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Back Forest of Souls
Chapters (34)
  1. FOREST of SOULS
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. Dedication
  4. GLOSSARY
  5. ONE
  6. TWO
  7. THREE
  8. FOUR
  9. FIVE
  10. SIX
  11. SEVEN
  12. EIGHT
  13. NINE
  14. TEN
  15. ELEVEN
  16. TWELVE
  17. THIRTEEN
  18. FOURTEEN
  19. FIFTEEN
  20. SIXTEEN
  21. SEVENTEEN
  22. EIGHTEEN
  23. NINETEEN
  24. TWENTY
  25. TWENTY-ONE
  26. TWENTY-TWO
  27. TWENTY-THREE
  28. TWENTY-FOUR
  29. TWENTY-FIVE
  30. TWENTY-SIX
  31. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  32. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  33. Newsletter Sign-up
  34. Copyright

They risked their lives to escape the Valley of Cranes on little more than hope. Many plunged recklessly into the Dead Wood as a result of that hope. After all they have suffered—which is far more than what even I have had to endure—the ferocity in all their eyes says the same thing: We are not broken.

SEVENTEEN

Ronin looks the other way as I gather provisions. This means convincing his soldiers that I have permission to rummage through Sab Hlee’s larder, located in one of the collapsible thatch buildings.

Fortunately, Phaut is quick to corroborate my story. Ronin must have briefed her on my search for Kendara while I was in the tent, because she doesn’t ask questions as she saddles her own drake. She’s changed into a worn-looking black shirt tucked into loose black pants and a yellow sash. It’s the first time I’ve seen her in anything but the drab gray of Ronin’s soldiers.

It’s not until we’ve left Sab Hlee that I inform her of my intentions to free the shamanborn in Vos Gillis. Curiously, she doesn’t argue except to assert that whatever we do, Ronin can’t be connected to it.

Time is against us if we’re to make it to the southern coast and back again in three days, so we mutually agree to continue through the night. If we don’t return before Ronin leaves, we’ll be left to travel the Dead Wood on our own.

We grab a few hours of sleep before dawn to rest the drakes, then keep to the trees when we can. Our eyes are conspicuous. Neither of us is likely to forget what would happen if we’re caught, especially as Ronin would offer no protection.

It’s well after sunset when we reach Vos Gillis. As expected, guards watch every road into the city and sentinels patrol its limits. There’s a small fishing village not far to the west of Vos Gillis, where we steal a rowboat off the quay and return east along the coast. Any shamanborn attempting to get into the city wouldn’t be doing so by boat; that’s how they’d be leaving.

My main goal is to find Kendara, but I can do that while focusing on the shamanborn. If she’s helping them escape the city, then freeing the imprisoned shamanborn might force her to reveal herself. But I don’t want them stowing away on a cargo ship. If discovered, they’ll either be returned to Evewyn or thrown overboard. Depending on their numbers, we have to find ships willing to take them as passengers or extra hands.