The Twelve Kingdoms (Rose Wolfe and the Twelve Kingdoms Book 1) by Dana A. Caldwell

Author:Dana A. Caldwell [Caldwell, Dana A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mystic Mongoose Books
Published: 2024-09-20T00:00:00+00:00

The Ruins of Valintros

Morning came, yet there was no relief from the crushing darkness of the forest. We hiked for hours, picking our way through the thorny brush that grew chaotically, snagging our clothes and scratching any exposed skin.

The terrain arched upward as we walked, and the sharp branches morphed into a leafy grove. Vines snaked across the ground, now littered with chunks of rubble. A new chill laced the air, haunting in a beautiful, ancient way.

The forest deepened as we walked, the grass shifting into a carpet of moss. Stone arches towered above us, chipped and overgrown, held together by sheer might—the abandoned skeleton of something once great.

“What is this place?” I breathed.

“Long ago, it was the Hall of Valintros.” Animo ran his hands across a broken stone pillar. “Before Daria, Valintros was the heart of the elven kingdom. Now it’s a graveyard.”

“Is it safe?” Megs asked, rubbing goosebumps from her arms.

“As safe as one can be in this place,” he replied, leading us through the archway.

A view of the leafy canopy replaced the ceiling. Moss and vines encroached on the ruins, winding around broken tables and climbing the cracked walls. In thick, stone chairs sat pale skeletons with arrows and knives protruding from their bones.

“What happened?” Hertz asked.

“Goblins,” Animo said darkly.

My brows lifted. Is this the place he told me about? The old fortress where the goblins had defeated Salvator Regiis.

Animo’s finger grazed an arrow embedded in an elf’s bone. Scraps of frayed fabric were still pinned between the wooden shaft and the skeleton’s ribcage.

“Is there anything here we could use?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Whatever the elves left is sure to have been picked clean. But it will give us shelter for the night.”

Though the sun was hours from setting, we made camp in the remains of a dining hall. Skeletons stared through gaps in the crumbling walls, yet their sightless gaze gave me no trepidation. For the first time since entering the Silver Forest, I almost felt comfortable.

An owl hooted, gliding above us as Animo lit the fire. The dry wood caught quickly, crackling as the flames devoured the kindling.

Megs began to hum, swaying back and forth. Her humming shifted into vocalizing a jaunty tune I knew well.

Da, da, da, da,

Da, da, da, di-ah!

I grimaced. “I’m not sure singing is a wise idea.”

“Our fire is one of the few lights that burn within this domain,” Animo said. “We have already drawn attention to ourselves.”

Megs grinned, bursting into song.

He spins her round and round and round,

Tomorrow, though, he won’t be found,

Gone away to fight the war,

Like the other men before.

“Enough singing,” Hertz said through clenched teeth.

“No, thank you!” She climbed onto a broken table, dancing in circles. Ketch hopped up beside her, and together they belted.

He’ll leave the girl without the lies,

One ‘I love you’ then he flies.

Hold him close, say goodbye,

Tell him quick before he dies.

Yellow eyes gazed from the brush. The ring of steel sliced the forest as Animo and I drew our blades.

Da,

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