Bringer of Winter- a M/M/M Epic Fantasy Romance

30- Nibean War Horses

*****Bringer of Winter theme song= Winter's Song, Tommee Profitt feat Fleurie

Sorry about the wait on this one 🙈🙈 It's been a fucking crazy few weeks!! I'm basically working two jobs right now. I've worked two before but, like, when I was young and had hope still shining through my eyes. Now I'm old and just want to sleep with my cat purring on my chest 😭😭

Anywho, I hope you enjoy. And let me know what you think and if you're excited for BOW book two 🥰

Oh & I can't forget— HUGE ty to my betas Everlasting_Stardust Brightonium their feedback is so helpful always & they help my stories just go that extra little bit ❤️❤️ *****

THEO—

The five men who stepped through the door were slaughtered summarily by Khif, falling silently one-by-one. Their bodies dropped so quickly they didn't even have a chance to make it all the way through the door, slumping onto the unmoving corpse of the man who fell less than seconds before they, too, met death. He moved so quickly Napa didn't even have time to react and try to help. I could tell from Napa's stance that he had moved to do just that, but it had been too late before the idea had crossed his mind. Ryker, however, never even flinched away from holding me up as he watched Khif take down nearly half a dozen men in under a minute.

As the last fell, with hardly a sigh from his lips at his soul fleeing his body, Khif motioned for the group to follow as he stepped around the bodies and through the doorway.

Without one glance at the bodies, Ryker lifted me over them and followed Khif's crouched, retreating back. My legs dangled and my feet occasionally tripped with weakness as I tried to keep up with the big man who took most of my weight. He held me up, though, and we never slowed.

We moved through the short hallway that led to the stairs up to the main level. Each step was agony, but Ryker never faltered and lifted me again and again when I felt as if I couldn't take another.

We exited into the main atrium of the palace, where my father received... used to receive royal visitors. The sight we were met with had my eyes burning with rage and a sadness so profound my knees buckled at its weight.

There were dozens of bodies of guards and noblemen, even some servants, all heaped atop one another, all of their bodies fresh. Some still moaned in death throes, some still bled though their souls had left their bodies.

All had been killed by these men who had come, for reasons unknown, to save me and my family. All had died to save me from the greed of a man I had called family. All had died for that greed.

Khif moved towards the front door, his hand outstretched back to us to hold us away until he determined it was safe. When he reached the door, a shout sounded and he leapt back, just missing being hit by a flying arrow. His eyes flickered to Ryker, who jerked his head towards a set of stairs that would lead to the tall eastern tower, and Khif nodded.

Just as Khif began to run towards the opening in the stairs, the two men wearing clothes similar to Khif and Ryker, the ones who had been down in the jail before, flew towards our group on nearly silent feet.

Had Ryker and Khif trained these men to be war'rogs?

Without a word or a discernible signal from either Khif or Ryker, both men ducked down to try to lessen the size of the targets they made and changed the direction they were running. They reached the stairs just before Khif, with Sia and Napa, still holding Rion, just behind him, and Ryker and I pulling up the rear.