Gods & Dragons: 8 Fantasy Novels by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: Steel Magnolia Press
Published: 2014-08-13T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THREE

OUT OF THE HILLS

The Plains were a revelation to Garet. He had spent his life trapped within the dark green hills that surrounded his father’s farm. Even Three Roads, the nearest thing to a village within walking distance, was hemmed in by those forested ridges, which ran for ten days’ travel from the edge of the prairies to the far mountains.

Now his eyes ran along lines that did not end in a humped, green wall. Sometimes flat, sometimes gently rolling, the land was a continuous surprise. Even the colours were different. The grass, long enough to tickle the belly of the horse he rode, glowed golden in the setting sun. The wind sent great waves of the nodding, seeded stems bowing and straightening all around him. Looking up, the blue arc of the sky seemed deeper, wider, and more vibrant. And just when he thought that blue and gold were the only colours left in the world, they would ride through a patch of wildflowers, red poppies and tall, purple lupine, that stretched half-way to the horizon.

The only visible barrier as the small party rode west was a thin line of clouds hovering above the distant horizon. At times the limitless views led Garet to think they made no progress at all, and the horses only walked in place while the sun swept overhead. Then he felt exposed and naked, a worm crawling across a giant’s table. At other times, when the swaying of the horse lulled him into drowsiness, he felt his spirit flow out over the plains, bending and swaying on the endless grass, and then something like peace came into his heart. Most of his time, however, was not spent in contemplation of the landscape, but on more immediate, personal concerns.

It was two days since he had left his home, and all the day dreams he had spun of riding away to adventure and independence had not prepared him for the two things most on his mind: his loneliness and the pain in his backside.

Although all the boys had tried riding neighbours’ horses at Three Roads, Garet had never ridden for more than a few minutes. Now, after two days of riding, the chafing of the saddle on his bottom and thighs had made life miserable and walking almost impossible. The night before, Salick had been forced to steady him as he hobbled from his mount to the camp they had made. It had taken over an hour for him to recover and walk downwind far enough to attend to his body’s needs. Salick had haughtily informed him that the discomfort would disappear as soon he became used to riding. Garet, after another full day in the saddle, felt that becoming used to riding might take the rest of his life.

Mandarack signalled to Salick and pointed over to their right. In the distance, a line of trees seemed to magically appear out of the dry grass of the prairie. The elderly man, relaxed and seemingly immune to saddle sores, turned the head of his lean, black mare and trotted towards the distant trees.

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