Arrival of the Rifted (The Rifted Series Book 1) by C.C. York

Author:C.C. York [York, C.C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-06-20T22:00:00+00:00

Reed

Reed could have wept with joy when they emerged from the tunnel and into the watery light of sunrise. He warily approached the milling Aygir while he answered Monti's question about how he worked with the beasts.

"My mother and I spent some time with a traveling caravan--gypsies of sorts. A half-breed Itreni was part of the crew for a time, and I helped him perform tricks for Efendians as we made our way up the Tiers of their kingdom."

He had his eye on his Aygir. She was a female, a touch broader than the rest but shorter as well. She looked old enough to have seen several battles, and the scars on her silver flanks confirmed that she'd taken a few wounds over the years. He slowly walked to her side and bowed low as his friend taught him decades before. The wind ruffled Reed’s stolen shirt, but he held his position.

The beast took her time before she opened her mouth to him. The blood and gristle still wedged in her teeth told him that she'd already eaten. The Aygir were among the fastest creatures in Efendi, battle-trained, and bloodthirsty themselves. His friend Tilli told him stories of how they'd often turn on their riders for meals if they were kept out of battle too long. Tilli had been full of bokki, but Reed still hesitated before putting his hand in her bloodied mouth.

Fortunately, she didn't eat his hand. Instead, she bowed low for him to loop the leather reign across her thick neck before hopping on. Reed's jump up was not graceful with his injured arm, but he was at least on top now. He pulled Monti up ahead of him, clicking two short bursts that prompted the Aygir to start a quick pace towards the fence. He squeezed his thighs together to give Monti more stability and held the reign in his good hand wrapped around her waist.

Monti fired off questions about this realm, the kingdom, the valley, and the mountains in the distance ahead of him when Reed interrupted her.

"Monti, we got a long ride ahead of us, and you haven't slept in two days. Sleep while you can. I'll answer everything in a couple of hours."

He slowed the Aygir to a trot and aimed for the ice-blue river in the distance that would snake its way north to the dark mountains at the horizon. Within a few minutes, he felt Monti slump against him, and he allowed himself to think about the events of the last 48 hours.

He and his mother were on the run for as long as he could remember. His earliest memories were of hiding in the squalor of Low Town with his mother, Alisha, always peering over her shoulder. Her eyes consistently tight with worry, and her dark hair hidden beneath a threadbare wrap. Reed never met his father, but his mother explained that they were hiding from this faceless man even at an early age. At some point, Alisha got word that his father had fled the kingdom of Efendi and its continent for lands across the Turkaz Sea.

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