pretend.â
âThis brand will be gone within the next few days.â
âAnd how is that?â
âI removed it years ago. I draw this on with ink.â
âRemoved it? How?â
âI cut it off, feigned an accident. I patched it with skin from⦠elsewhere.â There was a faint scar, but you had to look closely to see it.
Marcus scrunched up his face. âThat is disgusting! You patched it with someone elseâs skin?â
âBy Svynâs beard, man, donât be ridiculous. I cut some skin from⦠my arse.â Marcus was wide-eyed for a moment, then burst into laughter. âOh, come now,â I said, throwing a stone at him. âItâs not that funny.â It took him a good minute to recover.
He looked at me, and burst into laughter again, holding his side. âArse face,â Marcus said.
âFine. Iâll get some sleep,â I said, and turned my back on him.
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CHAPTER FIVE
Outskirts
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I could describe the week Iâd spent walking toward Sagemont with three words: blisters, cramps, chafing. Sagemont was still hidden by the mountains, but Marcus assured me we were close. If he was wrong, I would ride him the rest of the way. On a positive note, we were walking downhill for the first time since leaving Castralavi, and my legs appreciated the change, even if my feet were indifferent.
Weâd gained a traveling companion earlier in the day, and I had yet to decide how I felt about it. Weâd come across the elf, Elijah, when weâd crossed a shallow ford. Heâd been watering his horses, all innocent-like, when Marcus had decided he needed a hug. It had taken him quite by surprise when Marcus had embraced him without uttering a word. Over the past week I had learned that Marcus needed little excuse for a hug. I found it rather creepy, not being one for touching, but Elijah was far too slight to fight him off, and he made an easy victim. I was somewhat surprised that he asked to accompany us to Sagemont after being so waylaid. The fact that weâd arrived at the ford at the same time as a small herd of bipedal reptiles probably had something to do with it. They were herbivores, but large, and I suspected that they unnerved Elijah.
Elijah, like all the elves I had met, was little more than skin and bone. I thought them a small people, but a sample of three hardly made for an accurate study. There were few elves on the continent of Kor.
I wondered how heâd managed to load the large barrels of lamp oil onto his cart. I certainly would have struggled, and he was far slighter than I. The barrels came close to filling the cart, with only a small corner occupied with other goodsâa bag of salt, a crate of pumpkins and two ornate fire pokers. When Iâd asked him why he needed so much lamp oil, he told us that he ran an inn at Sagemont. Iâd left it at that, but I could not help but wonder how many lamps he had.
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We rounded a corner, and a timber bridge lay ahead, obscured by a cloud of mist. The bridge crossed a narrow river, and I could hear rapids churning below. The river had crisscrossed our path for the past day, and I was getting sick of crossing it. I wouldnât get wet this time, but tall trees lined the bank and, as was my luck, a large branch lay across the path at the far side of the bridge, blocking our way.
Elijah brought his cart to a stop short of the bridge and nodded at the branch. âYou fellows mind helping me clear that?â
âFine, I guess weââ I started, but Marcus placed a heavy hand on my shoulder. I flinched, even though it was on my healthy shoulder.
âWait here a moment,â Marcus said, and started walking across the bridge. Elijah looked at me with a question on his face. I shrugged.
A few meters from the end, Marcus stood and cupped his hands to his mouth. âYou can come out now,â he shouted. A moment later,