Read Online Rules of Ascension: Book One of Winds of the Forelands by David B. Coe - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: David B. Coe
Ads: Link
until the guards had gone past; then they began to climb.
Over the course of their travels throughout the Forelands, Cadel and Jedrek had climbed rock faces in the Glyndwr Highlands, the
Grey Hills of Wethyrn, and the Sanbiri Hills that would have appeared impossibly sheer to most people. Once, several years before, they had climbed a peak in the Basak Range of southern Aneira to arrange the death of an Aneiran noble who enjoyed hunting bear in the mountains. This wall, rough as it was, offered ample handholds and footholds. They climbed quickly, like lizards on a rock, and were soon within a few fourspans of the top of the wall.
Hearing the guards again, Cadel raised a hand, indicating to Jedrek that they should stop.
“ … Three bloody nights in a row,” one of them was saying, as they drew closer to where Cadel and Jedrek clung to the stones. “During the Revel, no less. There’s no justice in that.”
“Captain doesn’t care much for justice. If he thought you’d give him your wage, he’d probably let you off. Me, I’ve been on the wall for two in a row. And it looks like I’ll be up here again tomorrow night.”
“It’s the banquet that does it. That’s where the captain is. Him and his favorites. They’re filling their bellies with wine and mutton while …”
Their voices were fading, as was the clicking of their boots on the stone path atop the wall. Cadel nodded once, and he Jedrek resumed their climb. As he reached for his next handhold, however, Cadel felt the stone beneath his right foot begin to give way. Grabbing desperately for anything that would hold him, he dug his fingers into the first stone he could find. Only to have it come away in his hand. The foothold under his right foot gave way, and as it did, his left foot slipped, leaving him hanging by his left hand. Small pieces of rock clattered down the face of the wall and into the grass below. Flailing with his feet, he quickly found new toeholds, but the damage had been done. The guards had stopped talking and were heading back in Cadel and Jedrek’s direction.
Cadel looked at Jedrek, who was glaring at him as if had just shouted Jedrek’s name at the top of his voice. The guards had almost reached them. With Panya, the white moon, full and climbing into the sky behind them, they would be easy to spot against the dark stone. So Cadel did the only thing he could. He still clutched the stone in his right hand, and now, with the guards approaching, he heaved it with all his might, up into the night sky and over the wall to the other side. After several seconds he heard it land on the ground outside the city.
The guards did, too. They stopped just above Jedrek and Cadel, but on the far side of the city wall.
“What do you see?” one of them asked.
“Not a bloody thing. With Panya as low as she is, it’s black as pitch down there.”
“I’m sure I heard something.”
“So did I. But I promise you, whatever we heard wasn’t human. No person I know could see in that kind of dark.”
“You think it was wolves?”
The other guard laughed. “Wolves? More likely it was rats from the river, or a fox from the wood.” He laughed again. “Wolves,” he repeated, as the guards began to walk away again.
“Shouldn’t we tell the watch?”
“Sure, we can tell the watch. We’ll tell them the city’s under siege from a pack of hedgehogs.”
Cadel took a long breath and looked over at Jedrek again. His friend was grinning, his dark eyes shining in the moonlight. Cadel had to grin as well.
When they could no longer hear the guards’ voices, they finished their climb, peering cautiously over the edge of the wall before swinging themselves onto the walkway, hurrying across, and beginning their descent on the other side. Without any further mishaps to slow them, they were on the ground again before Panya had risen high enough to illuminate the outside of the wall.
“Where to now?” Jedrek whispered.
“The Sanctuary of Kebb,
Over the course of their travels throughout the Forelands, Cadel and Jedrek had climbed rock faces in the Glyndwr Highlands, the
Grey Hills of Wethyrn, and the Sanbiri Hills that would have appeared impossibly sheer to most people. Once, several years before, they had climbed a peak in the Basak Range of southern Aneira to arrange the death of an Aneiran noble who enjoyed hunting bear in the mountains. This wall, rough as it was, offered ample handholds and footholds. They climbed quickly, like lizards on a rock, and were soon within a few fourspans of the top of the wall.
Hearing the guards again, Cadel raised a hand, indicating to Jedrek that they should stop.
“ … Three bloody nights in a row,” one of them was saying, as they drew closer to where Cadel and Jedrek clung to the stones. “During the Revel, no less. There’s no justice in that.”
“Captain doesn’t care much for justice. If he thought you’d give him your wage, he’d probably let you off. Me, I’ve been on the wall for two in a row. And it looks like I’ll be up here again tomorrow night.”
“It’s the banquet that does it. That’s where the captain is. Him and his favorites. They’re filling their bellies with wine and mutton while …”
Their voices were fading, as was the clicking of their boots on the stone path atop the wall. Cadel nodded once, and he Jedrek resumed their climb. As he reached for his next handhold, however, Cadel felt the stone beneath his right foot begin to give way. Grabbing desperately for anything that would hold him, he dug his fingers into the first stone he could find. Only to have it come away in his hand. The foothold under his right foot gave way, and as it did, his left foot slipped, leaving him hanging by his left hand. Small pieces of rock clattered down the face of the wall and into the grass below. Flailing with his feet, he quickly found new toeholds, but the damage had been done. The guards had stopped talking and were heading back in Cadel and Jedrek’s direction.
Cadel looked at Jedrek, who was glaring at him as if had just shouted Jedrek’s name at the top of his voice. The guards had almost reached them. With Panya, the white moon, full and climbing into the sky behind them, they would be easy to spot against the dark stone. So Cadel did the only thing he could. He still clutched the stone in his right hand, and now, with the guards approaching, he heaved it with all his might, up into the night sky and over the wall to the other side. After several seconds he heard it land on the ground outside the city.
The guards did, too. They stopped just above Jedrek and Cadel, but on the far side of the city wall.
“What do you see?” one of them asked.
“Not a bloody thing. With Panya as low as she is, it’s black as pitch down there.”
“I’m sure I heard something.”
“So did I. But I promise you, whatever we heard wasn’t human. No person I know could see in that kind of dark.”
“You think it was wolves?”
The other guard laughed. “Wolves? More likely it was rats from the river, or a fox from the wood.” He laughed again. “Wolves,” he repeated, as the guards began to walk away again.
“Shouldn’t we tell the watch?”
“Sure, we can tell the watch. We’ll tell them the city’s under siege from a pack of hedgehogs.”
Cadel took a long breath and looked over at Jedrek again. His friend was grinning, his dark eyes shining in the moonlight. Cadel had to grin as well.
When they could no longer hear the guards’ voices, they finished their climb, peering cautiously over the edge of the wall before swinging themselves onto the walkway, hurrying across, and beginning their descent on the other side. Without any further mishaps to slow them, they were on the ground again before Panya had risen high enough to illuminate the outside of the wall.
“Where to now?” Jedrek whispered.
“The Sanctuary of Kebb,
Similar Books
