The Broken Kingdom Read Online Free PDF Page A

called. ‘Come on!’
    He got out of the way. While he was waiting
he had a look inside.
    It wasn’t very large. It would be cramped
with eleven people in there. The front of the cave was damp at the
moment, but even at high tide water would not come inside, though
if there was a storm that would be a different matter. It was dry
at the back of the cave. Coming out of the wall was a small trickle
of water which fed a precious pool of fresh water. Further back was
a glimmer of light, some dirt and rocks. That was where the hole
opened out to the surface.
    The other gemengs were inside now. They
looked around and spread out.
    Karesh made his way back to the beach.
‘Aerlid.’ he said and shook his arm. ‘Aerlid, you must come.’
    Aerlid looked up at him, his dark, moonlit
eyes vague.
    Karesh pointed. ‘Aerlid, do you know this
cave? You have to climb along the cliff. It’s not hard.’ Karesh
gave him a little push.
    Finally, Aerlid started walking.
    Karesh followed behind closely as he began
climbing along the cliff.
    Soon they were all in the cave.
    Karesh looked at the grimy faces around him;
Bulag, Shiressa, Telag, Gurak, Muress, Fenguk, Lakenda, Janisk and
Kalgen. Only nine gemengs, nine gemengs he knew well. He knew their
friends, their families that were gone, dead beneath the mountain.
He tried not to think of that. He needed to focus on keeping
everyone alive.
    ‘During the day we will rest. We’ll have to
drink that water carefully, it refills slowly. We can fish from the
beach, we’ll ration the supplies. During the night we must set a
watch and be wary. The ehlkrid can still attack us here.’

    But they didn’t, not really. Whether it was
the location, the smell of sea water that hid their scent, their
low number, or the presence of Aerlid, the ehlkrid did not bother
them.
    Aerlid snapped out of his daze enough to
focus on healing Karesh’s wings. He focused solely on that and
within a week Karesh was given permission to test out his
wings.
    They ate fish mostly. Sea water encrusted
their clothes and most of the time they were damp and sticky. They
drank water sparingly. And they survived. There was nothing else
they could do.

 

    Chapter 7
    T he desert was not so bad
when seen from above, Karesh found. Or perhaps he just enjoyed
flying.
    The air was hot, even up here, though the
movement of the air helped to keep him cool.
    The hard pan of the desert spread out below
him. He could see the ocean, the mountains, with a new profile that
he resolutely blocked from his mind. One peak of the mountains was
gone, collapsed into the caves below. Beyond the mountains,
nothing. He was not that high.
    He was not the only one up here. Birds of
prey hunted in the skies. He watched and tried to copy. When he
couldn’t, he just admired. They flew higher and faster and with
more grace than he did. But he was learning, and he was stronger
than he’d ever been.
    Movement down below caught his eye. He had
seen how the birds responded to this. He didn’t really intend to
catch whatever it was, just enjoy himself.
    He dove, the air whistled past. The ground
hurtled closer. His heart soared.
    The black shape got larger. Very large. Not mouse or snake shaped. Not at all.
    Startled, he suddenly pulled up. He flew
down slower, more carefully.
    Was he right?
    But it had been so long, how could he be
right?
    ‘Master!’ he cried.
    The person below looked up, startled.
    Karesh landed before her.
    Her eyes followed him, her brows drawn down
darkly. She was very dirty, a mess. Her clothes were nothing more
than rags, but she looked unharmed.
    ‘Master! You’re alive!’
    ‘Yes. It appears I am.’ She tilted her head,
a frown still curving her lips. ‘I see you are as well.’
    ‘Yes! We were outside the mountains, we were
safe. Aerlid and nine others are with me.’
    Her eyes widened. ‘Aerlid?’ she said. ‘Hmm.
Yes. Take me there.’
    ‘Of course, Master. Are you alright?’ He
started walking, happier on the