Read Online Chronicles of Den'dra: A Land Torn: Ancient Powers Awaken by Spencer Johnson - Free Book Online Page A

year old child again with boundless energy and health. Encer left Inadar properly appareled and began the return trip. He took his time however the village wasn’t large enough to warrant a long trip but if one walked slow enough it could last a few minutes.
    With the sleeve cuffs folded down over his hands and the collar folded up Encer didn’t feel the new bite in the air. The snow was coming down harder now covering everything under a soft white blanket. In a few days it might be melted off but chances were it would be the base for a couple feet of snow throughout the winter. With the store house full enough to last for two winters no one was worried. The children would all be making snow men and building forts and reenacting the dragon wars.
    For the adults in the village other hobbies filled their time. The women would be washing, dressing and weaving the wool shorn from the sheep last spring. Some of the men maintained the trapping lines that provided fresh meat. Others like Encer engaged in hobbies such as wood carving or fletching arrows. Everyone found an activity that kept them from insanity.
    The clippity clop of horse hooves broke into Encer’s mind. He first remarked to himself that the snow would soon be deep enough to render them silent. The next thing he realized was that there were two horses in the village. One a gelding and the other an old mare of dubious origins. The gelding was his and the mare never walked as fast as the approaching horses. The second realization of plural horses startled him into attention. The silhouette of a dozen horsemen could be seen through the falling snow. Encer was so stunned that the horse men were upon him by the time he reacted enough to get out of the way.
    “ You there! What village is this? I have no knowledge of a village this far into the Vaulwar.” The lead horsemen addressed Encer.
    “ This is Dragon’s Hamlet. We haven’t heard from the outside in more than five years.” It was then that Encer was able to make out the coat of arms that the man wore. An oak tree over a signet ring. These men were not the King’s men or acting on his orders. They were loyal to the Chancellor. Encer knew that most of the business conducted in the King’s name was by the Chancellor’s hand. The man must have grown more powerful than before because now he fielded troops in his own name.
    “ We are searching for a dangerous individual. Have you seen any strangers recently?” The storm was now blocking out most of the light giving the morning the feel of evening. In spite of this light Encer recognized the man he was speaking with. When Encer had known him he was a captain in the dragon campaigns known as Verkal. He had obviously been promoted. Encer had only been a lowly soldier so Verkal hadn’t taken any notice of him let alone enough to recognize him now.
    “ No one besides yourself and your men has been able to get into our out of this valley in the last five years.”
    “ I’ll be the judge of that. Search the village men. He couldn’t have gone much further in this storm.” The rest of the mounted men hastened to obey and disappeared into the swirling snow. Verkal turned to face Encer before he continued.
    “ Why hasn’t anyone left the valley?”
    “ Didn’t you see the valley mouth” Encer was honestly astonished that the men had progressed beyond the dragon signs.
    “ Of course we saw the mouth of the valley. We rode right through it not two hours past. What about it?” Verkal quieted his horse with one hand and controlled the reigns with the other.
    “ There are dragon signs all over the place. They leave them as a warning. Anyone that tries leaving is set on by dragons.”
    “ That would explain why our horses were spooked. It was too foggy to see anything beyond the horse’s nose in that murk.” Encer was started at the sudden appearance and speech of the mounted soldier at his back.
    “ Did you find anything?” Verkal addressed the soldier.