Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 110079 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 367(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110079 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 367(@300wpm)
“Actually, there’s an opportunity coming up in the next couple of weeks to take out Feng in Bellcairn.”
“No shit!” Adrian gasped, drawing a snicker out of Tyche. Definitely not the most professional reaction. This was why Adrian was happy to remain a royal guard and not be an advisor. He couldn’t talk like proper officials or hide his feelings.
Vitor tapped on the laptop, bringing up the map of Thia on the screen. “We have several allies in Uris-Oladul and Damardor who would very much like to see New Rosanthe return to their borders.”
Tyche clicked his tongue and stared at the map. “Not surprised. Uris-Oladul can read the writing on the wall. They saw how New Rosanthe erased Damardor. It’s only a matter of time before they join Damardor. If they’re going to have any hope of being an independent country again, they need to strike now.”
Vitor grunted in agreement. “Feng is scheduled to go to Bellcairn in two weeks, where he is to be present for a special flag-raising ceremony over the former capital. There are already talks of protests and marches happening during the event. Word has spread throughout Damardor about the missing people. The capital has become a powder keg.”
Tyche grinned and knocked his fist on the table twice. “And we’ll bring the matches.”
TWENTY-FOUR
OMARI HARU
As they’d started making all their plans and discussing the importance of disguises once they were in Bellcairn, one enormous problem had immediately reared its head: How the hell were they going to get to Damardor?
Normally, they would have taken a ship, but the seas were currently crawling with Order ships. The odds of being boarded by the Order or simply sunk were far too high. Any attempt to outrun them or fight back would draw unwanted attention. It was critical that they sneak into the country.
Flying in via dragon was also out. Haru could fly all of them a short distance, but taking all three of them over the mountains that covered Zastrad and parts of Uris-Oladul was out of the question. They’d freeze before they arrived.
There had been one option remaining: A train line ran from Sirelis all the way to the southern border with Zastrad and former New Rosanthe, where it ended in the tiny town of Green Hollow. From there, they could go through the narrow pass in the mountains between Zastrad and New Rosanthe. Unless the Order had gotten greedy, that pass was still in Zastrad and would allow them to cross into Uris-Oladul without putting a toe into New Rosanthe. From there, it was a somewhat safe and fast trek across southern Uris-Oladul to Damardor and the capital.
The bonus was that most of the territory was uninhabited forest. Haru could fly them most of the distance without anyone noticing.
“This plan is insane,” Adrian grumbled from the other side of their private room on the train.
It was their second full day on the train, and Haru was now accustomed to the gentle rocking as it steadily clacked its way across Caspagir. It had been slow progress. Shey had explained that this train line was the main one for the country and connected most of the major cities outside of Sirelis. The first day had been filled with stops, but today had been faster travel with only a couple of stops.
“You dislike traveling by train, my Adrian?” Haru inquired with a soft smile at his little dark rain cloud.
Adrian scowled. “It isn’t about traveling by train. I did it some in Erya, but not much. No, the problem is that we don’t know what’s happening in Green Hollow right now. The town is so damn close to the border with New Rosanthe. I wouldn’t be surprised if those bastards have sent in soldiers to harass the people.”
His mate spoke the truth. In the last few hours, Shey had stopped getting messages from Sirelis. Green Hollow wasn’t just close to New Rosanthe. The town was also close to the Ordas. As a result, this stretch of the railroad swung close to that danger zone. The old magic blocked out all signals. Shey had explained that old-fashioned telegraph lines ran from Green Hollow to Wolfpine and Lewes—towns farther north—so they weren’t completely cut off. But Green Hollow was very much a frontier town.
Haru could see the appeal of living in a tiny town, away from the overwhelming hustle and bustle of cities like Sirelis. The one major town on the Isle of Stone sat on the edge of the chasm with tall buildings and many shops for all people to enjoy—both dragons and those poor outcasts.
Yet, all the clan homes were much quieter and less busy. Sure, hundreds of Omari clan mates constantly surrounded him, but they were all family. Not strangers.
While he had still seen little of Sirelis, it was very similar to his cousin’s home in Stormbreak Point. And Stormbreak had all the same crazy, busy activity of rushing cars, tall buildings, and hundreds of thousands of strangers. Adrian had spent his entire life there. It was his home.