Bonds of the Forsaken: A Reverse Harem Romantasy (Her Forsaken Mates Book 1) by Olivia K Moto

Author:Olivia K Moto [Moto, Olivia K]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Olivia K. Moto
Published: 2024-05-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 33

Kaiya

The first few hours passed quickly, my attention was absorbed by the new surroundings. Who'd have thought this island would contain such varied environments? And the creatures!? The wildlife was unlike anything I'd encountered during my travels on the mainland.

I would have liked to examine some of them closer if Jaiel hadn't warned me how fucking deadly most of them were.

And the ruins?! Gods! It felt like every time we turned a corner, there was a new crumbling building or vine-draped structure. If only my work for Lady Frexin had me hunting more relics on the Isle, it would be a dream come true.

Unfortunately, I wouldn't be exploring any of it.

Missions here were rare, and this one would be over within a few days.

Even our time today needed to be rushed — we likely wouldn't make it to the village until late afternoon.

Travel had been even harder than I'd expected, which made sense given the roads were nearly a thousand years old. Not to mention the several times we had to stop to deal with errant wraiths and fallen trees blocking our path.

And Jaiel still hadn't gone back to his usual flirty self. I tried to ignore the worry niggling at the back of my mind — for the mission, of course. But I couldn't help feeling like he was wrong about being fine.

Finally, though, we saw the tattered rooftops of the little village in the distance.

Jaiel stopped his mount as we neared the first homes and looked around. "Does it seem unusually quiet to you?"

Pausing, I listened.

He was right … besides the low roar of waves, there were no other sounds. No buzzing of bugs. No errant squawks. It felt … unnatural.

Jax shifted nervously beneath me. I gently patted the side of his feathery mane and met Jaiel's concerned gaze.

Dropping from our mounts, we pulled out our weapons and lead the fleirals forward.

The buildings and roads were overgrown with vines and coastal grasses and the streets were empty save for a few abandoned carts.

Jaiel and I exchanged nervous glances.

"Perhaps Frexin's team is out exploring," I whispered, heart in my throat. "Or hunting?"

Jaiel's black brows knitted in concern, shadowy wisps dancing at the edges of his eyes. "Do you smell that?"

I sniffed a few times and winced at the putrid note in the air. I knew that smell, and it certainly wasn't the salty scent of a coastal port …

Muscles tight, we passed a dilapidated building and emerged onto the shore and docks.

My stomach lurched.

Bodies were strewn across the weathered docks, dismembered to the point they looked like mush, and a strange black ooze covered it all. Amidst the bodies were heaps of twisted metal and shattered tubes … the mechs.

This was our support team.

My gaze caught on an enormous pile of driftwood on the rocky shore, cold and unlit.

So this was why we hadn't seen a smoke signal …

The wind direction changed, and the overwhelming stench of rotting flesh hit me. "Fuck." I forced air through my mouth instead of my nose as I tried not to vomit.

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