Read Online Dark Feather: A Dark Post Apocalyptic Romance by Alta Hensley - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Alta Hensley
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was something I enjoyed. I loved to watch the stars, but I didn’t love sleeping in this kind of hut.
But then again, it was a hut that all soldiers had to sleep in. As part of Cyan’s army, I was required to sleep in the same location as all the other men. Higher ranking soldiers were assigned to a sleeping unit that was big enough to hold a sleeping mat, a small table, and had enough room to walk around. Others were assigned to group huts big enough to sleep several. Being the only female, I had my own. But I missed the simple tents we used when we went off to battle. The huts surrounding Rigby’s home in Danis seemed permanent, and permanence scared me. I preferred the freedom of the open icy land and the ability to pick up at a moment’s notice.
I would rather ride around the icy land at night on a snowmobile instead of being confined to a living space. I wasn’t born to spend my nights in a small sleeping hut. I was born to roam the world and explore all there was to explore. Sleep never came easy, for my mind stayed busy no matter how exhausted I was.
I turned onto my back after wincing again. I took in another deep breath and gathered saliva in my mouth before spitting it out. After spending so much time out in the icy land, I had become accustomed to the feeling of snow and grit in my teeth. At first, that had bothered me, but now it was almost something I bypassed every day. I just learned to spit it out and deal with it.
The soldier in the next sleeping hut over groaned, the sound easily relaying the pain he was in. He had suffered a great leg wound in the last battle. The battle that had wiped out nearly half of Rigby’s army. I blinked and shuddered at the thought of all who had died. The only saving grace was the last battle was won. Honor had been regained. And as much as I hated to admit it, we’d had no choice but to head back to Danis, where Rigby resided, to build up our forces, heal, and prepare for another war.
Even though I was hardly haunted by my past fights, this past battle stuck with me, and even gave me nightmares. Fighting against a side that was once mine, ate at my soul. I was an expert archer, but the last fight had tested my strength, my mental capacity, and my bravery. While I had made it out alive, half of the army had not.
Now that the battle was over, the courtyard where the army slept seemed much quieter than usual. Everything seemed motionless as everyone was still in a mourning state for the fellow fighters lost. The man in the hut on my other side had succumbed to his wounds from the battle, and even though he had snored like a pig and kept me up at night, I found myself willing to do anything to hear that snore again.
A rustling sound startled me, and I bolted up into a sitting position, my senses heightened. I sat there in the dark, staring in the direction of the entrance to my hut. Through the small slit at the bottom of the cloth door, I saw slight shadows caused by the light of a candle, and carefully got to my feet.
Without making a sound, I moved to the other side of the hut and retrieved my small knife, sharp and gleaming in the moonlight. By now, I had trained long enough to not cower in the face of danger, no matter how large and terrifying it was. Even if this danger was enough to kill me, backing down from a fight would never be an option.
Swallowing a mouthful of grit and courage, I took a step forward, my blade in front of me.
Then the cloth door disappeared in the blink of an eye, and a rider on a snowmobile drove to the entrance. The rider held a lantern high above his head. All I could see was the shadow of the rider and my heart rate spiked, sending shudders throughout my body. We had just defeated the enemy. The last thing I wanted was to fight again.
“Remain calm, Tudor,” came a soothing, deep voice.
I immediately dropped the blade that I’d readied for attack and let out a sigh. “What the hell do you think you were doing, storming into my
But then again, it was a hut that all soldiers had to sleep in. As part of Cyan’s army, I was required to sleep in the same location as all the other men. Higher ranking soldiers were assigned to a sleeping unit that was big enough to hold a sleeping mat, a small table, and had enough room to walk around. Others were assigned to group huts big enough to sleep several. Being the only female, I had my own. But I missed the simple tents we used when we went off to battle. The huts surrounding Rigby’s home in Danis seemed permanent, and permanence scared me. I preferred the freedom of the open icy land and the ability to pick up at a moment’s notice.
I would rather ride around the icy land at night on a snowmobile instead of being confined to a living space. I wasn’t born to spend my nights in a small sleeping hut. I was born to roam the world and explore all there was to explore. Sleep never came easy, for my mind stayed busy no matter how exhausted I was.
I turned onto my back after wincing again. I took in another deep breath and gathered saliva in my mouth before spitting it out. After spending so much time out in the icy land, I had become accustomed to the feeling of snow and grit in my teeth. At first, that had bothered me, but now it was almost something I bypassed every day. I just learned to spit it out and deal with it.
The soldier in the next sleeping hut over groaned, the sound easily relaying the pain he was in. He had suffered a great leg wound in the last battle. The battle that had wiped out nearly half of Rigby’s army. I blinked and shuddered at the thought of all who had died. The only saving grace was the last battle was won. Honor had been regained. And as much as I hated to admit it, we’d had no choice but to head back to Danis, where Rigby resided, to build up our forces, heal, and prepare for another war.
Even though I was hardly haunted by my past fights, this past battle stuck with me, and even gave me nightmares. Fighting against a side that was once mine, ate at my soul. I was an expert archer, but the last fight had tested my strength, my mental capacity, and my bravery. While I had made it out alive, half of the army had not.
Now that the battle was over, the courtyard where the army slept seemed much quieter than usual. Everything seemed motionless as everyone was still in a mourning state for the fellow fighters lost. The man in the hut on my other side had succumbed to his wounds from the battle, and even though he had snored like a pig and kept me up at night, I found myself willing to do anything to hear that snore again.
A rustling sound startled me, and I bolted up into a sitting position, my senses heightened. I sat there in the dark, staring in the direction of the entrance to my hut. Through the small slit at the bottom of the cloth door, I saw slight shadows caused by the light of a candle, and carefully got to my feet.
Without making a sound, I moved to the other side of the hut and retrieved my small knife, sharp and gleaming in the moonlight. By now, I had trained long enough to not cower in the face of danger, no matter how large and terrifying it was. Even if this danger was enough to kill me, backing down from a fight would never be an option.
Swallowing a mouthful of grit and courage, I took a step forward, my blade in front of me.
Then the cloth door disappeared in the blink of an eye, and a rider on a snowmobile drove to the entrance. The rider held a lantern high above his head. All I could see was the shadow of the rider and my heart rate spiked, sending shudders throughout my body. We had just defeated the enemy. The last thing I wanted was to fight again.
“Remain calm, Tudor,” came a soothing, deep voice.
I immediately dropped the blade that I’d readied for attack and let out a sigh. “What the hell do you think you were doing, storming into my
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