Page 70 of The Bridge Kingdom (The Bridge Kingdom 1)

At the cost of the futures of everyone living in Ithicana.

With the storms to watch over the island, Taryn and the rest had been given respite from guard duty, and there was no one to evade as she followed a trail to the cliffs overlooking the sea, cutting down the northern side until she came to the spot she’d selected long ago.

It was a high spot, the water forty feet below, but what had drawn her to it was the series of flat rocks jutting out of surf. They were suitable for her to lower her little canoe onto with ropes, and equally suitable for staging what would appear an accidental fall and a tragic death. From there, she intended to hop from island to island, using safe houses as she found them, slowly making her way to Harendell during the breaks in the storm.

It was a plan fraught with peril, yet it wasn’t fear that sat heavy in her gut as she stared down at the rocks.

“Don’t fall.”

Startled, Lara lost her balance, and Aren reached out and caught hold of her arm, hauling her away from the edge.

He made a noise of exasperation, then kept pulling on her arm. “Come with me. You have duties to attend to.”

“What duties?”

“A queen’s duties.”

She dug in her heels, leaving twin trails in the mud until he stopped and gave her a look of disgust. “That’snot a duty, Lara. Supervising the return of the Midwatch evacuees is. So ether start walking, or I’m going to drag you down to the water and toss you in a boat.”

“I’ll walk.” She was furious that her plan was being disrupted, but also furious at the small kernel of relief that she felt knowing she’d likely have to wait for another storm to pass before leaving Ithicana.

Ensconced in her usual spot in the boat, she waited until they were out of the cove before asking, “Where are we going?”

“Serrith.” Aren hunched over, his back to her.

“Just a charming day on the water,” Jor said from behind her as he put up the sail. After that, no one said anything more.

The cove at Serrith Island was dominated by two of the large twin-hulled vessels she’d seen during the evacuation, but they were already empty of civilians and supplies, their crews readying to depart.To depart to Eranahl, she mused, watching them. Though where exactly that was remained a mystery to her despite all her weeks of spying.

Her skin prickled as she followed Aren up the path through the gap in the rock where she’d killed all those soldiers. They continued on until they reached the village. It was an entirely different sight than the last time they’d been here. Instead of blood and bodies, dead-eyed children and weeping parents, it was bustling with industry. Women opened up the shuttered windows and doors to their homes to air them out, and children ran wild between them.

There was a flood of greetings and well wishes, proud introductions of new babies to their rulers, and children trailing in their wake, desperate for a moment of attention. Aren’s tactic was obvious. Trying to pull on her heartstrings by pushing chubby babies into her arms or by giving her sweets to hand out to the children.

And it was effective. She wanted to drop to the ground and weep, because their world was going to be torn asunder. But it was between them and the Maridrinians. Maridrina’s starving peopleneededthe bridge, needed the revenues, needed the goods that came through it. So she would sacrifice these people for her own and then pray that guilt and grief didn’t kill her.

Lara would have given anything to have her sisters here to share the burden, because they would understand. They were theonlypeople who would understand. But she was alone, and every minute that passed felt like she was closer to the breaking point of what she could endure.

Only when they returned to the boats did she feel like she could breathe again, sitting with her face in her hands as they sailed back to Midwatch.

“Looks like the guardians have had some visitors,” Jor said, breaking the silence.

Lara lifted her head, eyes landing on a small island with gentle white beaches that faded into rock and greenery. Looming above it was the bridge, its length resting on a pier centered on the island. It wasn’t that the island itself was unique, only that it appeared remarkably easy to access relative to the others the builders had used as piers.

Because they’d had no choice,she determined, eyeing the distance. The largest bridge span she’d seen was a hundred yards between piers, and to bypass this island would’ve required a longer stretch than was possible. Her eyes then landed on the three human-shaped forms lying halfway up the beach, bloated and rotting in the sun. “What is this place?”

“Snake Island.”

She thought of the countless serpents she’d seen since arriving. “A name that describes most of Ithicana.”

“This one in particular.” Aren motioned for Jor to lower the sails, allowing the boat to drift over the shallow bottom toward the beach. “Look.”

She stared, seeing shifting movement beneath the ledge of rock overhanging the beach, but unable to make out details.

Aren stood up in the boat next to her, a still moving fish that had been caught earlier in one hand, waiting as the waves washed them gently to shore. When they were about a dozen feet out, Jor stuck a paddle in the water, bracing the boat from moving farther. Aren threw the fish.

It landed about midway up the beach, and Lara watched in horror as dozens upon dozens of snakes shot out of the overhang, flying toward the fish with their jaws open. They were big, the average of them longer than Aren was tall, and some much larger than that.

The front-runner snapped its jaws around the fish as the others piled on top of one another, struggling and snapping until the fish disappeared down a gullet, the snake’s neck distended to contain its prize.

---