Dances of Deception: A Legends of Tivara Story (The Dragon Songs Saga Book 3) by JC Kang

Author:JC Kang [Kang, JC]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: dragon magic elves dwarves asian multicultural epic fantasy
Publisher: Three Moons Press
Published: 2017-03-02T18:30:00+00:00

CHAPTER 31:

Off the Beaten Path

The wind blew over Kaiya’s scalp as Fleet’s horse galloped behind the Southerners. The sensation served as a reminder that her head had been shaved; the periodic booming of altivorc drums proved it had been the right move.

Before long, they came to a tree-lined dirt walkway that cut through vast rows of leafy green vegetables. It ended at a one-story farmhouse some five hundred feet up a gentle slope. Brehane pointed them toward the path.

They followed it to the weathered house. Behind it, broad fields of red wheat swayed a head above her. Kaiya turned back and looked down towards the highway, which stretched along the river. Back south the way they had come, the altivorcs seemed like a line of black, inching their way up the white road.

Brehane gestured past an empty wagon towards a wooden stable, next to a chicken coop. “We’ll hide there till they pass.”

“I don’t suppose we have time to tell whomever lives here that we are squatting?” Sameer’s shoulders rose in a shrug.

A smile formed unbidden on Kaiya’s face. Sameer, polite even in a crisis.

“No time!” Brehane pointed down towards the army making its way up the river road. Still far away, but there was certainly a risk of being seen. She clasped Kaiya’s clammy hand and pulled her along to the stable. Inside, they found four old plow horses.

Hiding with the animals. Kaiya instinctively went to twirl her hair, only to find it gone. She shrugged off her pack and crouched, watching as the altivorc column passed along the road. She peeked out. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead as the first ranks marched by.

An hour of waiting trudged by. The last ranks passed, trailed by an enormous armored draft horse, effortlessly pulling a train of wagons. All those young women in cages. That could’ve been her. A chill crept up her spine.

She was about to let a sigh escape when a mounted altivorc wheeled and pointed towards the farm. Six soldiers broke off from the rear of the column and hustled up the path.

At the entrance to the farmhouse, an altivorc rapped on the door. He yelled in heavily accented Arkothi, “This region now belongs to the Teleri Empire. We are taking a census and collecting tribute.”

Kaiya pushed herself deeper into the stable, her heart pounding.

The altivorcs waited for a few seconds, and then one kicked in the door with a loud thud. Within seconds, the sound of furniture and dishes breaking mixed in with the crude laughs of the altivorcs. Kaiya bit her lip. Whoever lived there—

One of the altivorcs laughed. “No tribute? Then we will take your daughter, instead!”

A woman screamed.

Sameer sprang to his feet, his curved naga in hand.

Brehane urgently waved him down.

Cyrus hissed at him. “Remember the mission! Remember the princess!”

Focus set forward, the Paladin strode out of the stable and toward the farmhouse.

Brehane sighed. “Not again...”

Again? Kaiya searched the Aksumi’s eyes. “Shouldn’t we help him?”

Brehane clasped her necklace. “He will have no problem with six altivorcs.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.