By the Sword - By Sara Flower Page 0,41

much to Talya’s relief. No wonder the Malinorians preferred the elegant equestrians over firedrakes.

Talya jumped off of her steed, enjoying the feel of solid ground beneath her feet. A soft, trickling sound reminded her of how thirsty she was. She followed the sound and came to a small stream.

“Come here, girl,” Talya cooed to the horse.

The mare trotted over and they both had a long drink of the refreshing water. Talya also splashed some on her dust stained face and arms. She would never take the valuable liquid for granted again.

The air was very warm and humid. No fire was needed.

Talya scanned the area. The trees there were the tallest that Talya had ever seen. Their trunks were as thick as houses and they seemed to extend into the sky for miles. She wondered if the insects and spiders were also much larger than normal. At least she now had a dagger with her if that were the case.

The familiar smell of roasted beast filled her nostrils. It had to be pork. Her stomach rumbled. It felt like ages since she had eaten.

Her horse grazed hungrily on the lush, leafy bushes all around them.

At least one of us won’t go hungry.

Talya wanted to see where the aroma was coming from. Was it the giants making their evening meal, or was it the Malinorians? If it was the latter, she would have to find the giants soon.

Deep voices arose in the distance. As Talya quietly made her way through the thick brush, she saw two Malinorian knights standing nearby in a clearing. They were both digging their teeth into large chunks of meat.

Talya slowly backed away, stepping carefully. She could not afford to be heard, let alone spotted. Not without a decent weapon. It was not that kind of mission anyway.

Talya had no idea what part of the forest the giants would live in.

You would think that they would be easy enough to spot.

Talya didn’t even know which direction to go. Maybe that was the idea. God probably wanted her to depend on Him instead of her own strength for a change.

“All right, Lord, I admit that I really need Your help. It was stupid of me to think that I could do this on my own.”

Talya felt strange asking Him to help her. She was probably the last person that had the right to be asking for God’s help.

Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and she searched for even the slightest hint of human civilization.

The night was calm and quiet.

Just like the evening when I killed Waltez.

The memory of his face just before she had impaled him with her sword flashed through her mind. She tried in vain to forget about it. The eerie stillness only made her think of it more. If Talya did not know better, she would have thought that Waltez had regretted burning down that village.

Suddenly, a bunch of leaves and branches rained down on her.

What is going on?

Chapter Eleven

Chrissa closed her eyes. She wished that she could just disappear. She opened them again and wanted to cry. One of her handmaidens curled the last few strands of her ebony hair.

Chrissa could barely breathe in the overly tight black corset gown that she wore. Another one of her servants placed the long, matching lace veil over her head.

“You look so beautiful, my lady. Naeshi will be so proud to have you as his bride,” breathed one of the girls.

Chrissa took a deep breath. It was the most depressing day of her life.

“I think I’m going to be ill,” she said.

“Don’t say such a thing,” said her eldest handmaid. “You can’t let anything spoil your beauty today. Have a glass of water to settle down.”

“I need a moment alone,” said Chrissa.

The girls stared at her for a moment before finally leaving her in peace. Chrissa fought to hold back the tears that had threatened to fall all morning. She just wanted to die.

Die, or become someone else.

A soft, cool breeze streamed into the heavily fragranced room. Chrissa went to the open window and took in more of the fresh air. It would be the last time that she would be able to enjoy the view of the grounds surrounding the barracks where she could watch the army march and train.

She and Naeshi would live in the west wing of the castle. Chrissa would spend the majority of her days there, unless her husband allowed her to leave the room.

Husband?

Chrissa shuddered. She closed her eyes again, imagining