Alliance Forged by Kylie Griffin Read Free Book Online

contained another river crossing. Not yet.
    While he didn’t know this section of the foothills well, the jagged ridge that ran parallel to the riverbank was the same one that ran behind the village. The caverns there had provided them with temporary accommodations while the village was being built. Varian gathered Kymora into his arms again.
    “We’ll find a cave to shelter in for the night. If we’re lucky, it’ll be deep enough for us to build a fire and shield the light.” His thigh muscles ached in protest as he pushed to his feet, but he ignored the pain. “There’s plenty of wood to scavenge in the forest….”
    They were going to need that fire come nightfall. While the dayhad been hot, the lateness of the season meant the evenings cooled off. Spending a night in wet clothes wasn’t ideal.
    With her in his arms, he headed for a sandy egress and made his way up the riverbank. As he reached the fringe of the forest, he continued listing all the things he could think of that would make their overnight stay more comfortable. Collecting dry leaves for a bed, setting a snare in the hope of catching dinner; he even mentioned how he hated walking in soggy boots.
    Anything to keep Kymora’s attention focused outward. And if he were honest, it kept his mind off inappropriate thoughts such as how much he was beginning to like having her soft, warm body in his arms.

Chapter 4
    T HE line of captured renegades bore a range of facial expressions, some downright hostile as they glared at their
Na’Chi
guards, another couple seemed afraid, while one or two had the presence of mind to look ashamed.
    Arek fisted his gloved hands as he watched his Light Blade warriors binding the rebels’ hands and feet. Because they’d gone in unarmed against them, two of his warriors had suffered defensive wounds, one rebel lay dead after refusing to surrender, and another had been found stabbed outside the village.
    None of the renegades deserved to wear the
Lady’s
sun amulet around their necks. Every single one of them had resisted. Very little sympathy for any blood or bruises adorning them mixed with the white-hot anger seething inside him.
    Using a begrimed sleeve, he wiped sweat from his brow. “Are they all accounted for?”
    Glancing away from where the rebels sat lined up against one of the village houses, his gaze connected with several
Na’Chi
, thensettled on Zaune’s. The young scout had joined them toward the end of the battle with worrying news from Lisella. Kymora had not made it to the shelter of the caves, and their search of the village for her had proved futile.
    Kalan and Kymora were closer than any brother and sister he knew, so delivering such news to his friend wasn’t something he looked forward to doing. The man had enough to worry about with the increasing frequency of attacks by the
Na’Reish
on the border, not to mention brewing unrest within human territory that could easily explode into civil war. Arek sighed softly. This incident certainly wasn’t going to help that situation anytime soon.
    “We’re not sure if they’re all here,” Rystin replied. The dark-haired scout’s violet eyes were flecked with black. His scowl matched Arek’s mood. “Varian’s also disappeared.”
    “Second…”
    The weak, hoarse call came from the injured man found at the edge of the village. His face seemed familiar but Arek couldn’t place him. The warrior obviously recognized him, as he’d called him by his title. Slumped against the wall of a house, the man tried to straighten but hadn’t the strength. Each breath he took gurgled in his chest and was painful to listen to.
    Arek covered the distance between them and crouched beside him. The thick metallic tang of blood mingled with sweat and the foul stench of human waste. The wound low on his abdomen seeped a dark red, almost black liquid.
    Arek grimaced. A bowel wound. That accounted for the putrid odor. The other was higher up in his ribs. Both were