Broken Fate (Shards of Fate Book 1) by Riley Storm

Author:Riley Storm [Storm, Riley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: High House Press
Published: 2023-06-06T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Two

“Let’s go!” Clive cried, vaulting his way out of the pit in a single bound, his sparring partner a half-second behind him.

Shaken out of my momentary fright, I ran after them, bare feet pounding against the rocky floor as we made for the main cave.

“He couldn’t have tracked us here,” I said, catching up to Clive. “Could he?”

“I don’t know,” Clive said sharply. “But if he did, then we have to prepare to fight. We have to buy time for the others to escape. There are women here. Children. They must get out.”

A fresh lump of horror formed in my throat. It wasn’t the same as the manor. Not at all. There were families. Non-combatants. For a heartbeat, I doubted that Andracis would bother to make a distinction. He would order his troops to kill us all. Cut out all traces of the rebellion.

Hot anger banished the lingering traces of fear, burning the ice from my system as it raced through me, a shockwave of fresh energy.

We scrambled out of the side entrance and leaped down to the floor of the mighty cavern at the center of the complex. Rolling as we hit the ground to absorb the impact of jumping three stories, we came to our feet and ran toward the main entrance, where others were headed, a trickle of shifters that would soon be a stream as the defense cry went up in earnest.

As we rounded the corner, teeth bared, ready to fight, we skidded to a halt at the scene before us.

“My god,” I whispered. Were we too late?

Wounded and crippled shifters were everywhere. Leaning against walls, hobbling with the help of those who could still stand, wandering aimlessly, lost in the shock. Most were drenched in blood, some of which had to be their own based on the horrific wounds that had yet to heal.

Elsewhere, in one corner, solemn shifters stacked bodies, reverently crossing arms and closing eyes, whispering prayers to the dead as they did.

There were no sounds of battle, however. No cries of pain, no clang of blades. The guards, who should have been busy holding the cave entrance, were busy helping out the injured and wounded.

“What happened here?” I asked, stunned at the brutality I saw. “What is this?”

The bitter tang of iron was the first thing I smelled, so strong I could nearly taste it. It filled the air. The stench of death came swiftly on its heels, a mixture of rotting skin, off-gassing, and voided bowels. I wanted to retch, and my stomach roiled uneasily.

No. You will not show disrespect like that. Not now, not in front of those who have suffered so much just to get here. Do it later.

“This?” a familiar feminine voice said. “This is how the Alphas maintain their rule. This is what you don’t see, what nobody talks about, because they don’t want to hear about it. This is the reality of the Canis empire and the world we live in.”

I glanced to my right as Andi paused at my side, surveying the barely contained chaos.

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