Dormia by Jake Halpern

Author:Jake Halpern [Halpern, Jake]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Chapter 26

THE GAHNOS

THE WHISTLING of the wind awoke Alfonso sometime in the middle of the night. It was bitterly cold and he sat up stiffly to see if there was anything else he could use to cover himself and provide a bit of extra warmth. He looked around. A crescent moon hung in the sky. Out of the corner of his eye, Alfonso noticed the faint outline of a man standing twenty feet off in the distance. At first, Alfonso thought it might be Hill—or even Bilblox—but this figure had two long swords slung along his belt, and Alfonso knew immediately that he was staring at Kiril. Alfonso felt oddly calm as he rose to his feet and walked carefully toward Kiril.

"Why are you following us?" asked Alfonso.

"If you were capable of taking care of yourself it wouldn't be necessary for me to follow you," replied Kiril. His white eyes shone brightly in the half moonlight. "Besides, is that all the thanks I get for saving your life yet again?"

"I don't trust you," said Alfonso. "Why were you wearing that Dragoonya ring on your finger?"

"You mean the ring you stole from me back in Fort Krasnik?" said Kiril with a dry laugh. "I've been meaning to ask for that back. It helps me get in and out of Barsh-yin-Binder. That's the only reason I wear it."

"And how come your eyes are white?" asked Alfonso. "That means you're a Dragoonya, doesn't it?"

"No," said Kiril calmly. "It most certainly doesn't. Your friend Bilblox's eyes are white too—is he a Dragoonya?"

"So you're a Dormian?" asked Alfonso skeptically.

"I was a Dormian once," said Kiril. "But not anymore."

"So you're a Dormian traitor?"

"Watch your tongue, lad," snapped Kiril angrily. "You know not what you say. I am not a Dormian or a Dragoonya—I am a Gahno.

"A Gahno?"

"Yes—once, many years ago, my family came from the ancient Dormian city of Jasber," explained Kiril. "When I was twelve years old, my older brother, mother, and younger sister traveled to Noctos, another city of Dormia, for a family gathering. During that visit, the city was attacked by the Dragoonya. My brother helped defend the city and, though I was only twelve, I fought by his side. During the battle, part of the Founding Tree burned and many of us—including my entire family—were exposed to the ash as it rained down from the burning tree. We got it into our eyes, which soon turned white. In the end, we managed to repulse the Dragoonya attack, but afterward—instead of thanking us—the people of Noctos cast everyone with white eyes out into the snow. They called us Gahnos, which means 'untrustworthy' in the ancient Dormian tongue. They hated us—just as they will hate your friend Bilblox when you finally arrive in Somnos."

"What happened to you and your family?" asked Alfonso.

"My five-year-old sister died first," explained Kiril. "She froze to death in the snow. We had no food or blankets. We didn't stand a chance. My mother died two days later. My brother, who had been injured in the battle, died later that night.

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.