Of Blood And Fire by Ryan Cahill (best color ebook reader txt) 📗

time as any to ask his questions. “Why are there horses here? Why are we here?”

“Because we arranged for them to be here. We can’t take the cart into the woods. We didn’t expect you three boys, so there are only three. We will have to go two to a horse.” Aeson walked towards the horses, not waiting for a response. Erik and Dahlen followed him without hesitation, Dahlen throwing the large satchel over his shoulder.

Rist didn’t move. “Wait – what in the gods is going on here? Where are we going? Why are we even here? Calen, we should be in bed, heading back to The Glade in the morning. This is madness.”

Aeson stopped and turned to face Rist. A sigh escaped his lips. There was a melancholy in his eyes. “Look, regardless of the why or how, after what happened back there, those soldiers are going to be looking for you. Going back would be stupider than coming with us. We are due to meet some friends at a small camp in the forest. Come with us, rest for the night, and then decide on a clear head in the morning. Does that sound agreeable? I won’t force you. In fact, I’m happy to leave you here, but the offer stands.”

“We’ll go with you.” Dann’s voice was hoarse, croaking, as if he had just awoken from a long sleep.

Rist stared at Dann, his eyebrows raised in shock. “Dann, are you seriously—”

“Rist, we have nowhere else to go. He is right. They will be looking for us. We killed people, Rist. I killed someone. Do you think the empire is just going to let that lie? ‘Carry on, young sirs. All is forgiven?’ Don’t be stupid, Rist.”

“He’s right,” Calen said, sighing. “We don’t have much of a choice.”

Disbelief set into Rist’s face. His stare flitted between Dann and Calen, searching desperately for the magic words that would change their mind. In the end, he shrugged and sighed. “Who am I riding with?”

When they were all mounted, Aeson slapped the flank of the cart horse, sending it charging off into the night, towing the cart along behind it. “That should send them the wrong way,” he said, giving his bay a brisk kick in the side.

Dann rode with Dahlen, and Rist with Aeson. Not much conversation arose from either group.

Erik broke the silence first. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

The question sat in Calen’s mind, and a knot twisted in his stomach. Two years had passed since Haem’s death. Had it actually been that long? The pain was as fresh as if it happened only that morning. It was like there was a hole in his chest. “I have a sister, Ella. And you?”

“It’s just me and Dahlen. And Dad, of course.”

“What about your mother?” There was a silence that hung in the air.

“She passed away when we were young. Consumption. It took her too fast for the healers to understand what it was.”

“I’m… I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. It was a long time ago.” Erik cast his eyes ahead into the dark of the fast-approaching forest. There was an awkward silence as the horse trotted along. Calen didn’t know what to say. What could he say? He knew what that loss felt like – it was not something words could heal.

It didn’t take long before the trees swallowed them. Ölm Forest. Calen often forgot just how immensely large it was, stretching all along the western foothills of Wolfpine Ridge. It seemed to him that he simply could not get away from the place. His legs tightened around Ildarya’s ribcage as the horse stumbled over a hole in the ground. Guess you don’t like the dark either, boy.

Ildarya meant “Wind Rider” in the old tongue, so Erik said. Calen didn’t doubt the name fit the horse; they moved at a fair pace considering they were riding double, yet Calen got the impression that Ildarya was not even close to pushing himself. The horse was a beast; its legs were thick as tree trunks, and its neck was sturdier than a bear’s.

“Ölm Forest – not this damned place again. Are we really going in here after last time?” Rist posed his question aloud, but clearly meant it for Dann and Calen.

“Last time?” Erik said, turning his head slightly.

“Well, last time we were in Ölm Forest, we ran into a few problems.” If nearly being killed by a bear, and then two Uraks could be considered “a few problems”.

Erik’s head turned a bit more. “A few problems?”

“Well…” Calen paused for a second, wondering how much he should tell. “We had a close call with some Uraks.”

Erik tugged on the reins. Ildarya came to a sudden halt, sending Calen jerking forward, slamming hard into Erik’s back. “Uraks? You three fought Uraks?”

“I wouldn’t say we fought them. Truth is, I don’t really know how we’re all still alive, but we are.”

Erik nodded, turning back to face the forest. He took in a deep breath, as if about to say something, then stopped himself. He gave Ildarya a light tap in the ribs with his heel. The horse started into motion again, picking up pace a bit to catch up to the others. “You’ll need to tell us that story around the fire later while we eat.”

That unmistakable thickness seeped into the air again. Calen’s lungs worked that little bit harder to take in each breath. As the grass fields yielded to the spongy forest floor, the horse’s hooves sank a little deeper, its steps dragging a little more each time. The crickets chirped, and Calen heard the occasional flutter of wings as a bird awoke from its slumber, but otherwise, there was silence. It was a little eerie. The forest usually seemed alive, day and night, like a bustling city going about its business in complete ignorance of the world of men. There was something in the extra silence that made the hairs on the back of Calen’s neck stand on end.

He saw it in