The Shattered Sphere by David Adams

Author:David Adams [Adams, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 146368276X
Publisher: Amazon
Published: 2011-09-10T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7: Westerland

As they trudged on through the snow, they looked often to the horizon with expressions both hopeful and uncertain. Alexis remained resolute in her confidence—this was her land, and she knew the horses. When the thundering hooves of a dozen mounts creased the snow she merely nodded and smiled.

“Why so many?” Rowan asked.

“Horses fall in battle, get tired. Even these. Still more may yet join us. They know we may ask much of them, and they are willing to give it.”

They mounted up and continued to the west. Whether it was the lead horse or Alexis that led the way was difficult to say, but the others—both horses and riders—followed without question. To reach the Westerland from Lorgras they needed to cross the Wandering River, and Alexis knew where the bridges were, and where settlements might be on the way. Here in the south of her land there were a handful of small hamlets and villages, places where farmers could buy and sell. The great city of Lumia, the capital and seat of the Queen, was far to the north.

Shortly before the sun sank beneath the plain to the west they came upon a farm and were granted shelter and food. The lady of the house was much like Alexis, tall and strong and with a graceful elegance that belied her tired look and worn clothes, while her husband was shorter and stockier, his hands calloused from working the fields. Their daughter was approaching her fourteenth birthday, and she already stood taller than her father. The girl shrank back a bit upon seeing Lucien, but her parents had been satisfied by whatever Alexis had told them as to the goblin’s intentions, and while they could not offer all the comforts of a well-stocked inn, they certainly were excellent hosts.

Corson did not get the chair he had hoped for, nor a bed, but a warm meal, a warmer fire, and a roof to sleep under were more than enough to bring a contented smile to his face. When the lady and man of the house offered to keep watch through the night he protested like his companions, and like them was easily convinced to accept this great favor. His sleep was deep and undisturbed, and when he woke the next morning to the smell of frying bacon he thought for just a moment that he was back home. He passed through that hazy twilight between sleep and consciousness while wearing the expression of a young boy waking on his birthday, then felt his heart dip as the reality of where and when he was dawned anew. He chided himself for being ungrateful and inhaled deeply, the aroma chasing away the doubts and disappointment. He fixed a smile on his face and greeted his hosts with a hearty “Good morning!”

The party departed right after eating, their stomachs satisfied and their packs refilled. Demetrius pointed out the gray clouds that were forming to the west, bringing the promise of fresh snow.

“A storm might slow us,” said Rowan, frowning up at the leaden sky.

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.