Read Online The Girl Born of Smoke by Jessica Billings - Free Book Online Page A

the
grumbles around her about being shoved out of the way.
    Aurora squinted her eyes against the bright
reflection off the waves. In the distance, small dark spots sat
nearly motionless, sailing slowly toward the harbor. “Are those
ships?”
    “Yeah.” Roxanne nodded, watching the ships
intently. “That's the Wizard's Army, coming to campaign in
Kain.”
    Eyes widened, Aurora stared at the fleet of
ships. “Wow, the entire army is coming here, to Kain?”
    Roxanne chuckled. “Hardly. That's only a
very small section of the entire army. Probably only a couple
hundred soldiers.
    “What in the world are they all coming here
for?”
    Smiling down at Aurora, Roxanne pushed back
her auburn hair which was blowing wildly in the breeze. “Well,
coming to see if anyone wants to join their cause, mainly. They'll
probably stock up on supplies and rest up while they're here,
too.”
    A man standing beside Aurora scoffed
derisively. “Naive girl. Those bastards out there will be the end
of Kain. Haven't you heard what they've done to all the cities in
their path? Destroyed them. Kain isn't going to be any different.”
He raised his voice. “I'm getting out of here while I can. Anyone
who values their life will do the same.”
    Arguing broke out in the crowd once again as
Roxanne laughed and sat down, dangling her feet off the edge.
Sitting down beside her, Aurora watched the ships slowly grow into
ship-shaped spots, the brightly colored masts standing out against
the blue water. “The Wizard's Army. They're the ones waiting for
the wizard to be born, right? To make him their ally?”
    Roxanne nodded, pleased. “That's right. Not
a bad side to be on, if you ask me.”
    Aurora cocked her head. “Really? Seems a
little risky, don't you think? I mean, who knows if this wizard
will even want to side with the army.”
    “Oh please, why wouldn't he?” Roxanne raised
an eyebrow. “I mean, even the most powerful wizard could probably
make use of an enormous army of soldiers who have pledged their
lives to help him.”
    “So,” Aurora paused, “are you going to join
them?”
    Roxanne continued to gaze out at the
incoming ships. “I'm thinking about it. I never meant to stay in
Kain all my life and a little vacation to the outskirts of places
like Delobo just doesn’t cut it for me.” Smiling slightly, she
turned to Aurora. “You should come with me. Think about it, we
could see the world and be on the winning team when the time comes.
There's no way we'll lose when the wizard is born. With him at our
side, we'll finally be victorious and have a say in the world. Our
lives will really mean something.”
    The crowd grew louder as the ships finally
began to sail into port. Some cheered, waving blue and silver
flags, while others jeered and angrily shoved the supporters.
Roxanne and Aurora immediately sprang up, sidling away from the
edge of the cliff as the crowd turned ugly. The man who had argued
with Roxanne earlier wasn't so quick and Aurora watched
open-mouthed as the crowd, acting as a whole, shifted toward him.
The man pushed back, but the combined force of the mob shoved him
to the edge. Waving his hands, he yelled and desperately scrambled
for safety, but the loose rocks crumbled out from under him and he
toppled backwards, over the edge of the cliff.
    Frozen, Aurora realized no one had even
reached for him. The crowd shifted again and she tripped over
someone's foot. Falling to the ground, she broke her fall with her
hands, which were immediately stepped on. Crying out, she tried to
regain her footing, but someone else unknowingly backed up into
her, kicking her in the ribs. Roxanne quickly scooped her up and
urged her in the direction parallel to the cliff, away from the
docks. “Come on!” she yelled in Aurora's ear.
    The two slipped through the crowd, dashing
around the scattered fights and leaping over the unconscious.
Roxanne glanced back and flashed Aurora a grim smile. “Keep up.
We're almost out of here.”