Riven (Exile Book 2) by Vanderlinden Colleen

Author:Vanderlinden, Colleen [Vanderlinden, Colleen]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: Fantasy Romance
Publisher: Peitho Press
Published: 2016-12-28T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Outside, the first thing Shannen noticed was that her people had moved the bodies of the humans who had fallen. They couldn’t risk a fire, and there was no time to set a proper one, anyway. Instead, her people had piled branches, stones, and other debris from the area on top of their fallen townspeople. They had gathered around the fallen, and Shannen joined them. There were no words of farewell. Shannen would not have known the proper words to say, anyway. These are people who had died protecting her and their fellow men and women. There was no way to repay that sacrifice. She bowed her head and thanked them. After a few moments, she looked up, taking in the faces of her shaken and exhausted people.

“We made it through this. The Maarlai will catch up to us soon, and we will protect one another on the way to Darathar. We will get through this, I promise you.”

“How can you promise something like that?” one of the older women asked in a tremulous voice.

“Because the alternative is unacceptable. One was or another, we will get through this. I know it is dark, and everything feels helpless. We have lost so many. And I will not lie to you: we will lose more before this is all over. We face an enemy none of us could have dreamed of, even in our worst nightmares. But we are going to try, and we are going to do everything we can to stay alive. It is all we can do. I am not ready to give up. Are you?”

The question was met by the shaking of heads, straightening of spines.

“You have survived through wars, through drought, and famine, and my uncle’s idiotic rule,” she said, glancing toward where Laird had shackled Edwell to a post at the side of the building. “You will survive this as well, and I will do everything I can to make sure that you do.”

“You are the idiot,” Edwell shouted. “We could have all been killed!”

“Yes. Several times. What would you have done about that, uncle?” Edwell glared at her, and Shannen answered for him. “I know what you would have done. You would have sat in your palace, surrounded by your riches and your plentiful kitchen and your family, and you would have let all of us perish. I already know. They already know. So be silent, or I will give Camille her wish and allow her to remove your tongue.”

Edwell clamped his mouth shut, but continued to glare at her with absolute hatred in his eyes.

That settled, Shannen walked over to the bodies of the fallen Sarlene, where a few of the warriors had already gathered. Laird was crouched beside one of them, carefully going through the pockets and pouches on his uniform. She noticed that the weapons they had used were already piled off to the side and nodded with approval.

“Do you think we can use those?” Shannen asked Laird, gesturing toward the weapons.

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