Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 137226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
“Fuck!” he yells, grabbing his biceps. “It pierced the armor!”
“Hold on,” I tell him just as the lane opens up and we find ourselves at the waterfront. “Almost there.”
Here the tiles are white, giving the whole area a clean appearance, fishing boats neatly tied along the docks, the horses’ hoofbeats echoing loudly as we gallop through throngs of people.
Up ahead is the wharf and at the very end of it, my ship, with Steiner and Toombs on deck and Feet standing on the dock, holding on to the ship’s lines, the sun setting over the horizon behind them.
“Almost there,” I say under my breath. “Come on.”
The wharf itself is wide enough for the carriage, but even so it’s hard to maneuver around all the people fishing off it, most of them having to launch themselves into the water to get out of the way.
“Set sail!” I yell at Toombs.
He nods and he and Steiner run around the ship, attempting to get it underway. Any other time I would have been tickled pink at the idea of Steiner, the most unphysical person I know, lending a helping hand, but he’s actually doing good quick work.
I pull the horses to a stop and jump off the carriage, giving them an appreciative pat as I run to the boat and take the line from Feet. “Get on board, everyone, go, go, go.” The ship is already starting to pull away from the dock, Kirney running past me to leap onboard, along with Vidar, Raine, and Belfaust.
“What about us?” the mint-haired woman says, the other prisoners huddling behind her.
“You can come with us,” I tell them. “Start a new life. Or you can go back to the one you have here.”
“Remember there’s always the Banished Land,” Brynla tells them. “You can keep your freedoms in the Dark City. But if you come with us, you can’t come back here.”
“Brynla, hurry!” I yell at her. I appreciate her compassion but not at the cost of her life.
“All right,” the woman says. “I’m coming.” She looks at the rest of the group. “If you stay, you will die here. Or you’ll find yourself back in that place.”
That’s enough to get the group moving. Brynla and the woman help the old man and the rest of the prisoners toward the ship, helping them onboard.
“What’s your name?” I ask the woman as she hurries past.
“Eydis,” she says, and for the first time I realize how young she must be. Around Steiner’s age.
“Nice to have you on board, Eydis,” I say to her.
Then, once everyone is clear, I let the line go slack and start pushing the ship away from the dock. When it’s at the end of the rope, I leap into the air, rope in hand, splashing into the ocean before climbing up the rope and onto the boat.
Vidar grabs my arm and pulls me the rest of the way, helping me to my feet. “Good to see you, brother,” I tell him.
“Were you successful?” he asks me.
I wipe the wet hair from my forehead and stare at the harbor, watching as the Black Guard starts galloping across the white tiles, like a spreading stain. With any luck the wind will be on our side, taking us straight to the Midlands, a place they wouldn’t dare follow anyway.
Though after all I’ve seen today, I wouldn’t put anything past them.
“Andor?” Vidar says again, until I meet his eyes. They have a feverish sheen to them, no longer as cool and collected as they usually are. “Were you successful? Did you get the egg?”
I nod slowly. “Brynla did, yes.”
“Are you sure it’s the right one?”
“I’m sure we’ll find out,” I tell him carefully.
As if he can tell I’m studying him, his features go blank. “Job well done, then,” he says, before he turns and walks off.
Chapter 33
Brynla
We arrive at the Midlands a day later, the winds favoring us the whole way, anchoring on the other side of the wards. We’re near the northwestern tip of the island, an area that Andor was familiar with but was too far to travel to by small boat from the Banished Land. The region is known for its large sycledrage breeding ground, which are the kind of eggs Steiner thinks will work best for raising dragons. Of all the dragons to attempt to raise, I wouldn’t pick the sycledrage, with its cunning and those huge claws, but I don’t really get a say with the Kolbecks. Part of me thought it was best that we head back to Menheimr first and deal with our stolen egg, but apparently Torsten was adamant on getting his breeding program underway in the event that we weren’t successful, and since we already have a ship and a crew (albeit one that has nearly doubled in size), it was decided we’d still continue on to the Midlands.