Eyes of the Blind by D A Godwin

Eyes of the Blind by D A Godwin

Author:D A Godwin [Godwin, D A]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781732861725
Publisher: Conclave Publishing
Published: 2018-10-28T04:00:00+00:00


The Other Side of the Mountains

Their last day on the road proved a wet one. Thick clouds had continued to gather during the night, and by the time they broke camp a heavy rain was falling. Tormjere resumed his place as trailblazer, but Joloff assigned the sullen-looking guard, Wessan, to accompany him this time. It hardly mattered. Between the sound of the rain and the slippery road, there was little time for conversation. Still, Wessan had given him a respectful nod as they set out, in marked contrast to how he’d laughed at him the first day.

Although the valley that held the town had been in sight the night before, it took most of the day to make their way down the mountain. Any part of the road that wasn’t a slippery rock was a muddy mess, with some sections completely washed away. Progress was slow, even for the sure-footed mules.

They had seen chimney smoke but didn’t glimpse any buildings until they were almost on top of them. The thick forest grew almost to the edge of town, held back by a wall made of tree trunks sharpened at the top. A gate allowed entry, but there were no towers, and no soldiers to man them.

In contrast to the opulence of Kirchmont, Evermen’s Forge was a thrown-together collection of buildings with all manner of construction. Many were jumbles of rough-hewn logs and earth, more primitive than anything in Kenzing. Windows and doors were small and covered with sturdy planks. A few lights were lit here and there, lending a somber glow to the streets. The rain kept most of the inhabitants indoors, and the uneven streets were almost as empty as the road that brought them here.

They sloshed through the muddy streets trying to find an inn, but there were few signs or placards, and the purpose of one building looked little different from the next. The inn they did locate looked as miserable as every other building, but no one objected to staying there.

Joloff entered first, to check if it was safe enough, then returned and beckoned them inside. Tormjere helped Nikil stable the mules. Once the animals were secured in the leaky building, they hurried to follow the others out of the rain. He paused inside the door to let his eyes adjust to the dim light. The room was crowded and smelled of ale and wet hair.

The innkeep looked up suddenly and fixed him with an unfriendly eye. “And you, no trouble this time.”

Tormjere raised an eyebrow. He was fairly certain that he’d never met the man before in his life, and absolutely certain that he’d never been to this place before now.

A group of men at another table looked up. One of them made eye contact and immediately turned away, and they all became intensely interested in their drinks.

“Just food and a room for the night,” Tormjere said with a relaxed wave of his hand. After all, he thought, if someone was intimidated just by looking at him, he may as well go along with it.



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