Impavidus (The Impavidus Cycle Book 3) by M. A. Vice

Author:M. A. Vice [Vice, M. A. & Vice, M. A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-12-07T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter XXIII

“Are we stopping?”

Tebryn’s question was little more than a weak groan in Adramellach’s ear as he slowed to a stop and began to carefully kneel.

The Khthon had stated he wanted to cease their trek for a short while before continuing – but they had been walking the better part of the day already, and given the pained look on his face as he sank to the ground next to the cart, trembling… Adramellach was fairly certain they would move no further today.

He carefully shifted to help Tebryn sit back on the ground without straining his injury. Almar had started to build a fire closer to the cart – they would be too far from it where they were for it to warm them, so Adramellach moved to lift Tebryn in his arms to bring him closer.

"Adramellach.” Tebryn gripped his arm to stop him as he reached around Tebryn’s shoulders. “Do not—”

“You’re going to freeze over here,” Adramellach explained.

“Then let me.” Tebryn’s ears were angled lower than Adramellach had ever seen them. “This is undignified.”

Adramellach groaned at him, sweeping his other arm under Tebryn’s legs and lifting him off the ground. It was not difficult – Tebryn was of a much slighter build than Adramellach was. “We are well past the point of concerning ourselves with dignity, don’t you think?”

“I cannot fight, I cannot even walk, I am of no use. You should have left me to die,” Tebryn murmured, his voice wavering and his eyes filling with tears. Adramellach felt his brow furrow, and a slight pang of regret for his harshness struck him. “Why are you even bothering with me?”

“Alright, Tebryn,” Adramellach answered in a gentler tone, moving closer to the fire, “I will meet you in a compromise. If the Khthon states he would like me to leave you behind, I will. Is that agreeable to you?”

Tebryn did not answer, refusing to meet Adramellach’s gaze.

Adramellach set him down near the now slowly-growing fire, atop a folded blanket Ismaire had set out. Tebryn shifted uncomfortably before leaning back to rest. Sitting and sleeping on the hard, cold ground had left Adramellach with a constant ache in his bones throughout the length of the journey – he could only imagine how much worse it was for the injured members of their party.

They had managed to move beyond the forests, and had made camp in the middle of a barren field. There was little wind, luckily, but the cold felt sharper all the same – yet it seemed a fair trade for the near-endless visibility their position provided them with. There were no dense trees to muffle the sound or sight of an ambush.

“Here, I’ll check your bandages,” Adramellach said, giving Tebryn a gentle pat on the shoulder. He lifted the edge of Tebryn’s tunic – relieved to see that the white linen bandages showed no signs of having bled through.

“Well?” Adramellach heard his father’s voice from behind him, where he was circling around the cart to sit down, one hand on it to guide him.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.