Riven Calyx by Mark Collins

Author:Mark Collins [Mark Leon Collins]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mark Collins
Published: 2022-04-11T00:00:00+00:00

They sat around the small campfire. “I thought you said we would have arrived by now?”

“They're farther away than I thought.”

“Do you know exactly where they are?”

“I know of them.”

“This is a waste of time! You cannot be trusted!”

After a while, they finally bothered themselves to erect a small tent, since the night promised to be a chill one. They would take in turns to take watch every few hours. Neither were happy with their circumstances.

Mordrak did not enjoy the rabbit. It had been easy for Jorlon to paralyse by spell, but the muscles stayed rigid throughout the cooking, so eating the meat was like chewing on leather boots. Mordrak's irritation remained, having no idea why they were not yet at the standing stones of Gilead as Jorlon had promised they would be by now. They were still half a day’s ride away if Jorlon was out of character and honest about guessing it.

“The forest looks too different from how I remembered it,” Jorlon said in his haughty tone. “There’s no knowing how we’d have found a way through if I’d risked it. This heath is longer but more reliable.”

“Well, I hope Adriselle’s at the stones. I suppose Astocath will wait?”

“I know him about as well as you do.”

“He’s a wizard!” Mordrak snapped back. “You told me enough of their tales. And Ifhrd knew him ...”

Jorlon shrugged and finished his plate of roasted rabbit. “There’s lots of wizards in the world.”

"He hates you!" A voice crept into the back of Mordrak's mind. The voice came as a shock as he hadn’t suffered them for a while. He had begun to believe he had mastered the problem, but now his mind shattered once again.

Mordrak raised his voice. "Quash your disgusting contempt toward me—you, a mere apprentice to a no-good profession. I am a knighted nobleman who may well take your facetious head.” Seeing Jorlon about to react, he said, “Hold your tongue if you think to out-word me, you rap squalled knave!”

Jorlon looked alarmed.

“We should have gone by ship to him.”

“That wasn’t an option.”

Mordrak laid his pewter plate heavily on the grass and brushed away an interested fly. He wondered if he should reach for the hardtack—he was still very hungry.

“But perhaps that is how your sister is coming back. Walking the ether is tricky.”

“What? I thought she was with Astocath!”

“Perhaps she is.” Jorlon sounded defensive.

“But you said he took her!”

“How should I know?”

“But—”

“I never promised,” he said reasonably. “We assumed, that’s all.”

“We? You said she was safe!” Mordrak cried out in disbelief, knowing that whatever peace he had for her had been ill-founded. “And now you’ve brought me out here to meet her!” Mordrak rose to his feet.

“I had to make you feel better. She’s safe. Bad enough knowing Ifhrd was lost.” Jorlon also picked himself up from the ground.

“Ifhrd? He’s dead, what does he matter to this?”

“What do you mean, ‘what does he matter?’ You killed him!”

“No! You’re a liar! I did not mean for Ifhrd to die. I need him!”

“Kill him! Kill him! You know he deserves to die!” Urged the wraiths.

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.