Branded (Master of All Book 1) by Simon Archer

Author:Simon Archer [Archer, Simon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-06-29T22:00:00+00:00

15

We didn’t get another glimpse of the big daddy… or mommy, who was I to judge?... rock wyrm as we weaved through the hills into the Whitesword Range proper. However, as our karushes steadily plodded their way into the first deeply cut valley, the wyrms’ presence both big and small was plain everywhere in the steeply sloped valley. Be it the scars of acid burns in the stone and the scrubby brush that dared grow here, shattered stubs of bitten-off Sola scattered among the intact crystals or cut gouges of all sizes of talon from kitten to kaiju.

The wyrms weren’t the only things we saw evidence of. As Petra and I moved deeper into the canyon, I caught glimpses of where our orc tribes might have been. A discarded shard of broken pottery here, a well-covered but still faintly visible old campfire there, the signs of the Wyrmtooth tribe was plain if you knew what to look for. None of the covered fires were warm in the least, but it still left a sort of trail to follow as the main valley began to split off into clefts cut into the white mountains and trails that led up the peaks.

Honestly, though all we had was a trail of sorts to follow and nothing else, I always felt like something or someone was watching us every step of the way. Still, we pushed on, but by the time afternoon rolled around, another, more immediate, problem was becoming rapidly clear as I reined my karush in before a split in the valley.

“I hate to say it, but our friends here,” I patted my karush on its long neck, “are just too big to take us much further.” Petra frowned thoughtfully as I pointed to the three clear paths ahead: two rapidly narrowing branches of the main canyon and a rough trail just wide enough to allow a person to walk up it. “While we might be able to go back and try a wider section of the canyon, I’ve got a feeling we won’t find the orcs along any major pass.”

“You are most likely right, William,” the dryad said as she scanned the cliffs rising around us. “These are well-trained riding beasts, so we could direct them back to Kaulda. They would most likely arrive safely… but then our return trip will take twice as long at least.”

I nodded in agreement as I tried to suss out a solution. It only took a few moments before I had the beginnings of an idea.

“Petra,” I began as I turned to face her, “do you think you could grow a protective little grove of sorts for these guys?” I thumbed back behind us. “There was a secluded little gap in the canyon just a few minutes back that might work for the space we need.”

The dryad’s eyes lit up at the idea. “I am certain I could, at least something that would keep these poor dears secure for a day or two.” She leaned

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