An Archer's Reckoning: An mm epic fantasy romance adventure (Of Crowns & Quills Book 4) by Casey Morales

Author:Casey Morales [Morales, Casey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: 3Aussies Press
Published: 2024-09-17T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 26

Declan

Ireined in my horse and sheltered my eyes as Saltstone came into view over the horizon.

Rings of barricades well beyond the palisade made of logs and pikes aimed sharp points outward. Between each ring, the land was marred as if some monster’s nails had gouged deep ruts in the earth. The walls surrounding the city now stood more than twenty feet high.

One guard tower had always stood vigil beside each gate. Now, towers dotted along the wall as far as I could see. Navy banners with gold trim snapped in the wind high above each tower.

Someone had been very busy.

After our summoning at Grove’s Pass, Órla had suggested we Travel to Saltstone to cut out a month of travel and avoid running into the massive army headed toward the capital. Unfortunately, as with my attempts at Telepathy and Dream Walking with Ayden, I was unable to Travel much further than a few hundred yards. I wondered if my magic needed some sort of recharge, or if it was struggling to adapt to the mainland, but Órla offered a simpler explanation.

“Your emotions are interfering with your Light. I can see it dimming with each stride. When we stood amid the dead of the town, it appeared as a candle flame struggling to stay lit,” she said as we approached one of the many farms that began only a few miles outside the mountain village. “Your magic will strengthen when you regain your will.”

“My will isn’t the problem,” I said more defensively than intended. “I want to see Ayden, to know he lives and . . . is all right. I want to be comforted and . . . dammit . . . I just want to see him.”

The way my voice choked off was all the confirmation either of us needed to validate her point. My head hung as we walked endless miles.

The first farm we reached had been decimated, its crops pillaged and buildings burned. Fortunately, one a bit to the south had been spared. An ancient woman and her teenage son welcomed us with wary eyes. I wondered why the boy had not heeded the call to arms, but Órla insisted their hospitality deserved better than a challenge. The woman offered us a meal and a bed. We enjoyed the former but waved off the latter. There was too much daylight to waste on rest. We did, however, manage to convince the woman to sell us a horse, making the stop far more valuable than her meager vegetable stew.

Our journey shortened by the addition of a mare, a new hope of beating the Kingdom army to Saltstone bloomed in my chest.

That was a little over a month ago.

While our journey passed with relative ease despite having to travel in a wide arc around the road the enemy surely traveled, haunting dreams of sightless eyes and defiled corpses kept spirits low.

It was a somber trek.

As I drew near the outermost perimeter of the capital, a horn sounded, bright and clear.

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