The Hammer's Fall by Derick Summers

Author:Derick Summers [Summers, Derick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, Fiction, Epic
ISBN: 9781462080120
Google: 01USrWGVSwYC
Amazon: B006STK8QI
Publisher: iUniverse
Published: 2008-02-27T13:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirty-Two: Origins

They put the swamp behind them and the terrain became drier and drier. Ahead, to the north, they could see the mountains of the Dragon’s Spine rising up into the sky, a seemingly impenetrable barrier before them. When they stopped to make camp Lan’thor pulled out the elfin map and studied it.

“According to the map,” he announced. “The only way over the spine is through a trail far to the west.”

Logan came over to join his friend. The encounter with the ogre and the goblins was two weeks behind them and his wounds had healed over, leaving a mass of scar tissue across his hands and back as the only reminder of the encounter. He looked at the map his friend had laid out. Lan’thor was right. The overland trade route was clearly marked on it and the passage through the spine was at least a couple of hundred miles to the west. Logan sighed deeply, his eyes closing in frustration.

“I’ll never reach my sister at this rate,” he muttered to himself in defeat.

“Hey, don’t complain too much,” commented El sympathetically. “If it were easier, there’d be nothing to stop the humans from invading down from the north.”

She looked at Raeth, a flush of embarrassment coming to her cheeks. The two had managed to put aside their differences and were actually starting to enjoy each other’s company. As El put it, it was good to have another woman around to keeping the boys in line.

“Uh, sorry Raeth, I didn’t mean …” she stammered.

Raeth smiled back at her.

“No problem, El,” the assassin said before she could finish. “What you say is true. Their inability to easily cross the spine is one of the main obstacles that has kept the humans out of the south.”

“Except, for some notable sea raids that is,” she added sadly looking towards Logan.

Logan gave her a grim smile in response.

“Besides,” Lan added, pointing to a section of the map south of the spine. “The desert wasn’t always there either. I mean, if the dwarves and elves hadn’t destroyed the land to the south of the Spine in their war, the route would have been considerably easier.”

Logan rose to his feet and stretched his long arms.

“Well, complaining about it isn’t going to make the trip any easier or quicker,” he announced with resigned determination. “I’d best collect wood for tonight’s fire.”

As evening settled about them they relaxed around the campfire. Lan’thor and Raeth were quietly talking on the other side of the fire when El sat down beside Logan.

“Logan?” she asked.

“Yes El?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” he smiled. “Anything.”

El dropped her eyes from Logan’s gaze and seemed to have trouble gathering her courage. Logan frowned slightly at her hesitation. His curiousity was more than a little peaked.

“You’re not completely human are you?” she finally blurted.

She wore a look of horror at the tactlessness of her own words. She rushed to continue, hoping to sooth before Logan could take offence.

“I mean, I’d never seen a human before

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