The Power of Lumen by Julianne Kelsch

Author:Julianne Kelsch
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Julianne Kelsch
Published: 2023-07-03T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 28

Weeks had passed since Kyra’s wedding and the destruction of the scroll. When the sun had risen the following day, it had shone upon a world that seemed just a bit lighter. The blackness that polluted the earth was less viscous than it had been the previous night. It had lost some of its mass, appearing in some areas as the mist again rather than a thick sludge. It nipped and clawed at ankles and feet, but it was lower now than it had been. General Lo believed the sun shined brighter because the souls had been freed. Only those who’d been present during the scroll’s destruction knew why the black sludge had lost some power. The men of the army believed it to be a stroke of luck in their favor, a sign that the Malic’Uiel were afraid.

Kyra knew better.

The Malic’Uiel did not fear.

For weeks, Kyra chewed on that information while the rest of the army remained locked in indecision. It was clear they couldn’t stay in Celebrus, but it didn’t make sense to take another city when there weren’t enough people to hold the cities they had. There was also the question of why the Malic’Uiel had given up Celebrus. They could have won the battle.

Then, there was the issue of Spero itself. With the light from the sun weakened, plants and life would eventually die. Like it or not, the realm of Spero was in its own dance with death.

General Lo and his advisors had been deliberating for far too long over the right course of action. He’d finally called all the leaders together to determine the next steps they would take.

So far, the meeting was unproductive. Soldiers shouted at one another, fighting to be heard over a growing cacophony. Many wanted to leave the city and return to Tutis where they had the chance of carving out a life within its walls.

General Lo had suppressed that option. It would only be a matter of time before they lost everything, including Spero, if they quit their offensive movement.

Kyra held back and listened to the voices around her. Side chatter happened in small groups, and some shouted to be heard over the noise.

“We can’t stay here!”

“We have to bolster our forces!”

“We cannot leave this city!”

“There’s no point in continuing this offensive position. Our armies will be unable to defend against an attack!”

Voice, chaos, screaming, shouting. She watched the scene, eyes narrowed, aggravation eating away at her stomach. The problem with all of it was that many of their arguments were right. Leaving the cities after they’d regained them just opened up the way for the Malic’Uiel to entrench themselves back into Spero. But there weren’t enough people to hold the cities; splitting the army spread their forces too thin. As it was, even with the Lumenii, their army was still far less in number than the rabid forces the Malic’Uiel had created for themselves.

She chewed on her lip, watching the scene unfold in front of her.

Out of nowhere, a hand slid along her side until her body was pressed against another.

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