Witch Lies: A Fantasy Young Adult Series (The Order of the Cursed Book 4) by Lisa Morrow

Author:Lisa Morrow [Morrow, Lisa]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Published: 2021-03-05T00:00:00+00:00

7

Rose

“You there!” someone shouted, we turned to see Ugar walking quickly towards us, his sword drawn.

In an instant, Asher was in front of me, his sword clutched in his hand.

I knew what he must have seen: a man tattered and filthy, face smeared with mud, and an ugly red scar only too visible beneath the mud. He looked dangerous, and he was, but not to us.

“Ugar!” I cried, moving out from behind Asher. “It’s Rose, and I’ve brought a friend to help.”

He lowered his sword but didn’t put it down. “Tell your friend, it’s a dangerous thing to draw one’s sword in Sereus.”

Asher glared. “One against one. I can handle those odds.”

“My archers feel a little differently,” he said, nodding up to the trees.

Squinting, I saw nothing at first, until a slight movement drew my gaze to a man, his arrow pointed squarely at Asher’s chest.

“Re-sheath your sword,” I hissed.

He did as I told him.

“Just so you know,” Asher whispered, his lips touching my ear. “I knew they were there. I was going to knock them out of the trees with my magic.”

I tried not to look impressed. “I guess that’d help a lot, if they didn’t shoot you first.” Then, I turned to Ugar. “Can you take us to Norma?”

Ugar said nothing; instead, he turned towards the village.

In no time at all, we were among the blackened buildings.

“What happened to this place?” Asher asked in horror.

“We can keep the wizards out with enough magic,” Ugar said, looking back at us. “But their little Undead beasts slip through the little holes the wizards make and usually cause quite a ruckus before we send them back to Persephone.”

Asher paled.

I put my hand in his. “They have a magical wall around all of Tarak. The Protectors use their powers to keep it strong, but it hasn’t been enough.”

An awkward silence followed my words as we both stared at Asher, waiting for his reaction. Luckily, it didn’t take long.

“What are the Undead creatures like?” Asher asked, meeting Ugar’s gaze.

“Unpleasant,” he said, and then added, “they have the heads of lizards and the bodies of men. They’re quick little buggers, and strong, but not very bright.”

“Delightful,” Asher muttered.

I tried to change the subject before Ugar said more to frighten Asher. “And Norma knows about the deal I made with Hera?”

A grin spread the man’s scarred face. “Goddesses’ teeth, you know she does, and she can’t wait to send those creatures to Persephone, once and for all.”

We walked through the rest of town, past the charred temple, where the Oracle knelt alone on the gray marble. A few stray warriors stood talking, leaning against burned walls, but there was an air of tension sizzling through them as they glanced our way.

“Why do your men always seem so alert?” I asked, trying to ignore the lingering concerns the glances of the warriors left festering inside of me.

Ugar stopped at Norma’s door. “Sometimes the stronger beasts will make Forever Shadows, shadows that stay even through the day. They’ll wait till mornin’, when we think we’re all safe, and pop out and kill a few of us.

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