Shadowdust - The Chosen: The Shadowdust Saga by Greg Walters & Sam Feuerbach & Mira Valentin

Author:Greg Walters & Sam Feuerbach & Mira Valentin [Walters, Greg & Feuerbach, Sam & Valentin, Mira]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-04-13T16:00:00+00:00

The selection

I must be dreaming, Dott dreamt.

He watched the man leaving the master mage’s quarters—who happened to be none other than Ferok of Berlichhausen, Steward to His Majesty. A few days ago, seeing such an important person even from a distance would have been a monumental experience. Now the goatherd was standing with him and Belam, the most famous mage in the realm, discussing top-secret rescue missions whose outcome would determine the fate of the entire continent. Dott swallowed several times—everything sounded oddly muted, as though he had water in his ears. The mage had created a magical bell jar to prevent anyone from eavesdropping. Apparently, betrayal was never far off, even in the royal castle. He’d also turned the floor into a magic map. All these powerful spells were making Dott’s head spin. He’d never really believed in magic before, because he’d never witnessed anything remotely magical in his entire life. He cocked his head. Well, no, that wasn’t entirely true. He’d had countless magical moments. Like watching newborn kids cavort around their mothers. Or seeing the dewy meadow at sunrise. Or hearing Clarissa’s bright laugh.

He daydreamed too much.

The thought brought him back to the here and now, though neither the Here nor the Now struck him as remotely magical, either. Three children needed to be found and guided safely across the land to Candoria. And Dott the Goatherd, of all people, was supposed to procure one of those children. Which was why he was standing atop this map, staring at the spot between his toes. His destination. On an impulse, he shut his eyes. The landscape took shape in his mind: a dark forest, a clearing, a wooden hut.

“Do you know?” Belam’s voice sounded strained.

Of course. Belam was manipulating his senses again. Without thinking about it, Dott resisted, or at least tried to—and the room promptly filled with blood. It sloshed around his feet, ankle-deep. Seventeen dead candidates. The lime-green servants were just mopping up the final candidate’s bodily fluids. He opened his eyes and regarded the bite mark on his wrist. What treachery! That Novice Lantbert had lied right to their faces. You have nothing to fear. The Waters of Innocence are purely ritualistic in nature. Cleansing herbs. Such a hypocrite. And his teacher and the Steward were no better.

Dott felt Belam release his spirit, but the sense of anxious dread remained. It had been weighing on him for days now. Fear and hope, fighting and struggling, they’d taken a toll, especially since he was neither permitted nor able to discuss the experience with anyone. He longed to share it all with Clarissa. Maybe he ought to seek her out before he left? But no, he’d promised her father to stay away until he’d come up with the bride price. “But once we bring the children back, we each get fifty gold pieces, right?” he blurted out.

Belam nodded wearily—the spell seemed to have exhausted him. “Yes, you will get your money.”

Miss Fehris looked at the goatherd through her long eyelashes.

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