The Prince's Man by Deborah Jay

Author:Deborah Jay
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: epic fantasy, sword and sorcery, elves and fae, gods and goddesses, magic
Publisher: Deborah Jay
Published: 2013-07-29T00:00:00+00:00

IN THE END, THEY HAD both fish and meat to pack for the journey. Shamnac arrived in the firelight not long after dark, true to his word in human form, bringing with him the still warm carcass of a mountain goat, which he made short work of butchering and dividing into joints. They roasted one haunch over the fire and salted the rest before wrapping it in leaves and packing it in the saddle bags. Rustam was careful to spread the food amongst the packs this time, so that should one be lost they would not starve again.

They feasted greedily on roast goat almost before it was cooked, and Rustam noticed that where they stripped the browner meat, Shamnac surreptitiously tore red. Rustam shuddered, recalling the black whirlwind that had swept through the troll camp, all teeth and claws, and thanked Chel that the werecat was on their side.

Following a full night’s sleep—Risada at last consenting to trust Shamnac’s oath—they all felt fitter and ready to proceed. Elwaes looked brighter though still somewhat pale as he directed Rustam in the gathering of a variety of fruits, berries and fungi that grew amidst the trees and rocks of the jewel-green haven, and by midmorning they were ready to leave.

Shamnac guided them to a winding path on the far side of the valley. It vanished steeply upward into the rocks but, he assured them, led to a low pass between the two peaks towards which they had originally been heading. As he took his leave of them the werecat bowed low, the bending of his spine more sinuous than that of a true human.

If Risada noticed, she said nothing.

“Russtam. Lady. My debt to you iss not in full repaid.” He lifted the leather thong from around his neck and slipped it over his head. “Take thiss token, the ssymbol of my pahn.” He paused, groping for words to explain, and then looked beseechingly to Elwaes.

“Tribe, I think is the nearest translation,” suggested the elf. Shamnac cocked his head on one side, considering.

“Not entirely accurate, but it will do. Pleasse, take it and keep it ssafe against need. It iss the only gift that I can ssend with you.”

“And a handsome gift it is,” Risada said graciously, and stretched out her hand to accept the talisman. Rustam could now see that what swung on the narrow strip of hide was a tooled leather medallion, but in his mind’s eye he saw instead a glittering crystal pendant, and a brightly lit corridor within the mansion of Rees-Charlay.

“That’s it!” he breathed.

The Lady of Domn regarded him askance. “Pardon me? To what precisely are you referring?”

“The pendant—the one the troll wears! It’s the one Hensar was wearing at the fest, or damn near identical.” He turned to Elwaes. “Could he be using it somehow to control the trolls—is that possible? I don’t know enough about magic.”

The Shivan’s reply was drowned out by Risada’s oath and Rustam blinked in surprise. He had no idea that a Lady of noble birth would know such language.

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.