The Harrowed Half-Breed: A Tarnished Lands Story (Forgotten Woods Book 1)

Here I Come

~Valara~

Valara heard the news of her son's treachery during her shift change.

The gatherers weren't fully asleep yet—still snickering about the event as if he were an object or something completely devoid of feelings, thoughts and emotions. This gave Valara the drive she needed to do what would follow.

"I need more time," she said, pacing back and forth.

Giving up on being covert, she went straight to her tunnel, which was getting close to being completed. She immediately started to chip and dig at the hard surface. There was no time to be quiet or grind the large rocks into dust, or even dispose of the evidence.

"Faster! You're going too slow," her hand berated her.

"I'm going as fast as I can."

"Let me do it," the hand grabbed a second jagged rock.

Now, with both hands working in tandem, rubble fell at her feet as a testament of her strength.

"What's going on down there?" a voice echoed down the narrow tunnel. She had been careless, and didn't even cover the entrance.

Appearing defeated, she dropped her rocks and hung her head. "I got lost."

"What is this place? Who else is down here?" The silhouette of a man stood in the tunnel.

"No one else is here," her hand said, as it went for his throat, biting it out. He gurgled and wheezed, until its words became true. After years of digging, grinding and destroying her insides, her plan was about to come to fruition. One thing was for damn sure, she was getting out of there tonight, and nothing was going to stop her.