Chapter 59. I Am What I Am

AMEERA

Nothing is more numbing than this sensation—fear crawling on my skin like insects, cold feet, and quivering hands—for as the thunder rumbles in the wailing sky, I sense his presence like needles in my guts—the Red Eye King.

Though we ride through the hidden terrains with fifty warriors trailing us, my heart remains restless, thumping with reckless abandon. My plan to enter Persia with my son disguised as a blind boy is crippled by the devil’s whisper in my heart that we might not make it. How does one escape the gods of the realms?

The sight of a group of soldiers at a distance compounds my fears, and before I can make out their features, the Perthian company zooms past me with a clear intention to send the obstacle into oblivion. But suddenly, an enormous heat forces me to shut my eyes as pillars of fire descend from heaven, consuming my guards and melting their bones to ashes. My horse squeals aggressively, rising and throwing me off its back.

On imp