Acolytes (Chronicles of the First Gods Book 3) by Daniel Fansler

Author:Daniel Fansler [Fansler, Daniel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-05-25T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Five

Flames illuminated the darkness, bathing the white walls of the city with their red and orange tongues. Salevari watched from where she stood, rooted to the spot in the middle of Aleganthia’s plaza as the city burned.

The humans rampaged around her. They threw bricks at windows, dragged out the viatari from inside and slew them on the spot. They set more fires to those few buildings which had yet been untouched. They passed her without seeing her, a frenzy in their eyes. And she could do nothing to stop them. She turned her gaze to the flames eating away at the city walls. They grew brighter and brighter until finally she was forced to close her eyes.

When she opened them again, she was in her room. Sunlight streamed through the windows, shining directly into her eyes.

A dream, she thought. But certainly a very troubling dream. She pushed the sheets off her bed and forced herself onto her feet, stretching as she did so. Why would such a dream come to her?

And then she froze as an idea came to her. She remembered how the Creature had often sent images to Thuradin when the twisted acolyte had been in the dwarf’s mind. These visions often proved to show near-future events of disaster, much like her dream. She wondered if perhaps, somehow, the Creature had entered her mind. She splashed her face with cold water from a large bowl on her dresser. There was only one way to be sure.

She strapped on her leather boots, hooked her sword to her belt, wrapped a cloak around her shoulders and headed for the door. Leaving her room, she made her way upstairs. There were low murmurs of greeting from the staff as they passed her by, busy with their own work. She looked outside as she passed some of the keep’s tall staircase windows. The city was bustling with activity just like any other day. In the distance the white walls of Aleganthia stood, not a single disturbance in sight.

This calmed Salevari significantly. Even though she knew her dream had been just that, she had still half-expected to see something wrong, some sign that could mean troubling times ahead.

“Salevari.”

The chancellor turned as Simon and Kent approached her from behind. They were both out of breath, having run up the stairs to catch up to her. Both of them also looked exhausted. Dark bags hung under their eyes and their hair—at least, Simon’s hair—looked unwashed as if the two had been consistently busy for several nights.

“Can I help you gentlemen?”

“Hopefully,” Simon grimaced. “We must discuss what happened at Tur. The news has spread among our people and—”

“If your people are worried about the same thing happening to them you may assure them that they need not fear it. The warning was only for those who kill my people.”

Kent grunted.

Simon began to translate, “He says—”

But Salevari’s mind was elsewhere. She raised a hand for silence. “We can discuss this another time. I have something I must check on first.

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