Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 91891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
How I hated leaving her behind. I kept reuniting with her, only to lose her again. But I could not say I minded spending more time with Ahav, getting to learn more about him while we worked to right the past, present, and future wrongs.
Soldiers stood along every parapet, guarded every balcony, window, and door, all standing at attention, on the lookout for any sign of an enemy’s approach. The market remained empty, a sad caricature of the thriving social extravaganza it must have been.
Once we made it to the bridge, the pegacorns broke into a run, leaping into the air. Wind hit my face, and I laughed. We didn’t stay airborne long, but I loved every second. The winged, horned ponies landed near a wall of trees so tall and thick the limbs wove together, forming a wall.
We slowed to a trot before slipping through a break in the branches. One moment we were outside a forest untouched by monstra fire, the next we were enveloped by thin, eerie shadows. Unlike before, I detected a low thud of an otherworldly heartbeat. Lush vines pulsed with a faint glow, brightening, then ebbing. A rich, earthy aroma of damp moss and wildflowers filled the air, mingling with the sweet scent of ripe berries that must be hiding in the undergrowth. The cool breeze carried the sound of whispering leaves and distant, melodic bird songs.
Hooves squished against the mossy ground, broken by the occasional crunch of twigs. Fireflies flitted from colorful flower petals to speckled mushrooms. And of course, Kevin offered commentary.
As we moved deeper into the woodland, the taste of crisp, dewy air lingered on my lips, tinged with a subtle hint of honey. I ignored the protests of my empty stomach and reached out to brush my fingertips over the delicate brush of silken ferns. We didn’t grow enchanted forests in Kansas.
A trickling stream wound ahead of us, its crystalline waters bubbling over smooth, colorful stones. A stream I’d braved before.
“This is still Lawless Forest?” I hadn’t forgotten the curse of the dreadful place. Entering ensured that you would one day die a tragic death. Well, I’d entered, anyway, desperate to return home.
“This will be,” he corrected.
The king slowed and his men parted, allowing him to wait for me to catch up with him. He kept pace beside me, with Jasher behind us.
“Oracle,” King Ahav said, his voice deep and steady. “Tell me what you know of any upcoming conflict.”
“Well, I’m new to all this prediction stuff,” I admitted, rubbing my temple. “I can’t just turn it on and—”
The world blinked out, fire replacing everything, becoming a nightscape alive with carnage. Flames raged, each burst devouring the last. Smoke filled my lungs, turning every breath into a punishment. Agonized screams punctured the crackle of burning wood.
Soldiers and monstra clashed, steel against claw, flesh against fire. The air smelled of blood, ash, and fear.
I’d seen this before, but never so clearly, as if the images attempted to rip free of my mind and insert themselves into reality.
I wobbled atop my mount, a painful knot pulling tight beneath my ribs. “We’re in a village filled with people. Monstra attack from the sky.”
Blink. The vision vanished, taking the echoes of destruction with it. My devastation lingered.
“How I hate the monstra,” Ahav said and sighed. I heard the slightest thrum of defeat in his tone. “We will avoid all villages, but we will still set up traps, just in case. And the Ember?” he pressed. “What do you see?”
Closing my eyes, I searched inward. Come on. Show me.
Nothing. Blankness. Frustration coiled tight against my sternum. “All I can tell you is that the Ember is a woman.” I didn’t mention Andrea’s name—yet.
“A woman,” he echoed.
“Ian both fears and admires her,” I said, digging until my mind felt scraped raw. “I promise I’m trying my best to see more about her.”
“Try harder,” Ahav urged. “We cannot defeat the monstra without it. Her.”
As if I needed the reminder. Digging, digging. Pain bloomed behind my eyes, and a hot trickle dripped from my nose. “We’ll find her on this journey,” I rasped, suddenly confident of this one thing. “I give you my word, we will find her.”
“That’s enough,” Jasher barked, guiding Starflight between us, my own personal shield. “She’s tired. Don’t push her again.”
The king’s next smile was humorless. “Protector now, not a threat? An interesting transformation.”
Jasher’s shoulders went taut, but he said nothing else.
Hand shaking, I wiped my bloody nose. Jasher stripped off his shirt and tossed it my way.
I caught the material and wiped my face, inhaling the faint scent of sandalwood and man. My pulse stuttered, and I dragged my gaze over him. Bare skin, inked muscles, the shifting display of faces etched into every hollow and plane. Faces I still didn’t recognize.
“You’re staring, princess,” he muttered.