Read Online Call of the Herald by Brian Rathbone - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Brian Rathbone
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We'll be back late. Gunder may come for his mare. She's in
the second stall," her father said, and the men rode off in Abe's
wagon, leaving her alone. She knew someone had to watch the farm,
but Catrin could not help feeling ashamed. Her father did not want
to be seen in public with her.
* * *
Depression drove Nat back into seclusion. No
one wanted to face the truth, even with the proof visible to all.
It sickened him. They would rather die than admit he might have
been right all along. In the end, he gave up trying to convince
anyone else of the danger they faced. There seemed no point in even
trying. Miss Mariss, at least, had listened politely, but even she
refused to see the truth.
Returning to his normal life seemed almost
surreal at first, but the feeling grew faint over time until he no
longer noticed it. After days of blue skies and good fishing, he
had almost been able to forget about his visions and feelings of
impending doom; his life had been almost normal, even tranquil. The
storm changed all that. Sudden winds had forced him north, well
beyond the waters he normally fished, out to where dangerous
currents had been known to carry away craft as small as his boat
and pull them into open water.
Despite his efforts, he was pushed farther
and farther from shore, and with every passing moment, the chances
of his survival diminished. His only hope lay with a change in the
wind. Occasionally he felt a shift in the air, as if a crosswind
fought against the storm, and Nat prayed it would win.
Lightning splayed across the clouds,
illuminating them from within and revealing the intricate
structures and formations. Taller than mountains, yet flowing like
rivers, the clouds seemed to reach from the sky and attack the sea
itself, and Nat shivered. Though he hated the life of a fisherman,
longing instead for the life of a scholar, the seas were the giver
of life, and he quailed at the sight of waterspouts, which thrashed
the waves, tore them asunder, and tossed them into the sky.
As the storm finally passed, the sun began to
set. The failing of the light was like a slow death knell for Nat,
who was near despair when he saw a sight that chilled his soul.
Silhouetted against the orange and purple sky along the edges of
the storm was a multimasted warship. Like the image that haunted
his dreams, it came to life and gave him reason to fear. Only the
sudden shift in the wind gave him any hope.
* * *
Osbourne recovered from his wounds and came
with Chase to visit Catrin on several occasions. The boys seemed to
feel it was their duty to keep her informed of the happenings in
town. Much of the news they brought seemed to have lost all
significance in her life. She no longer cared what girls the boys
were fighting over or whose father had been thrown into the lockup
for being drunk. There were other times, though, when she wished
she could achieve the same level of detachment.
"Nat Dersinger came back from fishing the
northern coast, and he claims to have seen long ships on the
horizon," Chase said. It was not the first time Nat claimed to have
seen long ships, only to have them disappear before another ship
could verify the sighting. Nat was not the only fisherman to have
seen strange ships in the distance, but he was certainly the most
vocal about it.
"He said our ancient enemies, the Zjhon, were
planning an attack. Waving his staff over his head while he ranted,
he really went overboard. He said the Herald would destroy the
Zjhon, according to some prophecy. He even said the Zjhon would
kill all the inhabitants of the Godfist--just to be sure they kill
the Herald. Most folks pay him no heed, but some fools actually
believe him."
Osbourne said rumors of unusual occurrences
were increasing. A shepherd reported losing half of his flock in a
single night without ever hearing a sound, and a western village
claimed the community well had run dry for the first time in
recorded history. Fishermen complained of
the second stall," her father said, and the men rode off in Abe's
wagon, leaving her alone. She knew someone had to watch the farm,
but Catrin could not help feeling ashamed. Her father did not want
to be seen in public with her.
* * *
Depression drove Nat back into seclusion. No
one wanted to face the truth, even with the proof visible to all.
It sickened him. They would rather die than admit he might have
been right all along. In the end, he gave up trying to convince
anyone else of the danger they faced. There seemed no point in even
trying. Miss Mariss, at least, had listened politely, but even she
refused to see the truth.
Returning to his normal life seemed almost
surreal at first, but the feeling grew faint over time until he no
longer noticed it. After days of blue skies and good fishing, he
had almost been able to forget about his visions and feelings of
impending doom; his life had been almost normal, even tranquil. The
storm changed all that. Sudden winds had forced him north, well
beyond the waters he normally fished, out to where dangerous
currents had been known to carry away craft as small as his boat
and pull them into open water.
Despite his efforts, he was pushed farther
and farther from shore, and with every passing moment, the chances
of his survival diminished. His only hope lay with a change in the
wind. Occasionally he felt a shift in the air, as if a crosswind
fought against the storm, and Nat prayed it would win.
Lightning splayed across the clouds,
illuminating them from within and revealing the intricate
structures and formations. Taller than mountains, yet flowing like
rivers, the clouds seemed to reach from the sky and attack the sea
itself, and Nat shivered. Though he hated the life of a fisherman,
longing instead for the life of a scholar, the seas were the giver
of life, and he quailed at the sight of waterspouts, which thrashed
the waves, tore them asunder, and tossed them into the sky.
As the storm finally passed, the sun began to
set. The failing of the light was like a slow death knell for Nat,
who was near despair when he saw a sight that chilled his soul.
Silhouetted against the orange and purple sky along the edges of
the storm was a multimasted warship. Like the image that haunted
his dreams, it came to life and gave him reason to fear. Only the
sudden shift in the wind gave him any hope.
* * *
Osbourne recovered from his wounds and came
with Chase to visit Catrin on several occasions. The boys seemed to
feel it was their duty to keep her informed of the happenings in
town. Much of the news they brought seemed to have lost all
significance in her life. She no longer cared what girls the boys
were fighting over or whose father had been thrown into the lockup
for being drunk. There were other times, though, when she wished
she could achieve the same level of detachment.
"Nat Dersinger came back from fishing the
northern coast, and he claims to have seen long ships on the
horizon," Chase said. It was not the first time Nat claimed to have
seen long ships, only to have them disappear before another ship
could verify the sighting. Nat was not the only fisherman to have
seen strange ships in the distance, but he was certainly the most
vocal about it.
"He said our ancient enemies, the Zjhon, were
planning an attack. Waving his staff over his head while he ranted,
he really went overboard. He said the Herald would destroy the
Zjhon, according to some prophecy. He even said the Zjhon would
kill all the inhabitants of the Godfist--just to be sure they kill
the Herald. Most folks pay him no heed, but some fools actually
believe him."
Osbourne said rumors of unusual occurrences
were increasing. A shepherd reported losing half of his flock in a
single night without ever hearing a sound, and a western village
claimed the community well had run dry for the first time in
recorded history. Fishermen complained of
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