Page 41 - Microsoft Word - FANG EMPIRE - NOVEL.docx

in his powerful arms, protecting her as they rode. She could smell her son now. It was the scent of

family, of home, of love and safety. She gazed up at him. His keen eyes looked forward so he

didn’t notice her watching. From GoGo’s angle, his chiseled, noble face looked almost engraved

into the night sky, immortalized against the stars. His cape swirled behind him in the wind. Of all

the things Ramoth lied to Kanja about, this was not one. To GoGo Bah, Omar was the man she

wished Kanja could have been.

“You are so beautiful,” she thought.

Sooth’s ears suddenly detected a faint sound behind them, in the distance.

“Whistling?” he thought.

The whistling sound came closer . . . then closer. Sooth looked back. Something was

coming. He shouted, “Duck! Duck down!”

But it was too late. Katan’s arrow whistled by Sooth’s head and slammed into Omar’s

back. The impact was so powerful it knocked him off his horse. GoGo tumbled from his arms and

landed in the sand. She yelled out in pain, but quickly looked back at Omar unmoving in the sand.

“Omar!” she screamed.

The other riders circled back, dismounted and rushed to their aid. Another arrow whistled

into range and struck one of the royal guards in the head, killing him instantly. Daka quickly lifted

Omar onto his back. Zuba picked up GoGo and they ran into the night using the horses as shields.

#
Prince Omar lay bare-chested and mortally wounded on a makeshift cot in the secret desert tent.

GoGo sat next to him, injured but more concerned for her son than herself. Her loyal warriors

gathered around.

“Forgive me, my queen, but we can’t stay here,” Daka said. “An archer with such mastery

will surely know he has hit the mark, and he’ll lead the soldiers to the prince. We must move