Falls of Redemption: Omnibus Books 1-3 (An Epic Military Fantasy Trilogy) by Justin Sloan

Author:Justin Sloan [Sloan, Justin]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: Elder Tree Press
Published: 2015-09-15T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 35: The Search

Lokum and his army rode from the gates without informing the others of their intentions, as he had instructed. He led with his four captains beside him, one-hundred men taking up the rear. They rode in full daylight, barely before noon. Should someone have seen them and reported them to the Generals or the Council, he would be long gone. Nothing else would matter if he found Kaire.

Silence won over all but the neighing of horses and the crunching of crisp orange and red leaves. They rode toward the southwest mountains, the same the Valhian survivors had crossed just weeks before. A whistling breeze brought a chill and the smell of decaying olives on the ground of the nearby farmers’ lands.

Orinth rode up beside Lokum. “Sir, may I ask the plan? Who do we attack with these small numbers?”

Lokum imagined the look on Kaire’s face when she saw him leading such a large group of soldiers, and how impressed she would be.

“We’ll see what we can find, see if there are any Mawtu waiting to have their guts spilled.” Lokum stared ahead, imagining the day when he would find Narcel.

They continued on with only the clanking of armor and the muffled sound of hooves pounding over the soft ground. Soon a rhythmic pounding of raindrops began on their helmets, and the flat ground gave way to ragged cliffs as they entered the hills.

The rain picked up, but the soldiers kept on in spite of the mud rushing along the stone path, their surroundings almost bare now. Lokum’s heart held hope and he pushed the men forward even when Alses and Melonto insisted they needed time to eat and rest.

“Not yet,” Lokum answered. “We must hurry to Angora, where we confront our past.” His hand gripped the wet handle of his right sword, his left hand on the reigns.

The downpour came and went, and then came again, as if each crag of mountain warranted its own climate. None of the men dared to tell Lokum to stop. The mountains opened to a narrow descending path. The first small hovels of the village Angora appeared below, surrounded by trees that seemed to go on forever. An aura of excitement permeated from the military force atop the mountain.

Lokum pulled his horse around with a smile. “That’s your chance to rest boys, to eat and cater to whatever vile urges your body demands of you. But first, round me up every guard for questioning, and be quick about it.”

They rode fast, even the horses sensing a chance to escape the rain and find food. A gale of dust brought the scent of a mid-afternoon stew to their nostrils, along with roast hen and sage, and they pushed harder. Shades of the evergreens flew past the army at Lokum’s tail, and their eyes lit up just as the sun broke from the clouds to blanket the city in an almost holy light.

A streak of red caught the corner of Lokum’s eye. “Hold!”

He turned off the path and through the narrow trees.

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