The Abandoned Luna's Journey to Power (by Emily Reed) novel Chapter 71

Chapter 71 Evelyn Finally Arrives

Chapter 71 Evelyn Finally Arrives

James’s POV:

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When the outline of Sandskeep finally appeared on the horizon, I felt like I was just crawling out of hell.

“Finally, we’re here,” I forced out the words.

My voice was rough, like two dull stones grinding together.

The warhorse beneath me was skin and bones. It shook with every step.

Behind me, the reinforcement troop no longer looked like a strong army.

We had marched out with nearly 100,000 troops. Now, fewer than 70,000 remained.

That cursed Deadmarsh was like a giant mouth. It swallowed a third of our men, along with most of our heavy wagons.

We almost lost half the force to those swamp dreadbeasts.

Now we were covered head to toe in dried black mud. We smelled of rotten weeds and sweat. We looked less like soldiers and more like a pack of starving strays.

“Look! Our battle flag!”

Evelyn rode beside me and pointed toward the city walls excitedly.

Her face was streaked with mud. Her once-shining silver armor had turned dark gray, but her eyes still burned with wild excitement.

“We’re late, but we’re here,” she said loudly, as if trying to convince herself. “As long as we’ve arrived, we can turn this around. Prince Adam must be trapped by vampires by now. If we strike at this moment, we’ll be heroes. Saviors!”

I looked at her, my feelings tangled.

Saviors?

Look at us.

In our condition, we could barely fight a group of low-rank vampires, let alone save anyone.

“Evelyn,” I said, pouring cold water on her excitement, “we’re two weeks late. According to the earlier reports, the keep might already be-”

“No!” she snapped, her expression twisting. “If the keep fell, we’ll take it back. That’s even more credit. James, stop lifting others and putting yourself down. Don’t forget why you’re here.” She leaned closer, her voice sharp. “You’re here to prove something to Cindy.”

The moment she said that name, my heart clenched hard.

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09:30 Tue, Jan 13 G *

Chapter 71 Evelyn Finally Arrives

Kenzi shifted uneasily in his sleep, sending out a wave of guilt.

We moved closer to the keep.

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What surprised me was what I did not see. There was no raging battle. No smoke. No bodies piled on the ground.

Sandskeep stood quietly under the setting sun. The city walls were not torn apart as I had imagined. Instead, they were lined with fresh banners.

The flags snapped in the wind. They did not bear the vampire bat crest. They carried the golden wolf emblem of the royal household.

“That’s…” I narrowed my eyes and looked toward the city gate.

There was no panic because of our arrival. Instead, everything was calm and well organized.

Lines of patrol soldiers in clean armor were changing shifts. They looked alert and confident. Some of them were even chatting and laughing.

“This is what a city under siege looks like?” Evelyn froze. She stared at the scene in disbelief. “Did the vampires withdraw?”

We rode up to the base of the walls.

The guards had clearly noticed our large but battered force long before we arrived.

“Halt!” An officer shouted from the wall. “Who leads the troops below?”

Evelyn immediately urged her horse forward. She lifted her chin high. Her face was streaked with mud, but her pride was untouched. “Are you blind?” she barked. “I am General Russell! This is General Nolan! We come under His Majesty’s orders, leading the elite troops as reinforcements! Open the gates at once!”

The officer paused, clearly startled. A strange look crossed his face

He did not order the gates opened right away. Instead, he turned and said something quietly to the soldier beside him. Then he leaned over the wall and called down in a lazy voice.

“So, it’s the Duskfang Pack’s Alpha and General Russell,” he said. “Hmm, the gate will open soon. But Generals, your look is pretty unique. Did you just roll around in a mud pit or something?”

Laughter burst out from the soldiers along the wall.

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09:31 Tue, Jan 13 G *