Free Where Serpents Strike (Children of the Falls Vol. 1) by CW Thomas

central fire pit. A handful of dingy soldiers, and a
dozen weary men, women, and children had taken refuge in the
nook.
    “We rest here!” Khalous shouted to the
refugees.
    Everyone formed up in tight groups to rest
and tend to the wounded.
    Brayden watched the captain make his way
down the edge of the alcove to the queen who was reclining on a bed
of sticks and leaves under a pile of blankets.
    “Uh-oh,” Broderick muttered. “It’s
Clint.”
    Brayden follow his brother’s gaze to a lone
figure hurrying up the hill in their direction. Clint Brackenrig,
prince of Montrose.
    “Sanctimonious swine,” Lia muttered.
    “You don’t even know what that means,”
Broderick said.
    “Well that’s what Old Betha calls him.”
    “Quiet,” Dana said.
    When Clint neared, Brayden greeted him with
a guarded, “Cousin.”
    The boy, merely a year older than Brayden,
was tall for his age, and big, but not necessarily fat. He carried
himself like a prince among ants with close-set dark eyes and a
penchant for fine clothing. Today he wore a gray tunic decorated
with lion silhouettes, black slacks, and high boots with shiny
silver buckles. Brayden noted that although Clint looked sharply
dressed, he appeared tired and distraught.
    “What are you lot doing here?” Clint said,
dislike painted over every inch of his face. “Bring the armies of
the high king right to us, you will.”
    “We didn’t know you were out here,” Brayden
said. “If we had we would have come to help a long time ago.”
    “Why didn’t your mother send word?” Dana
asked. “Lilyanna is her sister, she would have gladly sent
someone.”
    “Can’t trust anyone these days,” Clint said
with sneer. “Word was that the reason my kingdom fell was because
Aberdour sided with the high king.”
    “That’s a lie!” Broderick blurted.
    “Your father bowed to the high king, they
said. Chose to roll over like a dog instead of stand and fight like
the rest of the realm.”
    Broderick flung himself at Clint, but
Brayden restrained him.
    “Our father was no traitor,” Dana said. “He
died defending Aberdour.”
    Brayden helped his sister wrestle Broderick
away from their cousin. Then he turned back to Clint and said,
“Mind how you talk about our father.” To his surprise his words
looked like they struck a chord of guilt in his cousin, if only for
a moment.
    “You need to go,” Clint said. “This is our
spot.”
    “We wouldn’t stay even if you gave us an
engraved invitation,” Lia said as she sauntered past Clint on her
way to Khalous.
    Brayden followed his sister down into the
camp. At the back of the steep nook he saw a cave that dipped under
a sagging cluster of tangled roots and damp gray rocks. There were
remnants of fish from a recent meal piled near the fire pit and a
freshly skinned fawn strung up in a tree branch along the outer
edge of the camp. It was clear that the people had been here for
some time.
    Lady Earline Brackenrig, the queen of
Montrose, was well into her story by the time he was close enough
to hear her words. “With my husband’s health the way it had been,
the city just wasn’t ready when the soldiers came. Clint and I were
already long gone though. I had prepared these supplies weeks in
advance, and we were ready to leave at a moment’s notice. We’d be
on Efferous now, but…” She tapped her leg.
    Khalous lifted a corner of the blanket and
peeked underneath. Whatever he saw made him twist his head away,
his nose wrinkling.
    Earline noticed Brayden and his siblings and
her eyes filled with tears of relief and sympathy. She beckoned
them over with outstretched arms. “Oh, my darlings,” she said,
kissing Brayden with her thin, pale lips. “I heard about what
happened. I am so, so sorry.” She hugged them all, her limbs
shaking with pain and weakness.
    “Why did you not send word to Aberdour?”
Khalous asked. “The king would have sent someone to help
immediately.”
    “Word reached us through Clive’s