The Light of Endura by Scott Zamek

Author:Scott Zamek [Zamek, Scott]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Published: 2017-04-02T06:00:00+00:00

ANCIENT LANDS

“I t is a land of mystery and a land of magic,” said Andreg. “Filled with unusual beasts and beings.” The vast forests of the west lay behind them—the last of the wild rivers, the last of the tall trees, and the last closed-in sky obscured by forest leaves. A cluster of cedar groves stretched out at their backs, cradling a wide yellow sun, while the path became bordered by bayberry and brambles and a few brittle and sunbaked tumbleweeds. Before them, they could see the land stretching out in a vast plain of canyons and flat, dry calderas bounded by the limitless sky.

They soon came upon a well-worn cobblestone road heading east through a steep-sided gully, brown and sere hills rising up on either side. Andreg raised his hand above his eyes to block out the sun. “This road leads to the fortress city of Andioch . . . we will be welcome there.”

“If any remain within the walls,” said Aerol. “Many have fled these lands.”

Andreg rose up on Ethreal’s white stallion and looked east. Sun and shadows played off red rock walls as he passed through the ravine, the sound of hooves reverberating in the dry desert air. “If any still remain in these lands, it will be those within the stone walls of Andioch. They are the descendants of the Ancients, and they would part with their land dearly.”

Trader had never been beyond the border of the great forest. He did not speak, content to ride along on his wild-bred mount and observe the land. The road emerged from the shallow canyon, the folded earth descending before him in a network of rounded, brown hills and flat-topped mesas. The cobblestone way pointed through a clay-colored desert of rising dust and packed dirt, then disappeared behind a sharp butte where a blue and white sky marked the eastern horizon. Trader’s steed seemed content among the tumbleweeds and desiccated rocks and weathered cobblestones. It had been bred in the lands of the south, where dry deserts and thin canyons were commonplace.

Not so for the other two steeds. They were accustomed to green pastures and flowing rivers, and so they struggled, a light froth rising from beneath the saddles and leather straps. The sun peaked at midday, appearing and disappearing behind white clouds that formed long, vaporous streaks in the distant heights. Soon the road dipped into an ankle-deep river that trickled over a bed of scoured rock, where the horses drank greedily, and the riders dismounted to fill canteens and splash some trail dust from their faces. “I don’t remember the last time I saw a blue sky like that,” said Trader, squinting up at the sun. He tipped his canteen and a stream of clear water washed over his head.

“But even here the days grow short,” said Andreg. He watched Ethreal’s white stallion gulp down water from the rock bed. “The sun already descends to the west, and daybreak is not three hours past.”

“Look though,” called Aerol, pointing to the east.

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