Shadow Heir by Richelle Mead

Author:Richelle Mead [Mead, Richelle]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: General, Fiction, Fantasy, Epic
ISBN: 9781420111804
Publisher: Zebra
Published: 2011-12-26T13:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

The more we traveled, the more we learned something. Extreme cold and starvation weren’t the only problems facing the Otherworld’s residents. This world was full of all sorts of nightmarish creatures, most of which stayed away from the more civilized kingdoms. Creatures that were adapted to snowy climates also tended to live in obscurity since monarchs preferred to maintain pleasant conditions in their kingdoms.

Now, that had all changed. Monsters that had lived in ice and snow had just conveniently had their territory expanded exponentially, thanks to Varia. They began creeping out of their haunts, plaguing the bedraggled gentry. With so much infrastructure lost, monarchs were unable to muster much resistance to help their people fend off these threats. The Storm was only the first of many snow-loving adversaries we faced. Ice demons, albino trolls, more abominable knock-offs ... the variety seemed endless the farther we traveled.

“Why haven’t we seen these kinds of monsters in our kingdoms since the blight started?” I asked Dorian one day. It was midafternoon, and we rode our horses side by side. He didn’t answer for a few seconds, and for the first time in a very long time, there was a weary—though not quite defeated—air about him. We’d been on the road for a week, and it was taking its toll on all of us.

“A couple reasons, I’d imagine,” he said at last. “One is a matter of logistics. These creatures tend to live on the outskirts of our world. It’s simply taken them time to discover the feast the blight has created for them, and then of course, they’d actually have to put in the time to spread out and make the journey. They may simply not have reached our lands yet.”

That was a disheartening answer, its severity driven home by his sober look. “What’s the other reason we haven’t seen them yet?”

“We were living in a state of war before this disaster struck. Our armies were built up, our lands regularly patrolled. Much of that has stayed in place, even though our forces have taken heavy hits from the blight. But other kingdoms? Like the Palm Land? They were living an idyllic, peaceful existence. Their armies were minimal, so they had less to work with when the blight fell—and next to nothing now that the monsters are coming out of hiding.”

“Will ours be enough?” I asked. “Will our forces be able to protect our people?”

He studied me for a few moments, and I got the impression he was debating whether to answer with truth or comfort. He opted for the former. “I don’t know. We’re in better shape than most, and it’s a rule of nature that predators prefer easy prey. I don’t wish harm on any of these lands, but they’re probably more appealing to snow monsters than lands that fight back.”

His point was proved by the fact that many of the creatures we encountered tried to back off once they discovered the kind of fight we could put up. The smart thing on our part would have been to let them run .

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