Worms' Ending: Book Eight (The Longsword Chronicles 8) by GJ Kelly

Author:GJ Kelly [Kelly, GJ]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Published: 2014-08-01T07:00:00+00:00

In the kitchen next day, almost at noon so late had Gawain slept, Rak poured hot breakfast wine into a cup and ladled rich stew into a bowl for Gawain’s breakfast.

“Merrin and Travak have gone to a friend’s house, my brother,” Rak explained, “She is writing a letter to Elayeen with all sorts of news. Not the least of which is our expecting another child.”

“Oh Rak, my dear friend and brother!” Gawain sprang to his feet to embrace the beaming diplomat. “Congratulations! When did this happen?”

Rak laughed. “Who can say? One night in early September, you know how these things are.”

“Ah, yes, stupid question really. My mind is still foggy from sleep and the hot bath. Doubtless I and my new clothes are much less of an affront to your nostrils this morning too.”

Rak gave Gawain a slap on the shoulder. “Come, sit, eat. Allazar was up early, and sits now huddled in a cloak up at Arramin’s Cabin. I daresay you’ll join him there later, but hot food and wine first.”

The food was welcome, it being the first decent and cooked meal in a long time. Gawain ate ravenously, barely tasting the flavours of the stew or the bread he mashed into it. Rak’s expression flitted between concern for his friend, and concern for the world.

“I’m sorry,” Gawain mumbled, noticing and suddenly pausing in his assault on the contents of his bowl. “I have brought the chill of winter into the warmth of your home once again.”

“Nonsense,” Rak sighed, taking Gawain’s bowl and refilling it, “We may dwell here at the roof of the world but its events don’t escape our notice. But here, eat, while I talk.”

Gawain nodded, and took the bowl of fresh stew, this time allowing it to touch the sides while he ate, listening intently.

“Allazar has written a letter, he penned it in my study at dawn, and begged me to have it sent to Arramin at Crownmount as soon as possible. He also had a brief missive for Eryk’s First Wizard, Dakar. Such was the urgency I saw in Allazar’s eyes I at once summoned a courier, and those missives are now well on their way to Crownmount. And, as I said, Allazar now sits huddled in the cabin atop the Point.

“Here, our defences have been strengthened. A tower, stone-built, has been erected near Arramin’s Cabin, and a system of bells and beacon-fires established to provide warnings to the town, in the case of the bells, and to similar towers which have been built on other peaks, in the case of the beacon-fires. Eryk and General Kahn insisted that should a threat be sighted from any of our watchtowers, north, south, east or west, word must reach Crownmount via the beacons before a Graken could itself make the journey.

“There was a test, at the beginning of this month in fact, and the speed with which the signal was passed from here in Tarn all the way to Crownmount was indeed impressive. But, of course, passing a warning and being able to respond to it are two different matters entirely.

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