The Third Kingdom Read Online Free PDF Page A

of natural crags and ledges of the rock face. Where there were no natural footholds, the rock looked to have been laboriously cut away to create a trail. In the weak yellow light of the lanterns carried by some of those ahead, he could see that the rock underfoot had been smoothed by people treading across it to ascend the cliff wall for what had to be thousands of years.
    “What is this place?” Richard asked in a whisper.
    Ester looked back over her shoulder. “Our village, Stroyza.”
    Richard missed a step. He wondered if she knew what the name meant. Few people still alive understood High D’Haran. Richard was one of those who did.
    “Why do you live up there? Why not build down among the fields and then you wouldn’t have to climb up and down this treacherous trail all the time?”
    “It is where our people have always lived.” When that seemed not to be reason enough for him, she showed him a patient smile. “Don’t you think that it would also be treacherous for anyone who would come to attack us in the night?”
    Richard glanced to the bobbing dots of lantern light out ahead as people carefully made their way ever upward. “I suppose you’re right. A single person up top could easily hold off an army trying to make their way up this trail.” His brow twitched. “Do you have a lot of trouble with people attacking your village?”
    “This is the Dark Lands,” she said, as if that was explanation enough.
    With the drizzle making the rock slick, Richard stepped carefully as they made their way up the narrow ledge of a path. The path wasn’t anywhere near wide enough for a man to walk on either side of him to help him walk, so one of the men instead followed close behind, ready to steady him if he faltered. Fortunately, there were iron handholds pinned into the face of the rock in particularly narrow spots.
    Unfortunately, the handholds were on the left side, and his bandaged left arm was the one most severely injured. He was in so much pain that his fingers could barely grip the iron holds, so he sometimes had to cross his right hand over to grip the bars. It made it more difficult to climb, but kept him from falling. The man following close behind held on to the iron bars with one hand and from time to time used his other to help prop Richard up and to keep him from falling. Glancing downward in the faint moonlight revealed a dizzying drop.
    When they finally reached the top, a small cluster of people waited to greet them. As Richard stepped onto the open area the crowd moved back to give the arriving party room. Hecould see that the naturally formed, broad cavity narrowed down in places into several cavelike, wide passageways going deeper back into the mountain. Concern masked the faces of the people watching the injured strangers being brought in.
    Several cats emerged from the darkness to greet the returning people from the village. Richard spotted several more of the cautious creatures back in the passageways. Most of them were black.
    “We’re thankful to see you all safely back,” one of the waiting men said. “With you out after dark for so long, we were worried.”
    Ester was nodding. “I know. It couldn’t be helped. Fortunately, we found them.”
    Before Ester could introduce him, Henrik spotted them from the shelter of the shadows and ran out to greet them.
    “Lord Rahl! Lord Rahl! You’re alive!”
    Whispered astonishment swept back through the small assemblage of villagers. Apparently, not everyone in the village had been informed who the party had gone out to rescue.
    “Lord Rahl … leader of the D’Haran Empire?” one man asked as whispers continued to spread among those gathered.
    Through his pain, Richard nodded. “That’s right.”
    They all started going to a knee. Richard hurriedly waved away the show of deference. “None of that, please.”
    As they all hesitantly returned to their feet, Richard managed a smile for the boy. “Henrik, I’m relieved to see that you