The Harrowing Path
Page 1
The Harrowing Path
Shadows of the First Trine
2
Cleave Bourbon
Table of Contents
Title Page
The Harrowing Path (Shadows of the First Trine, #2)
The Harrowing Path: Shadows of the First Trine 2...
Chapter 1: The Arrival of Lady Shey
Chapter 2: The Tiger’s Head Inn
Chapter 3: The Apothecary
Chapter 4: The Southern Road
Chapter 5: Symbor
Chapter 6: A Short Excursion
Chapter 7: The Woods
Chapter 8: The Vale of Morgoran
Chapter 9: Prophecy
Chapter 10: Plans
Chapter 11: Signal Hill
Chapter 12: Into the Ruins
Chapter 13: Revelations
Chapter 14: A Sense of Purpose
Chapter 15: Adracoria
Chapter 16: Burnings
Chapter 17: Seeds of Prophecy
Chapter 18: Dragon Knight
Chapter 19: The Cave
Chapter 20: Betrayal
Chapter 21: A Sense of Change
Chapter 22: Defenders
Chapter 23: Allure and Consequence
Chapter 24: Foundations
Chapter 25: Opposition
Chapter 26: Shades in the Dead Forest
Chapter 27: Vetell Fex
Chapter 28: Gatherings
Chapter 29: On the Road
Chapter 30: Brightonhold
Chapter 31: Signs and Symptoms
Author’s Note
Copyright
Dedication and Acknowledgements:
Glossary
Copyright © Cleave Bourbon 2019
Editing by Courtney Umphress www.courtneyumphress.com
Book cover design by Sanja Gombar www.fantasybookcoverdesign.com
To sign up DIRECTLY (without visiting my website) to be notified of my new releases click the following URL and enter your email address.
The Direct URL to sign up for the mailing list is: http://eepurl.com/cEB5YL
Website: HTTP://www.cleavebourbon.com
The Harrowing Path: Shadows of the First Trine 2...
Running from a deceitful capital of murder and corruption, a lone noble sorceress is on a quest to restore magic and stability to the kingdoms she loves. In order to thwart the forces of shadow, she must face another self-imposed evil and travel to a land where magic has been outlawed, risking her life to find the descendants of an almost dead art and train them, so they are able to save the kingdoms from those working in the shadows to take control.
As Lady Shey arrives in the mountain village of Brookhaven, the forces of shadow have an almost undetectable shapeshifting monster also seeking out the progenies of the past, and the sorceress may be unwittingly leading it directly to its prey.
Chapter 1: The Arrival of Lady Shey
Devyn Adair couldn’t turn away. Her facial expression pleaded with him not to let her fall, but he felt her fingers slipping. His footing abruptly failed him, and her hand slipped from his grasp. He watched in horror as she fell. The black-shadowed creatures screamed for her blood as they pulled her down through the tree branches. Their ugly, leathery wings thrashed in the nearby leaves. He hesitated, his mind in a fog; then he remembered who he was, what he was. He concentrated from the depths of his soul to call forth the essence of all things around him. He let the power of life and existence penetrate him. It infiltrated his mind until he felt he could no longer contain it. He thought of her in a safe place and released the energy.
A whoosh of cold air washed over him as he opened his eyes, searching for the faint light of her disappearing into his force of will. The light bathed her in a brief, pale glow. She no longer fell, and the creatures, realizing their prize was cruelly stripped from them, screamed in frustration before they regrouped and began climbing back up the massive tree trunks to the platforms above, transfixed on Devyn. Horrified, he tried to summon essence again, but he could not. Devyn stood panicked as the creatures reached the platform. Frantically, he searched for his sword, Dranmalin. The creatures reached him with their hideously long claws and began tearing at his face.
“Devyn, Devyn, wake up! You are having a nightmare.”
His expression contorted in a low scream, he rose out of bed and grasped his face, expecting to find bloody gashes but found none.
“Devyn, it’s me. It’s Kelle.”
A relieved calm washed over him as he focused on her familiar face.
“It was horrible. I dreamed of those black-winged creatures again.”
Kelle sat back away from him on the bed. “Oh, and of the girl too? Did you dream about her again?”
Devyn nodded and then shook his head at Kelle’s reaction. “What would you have me do?”
“You’ve been dreaming of this same girl for months now. It’s a bit unsettling.”
“How can you be jealous of a dream? I suppose you would have me dream of you instead.”
“Yes, certainly, why not me?”
“They are only dreams, Kell.”
“I’m sure you could find a way to get rid of them if you tried hard enough.”
“I’ll never understand you.” He cracked a playful grin. “Now get out of here so I can get out of my nightclothes.”
“I’m going.” She took two steps toward the door and then plopped onto the edge of his bed. “I hope you remember you promised me a picnic today. You haven’t forgotten; have you?”
“No, Mother prepared us a basket.” He squinted at the morning light creeping up into the window. “Hey, it’s barely morning. What are you doing here so early?”
“I am helping your mother in the kitchen for breakfast. The inn is full, remember?” She got up from the bed and headed for the door. “Your father asked me to wake you. He’s in the stores.”
Devyn moaned. “He’s going to have me moving ale barrels to make room. By the gods, how much more space does he need to clear? I’ll be glad when these soldiers get to the mountain outposts.”
“Stop bellyaching.” Kelle winked at him as she closed the door behind her. Devyn shook his head and searched the floor for his tunic and trousers.
LOURN, THE INNKEEPER of the Tiger’s Head Inn and Devyn’s father, was busy moving small wooden crates around the sizeable storeroom located in a cellar adjacent to the kitchen.
