Redemption (eBook)

Laura Kehoe (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2018 | 1. Auflage
400 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
978-0-9982511-3-4 (ISBN)

Infos

Amara wants to get as far away from Alwyn and the Resistance as she can. But when an old foe resurfaces, Amara finds herself diving right back into the fight. Meanwhile, the Resistance struggles to heal from their devastating loss. Can they find the strength to defeat the king?

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Amara has left the Resistance, wanting nothing more than to put her past behind her and start fresh. But when an old foe resurfaces, Amara soon realizes that there is no escaping her old life. She must choose whether to run away again, or finally face her past. Meanwhile, the Resistance is struggling to recover from the brutal attack on their camp. The survivors must band together and find some way to keep fighting, despite their devastating loss. But how can they keep fighting without hope?

Textauszug

Chapter One

A low rumble jolted Davin awake at the crack of dawn.

He jerked upright, heart racing as his mind struggled to orient itself to reality. Davin had been in the middle of a disturbing dream when the sound startled him awake. He couldn’t remember all the details, but it left him feeling on edge. Not that the real world was any more of a comfort. At least with a dream Davin could find solace knowing the events weren’t actually happening.

Hearing the noise again, Davin looked up. High up on the nearest mountain, a cloud of snow was slowly settling. Davin took a deep breath, finally bringing his heartrate back down to normal. Avalanches weren’t an uncommon occurrence in the Banor Mountains, but no matter how many he witnessed, Davin still felt a sliver of fear whenever he saw one. What would it feel like to be trapped under all that snow?

Davin shuddered. Even being at the base of such a monstrosity was unnerving. He didn’t understand how the Mountain Tribes could spend their whole lives living in the shadows of those giants. Davin couldn’t wait to get further away from them.

Unfortunately, it was going to be some time before the Resistance was able to move to a new location. It had been a little over a month since they were attacked by the king’s soldiers. Only a small group of Resistors had survived, and even fewer had been lucky enough to make it without serious injury. There were still so many who were too hurt to move. They would need more time to heal. Davin just wished waiting wasn’t so incredibly difficult.

As Davin stood and began walking through the camp, he spotted a woman sitting by herself near one of the fires. Even from across the clearing, Davin recognized that familiar blond braid, strands of hair escaping to fly around her head as she stared into the flames.

Elaise spent the majority of her time in the healer’s tent, recovering from the attack. Most of her minor injuries were completed healed, but she still had a nasty gash on her leg that required treatment.

Davin sighed as he started toward Elaise. If it were anyone else, he might find it strange that no one was sharing her fire. It used to be that Elaise could hardly step out of her tent without being hailed for a conversation. Now, more often than not, she was left with a tense silence.

“Elaise, you can’t hide over here forever.” Davin said softly as he sat down next to her.

She glanced up in surprise, as though she hadn’t realized anyone was nearby, which was actually likely. Elaise hardly seemed to notice anything anymore. She was too busy brooding on her perceived failings to think about anyone else.

After realizing who had joined her, Elaise returned her gaze to the fire in front of them. For a moment Davin thought she would simply ignore him, but after a pause, Elaise shrugged her shoulders.

“I’m not hiding. Or haven’t you forgotten that I got myself and nearly everyone else attacked? I’m recovering from my injuries.” Her voice held a now painfully familiar bitter note. As usual, Davin felt a mixture of pity and frustration. Everyone knew that it wasn’t Elaise’s fault they were attacked. In fact, if it hadn’t been for her leadership, there might not have been any survivors at all. Not that she would ever believe that.

“That wasn’t your fault.” Davin was surprised how much anger was in his tone. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm. It wasn’t fair to take out his frustration on Elaise when she couldn’t help her feelings.

“You are not to blame for what happened,” Davin continued in a softer tone. “We all knew the risks before we joined the Resistance. Everyone here was prepared to die for this.”

“I’m well aware of that fact, thank you Davin,” Elaise said coldly, still refusing to meet his eyes.

“And are you also aware of how much we are suffering without our leader?” Davin asked urgently, staring at Elaise. She looked down, refusing to meet his gaze. “You won’t come to council meetings, you refuse to make any relevant decisions…you aren’t doing anything.”

“You’re perfectly capable of surviving without me.” Elaise hunched her shoulders as though she were trying to disappear into the icy ground.

