agreement with Norvalla. Suddenly the thought of them joining the dark witches seemed plausible, but what were the unwanted beasts gaining in return?