Page 105 of Shadows of Ruin

A giddiness raced through me as I sat atop the horse, taking in Brookmere. Soon I’d see Ian. He had escaped. He was free.

And I washome.

Without a word spoken among us, I took off. Straight ahead, farther into my lands. The wind brushed against my face and swirled around me, making me swear nature welcomed me home.

The warm sun against my face brought forth a smile, and I threw my head back, raising it toward the sky.

No one spoke, even after an hour of riding. On the horizon toward the left of us, a forest came into view. There was only one it could be, based on where I imagined we crossed to get to Valeford.

We weren’t far now.

The silence here felt almost as strange as the silence in the void. Like things moved too easily for us. Before, we could barely leave Ellevail without being attacked by dark ones. Yet we hadn’t seen anyone, let alone dark Fae.

“What’s Storm’s first name?” I suddenly asked the group, breaking the uncomfortable silence radiating from my home.

Jax laughed, throwing his head back. Storm grinned at me, and Kade shook his head, even as a smile played over his lips.

“I’m shocked you even know hehasa name other than Storm,” Jax said. “Count yourself lucky in that alone and know that none of us will break.”

“It’s just a name, it cannot be that bad,” I grumbled.

A shriek from overhead chilled me to the bone, halting our conversation.

I tugged the reins, stopping my horse completely as I shifted my entire focus to the sky.

“What is it?” Storm asked, pulling up beside me. Kade, already there, followed my gaze.

“A strox,” I whispered. The beast’s midnight blue hue stood out against the light blue sky.

“One of them fought in the last trial,” Kade said, no question in his voice.

I nodded. The beast circled above us, cawing a few more times. My heartbeat quickened. “They’re deadly. The deadliest creatures in our history. Hundreds of years ago, rumors of their brutality circled Brookmere. I’ve only seen one once before the marriage trials, and that was from afar.”

I didn’t take my eyes from the beast ahead.

The others remained still, just as I did.

“Deadly how?” Jax asked, his voice a whisper.

“Shred-through-armor-and-flesh-and-devour-bodies-whole kind of deadly,” I said, raising a brow.

The strox called out another cry and deviated from its path, flying directly to the forest I’d noted earlier.

The Southern Forests.

I shivered.

“That was…” Jax paused. “…fun.”

Tentatively, we moved forward on our horses. The forest inthe distance drew closer for a bit as we rode, but we veered right slightly, in the direction of Valeford as I led the way.

“What is it?” Kade asked.

“As children, we were told the beasts of Brookmere resided in the Southern Forests. It’s so remote that no one really travels there. Dark, nightmarish tales threatened those who were naughty about being dumped there for the creatures to deal with.” Though it had been children’s bedtime tales, I smiled remembering the way my father told them. “I wonder now if there’s some truth to it.”

“Let’s avoid the woods, then.” Jax shook atop his horse, exaggerating the movements. “Just in case.”

I looked toward Raya, but her gaze remained ahead, not engaging with any of us. I frowned. Jax followed where I stared briefly before he met my gaze. He shook his head once, then flashed me a reassuring smile.

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