Warrior's Soul (Book 3 of The Warrior Chronicles)

Chapter 1

The rain stopped just as the first light of day broke through the dense foliage.

Leyla didn't notice.

She just kept walking, putting one foot in front of the other, heading nowhere. Her mind was blank, her fingers stiff around the hilt of the sword that swung from her hip and tapped the back of her leg with each step.

Dead.

Her mother. Her father. They were gone. There was no one left to seek. She was not a Warrior. She was not even fully Gaian! And Raphael...

Her feet moved faster as she pushed all thoughts from her mind. Further away from the Land of Light. Deeper into the No Lander's territory. Move. Just move. Just keep moving.

The sun threw shadows across the forest as the last of the gathered rain slid off of tired leaves. Birds rushed between the ever thickening trees and the scent of wet grass filled the air as Leyla continued to walk.

She walked until her clothes dried on her cold skin and her feet grew numb. She walked until the sun disappeared and darkness fell, pushing her to climb a tree and give into exhaustion.

The land of dreams was unkind. The sun was rising once more when Leyla woke from fitful sleep. Nausea turning her stomach she resumed walking.

Some time later, thirst had her listening for the sound of water.

More time went by. She found a river and drank until her throat no longer hurt. Avoiding her reflection in the water Leyla turned away and was starting back on her march when she caught sight of a body.

A little ways from the river bank, the man lay unmoving on his back. He was dead. Was it a Timsa attack? Leyla had read about the vicious reptiles with impenetrable scales that lived in the rivers of the No Lands, but had never seen one. Moving closer, she checked the body for bite marks, but found none. Instead, there were five small red berries close to his listless fingers. Pebble Berries: highly poisonous.

It wasn't a bad way to die. Quick and only a little painful.

Had he eaten them on purpose? The peaceful look on his face seemed to suggest as much. Why? Was he alone too? Had someone betrayed him? Did he lose hope?

Foolish.

Even if there was no hope, if he had just kept moving, kept surviving, there was a chance...a chance something would change.

Looking from his clothes to her own white uniform, Leyla grimaced. The Light Landers would have followed procedure and sent people to kill her by now. Then there was the Green King...the Warrior Queen...Bone Eaters... all the bastards of Gaia would spot her a mile away if she continued in these clothes.

She had no plans to die by their hands.

She would survive just to spite them all.

It was almost nightfall by the time Leyla had buried the dead man in a shallow grave. His brown trousers, shirt and scarf were still damp from being washed, but she put them on anyway. The shirt billowed over her bound breasts and the trousers had to be tucked into her navy boots to stop them from scraping the floor, but she made do. Next, Leyla took the brown scarf and wrapped it over her head and shoulders so that only her eyes were visible.

Now, she was hidden from the world. No one would recognise her.

Taking a deep breath, Leyla lay the dead man's boots beside his grave, then fighting the desire to sleep, she began walking once more.