Sea of Starlight (The Riven Kingdoms #2) - Shari L. Tapscott Page 0,48
leg trying to save you when you charged in like a blasted fool.”
Morgan chuckles under his breath.
“End of the ride,” Braith says, lowering me to the ground.
I’d almost forgotten he was carrying me.
“You think you can stand?” he asks.
Gulping, I nod.
“Stay inside the circle,” Rhys instructs, stepping up next to me. “You’re fine as long as you don’t wander away from us.”
I’d tell him I have no intention of wandering, except I’m not sure I can find my voice.
When I see the monsters cautiously approaching, terror washes through me, giving me new energy. Instincts tell me to run.
They’re nothing like the wolves in my mind.
There are three of the creatures, walking on two legs like bent humans. Scraggly fur covers their bodies, and when they are close enough, I spot long talons extending from paws that are more like hands.
“Just three?” Lewis questions.
“The rest of the pack must be hanging back,” Rhys answers. “These are scouts, sent to test us.”
“Let’s make sure they don’t return with information,” Morgan says.
The knight sprints forward, sword raised as he yells a battle cry into the night.
“Wretched fool,” Aeron mutters under his breath before he follows him into the fight, pulling an arrow from his quiver and readying his bow.
I cry out as the creature at the front lunges for Morgan, but the knight is ready for him. He whirls out of the way, slicing through the beast’s belly. The monster screams like a wounded dog, making me shrink away from the horrific cry.
“Don’t watch,” Rhys says from my side.
“Watch what?”
But it’s too late. The monster dissolves in front of my eyes, bubbling into nothing, just like the tiraiths.
I step back, gasping.
It’s a sight I’ll never be able to forget.
Aeron and Morgan quickly deal with the two remaining wolves, taking them down with the ease of knights training in the castle courtyard.
I’m careful to look away when the remaining two fall, not daring to witness their strange disappearance again.
Morgan holds up his blade into the night, hollering a victory cry.
“Come on,” Rhys says. “We’re almost there.”
“Do you think the others…?” I glance back, terrified to turn my back on the dead creatures, even if they’ve melted into nothing.
“Not likely,” my knight says. “At least not yet. And we’ll be at Talbin before they work up the nerve.”
I shiver and walk beside him, still exhausted but slightly steadier after the break Braith allowed me.
The city grows in front of us, an oasis in the night.
The guards greet us from atop their stations on the wall.
“Made quick work of them, didn’t you?” one laughs after he instructs the men to open the gates.
“Filthy beasts,” Morgan calls back. “I could have taken five more.”
“We were fortunate their numbers were few,” Rhys says, flashing the knight a warning look.
The gates shut behind us, and then the massive iron bar is slid into place with a satisfying thud. I don’t think I’ve ever heard such a glorious sound.
“We’re not safe yet,” Rhys says when I pause to catch my breath. “We need to get inside.”
Discouraged, I follow him through the quiet streets. There’s not a soul out, but hundreds of lanterns hang from eaves and stakes throughout the city, flickering in the lonely darkness.
We reach a building that appears to be the tavern, though it’s not marked. Rhys knocks three times and then waits.
A small viewing hole in the door swings open. The man who appears on the other side is protected by thick glass. Apparently satisfied we’re not monsters, he swings the door open. “Welcome back.”
We filter inside, and the man shuts the door behind us and immediately sets the lock.
I shiver, wondering what else might be lurking out there.
There are a few lone patrons in the tavern, but they keep to themselves. We’re too large a group to sit at one table, so we split up. Morgan and Aeron take seats at the bar. Braith, Cabe, Tryndon, and Lewis choose a table, and Rhys and I sit at the one next to it.
Every muscle in my body protests when I lower myself onto the hard, wooden chair. I fold over, pressing my cheek to the table, certain I could fall asleep right here.
“You did well today,” Rhys says quietly.
“Liar,” I whisper, trying to laugh. It comes out as a stuttered breath.
“No, you did. Crossing the Chasm is not for the faint of heart. It was a lot to ask of you so soon into the journey.”