The Vermillion Isles: (Harmion, Book 2) by Richard A. Swingle

Author:Richard A. Swingle [Swingle, Richard A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781916117051
Publisher: LWP
Published: 2020-07-15T22:00:00+00:00

A cold evening fell upon the beach and creatures scurried up through the dunes to bask in the freshness gifted by the coastal breeze. Their peace was met with chaos, stretching from the northern cliffs to the peninsula at the opposite end of the beach where preparations were underway. River had charged Jade to ensure that the bodies were cleaned, wrapped and loaded onto their finest vessel. It had been years since the Audacia had left Shadow Cove and sailed the ocean as no attack had required its service since before the war.

River had never captained a ship as large. She always rode as a passenger, an assassin, hiding in the wings, but today she had decided to take control of the warship and commit her family to the ocean. They deserved to have the proper ocean burial that had been the custom for so long. But first she had to find Summer.

As fear and confusion spread, the islanders became increasingly tense. River’s own suspicion grew as each moment passed but she simply could not believe that her lover would have wronged her so.

A loud rumbling sound began to fill the air and the earth shook. Cracks appeared in the sand on the beach and swallowed anything that lay upon it.

Everyone screamed.

The schooner prepared for the burials had disappeared beneath quicksand in the beach and taken a dozen people down with it. River cast her gaze towards the mountain and smoke poured from the summit.

The volcano had been angered. Suddenly there was so much to do. So many things to fix and too many people to save.

River ran to the soldiers who had survived the sinking ship where they gathered with Jade. They were suffering from shock at how quickly the earth had opened to claim the lives of their kin.

‘It is the volcano. Something is seriously wrong. Get everyone off this island now.’

The soldier nearest to her was lost in despair. He forgot his place for a moment. ‘We are tens of thousands of settlers, the townsfolk are an hour’s ride away. Half our ships docked. What would you have us do?’

‘Soldier, do whatever it takes. Get the students onto their training vessels. The schooners will ready in half the time of the warships.’

The gathering of soldiers looked despondently towards one another, but knew they must act immediately. Time was no ally.

The farmers and townsfolk nearby had come to pay their respects to Volcan and now had been plunged into desperation, a diaspora of confusion. Who would lead them now? They had lost both their fathers in one fell swoop and the ground itself had opened up to suck them beneath the earth.

River couldn’t handle them now; she would have to further burden her fellow soldiers.

‘Form groups of a dozen or so and make sure we are well supplied. The ships may be home for some time. Assign a soldier to each group and instruct them to act quickly.’

Where are you, Summer? Damn you.

A man broke through the forest boundary on horseback.

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