Blood Debts (Chronicles of Cambrea) by Julie Ann Dawson

Author:Julie Ann Dawson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: vampires, dhampirs, dwarves, necromancers, elves, adventure, romance, action, fantasy worlds, demons
Publisher: Bards and Sages Publishing
Published: 2018-05-15T00:00:00+00:00

“THERE IS DEATH AHEAD,” said Keira as she looked to the sky.

“You talking about undead, girl?” asked Merrick nervously.

Keira pointed at the vultures flying overhead. “No. Carrion feeders. Fresh kill. Vultures will not eat after the Angry Dead. But there is something they will eat ahead.”

They had decided to travel back to the Copper Pass to reach Freeport. Staying on the road seemed like a safer alternative to riding through the high grass, where you couldn’t see what was stalking you. Now Merrick was questioning that decision.

“Maybe we should go a different way.”

“Maybe. I will see.” She closed her eyes and tilted her head back. As she began to sway, Merrick feared the girl would fall off the horse. When she opened her eyes, they were completely white and glowed with a faint light. One of the vultures swooped down toward them, circled twice, and then flew off ahead of them. After several minutes, she shook her head vigorously and her eyes returned to normal.

“A man is dead ahead of us. His camp on the road destroyed. We should stop and bury him before the Angry Dead smell him. Or the smell will attract them to the road and then the road will be less safe.”

“What did you just do, girl?”

“I borrowed the bird’s sight to see ahead of us. Come, we may find useful things in camp that were left behind left behind.”

Merrick wanted to argue, but instead simply followed her. Taking orders from a child-woman human grated his nerves. He simply sighed and repeated the word patience to himself over and over.

They arrived at the campsite to find it mostly burned out. The man had been stabbed in the stomach and the back of the head and left to bleed out. Keira waved away the vultures that were feeding on the corpse so that they could examine him. They found no valuables or any clue as to who he was. His pack contained a change of clothes and some dry rations, but nothing to indicate why he was on the road alone.

“What do you make did this?” asked Merrick. He was no veteran scout, yet something about the scene did not sit well with him.

“It was not Angry Dead. Body is still intact except for what animals did. Maybe bandits?”

“But there is only one set of horse prints, probably his. Maybe stolen. Maybe chased off or run off. Can’t see bandits on foot out here.”

“Maybe they came through the grass? Was not Angry Dead. Was not animals. Had to be men.” Keira looked around the camp some more. “Look, another set of prints.” She knelt down as if she was smelling the ground. “Strange. This horse approached and then left the way it came.”

“You think it is the killer?” Merrick looked around nervously.

“Maybe,” she said as she stood up. “But he held a steady pace in both directions. Maybe a scout instead? Came upon the camp, saw what happened? Left to report?”

“Well, let’s bury the poor sod and be going.

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