Read Online Rules of Ascension: Book One of Winds of the Forelands by David B. Coe - Free Book Online

death. Those awaiting their moment with the Qiran might be giddy with anticipation or debilitated with fear, but no one took it lightly. Even Jedrek, who scoffed at the legends and paid little heed to custom, had once admitted to Cadel that his Fating, which offered glimpses of the life they were leading now, had left him troubled for many turns after.
    Cadel had often wondered what his Fating would have revealed. He left his home early in his sixteenth year, before the festival arrived at the village closest to Nistaad Manor. Tall and strong for his age, with a dark mustache and beard already beginning to appear on his face, he was able to pass for an older man almost immediately. To have sought out his Fating in another village would only have served to call attention to himself.
    At this point, he had little doubt about what the Qiran would have shown him. He was living the life he was meant to live. He didn’t need a Qirsi sorcerer to reassure him of that. Yet, even now, seeing the children of Thorald waiting to take their turn in the Qirsi’s tent, he could not help but feel the call of the stone.
    “Corbin! Honok!”
    Wincing inwardly, Cadel turned at the sound of Anesse’s voice. He and Jedrek could ill afford to be trapped in a long conversation, or, worse, caught in a lie. It was nearly time for them to make their way to the city wall.
    “I thought you had plans for tonight,” Anesse said. She was wearing a long, blue dress that was almost a perfect match for the color of the sky. It had a tantalizingly low neckline.
    He summoned a smile. “We do. We’re on our way there now.”
    “You’re certain we can’t lure you to the banquet?”
    “Sadly, yes. You’re certain we can’t convince you to remain in Thorald for another day or two?”
    She nodded. “Sadly.”
    Cadel glanced for an instant at Kalida, who was steadfastly avoiding his gaze and Jedrek’s, her face as red as her dress.
    “Well,” Anesse said awkwardly. “We should be on our way.”
    “So should we.”
    “Goodbye again, Corbin. Honok.”
    “I hope to have the pleasure of singing with you again,” he said.
    The two women turned and started up the road toward Thorald Castle. After watching them walk away, Cadel and Jedrek turned as well, and cut back across the market to the south end of the city. Cadel would have preferred to go over the city wall somewhere between the south and east gates. But all the land between the gates belonged to the Sanctuary of Amon, and Cadel wished to avoid any encounters with the clerics. Instead, they made their way to the southwestern wall, between the south gate and the lower river gate. There were a few small houses in this part of the city, scattered along a narrow lane. But most of the residents were at the banquet or enjoying the Revel. The houses were dark and the street empty.
    At least six guards were stationed at each of the gates, and two more walked atop each of the three wall segments between the river gate and the south gate. A small watchtower separated one segment from the next, and each tower held two bright torches. Obviously, their best chance was to climb the wall near the center of the middle segment, as far from the torches and the well-manned gates as possible.
    Cadel was most concerned about the timing of their climb, which, in turn, depended upon how the guards on that middle segment had decided to keep watch. If they were walking the wall together, they could be avoided with relative ease. If not, he and Jedrek faced a far more difficult task.
    Walking as quietly as they could through the tall grass that grew behind the houses, the two men soon reached the wall. It was made of rough stone, and it stood at least twelve fourspans high. Doing his best to remain in the shadows, Cadel looked up at the torchlit tower, trying to spot the guards. He heard them before he saw them. They were talking loudly, laughing about something, walking northward atop the wall. Cadel and Jedrek waited