The Broken Council (The Guardian Chronicles 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

assignment?   Maybe my premonition will bring along some
danger with it to break up the monotony.   Still, this does beat sitting in the queen’s throne room all day doing
nothing.
    His
horse began to paw at the ground nervously as the morning mist clung to
them.   The general could tell that the
beast was anxious to begin their routine patrol.   General Yukio did not like the cramped dark
spaces of the canyon lands and yearned to ride in the open spaces along the
Blaine River.   The stunning black coat
and mane shined magnificently as a few rays of sunlight broke through the swirling
mist.   The horse had a noble look to him
that caused the other horses to keep their distance.   He was, in fact, the lord of all black
stallions.   It had been said that he was
the swiftest four-legged animal in all of Tuwa.   The other horses began to scratch at the ground to show their eagerness
to get moving as well.   Both the men and
their steeds were longing to be outside the confines of the canyons.
    “Men,
enough of this hanging about; let’s move out,” the general commanded.   He was more than happy to get this day
started.   He thought that no one else in
their right mind would be up this early, so they should be able to enjoy an
open road.   Let’s see what this day brings.
    As
the squad began to move out, the mist about them began to dissipate as they
crested the canyon walls.   They were only
a few minutes away from the mouth of the Blaine River and the vast open spaces,
so they spurred their horses into a gallop.   Both man and beast thirsted for the open road and the beauty of the
black oak trees of the Renshaw Forest.   The main reason most of them signed on for this patrol was because they
detested the mundane lifestyle of Nairi.   Others just wanted to get away from the responsibilities of family
life.   Every single one of them silently
believed that this was going to be an adventurous day, one that would help them
forget what they had left behind.   Then
again they always felt this way when starting a week long patrol.
    The
Nairian guard patrolled the trade routes along the Blaine River as part of a
commerce deal between Nairi and the other friendly races of Tuwa.   Queen Daria Thejar was the sovereign ruler of
the Nairi Canyon lands who was both kind and just.   The canyons provided plentiful resources in
the way of precious ores and metals, but they lacked basic necessities of
life.   While the land was not
particularly pleasing to the eye, the people did benefit from the vast richness
of its soil through trade with their neighbors.   The queen did not tax the people at all because their laws make it clear
that the monarchy had to support its own through means other than
taxation.   So, the throne usually went to
one of the rich ore or mineral mining families.   As a result of this form of rule, her subjects remained fiercely loyal
to Daria’s leadership.   They could not
find such freedom under the reign of King Leroy Ishrafle or King Derek Udrugi,
who were kings of the other lands of men.
    The
morning fog burned off completely as the sun continued to climb in the
sky.   It was going to be another
blistering hot day on the road.   They
were able to see the beautiful green plains on the east side of the river now
that the mist was gone as well as the high cliffs of Landen.   They heard the sounds of birds singing from
the forest that ran parallel to the banks of the Blaine River as they slowed to
a trot.   The water moved steadily south
while making soft rushing sounds as it rolled over rocks and other pieces of
debris.   A squirrel ran across their path
heading toward the cover of the nearby woods.   Then that same furry rodent ran back into their path toward the river as
though it were on fire.   A small red fox
burst out from the tree line toward the defenseless creature.   The fox came up short when it caught sight of
Yukio and his men.   At least we were here to protect this