The Road to Light (The Path of Zaan Book 1) by C.K. Rieke

Author:C.K. Rieke [Rieke, C.K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Crimson Cro Productions
Published: 2016-12-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

HE was stirred awake by the intoxicating smell of sweet, smoky pork. Zaan’s mouth was watering. Gogenanth was roasting an entire wild pig over their fire. Zaan looked at the pig, wide-eyed, but didn’t notice the saliva spilling out of his mouth. Gogenanth took a small piece of crisp skin off the side of the now hairless animal and held it out to Zaan.

“It won’t be cooked for another hour or two, but you look hungry,” he said.

Zaan took the piece of meat from him. The cooked skin was hot on his fingers and crunched between the force of them. He held it up to his nose and breathed deeply to fill his lungs with the aroma. Then he slowly laid it on his tongue, to let the fat melt slightly before he bit down. It crackled in between his teeth, and he swished it around his mouth. An exhalation of pure satisfaction came from him.

“I rubbed it with a smoked salt from the south,” Gogenanth said. He took a bite of the skin. “Pretty good.”

It was the single best bite of food that Zaan had ever taken in his life. It was at that moment that he truly realized how horrible it had been in the mines and could look back and recall what had happened. He began to cry, and soon he was sobbing into his arms. He thought about the things he had done to survive, the talks with his sister, and the animal he had become. The way they would claw and shove each other out of the way to get water and moldy food. He felt different now. He couldn’t quite describe it, but the world felt smaller and less frightening to him. After he caught his breath, he thought to himself that he was ready for anything now.

“When do we leave for Barrier Cliff?” Zaan asked.

“We will leave for Holdenbrook this afternoon, after Astor gets back,” Gogenanth replied, licking his fingers.

The air was cool, but the sun was warm this day. The three of them walked along the edge of the forest, their bellies full. Zaan had been given the slaver’s shoes, and he smiled while wearing them, walking tall and proud. He had also been given the slaver’s sword. It was a long thin blade, strong and shiny. The hilt was silver, and it had a tiger’s head at the bottom. It was engraved with the words “power” on one side and “strength” on the other. In his other hand he held his father’s compass, which had been taken away from him in the mine.

In total, they made it to Holdenbrook in twelve hours of walking. On one of Zaan’s feet a blister had formed at the heel, but he thought little of it, as he wore the soft slaver’s shoes and basked in the sunlight. He brushed back his black hair behind his ears as Holdenbrook came into view. It was a small stone town with many people visibly working the surrounding fields.

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