The Mad Raven's Tale (The Accarian Chronicles Book 1) by Andrew Walbrown

Author:Andrew Walbrown [Walbrown, Andrew]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Oldtown Creek Press
Published: 2020-01-29T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 21

Amantius

Amantius stood along the riverbank directly outside the timber palisade, skipping stones into the gentle stream. An earlier attempt had skipped six times, a new personal record, and he had tried for hours to push it to seven. He threw until the nerves in his arm started to tingle, an obvious sign that he should quit for the day. A few more, he thought, and then I’ll go back inside.

He threw another, only two skips. Then another: two again. He threw his last rock, counted as it got to five and disappeared. Oh well, six will have to do for now.

He turned and looked at the fortress, known simply as “Home” to its residents. The wooden wall surrounding the compound was double his height with several gaps between the individual pikes. The men and women who were loyal to Morganna seemingly cared little for the state of their defenses, instead putting their faith in the remoteness of their fortress. Amantius realized the truth in their confidence, for even though he was standing near the entrance he could barely see the front gate.

He walked back inside, seeking out Jaga. For the past week the old warchief had been Amantius’ sparring partner, teaching him how to better wield both spear and sword. Every session ended in bruises and curses, sore muscles and hurt pride, but Amantius could tell he was getting better. He still had not landed a successful hit on Jaga, but with each day he came closer and close. Someday.

Amantius strolled across the compound, the sound of his legs shuffling through piles of leaves filling the air. Each day the canopy above became weaker, allowing sunlight to bathe the compound more and more. Great swathes of brown and yellow leaves had fallen from the massive oaks and poplars, creating mountains of plant decay along the ground. Amantius had been part of the cleanup crew, along with a dozen new recruits, removing the debris and dumping it outside the palisade wall. Amantius reasoned every few days they had to resume their work, because if they did not, Home would drown in a sea of brown, yellow, and red. And such an ocean was extremely flammable as well.

His destination was the weapons court, a small makeshift arena located in the shadow of the Great Hall. Since the Great Hall had so many windows overlooking the court, Amantius often wondered if Morganna watched him spar with Jaga. He had seen little of her lately, occasionally catching a brief glimpse from a distance. He was forever hopeful she would call upon him soon, his patience threatening to turn into desperation. Many times he considered going to the Great Hall to see her, something she implied would be acceptable, even wanted, during their last interaction. But no matter how much he analyzed that moment in his mind, he could still not bring himself to approach her. After all, he was still her prisoner, and still constantly watched by guards at all times.

Prisoner? Amantius thought, an eyebrow arching, I don’t feel like a prisoner.

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