Page 113 of Bite The Terror That Feeds

I arrived through the secret passage into Evanguard and rode through the forest toward Fallonworth, our main city. The scouts didn’t shoot me down during my journey, recognizing me immediately and probably alerting my father long before I arrived.

When I reached the stables, I handed Nicola to the stable hands. “Thank you for getting me here.” I petted her nose as our eyes locked. We’d ridden hard for two days, only stopping when the darkness diminished our sight.

She rubbed her nose against me and released a quick breath.

“I’ll return you at some point…”

I took my bag and headed up the path. Unlike the redwoods and the pines of the rest of the world, we had borith trees, trees so enormous that their trunks were twenty strong men wide. They reached up into the sky, their canopies so far away it was hard to distinguish the highest branches. It was several degrees cooler under their protection. It made our summers mild, made our winters mild. Rainfall dripped down the trunks instead of splashing directly on top of us, and the ground absorbed the water immediately, so there was no flooding. Our pathways were lit by thousands of fireflies, our silent friends.

The second I took a breath, I felt the moisture coat my lungs. It smelled like rain and trees, like clean air. It was the most magical place I’d ever known, where every tree had its own heartbeat. For a moment, I forgot my dilemma, the peace so potent.

I took the dirt path through the trees, and once the trunks started to thin, I knew I approached Fallonworth. Sunshine entered as rays through the canopy, and everyone in the city center turned to look at me as I arrived.

The guards were already there, ready to escort me to my father even though I could escort myself. Wordlessly, we moved to the main palace constructed out of fallen wood, various types of timber of differing ages. It created a kaleidoscope of beauty, of different heartwood.

I took the stairs to the very top and didn’t even make it to the front doors before I came face-to-face with my father. He wore his white robe, his light blond hair pulled back in a half ponytail. He was one of the tallest men I’d ever seen, built with muscle as strong as the trees that surrounded him. He was a great swordsman, and he was the very reason I was so capable with the blade, not that he ever expected me to use it in a way he disapproved of.

We stared at each other.

His eyes swirled in emotion, in both relief and rage. There was disappointment there too, but that didn’t hurt because I’d expected it.

I didn’t apologize if I didn’t mean it, so I didn’t apologize now.

He was the one to speak first. “I feared my eldest would not return. It’s a great relief to see your face.”

“I’m sorry that I caused you grief.” That was the most I was willing to say.

After a long stare, he turned to the palace doors and stepped inside.

I followed, entering the quarters that served as his throne room as well as his study. A long table sat in the middle of the room, maps across the center along with chess pieces to weigh down the corners.

It was just the two of us, my sister nowhere in sight.

He set his staff across the table, the white crystal at the top aglow. He turned back to face me. “Why did you do this, Clara?”

“If you have to ask, then you don’t understand me at all.”

“I can’t change the laws of our people—”

“You’re the king. That’s exactly what you can do.”

“You think taking the place of one of our greatest assassins is the best way to make your point?”

“I returned, didn’t I? So I did make my point.”

“So Kingsnake and his human pet are dead?”

It pained me to answer. “They weren’t in Grayson.”

“You were gone for a long time. Did they take you prisoner?”

I couldn’t tell my father the truth. It would make for a very awkward conversation. “Yes. But I escaped.”

“Did they hurt you?”

“Not once.” In fact, I’d never felt more peace.

“I’m glad that you’ve returned unharmed. I hope this will be a lesson to you.”