A King's War (Excerpt Only)

Chapter 5

RAVEN

The town was bustling as it always was at this time after midday. People moved quickly through the streets minding their own business, trying not to attract the gaze of the Valveronian soldiers. No one spoke to anyone unless they had to and everyone moved as quickly as possible. This town was different than any behind the walls of the kingdoms. The doors were made of steel, steel bars and wooden beams covered the windows, and every building was reinforced a hundred times over, but not to keep the soldiers out. Oh no. To keep the dark hunters, the monstrous creatures that thrived in the dark, out. Everyone moved quickly about their day in this town, a town people often referred to as Lost. No one wanted to waste any daylight here and no one wanted to be caught outside after dark.

I recognized many familiar faces as I watched from where I was hidden in the shadows of the alleyway between the tavern and the blacksmith's shop. I kept the hood of my cloak up and my hand on my dagger as I watched the Valveronian soldiers walk by. As soon as they had, I emerged from the shadows and walked across the dirt street to the inn on the other side. All the while I kept my eye on the soldiers.

The inn was only place in Lost that ever seemed to get any business. Travelers would stop in for a night and get something to eat and then continue on their way. The only people who stayed in Lost were the ones that truly had nowhere else to go or no means in which to leave.

I stomped my boots on the steps leading up to the inn, trying to knock off as much of the clumped mud as I could before I pulled open the heavy steel door. A door that I'd helped the owner put in place. Actually, I had helped to reinforced much of the inn in exchange for a place to sleep and the occasional hot meal.

"You're in luck," I heard Hendin's booming voice say. "there she is now."

I frowned as I pushed my hood back from my face and looked toward him, to try and see who he was talking to.

"Raven!" He shouted across the room and the few people that were inside turned to look at me. A couple were familiar faces and a couple were new, but the biggest surprise was the three unfamiliar faces standing around the counter. Elves.

It was unusual for them to have traveled this far west. Elves tended to travel east or simply stay in their kingdom of Ralorn. Actually, it was unusual for anyone to travel west anymore. No one crossed through the red forest unless they had to, and even then, Valveronia was dead in the middle of the Red Forest and therefore everyone actively avoided there.

The elves wore tunics and trousers of various shades of green and brown with some white and yellow added in. So not just some elves living in The Outskirts. They wore the colors of the kingdom of Ralorn. Ralorns then. Their clothes were worn but well taken care of, which meant they also were not seasoned travelers. Although, their clothing was more suited for warriors than commoners. Interesting.

Hendin waved me over and I approached, taking care to ignore the Ralorns watching every move I made.

I dug through the sack strapped to my hip and removed the mushrooms and herbs I had gathered, setting them on the counter in front of Hendin.

"Ah!" He shouted joyously. "You found them. I knew you would, senia," He said, calling me child in his native language of the kingdom of Meern.

Meern was a powerful kingdom that controlled many of the rivers that ran throughout the world. The kingdom was built on the edge of the Vast Lake and as such controlled most of the waterways, fishing, and trading that took place everywhere. It was a wealthy kingdom and not one that many wanted to leave, which was why I found it odd that Hendin had. Though every time I asked him, he always waved me off. It was also one of the few kingdoms that had not fallen to the Ruthless King, but only because King Nuvi of Meern was allied with the kingdom of Valveronia.