Sir Dalton and the Shadow Heart by Chuck Black

Author:Chuck Black [Black, Chuck]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-60142-238-5
Publisher: The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group
Published: 2009-10-15T16:00:00+00:00

At first, Dalton wondered if the pace of the hermit would be too slow for him to bear, but he quickly discovered this was not the case. It was Dalton who struggled to keep pace with Mister Sejus. Dalton himself needed frequent rests, for his strength was still greatly diminished. They traveled east along the base of the mountain range for most of the morning.

“Now I recognize these mountains,” Dalton said with satisfaction. “These are the Northern Mountains. I was so close to them that I could not see them for what they are.”

“’Tis often true in life, young one,” the old hermit said without skipping a step.

At one point, they climbed a ridge. Mister Sejus stopped for a moment, and Dalton was grateful. The old man seemed tireless. They looked south to a thick forest.

“This is Wolf Ridge,” Mister Sejus said and pointed to an area not far away. “There was a great battle there long ago.”

“Here in the Northern Mountains?” Dalton asked between ragged breaths. “I’ve not heard of it.”

“You wouldn’t have, but the kingdom hung in the balance. The people are often unaware,” Mister Sejus said. “There are many who don’t even believe there is a King.”

“Yes, I know,” Dalton said. “Those are the ones most difficult to tell about the Prince.”

Mister Sejus shook his head. “Without a King, there is no kingdom. The King established Arrethtrae long ago. Those who live here and deny His existence live a life of contradiction, for the kingdom itself testifies to His reign.”

By early afternoon, they came to an area that seemed forgotten by time itself. It was a scene of ancient beauty, and Mister Sejus slowed to enjoy it. A sparkling river flowed nearby, tumbling gently over shallow waterfalls. Mister Sejus told Dalton it was the Tisgri. The trees seemed larger than usual and widely spaced, and the ground between them was padded with thick grass and soft mats of forest moss. Green vines and brightly colored flowers provided a garden atmosphere, and a delightful canopy of leaves and pine branches filtered the sunlight into golden spires. Dalton looked around in awe at the magnificence of it all.

They walked quietly through the trees until they came to the ruins of a forgotten estate. The outer walls had crumbled, and the rusted iron gates had fallen from their hinges. They walked through the gate and stood in the outer court of what once must have been a majestic palace.

“What is this place?” Dalton asked in wonderment.

Mister Sejus breathed deeply. “This is the place of beginnings… This is Nedehaven.”

They stood before the blackened ruins of a great and ancient palace. The trees and vines had nearly swallowed the structure, and it looked as though it was trying to return to nature, but its residual magnificence was unmistakable.

“I thought this story was just a fabricated legend,” Dalton said, still gawking at the ruins. “I never would have believed such a place existed.”

Mister Sejus turned to Dalton. “That is why we are here.”

Dalton looked at the old man, who seemed to have become stronger by their day’s hike rather than weaker.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.