Chasing Sorcery: the first in the complete epic fantasy series, Power & Empire by Hutton L. J

Author:Hutton, L. J. [Hutton, L. J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wylfheort Books
Published: 2013-05-27T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

Sea Fever

Rheged: Winterfalling

In the depths of night, with the horses’ hooves muffled with the hessian bags they had used to put supplies in, the three fugitives slipped past the fort. For once they were glad it was a miserable night, with low, heavy clouds shrouding the whole mountain, and soaking them all. It was unlikely any sentry would patrol for long, or stop to look carefully into the mist, without good cause when he had water dripping down his neck. With Will now actively helping rather than hindering, their progress was much faster. So despite picking their way carefully in case they dislodged any loose rocks, they made it past the fort in less than an hour. From the west side, the road was much steeper, but it also had a wall that ran nearly at waist height along the side away from the mountainside. If caught on this stretch, they would have no way of getting the horses safely over and nowhere to go even if they did.

Yet the wall also helped them. There was no way, even in the dark, that they might miss their step and slip over the edge, or go astray. So having set out at nightfall, they pressed on through the night, hopeful that they would be low enough down the mountain to have got past the wall, and so off the road, by daybreak.

They still led the horses for the first mile or so, until the road had swept around the shoulder of the next great peak. After that it was unlikely that they would be heard, and so they freed the horses’ hooves and mounted up. Even at a brisk walk, which was as fast as it was sensible to go, they made better time than on foot. By the first hint of light in the sky the road had become less steep, and in the early hours of daylight they found a drover’s track crossing the road which was also obviously regularly used by heavy wagons. Ruari and Will proclaimed their satisfaction that it forded a rocky stream right by the road, and that the other side of the ford had been worn down to the rock too. There would be no telltale hoof prints to arouse the suspicions of any curious passing troops which might lead them to investigate further merely from what they saw from the road.

“Just so long as they don’t have a Brother Andra who needs a leak we’ll be alright,” Will chuckled in good humour.

Ruari snorted in amusement too.

“It’d be the first time I’ve known a soldier to be bashful about that in front of his mates. You had enough trouble stopping the buggers pissing up the castle walls when the Jarl was in Caerlewl!”

“They did what?” Andra asked, astounded. He was beginning to feel that the next time he saw his own reflection he would find himself totally devoid of eyebrows – they would have joined up with this tonsure. He shook his head in resignation as the other two just laughed again.

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