Wrath of the Forgotten: Descendants of the Fall Book II by Hodges, Aaron (best romance books of all time txt) 📕

Shaking her head, she set her mind back to the trail. Reaching the home of the Gods was her most pressing concern. The going was easy for those first few hours, the trail sloping gently upwards. But soon they reached the first of the foothills, hills of scarlet rock rising around them, and the way became steeper. Sparse vegetation marked the slopes and the gentle bubbling of the stream grew louder as the waters picked up pace, racing over ever larger rocks.

A chill wind blew down the valley, but as the sun approached its zenith, Erika found herself beginning to sweat. For a time, undoing the buttons of her jacket relieved the heat, but the next time they stopped to rest, the cold quickly found its way back. The warmth drained from her body at a frightening speed and while Erika refastened the buttons, even when they started off again, she never regained the lost heat.

Cara herself seemed little bothered by the trek, despite the hinderance of her shackles. Where Erika slipped and stumbled on the loose rocks scattered across the slopes, the Goddess nimbly picked her way up the path. Again Erika found herself wondering at the Goddess, why she came along with them. Even if her people were forbidden to kill, surely Cara was powerful enough that she could have escaped by now. Could it be she wanted to be here?

Night found them camped on the shores of a small mountain lake, its waters no more than a few hundred yards wide. The stream had led them there, up between the ever-narrowing slopes of the winding valley, and now stark cliffs hemmed them in on either side. They had been forced to clamber over boulders for the last hour, the remains of a landslide that in ages past had filled the valley.

Though spring was already underway, the days were still short and darkness came quickly to the mountains in Gemaho, the sun stolen away by the walls of stone rising around them. With the dark, the cold came in earnest, and Erika huddled close to their fire, glad for the ring of boulders surrounding them that provided shelter from the wind. There hadn’t been enough room for the entire party, and half the soldiers had set a second camp close by. The whisper of laughter came from the other camp.

Listening to that distant mirth, feeling the warmth of the flames on her face, Erika thought again how different this journey was from her last. In Calafe they had been moving through enemy territory, never knowing when the Tangata might stumble upon them, whether their lives would be measured in days or even hours. Now though, despite the significance of this expedition, despite what might await them, Erika could almost convince herself to relax.

Almost—but not quite. Her gaze was drawn to where Cara crouched nearby and her heart twanged. Seeing the sadness in the Goddess’s eyes, she quickly looked away. The fire was beginning to burn low. She rose, then crossed to the pile of wood the soldiers had gathered from beneath the scraggly trees that grew alongside the lake. Adding a stick to the flames, she watched as tongues of fire licked their way up the offering.

The soldiers nearby paid her no attention and Maisie had vanished a little while ago, probably to scout their surroundings or check on the other camp. Letting out a long breath, Erika moved to where Cara sat and lowered herself down.

“How was your food?” she asked quietly. The soldiers had cooked a stew using dried meat and grains they’d taken from their packs. It didn’t compare to the meals she’d been provided in the fortress, but then, she wasn’t sure what the Goddess had been fed in her cell.

To her surprise, an audible rumble came from Cara’s stomach, though the Goddess only shrugged. Back to one of the boulders and her knees drawn up to her chest, she kept her gaze on the flames.

Erika frowned, studying Cara’s face. She’d eaten as much as any of them, but perhaps that wasn’t enough for one of the Anahera. Rising, she found the pot the soldiers had set aside. There was still enough for another serving inside. Taking the handle and a spare spoon, she returned to Cara’s side and held out the pot.

Cara eyed Erika for a moment before taking her offering. She settled herself back down as the Goddess ate, though after leaning against the stone for a few minutes, Erika began to feel the cold seeping through her heavy furs. Apparently Cara’s wings gave her a little more insulation—or perhaps she was simply unaffected by the cold. These mountains were her home, after all.

Pulling herself off the boulder, Erika hugged her knees to stay upright and looked again at the Goddess. The stew was disappearing rapidly, giving her the distinct impression she’d been right about Cara’s metabolism.

After a moment, the Goddess flashed her a glance. “You know, for a species who claims it’s rude to stare, humans sure do it a lot.”

Erika’s cheek warned at the remonstration. “Sorry,” she said, “we’re not exactly used to having one of our own Gods amongst us.”

Cara’s amber eyes were aglow in the firelight. “Sorry?” She grimaced. “Another word that has no meaning for your kind.” Her brow furrowed. “They really mean nothing to you, do they? Your words. You say whatever you like and it doesn’t matter to you, the falsehoods. There is no honour, no fairness amongst your kind.”

“I…” Erika hesitated, caught off-guard by the directness of the Goddess’s attack.

A dozen excuses rose in her mind, that she hadn’t lied, that she regretted the things she’d done, but…there Cara sat, dragged halfway across the world against her will, hands and ankles still bound in chains. Erika could apologise all she liked, but Cara was right: what did it matter if she continued doing the very thing she was apologising for?

“You’re right,” Erika whispered finally, choking on the words. Her vision