The Dragon Oracles: Omnibus Edition (The Eastern Kingdom Omnibus Book 1) by T.J. Garrett

Author:T.J. Garrett [Garrett, T.J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Firebound Books
Published: 2015-08-28T06:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 24

Into the Dark

Gialyn watched as the four Kel’madden Troopers walked by. They weren’t guarding the entrance to the valley, they were just walking past, like the fifty or so others he had seen in the past hour. He crouched back down behind the rock wall where Elspeth and the others were waiting.

“They’re still coming,” Gialyn told them.

“We can’t stay here all night,” Elspeth said.

Olg, Lud and Fran looked frustrated, too. They had suggested climbing over the ridge, but Bre’ach had said no. That was nearly an hour ago, and still they sat in the same place, watching.

Bre’ach looked up along the ridgeline. “Are you sure about that path?” he asked Olg.

Olg nodded. “It’s steep, but we should manage. I can’t see any other way.”

Bre’ach sighed.

Gialyn wondered, not for the first time, how it was that Bre’ach came to be in charge. He could understand it when it was just the three of them – neither he nor Elspeth knew anything of the land, so it made sense to listen to a Salrian. But now, they had three more Salrians in their group. He was surprised that they, too, followed Bre’ach’s lead.

“Lead the way then, Olg. I’ll take rear guard,” Bre’ach said. He waved Olg forward while pulling his pack over his shoulder.

Olg nodded, but Fran was already crawling towards the high path. Olg said nothing; he just followed the youngest of the three poachers. Maybe Fran knew the way better than Olg did.

Gialyn couldn’t see any path. He followed Lud, and Elspeth followed him – he had gestured for her to lead the way, but she had refused. The rocks around the valley entrance were a lighter shade than those dark, almost black, boulders of the lowlands. They were sandy in texture, and the trail was loose underfoot. Lud and the other poachers trod lightly, barely leaving a trail. Gialyn, on the other hand, couldn’t put a foot down without releasing a river of shale that flowed back down the hill.

“Take your time, Master Gialyn,” Lud told him. “Take smaller steps: place your foot carefully, bring your body to rest over it and then push off.”

It worked. Gialyn thanked Lud and then heard Elspeth tutting behind him – and then Bre’ach whispering from behind her, “Move faster, Gialyn.” Seemed he couldn’t win no matter what he tried. Ignoring Bre’ach, he continued to follow Lud’s advice. If nothing else, it was easier on his tired legs.

They continued climbing until, after maybe ten minutes, the path levelled out. The stones underfoot didn’t shift as much. To Gialyn’s right, the cliff that encircled the valley rose into the darkness. On his left, the centre of the valley was just about visible in the purple hue of late evening. Campfires – maybe a mile away, Gialyn thought – cast eerie shadows along the flat grassland of the inner valley. Below them, he could see short lines of Kel’madden marching in tight formation towards the fires. Every so often, he saw a cart, pulled by one of those strange dragon-like horses.

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