Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 92232 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92232 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
I swallow down the lump in my throat. “Thank you. Go to your home and take shelter.”
“Yes, my lord. May the gods grace you with favor.”
“May they also be with you and your husband.”
She gives me a slight nod and turns to rush away with her young child in tow. Anger simmers within me. As it does, rain begins to fall. The angrier I get, the more it pours, putting out the fires.
I walk away in the direction of the woods. Hero follows behind me. It doesn’t take long for me to come across fallen soldiers in the woods with Venus’s arrows impaling their lifeless bodies. Once their essence begins to fade, I mount Hero and take to the skies. It’s as if they’ve begun to cover their tracks.
It is a smart move but hinders me from finding them quickly. While I can follow their essence on foot, I will be able to see from above. It’s taking everything within me not to roar and flatten these woods so I have a clear view.
Another part of me wants to go to the city and flatten and burn it, erasing the king and his soldiers from existence. I do not know what has prompted this, but they will regret it once I find my love and her sisters and make sure they are safe.
“Where are you, my love? I am coming for you.”
The flap of Hero’s wings is the only thing to bring me some sort of calm. However, the sky fills with lightning, proving I am just barely holding my rage in.
What’s Happening?
We’ve been out here for hours. I don’t even know where here is anymore. We are well beyond the forbidden woods. We have been on this trail leading up the side of a cliff for some time now.
I rub my temples and groan. My head is starting to hurt and I’m really hungry now. We will need to find food and shelter soon.
Suddenly, the wagon comes to a stop. I look up. Yanique jumps down to secure the horse. There is the opening to a cave ahead.
“We should stop here. We can go inside this cave and start a fire,” she says.
“What will we eat?” Zandra asks, wrinkling her nose.
“Look, Henry left us some supplies,” Annaniah says as she pulls back a blanket covering a crate of food and other odds and ends.
“Good, help me get it inside,” Yanique says as she comes around the back of the wagon.
“Are we sure it’s safe to go in there? I don’t know,” Zandra says as she eyes the opening of the cave warily.
“This is the place,” Yanique says.
“How do you know this?”
“I can’t explain. It’s like I felt a pull to come here. I was led here. I just know we’ll be safe.”
“Are you sure?” Annaniah whispers.
“Yes,” Yanique bites out and rolls her eyes. “Now, will someone help me get these supplies inside?”
I go to grab the other end of the crate and she narrows her eyes at me. “Anyone but you,” she says.
“About that. What’s happening with you two?” Annaniah says.
“Do you want to tell them, or should I?”
I sigh and run a hand over my braids. Looking to my other two sisters, I draw in a deep breath. I guess now is as good a time as any.
“I am with child,” I blurt out.
Zandra gasps and Annaniah squeals. “This is amazing. Does Kendrick know? Is he excited? How do you feel?”
“I am tired and I could stand to eat something soon. Kendrick does not know. There is a lot I have learned and some things I am still processing. I’m not sure if he should know,” I say.
“Wait, what are you talking about? You have to tell him,” Yanique says.
“Let’s get inside and get a fire going and maybe some food in my belly. I will explain everything and why I don’t think I should tell him.”
Yanique continues to frown at me. I sigh. This is becoming tiring.
“Please. You need to hear it all.”
She gives me a curt nod. I can’t help but notice something has changed with her. I’m still not sure what has drawn her here. I haven’t sensed anything that would lead us to this cave.
However, I do not get the sense she is wrong in her instincts. After that woman who appeared to me earlier, I’m not trusting much of what I feel or think at the moment.
Zandra helps her get the supplies inside as Annaniah and I collect the blankets and make a few places before the fire I’ve started. Once Annaniah begins to work on making us something to eat, I begin to tell them everything from the beginning.
“You have no idea who she is? How did she get in?” Annaniah says once I get to the end.
“I told you, she stepped through a beam of light.”