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

no small amount of other finery, lamps and carved wooden animals and teapots. The sight made Lukys lift his eyebrows—were they to have dinner parties in the future?

But no, it had probably belonged to the place’s former owner. No doubt they had left in a rush—or perhaps they’d been killed when the Tangata had taken the city.

The thought shook Lukys from his stupor. Hardening his heart, he allowed Sophia to lead him through the rest of the apartment. They passed from the dining room through a second living space, this time furnished with a plain sofa and coffee table, an unlit fireplace stacked with wood in the corner.

A rich scent hung in the air, and as they passed through the room, Lukys spied the kitchen through another door. He hesitated, then diverted from Sophia’s tour. In the kitchen he found an iron coal stove and a simple dining table. Warmth radiated from the stove, as though it had been recently used. His eyes were drawn to the wooden board set on the table, where a loaf of bread was cooling.

Lukys… Sophia’s voice called to him.

He turned in the doorway, finding her standing behind him. “Did you…bake that?” he asked.

To his surprise, the Tangata’s cheeks turned red. It was…an experiment.

Lukys couldn’t help it—he laughed. A grin split his face as he watched the inhuman creature that had haunted his nightmares for so long grow brighter. Had he actually found himself in some parallel reality? It seemed the only explanation.

Finally he managed to catch his breath, though his smile remained. It smells good, he offered. Can I try some?

The Tangata’s eyebrows lifted in surprise and she seemed to hesitate. Then she swallowed, glancing away. Yes…but not yet. There’s something you need to see…first.

Lukys frowned at the tone of her voice, but she was already moving away. There was only one other door that adjoined the second living room. Sophia crossed to stand before it, then hesitated, glancing at him one last time.

Come.

She disappeared within.

Letting out a sigh, Lukys followed. He stepped into the last room and found her standing in the far corner, eyes on the floor, feet scuffing the wooden boards. His frown deepened as he crossed to her, but he only made it a few feet before the contents of the room drew his attention. He froze.

Stumbling to a stop, Lukys stared at the bed. A duvet of white silk shone in the light from the windows and half a dozen pillows had been stacked against the oaken headboard. There was not a hint of straw on the floor as was common in the dormitories of Perfugia and Flumeer, suggesting a mattress stuffed of fur or feathers. It was far more luxurious than any bed he had ever seen in his life.

There was also only one.

I’m sorry, Sophia’s voice spoke into his mind. Her cheeks were even brighter than a few moments earlier.

Lukys could only stand there gaping, the wheels of his mind still churning, struggling to place the pieces of the puzzle together.

“What is this?” he whispered.

There was a long silence before Sophia answered.

You trusted me with your life, she said softly. He was surprised to see her eyes were shining. Now I must trust you with a secret the Tangata have kept from your people for generations.

21

The Fallen

A fire glowed in the valley below.

Crouched amongst the rocks, Romaine looked down at the campsite. The light had appeared suddenly as they marched through the night, appearing beyond the boulders that filled the valley floor. Yasin had called a halt immediately and they had backtracked far enough to ensure they would not run afoul of any scouts that might be patrolling the area. Then they had scaled the escarpment at the edge of the valley to gain a vantage point over Erika’s people.

Now looking down at the flickering fire, Romaine could hardly believe the chase was at an end. It had taken another two nights—longer perhaps than Yasin would have preferred—but finally Cara’s rescue was at hand. Shadows flickered close to the flames and he found himself wondering which was the Goddess, which was Erika. The gloom made it impossible to discern one person from another.

In truth, the queen’s spy had made their task easy. Romaine had said nothing of his discovery to the others, but the following nights he’d paid greater attention to Yasin’s actions, and had soon begun to spot more of the phosphorescent X’s himself. He wondered at the person who dared to commit such treason against his kingdom, to gift his loyalty to a foreign sovereign.

Or perhaps their unknown benefactor was simply one of the few believers amongst the Gemaho, one who renounced their king’s blasphemy.

Regardless, it wouldn’t be long now before the spy’s identity was revealed and Cara freed. A lump rose in his throat at the thought of seeing the little Goddess again. They had hardly spoken a word to each other after the disaster on the Illmoor. It had been too much, the pain of his injuries, of their loss. Lukys and Travis and all the other Perfugians, gone in an instant. The two of them left alone to grieve. Even then, at least they might have had each other, if not for Erika…

“We’ll make camp here,” Yasin said, interrupting his train of thought. The warrior rose and retreated from the edge of the valley.

“Why not take them now?” Romaine questioned. “There can’t be more than twenty.” Yasin’s own fighters numbered some thirty. “If we attack under the cover of darkness, by surprise, they’re like to surrender with barely a fight.”

“Is that so, Calafe?” Yasin asked as the others gathered close. A smile tugged at the man’s face as he glanced at Romaine’s hand and raised an eyebrow. “Suppose you’ll be leading the charge?”

Romaine scowled. The queen’s man had grown progressively more dismissive of Romaine and Lorene over the past days, as though he blamed them for their quarry’s continuing evasiveness. That was at an end now though, and grinding his teeth,