FOR HER, HE WILL SET EVERY KINGDOM ON FIRE.
Kyron LeFur never wanted to be king. He may have united a torn people and ended a bloody war, but none of that matters without his queen. She sacrificed her crown for him, and now he will stop at nothing t...
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Something is not right, and I know I'm not the only one who feels it. Ashavee's ears sit high on her fuzzy head, and the horizon has Greer captivated. The moments of light-heartedness have vanished, replaced by unease. It is too quiet, too serious, too alarming.
Nothing is truly out of the ordinary. The higher the trail takes us, the colder it gets. The wind picks up, blowing over the thick blanket of snow. Hundreds of naked trees reach for the dreary sky, tall and ominous, like white boney fingers reaching out of the ground. Not one living creature has crossed our path—no birds, no small animals, not even an insect. Which has me asking, are we the brave or the foolish? My guess: we're a little of both.
Terro holds the map in front of him, searching for any proof that we are on the right path. "I suggest the next person in your family line who creates a map be more detailed oriented," he mumbles, lowering the parchment to scan the land ahead of us.
"Is it the map or the navigator?" Greer asks, raising an eyebrow.
It isn't Terro's fault that he is struggling. We've all taken our turns attempting to read it. It's impossible with everything under inches of snow. A blank sheet of paper would be more accurate. And fuck, if it doesn't feel like we are wasting time.
We've been gone from Pliris for almost two full days, with no communication. Our kingdom could already be under attack... or worse. I grapple with the thoughts about our people. The only reason I don't turn us around is because I know this is our only hope. Returning home empty-handed will not help the situation. If anything, it will make it worse.
Ashavee stops several feet in front of us. Her ears twitch while her feline gaze takes in everything around us. I lift my fist in the air, bringing everyone to a halt. My palm warms as my gift sparks to life, and I lock eyes with Greer. Water drips from her outstretched fingers while she studies the blank canvas surrounding us.
The crunching of snow has us all snapping our heads to the left. Nothing. A flash of tan and black in my peripheral causes me to pivot to my right. Raelle must see it too because she unsheathes her sword, holding it steady in front of her. Her hair whips around her face as her eyes dart from one end of the vast expanse of land to the other.
When a chorus of wild growls erupts around us, Ashavee lowers her head to the ground. The fur along her spine rises, and she releases a low snarl.
A pack of wild animals in all shapes and colors appear on all sides. Seven sets of stares lock on us as they stalk forward, trapping us between them. This isn't normal—the mixture of wild cats, wolves, and bears. They are calculated, working together as a single unit. What we face isn't rabid animals. No, it's much worse. They are fast, strong, and intelligent. They are shifters.
I don't give them the chance to corner us, releasing a ball of flame. It shoots across the plain like lightning bolt and barrels into a lion. The animal is thrown backward. Their fur ignites, and the scent of burning hair clings to the chilled wind. They unleash an ear-piercing cry that joins the cacophony of threatening growls. Its cries morph into the screams of a person as its fur gives way to reveal a naked man. He rolls once in the show and his blistered body goes still.
