Smoke and Rain by V. Holmes

Author:V. Holmes [Holmes, V.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2015-09-19T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

The 14th Day of Vurgmord, 1251

The Mountains of the Orn de Galin

THE TREES THINNED AS the mountains grew closer, rocky outcroppings breaking through the vegetation. It was close to midnight when they stopped at one such boulder. None dared to light a fire. Raven dismounted beside Bren. “Lieutenant, how are they?”

“I’ll ride with Alea to give Arman’s horse a rest. Not that I’m terribly lighter than the two of them.” He bent to clean a hoof. “You said Fort Stone was just over those mountains, yes?”

“It’s not an easy ride. We shaved a day by traveling at night. We should make the Fort the day after tomorrow.” He glanced at Alea. “Assuming there are no unforeseen events.”

“She’ll be fine until Fort Stone, Commander. You forget she’s young.”

Raven fixed him with his usual thoughtful stare. “She’s unpredictable is what. I’m not good with such things.”

“You’re better with orders that will be followed and men that know their duties. I understand that.” He sighed. “There were men in Mirik’s army who—despite their own devotion—got physically sick whenever the gods spoke through Azirik.” He ran a hand down his animal’s foreleg. “I guess there are some that cannot take the divine or powerful.”

Raven stared at him, as if determining whether there was insult in the words. Deciding there was none, he sighed. “I’ve never been good with the idea of the Laen or gods. Another being, deciding a man’s fate? Wielding power that we can’t? It’s not right.”

“The way I see it is I can do things you cannot, just as you can do things I cannot. Alea and Arman take that to a different extreme.”

Raven shuddered, “The feeling of fog on my skin, and the smell of the sea—I’m a navy man, born and raised on the waves. That felt like an abomination. And the way she made the fire rage—she’s dangerous.”

“The fire wasn’t her, commander.” When the man frowned at him, Bren glanced over to where Arman sat beside Alea. “Alea’s not the only one with power. We’ve a Rakos with us. When they learn their power, you’ll be glad they fight for us.”

Φ

Alea watched the quiet exchange between her brother and the commander curiously. Her body was still humming and weak. Mostly she wanted to crawl into a cave from embarrassment. Who’ll ally with a Laen who almost kills everything? It’s like a young girl with moody tantrums!

“Milady, could we talk?” Arman nudged her with his elbow. “What made you lose control?”

“I was scared. I just wanted to touch it, so I sank into it a bit. I don't know if it was the firelight or the sound of horses or the smell of the food. It reminded me of Cehn. I thought of the attack and somehow I was suddenly surrounded by my power. It was like swimming in honey. Then I smelled the horse’s blood and it just broke me.”

“You sank into it? Did you think of drawing it up in a thread? It can’t surround you that way.

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