The Rogue of Darkfae City by Drake Richard T

Author:Drake, Richard T
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780648366089
Publisher: Twisted Myth Publishing
Published: 2023-05-17T00:00:00+00:00

25

For the first time in two thousand years, when the Heart of the Farawood dawned, it left the Tower of the Twisted Stars behind.

As Sike predicted, the Guardians’ magical barrier stayed in place throughout the night, allowing the companions a much needed rest. Then, less than an hour ago, as dawn broke, the Heart of the Farawood shifted. The world dissolved in a swirl of white that drifted slowly past them, as if they were moving through the clouds.

Then it was gone. The forest seemed strangely hushed in its wake. It was somehow empty, more green and ordinary. The dreamlike glow that blushed between the trunks had vanished. The trees had changed too, becoming more leafy and droopy, even the plants that grew in the foliage.

Kado remembered what Sike had said about the Heart of the Farawood. How the Mother’s healing had been completed, the Weaving flourishing with Her abundant power. Looking around at the very ordinary forest now, Kado realized how much of Lor’s magical wonder had been lost in the Unraveling. Lost, or warped and corrupted like Darkfae City.

The companions were gathered in a sparse patch of undergrowth, a few yards from the tower’s paved courtyard. Around them, the woods chirped merrily, oblivious to the world’s growing peril.

“Looks like we’re pretty close,” Gambel said, staring at the map that Sike had scratched into the dirt, and the stick that represented the Tower of the Twisted Stars. “Do you think we will make it today?”

“Not today.” The Iron Viper wore a stony expression. “But if we are swift, we should reach the banks of the Silk River tomorrow. This is the path the Mother has laid for us.”

Kado shuffled on his feet. He had Nyoki tucked inside his hood, and could feel the cloak tugging at his shoulders as the little creature looked about. Ceravier sat beside them, his tail swishing restlessly. The glamor-cat had taken the form of a black and white tabby, about the size of a small dog.

Kado’s gaze returned to Sike’s map. His eyes drifted from the stick that represented their current position to the winding strand of grass that depicted the Silk River—the massive waterway that sliced through the Farawood Forest and marked the boundary of the Gilded Empire.

According to Sike, once the companions crossed those waters, they would be safe from the Scorched Queen. Any attempt she made to capture Nyoki would have to be covert, or limited to those forces she could pass off as belonging to Darganon.

What Kado really wanted was to get to their destination—Dwabida Teechi, the City of Lanterns—represented on Sike’s map by a large stone.

“We will move through the canopy to cover our trail,” Sike said, rising fluidly to her feet. “Now that the tower is beyond the Heart of the Farawood, its crown will be visible above the forest. The Scorched Queen doesn’t take risks. Darganon will soon dispatch his forces. We need to be far from here by the time they arrive. Let’s go.”

The Iron Viper leaped straight up, landing lightly on a branch some thirty feet overhead.

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