Read Online The Sheening Of The Blades (Book 1) by Kari Cordis - Free Book Online Page B

wildflowers and the bright red of mushrooms.  They hadn’t gone far when the ground dropped away abruptly in front of them and the Shepherd made a sharp left hand turn, traveling along a path—not a very wide one—etched into the side of a very precipitous cliff.  As Ari turned his agile brown down the trail, a big timber building loomed into view a short way ahead.  It was larger than any structure they’d seen yet north of the Kendrick and clung daringly to the plunging, grassy slope that formed the side of the cliff face.  Rodge muttered nervously behind him, eyes closed and hands clenching his reins so hard they were white.  To one side of the trail was a very large empty space, and far, far down you could almost make out what might be the bottom of a canyon.  It was hard to tell…there were clouds in the way.
    Running up the path towards them, faces alight at the sight of visitors, came a small herd of young boys, probably eight to ten years old and all dressed in identical plain white shifts.  “Acolytes,” Ari heard the Shepherd explaining affectionately to Melkin.  “They may overrun you with eagerness, but they’re otherwise harmless.  Please feel comfortable letting them take your horses; service is part of their training.  And keeping them busy keeps them out of trouble,” he added with a chuckle.
    Then the boys were upon them , milling around with bright eyes and chattering in hushed, excited tones.  When they drew near the big building, they eagerly grabbed at the reins as everyone dismounted, casting quick, mischievous looks at the riders as if daring them to refuse.
    The building was partially buried in the rocky land of the Wilds, but it had an enormous , open verandah that embraced the yawning, velvety green chasm in front of it.  Rodge chose a chair—clever things built of wood and hide and sinew—far back from the edge.  His face was still a little pale.  No sooner had they settled in than another swarm of grinning, silent, courteous acolytes swirled through their midst, offering mugs of cold, frothy liquid.  Ari, staring at it in puzzlement, realized it was milk.
    “ How…exquisite,” Cerise murmured diplomatically, blinking down into her cup.  In the Empire, liquid from udders was normally reserved for infants.
    For the most part, there was just a collective sigh.  It was enormously contenting, this environment, the stupendous view, being out of the saddle, the old man chuckling indulgently at his happy acolytes…it had the feeling of a journey’s end, a quest over, a reward earned and received.
    “ I am Galeb,” the Shepherd began once the youngsters had slipped out of sight, and after they had all introduced themselves, continued, “And now, tell me, what brings Northerners so far into the wilderness?”
    “ We come in search of information…lore…lost to us through the centuries despite our chronicles.  Lore we hope that you have retained.”  Melkin’s rough voice was patient, as if he hoped to start a long conversation.
    “ We are secluded in these high places,” the Shepherd warned when the Master paused.  “Much of what concerns the Realms does not reach us here.”
    “ It is the Empress we wish to discuss,” Melkin said carefully.  The word seemed to hang in the jewel-bright air, the memory of a child’s story the world had long outgrown.
    “ We think,” Banion muttered as he stroked milk off of his bushy face.
    Galeb ’s thick white eyebrows rose.  “You come all this way to ask of her?  She whose great life was devoted to the Realms?  Is there no knowledge of her left below the Kendrick?”  It was gently said, but Cerise jumped in quickly, “The Histories deal with facts, sir, not stories and legends.”
    He gave a deep chuckle (thankfully unoffended—the boys wanted to throttle her).  Raising his hands expansively, he said good-naturedly, “Very well, my friends.  Leaving the FACTS behind, what part of her long life are you