With a group of unlikely allies, Alethia must become an unstoppable force to let go of her haunting past and save the Four Kingdoms.
Two years have passed since Queen Liliana broke the Peace Treaty with the Gera Kingdom and began a deadly war. Howev...
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It was midday by the time they could see the village below the hill of the forest. It was a quaint place with small wooden homes. Dirt paths created by the imprints of hustling feet twined and hugged the cramped buildings, barely wide enough for more than three people walking together.
Many of the open shutters glowed with torchlights and few people were walking around, stopping at vendors with a display of fruit, silk, and other goods.
"When was the last time you were here?" Aydin asked as they lingered in the protective shadow of trees, peering down at the village.
"A long time ago," Sephirah replied, frowning at the landscape. In the distance there were crop fields with men working, shoveling out dirt and pulling weeds. Sweat glistened across their exposed upper bodies as they toiled away beneath the lowering sun.
"Well, this should be fun," Aydin said in a light tone, but his hazel eyes revealed his concerns.
Sephirah shot him a dark look. "I told you it'd be fine."
"You first." Ren gestured for her to walk. He damn sure wasn't going headfirst into a potential disaster. That was her specialty.
Sephirah flipped the strands of hair over her shoulder and started toward the path that led inside the village. The group followed her, staying close enough on her heel that people would associate them with her.
As they entered and passed by the people littering about, the few conversations sprinkled around tampered into an uncomfortable blanket of tension. The hair on the back of Ren's neck rose as men carrying an assortment of weapons—bows, swords, spears, clubs, pikes, and slings—watched them like hawks.
Sephirah kept her chin high, glaring down her nose at them as she walked the path. She seemed to know the way fairly well, which was good for Ren.
He wanted to be in and out of the village as quickly as possible. If anything, he would rather sleep in the forest than stop at all. It was sounding more and more appealing the deeper they traveled between the homes.
Men stepped out of their path, their eyes tracking them until they disappeared around another corner. Sephirah came to an abrupt stop by an older woman's vendor shop.
The woman's auburn hair was streaked with grey and the wrinkles across her chocolate skin pulled down her lips in a permanent frown. Her dark gold eyes flickered to each person in the group before resting on Sephirah.
"What can I do for you?" the woman asked in a sober, deep voice .
"Where's the inn?" Sephirah inquired.
Ren's head snapped to her so fast it was a miracle it didn't dislocate. "You didn't know where the hell we were going this entire time?"
"Of course not," Sephirah replied, her face the picture of innocence. "I don't know the precise layout of this village."
