Page 22 of Clash of Kingdoms

I remained several feet behind.

Moments later, the sound of wings was audible overhead, and then the ground shook when they landed among the trees.

I turned back to look at them, but their only visible feature was the reflection of the moon off their scales.

Huntley and I continued forward, a long trek into the darkness, both of us fearing the daylight because of the scorching heat. I would take the blizzards of the west any day over the arid dryness. The soil was different, more like sand than earth, because there was little moisture. The trees weren’t lush pines covered in snow, but trees with shriveled leaves. I was too proud to complain, and so was Huntley, even though he wore the heaviest armor I’d ever seen.

Hours passed—and then I felt something.

Emotions. Lots of emotions from several different sources.

I quickened my steps to catch up to him, and my hand moved to his shoulder to halt him in place. “We aren’t alone.” I kept my voice quiet, unsure how close or far these beings were. “I can feel their minds.”

“Can you discern their identity?”

I shook my head.

“What do you feel?”

I felt various things, but only one was the most prominent. “Hunger.”

Huntley’s chest immediately filled with anger, his grudge against the Teeth a lightning storm. “Then we’re close.”

“Very.”

He reached behind him and grabbed his axe instead of his sword because this wouldn’t be a fight, but a massacre.

We made our way forward, the sun rose higher over the sky, light moving through the brittle leaves of the trees. When their emotions grew louder, I knew we were close. We approached the end of the trees and looked beyond—seeing the entrance to the tunnel. It was ten feet high and ten feet wide, large enough for carts and animals. Torches were lit on either side, even though the sunlight made the illumination unnecessary.

The Teeth were filing out, walking in several rows side by side, sometimes wagons appearing with live animals that they’d fed on along the way. They all look demoralized, like the extensive travel had exhausted every single one of them.

“We need to find Rancor.”

“He would be somewhere in the lead.”

“They must be traveling to the demons…since Rancor is their little bitch.”

“Which means we need to get to Rancor first,” I said. “What about the dragons?”

“I won’t put them at risk unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

I moved to a different side of the tree line, trying to get a better understanding of their trajectory. “They’re headed to the ring of fire. Their path heads east. The route through the mountain probably had many detours.”

Huntley came to my side. “Then we travel back through the trees to get as close to the front of the line as possible. They’re going to need to replenish their canteens after being under the mountains for so long, and there was that small river we passed.”

I’d barely call it a river, it was so small. “You’re right.”

“It’s still a long journey to the ring. They’ll need to rest tonight. That’s when we make our move.”

“Agreed.”

Just as Huntley predicted, they camped that night near the stream. Tents were erected in the dirt, but most of the Teeth slept in cots directly under the sky. Fires were lit around the camp, not to keep warm, but to see their surroundings.

“The demons know they’re here,” he said. “Otherwise, they would attack.”

“Let’s sneak to the front. Rancor will have the biggest tent—so he’ll be easy to find.”

We stayed on the opposite side of the stream and made our way forward, the camp quiet because most of them were dead asleep. In a land conquered by their allies, there was no reason to keep watch for enemies.

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