Page 39 of Slaying the Shadow Prince
‘We always suspected that they had some sort of nest or lair in the lower parts of your kingdom,’ he explained. ‘Those southern lands are also some of the closest territories to the Veil… Malik was insistent that the wraiths were breaching those defences somehow. And now… now that I am what I am, I can feel it if I concentrate. I feel drawn to a certain place.’
Drue read the worry on his face. ‘And that unnerves you?’
‘Can you blame me? Drawn to the very thing that wrought such devastation on our realms? On the people I love?’
‘No,’ Drue said quietly. ‘I can’t blame you for that.’ She shifted. ‘If we continue south, we’ll hit the steel source along the way.’
‘So you’ll stay true to your word? You’ll show me what’s being done there?’
Drue clenched her jaw. ‘Have I done anything to suggest I’m not a woman who upholds my vows?’
‘Not yet.’
‘Then you have your answer.’
He gave her a nod. ‘How long until we reach the steel source?’
‘That depends.’ Drue threw him a challenging grin. ‘On how fast you can ride.’ She didn’t wait. She urged her mare into a surging gallop, the chilly morning air instantly whipping her face.
She didn’t care; she wanted to cover as much distance as possible. She wanted to save Gus from whatever horrific fate awaited him and the rest of the rangers who’d been snatched from the watchtower. If that meant she also bested one of the most revered Warswords in the midrealms at riding, she’d gladly charge ahead. She’d been riding since she could walk.
Only she wasn’t besting him.
Despite the sheer size of both him and his stallion, Talemir Starling was keeping pace beside her as they tore across the overgrown lands of Naarva.
She didn’t miss the wide grin on his face as he directed his mount into an elegant jump over an obtrusive thicket of brush. There was joy there, unabashed joy. And for a moment, she let herself feel it too. There were few people left in Naarva who could keep up with her on a ride.
Above, Terrence dipped and soared, his great wings beating against the grey sky.
They rode alongside the river that ran from Ciraun to the southernmost point of the island, which opened up into a great lake. The air there was even crisper against Drue’s exposed cheeks, but it made her feel alive, made her forget everything for the briefest of moments. At their pace, it wasn’t long before they reached the great falls, the Furies’ Grief, that plummeted into the lower half of the island, steep and unforgiving.
Drue brought them to a halt as they approached the cliff’s edge. There would be no more galloping across the plains for the next little while, for the descent to the lower lands was sharp and perilous. They would have to take it very slowly indeed.
Drue dismounted, taking stock of the narrow, rocky path trailing down into the rock face.
‘Do you know why these falls are named the Furies’ Grief?’ Talemir called over the roar of the water.
‘No idea,’ Drue half shouted back, still trying to spot the safest route to the top of the trail. With her reins in hand, she led her horse, as well as Talemir and his stallion, a few yards away from the full force of the falls. She’d made this descent a dozen times before and every time she struggled to locate the start of it amid the overgrown vines and crumbling façade.
‘Why don’t you tell me while I find this damn trail?’ she said, still scanning the indiscernible mess of cliff and foliage before them.
‘When the mother of the three Furies died, the goddesses of war cried so much that they carved a fissure in the land with their tears…’
Drue halted her search for the trail. She was captivated by Talemir’s melodic voice. But the story itself stirred a longstanding rage within. The fact that the original Warswords, the Furies, were women had been conveniently ignored over the years. Monuments stood in honour of them all over the midrealms and yet Thezmarr, the home of the very warrior guild inspired by them, no longer allowed women to partake in training. Drue wondered had that rule not existed, if she might be there now…
Something caught her eye. ‘There!’ She pointed to where the trail began.
‘Took you long enough,’ Talemir said.
‘You knew where it was this whole time?’
‘Of course.’ He mounted his stallion. ‘Islaton is just beyond these falls and across the moors. I told you I’ve been here before.’
‘You could have said something.’
‘And here I was thinking you were enjoying my story.’
‘And hereIwas thinking we were just about to get along.’
