The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 3 From the Ashes Read Online Free PDF Page B

and compassion. Fainter, there
was a flicker that seemed almost too fragile to examine closely –
trust. Slowly she pulled her hand back from the horse and let out a
slow breath. “All right, Val, we ride,” she said faintly and
wondered if he could even hear her words over the hammering of her
heart. To her own ears it sounded like battle drums.
    “Trust me.” Valor urged, though the words
sounded more like a plea than a request.
    “I do,” Jala assured him and moved to mount
the horse. He can see in the dark and he wants Finn back as badly
as I do, she reminded herself as he settled on the horse behind
her. Certain horses are bred for certain things. The bigger they
are, the less versatile they are. Blackjack might never carry a
knight, but he will be able to get up paths that ol’ Buck wouldn’t
consider . The memory of her father’s words came unbidden and
she swallowed heavily. “Valor, this is a War Horse isn’t it? He is
made for charging at enemies, right? Not playing mountain goat on a
pitch black cliff.”
    “He is Arovanni. Hold on to something –
either me or the saddle. It will be a quick ride down. Lean when I
lean and try not to scream,” Valor explained as his horse leaped
forward with a speed that didn’t seem at all appropriate
considering the situation.
    Jala swallowed the squeal that almost broke
from her lips and seized the front of the saddle in both hands.
There was a moment of panic as the horse leaped, and then the only
sound was her ragged breathing as the animal plunged over the side
of the cliff.
    “Hold on,” Valor warned just before the
Arovanni’s hooves once again touched rock. Her teeth knocked
together at the impact and her nails dug deeper into the leather of
the saddle, but she managed to keep silent. The horse ducked its
head lower and put on more speed. Jala could see the path now. It
was narrow and covered with loose rocks. Had she seen the ground
beforehand she wouldn’t have believed even a mountain goat could
manage it, and yet they were riding a very large horse down it at
entirely unreasonable speed.
    Valorous’s shoulder rubbed on the first
corner of the path sending blinding sparks off the metal of his
barding. Jala let out several rapid breaths and considered closing
her eyes for the remainder of the trip. She felt Valor lean forward
against her back and faintly remembered his orders enough to lean
forward as well. There was another moment of weightless terror as
the horse jumped again and then the thundering descent resumed.
    “Almost over,” Valor whispered to her as he
sat up a bit. She adjusted her position to match his and repeated
his words over and over in her mind.
    Her world shrank to her own thundering
heartbeat that perfectly matched the thundering hooves. She wasn’t
even aware she had clenched her eyes shut until they ceased moving.
Valor let out a slow hiss behind her and she cautiously opened her
eyes. They were stopped with the base of the cliff at their backs.
Valorous shuffled beneath them and let out a snort of displeasure.
She felt Valor kick his feet free of the stirrups and then
dismount.
    “What is it?” she whispered, leaning over the
saddle toward him. As far as she could tell they were the only
occupants of this shadowy corner of hell.
    “Cast a light. You will need it,” Valor
whispered back as he drew his sword slowly.
    Jala nodded faintly, not liking the sound of
his words at all, and summoned the light spell. She closed her eyes
as she cast the spell to avoid blinding herself and centered it in
front of them and above. As she opened her eyes once more, pale
violet light illuminated the area around them.
    The landscape was rock strewn as it had been
on the plateau above, but here and there an occasional tree grew,
though they were twisted and gnarled things. They were not alone
here either. Crouched on every rock and in the branches of trees
were dozens of twisted little creatures. In comparison with the
demons they had