Blood and Iron 4 by Eli Steele

Author:Eli Steele [Steele, Eli]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-11-07T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 48

Bela Wray

City of Ashmor

Kingdom of Beyorn

The forge was an empty place, barren and cold, with harsh lines and sharp edges. Stone set in mortar too thin, leaving grooves deep enough that you could sink the pad of your finger in. And the floor was a man’s shoulder height below the ground, like a cellar, or perhaps a sepulcher.

Perhaps it would be her sepulcher, but that was only fitting. If Ashmor was to fall, then a Wray should be in the Wray, but that was foolish talk. She knew she couldn’t stay.

Bela traced a line of mortar, searching out the room she had slaved in for so many years, only then realizing it was a dour place made warm and familiar by — oddly enough — Gruff himself. A kettle whistled atop their forge of wide renown that was now relegated to warming sand apple cider for one.

Turning, she grabbed the copper handle with a gloved hand and poured the steaming brew to a silver cup, smithed by Bela herself. The cider drank like the sand apple ate, sour at first followed by sweet, though the fermentation process cut the sugary reward.

Carrying the kettle and cup to the side kitchen, she cracked the high windows set just above street-level and listened for the sounds of the city. At this time of morning, an endless droning bustle usually permeated the district, though today the streets were as mute as a graveyard. With the Cairn ferries having ran all night and most of the morning, all that remained were the damned — soldiers and looters and the hopelessly mad. Bela mulled her options and settled on the latter for herself.

For a moment, she considered bundling up and walking the streets, like she often did when the winter tempests swept in off the coast. Bringing sleet and ice and bitter cold, they drove the city behind closed doors for sometimes a week solid. In those waning hours, when the winds kicked up and the streets grew silent, she enjoyed Ashmor the most.

There’s something magical about the vacancy of it all, she mused, sipping the cider and letting it purse her lips, as if anything can happen. But this time, I s’pose it’s different.

Looking around, her eyes settled on a painting on a shelf, one that had so resembled Kassina that her mother bought it despite its price. She thought of Kass and Ro, and where the word elekhoi had taken them on the Cormorant. Were they in Avendor, or had they decided on someplace else? Would she ever see them again? In her heart, she hoped so, but in her mind, she thought not.

Sipping the cider again, she topped off her cup and stood, her scabbard scraping the wooden chair. Slowly, she meandered back into the forge, before pushing against the heavy wooden door and stepping out into the alley. Cold air met her like a lover scorned, chilling her face and steaming her drink. Climbing the path to the shop, she stepped gingerly, careful not to slip on the thick layer of ice.

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.