Read Online Trail of the Gods: The Morcyth Saga Book Four by Brian S. Pratt - Free Book Online Page B

hot here in the day, after the sun goes down,
it tends to get a little bit of a chill in the air.
    Outside, he can hear Jiron telling them
about the attack last night. Delia has her guards rotate watch
around the wagons in case of a similar event tonight. When all is
settled in, they break out their rations and have a quick meal
while the sun makes its final descent to the horizon. By the time
they’re done eating, it’s dipped below and the stars have begun to
appear.
    Delia, Jiron and Tersa come over to the
house when they’re done eating, he notices Jiron is carrying a
small box. “Sitting by yourself again?” Delia asks him as she
enters through the door.
    “It’s peaceful,” he tells her with a grin.
Nodding his head to Jiron, he asks, “What’s in the box?”
    She reaches for the box and Jiron hands it
to her. “On the road I got to thinking about your shaving kit and
the knife you used to use,” she says to him. She opens the box and
pulls out a knife, similar to the one he had used. “I was thinking
that if you could do that with others, maybe we could sell
them.”
    “Who would want them?” he asks.
    “Any barber out there,” she explains. “Also,
those with sheep that need shearing may want them as well.” She
looks to him expectantly.
    “It’s not a matter of if I can,” he tells
her. “But if I will.”
    “What do you mean?” she asks. “I know you’ve
been wondering how to raise money for this place, having so many to
care for isn’t going to be cheap. And the money you already have
won’t last forever.”
    He starts to responds when Jiron jumps in.
“You’re worried about people finding out, right?” he asks.
    “Exactly,” he says. “If I started doing
this, there’s no end to the number of people that would flock here.
Each wanting me to make them something that they ‘desperately’ had
to have.”
    “I understand your concern,” Delia says. “I
don’t plan on telling anyone where I got them. Your secret is safe
with me.”
    He sits there considering it while they wait
expectantly. “If I do this, you must swear to never tell anyone
where you got them,” he insists.
    “I swear it!” she says.
    “How many do you have?” he asks.
    “Ten,” she replies.
    Nodding, he holds his hand out for the box.
“Understand that the magic that will enable them to work will come
from the wielder. They have to be aware of that fact or they may
get seriously hurt if they do it for a long period of time. If too
much is drawn from them, they could become weakened, even die
though I doubt if that is much of a possibility.”
    “I understand,” she says, handing it to
him.
    One by one, he takes the knives out of the
box and casts the spell on them that will allow them to cut hair
but nothing else. When the spell has been set in the knife, he lays
it on the side table next to his chair.
    By the sixth knife, he’s beginning to feel
the effects of doing so much magic. At the eighth he can barely
focus enough to be able to cast it properly. When he finishes the
eighth knife, he sags back in his chair “Eight’s going to have be
it for now,” he says. “I can’t do anymore.”
    She comes over and removes the final two he
hasn’t enchanted yet from the box and sets in the eight that he has
imbued with magic. “I’m sure this will do fine.” She looks at him
and says, “You look like you could use some rest.”
    “Yeah,” he says, “I do need to rest. I don’t
think you understand just what that takes out of me.” He gets to
his feet and begins to wobble. Jiron is right there and gives him a
shoulder to lean on as he helps him to his room.
    When they get there, James plops down on his
bed and before Jiron leaves, says, “Tell her to get another batch
of crystals. The same amount as before and that should be all I
will require for a while.”
    “Alright,” he says as he moves to the
bedroom door. “You get some rest and we’ll see you in the morning.”
Before he gets