The Fragment of Water (The Shattered Soul Book 1) by Ben Hale

Author:Ben Hale [Hale, Ben]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Snowlight Publishing
Published: 2018-08-09T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22: King Numen

The next morning, Water met Lira in the tavern for a morning meal. Throughout the breakfast of bread and fish eggs, an odd combination that Water did not care for, they spoke of Sentara. Lira had shared with him what Sentara had said, and he’d admitted he’d never seen the woman.

“You really don’t know her?” Lira asked.

“I don’t,” Water said. “But from what you say, I would wager she knows Elenyr.”

Their speculation yielded no truth, and shortly after, they departed Fishhook for the road. Water half expected the ancient woman to attack them, but neither she nor Rune appeared. Once they had returned to the road, the conversation turned to what they hoped to learn from the king, and Water tried not to think about how they’d almost kissed the previous night.

“Will the king see us?” she asked.

Water nodded. “He’s a friend, as was his father. We helped quell an insurrection from a group of mercenaries three decades ago. King Numen was just a boy at the time, but he bore witness to the battle.”

“What happened?” she asked.

“A group from the outer villages demanded lower taxes,” Water said. “The king refused, but offered to let the leaders of the group examine the kingdom’s records, so they could see for themselves that the taxes were needed.”

“A generous offer,” she said.

“Indeed,” Water said. “We were asked to be present for the negotiations. Unfortunately, a cousin to the king had backed the group, and used the negotiation to attempt to kill the king, and his son. Fire and I stopped the attack, but the battle left dozens dead. We saved King Numen’s life.”

“Which explains why he’s a friend.”

At her request, he continued to share tales of his assignments for Elenyr until they crested a rise to see the city. Coming from the north, the river split to either side, feeding the two waterfalls that flanked the city. Heth sprawled across the flat section of rock between the two rivers.

The road descended from the forest and across the plateau, connecting to a bridge that spanned the eastern river. The sun was high over the Giant’s shelf and the golden light filtered into the city. The city was newer than the other capitols, its buildings lacking the refinements of other cities. Most of the roads were just the bare stone of the cliff, while the structures were fashioned from brick and mortar.

When they’d entered Heth to meet with Jeric, the sun had been setting, the growing darkness an invitation for those that craved anonymity. This time, he and Lira entered the city in the early morning, and the crowds were largely absent. Those still present stumbled about, their eyes faded, jugs of hard ale in their hands. Trash lay strewn in the streets, and a handful of harried soldiers sought to clean the mess.

The surface of the cliff was barren, but many trees had been planted, their limbs young and failing to provide shade against the mounting heat. Water led the way to the throughway that pointed to the river’s junction.

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