Lorik The Protector (The Lorik Trilogy Book 2) by Toby Neighbors

Author:Toby Neighbors [Neighbors, Toby]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Publisher: Mythic Adventure Publishing
Published: 2013-08-23T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

Stone rode away from the fort with a feeling of excitement. He didn’t like leaving Vera, or even being apart from her, but being on the open road had a certain appeal. He liked being on his own, if only for short periods of time. And most of all, he liked that Lorik trusted him. Stone’s father had died when Stone was a young boy, and he’d been forced to fight and scramble for everything he had. He’d learned to fight and had spent his adult years hunting down the men who had cheated his father and taken advantage of his mother. She had been forced to do the will of wicked men, who destroyed her body and her mind. She had died when Stone was a teenager, and when the man who had taught him to fight was killed, Stone had gone on the rampage. Since then, he had moved from place to place, almost always falling in with the wrong kind of people.

When he had fled to the Marshlands, his hope had been to change his life, but being a stranger was huge barrier to overcome. He had been close to falling in with Marsdyn’s gang of outlaws in Hassell Point; in fact, he was certain he would have if Lorik hadn’t been willing to give him a chance. Lorik had taken Stone under his wing, teaching him how to find his way through the Marshlands and haul freight in one of the big wagons that Lorik owned. Now Lorik had once again entrusted Stone with a mission that was important, and it gave the young fighter a sense of significance unlike anything he had ever known in life.

The land along the coast was lush. There were large, sandy dunes dividing the farmlands from the sea, but trees were few and far between. The wide, grassy plains were green, and the sea air that blew in from the gulf was cold and briny. Stone wrapped his cloak around him and stood the collar up. The horse he rode helped keep Stone warm, but by late afternoon on the first day he was anxious for a fire. He’d seen farms with small cottages and had ridden close enough to see that there was no damage to the homes. He often saw the occupants working nearby, and there was no sign of Norsik raiders.

Just before dark he came to a large farmhouse with several outbuildings, including a large barn. He rode up to the house and asked the owners if he could stay in their barn for the night. The farm was home to a large family; several of the sons were nearly as old as the volunteers Lorik had brought up from Hassell Point.

“Wouldn’t be right to make you sleep out there,” the farmer said. “Come inside, we’ll feed you and let you sleep by the fire.”

Stone didn’t hesitate. He shared a large meal with the family and told them about scouting for the Norsik. The farmer’s wife and daughters looked frightened but the farmer waved a hand of dismissal.

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