Chapter 49. Lost Ranger

“I will never be part of this, never! I ride to Persia tomorrow. You two bear the consequences...”

--ZEBEDEE

***

KAREN

Hot rays of sunlight blast through empty skies, spreading across the yellow plains in front of me, where many have fallen in recent years. The whistling winds calm my spirit as I stand atop the wall of Perth.

For over a year, we repelled numerous waves of attack by the Sons of Dragons, who only retreat in the rainy season to hibernate. Now, another dry season has come, when they usually rise and draw strength from the sand.

Passing my gaze across the horizon, I recall how it all began when the Perthian army attacked the black demons on these plains, the biggest mistake of a century. The image of Ameera appearing in the chaos and raising a violent sandstorm to protect our retreat flashes acro