Thunder's Rhyme by M.S. Kaminsky

Author:M.S. Kaminsky
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: M.S. Kaminsky
Published: 2020-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

“WHERE’S GRIFFIN?” RAYN turned to Atish, eyes wide.

“He was right behind me—”

Rayn’s heart slammed in her chest and her stomach cramped. “Yang-Soon! We lost Griffin!”

They pushed back through the crowd. Rayn forgot how unruly the streets got on the last workday of the cycle. Everyone had appointments to keep, people to see, or items to buy before shops closed. And before the dome powered off.

Rayn glanced up at the golden shield that separated the city from the storms that raged on the other side. Few citizens were brave or stupid enough to venture out without the dome’s protection. Even the Storm People sheltered during the night when the storms were at their worst. It was then that free beasts prowled the city, scavenging for scraps.

“We have to find him quick!” Rayn said. She saw her own panic mirrored in Yang-Soon’s face.

A good leader never shows fear, even if they feel it. Rayn heard her mother’s stern voice in her head. Except for her skill at quieting her mind when taming free beasts, the calm—Cria said cold—demeanor of her mother remained elusive. She took deep breaths and tried to stay centered.

If you can face a dactyl, you can handle this. Now, where is he!?

Rayn surveyed the area. It bustled with hundreds of people. Griffin was nowhere in sight. To make things worse, with his common clothes, he’d blend in.

Rayn wished she had Ressel here with his keen, bird eyes. She considered calling him but nixed the idea. Too much unwelcome attention. A tornis wasn’t as fearsome as a dactyl but any free beast might send the crowd into a panic. That would mean more Skull soldiers prowling about.

“We’ll split up. Atish, you go toward the tanner’s shop. Krim, you’re a fast runner. Search the entire road until just before the castle. Yang-Soon, search Farmer’s Square. I’ll go with you. Everyone else, meet back at the church in fifteen. Hopefully, one of us will have found him.”

Rayn and Yang-Soon darted across the road and were almost hit by a fast-moving carriage pulled by a wilder beast. The man swore at them and cracked his whip, snapping Yang-Soon behind the ear. Yang-Soon winced but stayed focused.

“Remember, Griffin will blend in and it’s crowded. Look closely,” Rayn warned as they entered the bustling Farmer’s Square. They attracted more attention from the farmers than she would have liked. Growing food was difficult in the Golden City. Farmers were a suspicious bunch, and Rayn and Yang-Soon were unfamiliar faces. Rayn noticed a woman lean toward her husband and point. The man whispered something back and she narrowed her eyes.

Rayn led Yang-Soon away from them, deeper into the throng. Farmers were there to trade their beasts or crops. Others had appointments to bring the choicest goods into Lord Zul’s castle. Field owners gathered workers to take them to barracks near the crops so they’d be ready to toil when the dome reactivated the next day.

Allowing her eyes to soften, Rayn searched from left to right. It was the same technique she used to watch for free beasts in the storm lands.

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