“No we aren’t—don’t you get that?” Davin shook his head in frustration. “We need you, Elaise. We need our leader. We need hope, which is in a very short supply at the moment. Without you, there won’t be a Resistance anymore.”

“How can I give hope to anyone when I have none?” Elaise asked helplessly, her voice growing softer as she spoke. “I’m sorry Davin, I truly am. But I can’t lead our people. I don’t have the strength.”

Davin took a deep breath, pausing before he continued. “Do you remember when I first came to the camp? I was so angry, so terrified of fighting for anything other than my own survival. I wanted desperately to believe in a better future, but I couldn’t find the strength. Do you remember what you said to me?”

“That was a long time ago, Davin.” But judging from the scowl on Elaise’s face, Davin knew she remembered. At least Elaise’s annoyance put a little spark of energy back in her eyes. Anything was better than her hopeless sorrow.

“Let me refresh your memory then,” he pressed on determinedly. “You told me to fake it. To fake it until it became real. You said false hope was better than no hope at all. That people could convince themselves of anything if they tried hard enough.”

“That was different.” Elaise glared into the flames.

“I don’t see how.”

“It…it just was!” Elaise snapped, finally meeting Davin’s gaze with eyes full of fury. “I’m not going to sit here arguing with you, Davin. Just leave me in peace.” She turned back to the flames, retreating into herself once more.

“Fine, I’ll leave.” Davin stood, barely able to contain a disappointed sigh. “But I wish you’d change your mind. If not for yourself, than for the people who died so we could have a chance at freedom. They deserve better.”

Davin walked away before Elaise had the chance to respond. He doubted she had anything further to say anyway.

He had no idea how to pull Elaise out of this. She’d always been the strong one, the one to hold them together when everyone else felt like giving up. But now…how could he convince her there was still hope when he wasn’t entirely sure himself?

The Resistance needed Elaise—needed someone to bring them back together. Elaise obviously thought there was no reason to keep fighting. But if they gave up, what had all these years of pain and struggle been for? They couldn’t stop now.

****

“Why on earth are you awake so early?” Catrain smiled as she walked over to the fire where Mirim sat huddled with a steaming mug clutched in her hand. Probably more of their so-called-tea—it was mostly just hot water, but calling it tea sounded better.

The girl’s light brown hair was gathered on top of her head in a messy pile, strands flying every which-way, a bright excitement in her green eyes. Catrain’s grin widened as she took in the sight. Mirim’s youthful exuberance was infectious.

“Thea’s offered to show me how to properly change a bandage,” Mirim explained excitedly, her eyes crinkling as a wide smile spread across her face. “And later she said she would start teaching me what the different plants and medicines do. She says I have a knack for healing.” The girl practically glowed with pride.

Catrain’s grin widened. It was nice to see Mirim so cheerful. Ever since they’d joined the rest of the camp, Mirim’s confidence had grown exponentially. Catrain loved being able to see the girl find her place in the Resistance. In the midst of all the terrible things that had happened, Mirim’s spirit and passion were a breath of fresh air.

And Thea certainly appreciated Mirim’s newfound interest. The girl really did seem to have a gift for treating injuries. She’d been working with Thea every day for the last two weeks, tirelessly learning all the names and functions for the various herbs and how to do things like properly set a broken bone. Catrain knew Thea was grateful for the girl’s help. Even with two other healers, there was still so much to do.

“I thought you wanted to do something more exciting than patching up wounds all day?” Catrain asked with a teasing smirk.

Mirim shrugged, looking a little sheepish. “I never knew how much goes into healing. It’s more than just boiling rags and mixing a few roots together.”

“Well, Thea’s lucky to have such a hard-working assistant.” Catrain wrapped an arm around the girl’s thin shoulders.

“I don’t know about that.” Mirim shrugged again, her face turning red as she wiggled out of Catrain’s embrace. “Yesterday I dropped a pile of freshly cleaned bandages in a puddle. We had to rewash every single one. I don’t think Thea was too happy about it, but she’s still...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 6.9.2018
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Fantasy / Science Fiction ► Fantasy
• ISBN-10: 0-9982511-3-5 / 0998251135
• ISBN-13: 978-0-9982511-3-4 / 9780998251134