The Forgotten King (Korin's Journal) Read Online Free PDF Page B

happened by a ridiculous stroke of luck well before then.
    Not an hour after starting for Geeron, we met an elderly merchant who’d left Byweather shortly after we had.  The merchant—I forget his name—gave us a ride on his horse-drawn cart all the way to Geeron, claiming he’d planned on passing through the city to lighten his inventory anyway.  He even fed us some simple rations during the trip. 
    He asked for nothing in return, content with just having the opportunity to meet one of the Kolari before old age rooted him down for good.  Til’ was able to give him much more than that, though.
    The merchant happened to have a set of chisels among his goods and had no problem gifting them to Til’ in exchange for some Kolarin woodwork.  The Kolari are known for their woodwork; it’s highly valued and typically fetches incredible prices. 
    Til’ maintained that the chisels were too big, inflexible, and cumbersome to create anything of true Kolarin quality.  Even so, he carved several detailed panoramas on some wooden planks from the merchant’s wares as well as three walking sticks covered with intricate, swirling patterns from tree branches we picked up on the way to Geeron.  Til’ called the work subpar.  I called it breathtakingly beautiful.
    The merchant was pleasantly stunned that Til’ had crafted so much for him on the leisurely two-day trip to Geeron.  He not only let Til’ keep the chisels, but also gave us a silver coin along with a handful of copper ones, two cloaks to replace the ones we’d lost, and a dagger each.  The daggers were simple things—wood-handled and dull—but at least we were armed.  I was made wholly aware of what Til’ had meant about money being of no concern.
    It was actually refreshing to find myself in Geeron again.  After spending most of Til’s earnings on two armfuls of lumber scraps at a local mill, we used the rest to get a room and our first decent meal in days—hot potato soup, fresh bread, and ham slices. 
    By the time we went to bed, Til’ had crafted enough Kolarin woodwork to easily net us horses and supplies for our trip to Tahron.  By the next afternoon, we’d be on our way.  Things were starting to look up.
    However, it’s hard to find happiness in such things when worry for your best friend and the woman you love presses down on you like a mountain resting on your shoulders.

Chapter 5
    Dead Rumors
     
     
    Contracts are stupid.  If I’d known I could’ve simply traveled to Isaeron and convinced a Kolarin to travel with me, the past three years of my life would’ve been much simpler.  Also, my freedom would never have been in jeopardy.
    Though, I wouldn’t have met Sal’ or Til’ if I’d never been a Holder . . .  
    Okay, maybe Contracts aren’t all bad. 
    Til’ had only spent a few hours on his woodwork, and it took us a mere two hours in the morning to sell it to local shops.  It would’ve taken me multiple Activated Contracts over several weeks or months to even come close to how much we made off of Til’s woodwork during our brief time in Geeron. 
    We departed the city before midday, the sun still just shy of its peak.  Between the contents of our new backpacks and the saddlebags on our new dappled mares, Til’ and I were fully equipped to begin our journey.  I’d also purchased a basic shortsword and a plain leather scabbard.  The weapon was well-made, though it was nothing compared to the Vesteir-sigiled shortsword that Chasus had given me. 
    Despite all we’d bought, Til’s coin purse still clinked with a small handful of silver and copper coins as we rode northward.  We were finally on our way to rescue Max and Xalis.  Hopefully we’d being able to drag Sal’ away from her father in the process. 
    The only problem was that I had absolutely no idea how we were going to pull it off.
     
    ****
     
    After six days on horseback and five nights camping under the stars, Estus, Urdale’s capital, was within