Rise Red Kingdom (Burn Red Skies Book 2) by Kerstin Espinosa Rosero

Author:Kerstin Espinosa Rosero [Rosero, Kerstin Espinosa]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Published: 2022-02-21T16:00:00+00:00

19

BRETHREN WASTES

FIRE REALM

Valerya fucking hated traveling north.

They had taken the most dangerous path, one that took them along high ridges overlooking the heart of the wastelands. Valerya enjoyed the complete absence of life down below. It wasn’t as cold as Glasgérios, nor was it scorching and humid like Lancistierre. If only it wasn’t bewitched.

Valerya may have been the Summoner General, guardian to an ancient beast, but nothing unsettled her more than sorcery, and the Wastes were full of it. The Scrolls recounted droves of convicts that were banished to the wastelands and never found. The rivers ran dry no matter how much it rained, and daylight broke through the clouds but cast no shadows. It was a world so devastating that no other reality could compete.

Valerya turned her gaze to the horizon and tried to gauge distance in the dark. At their pace, they would probably hit Rhysia by nightfall. She had given the Northerners ample time to prepare for the mereyna, and if they were smart, they wouldn’t resist. Both sides were entitled to peace, after all, and violence was forbidden against the other side. Steel was not even allowed inside the negotiations chamber.

The negotiations chamber. Valerya laughed. It was easy to negotiate if the other side couldn’t talk. Zan would likely speak for the girl, but Valerya could handle him.

She allowed the men two more hours of rest before rousing the camp. She and the Spades were used to long campaigns, but most of Morian’s men wouldn’t make it to the end of the journey. Best give them a good night’s sleep.

They had been riding all day when they reached the boglands.

Bjarred, she thought dryly. We meet again. “Dismount,” she commanded. A single strip of mud led across murky waters, just wide enough for them to cross one at a time, but it was sturdier than it looked. She and her men jumped down from their saddles as Morian’s men eyed each other with uncertainty. “Stay on your horse if you want,” said Valerya as Diebold bit back a grin. She took the reins of her destrier in her left hand. “And don’t fall in.”

Valerya threw her men a knowing glance before turning her attention to the mud strip in front of her. She kept her hand pressed firmly on the hilt of her sword as she led her horse across, making sure her foot was planted on solid ground before taking the next step. It was slow, no doubt, and painfully cautious, but there was no way she was going to fall in the water. She thought little of rumors and even less of fairy tales, but if there was even the slightest possibility they rang true, she had no desire to take on a fucking three-headed anaconda.

Diebold waited until she had taken five strides before he began, keeping his voice low for the sake of his steed. Seven more of the Spades followed, while the others stayed at the rear to prevent desertion. Chuckles trailed behind one of Morian’s men, cackling unhelpfully.

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