Balance of the 12 by Ania Bo

Author:Ania Bo [Bo, Ania]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ania books
Published: 2019-07-22T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Skoll and Hati ran as if they were flying over the earth, and the horses had trouble keeping up as they navigated narrow paths between the chasms littering the land. The wolves did not let them stop all day, and the horses looked as if they might collapse if they ran even a mile more.

By sunset, they reached the border where a vast forest stretched out in front of them. The wolves stayed under the shelter of the trees and drank water from a nearby stream while the horses followed suit. After their thirst was quenched, Skoll and Hati laid down and watched with soulful eyes as though to tell the others that they would not be going any further that night. The travelers relented and untied the packs Raiju had given them. Inside there were a variety of dried fruits, a strange mush wrapped in palm fronds, and a few strips of dried meat. The Readers took a liking to the mush and the dried fruits, while Dwade shared the strips of meat with the wolves.

When the wolves had eaten, Skoll and Hati positioned themselves on either side of the group, keeping guard. The night grew colder, and the wind blowing through the trees didn’t help. Dwade started a fire with difficulty as he battled the wind seeming determined to stop the flames from bursting to life. It was clear that the Readers, who huddled around the fire as close as they could without burning themselves, were not as resistant to the cold as he was.

Dwade sat slightly away from the group. He had many questions on his mind, and while he dug up dirt with a stick, he wondered how to start.

“What’s on your mind, Protector? Say it.” Violen could tell from his fidgeting something bothered him.

Shasta and Han were aware of his discomfort, but they were still too focused on the morning incident.

Dwade lifted his head to look at Violen’s pretty but cold face. “I find it strange what the Hikar soldiers said, the ones at the border. They said that anyone who tried to venture to Zaend lands would not return. If that were so, how will we be able to enter and why are we taking the Regenerator away to Atlantis? It seems the Zaends have already developed a pretty effective defense strategy that we may not be able to get passed or escape.”

“Readers have never been there, so I’m not entirely sure, but the Zaends have made their home in an uninhabitable area. It’s quite cold with flat lands and unforgiving blizzards. Maybe the Hikars were referring to the inhospitable landscape.” Violen paused and stared at the fire. She knew she had to answer Dwade’s question about Atlantis, but she didn’t know the answer. Han was watching her, and she was fully aware of that. She answered as every loyal soldier of Atlantis would. “The Chancellor told us the Regenerator will be safer so she will be.”

Something about Violen’s response just didn’t sound right to Dwade.

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