02 The Cost of Betrayal by David Dalglish

Author:David Dalglish
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Fantasy, Epic, Fiction
ISBN: 9781451567489
Publisher: CreateSpace
Published: 2010-03-29T05:00:00+00:00

The feast was beyond anything the wizard had ever prepared. Roast quail, venison, boar, and mutton covered a single table, all seasoned with basil, sage, and rosemary. Another table was piled high with cheese, fish, ale-flavored bread, wild fruits, and assorted beers, meads, and wines. Covering all was a blended array of spices, some rare, some common. Each bite contained a hint of cloves, cinnamon, pepper, ginger, or nutmeg.

When the feast was done, and the toasts were over, the guests said their goodbyes.

“Come visit me some time,” Felewen said, hugging both. “Make sure you let me know when the babies are coming.”

“Ha, ha, ha,” Harruq said, grinning at her. Dieredon left with her, bowing to Aurelia and offering only a quick word to Harruq.

“Break her heart, I break you,” he said.

“Will remember,” the half-orc replied. The two mounted Sonowin and soared off into the southern sky.

Qurrah was last, his mood strangely quiet and somber.

“You will come and visit again, won’t you?” Aurelia asked, offering him a curtsey. The half-orc bowed.

“I will do my very best. To both of you, I offer my most sincere congratulations.”

“You stay safe, brother,” Harruq said, hugging him. Qurrah chuckled.

“Of course. You as well.”

Another bow, and then he ventured into the forest, vanishing amid the trees. Harruq resumed eating a bit more, worried by that last troubled look on his brother’s face.

“What are your plans for tonight?” Tarlak asked, sliding beside Harruq while Delysia distracted Aurelia.

“What you mean?”

“You know what I mean,” the wizard said, winking. “You do know what I mean, right?”

Harruq flushed. “Of course I do. Just figured, you know, upstairs in my room and all.”

Tarlak laughed and clapped his hands.

“As a personal favor, I am paying for all of us to stay in a nice inn in Veldaren. The tower is yours for the night. Enjoy.”

Harruq beamed at the wizard. “I owe you a lot, Tar.”

“And you’ll pay me back one day. I have faith in you. But for now, the night is yours. It is time for us to go!”

He clapped three times, and the rest of the Eschaton heard the signal and obeyed. They politely bowed and wished them well, entered the tower, returned with travel packs of clothes, and gathered at the door. Before they left, Haern trudged over to Harruq and removed his hood.

“Just so you know, I am still expecting a sparring match tomorrow morning,” he told him. “Don’t overdo it.”

“I’ll hold him in check,” Aurelia said, kissing the man on the cheek. “Now run off. Time for us to have a little quiet time, right Harruq?”

“Right, Aurelia Tun,” he said, a dumb grin on his face. “Aurelia Tun. Sounds so funny.”

The gang bounded off southeast. Harruq and Aurelia waved, standing in front of the door with arms intertwined.

“Come on upstairs, love,” Aurelia said when they were gone. She kissed his cheek. Hand in hand, they hurried upstairs. When they arrived, they found flowers piled across their beds, a dizzying array of roses, tulips, and daisies, somehow alive even though winter was fast approaching.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.