Lore of the Wilds (Lore of the Wilds #1)

by Analeigh Sbrana

Lore Alemeyu collected stories like the raven that lived above the apothecary hoarded shiny pebbles.

These versions claimed that their ancestors had angered a powerful god, Brokyr. In retaliation, and to humble the humans, he had pulled them through a void, taken them from their rightful world, and banished them to a land of suffering.

The fear—the panic—was false. A spell. Some disgusting magic, no doubt placed here centuries ago by the Alytherians to stop the humans from leaving.

The guard was tall and slim, his skin a gorgeous reddish-brown that looked a shade darker than Lore’s own. A thin scar bisected his eyebrow; she followed the line of it, past a lovely, wide nose, and a very full, even more lovely, bottom lip.

I, Lore Alemeyu, vow to always keep my gaze to the heavens. I will search and search so that I might be the one to lead my people home to Shahassa, where we belong.

“I don’t see any ladies here. Just a little mouse with a shockingly filthy mouth.”

“My favorite stories are the ones I can escape into. The ones where I can leave behind this bleak existence and be somebody else, even if just for a little while. Someone braver than me. Someone with the power to change their circumstances.”

Asher dropped her hand, grinning. “I said I owe you one, not that I’d give one,” he said over his shoulder as he turned and headed back down the corridor.

When she opened her eyes, she spotted a fox sitting at the edge of the garden wall. Its bright, keen eyes followed her back and forth, back and forth.

“Take away their stability and they cannot fight back.” “Take it away? Who took it away?” “Take us from this place and we will give you what you seek.”

Her kind were cast away by the very demons that made them, and yet you would defend her from your own kind?”

But where had he found the fresh water? Had he climbed back up the cliff face to search?