A Novella: Curse of the Night Dragon, #1 by S.K. Alden

Author:S.K. Alden
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: dragons, curses, neo-celtic, archers, ptsd
Publisher: Grauvale Press
Published: 2020-04-02T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

It took longer to get things rolling on the western terrace than Gilleath would have liked, but he couldn't fault how hard the mining crew worked at it.

Drustan and his brother Ohbar had brought their best engineers who took one look at the snowy slope and started sketching plans for an ore cart on an iron track powered by counter weight inside the mountain. The wind could gust all it wanted and the cart and track would remain steady. They would even assemble the track on runners inside and slide the whole apparatus out, somewhat like launching a raft. Gill approved and miners swarmed over the construction like busy ants.

Meanwhile, the storm raged on and the darkness of night turned to the dull gray of a stormy Midwinter’s Eve day morning full of gusting wind and blowing snow. The wind would have to quiet before the ravens would be seen again, so Gill remained focused on task one: finding his brother.

Two hours later, Gill was all too eager to hop inside the mine cart and ride down the hillside, though he had conceded that two others could go first for safety. He forbade them to look for Kirin, however, on the premise that they might disturb any tracking signs not entirely obliterated by the blowing snow.

"Might be a bit of a jolt at the bottom," Drustan said, tossing a heavy coil of rope over the lap of his King and friend. "But good luck."

Gill gripped the old miner's hand in thanks, then double checked the contents of the bag strapped to his side. A bottle of minerals, a miner's pan, rations, and clean rags. On the other side, a canvas bag packed with fresh sticks of oil-soaked kindling.

He nodded to Drustan that he was ready.

With a clang, the brake released and the cart rolled heavily down the steep track, slowly picking up speed as it went, and indeed there was a jolt at the end which threw Gill a few inches forward as it jerked to a stop. Two burly warriors helped him out at the bottom.

"Where to, my Lord?" one of them shouted. Gill handed him one end of the heavy rope to anchor firmly to the cart and raised a hand to say they should stay put. He tied the other end to his own belt.

Gill was a master at tracking—he'd been doing it all his life to find game, thieves, úkenn, and of course, his little brother. It took only minutes for him to make his first circuit of the immediate area and discover an odd snow pile in the center of what should have been a narrow road.

This was Kirin's marker—set the way he always did. Gill played out his safety rope and moved parallel to the mountainside until he found a second marker about ten steps away.

After that, it didn't take long for the stacks to lead him straight to the old guard house.

"Kirin!" he shouted, hoping he could be heard over the howling wind.

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