Total pages in book: 161
Estimated words: 162269 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 811(@200wpm)___ 649(@250wpm)___ 541(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 162269 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 811(@200wpm)___ 649(@250wpm)___ 541(@300wpm)
“I do not know much about this, but isn’t what’s important, in the now, that we first find them?” Farah asked.
“We need to speak,” Jorie said to Aramus.
“Perhaps we can go to The Cauldron?” Silence suggested, her gaze moving between her sisters. “To, maybe, perform another ritual, seek where they are?”
General discussion broke out, no one agreeing on a way to move forward, everyone becoming more frustrated as we talked.
This followed us into dinner.
After dinner.
And the only reason it broke off was when everyone headed to their bedchambers.
Cassius entered ours, jerking at the buttons of his shirt.
“Sweetheart—” I began.
“This is not right,” he hissed, turning to me. “There is something wrong. It’s been weeks, and I do not diminish the loss of those families, but four demons created by fucking gods walk my land and…that’s it?”
“I think we should be glad of it,” I said carefully.
“Of course, Ellie, but what are they bloody waiting for?” he asked. “Or more to the point, all this time they’ve had, what are they doing?”
I did not know the answer to either of those questions, and I did not have the opportunity to tell him I didn’t.
A knock came at the door.
I turned to look at it as Cassius called out, “Enter!”
I expected a servant.
Not Mars.
Our friend did not lead into it.
He announced, “They’ve separated.”
I stood solid.
Cassius came to stand beside me.
“The demons?” Cass asked.
“Yes,” Mars said. “I’ve had a bird from Faunus. They’ve found one and they’re following him.”
“Dear goddess,” I whispered. “How do they know it’s a demon?”
“They saw it transform.”
“Bloody hell.”
Mars looked to Cassius, and when they locked eyes, they did not break the contact.
“Whatever we’re going to do, my brother, the time is now,” Mars said.
“Bloody right,” my husband replied.
Thus, in but an hour, dressed warm, packed light, astride our horses, the lot of us galloped behind Star and Sky.
To meet our destinies.
151
The Feint
King Mars
Lesser Thicket Forest
WODELL
Mars rode Hephaestus, Silence on Epona at his left flank.
They were bending, leaning, ducking, as their mounts weaved through the dead trees, their hooves pounding into the snow.
He did this by reflex and instinct.
His wife, an exceptional horsewoman, did it the same.
Mostly he kept his gaze on the golden hair that shone in the moonlight of the woman on the horse who was attempting to escape pursuit.
He cut his reins to round a tree, Silence followed, and they drew closer to her.
“Now?” Silence yelled.
“No!” he shouted.
Opposite them, Elena was moving abreast of the human-like creature.
And it was then Cassius rode straight in front of her.
Her horse reared.
“Now!” Mars roared.
Silence’s balls of flame soared through the air.
And hit nothing.
The woman with the golden hair had leaped into the trees. Then, abandoning her steed, she swung from limb to limb with a speed that made her blur from focus.
True and Aramus started to give chase but realized quickly there was no hope.
They wheeled their horses around and galloped back, reining in where the rest of them sat atop their steeds, breaths coming heavy, forming vapor as they hit the cold air.
“Well, I think we can say the Go’Doan were wrong about their exceptional speed,” Ha-Lah drawled.
“And agility,” Farah muttered.
“Regardless that I run the risk of us entering another five-hour, fruitless discussion, I must point out we’re reacting, when we all bloody know that’s the most foolish thing we can do,” True said.
“And you suggest?” Elena asked.
“I suggest we’re right where they want us to be because they led us here, and they’re somewhere else altogether doing something we don’t want them to be doing,” True told her.
“How close is the Dome City from here?” Farah asked.
Everyone looked at everyone else.
But on these words, Mars rounded his horse and dug his heels in, shouting, “Yah!”
The rest all followed.
Dawn was touching the horizon when Star and Sky led them out of the purple onto the bleached cobbles of the Dome City.
Those amongst them who had never been had at first gazed around in awe at the tall white buildings built one right against the other, with their golden domes in the middle of which, striking toward the heavens, were spiking finials.
There were lanes, avenues, paths, elevated walkways, but Mars knew from past visits any green they had was in carefully cultivated gardens on the outskirts of the city or courtyards that could not be seen from the streets.
The pristine, whitewashed edifices with their priceless domes were all the creators of this place, and those who lived there, wished you to see.
It was striking upon first sight, how sleek and seamless and clean it all was.
It took some time to realize it had no character, no color, no depth, no emotion.
And the outside hid what happened within.
However, that had been some hours ago.
Now they had lost patience with the ambassadors who were summoned to speak to them, the sun was in the sky, not a one of them had had any sleep, and Mars and Cass were leading their band across the snow-white cobbles at Elena’s direction.