Adama grinned and slid out of their bed. He went to the chest of drawers and pulled out a white linen shirt, black breeches, and a red coat. He dressed himself quickly, and then looked at his parents expectantly. "Come, Baba," he said, excitement flowing from him and covering Ga'briyel, as he held out his tiny hand to his father.With a smile, Frank stood, held out his hand to Sophyra, who took it and joined him, and then took his son's hand in his. They went to the main room where Luija already had first meal on the table. The Debaduta was standing by their table, a worried look on his face."Are you sure about this, Ga'briyel? It will be dangerous at the docks. Two of the daemons have shops there, after all.""How did you know?" Sophyra asked him. Luija just looked at her, and she nodded. "Yisu told you, yes?""Of course He did, and I do not think this is a wise move to make, Sainika. The daemons will be waiting for you to bring your family out of the inn. I have a very bad feeling
"Benefits of being friends with a Debaduta, daemon!" Then Frank stopped talking, swung his sword, and began the deadliest dance known to man with the daemon in front of him. Dolsaya's eyes went wide, and he tried to flee, but Frank was too quick, and soon the daemon was backed up against his storefront. With a single swipe, Frank removed the daemon's head from his shoulders, and with several others, dismembered it. Then he turned to the daemon behind him and resumed the dance. It seemed as if it only took a few minutes before Kaysaya's head was rolling along the middle of the street, caught in a rut formed by hundreds of carriage wheels, but when Frank had hacked the third daemon to pieces, he realized that it was dark, his muscles ached, and he stank like rubbish that had been sitting in the summer sun for a moon. He looked around and was surprised to see several people standing on the wooden walkways watching him. Most had torches, and he walked to one, grabbed his torch, and applie
"He is dead!" he announced, and the soldiers carried him into the same room as his supposed victim and laid him on the floor. Captain Panakari followed them, shooed them out of the room, and shut the door. "You can get up now, Captain Mistri." Frank opened his eyes, took his sword belt from the other captain, and stretched with a smile before strapping it around his waist. "There is a back way out of this room, Captain, but you must make your way to your inn on your own. Try not to let anyone see you, or they will know I lied, and then I will find myself in the noose."Frank held out his hand, and the other clasped his forearm firmly. "Thank you, Captain. I appreciate everything you have done for me tonight. Please know that everything I did was for the good of your people. They may not understand that, but it was. My family and I will be gone in the morning." He followed Captain Panakari to the door in the back of the room, and after it was unlocked, slipped out into the darkness of
"I am fine, Frank, but I am very hungry." She smiled up at him. "Just like you always are."He frowned and ran his hand over her hair. "Not always, Sophyra. Not after the Dirack." He took her hand and led her out of the room, shutting the door behind them to let his son sleep. They went down to the main room, and Frank eyes went wide when he saw Telantes sitting at the bar talking with Luija."Telantes, my friend. Why are you here?" Frank kept his arm around his wife but walked up to the Debaduta and clasped his forearm."I am here to tell you where you are to go next, Frank."With a skeptical look, Frank eyed his friend and tightened his grip. "Why did Yisu not just tell me Himself like before? Why are you really here?"Grinning sheepishly, Telantes released the Sainika's forearm. "That is one reason, Ga'briyel. I cannot lie; you know this. But there is a second reason. You and your family..." The spirit looked at Sophyra. "I hear congratulations are in order again, Sophyra. Another
In his home village of Desa, the young boy with pale skin and big blue eyes passed away on his sixth naming day.Desa was fifty leagues to the west of the Parbata Mountains, in the middle of the Kedara Plains. It was in a straight line with Torkeln, the capital city, as the raven flies.The boy, wearing a crown of woven prairie grass around his head and sitting at the head of the communal table in the dining hall, had been laughing with his friends, eating the delicious meal that his mother and sisters had prepared for everyone, and listening to his father talk about the Anmah.Although his older brother George, who was fifteen and much wiser, laughed when he said that he believed the stories of beautiful, kind, immortal beings to be true, he was still young enough to believe them.George mocked, "Everyone knows the Anmah are just a story."The tales are believed by only infants and elderly women.Everyone has a finite lifespan."George, do not say that."His father looked down at his oldes
He placed his head in his hands and sat down on the broken well.He remained steadfast in his refusal to cry, raising his head with a ferocious expression on his young face.He got up, removed his gloves from his tunic, and looked around.He saw a few things that he could use, though the village had very little left.He went around, grabbed things he thought would be useful, and stacked them in front of the dining hall.He took a sack from the wall and the thin blanket from his pallet before entering the hut he had been using.He proceeded to the items pile after putting the blanket in the sack.It included the metal plate, a knife from his father, stones from his brother's slingshot, a flint stone, a cloak from one skeleton and sandals from another.Except for the sandals, which he wore on his feet, the rest of this stuff went into the sack.He knew he had a long way to walk and didn't want to go barefoot, but they were too big.About a third of the way to its zenith, the morning sun caught h
He calmly assured them, "I will not hurt you."He adjusted the position of his sword and fastened the belt around his waist.He grabbed the boy's hands and placed them on the pommel as he reached around him.Hold on to this.Shane went on to say, "I will not let you fall, little one," as the young man held on with white-knuckled strength.Just unwind.After grabbing the reins and squeezing his thighs, he started Gorshan trotting down the road.After all, it looked like it might take three hours to get home.Shane pondered his options regarding the boy all the way to the exit that led to his house.He eventually came to the conclusion that he had to take him to Ma'ikel and Torkeln, but first he wanted to take him home, feed him, and clean him up.He might be able to talk to him in the interim.Shane had wrapped his left arm around the boy's thin waist to prevent him from falling off the horse after the boy had fallen asleep as they began their journey down the road.Shane, on the other hand, gen
As the boy took his final bite, Shane said, "You know, you can eat yourself to death unless..." He looked at the boy.Shane laughed as the boy shook his head.Unless, of course, it has already occurred.After giving a nod, the boy consumed the stew, a second slice of bread, and the third cup of milk.His stomach was bloated when he was done, but he looked a little better.Millere sat at the table and observed Shane's mother and father as they ate, but they had already gone to bed.She smiled at the boy when he finally put down his spoon and sat back in the chair."It's late, but would you like to take a shower?"Millere's heart clenched at the sight of the child in front of her as the boy nodded.She and Shane had attempted to have a child of their own for ten years, but it was not to be.She got up and extended her hand, saying, "Come on, then."She led the boy through a door into the bathing room after the boy took it.With a large kettle of boiling water, Shane followed them.Shane added th