ICE

93. The King's Army

RAVENNA CONTINUED TO walk through the streets, examining the city that surrounded her. Over the tops of the houses and buildings that lined the market, she could see the top of the massive wall that surrounded the city. She could also see the castle, nestled within the mountain that loomed behind the city. It was surrounded by a lush, green forest –one that she didn't remember seeing when she was near the castle. From the perspective of one of the citizens, the castle seemed almost kind of pretty.

There was a small bakery at the other end of the market. It was almost hidden behind a slew of fabric merchants. The smell of fresh bread dragged her forward, toward it. She couldn't resist. It reminded her of Caelan's village, of the bakery she'd frequented. She hesitated outside the door, nostalgia rushing through her. As she entered the shop, she looked around cautiously. She was surprised to see some small tables spread out across one side of the room. Several townsfolk were seated at the tables, with plates filled with various pastry items situated in front of them. She found herself an empty table and took a seat.

Immediately, a young girl approached her, a chipper smile on her face. "Hello! What can I get for you this afternoon? We have fresh wheat bread, just out of the oven. There are also have vegetable soup available as well."

Ravenna was taken aback. "What is this, exactly?" she asked, gesturing to the tables around her. "I've never really encountered something like this except in a tavern."

"It's the same idea, really," the young girl said. "This place is very unique. There is no other like it in the kingdom! Once I find out what you'd like to eat, we will make it for you fresh. You are welcome to eat it here or you can take it home."

"For a price," Ravenna said, her lips stretching around a smile.

The young girl nodded. "Yes, miss. You are correct. The price will vary based upon what you choose to purchase. A bowl of soup costs three silver pieces whereas a loaf of bread will cost two copper pieces. I will tell you the price before we begin to prepare your food."

Ravenna chuckled. "Fair enough," she said. She purchased a bundle of cinnamon pastries for five silver coins.

As she waited for the pastries to be prepared, she listened to the chit-chat that floated through the air around her. A table nearby conversed about the weather. There was a group of men seated right behind her —older, wrinkled men who loved to gossip. Ravenna leaned back in her seat and aimed her ear toward them.

One of the men leaned forward, his hands situated atop his cane. "The King has sent word for able-bodied men to travel to the capital," he said, his voice raspy. "I hear he is putting together an army."

"An army? What for?" one of the other men asked. He scowled at everyone in the vicinity. "There is no need for an army."

The raspy-voiced man shook his head. "I would not be so certain about that, Edward."

Another man shook a finger at him. "I agree. One of the local boys visited a town overrun with those creatures. He hardly escaped with his life. Said they are hard to kill. Hard to kill and pure evil."

"They can't be that bad."

All of a sudden, the young girl appeared in front of her. She held out a bundle of pastries wrapped in a tan cloth. "Here you are, miss," she chirped.

"Thank you," Ravenna said. She took the cloth and smiled until the girl vanished. She hesitated before she left, listening hard to see if the old men would reveal anything else.

They didn't. Their conversation had evolved into perverted chuckles about the young women that surrounded them. Rolling her eyes in disgust, Ravenna stood and walked back out into the market. Her gaze flickered around, immediately searching for the door to the forest. She needed to tell Vyses about the new developments concerning the King.

An army would need to be dealt with. And it would need to be dealt with quickly.

hey sweets!

I know, I know. This chapter is pretty short .-. Unfortunately, the next ten chapters or so are going to be relatively shorter (excluding one or two normal length chapters). I wrote this chapter at the beginning of August --and that happens to be when my grandfather passed away. I want to be as transparent as possible with y'all. My head was just all out of sorts when I wrote these chapters and it was hard to stay focused with so much going on. So, unfortunately, the next several chapters are going to be relatively short. I'm sorry. I know it stinks.

The actual plot in these next few chapters is very important though! We're about to hit another pretty big twist and I'm really excited to see your reaction! ❤

Thank you all for being so patient with me! I hope that you have an awesome week! ❤