Spirit Blade: Book III of the Dragon Mage Trilogy by Carey Scheppner

Author:Carey Scheppner
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781496919915
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Published: 2014-06-20T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

Harran awoke with a start as his body jostled violently and the sound of creaking and hooves filled his ears. He raised his head briefly, but the world spun and his head throbbed in tune to the horses’ hooves. It felt like he had awoken from a night of heavy drinking. Fervently he hoped this was a bad dream, but it didn’t stop. Another bounce caused him to land on his elbow and a sharp pain engulfed his senses. This was no dream. In agony, he tried to sit up and take note of his surroundings. It was daylight, perhaps mid-morning, and he was riding on a wagon as it sped down a rocky road. He squinted between the bars of a cage to catch sight of a considerable number of horses ridden by dwarves. Most of the dwarves were armed, consisting mostly of males, with a smattering of females, who were undoubtedly children of the fighting classes of dwarves. They were brought up in military fashion, and were trained just as well as the males. Interspersed with the fighters were a number of civilian dwarves, who rode with their heads held just as high. They were experts in their trades, and had no shame in being non-fighters. Some of the more ambitious ones carried weapons, and, even though their combat skills were not at the same level as the trained fighters, they would surely put up a fight regardless.

One of the military types nudged a civilian and muttered something. The dwarf in question looked over at the wagon that Harran rode in. Seeing Harran awake, his eyes lit up and he moved his horse so it ran beside the wagon. The dwarf had a bushy black beard and wore a long grey coat. He appeared to be a business dwarf of some sort, possibly a merchant.

The wagon lurched again and Harran had to hold onto the cage to steady himself.

“So!” drawled the dwarf with a slightly high-pitched voice. Just looking at him one would not have expected that kind of voice. “I see you have awakened.”

“Yes,” said Harran slowly. “What are you doing to me? Why am I caged?”

The business dwarf chuckled. “Don’t be coy with me. You are either a coward or a thief. Either one is punishable by law.” His face darkened. “Either one is also dishonourable.”

“You’re mistake,” said Harran angrily. “I’m neither. What gave you the idea I was a coward or a thief?”

The business dwarf laughed. “Surely you jest?”

“I see no humour in this!” snapped Harran, slapping his cage.

The business dwarf chuckled. “We’ll just let the authorities decide your fate. Once they see your chain mail, they’ll confirm your identity. If you are the owner, you’ll be punished for abandoning your post. If you’re not the owner, you’re a thief, and will be dealt with accordingly. There is no way out for you. But for me there is only the reward of bringing you in. Personally, I hope you are this General Ironfaust, as the armor indicates.

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