Honor. Duty. Ritual. One of these may kill her #Excerpt The Last Vhalgenn by Kayelle Allen #FantasyBooks #Readers

The Last Vhalgenn - found inside Beneath the Gates

Honor, duty, and ritual rule her life, but one of these may kill her.

The Vhalgenn is the last of her kind, a companion bred to serve the king, and dedication to him burns in her blood.

In this scene, Raik, the Vhalgenn, has taken the wetnurse and the newborn prince into the mountains. The one thing they must avoid is for the babe to be seen by his father, Orix, the king. Not until the child has been passed beneath the Gates of Life. This story is all from Raik's point of view.

The sun was straight overhead and despite the cool air of the foothills, my head felt baked. Time and again, I had to remove my hat and wipe my brow. When we reached an overlook, I fanned myself with the brim. Rising in the stirrups to look down, I followed the river's path.

A groan escaped before I could stop it.

"What's wrong?" Estria craned her neck to see.

"They made better time than I expected."

She squinted toward the river, a hand shielding her eyes. "From back 'ere, I can't see a bloody thing."

The small figures on horses, far below, followed the river. The horseman in front carried an emerald banner with streamers. The cream-colored horse in the center of the procession sported gold-trimmed black leather and bright emerald ribbons woven into its pale mane. He was never one for hiding who and what he was.

"Raik!" Estria backhanded my arm to gain attention. "If you don't tell me 'oo it is down there, I'll..."

"Orix. He's come to stop us."