The Queen's Vow (The Legend of Hooper's Dragons Book 2) by Darby Gary

Author:Darby, Gary [Darby, Gary]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Gary J. Darby
Published: 2016-09-18T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

“Sister?!” Alonya’s and Desma’s shouts are so perfectly timed, if I didn’t know better I would have thought that they had practiced to make them match.

“Yes,” Fotina replies and gazes at Desma. “But what she wears tells me that you are sisters only in face and form.”

My eyes go to Desma’s skirt as I realize that she wears the blood-red kilt of a Mori, Queen Gru’s notorious murdering Amazos.

“Impossible,” Alonya growls, “I am no child of—”

“Alonya, quiet!” Fotina snaps. “Say no more, this is not the time.”

From where I stand, Desma’s body is rigid, her face a mask of fury. “Just who are you,” she demands of Fotina, “to be giving orders?”

Fotina says, “No one that you would know, princess. I am called Fotina.”

“Fotina,” Desma mutters dismissively. “You’re right, I don’t know you, nor do I care.

“But,” she continues as she points her sword toward Alonya, “I would have whatever this thing is to continue speaking. I would hear her desecrate my mother’s name for they would be the last words she ever speaks.”

Fotina’s hand shoots out and clenches Alonya’s arm tight, holding her sword arm down. “There is a time and place for everything, and this is neither.”

Alonya and Desma glare, their faces like stone, before Alonya slowly takes her hand off her sword hilt. Desma hesitates for a moment as if still weighing the thought to attack Alonya, then calls over her shoulder, “Guard! Forward!”

From a row of boulders that gleam like dragon’s teeth in the moon’s rays, rise shadowy giants. They lumber forward, all with bows notched and at the ready. They pound across the open space until they stop a few paces in front of us, their arrow points leveled at our small company.

Sighting Alonya and Desma together, there is a low muttering among the ranks as if the female warriors cannot trust what their eyes see.

Desma motions toward our company. “Kill the Drachs and the dragons. Spare these two.”

“No! Wait!” Fotina shouts in such a commanding tone that the warriors hesitate. Before Desma can speak or move, Fotina and Alonya spring to one side, putting themselves between the Amazos’ arrows and ourselves.

Fotina says in a firm tone, “Desma, before you unleash your arrows on us, hear what I have to say.”

Desma snarls, “I think I have heard enough, old woman.”

“Old woman or not, you haven’t,” Fotina answers and in a rush of words says, “If we do not move from this spot and speedily, we will find ourselves caught in a trap.”

She turns and points back toward the winding switchbacks, “From there, I saw at least a dozen or more Wilders crossing Two-Spire Pass and beating this way.”

She then points off to a narrow valley to our right. “And from there comes a large band of mountain trolls.”

I can see the uncertainty in Desma’s eyes. Fotina must have as well for she says, “If you don’t believe me, send one of your warriors up to that pinnacle.”

Desma hesitates before over her shoulder she orders, “Krista!” and points at the sharp knoll that rises just to our right.

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