The Curse in the Gift (The Last Whisper of the Gods Book 2) Read Online Free PDF

than the southbound merchant caravan they had passed in the mid-afternoon, she hadn’t seen anyone else since their departure from the inn.
    “Are you sure?” asked Rexall from his place in front.
    “They know what they’re about. Not like those fools who tried to ambush us a couple of weeks back. Barely caught two glimpses myself but it was enough to know. This ground gives them plenty cover and they’re staying just out of sight, beyond that ridge over there...” He pointed at a rise to the right. “Watching and waiting, I imagine.”
    “Then an armed confrontation isn’t their objective,” said Alicia. “If it had been, they would have attacked during the day when there was no one else around. By tomorrow, as we get closer to the pass and beyond the convergence of the roads leading south from the mountains, the number of travelers on the road will make an assault unlikely and unwise.”
    “Aye.” Vagrum nodded his approval of Alicia’s tactical assessment. “That’s what worries me. And I dunno how long they’ve been following us. I spied them today, but they coulda been out there for days, biding their time. It’s never the rash ones that make me worry. It’s the patient ones. The ones for who time is an ally, not an enemy.”
    Rexall’s eyes were directed at the sun, which was about to be eclipsed by one of The Broken Crags’ peaks. “Night comes fast in the mountains and I don’t fancy sleeping by the roadside with them out there. Maybe that’s what they’re waiting for.”
    “Can’t say I disagree.” Vagrum urged his horse to a trot. “Let’s see what we can get out of these animals. If we’re lucky, we can reach a ramshackle old inn a few miles south of the crossroads. Don’t know if it’s still open. It was in pretty bad shape last time I was in these parts and I think the man running it was just a vagabond who found it abandoned and thought he could make a few coins.”
    “If it’s not there?” asked Alicia.
    “We camp or keep going into the night. There are risks either way. Even on a road, this ain’t terrain friendly to horses in the darkness. And using a lantern to light the path... there’s no surer way to pinpoint your location to anyone who might be looking.”
    She urged her horse forward at greater speed. Not since departing Vantok had they traveled at a canter, wanting to keep their mounts strong and well-rested. But it was for times like this when strong, well-rested horses were needed. For, although time might be an ally to the strangers out there, it wasn’t one for Alicia and her companions.

 
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER THREE: LESSONS LEARNED
     
    Sorial gazed at his image, reflected in a still pool of water, with frank disbelief. Admittedly, it had been nearly a year since he had last seen a representation of himself, but he could scarcely believe it was the same person. His stocky body, although still well-muscled, had thinned considerably and he wore his seventeen years heavily. Someone meeting him for the first time might mistake him for a man ten years his senior. His arms were scarred by the puckered reminders of the torture he had endured at the hands of the sadist Langashin. He had lost his left hand, two toes from his right foot, his earlobes, and a tooth. An injury to his nose, which had been sliced open from the inside, had healed poorly, leaving it misshapen. He hadn’t shaved in weeks, resulting in a heavy growth of ragged dark fur on his lower face and across his upper lip. The untamed hair atop his head, normally kept short as a guard against lice, was lengthening and curling at the ends. His naked body was covered with dirt and grime from neck to toe; there seemed little point in wearing clothing. The earth kept him warm and protected. Of course, when he returned to civilization, he would have to cede comfort for necessity. Human habitations would react strangely to a filthy, naked man. He would be turned away at the first checkpoint he