The Undead Hordes of Kan-Gul by Jon F. Merz

Author:Jon F. Merz [Merz, Jon F.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction
Amazon: 1451639163
Publisher: Baen Books
Published: 2013-08-18T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

The sight surprised him. Ran could see a small rivulet of water dribbling down the side of the tunnel rock and dripping into a small pool below. That would not have been a strange sound in and of itself, but what made the entire scene odd was that the water dripped onto a flat metal plate that reminded Ran of a shield. Where had that come from?

He crept ahead, scarcely able to believe their luck at finding a water source. He’d need to taste it and see if it was safe to drink, but if it had come through the rocks and mountain, then it certainly should be filtered by now. Ran slid out from behind the rock and crept down the tunnel. The dripping water was louder as he approached, and its rhythmic clanging sounded almost like someone beating their sword on a shield.

Ran knelt and put his hand into the dripping water. It was ice cold and clear. His mouth went bone dry and Ran smirked at how his body reacted to the sudden appearance of water. He waited until his palm was full and put it to his lips. As soon as the water touched his mouth, he tasted its sweet purity and marveled at how much it renewed his strength. Water was exactly what he’d needed, and here he had a ready source.

He checked the immediate vicinity and found nothing to suggest there was a threat. He dashed back up the tunnel and waved Jysal down. “There’s water down there you can drink. I tried it, and it’s fine. Slake your thirst, you’ll need it.”

Jysal rushed past him, and Ran moved to where Neviah waited.

“Are you sure it’s safe to drink?” she asked.

He nodded. “As sure as I can be. It tastes amazing. Probably came through the entire mountain above us. As it traveled, the ground would have acted like a natural filter.”

Neviah smiled. “I could do with a drink.”

“We all could.”

She pointed at Kancho’s body. “Even him?”

“Especially him. Help me get him down there, and I’ll see if I can wake him up long enough to try some of the water.”

Together, he and Neviah managed to get Kancho down the tunnel to where the water dripped out of the rocks. Jysal was lapping up as much as she could. Neviah joined her and after a few minutes, stepped back so Ran could drink his fill. As he did so, Ran marveled at the existence of the water here in the tunnel. It had shown up just as they were becoming acutely aware of their lack of drink.

Timing, he decided, was everything.

He glanced over at Neviah. “Do you have a waterskin?”

She drew out a small pouch from inside of her tunic. “This is all I have. Most of my gear went down aboard the Aqaria.”

“It will do,” said Ran. He leaned back into the stream of water and waited for the small skin to fill up. Once he had it mostly full, he scooted over to Kancho’s body and dribbled a small bit of water across the older warrior’s lips.

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