Read Online The Gauntlet ( A Fantasy Novella) by Michael Diack - Free Book Online Page A

Ugg.
    “I don’t know about you two but I could use a good wash,” said Ash, as he began to take off his dirty and ragged clothes. Ash kept his underwear on though, not wanting to be disrespectful to Janna. He waded in and the water depth reached his chest but no higher.
    “I think I’ll join him, are you coming?” asked Ugg to Janna.
    “In a bit, I’ll just check the surroundings first. I want to make sure it’s safe.”
    “It is, we can relax here. You can relax here. It’s like the valley of peace we were in, a reward for our hard work and a place to replenish our reserves.”
    “Or just a natural feature. Water gives life, I want to make sure we and the trees are not the only ones living round here. This could still be a trick.”
    Ugg didn’t argue any further and, smiling, waded into the water to join Ash. It was relatively cool, despite being scorched under the sun.
    “Where is she going?” enquired Ash.
    “To scout the area. She takes a long time to trust anyone or anything, no matter how tranquil it appears on the surface.”
    “The water will do her good, but it’s probably best us two give her some space if she wants to bathe. When we set off to the dunes we can go earlier than her and wait for her to catch up, if that sounds reasonable?”
    “It does. By the way I noticed your reaction to her back in the maze, after we’d eaten that thing. She’s not completely heartless, at least I don’t think so,” smiled Ugg.
    “No? I get the feeling she would kill me if I was a hindrance to her completing this quest, or test, or whatever it is.”
    “She likes you, I think. Remember she dragged your sorry ass out of the water back at the fall. She’s just a realist. Strong, focused and not obsessed with the woes of the dead like you. I think the mundane life of being a guard has shielded you from the cold, hardened reality of our world. The world outside the citadel. One which Janna and I are, sadly, all too familiar with.”
    “I know all about death, believe me, but that doesn’t mean you have to get used to it. I’m not a religious man, but I want to believe that we all deserve better than lying on a ground somewhere as a meal for the next person or animal to come along.”
    “It’s obvious to me that your duty in the citadel has changed you. You should have been with me on patrol, we sure could have had some fun together slaying bears, boars and bandits! We’d have made a great team.”
    The two men were so engrossed in conversation they didn’t notice Janna had returned from her scout.
    “Well, gentlemen, it is safe here. Now, do I have to ask or can I just presume?” said Janna.
    “She knows us so well. Let us go for a walk and dry off, Ash. Those sand dunes look like they need exploring, what do you say?”
    “We’ll wait for you by the highest dune, enjoy the water!”
    Ash and Ugg collected their possessions, while their water and food pouches had already been restocked by Janna with what little scraps she could forage.
    “See, she does like you or she wouldn’t have refilled your food and water. I’m still her favourite though, she gave me a few more dates,” laughed Ugg.
     
    The two men walked away to leave Janna to bathe alone. They reached the edge of the desert after a short distance and gazed up in wonder at the crescent dunes, both majestic in their shape and equally daunting in size. Wisps of sand blew from the peaks and off the dune crests.
    “They are beautiful. I have never seen such a wondrous landscape before,” said Ash.
    “Going to be a pain to walk up though. I’m tired just thinking about it, the small ones on the beaches were tough enough.”
    “In the maze we were physically confined, but once we are deep in those dunes we will also be their prisoner.”
    “Nothing new. We have been prisoners since we first entered that devious chasm between the rocks.”
    Ugg sat on the floor, his back cracked as he did so and his knees popped. He let out a small