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Everything Begins Chapter 26
"Thank Yisu! Tonight we get a bath and a bed and a decent meal.”“And just what is wrong with my cooking?” Tero asked.“Nothing, but you have to admit that with supplies running low, today’s midmeal was a little lean. I am yearning for a mahisa steak with potatoes and fresh vegetables dripping with butter.” He grinned. “But first, a long, hot bath.”Tero laughed. “All right,” he conceded, “even I have to admit that sounds good.”Frank and Sophyra said nothing. They were riding slightly ahead of the other two, and neither of them were in the mood for light banter. They were both trying to think of anything but what had consumed them for the last two days.For his part, Frank was trying to ignore the heat coming from Sophyra. He knew what it meant, and he was not sure how much longer he was going to be able to ignore the fire that was building up between them. At the same time, she was thinking of him. During their ride north, she had had the opportunity to admire him without him notici
Everything Begins Chapter 27
"My lady, sir, my name is Eneith.” She gestured to a pile of fabric on the bed. “My husband told me you needed some proper clothing, my lady, and—” here she glanced at Sophyra’s current garments—“I must say I agree. Those are not what such a beautiful lady should be wearing.” She glanced at Frank with a small smile. “Please take no offense, sir.”Frank cocked his head and studied her curiously. “I am not offended, Eneith, but may I ask you a question?”“Of course, sir.”“I am very good at reading people, and I know for a fact that those villagers downstairs are terrified of something, but I do not get the same thing from you. Why is that?”Eneith’s smile immediately turned into a scowl. “Cowards! They are all scared that if they say anything against Kardag, they will end up like Masym. The greedy fool tried to steal from the man and got caught. If you ask me, he got what he deserved.”“Death?” Frank said. “Is that not a little harsh for stealing?”“Depends on what he tried to steal, d
Everything Begins Chapter 28
"What was that all about?” Tero said, worry evident on his face.“I think I just met Kardag,” Frank said as he moved back to his seat. “He said he was going to kill us tonight.”“You talked to him? How is that possible?”Frank just gave Tero a look as he sat that said he should not have to ask that question. The sensual heat he had been feeling from Sophyra had been completely replaced with prickly fear.“It is not going to happen, Sophyra. I will protect you, I promise.”“How, Ga’briyel? If what Eneith says is true, he can kill without leaving any evidence, and he makes people just disappear.”He took her hand and rubbed his thumb along the back. “There is a lot you do not know about me. Believe me when I say that he cannot hurt me.” He looked at his men. “Dinton, Tero, watch yourselves and Sophyra tonight. He can hurt you.” He stood up and moved toward the door. He had almost reached it when Sophyra laid her hand on his arm. He looked down at her. “What is it?”She dropped her eyes
Everything Begins Chapter 29
Thrust and parry, strike and block, spin and step and dance. The fight continued for several minutes, and then Frank managed to make contact. The point of his sword barely scratched Kardag’s upper arm, but the Daitya let out a sharp hiss, once more reminding Frank of a serpent. Blood welled up on the pale skin revealed through the cut robes, but the blood was not red; it was black.“You will pay for that, boy! Enough playing around. It is time for you to die!”Kardag’s strikes abruptly increased in speed and accuracy, and Frank was forced backward toward the center of the room as his sword flashed in the candlelight. It was exactly where he did not want to go, but he had no choice. Kardag’s attack was designed to steer him in that direction, and he had no chance to go elsewhere. The strikes were coming too fast.His right foot collided with one of the unconscious villagers, and he stumbled briefly before regaining his balance. It was enough, however, and the pain that filled him when
Everything Begins Chapter 30
"Bride of a troll!” he muttered as he stuck his finger in his mouth, tasting ash mixed with blood. “Nothing like a sliced finger to start the day off right.” He picked up the sword and walked toward the door, breathing easier when he made it outside. When he got back to the room, neither Tero nor Sophyra had moved, and he carefully cleaned the sword, although there did not seem to be any blood on it, only a light dusting of dark gray ash, and slid it into its scabbard on Ga’briyel’s hip. As he did so, he pulled on the coat covering Ga’briyel’s chest, and it fell to the floor.“Tero, look!”The two men gaped at what they saw. The wound was already starting to heal. Before their eyes, the rotting flesh grew pink and healthy, and the gaping cut slowly came together, starting at both ends and moving toward the middle.“Yisu be praised,” Tero whispered, and then he spoke louder. “Sophyra, wake up! You have to see this!”Her head snapped up, and she looked around the room in confusion. Dint
Everything Begins Chapter 31
"I can tell him what?” Frank asked as he held a chair for Sophyra. She sat down with a small smile on her face, and he took the chair next to her.“What your abilities allow you to do,” Dinton said as he pushed the platter of food toward his friend.“Why do you ask, innkeeper?”Frank waited until Sophyra had filled her plate, and then he pushed his own plate aside and pulled the platter to himself.“I hope you two got as much as you wanted, because this will be gone shortly.”“Oh, do not worry about us, my friend,” Tero chuckled. “We are fine.”“Good. So, Hearda, what do you want to know?”The man was looking at everything in the room except Ga’briyel. “I just thought…”“Thought what? Speak, man.”“I thought that you being what you are, good captain, that perhaps you might possibly be able to rid us of our problem across the way.”“What I am? And what is that?”“An Anmah, good sir. The stories say that Anmah can do wondrous things.”Between bites, Frank said, “Well, I do not know abou
Everything Begins Chapter 32
"Sophyra,” he said softly, “please come here.”Her head came up, and he saw tears in her eyes. He caught his breath and swiftly covered the few paces between them. He took her satchel from her and dropped it to the ground before enfolding her in his arms.“I am sorry, my heart,” he said. “I did not mean to yell at you.”She took a shuddering breath, and he held her tighter.“Do you mean that?” she asked timidly.“What?”She leaned back and gazed up at him. “You call me your heart. Do you mean it?”He pushed her bangs off her forehead and smiled. “I do.” He kissed her softly. “I think I love you.”“You think?”He chuckled at the sarcasm. “Yes, I think. I have never been in love before, so I am not sure, but I feel that if you left, my life would have no meaning anymore. You have become my reason for existing, Sophyra. You are my heart.”She sighed, “That is very nice to hear, Ga’briyel.” Her eyes sparkled. “I know that I love you. When I thought you were dead, I wanted to die, too. If
Everything Begins Chapter 33
Two nights later, the four riders sat their horses on the top of a rise overlooking a verdant valley in which was centered a medium-sized town nearly a hundred and fifty leagues northeast of Difeld. From their vantage point, they could see a hundred or so buildings positioned in concentric circles around a town square. The roofs of the buildings of Grama were all red slate tiles, and most of the buildings looked to be made of wood. A few were built with stone, but not many. About three quarters of the buildings were small enough to be personal homes, but the rest seemed to be businesses or official buildings. The homes were situated in the outermost circles with the larger buildings within a lane or two of the square. From their vantage point, Frank could only see one building that was more than a story tall, and it filled almost the entire east side of the square. Cobblestone streets ran between the circles with one broad road cutting them in two, running east and west. Around the to