"We captured them in battle," Jitomi said, coming to stand beside her. He placed his hands against the balustrade and leaned forward, gazing at the rest of his fleet. "Many sailed against us further southeast. Many sank." He smiled thinly. "I took a few for my fleet."
She looked at him, eyes narrowed. "Your fleet?"
He smiled wanly. "For a while longer."
He spoke then of the past few moons—how he had traveled to Ilar, how his father had died, how he had become Emperor of Ilar. He spoke too of sailing north along the Inaro, of meeting the Radian fleet in the water, and of sailing onward until he reached the ruin of Pahmey.
"I had hoped to find you in the city," he said. "When we saw that Pahmey was gone, we captured a few Radian soldiers who were lingering around the ruins. We questioned them. When I learned of the mine, hope sprang in me, hope that you still lived." He took her hand in his. "And you are alive."
She leaned her head against his shoulder. "For a while longer."
He placed an arm around her and pulled her close. "Now we must choose, Madori. We must choose our path. We are a lone army in a sea of enemies. A lone beacon of hope in a land where all other hope is lost. Do we land our fleet upon the bank, then march across the darkness of Qaelin, seeking survivors?"
"Where is Serin?" she asked.
Jitomi looked out across the water. "Radians we captured spoke of him returning west into sunlight, back to his palace in Mageria."
"Then that is where we go." She walked along the bulwark, moving between soldiers, until she reached the prow of the ship. An iron figurehead, shaped as a dragon, thrust ahead. The western waters were dark and calm; their ship led the way. Darkness waited there in the distance, but beyond it, Madori knew, lay the light of day. Jitomi came to stand beside her, and they stood together, staring at the horizon as behind them sailed hundreds of Ilar's ships.
"We sail on," she whispered. "We sail through darkness and we sail into the light. We sail along the Inaro, and along the Sern River, until we reach Serin's backyard. We will do what no Elorian army has ever done: Invade the daylight."
Jitomi wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head, but Madori would not relax in his grip. She kept staring ahead into the shadows, and pain filled her.
I will never forget this pain, she thought, and her eyes stung, and her throat constricted. I will never forget how the whips hurt me, how the hunger clawed at my belly, how I watched my people die. Forever, in darkness or in light, that nightmare will fill me. We will meet again, Serin. I promise you this. I vow this by the stars of my forebears. We will meet one more time, Serin . . . the last time. The time I kill you.
The fleet sailed on through the darkness. Ahead, across many miles of shadow, the dusk blazed with light.
The story will continue in . . .
LEGACY OF MOTH
The Moth Saga, Book Six
COMING SOON
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AFTERWORD
Thank you for reading Shadows of Moth. I hope you enjoyed this novel.
Want to know when the next book is released? Here are some ways to stay updated:
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And if you have a moment, please review a Moth book online. Help other fantasy readers and tell them why you enjoyed reading. And please help spread the word! Lend Moth to a friend, talk about Moth online, and help others discover these books. You can review the first Moth book here.
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Thank you again, dear reader, and I hope we meet again between the pages of another book.
Daniel
NOVELS BY DANIEL ARENSON
THE MOTH SAGA
Moth
Empires of Moth
Secrets of Moth
Daughter of Moth
Shadows of Moth
Legacy of Moth
REQUIEM
Dawn of Dragons ‒ Requiem's first dragons fly. Requiem's Song
Requiem's Hope
Requiem's Prayer
The Complete Trilogy
Song of Dragons ‒ Can Requiem rise from ruin? Blood of Requiem
Tears of Requiem
Light of Requiem
The Complete Trilogy
Dragonlore ‒ An enemy of fire invades Requiem. A Dawn of Dragonfire
A Day of Dragon Blood
A Night of Dragon Wings
The Complete Trilogy
The Dragon War ‒ Civil war engulfs Requiem. A Legacy of Light
A Birthright of Blood
A Memory of Fire
The Complete Trilogy
OTHER WORLDS
Eye of the Wizard
Wand of the Witch
Firefly Island
The Gods of Dream
Flaming Dove
KEEP IN TOUCH
www.DanielArenson.com
[email protected]
Facebook.com/DanielArenson
Twitter.com/DanielArenson
Shadows of Moth Page 26
