The Poison Ember by A.M. Obst

Author:A.M. Obst
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: magic, identity, twins, high fantasy, strong female, magical powers
Publisher: A.M. Obst

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Cerlys set a bruising pace to make up for lost time. They stopped briefly once or twice, but that was only for the welfare of the horses; certainly not their riders’ behinds. At times, the only thing that stopped her from falling off was her tight grip on Meadow’s reins.

The thud of hooves on the unmade road sent plumes of dust shooting into the air, making Jessa’s eyes stream and her nose itch. The scenery was monotonous; flat ground, spindly trees that looked like exact copies of each other, and long tufts of grass that were so bleached by the sun to be almost luminous. And everything within ten paces of the road was coated in its grey dust. Not to be left out, the occasional dilapidated farm they passed was made of grey stone and grey wood, and probably inhabited by grey people. Grey, grey, grey…

When would they get through this land and on to somewhere more interesting?

Behind her, Sarnd sat holding their burden in its bag, silent and brooding. He might as well have been back in Halef for all the company he was providing. Had he always been that stubborn at holding a grudge?

Gradec’s story kept playing over in her mind. Yes, it was sensible to leave the Stone well alone, and get rid of it as soon as she could. Her last clumsy meddling with it had ended in failure, and had almost set fire to their camp. Another one of those and Brekil would finally convince Detragor the twins should be tied up for all their sakes.

Once the mission was over, she should go back to Ravella, and Farodin, and see what life brought her. Thousands of people across the world would envy what she had waiting for her back there. Maybe she’d come to enjoy her new job in the markets after all, and she could do with more time honing her potting skills if she was ever going to turn it into something more than a hobby.

As the sun started to bleed into the horizon, Cerlys finally called a halt and declared they should find a place to camp for the night. All the custodians looked drained of energy, riding half-slumped in their saddles or lost in their own contemplations. It was typical that Jessa herself was wide awake, legs twitching as if they wanted to run a mile.

That’s what happens when you spend days doing absolutely nothing but bouncing up and down on the back of a horse.

They trailed along behind Cerlys as she hunted around for a suitable place to make camp. In the end, she chose an irregular gap between the trees which looked exactly like all the other places she’d considered and discarded.

“I’ll make dinner,” Jessa said before anyone else could, swinging her leg over and slipping off the horse. Well, half-fell off; she suspected she’d never master that movement without looking ridiculous.

“I’ll get some firewood,” Arioc said before bouncing off into the encroaching darkness. Next to him, Jessa’s own restless energy seemed diminished.

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