Rend the Dark Read Online Free PDF Page B

terribly sad,” Hil said, shaking his head. “He
is so alone with his hopeless lot, merely waiting for his death.”
    “You might think so, but it is far from the truth. I have
met him, spoken to him once, when Ferran and I brought supplies down to his
camp. He is warm and funny, and he lives life more fully than you or I will
ever know.”
    “But how?” Hil asked. “How can he be happy living in the
shadow of death constantly?” His voice grew quieter. “How can any of us?”
    Mireia looked up, seeking the weak gray light that filtered
through the trees. “Because every day we live is a blessing. A blessing that
has been given from all those who have come before us. A blessing earned with
blood and sacrifice and love.” She looked at him, her eyes sparkling. “You
asked me how I live with the horror around us. It’s because every day I think
of that acolyte at the bottom of the Abyss. And every day, he thinks of us.”
She patted him on the shoulder once, and then she moved on down the trail,
catching up to the others.
    Hil moved long after her, Mireia’s words playing in his
mind.
    ***
    Ferran halted the group and gestured ahead.
As Hil moved up alongside Riffolk, he saw what had stopped them. The forest led
to a moss-covered hill of stone featuring a dark cavern.
    “Ferran,” Mireia whispered. There was a strange edge to her
voice that got Hil’s attention. There was not alarm in her voice, but a slight
confusion. “I don’t feel any trace of the Dark,” she said. “Nothing.”
    Ferran’s eyes narrowed, and he pulled the spear from its
place on his back. With his other hand, he wrapped the silver chain around his
palm. He knelt at the edge of the trail, weapons in his hands, and watched the
darkness of the cavern mouth. “This is where the bandits trail ends. This is
where they came from.”
    Mireia had already produced her iron lantern. There was no
flame in it now, but she held it before her anyway. “The bandits we fought were
taken by the Dark. We could see it rolling off them. So too was whatever
birthed from the body we found.” She shook her head. “If those bandits came
from here, laired here, then the stain of their taint should be in the rocks of
this place. Even on the very air.” She looked at the cavern, her eyes focused
on it the same way that Ferran’s were. “And yet, as I said, I feel nothing.”
    Warden Aker drew his blade slowly, the sound of steel on
leather like a long hiss. “Alright. Then we make sure.” With that, he moved out
from the trees and approached the yawning darkness. The others followed close
behind.
    Hil unsheathed his sword when Riffolk did, trying to
imitate the way the other magistrate carried his weapon. He thought holding it
might make him feel less uneasy, but as they stepped into the shadowed darkness
of the cave, there was little that could ease his anxiety.
    As they moved past the first turn, the darkness became
oppressive. It was hard for Hil to bring himself to step further. He could
barely make out the shapes of the others around them. Ferran signaled a stop.
Hil only caught the shape of the movement, but was grateful to not have to go
further.
    A flare of light stung his eyes as a flame was kindled in a
small lantern. Ferran stood illuminated in the flickering flame, the shadows
making his facial tattoos more sinister looking. He closed the small door that
protected the flame and handed the lantern to Riffolk. The magistrate took it,
but looked in confusion at the black lantern that Mireia held in her own hands.
It remained dark.
    Ferran shook his head. “Hers has another purpose. You are
carrying the light. No matter what happens, you keep that held high. Do you
understand?”
    “Let Hil carry it,” Riffolk said. “I’m the better swordsman.”
    Ferran looked over at Hil and then back at Riffolk. “We
can’t afford for him to run and lose the light,” he said simply, then turned
back toward the depths of the cave.
    Riffolk’s face grew