Mercerian Tales by Paul J. Bennett

Author:Paul J. Bennett [Bennett, Paul J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, Anthology (single author)
Publisher: Paul J Bennett

* * *

Three days later Hayley was standing on a hill overlooking a ravine through which a river snaked. It was a precipitous drop, and Hayley was thankful she had left her horse behind. She dropped a small rock over the edge, only to hear it crash into the trees below.

“Doesn’t appear to be too far,” she said aloud. “Time to find a way down.” It wasn’t the first cliff she’d climbed, and she was sure it wouldn’t be her last. The entire hills needed a new name, she decided, perhaps the Artisan Cliffs would be a suitable label.

The roar of the river grew louder as she descended, her fingers and toes becoming sore from gripping the stone. Finally, she reached the ground and took a moment to shake out her limbs. She was only thirty paces from the water's edge here, with the sound of the running water drowning out all else. Standing at the bank looking upstream, she saw another set of cliffs across the water, but it appeared impossible to climb. Better to cross here, she thought, and try to make her way up top.

She looked down at the water; it was crystal clear here, the rocks plainly visible beneath its surface. She used a stick to steady herself and made her way into the running water. The far bank was only a stone's throw away, but now, with her feet in the cold mountain water, it seemed like an unreachable target. Stepping in, she felt her foot slip on the rocks, forcing her to return to the bank. This was going to be trickier than she had expected.

She considered swimming across but decided the rocks would be just as treacherous, so she moved slightly upstream, hoping for surer footing. Wading in slowly, she took her time with each step, holding her pack above her head to keep it dry. The force of the water was pressing against her, trying to push her further downstream, but she held on, determined to keep her footing. Soon, the water was up to her chest, and she struggled mightily to make progress. The river splashed her face, stealing her breath from her while her limbs became numb.

Almost there, she thought and forced her extremities to work. Thankfully, the water became shallower and then she was out on the other side, shivering despite the warm weather.

She gathered sticks to start a fire and was soon sitting, eating her meagre rations. For three days she had made her way through this inhospitable region only to end up here. “Oh well,” she muttered to herself, “I was the one that wanted to be a ranger.”

Aldus had gifted her some herbs, and now, as she drank the infused tea, she felt the warmth returning to her limbs. It was quite nice here, away from civilization, and she wondered if anyone had ever been out this way before. She downed the rest of her tea and moved to the river to rinse out her mug.

It

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.