Song of Blood and Reign

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

As soon as Jai stepped foot onto the main street Penrose in the capital city of Ayveri, a hush spread with the cold wind that whipped through. He felt as if he'd been wearing his armor for the past four months and had barely spent any time in the city itself other than to spend a day or two with his family and update them on what had been going on since he last came back.

Whispers and rumors were hard to trust, especially when the one he had followed made him rip through any and every wall he'd put up to keep himself from breaking, to keep himself strong for his family and his people.

But when he walked through the rivers of blood in that small village in Ethran...Mother above, he didn't know what to think anymore.

Jai's hands tightened into fists as the people of Ayveri watched as he passed. He wasn't the only one they were looking at, though. Before, it had been a while since they had seen one of the greatest Ayverian warriors in his proper armor, a sword at his side and two more blades crossed at his back. Now, no one would dare cross his path or look at him wrong. Gideon had been just as on edge as Jai had been these past months.

Thia was at Gideon's side, dressed in her riding leather and with a look just as fierce on her face and blade of her own at her back. She was keeping Jai and Gideon in between her and the other female at Jai's side, dressed in a leather bodysuit with her dark hair in a braid down her back. Anger and resentment were a constant from Thia whenever she was around her, which was practically every minute over these last few months.

Allel had already been used to animosity from anyone she was around for what she was forced to do over the last century in Corliss's control. But now that her shapeshifting powers were her own once more, she was doing all she could to help Jai and the others. No one seemed to trust her even in the smallest bit other than Jai. Not even Roshan and Erly, especially when she was in her silver dragon form whenever they had a long distance to travel.

But as the four of them walked down Penrose toward the royal family's palace, those who watched were finally realizing that something was off...and looked down at their boots, which were caked with dried blood.

Gods above, the image of that empty village would haunt him forever, especially when he could feel she'd been there.

That she had been the one to do it.

"No one knows yet, do they?" Gideon asked him, his hand tightening on his sword. "Your parents haven't said...?"

"I asked them not to before we even left," Jai answered. "We have to figure out what happened for ourselves first."

"All the blood...we know exactly what happened," he said through clenched teeth. "And with there not being any bodies..."

Thia walked closer to his side, reaching out to grab hold of his hand. "Gideon, it's all right. We'll find her and..."

But he yanked his hand from hers, which made her pause. "It's not all right, Thia," he snarled, anger clear in his tone. Anger and complete defeat. "I'm oath-sworn to her just as I have since the Escarrali siege. I could keep her safe then, but I can't now. I can't." His voice cracked as he sucked in a breath through his nose. "Lyv is Mother knows where and is under Corliss's control. How is that all right, huh?" He raked a hand through his hair, shaking his head as he looked over at Allel. "You could be a little more godsdamn helpful, you know. How do you not know where they're hiding out? Have you just been traveling these past hundred years you've been under Corliss's control? Why are you even here if you can't help us? I need a fucking drink. No, I need to get shit-faced after what we just saw so I can forget it. I'll see you later. Maybe."