Law Links (The Three Lands) by Dusk Peterson

Author:Dusk Peterson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction / Fantasy / Historical
Publisher: Love in Dark Settings Press
Published: 2023-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

4 | The Bird

CHAPTER ONE

The twenty-sixth day of December in the 940th year a.g.l.

The city physicians, after a final clucking of their tongues, have said that Carle and I may leave their house tomorrow. Carle and I have been restless to go since the day before yesterday, for we have no one here to talk with; the other guards left long ago.

Hoel and Payne and Devin were released on the first day back, into the care of their fathers, who had taken temporary housing in the city when they learned that their sons were trapped in the mountains. Quentin stayed only two days longer, though he looked as if he was one step into the gates of the Land Beyond. Although the rest of us had been carried back to Emor on blanket-muffled stretchers, Quentin had insisted on walking back, in order to assist with the navigation through the pass as only a borderlander could. He had seemed well during the journey, but the moment we reached within sight of Emor, he quietly collapsed and remained unconscious throughout the journey to the city.

Nor did he awake once we reached the warmth of the physicians’ house. The physicians looked grave and refused to offer any prognosis. Devin, giving way finally to the strain, left here in tears, certain that he would never again see the lieutenant alive.

The only cheerful person was Quentin’s grandfather, who had been awaiting us at the entrance to the pass, and who apparently had caused Malise a great deal of last-minute trouble by insisting that he must help with the rescue effort. Malise had finally placed him in charge of the carts left behind at the entrance to the pass. All the way back to the city, Quentin’s grandfather distracted us from our worries about his grandson by telling us entertaining stories of his own days in the patrol.

The stories continued when we arrived here, so that Carle and I had no thoughts left for our painful healing. While we were sleeping or trying to sleep, though, Quentin’s grandfather would go sit by Quentin and hold his hand silently. As far as I could tell, Quentin’s grandfather never slept himself.

This lasted until Quentin awoke on the third day. His grandfather waited just long enough for the physicians to confirm that Quentin had taken one step back from the Land Beyond; then he announced that Quentin was well enough to go home.

This caused an uproar among the physicians. “Not again,” I heard one of them say. The lieutenant eventually ended the argument by getting up and walking away. He only made it to the door before crumpling to the ground, but his grandfather had his way with the physicians after that. The physicians made him swear, though – on a freeman’s blade, no less – that he would keep Quentin in bed for the next fortnight. “Not like last time,” said the head physician, giving Quentin’s grandfather a piercing look.

It was all very odd. I wish that I

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.