Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 127722 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 639(@200wpm)___ 511(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127722 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 639(@200wpm)___ 511(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
“Can’t they just chill out instead?”
“No.”
“There’s more to life than power.”
“No, there’s not.”
She finished her last bite then studied me across the cave.
“Power is everything.”
“Maybe to an egomaniac like yourself…”
“It would be easy to be indifferent, to step away and live in your own world. Have a farm somewhere. A quiet life providing for your family with the gifts of the earth. But every time you step away, someone else will step forward. There will always be a power-hungry egomaniac wanting to rule. Their interests will be vile and selfish. They will send innocents to war and conquer the weak. What’s the only way to prevent that from happening? By already having someone occupy that throne—someone worthy of the throne. Someone who can prevent those things from happening.”
She gave me a deep stare, her eyes unblinking, her chest not rising.
“My mother will have to conquer the other factions if she wants to survive. I’ll provide her aid, obviously.”
“They can’t have a truce?”
“Do the Teeth seem like people who make truces?”
Her eyes dropped. “In the battle with Necrosis…would the Teeth be their allies?”
“Probably.”
“So, shouldn’t we conquer them first? It would make it easier to take on Necrosis.”
She had no military experience, but she was innately strategic. “If they find out we’ve taken back Delacroix, they may retreat from the Crags and join the Necrosis in their lands. In war, you have to play everything by ear. If you make a plan and refuse to change it despite your circumstances, you’ll perish.”
She gave a slight nod, as if I’d just assigned her orders.
The fire continued to burn between us, and the darkness outside the crack in the wall felt like a looming shadow. The smoke drifted toward the opening and disappeared, fading into the black. It was quiet out there, no sign of the heavy footfalls that belonged to a behemoth in white fur. The Teeth rarely emerged in the darkness, so I didn’t suspect their prying eyes. It was just the two of us in this cold wilderness.
“What’s the plan? Do we return to HeartHolme or go to the dragons?”
If I had the option, straight to the dragons. But that wasn’t possible. “The outpost. HeartHolme. Then the island.”
“Oh goody…I’d love to see your mother.”
My lips lifted into a slight smile at her sarcasm.
“Seriously, what if she orders her men to kill me?”
“She won’t.”
“Uh, she knocked you out cold and handed me over to the Teeth like I was a box of berries. I wouldn’t be surprised if she shoves a broadsword right through my gut the second she sees me.”
My feelings toward my mother were complicated. That hadn’t always been the case. I used to revere her and nothing else. But now…it was complicated. “I grabbed what men I could from the outpost and marched on the Crags. She intercepted me with the army of HeartHolme.”
“She’s quite vindictive, isn’t she?”
“Actually, she came to help.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Her fear of losing me was stronger than her hatred for you. So, she arrived with her sword at her hip and her army at her back to return you. When we return to HeartHolme, she won’t touch you. I imagine her angry crusade is over.”
Ivory gave a pause, like she couldn’t believe anything I’d said.
“You don’t need to be afraid anymore.”
“Psh,” she said with a laugh. “I was never afraid. Just thought she was a psycho bitch.”
I let the insult pass, because my mother deserved it.
“I imagine she’ll always hate me, but now she won’t be trying to kill me and have me raped all the time.”
“Yes.”
“Hallelujah.” She raised both fists in the air. “That’ll be a nice change.”
The sky was clear and the air was cold when we arrived at the outpost. The sunshine had melted the snow, making it far easier to manage as we progressed toward the high gates. Ivory kept up with me, eager for a hot bath and a soft bed.
The guards along the wall recognized me, and the gates swung inward to allow us to enter.
“Home sweet home.”
We entered the outpost and were instantly warmed by our surroundings. All the homes and shops provided a cocoon of heat that couldn’t be found in the open countryside. Torches were lit, bonfires were in the middle of the dirt roads. The men informed Ian of my arrival, and I took Ivory to my cabin.
Our cabin.
I grabbed the hidden key and unlocked the door.
She stepped inside and immediately shed her coat, looking more at home than in her bedroom at Delacroix. “I’m going to bathe.”
“I’ll return shortly.” I shut the door and walked across the outpost until I entered the stone keep. Ian was there in his heavy fur cape and his black clothing, a beard along his jawline. He spoke to one of the men near the big bonfire before his eyes shifted and locked on mine. Once he spotted me, he tuned out his guard and headed straight toward me.