The Daleraian: A Chained Trilogy Novella (The Chained Novellas Book 1) by Elise Marion

Author:Elise Marion [Marion, Elise]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Marion Press
Published: 2015-07-09T22:00:00+00:00

They rose at dawn and continued on their way, urging their mounts on at a relentless pace, and only stopping to rest them when necessary. Now that Dinasdale lay behind them, Jarin felt less trepidation about travelling on the open road. He and Darius had crossed over into Daleraia without incident, and he supposed the rest of their journey would pass the same.

At least that was what he assumed, until the rapid cadence of hoof beats sounded behind them, and an approaching cloud of dust heralded riders closing in fast.

Jarin wheeled his courser around on the road, turning to face whatever approached. He drew his broadsword swiftly, and beside him, Darius followed suit.

“Are you certain your brother would not have changed his mind and sent riders after us?” Darius asked.

Narrowing his eyes, Jarin watched as the cloud closed in, and one black silhouette made itself apparent.

“A lone rider,” he murmured. “Even if Caden changed his mind, he wouldn’t be foolish enough to send one rider on such an errand.”

“A knight acting on his own orders, then?”

Jarin’s grip tightened on his blade. “I suppose we’ll know soon enough.”

The rider was shrouded in black, and armed, though his weapons remained in their sheaths. At his side, Darius guffawed loudly and vaulted from the saddle. Jarin looked on curiously as he broke into a run, calling out to their mysterious pursuer as if greeting a friend.

And then, the rider left his mount and ran forward to meet Darius. Tossing aside a dented helm, he revealed a dark face and short, close-cropped coarse hair. His smile was a stark white flash, and his laugh sounded eerily like Darius’. The two embraced, pounding shoulders and hurling insults like only brothers could.

Jarin breathed a sigh of relief, sliding his weapon back into its sheath and joining them.

“You almost got yourself killed bearing down upon us like the bloody cavalry, you bastard!” Darius roared, clutching Hugh’s shoulder.

“You couldn’t kill a corpse, you bastard!”

The Goodwin brothers never forgot to remind one another of what they were—lest one of them forgot and began to think himself better than the others. Jarin smiled wistfully as he looked on, thinking of Caden and Asher. Despite the differences in their skin colors, Hugh and Darius bore a resemblance to each other, having the same strong, chiseled jaw and square chin.

“What are you doing here?” Darius asked, replacing his broadsword in its scabbard. “I thought you were going to try your luck in Seahaven.”

Hugh’s expression turned serious, and a tight fist of foreboding clenched Jarin’s throat. Hugh turned his gaze from Darius and set it on him.

“Our high lord is in danger,” he said. “And banished or not, it is our duty to protect him, even unto our death.”

Jarin’s stomach turned, the visceral reaction causing nausea to well at the back of his throat. Asher had died, and his father had followed closely after. Caden and his lady mother were all the family he had left in the world, even if he would never lay eyes upon them again after departing from Alemere.

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