A Kingdom of Exiles: The Outcast Series by S.B. Nova

Author:S.B. Nova [Nova, S.B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Night Owl Publishing
Published: 2017-12-16T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

The Witch

We woke to a cold and cheerless breakfast of berries and nuts, followed by a long slog in the gloom. With every passing mile I noted the pines thinning, replaced by red maples, and oaks spattered with furry lichen. The air grew thick, stale, and heavy with moisture. Moving was akin to swimming through honey.

The afternoon rolled around, and a report from Adrianna told us we’d be arriving soon. After hours of walking on blisters, it was a gift. The forest floor started to slope downhill; I focused on navigating the ferns, loose stones, and slick moss underfoot. Not even a whisper of a breeze stirred the leaves in the trees, and yet the rich scents of muddied water and decaying vegetation hit me anyway, smothering me.

Frazer grasped the top of my arm, yanking me back. “Careful.”

I blinked stupidly. The swamp had arrived, silent and unseen. The earth gave way suddenly, revealing an overgrown tawny, copper swampland marked by climbing plants, purple waterlilies, and gnarled trees that rose from the water, standing proud like pillars. Like watchful guardians.

A lumpy and rather narrow path started to the right of me, cutting and snaking through the swamp. Our way forward. A sense of foreboding crept in as I failed to trace the track’s direction—its destination was hidden due to wisps of smoke curling off the water, extending toward us like phantom fingers outstretched.

“Well, I’ve seen worse places and lived to tell the tale,” Frazer said in dry amusement.

Ever optimistic.

Cai strode to the swamp’s edge, peering out, hand on hilt, assessing. He turned to us and said, “Well, I’d still rather face whatever’s out there than battle another eerie.”

My stomach lurched, recalling the feeling as the eerie slid under my skin, taking possession. Frazer angled his body toward mine as he sensed my discomfort. It wasn’t a hug, but then that wasn’t his style. I took comfort from it all the same.

With a flap and a thud, Adrianna landed next to us. Cai’s hands slackened at his sides as he regarded her. “This is your court. Any advice before we head out there?”

Adrianna’s shoulders arched and rolled as she flexed her wings. As if loosening them from some deep seated tension locked in her body. “The witches here aren’t like those in the Crescent. They’re loners. They don’t form clans or pool their magic, which makes them suspicious of outsiders. But they still need to make a living, and certain individuals sell their magic,” she said, sounding brittle. “They also ward their doors, so we can’t sneak in. Our best bet might be to visit a witch who has regular customers from outside the swamp. There’s a fae-witch who lives nearby. She might let some of us inside.”

Not much reassurance there.

Cai obviously thought the same as me. “Will she, or won’t she?”

A pause and a frown. Adrianna began, “She’s a strong, solitary fae-witch, living out in the swamps. She’ll be cautious. Especially of strange witches or a wingless fae. Maybe if I go in alone—”

Cai interrupted.

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