Heir of Magic: An Epic Fantasy Adventure (The Kingdom War Book 1) by J.D. Ruffin

Author:J.D. Ruffin [Ruffin, J.D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: 3Aussies Press
Published: 2023-05-17T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter seventeen

Tiana woke from a fitful sleep surprised to find she was no longer in her cramped prison but lay on a bed of pine needles and leaves beside a small campfire. Both her wrists and ankles were secured by ropes that scored angry lines across her skin. The crisp air was filled with the scent of mountain pine.

As her mind cleared, she glanced around to find the cart just off the dirt road, tethered to a tree by a heavy rope, but the horses and masked men were nowhere to be seen. In fact, she couldn’t hear anything other than the usual sounds of a forest at night.

She tested the ropes on her wrists and sighed as they refused to budge. She turned her focus to the rope around her ankles and realized there was room to move her legs. She wiggled her foot and bent it as straight as she could. After a few minutes of squirming, her left foot popped free, followed by the right as the rope slipped to the ground. She blinked a few times at her now unbound feet, barely believing her good fortune, then attempted to stand. The world wobbled. She leaned against a tree and waited for feeling to return to her legs before moving again. It felt like an eternity before the itching of a thousand ants faded and she could move freely.

Now alert, Tiana ran into the forest. Her mind raced with images of everything she was running from: the robed men, her rolling coffin, the endless possibilities of how her journey might end if she didn’t free herself. What did they want with her? Where were they going?

Tears streaked her cheeks, and she shivered at the chill of the dark woods.

She imagined the glassy eyes of the masked men staring at her from behind every tree. Twigs lashed her arms and face, but she felt none of it. She was free . . . and not going back.

It was dark and tough to navigate, but slivers of moonlight poking through the forest canopy guided her way. She made it a half league from the campfire when she heard someone clomping through the forest. She scurried toward a clearing in the trees that was littered with large boulders, then threw herself behind the biggest stone and tucked into a ball as the rustling grew closer. Her breath caught as torchlight illuminated the forest. She was hungry, weak, and cold, causing her breathing to labor.

“Whoever’s there, come out now and you won’t be harmed,” a stern voice ordered.

Tiana tried to quiet her breathing and remain still. She would not go back in that box; they’d have to kill her first. She sucked in another deep breath and held it.

After a moment of silence, the man’s voice darkened. “Don’t make me come back there. Rangers don’t like surprises in our mountains, especially after dark.”

She sat up and peeked over the top of the boulder, but as she gained her footing, two of the robed men blundered through the foliage, panting heavily from their chase.

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