Total pages in book: 248
Estimated words: 236909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1185(@200wpm)___ 948(@250wpm)___ 790(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 236909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1185(@200wpm)___ 948(@250wpm)___ 790(@300wpm)
“Sera?”
Finishing off the piece of cheese, I glanced over at Nektas. “Yeah?”
“You okay?” he asked, looking at me and then returning his gaze to the road ahead.
It took me a moment to realize what he was asking, and when I did, a flush swept through me. My hands tightened on Gala’s reins. It felt like my tongue thickened, becoming heavy and useless as my heart began to pound.
You okay?
Such a simple question. One easily answered by many, I imagined. One I could’ve answered that morning without hesitation or much thought. You okay? Now, the question was loaded with meaning because not only the Pools of Divanash knew a secret not known to others. Nektas did, too.
“I…I think so,” I said finally, beating back the prickly, uncomfortable wave. “I will be,” I added with a shrug. “I always am.”
“Not everyone can always be okay,” he said quietly. “And if you happen to find that you’re not, you can talk to me. We’ll make sure you’re okay. Agreed?”
Throat and eyes stinging, my head whipped toward him. His gaze was still fixed on the road, and I didn’t know if he did that on purpose or not. Maybe he knew that it was easier this way. “Agreed,” I whispered.
“Good,” he replied, and for a time, that was all that was said. A silence fell between us as a knot lodged itself deep in my chest, where that crack had formed.
I was moved by his offer, a little shaken and caught off guard. It was an unexpected…kindness, and it made me want to dive face-first into the road at the same time I wanted to hug the draken.
“Halt,” Nektas ordered sharply.
Jerked from my thoughts, I drew Gala to a stop. Concern blossomed. “What is it?”
He tipped his head back, sniffing the air. “We’re about to have company.” His chin dipped as his gaze swept over the land, barren except for the large boulders and scattered, dead trees that must’ve grown from the lakes that had once flowed here. “And it will not be of a friendly nature.”
“Great.” I reached along Gala’s side and unstrapped one of the short swords Nyktos had placed there. “I knew this trip felt too uneventful.” I followed his gaze, not seeing anything at first. Then movement by one of the frail, hollow trees close to the road snagged my attention. I squinted as my grip firmed around the hilt of the sword.
“Do not strike first,” Nektas warned quietly. Thin, long fingers folded around the edge of the trunk, the color a muddy grayish-brown. The fingers curled, digging into the bark. Claws. I stiffened. A thin arm became visible, the skin appearing hard and craggy, like…bark. “They may allow us to pass without incident. Ride slowly. Stay alert.”
I watched that hand on the tree as I nudged Gala forward. “What are they?”
Nektas brought his horse closer to mine. “They’re nymphs, and they’re ancient. They were normally kind, benevolent creatures that lived in the forests and lakes throughout Iliseeum, tending to the land that fed them. Friends of the dragons and then the Primals and gods,” he said, and I zeroed in on the normally part of that statement and the past tense of the rest. “But they are now yet another repercussion of Kolis’s actions. When he stole Eythos’s embers, it corrupted them. Turned them into creatures of nightmares that now feed off pain and torture.”
“Oh,” I whispered. “They sound lovely.”
“They used to be one of the loveliest creatures you’d ever see in Iliseeum,” he returned.
I didn’t let myself feel the twinge of sadness that accompanied the knowledge that Kolis had tainted them. It would do me no favors if I did and they decided that they wouldn’t let us pass. “Were they here when we traveled to the Pillars?”
“They are always here.”
I thought about how both Nyktos and he had been eyeing the land. “Are they what drew Ehthawn away?”
“Probably.” Nektas’s hand rested on the sword strapped to his horse. “They don’t usually attack a Primal or their Consort. Anything and everything else is fair game. Neither draken fire nor eather does anything to them. The only way to stop them is to remove their heads.”
“Great,” I murmured as we passed the tree the one lurked behind. I caught sight of another behind a boulder. “How many do you think are here?”
“There could be hundreds,” he said, and my heart seized. “But I have seen only about a dozen near the road.”
“Must be that good draken eyesight because I’ve only seen two.”
“It is. I also know what to look for.”
We traveled several minutes in tense silence. I saw one more. This time, a little bit more of the nymph. A spindly leg. A foot latched into the bark.
The Rise came more into view, and I was just starting to be a little hopeful that they’d let us pass when Nektas muttered, “Shit.”