Chapter 106: Stranded, Part 3

He struck out further up the coast, hoping to come across some sign of habitation. He walked until it began to grow dark and his body ached to the point he wanted to scream, but his search proved futile. All he'd found was beach, beach, and more beach.

Abandoning his search for the night, he found a copse of scraggly trees and climbed up into the sturdiest looking one, settling himself as comfortably as possible, wrapping up tightly in his cloak. He stared out at the water, the sky, and drifted off thinking of home.

He stood crying over his brother's grave marker, one of far too many in the graveyard dedicated to the Princes of the Blood. All who fell, even those who fell during the Blooding, were given a place of honor in that field. It was no comfort. His brother never should have been forced into so brutal a role. He was a soldier but did not have a heart strong enough to become a demon.