*Kieran* I travel southwest for an entire day through the remains of Escuro, my unease growing with each new step. A monster did this to their kingdom when they were already weak and defenseless. And he lied to us about it for our whole lives. If not for Raven, I might have become exactly like him.
‘I left mine with you,’ I say with the last ounce of strength I have left. The dawn hits my eyes far sooner than I’m prepared for, and I stretch my tired limbs, an aching soreness spreading through my body. The last few days have been hell on my body, but the journey isn’t nearly over yet. Better g
*Raven* The bed that was once so comfortable now feels as hard as a rock without Kieran there. I spend the entire night tossing and turning and unable to think of anything else but Kieran’s safety. It’s so quiet without his thoughts in my head. How strange when I’ve spent my entire life without the
“Our scouts have told me that there have been no sightings of the troops from Dun’s Crossing,” mother is saying, and I realize sheepishly that I haven’t been listening. “Still, we must remain cautious. I’d like to wait one more day before anyone else ventures outside.” There’s grumbling from the sa
*Kieran*It’s late in the evening when I finally reach my father’s soldiers. The sun is low in the sky, threatening to set at any moment, and my body is weary after so many days of traveling. I’m grateful to see the men have already set up their camp for the evening. They’ve all shifted into their h
“Come on, Eric,” the first soldier shrugs. “He’ll be the king one day anyway. He might as well hear our concerns.” The gruff soldier, Eric, sizes me up again, but he must decide that I’m good for my word, because he finally opens his mouth to speak. “I haven’t been home in two years because I can’t
*Raven*Melany and I spend the entire day together, and I even have the opportunity to meet her mother, Anya. She invites me to dinner, which I happily accept, not eager to go back to my empty home. When I do eventually leave very late that evening, I realize that the ache of being away from Kieran
We both laugh at this, and she tells me the bears mostly stick to the mountains now, since King Gavin burned down so much of the forest. “So many of the animals left,” she says sadly as we walk through lush trees and overgrown grass. “And how could we blame them? Our water was poisoned, and the for