Little Gods by Jay Mendel

Author:Jay Mendel [Mendel, Jay]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 0000000000000
Published: 2022-10-24T10:38:24+00:00

* * * *

Coming up on the castle after days of travel was a relief, for all that he had enjoyed the time. Nahan certainly seemed relieved when Khroma had pointed out the building in the distance, and it was nice to see the way he perked up when they were finally approaching his goal.

Though it seemed that Castle Dais had not been spared the ravages of time.

“The structure doesn’t look very steady,” Nahan noted, a bit uneasy, and Khroma hummed his agreement.

“Certainly less impressive than I remember it,” Khroma said ruefully. He braced his hand against the stone wall, and wished, hand itching, that he could summon his sword. It wouldn’t have done him much good against a ceiling collapsing on his head, but it would have made him feel better.

They were just within the boundaries of the compound, the castle large and foreboding above them. There were no flags, though Khroma could spot some of the poles jutting out from the castle walls. Just old cracked stone and rotting wood, with new growth pushing through.

Khroma turned to his companion, eyeing the way Nahan paced back and forth, becoming increasingly jittery. He couldn’t imagine a man as cautious as his companion would be interested in wandering around inside such a deathtrap.

“Should we wait until the rest of the team arrives?” Khroma volunteered, and when Nahan looked at him blankly, elaborated. “I mean, they’ll probably have more supplies for this type of work, right?”

There was another moment of silence as Nahan struggled to catch up, before his eyes widened.

“Oh! The other scouts. Yes, I, uh—that would probably be easier, wouldn’t it,” Nahan stumbled through his words, and Khroma felt a wry amusement flood him.

It was clear Nahan had never even considered the idea, and he considered asking the man why, but…Watching him flounder, in that subtle, stilted way of his made Khroma take pity on the man.

“We don’t have to wait,” he said, smiling despite himself at the mix of relief and frustration that darted across Nahan’s face. “I may not be the warrior I once was, but I can still be of use. As long as we’re careful about where we step, I bet I could get us to the keep fairly easily.”

“The keep?” Nahan asked, and Khroma was glad to see his suggestion had caused some of the tension to fade from his shoulders.

“A room within the castle where their most important valuables would be hidden,” Khroma explained. “I’ve been here before, so I know where it is, though I’ve never been inside. So, unless they severely changed the layout of the building, I should be able to guide you.”

“I doubt they had the time to change anything,” Nahan said absently, turning to study the building. “Records state that all the inhabitants left the country almost immediately after the war. No matter what side of the war they’d been on, or if they’d even been involved at all. A mass exodus. And the accounts of the time are all quite conflicting as to why.

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