Set in Stone (The Petralist Book 1) by Frank Morin

Author:Frank Morin [Morin, Frank]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Whipsaw Press
Published: 2015-04-30T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 42

Connor paused at the top of a steep incline and drew in a deep breath. The air tasted cool and fresh in the still hour before dawn. The waning moon did little to illuminate the mountainside, but Connor easily picked out the nearby landmarks.

"Are we there yet?"

He turned to help Shona up the last few steps of the steep slope. She lingered close, and slid one hand up his arm as the rest of the company reached the summit.

"That was quite a climb, but you're not winded at all."

He grinned. "Basalt was the right choice. I feel great."

Connor had led the strike force downriver a mile to where they could climb a saddle between peaks. There, Shona arrived unexpectedly and declared she would join the party. After overruling Rory's strenuous objections, she handed Connor pouches of both igneous stones he'd established affinity with, and he'd chosen to absorb basalt. As they climbed, he'd barely tapped the boundless energy that burned in his legs, and still leaped up the steep slope like a mountain goat.

Rory joined them, still frowning. "Lady Shona, please reconsider. If anything were to happen to you, it would mean my head."

"Drop it, Captain. I am here on my own authority, and I will see to securing Ilse for interrogation." As she spoke, she patted the canvas pack she carried slung over one shoulder.

Rory scowled and turned to Connor. "Where do we go from here, lad?"

Within the hour, Carbrey's army would rouse and assemble at the southern end of the slope beneath the plateau to draw Ilse's gaze. Timing would be tight, and they could not waste any of it arguing. Connor enjoyed Shona's presence and attention, but he worried that Rory might be right that she would be wiser to stay in camp.

"We're on schedule, Captain. We follow this ridge for a solid hour to a game trail that will lead us right down to the quarry road."

"Very well. Let's move out. You and Donald scout ahead."

Connor eagerly agreed. The strike force included Tomas and three other Fast Rollers, Grahame the Pathfinder, Gregor the huge Sentry, and Donald the Strider, as well as a full score of regular infantry.

After getting the company pointed in the right direction, Connor trotted ahead with Donald. The slender fellow offered some advice before they tapped their basalt and poured on the speed.

"Lean forward as you accelerate or your legs can literally run out from under you."

He explained how to alter course by shifting weight more than by actually trying to turn his feet. "The faster you run, the smaller the movements to avoid a crash."

They broke out of a thicket of fir and the ridge ascended to a hidden valley. The slope lay open and unobstructed under the moonlight so Donald said, "Let's go. Start small and accelerate gradually."

Connor opened himself to the power of basalt, and his legs quivered with the need to run. He bounded forward into an effortless sprint, and within seconds raced across the slope faster than one of Lord Gavin's horses.

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