They had stopped Samnom on the road and demanded his money. He had given it to them but when they had started talking about taking his clothes, Samnom realized he was in danger.
They attacked him from behind and beat him with a club. Samnom went down and was soon being beaten and kicked by all five thugs. At some point everything went black. The pain of the blows faded as did the noise. It was as if he had drifted far away from the place on the road. He thought he must be dying. Somewhere in the black cocoon that enveloped him the shouts and cries of his attackers took on a different dimension. They became screams of terror.
Somewhere in the blackness, the blows and the pain stopped. The screams of terror subsided and silence ensued. The black fog cleared and Samnom looked around him. Five bodies lay twisted and broken around him on the road.
Samnom looked around for someone else. A helper? He still doubted his abilities. Had he really done this? There was no-on
They passed the time making small talk or simply working in silence. Samnom learned that Lored had been travelling from Kyrshom when he had met the lady of the house. Samnom finally asked for the lady’s name. “Gillyn,” Lored replied. Samnom absorbed the name. It was strange. He had never heard it before. He asked if she was from another kingdom and Lored confirmed she was. Samnom asked about her husband hesitantly. She’s newly widowed,” Lored replied. “She left her old home because she wanted a fresh start after her husband died. She loved him a lot so his death has been pretty painful for her. Especially with her child. It’s hard. She prefers not to talk about it.” “I’m sure it hasn’t been easy. How did her husband die?” asked Samnom. “Some illness. No-one knows what it was. Fever came and took him pretty quick.” Samnom was silent. He felt sorry for the lady even though he had not seen her yet. “How old is the little one?” “It’s a boy. Two months old.” Samnom whistled. “What
“Stop,” commanded Hester. “Everything is fine. Leave her alone.” The guards stopped and left Alexa where she kneeled. “Please my lady,” begged Alexa. “I do not charge too much but if it pleases you I will give you a discount.” “I will look at your wares when I am finished here,” replied Hester. “Very well lady,” Alexa answered bowing her head. Hester moved past Alexa and entered the orphanage. She reappeared about an hour later and paused outside the orphanage door. “Show me your wares lady,” Hester said kindly. Alexa held up the pear again. “This is the best lady. You will not be disappointed.” Hester reached and took the fruit. She inspected it. Almost immediately she felt the cut in the fruit and frowned. Hester applied pressure and part of the fruit slid away. Hester glimpsed a piece of paper in the hollow where the seed usually was. She looked from the fruit to the girl who waited with head bowed. She slid the fruit together again. “How much is it?” “Just two doyles Lady,
The woman was like a vision from the Gods. Her hair was long and golden. The warm sun shone through her golden hair turning the edges into a halo around her face and making her appear like an angel. Her touch was soft, gentle, caring. Her voice was soft and kind. Concerned. Compassionate. She spent long hours at his side nursing him, giving him medicine and washing the fevered sweat and dirt from his face. He thought he spoke with her and he thought he made her laugh. Her laugh was contagious, genuine and honest with a love for life. Then there was darkness and Peter thought he finally passed on to the afterlife.When Peter awoke, he felt dampness all around him. He must have been caught in another thunderstorm he thought. He wondered how long he had been unconscious in the wild. He sniffed as he came to but could not smell the forest and wild around him. He smelled his sour sweat tinged with something else. Soap. The smell of soap on dried clothes. But he had no soap. As he
Benedict was silent for a moment. He sipped his wine then set it down next to his chair. “We would have to keep her in custody. You speak as if she is returning or has already returned?” Hester smiled weakly. “If only she had Ben. I hope that she is out there somewhere and I wanted to ask if you could make an announcement asking her to return. But I do not want her to feel betrayed. If she is to return to be taken into custody then she will not return. I ask because I miss her. She is my daughter and my flesh and it kills me not knowing what has happened to her. But if she returns, tells the truth and is still not believed by you, where does that leave her?” Benedict did not answer. Instead he looked out the window his jaw set firmly. “Would you torture her?” Hester asked sensing what Benedict could not say. “If I had to,” Benedict replied almost whispering. Hester’s hand flew to her mouth. “Why? I would help to make sure she tells the truth.” “That would not be advisable Hester.
As they walked Semore explained the characteristics of Alamcyte and pointed out the evidence of his knowledge at various points. Alamcyte was the strongest metal in the world and the lightest. It had an extremely high melting point which made it difficult to work with. Despite the difficulty it was used to make swords, shields, gates, arrow heads and jewelry as well as for decoration of the wealthiest people’s homes. The colour varied in the cave. In some areas more blue than green and in others more green than blue. The green areas were where the Alymcyte was shallower while the blue was where it was deeper. It was like glass and the thicker it was the darker in colour it became. The cave was blue green throughout indicating the Alamcyte was a fairly thick layer which deepened to dark blue when the cave finally opened into an enormous chamber. Benedict whistled when he saw the chamber. Raeme was silent. Semore smiled as he watched their reactions. He paused then delivered what he be
Mama sipped her tea and studied Hester’s face. Despite appearing happier she seemed older. The events of the last months had taken their toll heavily on Hester. More than she let on to anyone. Mama admired Hester. She carried so much within herself. She was not one to share her troubles with others but rather concerned herself with alleviating others troubles. Even now in her response to Mama, Mama suspected that she was not saying everything she could. But that was how Mama knew Hester. “I have told you many times before my dear,” Mama said, “you know you can always talk to me about anything. Whatever you tell me is safe. It stays with me. I am your Mama,” she smiled. Hester looked up and placed her hand over Mama’s on the table. “Thank you Mama. You are a truly kind and generous soul. I am grateful for your friendship every day. You are one of the closest friends I have even though I do not see you nearly often enough. Visiting here with you brings calm to any storm I may have at a
Harbem blinked then cleared his throat. “Yes everything’s fine. It’s just not the news I had hoped to hear.”“No it isn’t. All is not well despite how it may seem.”Harbem nodded then excused himself. He stood and removed his tobacco from a shelf. He rolled a cigarette with dried leaves and lit it in the fire in the cottage. Then he stepped outside and closed the door behind him leaving Alexa with the letter on the table.She watched him as he rolled his cigarette before stepping outside. He looked younger than his years and was in good form. He was handsome. His thick black hair was swept back from his face and his eyes were kind but hard. If you did not know him you would only see coldness. She wondered about Harbem. If he was married or had children. He never spoke about himself other than the fact that he was an orphan.As she thought of Harbem thoughts of Peter and Muhay crept into her mind. She missed neithe
“It’s okay. Its life. Besides, my life now is not easy. It may not appear so but it is dangerous and does not lend itself to a relationship.” “Unless it is someone who works for the Black Cloaks?” Alexa ventured. “Perhaps. If I did not know better I would think you are applying for the job.” Alexa laughed. Her laughter was fresh, innocent, and playful. Like her mother’s voice but younger. He could not remember when he had last heard laughter but it warmed his heart. “Not I Harbem. But if you think a partner is a job for someone then I can understand why you have no-one in your life!” “Figuratively speaking,” Harbem clarified smiling. “That’s better. Even so, you might find someone if you refrain from calling it a job to be with you. Figuratively speaking or otherwise!” “No argument with that Alexa.” They lapsed into silence and smoked watching as their tobacco mist dissipated slowly on the cool night air. Alexa and Harbem spent the next few days training. They ran, hiked, rode