Shadows by Michael Duncan

Author:Michael Duncan
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Pelican Book Group

Shadows: Book of Aleth Part One

7

The Road to Brekken-Dahl

An hour passed, and the sun departed over the peaks of the Shadow Mountains. Darkness covered the world. A chill wind blew through forest and bit at Aaron’s skin. The dwarves moved undeterred by the darkness or cold as they continued with great speed through the woods, forcing Aaron and Rayn to try and keep pace. He marveled at the inexhaustible endurance of the dwarves. His amazement grew when, despite the darkness, the dwarves did not falter. Without torches or any other source of light, the brigade didn’t slow for a moment and navigated through the brush and trees as if it were daylight. Aaron struggled as he stumbled along and found it difficult to cope with the dwarves’ rapid pace. From the noise behind him, he knew Rayn struggled as well.

As night deepened a crescent moon ascended over the tops of the trees to cast its pallid light down through the branches stroked by the wind. The silver glow gave some slight help to the two soldiers as they labored to keep up with their captors. The air continued to grow colder as they marched. The frigid temperature froze extremities and shot pain up Aaron’s legs with every step. The leather straps which bound his hands dug deep into Aaron’s skin. Exhausted, he continued, swift and unseen, always north and always within the confines of the trees. Aaron had no notion where they were but imagined it was far from help.

The hours passed with no indication the dwarves intended to stop. Although fatigued and hungry Aaron kept pace with his captors, but the stress of the forced march proved too much for Rayn, and he fell to the ground. With his hands tied, he crashed through the brush and struck his head against a fallen log. Rayn tried to rise but collapsed again in a heap.

Aaron rushed to his side and bent down to care for him, but with his hands bound, he was powerless to help. Anger welled up in him, and he shouted at the nearest dwarf, “Get down here! He’s hurt!” In the faded moonlight, Aaron saw blood flowing from a gash on Rayn’s forehead.

Two of the dwarf soldiers grumbled, but came over to gather him up and braced the private against a tree. Though alive, Rayn’s breathing was shallow and quick. He slipped in and out of consciousness and trembled in uncontrolled spasms. His cloak and shirt were torn and revealed long red welts and a host of abrasions on his arms and torso. Aaron sat next to him and tried to administer some aid despite his bound hands.

One dwarf, older, with a long grey beard, came to Rayn with a leather bag slung around his shoulders. He pulled out several vials and some cloth then began to clean the wounds. The dwarf dabbed some liquid from a brown vial—its aroma nearly made Aaron gag—into the deepest gash on Rayn’s forehead. Rayn winced in pain from the pungent solution.

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