Master of Furies by Raymond E. Feist

Author:Raymond E. Feist [Feist, Raymond E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780007541393
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
Published: 2022-06-09T17:00:00+00:00

• CHAPTER FOURTEEN •

Decisions and Risks

Declan rested the men for two days. They picked the date trees clean and found some sweet berries on the other side of the pool. Sebastian suggested he go and hunt, but Declan said no; he did not want to split the party for any reason.

The sun was rising in the east, and Declan was organizing the men, when Mikola came and said, ‘All the water skins are full again.’ When Declan just nodded, Mikola added, ‘Will we find more?’

‘I don’t know,’ Declan replied honestly. ‘But the farther northwest we march, the better the chances.’

‘Where did this water come from?’ asked the young man.

‘I told Mick Sawyer from those mountains we’re heading towards.’

‘How?’

‘Underground river.’

‘A river underground?’

‘The water that gushed from the side of the cliff north of the camp in the Wound, that’s also part of that underground river. Not all the rain that falls on those hills and mountains runs off. Some soaks in and runs that way.’ He waved in the general direction of the Wound. ‘It’s why there are trees, bushes, and animals there. There’s a place up near the Copper Hills where water springs out of the side of the hills. They told me it’s an underground river. Now, let’s get out of here before it gets too damned hot again.’

Declan motioned for the men to gather, and said, ‘I’ve been content to lead, but this is one time I must ask you to take a vote.’

‘On what?’ asked Sixto.

He pointed to the mercenaries from South Tembria, who’d been sheltering in the Wound when Declan’s company arrived. ‘They said the mountains to the northeast of Abala are impassable, and they should know. We know the nomads came down to Abala through a pass between the mountains and the Burning Lands. So, the question is do we go north, and try to find a shorter way to Abala, or chance the passage the nomads use?’

Tobias said, ‘You decide, Captain.’

Sixto followed. ‘What do you think is best, Declan?’

Declan was rested, but still felt nothing like his former self. Like every man there he was underweight, weakened by privation and the harsh trek out of the Wound. He took a deep breath, then said, ‘I promised Bogartis I’d get as many of you out of here alive as I could.’ He found moisture gathering in his eyes and felt a tickle of rage beginning to grow. ‘I will add those we found in the Wound to that promise, and I will do what I can to honour that pledge.

‘But we do not have a chance in a stand-up fight against an equal number of rested warriors.’ He paused for a moment to allow for any dispute. When none came, he said, ‘If the raids are over, the nomads will have returned to their range on the grasslands. It’s a two-, maybe three-day journey on foot through that passage. We will be exposed, in the open with nowhere to hide, should a band of those horsemen see us.

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