The Mage (The Hidden Realm) by A. Giannetti

Author:A. Giannetti [Giannetti, A.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2011-08-01T04:00:00+00:00

LURCO

“As we agreed,” said Elerian softly, without turning his head. Ruso’s chance to kill him was gone, but his own chances of escape had also vanished. Now he must concentrate all his efforts on remaining undiscovered.

Ruso stepped in front of Elerian and greeted his fellow Ancharians, spinning a partly fabricated tale of misfortune. The death of his Goblin overseer at the claws of a leopard was true enough, but Ruso blamed the loss of his fellow Ancharians on the Ondredon, making no mention of Elerian, who kept his head down the whole time. No one in the raiding party spared him a glance, not even the Wood Goblin.

Ruso pushed Elerian into line with the other prisoners, and they continued east. Elerian tried to blend in with his fellow prisoners, saying little and making himself as inconspicuous as possible. That night, when the raiders camped in a meadow, Elerian considered making a last desperate bid for freedom, but the fiery eyes of at least two lupins reflected the light of the fire from under the trees surrounding the meadow, and he thought better of it.

In the morning, after a breakfast of hard bread and water, he and the other prisoners were herded east again on a path that became increasingly well marked. They began to encounter other groups of Ancharians, and the line of prisoners lengthened, until Elerian was just one Hesperian among many. Lupins, visible now and then through the trees, shadowed the column, and Elerian put aside thoughts of escape until he could somehow rid himself of his manacles.

Evening was coming on when the bridge over the Ancharus came into view. Ruso grew increasingly nervous, casting frequent, uneasy glances at Elerian, as if trying to determine his trustworthiness. If the Hesperian went back on his bargain and spoke of the marvelous scaled shirt in Ruso’s pack, he would doom them both to torture and death. Elerian, in turn, began to wonder if Ruso would be able to carry off the deception. The Ancharian looked as if he suffered from a fever. His face was pale, and his hands shook so much that he thrust them into his wide belt to conceal them.

When they crossed over the bridge, Elerian saw Dwarf and human slaves rebuilding the roadbed under the supervision of armed Mordi carrying whips. Many of the holes that had been present on his first trip had already been repaired. When Elerian stepped off the bridge with the other prisoners, he saw that the outer wall around Esdras was also being rebuilt. The city gates had been restored and stood open with Mordi guards standing to either side of the entrance to the city, closely scrutinizing all the prisoners who entered. Elerian kept his head down, trying to hide his nervousness, as he shuffled past them. To his relief, their bored gazes flicked over him without stopping, and Elerian entered the city with his disguise undetected.

Once he passed the gates, Elerian saw that the great road running through the center of the city also showed signs of repair.

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