DAVID EDDINGS - DEMON LORD OF KARANDA by David Eddings

Author:David Eddings
Language: eng
Format: mobi, pdf
Published: 2011-07-17T16:57:59+00:00

PART THREE

ASHABA

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The road leading north from Mal Zeth passed through a fair, fertile plain where new sprouted grain covered the damp soil like a low, bright green mist and the warm spring air was fil ed with the urgent scent of growth. In many ways, the landscape resembled the verdant plains of Arendia or the tidy fields of Sendaria. There were vil ages, of course, with white buildings, thatched roofs, and dogs that came out to stand at the roadside and bark.

The spring sky was an intense blue dotted with puffy white clouds grazing like sheep in their azure pastures.

The road was a dusty brown ribbon laid straight where the surrounding green fields were flat, and folded and curved where the land rose in gentle, rounded hil s.

They rode out that morning in glistening sunshine with the sound of the bel s fastened about the necks of Yarblek's mules providing a tinkling accompaniment to the morning song of flights of birds caroling to greet the sun.

Behind them there rose a great column of dense black smoke, marking the huge val ey where Mal Zeth lay burning.

Garion could not bring himself to look back as they rode away.

There were others on the road as wel , for Garion and his friends were not the only ones fleeing the plague-stricken city. Singly or in smal groups, wary travelers moved north, fearful y avoiding any contact with each other, leaving the road and angling far out into the fields whenever they overtook other refugees, and returning to the brown, dusty ribbon only when they were safely past.

Each solitary traveler or each group thus rode in cautious isolation, putting as much empty air about itself as possible.

The lanes branching off from the road and leading across the bright green fields were al blocked with barricades of fresh-cut brush, and bleak faced peasants stood guard at those barricades, awkwardly handling staffs and heavy, graceless crossbows and shouting warnings at any and al who passed to stay away.

"Peasants," Yarblek said sourly as the caravan plodded past one such barricade. "They're the same the world over. They're glad to see you when you've got something they want, but they spend al the rest of their time trying to chase you away. Do you think they actual y believe that anybody would real y want to go into their stinking little vil ages?" Irritably he crammed his fur cap down lower over his ears.

"They're afraid," Polgara told him. "They know that their vil age isn't very luxurious, but it's al they have, and they want to keep if safe."

"Do those barricades and threats real y do any good?" he asked. "To keep out the plague, I mean?"

"Some, she said, "if they put them up early enough."

Yarblek grunted, then looked over at Silk. "Are you open to a suggestion?" he asked.

"Depends," Silk replied. The little man had returned to his customary travel clothing dark, unadorned, and nondescript.

"Between the plague and the demons, the climate here is starting to turn unpleasant.

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