Gates of the Dead by James A. Moore

Author:James A. Moore
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fantasy, epic fantasy, Tides of War
Publisher: Watkins Media
Published: 2019-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Brogan

They made a bonfire for the corpses. They weren’t savages and Laram had been a friend and very nearly a brother.

Harper stared at the fires and asked, “Do you believe that death ends the journey? Or do they move on?”

Brogan spat. “I’ve no care at this point. If there is a journey it’s different for the dead and the sacrificed. Mine were sacrificed. According to the old stories that means they are food in the bellies of the gods.” It was a lie, but only half a lie, really. He had hopes. But little belief left to him.

“Yes, but Laram and that Mearhan girl. Maybe they’ll finally be together.”

Brogan nodded his head. “We can hope. He deserved that at least.”

“He was a good lad.”

Brogan looked at his companion. “What’s gotten into you, Harper? When did you become sentimental?”

“The world is likely ending, and even if we save it, it’s very changed from what it was. Most of the civilized places have been scrubbed away by the gods. I suppose I’m missing the world we knew.”

Brogan nodded. They were silent for a while and then he said, “We need to be on our way. I can’t even say how far we have to travel. I just know we’ve no ship and a long way to swim.”

“Hmm. Maybe the Galean can do something about that.”

“Anna?”

“No, the true Galean. I expect he has more power than he wants to show us.”

“I can hardly force him.”

“You can ask.” He pointed with his chin to where Jahda and the man were in discussion near a small fire. Not long before, the Galean had been helping the taller man with his arrow wound, cleaning and binding the spot. “Or you can wait for him to do it for you.”

Brogan sighed. It would certainly be easier to let the man handle his work for him, but then that wasn’t going to get him where he needed to be any faster, especially if the king of the Kaer-ru didn’t ask the right questions.

He walked toward them and both men looked his way.

Roskell Turn said, “We need a way to get where we are going.”

Brogan nodded. “That seems to be the challenge.”

“I’ve been talking with another Galean. She is trying to reach us. It may be a day or two, but she had transportation for us.”

“And what will we do in the meantime?” Brogan gestured around. “We are standing on ice and the land is not close enough that we can dare swim.”

“No,” Turn agreed. “That would go poorly. But there are ways around this and I should be able to help at least that much.”

“Why are you helping me, Roskell Turn?”

“Is there a choice?” The man smiled. “We live or we die. In any event, the books of Galea tell tales of the gods that you have not seen. Among those tales are stories of how the gods come around and how they leave. They are always violent tales.” The man shrugged. “The signs are there, Brogan. The time has come for the gods to fight or fall.

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