The Black Mantle (The Shadowbinders Trilogy Book 2) by Andrew Watson

Author:Andrew Watson [Watson, Andrew]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2025-02-14T00:00:00+00:00

29

A Path of Stone and Water

15 years ago.

They rose before the Sun Eye bled light onto the sand. The hyians were packed and saddled and they took off across the unforgiving desert. The ride south moved them farther from the well-traversed parts of the desert. Some parties skirted the Deadlands Basin travelling from Yontar to Ossin but most passed through Tansen to restock. This meant the further south they got, the more decrepit and damaged the Waypoints became. One had been raided by some wild beasts. The door lay flat and sand piled in the corners. The cots were torn to shreds and the cupboards ripped open, the rations missing. Probably kiren, Rai guessed.

They didn’t stay long.

Dunes rose and fell as a sea of sand. The serene tan and golden sheet was unmarred by life. The heat was wearying but the quiet and the separation from society brought a stillness Rai didn’t know that he needed.

It wasn’t long after midday and they all wrapped themselves in tan cloaks to keep the Sun Eye off. Most wouldn’t ride during the worst of the heat but they were training to join the Verdin Guild. Resting and hiding from the heat would be a sign of weakness and Rai had no doubt they would be timing how long it took the party to reach the temple.

They made good progress moving south and soon rocks started to break the sand as they approached the Deadland Basin’s rim. Escarpments rose in patches of stone creating some shelter from the burning gaze of the Sun Eye. Stone, Sun Eye, and sand blended and moulded the landscape around them as the company moved into the mountainous passes. There was an eerie feeling to the stone path. Rai kept telling himself that it was the change from the open desert, where one could see for miles to the enclosed pathways with limited vision, but he couldn’t make himself believe it. More than once he was sure voices carried on the wind. Unnatural breezes picked up and fell away coming from different directions. The others must have felt it too as the chatter had faded and they searched the surrounding stone.

“Why do you think all these monsters are said to live in the basin?” Sen asked. He could never linger in silence long and always voiced his concerns. Rai couldn’t blame him. The Deadlands Basin was the most treacherous stretch of desert in Tarris. No one travelled there but everyone heard the rumours of the monsters that lived there.

“Don’t you know the story of how the Deadlands Basin came to be?” Genu asked.

“I assumed it just… be,” Sen said.

Genu shook her head.

“In ages past, when the Shapers roamed the land, there were creatures that some believe are no more than myth and legend. One of these was the Bandor,” Genu said, her voice echoing through the mountain pass.

“The Mountain Eater,” Tys said. He rode alongside Rai but had slowed to listen to the story. Genu followed, preferring to ride alone and Sen and Ada trailed behind her.

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