Shake The Earth by Elizabeth Briggs

Author:Elizabeth Briggs [Briggs, Elizabeth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Elizabeth Briggs Books
Published: 2018-12-03T05:00:00+00:00

17

Kira

Slade’s village, Clayridge, was to the west of the Resistance hideout, and as we flew toward it, anxious butterflies flittered around my stomach at the thought of meeting his family. I’d already met both Jasin and Auric’s parents, but for some reason this visit made me the most nervous. Maybe because I sensed how close Slade was with his family and I desperately wanted them to accept me. I worried too that the Dragons had found out who Slade was and done the same thing to Clayridge as they did to Stoneham. I could only pray that his family remained anonymous and safe.

Jasin and Auric flew high, their wings brushing the clouds, to avoid us being detected. Parin’s words made us cautious, knowing that rumors were already beginning about us—rumors that could bring the Dragons after more innocent people if we weren’t careful.

When we flew over Clayridge and saw it was still intact, I let out a sigh of relief. From where he sat behind me, Slade gave me a slight squeeze of his arms. His family was still safe from the Dragons—now I just needed to get them to like me.

My dragons discreetly set down in the nearby forest and returned to their human forms, and then we walked toward the town. Clayridge was about the same size as Stoneham, but it was set up on a hill with a river flowing down below. The terrain was especially rocky, but Slade led us along a well-trodden path up toward the village. Red clay roofs began to appear as we crested the hill, and soon I could see a cluster of stone buildings with a thick wall between them and us. A wall that was meant to protect against elemental attacks, dotted with braziers that could be lit at any moment and large buckets likely filled with water.

A lookout guard stood on top of the wall near the gate, and called out to us as we approached. “Slade, that you?”

Slade chuckled softly. “It’s me, Lon. Let us in, will you?”

“Aye!” the young guard called out, then disappeared from view. The gate slowly creaked open moments later, and we were quickly surrounded by cheery dark-skinned men and women who all wanted to welcome Slade back to the village. He greeted each of them with a kind word, a pat on the back, or a warm nod as he led us inside. My nerves wound even tighter as I smiled at everyone, who would no doubt know who we all were by the end of the night. In a small town like this, nothing remained a secret for very long.

As we moved inside the village, more people came out of the houses and shops to give Slade a wave and a fond greeting. Everyone seemed to know him and love him here, and with each step some of his hard demeanor melted away. It made me wonder what he was like before he’d been sent to find me against his will. Or before Faya had broken his heart.

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