Page 28 of A Broken Promise

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We were deep in the Evergreen Forest. The summer air was cool, filled with thick mist. Tall peaks of pine trees gently brushed the passing clouds. The Destroyer General rode on a large black mare ahead of us, Inadios following him on his wide draft horse. Behind us, perfect lines of soldiers silently marched on.

I was grateful to get a horse—more grateful than I was willing to admit—and yet when Orest hopped on right behind me, my stomach twisted, making me a little queasy. I had no desire to share a horse with anyone, let alone a Destroyer soldier. Though, that dreadful feeling quickly went away, replaced by a surprising wave of comfort as his large arms wrapped around me to grab the reins.

I had to fight a small smile when he whispered close to my ear, “If you promise not to bite, I’ll promise not to knock you off the horse.”

At first, I resisted the urge to rest my back against his stiff armor, but after hours of horses climbing the rocky path, I gave in, resting my sore body against his. He didn’t say anything, and I wasn’t going to participate in small talk. Instead, I eyed the long, black cape of the General. Small gusts of wind occasionally lifted the edges, exposing two large swords, crisscrossed on his back.

I hadn’t seen the General since the garden incident. He hadn’tvisited me in the room, or even said a word this morning as he eyed me getting on the horse.

It bothered me. Whatever game he was playing, whatever his plan was… he was winning. And while Fate was benevolent enough to keep him out of my bed at night, I was nowhere closer to figuring out why he was waiting.

After riding all day, we were finally approaching the Crystal bridge. The clicks of the hooves and almost silent march of the soldiers was now completely replaced by the sound of the gushing waters. With a quick whistle, the group came to a complete stop, soldiers halting with one large step. Orest got down first, before helping me to the ground.

The view was breathtaking. Two tall peaks of the Rocky Mountains were cut sharp by the mighty Dniar river. There were two majestic waterfalls, one above the bridge and one below it, connected by a short section of bursting water. Right in that section was a half-finished bridge made from pure crystal.

Only when my eyes inspected the curved bridge did I realize that it was indeed made of untainted glass—Destroyer melted glass. So pure and so stiff that it was almost impossible to damage. All matter of workers and guards bowed, some even dropping all the way to their knees, kissing the ground as the General walked by to the riverbank.

The bridge was unfinished, yet already so magnificent. Small droplets of water from the gushing waters underneath turned it into a walking rainbow, each piece of crystal reflecting large rays of the sun.

I took a few steps away from the soldiers and the worker camp, eyeing the Dniar river. Glacier runoff, strong and unyielding, rushed past us in an unstopping beat. I couldn’t see the lower waterfall, only that it led off the large cliff, exposing the rest of the valley to view. That view alone left me speechless. I had never seen it like that. All small villages and larger towns spread out across the long, green valley with large hills and snug mountains surrounding them, all weaving around the expansive river. Small wheat fields radiated gold, even from miles away.

There were free people there, living their life, working this verysecond, so unaware of the deadly Destroyer army amidst them or a small slave girl looking upon them all.

I walked closer to the bridge, feeling the cold mist kiss my warm flesh. The riverbank was covered in mossy rocks. The constant gushing of the water was never ending. With each breath, the ferocious flow slammed against the rocks, wearing them down one by one until they became nothing more than smooth pebbles.

I stared at the pathway by my feet. Mixed with summer burnt grass, there were millions of small rocks. Each of them unlike the others. I squatted to pick up a perfectly round and smooth black rock. It was little, smaller than a silver coin.

Between the sea of dust, grass, and multitude of gray rocks, this one stood out the most to my eye. It didn’t belong here.

Neither did I.

Was it a new low for me to relate to a rock? Tuluma would have made fun of me for this. Ollie would have probably laughed. I should laugh at this too.

Finnleah, Daughter of the Dead and the little black rock against the world.I smiled, squeezing the rock in my hand.

“Found anything of value?” the General curiously asked, looking at my clenched fist.

Caught in surprise, I hastily turned to see the Destroyer General near me. Orest was long gone, and the feeling of dread now choked me.

I bowed just a bit and took a deep and slow breath.

“No… my Lord, Great Master.”

“You are not a very good liar.” He reached and grabbed my hand. I refused to open my fist, but the General squeezed my hand tighter until I winced from pain and opened my hand. He eyed a small black rock, now wet from my sweaty palm.

“A little black rock? And they say creativity is dead in Magic Wielders,” he grumbled, completely unfazed as he let go of my hand, letting the rock tumble onto the ground.

No, they say all Magic Wielders are soon to be dead… thanks to you,I wanted to say, but I remained silent.

It was just a rock. Yet why did it feel like he just tore into my soul?

Even after he let go, I could still feel the impression of his ice-cold black armor against my skin.

Rage. So much rage was building up inside of me that my skin boiled.

“Thinking of turning it into a murder weapon,mage?” There was no fear or annoyance in his tone, almost as if boredom slipped past his put together look.

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