The Spirit of Revenge Read Online Free PDF Page B

Arzecs…killing their fellows, destroying Andaurel, and of course their master, Abaddon, he who ordered the assault on their town. They would not forget who was behind their suffering.
    The soldiers were not sure of their fears, but they knew they rode now on the winds of a storm, a storm of something far larger, and of far worse consequence.
    They rode now to the capital of Kaanos, Dun Ara, capital of more than just their country, the capital of information, and what better way to find out what was going on than to travel to where the information was? All this ran through Cain’s mind as he stared out over the dancing fields before them.
    Why an attack on Andaurel, he thought to himself. All of Kaanos lay open to Abaddon’s wrath, yet he attacks Andaurel? What does it benefit him in destroying such an insignificant town? Yet, it mattered little to him. His parents were taken from him in his youth by Abaddon, and now his wife and unborn child. Anger flooded his soul, and he vowed it to vengeance.
    His thoughts trailed off as Aaron’s voice broke the long silence, “We’re here!” The riders shook themselves from their thoughts and peered out over the plains. In the distance over a stretch of swaying grass, loomed the shadow of Dun Ara.
    The soldiers spurred their horses forward and galloped towards the city. As they reached the capital, the shadow’s hold over Dun Ara fell, at last revealing the city.
    A lofty wall of sharpened timber poles encompassed a vast network of cobble causeways. A web of roads stretched across the capital city, intertwining with one another to connect the city’s many homes and buildings.
    A main road led from the wooden front gate and over the crest of a hill, splitting the city in halves. The hill upon which the city was constructed was not large in girth but instead incredibly long, stretching across the plains like the spine of a great slumbering beast.
    The soldiers at last approached the city’s front gate as four sentries peered over the causeway.
    “Hold, riders!” One of the guards cried out.
    Cain gazed up at the men and called back in return. “I am Cain Taran, captain of the Kaanos Outriders. Let us pass.”
    The men nodded before disappearing from sight. Soon the iron locks of the gate were released and the gates were slowly pushed outward, beckoning the riders inside. Cain flicked his reins and led the company through the open gates.
    They came out into a large, open court of stone. As they rode across the entrance yard, a large granite statue loomed in the middle.
    It was an armored soldier atop a bucking horse, the standard of Kaanos in its left hand and a spear in the other. It stood fifteen feet over the court, casting a shadow over the company as they rode around it.
    The soldiers left the courtyard behind and approached the main road. Buildings of standard Kaanos construction surrounded them; all built of timber, rock, and thatched roofs of grass.
    The street overflowed with people. An overwhelming wave of smells hit them as they approached the market road. Raw meats, spices, breads, human stench, and ale reached their nostrils in a barrage of the senses.
    Stalls of all kinds lined the street. Men sold their wares of tanned hides and clothing, tack, silks, dies, foods, armor and weapons, ales, barley and spices, anything that would fit in their wagons.
    The air was filled with the voices of thousands of people, a roaring clamor that drowned out all else. Few people noticed the men on horseback; an indifferent crowd barring their way as they slowly gained distance in the overcrowded street.
    Emaciated dogs roamed the streets as they scrounged for oddments of waste. They chased after the riders, barking incessantly before losing them in the crowd.
    The soldiers guided their horses down the winding road and pushed through the hundreds of venders. Men cursed at the riders as they were shoved aside, further adding to the deafening confusion.
    Eventually the soldiers fought