Chains of the Forest (Chronicles of Ruvaen Book 1) by Darin Niemann

Author:Darin Niemann [Niemann, Darin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-12-14T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter 10

Once I was back on the streets, I raised my hood once again, not wanting the attention my hair might bring. According to the posting, the orcs were spotted more heavily southeast of town. I departed from Greypoint using the same eastern gate that I had entered, but after only a half hour of walking I abandoned the road. It seemed that orcs were being spotted quite close to the southern farmlands. Perhaps the mages had supplied the coin for the bounties. After all, they had to eat like anyone else. It would be devastating if the nearby farmlands were razed. Food would become scarce, only available through the merchant caravans. Prices would rise and those less fortunate would starve.

Three hours of walking later, I saw smoke billowing upwards to the sky. That was not a good sign. I picked up my pace, being careful to maintain enough stamina for a fight. The few trees around me blocked my sight of what lay ahead. Finally I crested a hill and looked down to see a field before me. The smoke was coming from the farmhouse, which was nothing but a smoldering pile of timbers. I couldn’t see any orcs from where I stood, so I descended the hill and moved forward for a closer look.

Once I reached the field, I noticed that much of it was trampled over. I crouched low as I passed through the half-destroyed field. I connected to my magic, ready to summon a windblade at a moment's notice. Finally, I reached the end of the field and stepped on the small path in front of the house. An awful sight greeted me as I approached the farmhouse. Three bodies lay spread on the ground, broken and beaten. They had put up a fight to defend their home. Clearly they hadn’t been fighters. Likely a husband and wife with their son. From the looks of it the son couldn’t have been older than me.

I had seen worse, far worse, but nonetheless it ignited a rage within me that I hadn’t felt in some time. Not since my days in the arena. Looking around, I noticed large, humanoid tracks much heavier than my own light steps. I was no expert tracker, but my keen sight along with their brutish stomping allowed me to easily follow their trail. The tracks lead west across gently rolling hills with a few trees dotting the landscape. By the time I found them the sun was beginning its descent, ceding its place to the moon for the advancing night.

I heard their laughter and jeers before I saw them. The orcs had made camp in a small grove of trees, celebrating their razing of the farmland. I took cover from them, hiding in the foliage just out of range of the camp. The firelight threw shadows about as they ate their evening meal, reminding me that I also hadn’t eaten since noon. What I had seen of the orcs’ devastation had curbed my appetite.

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.