Quest of Shadow and Ruin by Ryver Knight & Kris Ruhler

Author:Ryver Knight & Kris Ruhler [Knight, Ryver & Ruhler, Kris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: GPV Publishing
Published: 2023-08-15T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Andromeda

We reach the border just as the sun is setting.

The area is marked with magic, and guards are stationed every thousand paces to scan for intruders. Caden and I stay hidden behind trees in the forest, calculating our moves in silence.

“We need a disguise,” I finally say. “That’s our best shot. The guard rotations are too tight, and I bet those magic markings will have them all running for us instantly.”

I look down at us. Caden is streaked in dirt, and his cloak is torn. My outfit is just as disheveled. Our tired eyes and sparse belongings mark us as vagabonds, not merchants or city workers with a permit to enter their land. We’ll be barred from entering, that’s for sure.

And if the guard checks our bags…

Aria pokes her head out, curiously scanning our new location.

“You’re going to have to stay inside,” I tell her. “If they spot you, they might not let us through.”

Caden shakes his head. “Even with her camouflage, she’ll easily be spotted once our bags are searched.”

“I’ll hide her under my cloak, then. Come on, Aria.”

I pick the changeling up as gently as possible. Despite threatening to leave her in the forest, the creature is far too precious to trifle with. I can’t help but handle her with as much care as possible. Aria crawls into my cloak, nestling against my chest. Her dark scales are warm, and her breathing is steady.

“This is good enough,” I say. “Now all we have to worry about are disguises.”

Caden groans. “I didn’t pack any kind of disguise. I expected us to arrive here by boat in secret, not to waltz through the border like this. Gah!” He throws up his hands in frustration. “What do we do?”

He runs his fingers through his hair, his expression panicked. I know exactly what’s going through his head—I have the same line of thinking.

We can’t go back through the forest, not at night. We barely have any food or water left. We could head for the mountains of Nor, which are much closer, but by the time we reach them, the forest will have beaten us to a pulp. My ankle is aching, and I doubt I’ll make it without proper rest and healing. That’s not even because we don’t have the resources to scale and cross those mountains.

“We use an illusory potion,” I say, my mind working a mile a minute. “I have some arachnis powder with me, a little bit of nullar juice, and we’d have to use some of our blood…”

“Blood?” Caden exclaims. “Hold on a second, what are you…”

But I’m already taking items out of my belt and my bag.

“Yes, I need a little bit of your blood. Only a bit. Perhaps a drop.”

“All right…” He helps me grab vials out of my bag.

“And a hair,” I add. “Just a few strands.”

“A few—ow!” he exclaims, rubbing his head where I yanked the strands.

“This will do.” I nod in approval. “Hopefully, there’s enough for the potion to work on the two of us.

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