Free The Journey of the Marked (The Miyran Heir Book 1) by Rebecca P. McCray

transport to the
city to join the warriors. Unfortunately, the Graeliths arrived in the city on
the day of his birth and targeted him almost immediately. Eros and his mother
tried to lose them in the busy town center, but failed. As the general air
transport would no longer be safe, they needed an alternative. Even then, his
mother seemed not to worry. She always planned for contingencies.
    Eros didn’t know when she had made
arrangements, but she had contacted one of the Human traders of Kullac,
Anthony, and asked him to be ready to transport Eros safely to Caldot, if
necessary. Transporting a marked one was risky, but Anthony had been in Eros’s
life as long as he could remember and remained as close to a father as he had
known. Anthony was waiting for Isabelle and Eros on the outskirts of Banston in
his air transport.
    The Graeliths chased them toward
the ship. His mother told him she would lure them away, allowing him to reach
the safety of the ship. He tried to argue with her, not wanting to leave his
mother to face the Graeliths alone. But she was insistent, telling him it was
the only way. Being marked meant he was destined to join the Miyrans and he
must follow this path. He agreed reluctantly. She gave him a quick hug and
backed away. He heard the Graeliths; they were close. She told him to run. She
blew him one last kiss, then turned and sprinted straight toward the Graeliths.
    He reached the ship just as more Graeliths
approached from the other direction. He slipped aboard without difficulty. Searching
for his mother through the transport’s window, he was relieved to see a group
of Plinte fighters running toward the Graeliths from the direction of Banston,
while she ran toward them from the other side. The transport turned before the
parties met. He hoped she survived.
    Anthony carried him to the city
limits and provided him with clothes, food, and a few words of wisdom: “Be
brave, follow your heart, and watch where you walk as the city streets are
filthy.”
    Eros smiled at the memory, just as
Arith walked back into the cavern. Maybe he should speak with Kenrya about
their journey. Giving up any further attempt at sleep, he stood and headed
toward the passageway.

Chapter 13
     
    Kenrya kicked the wall in
frustration, then turned and punched it with the side of her fist. Arith had
insisted her chances of reaching the training camp were greater if she stayed
with the other marked ones. While she agreed in the case of Eros, she snarled
at the thought of having to protect the silly Liput boy and tolerate the
“glamorous” Krystic. What was so special about Krystics anyway? Granted, the
girl stood out, but given their current situation, that wasn’t exactly a
benefit, was it? Kenrya squatted on her heels with her lower back to the wall,
resting her chin on her knees. Once they found a medic for the boy, she would
lose the others. Assuming Eros chose to stay with the group, she would find her
way alone. She closed her eyes to rest a moment. As usual, whenever she was
tired, memories she had pushed away crept back into her thoughts.
    “Stupid child!” he yelled at her. Then
he slapped her face with such force she fell against the wall, hitting her head
on the stone surface. “I told you not to speak to me while I was fixing the
wagon,” he growled. “Now, go get the last of it from the house and be quick
about it!”
    She pushed herself up from the wall.
She reflexively wiped the dirt from her clothes, despite the fact that they
were already filthy and torn. With one hand, she brushed the long, dark,
tangled hair out of her face. Then, wrapping her stick-like arms around
herself, pressing them against her rumbling belly, she walked cautiously to the
rickety door of the one-room shack she called home. Once inside, she gathered
up the few remaining trinkets that once belonged to her parents. She fingered
the small red gem she kept hidden inside a little wooden box. The man knew
about the box, but not the gem.