Theft of Dragons (Princes of Naverstrom) by Forrester John

Author:Forrester, John [Forrester, John]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Amber Muse
Published: 2014-07-16T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

THE AFTERNOON RAYS of sunlight poured over the river's rippling surface, mesmerizing Tael with their undulating, ceaseless rhythms. An agitation filled his heart from the strange serenity in the city: boats docked, workers drank apple tea and whispered, slept, or stared at the river. The never-ending river. He pondered this simple fact and let his mind wander freely, connecting memories and sights and vivid feelings.

This isn't where I ought to be, Tael thought, and believed himself foolish for leaving the safety of the mountains despite his grandfather's warnings. An echoing, vast reverie filled him, spurned on by the old healer's words this morning that his grandfather might still be alive. He's afflicted, she had said. His grandfather had been struck by a curse dealt by Hakkadian assassins and was out west, deep in the Malathian Kingdom seeking a cure. Or he could be dead.

"I doubt the old crow is gone," the healer had cackled. "You can't kill a bird like him that easily. Besides, when I close my eyes at night and stretch out my spirit like the shivering hands of a beggar, I can feel him—right here in my stomach—I can feel he's still alive."

Alive. The word still reverberated in him like a mantra. For all his differences and disputes with his grandfather, he still loved him and hoped he was alive. He was his only connection to his family and his past. And there was so much his grandfather had refused to tell him, things that he promised to explain someday when he was a man. Like why his grandfather always told him how important it was for Tael to stay alive...

The boar figurehead of a galley came into view along the southern stretch of the river, slipping through the white walled river gate and under the iron portcullis waiting to close for the day. The ship was proud and determined, but her crew was languid and lazy and shuffled about uninterestedly as they docked. Tael realized the ship was emptied of goods and held few passengers. Likely returning from an unprosperous trading trip to the southern Islands of Marr.

He was about to look away from the vessel when he caught sight of a familiar face filtering through the crew as they debarked. "Grandfather!" he found himself saying. And with joy and surprise he darted down the stone steps and ran to the docks.

At the sight of the worn, haggard expression on his grandfather's once fierce and powerful face, Tael took pause and found his feet had refused to move. His grandfather's tired, defeated eyes lifted and turned puzzled, staring at Tael as if he were a hallucination, and those eyes seemed habitually vague and undetermined as if the world itself had fallen into unrealities. His mouth dropped open in surprise and Tael moved towards him in the hope of reassuring his grandfather that he was real. When Tael was about to embrace his grandfather, the old man raised a hand to stop him.

"Why the hell are

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.