Blood of the Emperor by Tracy Hickman

Author:Tracy Hickman [Hickman, Tracy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781101597538
Publisher: Penguin Group US
Published: 2012-07-30T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 20

The Mournful Road

URULANI JUMPED DOWN from the harness fixed around the base of Kyranish’s neck before he had fully stopped near the crest of the grass-covered knoll. Her feet caught slightly in the soft ground and she fell, skidding across the grass and moist earth. A few peals of hearty laughter came at her expense but for the most part, the refugees at the base of the slope appeared too tired to take any notice of the ignominious conclusion of her arrival. She picked herself up, scraping the mud from her arms and the front of her padded leather doublet. She did not even look back at her dragon as she strode purposefully across the knoll. Her legs were shaky but she plunged onward, too determined to allow her body to stop.

Only one thought drove her on.

She had to find Drakis.

The ruin of a stone fortress or temple—she did not care which—stood at the crest of the rise. It was being utilized by a pair of dragons as a place to sun themselves. They seemed unaware of the chaos that surrounded the hill beneath their perch. All about the base of the mound, angry, confused Drakis Pilgrims were making their way around the prominence from out of the thick woodland to the north before following a beaten trail back into the woods toward the south. Urulani noticed that Kyranish, the Lyric’s dragon was absent. Pyrash—the dragon who carried Jugar—was curled around the warm stones of the crumbling construction and Wanrah, the dragon that Ethis rode, lolled on a shattered tier of the ruin. The one dragon she hoped to find here was also absent; the presence of the green and yellow Marush would have confirmed that Drakis was here.

Dragon or no, he’s got to be here, she thought. And he’s going to have to explain why the rest of us are here, too!

Urulani saw a familiar shape near the base of the far slope surrounded by a circle of excited and angry beings all vying for his attention at the same time. There were many manticores in the throng marching into the forest but this was the only one who bore the crossed-sash of a Grahn Aur and the unmistakable harvest-gold-colored robe. She could hear his hoarse voice above the crowd. “We have to keep moving! You know what Drakis said. We dare not stop now!”

“It’s been two days since we stopped to encamp,” Tsojai Acheran shouted, his featureless black eyes seeming duller than ever. “That’s well enough for the manticores and the chimerians but the elves among the company need to rest!”

“There will be a time and a place for rest but it is not here!” Belag asserted, baring his teeth at the elven councillor. “You know that since we crossed the Malethic River we’ve been in Ephindrian territory. We are still moving somewhere between what Ethis calls Chythal and Hrynth lands. We were warned not to stop until we had passed beyond Pashorei lands and that’s two more days ahead of us.

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