Saga of the Scout (A New Age Rises, #1) by Cliff Hamrick

Author:Cliff Hamrick
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: survival
Publisher: Fiery Blade Publishing
Published: 2019-11-10T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

ETHAN STALKED THROUGH the palace gardens. The half-moon hung high in the cool night sky illuminating his path. The lush vegetation masked his movements from the guards that stood watch near braziers that lit up the steps into the palace.

A cool breeze moved through the gardens carrying the heavy scents of the Euphrates. The gentle wind brushed through the bushes and trees, which further shielded him from the eyes of the watchful guards.

He had trained for years for just this one night. Days and nights and lives were spent for him to be at this moment. He looked up at the stars. The Red Warrior hung between the Great Bull and the Hunter. A good omen. His prey would fall tonight. His people would be free.

He squatted behind a long clay planter filled with exotic plants from the far south where the Undying Serpent Gods ruled beyond question. He watched and waited for one of the guards to look away. His moment came when the guard turned toward the wall and lifted his tunic to relieve himself. Like a cat springing on its quarry, Ethan leaped and ran to the darken spot near the palace wall where the light of the braziers did not reach.

He watched the guard begin his walk around the circumference of the wall that surrounded the palace gardens. Ethan turned back to the palace wall and climbed, his fingers and toes digging into the masonry until they bled. But Ethan did not notice. His only mission was to kill a god. He did not expect to live beyond that.

He climbed the wall past the window on the first floor and lifting himself to the wide-open balcony above. He hung there over the edge. His feet dangled while his strong hands held him still so his eyes could search the darkness for movement. The light of the moon showed him nothing, and so he pulled himself up and onto the balcony.

He waited for a moment, listening for passing guards. He knew that the god he hunted would not be awake at this hour. The cold night air lulled it into a deep slumber. Its limbs would not stir easily.

It would be helpless under Ethan’s blade. But the guards that served it would kill him or give up their own lives to protect it. Such was the power the god had over people.

Ethan stepped lightly into the wide hallway, his bare feet slipping silently on the stone floor. No light entered the hallway except for the moon through the windows. He would have no easy hiding places inside the palace. No vegetation to confuse guards. He glided from shadow to shadow. His only camouflage now was his linen shirt and pants, dyed black to match the night.

He moved down the hallway, searching for the door that led to the god’s inner chamber. Memorized from countless stories and descriptions from servants, who had traversed the inner sanctums, his path was clear to him. Garbage gleaned from stories, which produced treasure only when pieced together.

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