Dragon Stones by James v. Viscosi

Author:James v. Viscosi [Viscosi, James V.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction, General, Adventure, Fiction
ISBN: 9780615208817
Publisher: Lulu.com
Published: 2008-06-06T23:00:00+00:00

From the top of the castle wall, Adaran saw a high drop to a narrow ledge, and beyond that, a rushing river. But the alternative was to return to the courtyard and undoubtedly be caught by Dunshandrin's guards. He tensed, then jumped. For a giddy moment he seemed to fly out into the darkness; then he began to curve downward, falling. He cleared the ledge, but the cliff below struck him a glancing blow, sending him into a spin just before he plunged into the current.

He twisted his body as he entered the icy water, hoping to avoid a damaging encounter with the river bed should it be rocky and shallow; but it turned out to be deeper than it looked and his concern swiftly turned from breaking a limb to drowning. By the time he reached the surface, gasping for air and shivering with the cold, the current had already swept him some distance downstream, toward the bridge that led into town. A lot of debris had piled up against the supports, and being slammed into them was unlikely to prove pleasant. Adaran began to swim hard, reaching the far shore before coming to the span. He hauled himself up among the broken rocks and tiny, gnarled trees that lined the bank, hoping to find cover in the largely nonexistent nooks and shadows.

His assassination of Lord Dunshandrin would provoke a swift response from the castle. There would be patrols out on foot and horseback, possibly even on eagles, by first light; and even now, in the darkness, soldiers would come out with torches and scour the area around the castle.

What kind of fool was he, to have killed Lord Dunshandrin instead of quietly escaping? Why hadn't he just stolen a few jewel-encrusted weapons and slunk away? For that matter, how had he even managed to penetrate the royal wing of the castle? The corridors had been well lit by torches; he hadn't confined himself to the shadows or crept along behind wall hangings. He had brazenly walked along the hallways, and unless he had become completely deranged, he recalled that at one point, he had even started singing. And yet, no one had been able to see him or hear him. There must have been a glamour on him, masking him from those he passed. And who would have woven such a spell around him?

Orioke, of course.

It was the only explanation. Orioke had brought him back from Flaurent and laid some sort of geis on him to make him kill Lord Dunshandrin. To ensure he succeeded, the mage had given him the ability to pass unnoticed through the halls of the castle. Once he had carried out the mission, the spells were broken; his free will was restored, and the guards could see him again.

Why would Orioke agree to work for Dunshandrin, and then contrive to kill him? Revenge? Or did he have some other plot brewing in his tricky head?

Well, at this point, the reason why was moot.

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