Read Online Victim of Fate by Jason Halstead - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jason Halstead
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through. It ran along the edge of a mass of darkness
and disappeared into the shadows. It was the forest but only the
outermost edges of the barren tree limbs were visible. Even the
breeze that made the sticks rub and creak against one another
couldn't give the woods the semblance of life and growth.
"How will we find it?" Tristam asked him in a
hushed voice.
Alto racked his brain for an answer. He was
their best tracker but that was a far cry from meaning he had any
real skill at it. He could trail a bleeding deer on a winter day,
but the ground here was hard-packed and covered in the brown and
dying summer grasses. Tracking would serve him little purpose; they
sought something that flew.
"Look to the trees," Alto suggested. "They
build their nests in trees and safe and dark places."
"Sounds wonderful," Tristam grumbled. He
twitched his reins to encourage his horse regain the speed they'd
lost when he'd slowed it at the notice of the forest. "The entire
damn forest looks dark."
Alto nodded. "We'll need torches. As long as
we don't pose a threat, the wasps should leave us alone."
"You know our job is to kill them,
right?"
Alto nodded. "Well, yeah. I mean we should be
okay before that."
Tristam scowled and rode on. Each passing
minute, Alto felt himself growing more and more excited. He hadn't
been in a real fight since they reclaimed Highpeak. Everything
since then had been skirmishes or brawls. He was anxious to test
out his skills. He'd learned new moves and new ways to protect
himself.
Alto's pondering kept him so preoccupied that
he gasped when Tristam called a halt and swung off his horse. The
bony sticks of the forest blocked the stars above them. Alto
dismounted and grabbed his shield off Sebas.
"Torches," Tristam ordered as he grabbed one
from the bundle on his saddle.
The rest followed suit and soon Namitus
struck a spark to it that burst into a flame. The others lit their
torches from his and waited for the flames to set before they
turned to face the forest.
"Well, now what?" Kar asked.
"Now we search. Any idea where a wasp nest
would be? Other than in a tree?" Tristam looked at Alto as he asked
the question.
"Maybe along the river? Closer to water that
way."
"Wasps need water?"
"Um, I think so?" Alto guessed. He flashed an
apologetic grin.
"Flowers need water and wasps feed on
flowers," Kar pointed out. "The river is a fine place to
start."
Tristam grunted and turned away. They'd
crossed over the stream on their way to the forest a short distance
back. He turned and headed along the dark edge where the barren
trees met the brown grasses of the plains. The wind whistled and
rattled the branches above them but didn't reach down where they
walked.
"At least we're not buried under tons of rock
and surrounded by goblins," Kar offered.
Tristam turned and glared at him. His message
delivered, the warrior continued along the edge of the forest. They
peered into the woods and up at the trees looking for the wasp
nest, often tripping or breaking sticks or bushes. They'd escaped
the trip with no more than a few muttered curses and scrapes when
they found the edge of the stream.
"Come on," Tristam said, turning and heading
into the dark forest along the bank of the stream.
"Shouldn't we walk on the other side, so it's
quicker to get out of the woods?" Namitus asked.
"The wasps won't fly as well with all the
trees and branches as they will in the open," Kar pointed out.
"Oh."
"And the horses are on this side of the
forest," Tristam reminded him.
"Yeah, I get it, I'll stop," Namitus
said.
They continued on, staring so hard into the
darkness that Kar slipped and fell down the bank into the stream.
He rose up sputtering and cursing. He splashed out of the small
pool he'd fallen in and started wringing the water out of his
clothes while the others looked on with grins splitting their
faces.
"A pox on you all," Kar muttered when he saw
their amusement.
A cracking branch deeper in the forest caused
Alto
and disappeared into the shadows. It was the forest but only the
outermost edges of the barren tree limbs were visible. Even the
breeze that made the sticks rub and creak against one another
couldn't give the woods the semblance of life and growth.
"How will we find it?" Tristam asked him in a
hushed voice.
Alto racked his brain for an answer. He was
their best tracker but that was a far cry from meaning he had any
real skill at it. He could trail a bleeding deer on a winter day,
but the ground here was hard-packed and covered in the brown and
dying summer grasses. Tracking would serve him little purpose; they
sought something that flew.
"Look to the trees," Alto suggested. "They
build their nests in trees and safe and dark places."
"Sounds wonderful," Tristam grumbled. He
twitched his reins to encourage his horse regain the speed they'd
lost when he'd slowed it at the notice of the forest. "The entire
damn forest looks dark."
Alto nodded. "We'll need torches. As long as
we don't pose a threat, the wasps should leave us alone."
"You know our job is to kill them,
right?"
Alto nodded. "Well, yeah. I mean we should be
okay before that."
Tristam scowled and rode on. Each passing
minute, Alto felt himself growing more and more excited. He hadn't
been in a real fight since they reclaimed Highpeak. Everything
since then had been skirmishes or brawls. He was anxious to test
out his skills. He'd learned new moves and new ways to protect
himself.
Alto's pondering kept him so preoccupied that
he gasped when Tristam called a halt and swung off his horse. The
bony sticks of the forest blocked the stars above them. Alto
dismounted and grabbed his shield off Sebas.
"Torches," Tristam ordered as he grabbed one
from the bundle on his saddle.
The rest followed suit and soon Namitus
struck a spark to it that burst into a flame. The others lit their
torches from his and waited for the flames to set before they
turned to face the forest.
"Well, now what?" Kar asked.
"Now we search. Any idea where a wasp nest
would be? Other than in a tree?" Tristam looked at Alto as he asked
the question.
"Maybe along the river? Closer to water that
way."
"Wasps need water?"
"Um, I think so?" Alto guessed. He flashed an
apologetic grin.
"Flowers need water and wasps feed on
flowers," Kar pointed out. "The river is a fine place to
start."
Tristam grunted and turned away. They'd
crossed over the stream on their way to the forest a short distance
back. He turned and headed along the dark edge where the barren
trees met the brown grasses of the plains. The wind whistled and
rattled the branches above them but didn't reach down where they
walked.
"At least we're not buried under tons of rock
and surrounded by goblins," Kar offered.
Tristam turned and glared at him. His message
delivered, the warrior continued along the edge of the forest. They
peered into the woods and up at the trees looking for the wasp
nest, often tripping or breaking sticks or bushes. They'd escaped
the trip with no more than a few muttered curses and scrapes when
they found the edge of the stream.
"Come on," Tristam said, turning and heading
into the dark forest along the bank of the stream.
"Shouldn't we walk on the other side, so it's
quicker to get out of the woods?" Namitus asked.
"The wasps won't fly as well with all the
trees and branches as they will in the open," Kar pointed out.
"Oh."
"And the horses are on this side of the
forest," Tristam reminded him.
"Yeah, I get it, I'll stop," Namitus
said.
They continued on, staring so hard into the
darkness that Kar slipped and fell down the bank into the stream.
He rose up sputtering and cursing. He splashed out of the small
pool he'd fallen in and started wringing the water out of his
clothes while the others looked on with grins splitting their
faces.
"A pox on you all," Kar muttered when he saw
their amusement.
A cracking branch deeper in the forest caused
Alto
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