The sound of horse hoofs thudded against the ground rhythmically, causing little puffs of cloud to rise along the country road. Wide swaths of ripening rice paddies flashed by as the riders tried to squeeze several days of riding into one.
"How far to the capital?" Lin Yu called out as they stopped to water the horse.
"Ten days, give or take. We need six days to cross the Great Plains." Zhuo Hao said, he pointed to the gentle slope "You can see it from there. It's rumored to be as wide as the seas, and even richer with life." Zhuo Hao looked at Lin Yu with a tender smile, "When this is over I will take you through here again so you can see it in its true glory."
Lin Yu blushed and looked down, Zhuo Hao and turned to walk up the ridge. She didn't see the slight trace of worry in his eyes.
He stood there, his back to Lin Yu and Yu Zhu. A minute passed, then two, but he didn't turn around.
"What are you looking at?" Lin Yu called up to him.
Zhuo Hao said nothing, his back to them, frozen.
"What?" Lin Yu finally asked, she too climbed the hill. Her mouth fell open.
The great plains, once filled with waves of golden grass looked as if all life had been sucked out of it.
Yu Zhu walked onto the dead earth, knelt and pressed her fingers to the ground, "It's all dead."
"That's easy to see." Zhuo Hao said absently, still staring at the dark expanse.
Lin Yu looked at Yu Zhu and whispered "I can't feel any sign of..."
"Nothing will ever grow here again. " Yu Zhu said calmly, brushing the ash from her fingers. The dust swirled away from them on the dry, hot wind.
"What happened?" Zhuo Hao croaked after a moment, his pale face looking at the smudge of dust that lingered on her finger.
Lin Yu looked at Yu Zhu, "Can you guess?"
Yu Zhu shook her head, "Only the birth of a great god...or demon could do this"
Zhuo Ha0 looked at Yu Zhu, "Is it still around? We don't have the time to deal with it. My people can only delay Zhu Ming's wedding for so long."
Yu Zhu's brow furrowed, "Whatever it is, it's hidden itself too well."
Zhuo Hao opened his mouth but Lin Yu grabbed his arm, "She can't do more right now. Magic is outlawed in the human realms, a big enough spell, it could bring more trouble than we're ready for. Heaven can't know of Yu Zhu, not yet."
Suddenly Yu Zhu looked up, "We have a visitor."
The other two looked up confused into the clear sky. It was only after a few moments did they see a small black dot.
Giant black wings soared above a field as black as death, his shadow melting into the dead land as he dropped from the sky. The grey robes fluttered as stood.
"What is he doing here?" Lin Yu asked confused. Her brow snapped together as she looked at the newcomer.
His wings seemed larger that what she remembered, blacker and glossier.
Lin Yu stalked over to him, "You've been gone for months. Where where you?"
Huang Wu stared at her, "Are you fully healed?"
Lin Yu raised an eyebrow, "Fully healed? How did you know I was injured?"
Huang Wu's brows snapped together, his lips pressing into a thin line. Instead he looked at Yu Zhu, "I heard that you died."
YOU ARE READING
Daughter of Heaven
FantasyShe was as gentle as the rain that fell on the bamboo leaves. Innocent as the summer scent that brushed against the ripening wheat. A princess in ancient china, she would follow myths and legends until she became one herself. She was a rose who wou...
