Forbidden Road by Reut Barak

Author:Reut Barak [Barak, Reut]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-02-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Western Scotland, AD 500

Kim sat, leaning on the hard stone wall of the inn room, covered by the warm blanket. Images from the previous evening occupied her mind.

A part of her refused to believe that last night was real. That the things she saw and experienced had happened. That any of it was even possible.

But it was. Magic never lied.

She looked at Seth. His chest rose and fell in his sleep. She closed her eyes and he was still there, as clear as before. As was the couple in the room next to theirs and the innkeeper downstairs who was up early, baking the bread.

She recalled how she woke up from a strange feeling the evening before, when Seth had left her.

She sensed someone, or something. It was trying to hide its presence.

At first, she thought that it was a dream. She turned in bed, but the feeling came again. Someone wanted to not be seen, someone who wasn’t human. Her senses focused slowly, as she realized that she was awake.

It was a creature, walking around the village square, at an uneven pace. There was an air of happiness to the way it walked and, yes, it was definitely not human. For starters, it was green and it glowed. It also had a long tail and lizard eyes.

Something about it drew her.

She sat up. A quick glance told her that Seth’s bed was empty, which meant that it must still be early in the evening and he’d be speaking with Ealga. She got up, and put her shoes and her coat on.

When she tried the door, it wouldn’t open, but then when she tried again, it suddenly did.

The hallway outside led to a long corridor with large open windows. She walked to them. Through them, she could clearly see the village square.

There weren’t many people there. A few were dining at tables outside the inn, and she heard a lot of noise coming from the inn downstairs. A family of three were just entering. A couple walked slowly outside, admiring the buildings of Haven, holding hands. And there, right behind them, next to the fountain, she saw it.

Nobody else seemed to notice. Nobody, except an old man sitting on a bench, who glanced at it and then away, pretending to read a book.

The creature was walking, among the people, invisible. It seemed to enjoy not being seen. It was a dragon, like the ones she’d seen in drawings when she lived with the fairies. It walked on four heavy feet, had a round head, and large wings covered its belly on both sides.

It was about three feet high and very different from the brown one she’d seen the night before, towering over the trees, standing on its hind legs with a sharp head, and nostrils ready to blow out fire. That must have been full form, as the knights called it, she realized. Dragons used that in battle.

She was fascinated by what was right in front of her.

The dragon smiled.

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.