The Sleeper Sword Read Online Free PDF

Stairs
Mountains, a playground for skiers, snowboarding enthusiasts and
the like. The wasteland of the Vall Peninsula was a sprawling
metropolis, a desert city that was hot only occasionally. The lake
formed in the destruction of a sacred site hosted many water
sports.
    South of the
Great Forest not much had changed. The major centres - Farinwood,
Galilan, Gasmoor, Tetwan and Saswan - had spread, but farmland and
grazing regions remained largely unaltered. Luan, on the western
seaboard, now possessed more inns, taverns and jetties to cope with
holiday crowds and remained the popular point of departure to Actar
on Tor Island. Linmoor, to the south, was a slumbering town until
the market came to its shores.
    Tor Island
itself was irrigated to stay the desert conditions of the past. The
cloaking of the island’s two sacred sites removed the garden beauty
of the Valleur, and folk on Tor thus decided to achieve it without
the magic. They did not wholly succeed, for the island was dry and
windswept, but they did not fail either. Actar, Tor’s main city,
was as ever a den of mannered iniquity.
    The second big
island, Silas, between the Nor and Meth peninsulas, historically
shunned due to rife piracy and the worst of reputations, was
utterly transformed, a profound change. A large harbour played host
to ships from every port and inns of unparalleled luxury beckoned
the discerning guest. Sport fishing was a major attraction, and the
pristine beaches attracted a multitude in summer. The wetlands in
the centre of the island attracted an infinite variety of birds and
an almost inestimable number of bird watchers. Silas, pirate
island, was transformed.
    Further south,
beyond deserted Menllik, the desert of the past was back, although
less than before and it gradually gave way to pasture. The greening
process started by the Valleur was wisely continued. Only the Gosa
Desert in the extreme south remained true, for it was unto
itself.
    The spaceports
of Two Town, the Vall Peninsula and Barrier had grown and large
towns developed nearby each. Emerald Sound was a busy harbour for
sailing ships - the ocean itself was a major tourist attraction.
Nobody approached the Western Isles.
    Bridges
spanned the great rivers where before ferries did duty. A rail
system connected the spaceports with the larger cities, with the
one from Two Town to Galilan passing through the outskirts of
Menllik city, the latter an attraction to offworlders - if only to
gaze upon in passing. No train stopped there.
    Traversing the
continent was easier and faster. Despite that, horse, cart and
carriage, and foot, reigned supreme. Valaris’s human leaders
learned from other worlds technology did not necessarily equate to
prosperity. Travellers from other worlds were permitted to land at
designated ports, and smaller shuttles were not allowed to commute
between the three. Once the big ships were down, visitors had a
choice between the rail systems, ships or hired horses - with or
without carriage - or they could walk. A fair amount chose to hike,
the journey part of the vacation.
    Galilan was
the vibrant capital city, and hosted embassies from Beacon, the
Dinor homeworld, Xen III, Ceta and many others, human and
otherwise. It was a cosmopolitan centre where many languages were
heard in a matter of steps, where cultures mixed with ease.
    Trees grew old
with grace on Valaris, for the wonder of solar power completely
displaced the need for traditional fuel. Light industry flourished,
but none with emissions dangerous to the atmosphere or water
sources. Mining and its inherent dangers had not materialised; when
a delegation from Beacon, seeking to exploit, filed a report in
patent disgust over Valaris’s poor mineral content, others backed
off.
    The continent
imported goods from elsewhere and had a healthy trading
relationship with many worlds. Valarians paid for goods with
currency earned from tourism - household gadgets, solar panels,
medical supplies and a number of exotic