Against the Wind (Broken Leyweaver Cycle #1): An Epic Fantasy Adventure by Darren Askins

Author:Darren Askins [Askins, Darren]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: A Novel of the Otherverse
Published: 2023-01-21T13:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

Duvont found it difficult to keep up pace with Ungo. His mind was too preoccupied with his foolishness. Of course Jaden hadn’t come with them. He was obsessed, blind, and selfish. It was ironic he had remained astute in his quest, since he would have fit right in with the Giblarn’s people.

Duvont just wished he had been able to see that sooner. Since abandoning Giblarn, he’d only traded one selfish master for another.

Ungo stood atop a boulder about twice as tall as himself, hand over his eyes to shield his vision from the sun’s hot rays. When Ungo looked back, he moved his hands over his lips and called out, “If linger, Ungo and Duvont will not make it to village in time. Far, but not too far.”

The Minuun said there was a small chance they could return to Giblarn before Shambak’s assault commenced, but they would have to traverse difficult terrain and strange routes. Duvont didn’t know what Ungo meant at first, but now it became quite clear why the routes were strange.

Instead of veering north to loop back around to Giblarn, Ungo had steered them south toward the coastline. He had never been along the coast in the Deep Mandro. It was probably a good thing, since he would not have been able to cope with its foreign, terrifying appearance alone.

The twisted-trunked willows and spiral-branched cypresses died away quicker than he would have expected, revealing a large, flat expanse of lapping waves leading off into forever. Amazingly, this did not deter Ungo, who strode out upon the waves like they were made of nothing more than dry dirt. They had come upon a flatlands nearly submerged in an ankle-high layer of salt water.

The land grew even stranger, too. Instead of the swamp’s usual flora, groves of towering coral reached out from the waters, twisting together to form different forests. He could see geysers in the distance and large seabirds fighting for space near them. It truly was a strange world.

Yet, this was not why Duvont dragged his feet through the waters. He’d gone a full day without sleep. His head sagged, but he felt attentive enough, which is how he kept track of Ungo when the Minuun disappeared around the few protruding boulders dotting the landscape.

Why did he even need Jaden? The wizard had a point. Their deal was done. Even if he was not a properly trained leyweaver, he had learned that he might someday master it. Given enough training. And time. And practice.

The more he thought about his future as a leyweaver, the glummer he grew. He could not read, so even if he somehow got out of Giblarn and accessed instructions, it would prove useless. Without someone to show him the ropes, how could he ensure fire would not siphon the rest of his life like it had tried before? What if he just stagnated like everyone else in Giblarn?

Who was Duvont kidding? Jaden wasn’t aimless. Duvont was. He was one of Giblarn, even if he tried to think he was better than them.

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