The Dark Paladin by Rex Jameson

Author:Rex Jameson [Jameson, Rex]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

16

Challengers Appear

Clayton, the undead best friend of Ashton Jeraldson, stumbled down a dirt path that led through the forests east of Perketh. Cedric and Jayden had left him in the dust in their pursuit of Ashton’s kidnappers, and Clayton had no idea who had done it or if his friend was safe. He felt a connection to Ashton though, and it pointed him north toward the capital.

His feet were raw from the constant movement, and his muscles ached all over. He hadn’t tried to sleep in days. He hadn’t really slept in weeks. If he closed his eyes and drifted off, there was only darkness—a reminder of his short time falling through the terrible, endless Abyss. And as he dropped into the blackness, he called for Riley. He called for Ashton, but in the Void, there was only darkness and silence. His mind struggled with the infinite and the lack of perspective and landmarks. All that was left was the terror of an endless, uncontrolled drop. And that’s why, despite his aching sides and jaw, Clayton struggled onward toward his friend Ashton, who had saved him from the perpetual darkness.

Still, he couldn’t catch a pair of riders going full speed. Even if he could run normally, which he couldn’t, Clayton was no match for raw horsepower.

He slowed down and then stopped. He swayed in the breeze and unwound some of his wrappings that covered the lower half of his face and the damage to his jaw. He hunched over and put his hands on his knees. He breathed hard, trying to catch his third or fourth wind.

A rustling in the nearby woods distracted him from his mission. He looked north down the road and then over at the disturbance to his right and found a deer staring at him. He smiled briefly, but the simple act hurt his jaw. In the daylight, the animal’s eyes appeared to reflect a bright green from the forest canopy.

Clayton grunted in recognition to the creature. He started to walk north again, but then he noticed more green eyes along the edge of the forest. He gave a more alarmed grunt as a family of possums and a wolverine sniffed at him through the air. Their faces were gaunt and their skin sunken. They looked dead, and some more decomposed than others. He began to wonder if he might have fallen asleep somewhere and that this was some new nightmare.

A man stumbled across the path ahead of him. His bones were showing through his skin. Further ahead various critters scampered westward.

Clayton grew more anxious. The only towns west were Alefast and his own hometown of Perketh. He lowered his head and limped westward, falling in line behind the other man who labored stubbornly through the forest. Within a few minutes, he came across a feeding frenzy. Dozens of putrid animals tore into an elk that was still in its death throes. Its lips moved in protest as an undead wolf growled and ripped flesh from its kicking hind legs while rodents in various stages of decay tore at its throat.

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