Read Online Empire of the Saviours (Chronicles of/Cosmic Warlord 1) by A.J. Dalton - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: A.J. Dalton
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largely ignored her and refused to answer any of the questions she asked.
There was more water here, and the mulch clogged her ears, nose and eyes. She didn’t like it, and it took everything she had not to start thrashing around in panic. She kicked violently and propelled herself further upwards, where it was drier again. At least the wet mulch had soothed her troublesome wound somewhat. Now, there was almost as much air as mulch making up the thickness.
And then she broke through into the largest and brightest cavern she’d ever seen. She glimpsed a large shining disc of sun-metal somewhere far away and high up but was otherwise blinded, even when her eyes were shut as tightly as possible. She felt like she was falling upwards as she left the thickness. She did not understand anything she heard or smelt and her skin felt like it was constantly shifting around independently of the rest of her because it was never the same temperature all over.
She had entered the most terrible place of the Overlords, a place that was a hell of constant warring. So there was hell below and a hell above. She was tempted to return to the limbo of the rock between the two hells, but Mistress Widders had said the tireless miners of the Overlords would eventually find her there. She had promised Norfred she would suffer this upper hell to find his son, so suffer it she would. She now knew that the fear, sadness, pain and ugly words never stopped and were the nature of existence for creatures such as she. Why else would she be allowed such strength and such a thick skin?
Panting hard, Jillan hauled his heavy pack through the dark woods around Godsend. While at the beginning his breath had billowed in the cold air, he could now hardly see it – he realised he was already losing body heat. Don’t panic , he told himself. But he pushed on urgently nonetheless.
Keeping the walls of the town always in sight, he circled around to the north and found the road. Staying in the trees, he paralleled the way to Saviours’ Paradise until Godsend was well out of sight, and then moved to walk on the wide flagstones.
Don’t think. Ignore the strange sounds in the woods. Don’t imagine horrors for yourself. Keep going. Don’t worry that this is the furthest you’ve ever been from home . But with that last thought, others came creeping and stealing into his head. Of course, it’s not your home any more, is it? You can never return there again, unless you want to put your parents at even greater risk. They’ll be better off without you in all likelihood … unless they were already being carted off to the town’s punishment chamber by the Heroes, because they had been accused of hiding him somewhere by the Minister and the elders. Should he turn back and throw himself on the town’s mercy in order to save his parents any further pain?
His steps slowed. Don’t think! Keep going! He swung his head up and round to look back down the road. He experienced a moment’s giddiness and realised he was light-headed with cold, tiredness and maybe shock. You’re not thinking clearly. Find somewhere to rest for the night and you’ll be better for it .
But he needed to put some sort of safe distance between himself and the town before he could allow himself any respite. He increased his pace in the direction of Saviours’ Paradise once more. How far did he need to go until it was safe? As far as possible to be as safe as possible. Yet there was no such thing as safety for him any more, was there? The further he got from the town, the wilder the woods would become and the greater the threat would be from the pagans and the other Chaos creatures, especially on a moonless night like this. The dark and sneaking enemy had probably already found his trail and begun to hunt him.
He broke into a jog, which was as fast as his cumbersome pack would allow. The trees began to give way on either side to a stretch of open fields. Here was where his mother and many of
There was more water here, and the mulch clogged her ears, nose and eyes. She didn’t like it, and it took everything she had not to start thrashing around in panic. She kicked violently and propelled herself further upwards, where it was drier again. At least the wet mulch had soothed her troublesome wound somewhat. Now, there was almost as much air as mulch making up the thickness.
And then she broke through into the largest and brightest cavern she’d ever seen. She glimpsed a large shining disc of sun-metal somewhere far away and high up but was otherwise blinded, even when her eyes were shut as tightly as possible. She felt like she was falling upwards as she left the thickness. She did not understand anything she heard or smelt and her skin felt like it was constantly shifting around independently of the rest of her because it was never the same temperature all over.
She had entered the most terrible place of the Overlords, a place that was a hell of constant warring. So there was hell below and a hell above. She was tempted to return to the limbo of the rock between the two hells, but Mistress Widders had said the tireless miners of the Overlords would eventually find her there. She had promised Norfred she would suffer this upper hell to find his son, so suffer it she would. She now knew that the fear, sadness, pain and ugly words never stopped and were the nature of existence for creatures such as she. Why else would she be allowed such strength and such a thick skin?
Panting hard, Jillan hauled his heavy pack through the dark woods around Godsend. While at the beginning his breath had billowed in the cold air, he could now hardly see it – he realised he was already losing body heat. Don’t panic , he told himself. But he pushed on urgently nonetheless.
Keeping the walls of the town always in sight, he circled around to the north and found the road. Staying in the trees, he paralleled the way to Saviours’ Paradise until Godsend was well out of sight, and then moved to walk on the wide flagstones.
Don’t think. Ignore the strange sounds in the woods. Don’t imagine horrors for yourself. Keep going. Don’t worry that this is the furthest you’ve ever been from home . But with that last thought, others came creeping and stealing into his head. Of course, it’s not your home any more, is it? You can never return there again, unless you want to put your parents at even greater risk. They’ll be better off without you in all likelihood … unless they were already being carted off to the town’s punishment chamber by the Heroes, because they had been accused of hiding him somewhere by the Minister and the elders. Should he turn back and throw himself on the town’s mercy in order to save his parents any further pain?
His steps slowed. Don’t think! Keep going! He swung his head up and round to look back down the road. He experienced a moment’s giddiness and realised he was light-headed with cold, tiredness and maybe shock. You’re not thinking clearly. Find somewhere to rest for the night and you’ll be better for it .
But he needed to put some sort of safe distance between himself and the town before he could allow himself any respite. He increased his pace in the direction of Saviours’ Paradise once more. How far did he need to go until it was safe? As far as possible to be as safe as possible. Yet there was no such thing as safety for him any more, was there? The further he got from the town, the wilder the woods would become and the greater the threat would be from the pagans and the other Chaos creatures, especially on a moonless night like this. The dark and sneaking enemy had probably already found his trail and begun to hunt him.
He broke into a jog, which was as fast as his cumbersome pack would allow. The trees began to give way on either side to a stretch of open fields. Here was where his mother and many of
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