Feral (Heirs of Anarwyn, Book 4) by J. W. Elliot

Author:J. W. Elliot [Elliot, J. W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-12-05T16:00:00+00:00

Natalia edged her horse closer to Cam as the remnant of the army trudged on with the remaining wagons. Cam had done what he could for the injured and had shifted much of the food supplies to the riders to make room in the wagons for the wounded. Spider and Catrin worked with the physicians as they trundled along, though Spider was too exhausted to do much.

Wrestling aside her own despair, Natalia struggled to know how to help Cam. She came up on his left. Hebron rode on his right. Cam’s crimson-clad guard surrounded them, keeping a close watch on the trailing men. Barrick lagged behind looking sullen, as usual. He glared at Natalia. She ignored him.

Hebron exchanged a glance with her, and her own apprehension reflected in his eyes. Cam didn’t seem to notice her, so she edged her horse closer, hoping that he would sense her presence and know that she cared for him. No words could express what any of them were feeling. His slumped shoulders and downcast expression reminded her of the helpless misery that had overwhelmed her after Bardon murdered her family. Cam might give in to that same despair. What could she do to help him? Their relationship was too complicated to permit anything other than quiet support.

They rode on mile after mile. Now and then, Natalia caught a glimpse of the wolf or the Mahrowaith bounding over the prairie in front of them. The sun burned orange-red against the gray sky as it worked its way west until it blazed over the horizon to their right, setting the entire sky aflame. Natalia couldn’t help but wonder at the beautiful display. She used to sneak up to the western tower of the castle at Badayev to enjoy the sunset over the bay. Her mother had shown her the spot as a child. Those days were gone beyond recovery.

The arrival of Spider and Catrin disrupted her thoughts, and she blinked the mist from her eyes. A light snow drifted lazily from the skies.

No wind stirred the glistening flakes, and at first, Natalia mistook them for ash until they melted upon landing on her horse’s neck. It was too early for snow, yet nothing nowadays occurred the way it was supposed to.

“Snow?” she said out loud. “I was just admiring the sunset.”

“Well,” Spider said, making a display of stretching, “snow is better than ash.”

Hebron grinned. “Makes you want to break out the snowshoes, doesn’t it?”

Spider chuckled. “Now that’s an element I understand.”

Catrin glanced between them and then at Natalia and raised her eyebrows. Natalia figured this was some joke, but neither Hebron nor Spider explained. The army dropped into a valley where a wide creek meandered over the rocky floor. The trail angled down the slope toward an ancient stone bridge broad enough for two carts to cross side by side. It was one of the many reminders that this country had once been occupied by numerous people.

“It’s evil,” Cam said. These were the first words he’d spoken in hours.

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