Of Blood, Shadows, and Death by Brandy Nacole

Author:Brandy Nacole [Nacole, Brandy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Two hours and three loaded wagons later, we say a quiet farewell to the village as we cut across the fields to the mountain pass. Ivory wanted to keep our departure as quiet as possible, so we waited for dusk to fall and the villagers to go in for their dinner. The fewer eyes on us, the better.

Mage strides with confidence as she leads the others. Leaf is on Lilly in the back with Luca, who is riding his beloved stud Eclipse. The two are talking in hushed whispers and my sisterly hackles stand tall. I’ll be needing to talk with Luca very soon.

As before we ride through the night and only stop to let the horses rest and drink. Ivory, Ms. Crane, and Joann ride in the front wagon. They speak very little as we travel, but there are times I hear their hushed concerns. The biggest being my Grams state of mind.

I let them speak without interrupting, though I have questions of my own. To be honest, I’m afraid of knowing what they will say. Whether they can help save Grams being my main concern. But I know it is not a question they can answer, not until they feel the darkness that has a hold on her.

My concerns carry me through the night, the silence a heavy hum in my ears. The troat of the horses’ hooves an echo in the still night. The lights to our house finally come into view in the early morning fog. Mage picks up her stride, thankful to be home where she can rest. The others oblige to keep up with her.

Dad greets us at the gate. “Welcome,” he calls as the wagons pass. Once we are all through, he shuts the gate and eagerly joins us in front of the house. “I’ve got hay beds and water ready for the horses,” he voices, already prepared to help how he can. From the dark circles still under his eyes, I know he hasn’t rested much since we’ve been gone.

I slide off Mage’s back and reach around to stroke her neck. “Thank you again, friend, for offering your loyalty.” She neighs and nudges her nose against my side.

Dad places his hand on her nose. “Yes, thank you for bringing my girls home.” He then pulls me into a hug. “So glad you returned safe, kid.” He turns to look at the wagons. “And with company. I never doubted you.”

“Thanks, Dad.” I step out of his arms and lead Mage to the barn. A sheen of sweat glistens on her coat, as it does on the other horses.

“Where’s your sister?” Dad asks, looking through the crowd of gathered witches in our yard.

I point to where she and Luca are laughing as they look around the barn. “She’s showing off Picker Nickle.”

“I don’t like the looks of this at all,” dad grumbles as he leads Mage into the barn. There’s not much I can say as I look at the two. Luca has been a good friend to us throughout our travels.

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.