CHAPTER 1
Phoenix gritted his teeth, wishing his horse came with shock absorbers. Every jarring hoof-beat lanced pain through his arm. Marcus had set the bone well enough but he really needed Jade’s healing powers. How was he supposed to swing a sword now?
Pushing the thought aside, he stretched out one leg, easing a bruised butt cheek off the saddle. It didn’t help much. They had ridden non-stop since before dawn in an effort to reach Karla Caves. It was taking longer than he’d expected to make their way west. The road toward the coast seethed with refugees from the recently-ended war between the Kshatrapa Bhumaka and the true king, Guatamiputra Sakatarni. Their pathetic footslogging pace made for slow going on the narrow path through the mountains.
Several times, Phoenix had to phy
