The Melding Thief by Deck Matthews

Author:Deck Matthews [Matthews, Deck]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Echo Enduring Media
Published: 2018-11-08T22:00:00+00:00

They left the horses tied in the grove and entered the Aspenrun an hour after sunset. Dense clouds had rolled in, casting the forest in murky darkness. Their only light came from the bluish glow of the small stone the magus produced from the folds of his cloak. Insects chirped high in the trees or hidden within the brush and bramble. An owl's mournful cry echoed in the distance. Otherwise, a deep hush filled the forest. Somewhere ahead of them, Kelven caught the occasional flicker of a something moving beyond the veil of shadow. Every so often, the magus paused, as though listening to the whisper of the night.

They walked quickly over the first hour, but their pace slowed as they drew nearer to the castle. The Ravenwalker dimmed his stone to the faintest of glows to avoid attracting the attention of the mercenary guards—or whatever else was lurking in the darkness.

The movements came easily to Kelven, as though it had been only yesterday that he was making himself into just one more blot in a wall of darkness. Still, it felt strange in its way too, carrying the memory of Cyana with him as he stalked the shadows. What would she think of me now? He already knew the answer to that question. He preferred not to dwell on it.

They came to a halt just outside the guards’ perimeter. The magus was casting his gaze all around him.

“How far is the castle?” Kelven whispered.

“Close.”

“Then let's get this done.” Kelven unlatched the pack from his back and stripped off his tunic. The cold night bit at his skin. He retrieved four of the melding wands—strength, endurance, grace and healing—and laid them out before him. His eyes met Ravenwalker’s gaze.

“You’re certain about this?” asked the magus. His expression was openly dubious. “Multiple fortifications can be somewhat disconcerting. I’ve been told that the stress on the body is immense.”

“You’ve never done this?”

“No. I was melded to Shrill at a young age, and once a melding’s in place, fortifications won’t take.”

“Well, I’ll need all of them to pull this off.” Kelven shrugged. And I’m dying anyhow. So what does it matter? He pushed the thought from his mind. There was no point in dwelling on what he couldn’t hope to change. “Just do it.”

“We’ll start with endurance,” said the Ravenwalker. “It might help you bear the rest.”

The magus lifted the slate melding wand and, after a moment of hesitation, pressed its rune against the Kelven’s exposed chest. There was a moment in which all he felt was the cold of the stone against his skin. Then the pain struck. The rune seemed to latch onto him, fusing with his flesh. Something like a wind rushed through his body, and if he hadn't already experienced the sensation from the previous fortification, he might have cried out.

He felt the surge of power seep deep into the fibres of his muscle until he felt as though he could run a hundred miles. When the flow stopped, suddenly and abruptly, he gasped and nearly toppled forward.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.