King of Blood by Ava Mason

Author:Ava Mason [Mason, Ava]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-09-10T05:00:00+00:00

11

Stryder

As much as I wanted to stay in the hidden chamber with Kip for the rest of the night, I knew I needed to return her to her chamber. She was exhausted and there were things I needed to attend to before I could rest. We walked back to her bedroom quietly, our hands linked. I brought her into the room and waited as she took a fast bath and changed into a nightgown. When she was ready, I turned back the covers and watched her crawl in between them.

Kip was asleep before her head even fully settled on the soft pillow. Her restful breathing raised the sheets in a soft rhythm. I watched her for a while before turning to go, wishing I could curl up with her. But, I had duties as protector of my court, and that came first.

The invasion during my absence had been brutal. I began my tour of the realm on the back of Thunder by going in a semicircle away from the palace. Areas of the land, once fertile and full of farmers and ranchers and livestock, had been burned to the ground, razed by the enemies of my court. Even though the sun wasn't yet up, the inhabitants of the court were up, trying to put the pieces of their lives back together. Torches and lanterns created pools of light on patches of land while others used enchantments to create larger illuminated areas. Families worked in the wreckage of their homes, putting them back together with whatever they had on hand to repair them.

Or worse, they buried their dead. Far too many homes had hastily put together cemeteries just beyond their back doors. Far too many of those had gravestones of fathers and sons killed in battle, or mothers and daughters killed for sport. It turned my stomach.

An elderly woman was struggling to carry a plank of wood back to her home and I stopped to help her. Gratefully she let me carry it for her, but her eyes belied the fear she was feeling inside. I set about moving things into place, enjoying the break to do something mindless and physical. I saw Lorcan, wearing a dark, unmarked tunic and carrying a longsword on his back, walking yards away. I called out to him and he came to join me, looking somewhat puzzled and perhaps embarrassed.

"Sire, what are you doing here?" he asked, a note of incredulity in his voice.

"This woman needs help. Are your men nearby?"

"I have a few near here. I can fetch them if you would like, my lord," he responded, taking the other end of a long plank and walking with me.

"Why are you and others so close to the palace, rather than at your posts beyond the Court walls? Is the palace guard that depleted?"

"No sir, they are doing their jobs exceptionally, as usual," he said hurriedly. "It's just that a few of the men and I had been acting as roaming guards, sir. Bit of an undercover job, if you will.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.