The Dreaded Return (The Beastcaller Chronicles Book 3) by Dan Michaelson & D.K. Holmberg

Author:Dan Michaelson & D.K. Holmberg [Michaelson, Dan & Holmberg, D.K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ASH Publishing
Published: 2025-03-04T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter

Nineteen

“The Silent Grave is the largest and oldest graveyard in all of Arinthia,” said Abdah a couple of hours later as he, Leo, Yohji, Lord Softfinger, and Shadowshine stood in one of the rooms of the Cumulus. “Estimates vary on exactly how many graves are there, but it’s around fifty thousand on the low end and over one hundred thousand on the high end.”

Yohji, standing a few feet away from Abdah, whistled. “A hundred thousand graves? Are people still being buried there? They’ve got to run out of room eventually.”

Abdah shook his head. “No, it’s actually been abandoned for centuries due to the intense spirit mana aura that covers the whole place, as well as the rumors of dark spirits and dead creatures lurking about that are said to feast on the living and on life mana. Most of the deceased were buried a very long time ago. The newest corpses are from those who came there seeking things they shouldn’t… and failing to get them.”

Though Abdah wore a mask, Leo got the strangest impression that Abdah thought the fate of the would-be grave robbers was amusing rather than horrifying.

Leo, rubbing the back of Shadowshine’s ears and standing beside Yohji, started when Abdah said that and gave him a worried look. “Are there really creatures that eat life mana there?”

Abdah nodded, his blue eyes shining from behind his stone mask. “Yes, though not as many as the rumors would have you believe. Furthermore, they only feast on life mana if they can get their mouths on you. So long as you do not let them bite you, they won’t get at your mana.”

Yohji poked Leo in the shoulder. “Guess you’d better be careful, then. After leveling up, I bet you are practically overflowing with life mana now. Maybe you want to sit this one out.”

“Or perhaps Leo could be a distraction for the rest of us when we get there,” said Lord Softfinger with a serious expression. “If these evil spirits can sense life mana and feed on it, then perhaps they will decide to focus on Leo and ignore the rest of us. That might make the mission easier.”

Leo looked at the others in horror. “Why are you guys talking about me like this? Shadowshine, what do you think?”

Shadowshine gave Leo a mischievous, wolfish grin. “I don’t know. Sofia’s idea sounds pretty logical to me.”

Leo gave Shadowshine a horrified look. “Whose side are you on? And since when have you decided to call her by her first name so casually like that?”

Shadowshine wagged his tail and glanced at Lord Softfinger. “She healed me and gave me a bunch of tasty bones to chew on. She’s really nice once you get to know her.”

Leo huffed. He sometimes forgot that Shadowshine, as intelligent as he was, was still an animal at heart and, as such, could be easily bribed with food and treats. He just hoped that a future enemy of theirs would not exploit this obvious weakness in Shadowshine’s disposition; otherwise, they would be in a tricky situation for sure.

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