Lords of Ascension by Toby Neighbors

Author:Toby Neighbors
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Publisher: Mythic Adventure Publishing, LLC
Published: 2016-12-22T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

Getting down from the treehouse was a difficult endeavor. Dex thought about trying to levitate down, but moving the pouch of phoenix feathers was difficult enough and he feared that holding up his own body weight would be impossible. And if failed he would fall, which meant he would probably die. The magic he’d discovered with the sequoia wand was amazing, but he didn’t trust it as much as his own physical abilities.

He was still tired from his climb up to the treehouse, but he guessed that the climb down would be easier. At least he would have gravity on his side. The pouch had a long strap and easily fit over his head and one shoulder. He tucked the wand back into his belt at the small of his back, and looked out over the veranda. None of the vines were close enough to the treehouse to reach out and take hold of. Instead Dex backed into the cabin, then ran the few steps out to the edge of the porch and jumped. Catching the vine he was aiming for was easy, but holding the rough, woody creeper was painful. His hands were in bad shape by the time he got halfway down. The skin was stripped away from slipping down the vines and he could feel blood smearing across his palms making his grip even more unsteady.

His training at the Marshyl stronghold had prepared him well for just such a circumstance. The climb down still required him to swing from vine to vine as he navigated his way around the massive tree, but he knew how to keep his momentum going from doing a similar exercise on the gauntlet. Eventually he was close enough to shimmy down to the ground, where he stood panting for a long time. He held up a bloody hand and waved to Laalyn who was still watching from the thicket wall.

Walking across the burning coals while doing a handstand was out of the question. His hands were hurting too badly, and the muscles in his arms, shoulders, and back were on the verge of exhaustion from climbing the vines. He needed another way to get across, and luckily he had an idea.

An axe rested near the pile of firewood and Dex picked it up before going over to the large cauldron. He wasn’t sure what the substance inside was, but he hoped it would cool the coals enough that he could run across them. One swing from the axe splintered the wooden support that angled up like the corner of a pyramid and held the cauldron above the flames. The entire frame collapsed and the cauldron bounced and then toppled over, sending the contents flooding out. The liquid spread across the ground, running down the slight slope toward the moat and, subsequently, toward the burning coals.

When the liquid touched the first coal, Dex was returning the axe to the wood pile. He didn’t know why he was returning it. He was stealing

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.