Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 84237 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84237 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Sam only slowed as he neared the top and the branches started to thin out. It was becoming harder to choose where to step as he gauged what would hold his weight.
“Go a little to your right,” Dimitri called out beneath him. “That branch looks strong enough.”
“Got it!” Sam moved where he directed, finding the perfect position to stick his head above the leaves. A second later, a hand grasped his hip and the limb trembled under his feet. He looked to his left to see Dimitri sidling up next to him, an arm wrapping around his waist.
“Yeah, yeah. You beat me,” the dragon mumbled, but he said it with a sweet smile filled with pride.
“Getting up the tree is never bad. It’s climbing back down,” Gregori argued from the other side of the trunk.
Sam waved a hand out in front of him. “Sure, but look at this view.”
He didn’t know what he had quite expected to see, except a river, as he knew a river flowed through here because of the maps he had. There was definitely a river along with miles of green trees in every direction, undulating with the curves of the mountains.
But also a fort.
With a mage ward up around it.
That, he did not expect to see.
Sam narrowed his eyes, questioning what they reported to him, but there was no way to see that ward as anything else. It was strong, for one thing, and very solidly established. The buildings were just barely visible through the leaves. Most were hidden by the brown and green, which would explain why the dragons hadn’t caught sight of it in their flyovers.
“Is that a town down there?” Dimitri leaned in further, also staring hard. “Sure looks like it.”
“Uhhh…guys?” Sam did not want to say this. He really, truly didn’t. He kinda had to. “I think that’s my site.”
Dimitri’s head snapped around to stare at him while fingers tightened on his waist. “You’re sure?”
“Well, it’s in the right spot, to start with. According to the map I have, it should be right about there. And, uh, well, it’s got a ward surrounding it.” Sam kept a weather eye on Dimitri as he said this.
“Must have a glamour of some sort, too, as we can’t see the ward.” Gregori gave a thoughtful hum at his other side. “Alright. If that is your site, I have even more questions now. Let’s climb down and tell Luka and Vasily. They’re not going to believe this one.”
Sam nodded, willing to do that. Although how they’d get past that ward was the real question. Wards were pretty impregnable unless you had someone who could dismantle them from the inside or could bear a crazy amount of power against them. Sam doubted the last one was an option. Even if the entire clan’s dragons and mages pitted their might against that ward, it wouldn’t budge.
Damn, he really hoped there was a way past this thing. He wasn’t about to be thwarted now that he was literally within sight of his goal.
Dimitri remained even closer on the trip down the tree, and for that, Sam was grateful. His body was too tired for this nonsense.
When they reached the ground, they took a short break to gather their strength and hydrate before heading to the site. The valley was settled more on a plateau, which meant a two-hour hike got them down to the valley floor without much trouble. There were a few booby traps, but without the overgrowth of the forest covering them, they were easier to spot. Gregori did so without more than a derisive sniff now and again.
The closer Sam got to the warded fort, the more obvious it became that this really was his ruins. Parts of the stonework were so old it had been weathered round and smooth. Here and there, he caught sight of tumbled pillars and broken arches, half swallowed up by vines and other growth. There were a couple of statues, but the faces of the figures had been worn away by the elements so that they’d lost most of their details.
So far, there were only a couple of buildings, but the walls had fallen over, leaving behind only a rough square in the dirt and vegetation. The trees were thinner here, as if the jungle was still trying to reclaim this swath of land as its own.
He paused inside one of the buildings situated outside the ward and moved some of the leaves and vines aside to see some broken pottery.
“Do you think this was from the Sousa or maybe even the Tupã?” Dimitri asked as he stood beside him.
Kneeling down, Sam picked up the largest shard and turned it to find just the smallest hint of color painted along the side. The swirling design was similar to what he’d found in the journal. “I’m inclined to think this is from the Sousa. It’s their art style. However, if the Sousa and Tupã were as close as you say, then it’s likely they have similar styles. We need more artefacts before we can make a final call.”