Ascent of the Aliomenti Read Online Free PDF

effects of high-speed flight, he reasoned he’d been flying at several hundred miles per hour. He knew he could travel faster if the distance permitted.
    The city shamed the villages, towns, and small cities he’d lived and traded in these past three years. The walls surrounding the city were at least thirty feet high and ten feet thick, and featured knights in armor standing on the precipices, constantly shifting from side to side as they watched for intruders. Will was reminded of his first visit to the city of Richland; these men seemed greatly concerned about a possible attack, much as the guards outside the walls of Richland. Perhaps, like those guards, the knights here had recent evidence that attacks were probable. The words of caution from Eva and Hope reverberated in his mind, and he made a series of circular passes over the city in an effort to find the best location to land and resume tangibility and visibility. He located a small copse of trees, just on the periphery of the visual range of the city, but a mere thirty minute walk to the gates. He’d need to explain how he’d arrived in this area without a horse or evidence of travel, including changes of clothing. He had money; he’d snagged his money bag from the final trip to Richland before he’d left earlier that morning.
    With his landing point identified, Will turned and flew back to the city, over the walls, and into the city proper. He hovered well off the ground, committing to memory the layout. The city was roughly square, more than a mile on each side, and Will marveled at the ingenuity, or more likely the backbreaking slave labor, required to build such an impressive structure in an era without heavy mechanical machinery. Or nanotechnology. The interior teemed with activity, with multiple markets featuring vendors selling various vegetables, fabrics, seeds, cuts of meat, jewelry, beads, breads of all types, numerous varieties of wine, and livestock. Housing was squeezed into every available square inch, and Will was again reminded of the planned nature of the now-destroyed Aliomenti village. This city grew haphazardly, mixing housing and iron smelting, food vendors with livestock, and public latrines with the handful of medical service providers. The primitive nature of medical care in the day was graphically displayed; Will’s attention was drawn to a man screaming in agony due to a massive gash to his leg, and he watched as two men covered in dirt restrained the patient, shoving a stick between his teeth, while a third tied a tourniquet around the injured leg and a fourth sharpened an ax.
    Will turned away as the ax flashed. He’d seen more than enough sharp blades in action.
    His attention focused on a stately woman in the area, a woman with platinum-blond hair and crisp, clean clothing. She was speaking with an older woman, listening as the woman’s mouth and hands explained the ailments she suffered. Will watched, his senses detecting the Energy moving from Eva to the woman, diagnosing the causes of the aches and pains the woman described. After the patient finished her description, Eva nodded, reached into her bag for a handful of herbs, and began mixing them into a small mug full of water, a simple herbal tea. The tea, though, was a mere placebo, providing only temporary relaxation and comfort. The real healing came as Eva pulsed Energy into the problem areas, and as the woman drank the tea, Will could see her pale face regain color and vitality. The woman thanked Eva, her profuse praise drawing the attention of others seeking medical care, and earned the former Trader a handful of copper coins. As the patient left, Eva glanced directly at the invisible Will, and he saw a small smirk form on her face.
    He almost laughed. Just scouting the city. I’ll start my formal approach soon.
    I think you’re just showing off. Eva’s thought was full of good humor. It will be good to actually see you again. Just... be careful.
    After a telepathic