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)
An image of my mother flashes across my mind, as it always does whenever I step foot in these dragon lands. The scene is of the last time I saw her, at the front of the square ship, the lone person at the helm with five hundred rockdeer packed behind her. Though I grew up in the capital I had never seen what happened every moon at Sacrifice Bay on the outskirts of the city of Lerick. I always thought the deer would be bleating, terrified at being herded onto the long, wide boat, but what struck me was the silence. It’s like they knew their only purpose in life was to end up as dragon food.
The silence extended to my mother. She had the same look in her eyes as the sacrificial deer, as if she always knew her purpose would come to this, to be used as a pawn for a religion of sycophants and hypocrites. She stared directly at me while the Black Guard held me in place at the front of the crowd, forced to watch, just as they forced me to watch my father’s execution, and then with a lingering look that I still can’t seem to decipher to this day, she turned around and steered the boat toward the very land I’m standing on now.
Both of my parents were so elegant and poised when facing their death. I fear that when my time comes, their composure will not have been passed on to me.
I sigh and shake my head, clearing the memory before my attention goes to Lemi again.
I freeze.
My heart thundering in my throat.
Lemi is gone.
And in his place is a dark-cloaked figure standing at the end of the shore.
I’m not alone here.
Chapter 2
Brynla
I blink just as the wind shifts and the haze clears a little, trying to make out the figure standing in the distance. I pull down my mask, as if that will help me concentrate better, and squint, while my other hand reaches over my shoulder and pulls out one of the swords, the ash glass sliding silently. There’s no doubt the dark figure has seen me, but even so, I don’t want any noise to attract the dragons and definitely not before I’ve found their nest.
Has to be another thief, I think, slowly walking forward toward them, wincing at the sound of my boots crunching on a dead crab and blackened barnacles. But the Norland and Vesland syndikats have their thieves landing on the north and west sides of the Midlands. I always come from the east. There’s no chance that any of them could have traveled this way, at least not by land. So either this person is from another syndikat and has come by boat to the east side or…
Or perhaps Ruunon hired someone else while I’ve been out sick. Perhaps this person is my replacement. Perhaps I’m being watched to see how well I do.
To see if I fail.
The skin on my neck prickles. Whether this person is meant to replace me or whether they’re part of an enemy cartel, I don’t think they mean to let me live. Coming across them was no accident. They wanted me to see them.
This isn’t good.
I stop just as movement comes from my right and Lemi suddenly appears out of the air, his tongue hanging out from the heat but otherwise looking unharmed. I quickly glance back to the mystery figure but they’re gone.
Vanished.
There’s no one there at all.
“What in damnation?” I whisper, looking around quickly for the missing intruder. “Lemi, did you see that?”
I know Lemi doesn’t understand most English but that doesn’t stop me from talking to him like he does.
Then another, even more terrible thought comes to me. Did that person see Lemi shift? Shifting dogs aren’t normal as far as I know, and if any of the other syndikats find out that he’s instrumental in finding dragon eggs, he’ll end up the target, not just me.
I reach back and draw out another sword for good measure, gripping them tightly as I start walking toward where the figure was. I know I need to concentrate on finding the nests, but I’m not sure how I’m going to do that now with someone else here.
I glance out at the ocean, wishing the haze would clear. I can’t see the boat past the wards, but I don’t know if it’s because of how far away it is or that the fog is obscuring it…
Or if it’s gone. Maybe the bastard already up and left me. And if he didn’t, I’m starting to think that maybe paying the guy and just getting a ride back to Esland without the eggs might be the best course of action for me. I’ll figure out what to do with the Dalgaard syndikat later.