Gold Within the Storm by Cleo Cassidy

Author:Cleo Cassidy [Cassidy, Cleo]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2023-03-09T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

I exhale and marvel at how the breath fogs in front of my face. With a disbelieving chuckle, I repeat the action.

“Would you stop doing that?” Thorne’s aggrieved voice reaches my ears.

“No way. It’s a damn miracle.” I laugh at his expression. “What? It’s the first time I notice a change in temperature since being here in Fairy.” I glance around us and the smile slips off my face. “Though I’m guessing the reason for it is not good.”

Thorne grunts, eyes squeezed shut in concentration. “It is not. The place has lost its magic.”

That shouldn’t surprise me, to learn that the Fae are using magic for everything, even holding the reins over the weather. A blast of wind rushes past us and I shiver. The ruins sing under the onslaught; dead leaves scratch against the ground.

We’re in Shaa Talor, the seat of the Shadow Court. Or whatever’s left of it.

I don’t know why we’re here. Thorne has yet to answer my questions.

Speaking of questions, another one pops up once I process Thorne’s words. “Is that what’s happening to the Whispering Forest? It is dying?”

Thorne’s eyes open, and he gives me a look. “Alright, let’s move. There is no one else here.”

We had to wait for him to ‘check’ before proceeding into the city full of ruins. He steps out from behind the chunk of the wall we used for cover and I pull up from my crouch. My lower back twinges at the movement, reminding me only hours have passed since I fought that bonecruncher.

Thorne notices me rubbing the spot and arches one eyebrow in my direction.

“I’m fine. Let’s go.” I take another step forward and the wind blasts me in the face. “Gods, this sucks.” I glance toward the spot behind the wall longingly.

Thorne rolls his eyes and marches down the road. A few steps behind, I follow. I distract myself from the cold by looking around. Something major must have happened here. The fight had to be epic. Because some buildings have been scorched, leaving behind only grimy walls, while others seem to have been just… toppled, like a giant hand reached down and punched them. They’ve been blown to smithereens and we have to pick our way carefully through the ruins.

We reach what was once a beautiful square, surrounded on three sides by tall buildings. There is a broken statue at the base of the blackened crater. It sparkles in the moonlight.

It sends a pang through my chest. I never thought I’d experience sympathy for the Fae. But this is… horrible, even for people like them.

“What happened here?” My eyes roam over the large hole in the ground, the ruins stretching as far as I can see into the distance.

Thorne’s nostrils flare. “This is where the Shadow Court fell.”

I swallow. My hand twitches. I want to reach out and squeeze his arm. But he turns and plods onward, veering away from the pit.

We climb a slope. I fall further and further behind, causing Thorne to stop and wait for me.

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.