Malediction (Scars of the Sundering Book 1) by Hans Cummings Page B
Authors: Hans Cummings
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and she never really
noticed how vast the land beyond Drak-Anor was. Part of her wanted to clutch
the road and crawl on all fours for fear of flying off into the great blue void
above.
"Hey,
you two, don't make a habit of getting too far ahead." Pancras and Edric
jogged up to them. "Once we're out of the mountains, it will be too easy
to become separated and lost if you do that."
Delilah
stuck her tongue out and put her arm around her brother. "Very well,
Father. We won't wander."
Kale ducked
out from under her arm. "Careful, Deli. My shoulders are sore."
Grimacing, he rolled his shoulders. "I hit that wall pretty hard."
Pancras
knelt down and examined Kale. "Are you sure you're up for this? It's not
too late to go back."
"No—I
mean, yes, I'm up for it." Kale shook his head.
"Let's
just get on with this, Pancras." Delilah tapped the butt of her staff
against the ground. Aside from the backpack holding the grimoire and a belt
pouch containing leather polish and some money, it was all she had. She
couldn't imagine needing anything else. Kale, on the other hand, festooned with
bulging pouches, appeared to have packed every tool, probe, and lock pick he
owned in anticipation of whatever they might encounter. She chuckled as she regarded
the comical image of her laden sibling.
Chapter 4
As Pancras
led them away from Drak-Anor, Kale tried to concentrate on something other than
the sudden pain that coursed through him. His blood felt as if it was on fire,
but he was sure it would soon abate. It never lasted longer than a few minutes. I hope Deli doesn't notice.
Drak-Anor's
healer, Jared, found nothing wrong with Kale other than the expected bumps and
bruises one might acquire when running from ghouls and being tossed around a
room with stone walls by slimy tentacles.
By the time
the sun reached its zenith, most of Kale's soreness subsided to a dull ache,
although he noticed a new pain localized near his shoulder blades that wasn't
there before. It wasn't severe, though, and he assumed he wrenched it while
carrying the massive tome from Terrakaptis to his sister.
So the days
went, cool and sunny, followed by clear and cold nights. Delilah happily cast a
spell here and there to short-cut the fire building process and set alight
their campfires. The four of them spent the majority of their time practicing
the common trade language of Andelosia. Dwarvish and Drak were fine for the
mountains, but down on the plains, most humans spoke only their regional
dialects and the trade language.
They snacked
during the day while on foot, electing to stop and cook only when they stopped
to make camp each night. Pancras, determined to reach Bramblevale Keep as
quickly as possible, kept a brisk pace. The sooner they purchased pack animals
to carry their gear and possibly themselves, the better chance they had of
arriving in Muncifer in time for the tribunal.
Kale didn't
much notice if the days and nights became colder as time passed, but Pancras
informed them that it tended to be warmer at the lower elevations and that cold
days approached. Most of the time, though, Kale was hot, and his back ached.
The clockwork box Terrakaptis gave him was not heavy, but after nearly a week
of carrying it, he was certain it would crush him under its weight.
The road
took them east out of the mountains, and they found themselves on the outskirts
of the Celtan Forest, trees flanking them as they hiked. Ahead lay Bramblevale
Keep. The keep itself was a blocky, stone building surrounded by a stone wall.
Men with bows patrolled the battlements between the guard towers that stood at
each of the wall's four corners. A moat surrounded the wall, and a tree-lined
avenue spurred from the road that passed in front of the keep and led them
toward the keep's drawbridge.
Bramblevale
Keep marked the northern edge of Etrunia, or if one hailed from Celtangate, the
southern edge of that city-state. Neither city expended the resources to
properly
noticed how vast the land beyond Drak-Anor was. Part of her wanted to clutch
the road and crawl on all fours for fear of flying off into the great blue void
above.
"Hey,
you two, don't make a habit of getting too far ahead." Pancras and Edric
jogged up to them. "Once we're out of the mountains, it will be too easy
to become separated and lost if you do that."
Delilah
stuck her tongue out and put her arm around her brother. "Very well,
Father. We won't wander."
Kale ducked
out from under her arm. "Careful, Deli. My shoulders are sore."
Grimacing, he rolled his shoulders. "I hit that wall pretty hard."
Pancras
knelt down and examined Kale. "Are you sure you're up for this? It's not
too late to go back."
"No—I
mean, yes, I'm up for it." Kale shook his head.
"Let's
just get on with this, Pancras." Delilah tapped the butt of her staff
against the ground. Aside from the backpack holding the grimoire and a belt
pouch containing leather polish and some money, it was all she had. She
couldn't imagine needing anything else. Kale, on the other hand, festooned with
bulging pouches, appeared to have packed every tool, probe, and lock pick he
owned in anticipation of whatever they might encounter. She chuckled as she regarded
the comical image of her laden sibling.
Chapter 4
As Pancras
led them away from Drak-Anor, Kale tried to concentrate on something other than
the sudden pain that coursed through him. His blood felt as if it was on fire,
but he was sure it would soon abate. It never lasted longer than a few minutes. I hope Deli doesn't notice.
Drak-Anor's
healer, Jared, found nothing wrong with Kale other than the expected bumps and
bruises one might acquire when running from ghouls and being tossed around a
room with stone walls by slimy tentacles.
By the time
the sun reached its zenith, most of Kale's soreness subsided to a dull ache,
although he noticed a new pain localized near his shoulder blades that wasn't
there before. It wasn't severe, though, and he assumed he wrenched it while
carrying the massive tome from Terrakaptis to his sister.
So the days
went, cool and sunny, followed by clear and cold nights. Delilah happily cast a
spell here and there to short-cut the fire building process and set alight
their campfires. The four of them spent the majority of their time practicing
the common trade language of Andelosia. Dwarvish and Drak were fine for the
mountains, but down on the plains, most humans spoke only their regional
dialects and the trade language.
They snacked
during the day while on foot, electing to stop and cook only when they stopped
to make camp each night. Pancras, determined to reach Bramblevale Keep as
quickly as possible, kept a brisk pace. The sooner they purchased pack animals
to carry their gear and possibly themselves, the better chance they had of
arriving in Muncifer in time for the tribunal.
Kale didn't
much notice if the days and nights became colder as time passed, but Pancras
informed them that it tended to be warmer at the lower elevations and that cold
days approached. Most of the time, though, Kale was hot, and his back ached.
The clockwork box Terrakaptis gave him was not heavy, but after nearly a week
of carrying it, he was certain it would crush him under its weight.
The road
took them east out of the mountains, and they found themselves on the outskirts
of the Celtan Forest, trees flanking them as they hiked. Ahead lay Bramblevale
Keep. The keep itself was a blocky, stone building surrounded by a stone wall.
Men with bows patrolled the battlements between the guard towers that stood at
each of the wall's four corners. A moat surrounded the wall, and a tree-lined
avenue spurred from the road that passed in front of the keep and led them
toward the keep's drawbridge.
Bramblevale
Keep marked the northern edge of Etrunia, or if one hailed from Celtangate, the
southern edge of that city-state. Neither city expended the resources to
properly
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