“I’m here, Father,” Devyn said.
The big man jolted. “Oh, Devyn, you startled me.” He rubbed his hands on his already dirty white apron.
“Sorry, Father.”
“No matter, I have a job for you this morning. You know Fadral, the new peddler, don’t you?”
“Aye, I’ve talked with him several times.”
“Good, good. Well, with all this new business, I’ve run out of salted pork. I don’t usually like buying meat from peddlers because of the quality, but this time I have no choice. I have instructed Durn to butcher four hogs, but I need to feed my guests in the meantime.” He moved another crate. “Fadral doesn’t come to Brookhaven today, and he won’t be out this way for two more days. I need you to ride out to the Brass Buckle in Soldier’s Bluff. Fadral should be there around the same time you arrive, so find out if he will sell you some pork. If not, then find Marna at the Sea and Ale and ask if she will sell you some of her stock. I just need enough to last until Durn can get the new meat cured.”
“I doubt Marna will part with her stock; her inn is just as busy as ours.”
“I’m only asking you to try, son, no harm in asking her.”
“No, sir.” Devyn suddenly remembered his promise to Kelle. “Father, I promised Kelle a picnic today.”
Lourn continued to lug around the crates.
“Take her with you. You can stop at Ashonda’s Pond on the way back. Our stock will last until you return.”
“When will Durn have the wagon ready?”
“No wagon. You can take Old Blue and the good saddlebags.”
“What about Kelle?”
“She can ride with you. Don’t tell me you don’t want to be snuggled up close.”
Devyn grimaced. He certainly didn’t mind, but he found it disconcerting that his father mentioned it.
Lourn chuckled at Devyn’s reaction. “All right, just go on and find Kelle. I last saw her in the kitchen. Oh, and when you talk to Fadral, make sure he has enough salted pork on his wagon for his trip out here in a few days just in case he needs to stock up in Symbor.”
“Aye, Father.”
Devyn left the storage room, trying to think of a way to make a trip to pick up salted pork sound appealing to Kelle so he could avoid the inevitable chastisement for cutting their time together short. He had little choice when it came between obeying his father and spending time with her. He had to go find Fadral, but his wish would be to stay with her. After all, what young man would prefer work to spending time with a beautiful young woman at a picnic? He rounded the corner into the kitchen, still without a thought of how to explain the situation to her, and found Kelle kneading dough at the counter.
“Devyn, there you are. Your mother prepared a wonderful picnic basket for us with roasted chicken, blackberry tea, and apple pie.”
“Where did she get the apples?” It was all he could think to say.
“Preserves, silly.”
“Oh yes, how silly of me.”
“Don’t poke fun at me, Devyn Adair,” she scolded.
Devyn breathed in, gathering his courage, and then decided to be out with it. “Kell, my father has a chore for me.”
She smacked the lump of dough with her fist. “On our day? The day we have been planning for a month? How long will this chore take?”
“You’ve not let me explain.”
“What is to explain? You have a chore. There is always a chore. Are we still able to go on the picnic?”
“I have to go to Soldier’s Bluff and—”
“Soldier’s Bluff! Forget it, then. We’ll have to figure out another day to spend time together. I remember a time when you wanted to be in my company.”
“Kell, please, not the ‘no time together’ speech.” He knew he was saying the wrong thing even as the words left his lips, but he couldn’t stop himself. “My father has given me permission to bring you along. He said we could stop at Ashonda’s Pond on the way back.”
Kelle glowered at him, her eyes narrowing as the anger behind them festered into a rage. Devyn stood his ground, awaiting an explosion of emotion, but to his surprise, her face softened. “Well, I don’t think we’ll have time to stop afterward for a full picnic, but it might be nice to travel with you. Perhaps we could stop beside the road for lunch on the way instead.”
“Absolutely,” Devyn replied, relieved. “When can you get free from the kitchen?”
“When your mother comes back from serving breakfast in the common room.”
“Good, that’ll give me time to saddle up Old Blue.”
“Why Old Blue? We aren’t taking a wagon?”
“Father has Durn slaughtering hogs; he just needs enough salted pork to get by for a couple of days.”
“It will take more than a couple of days for Durn’s pork to cure, won’t it?” Kelle asked.
“He plans to buy more from Fadral the Peddler when he makes his regular visit.”
Kelle turned up her nose. “Pork from a peddler? Unbelievable. I never thought I would see the day when your father would buy meat from a peddler.”
THE MIDMORNING SUN felt good on Devyn’s shoulders as he and Kelle rode west out of Brookhaven. Old Blue trotted playfully, basking in the crisp mountain air. Old Blue was neither old nor blue; his father had never told him why he gave the horse such a strange name, and Devyn never remembered to ask until he was riding out of town. He would have to remember when they returned this time. Kelle rested her head against Devyn’s back, which he liked very much. “Where did you want to stop to eat?”
Kelle’s breath was warm against his back as she spoke. “A nice grove of trees would be nice. When the sun reaches midday, the cool air beneath the trees will be perfect.”
“All right, I know a spot we should reach about midday. I have often wanted to stop there, but until now I had no reason to.” Devyn scanned the evergreens lining the meandering mountain road. A light breeze blew, and birds frolicked in late springtime escapades. Then, quite unexpectedly, Devyn caught the hint of movement among the trees. At first, he thought it might be an elk or deer in the shadows, but he spotted it repeatedly as they rode along. It was a shadow about the height of a man from what Devyn could tell. He began to watch for it as he rode.
Devyn had not seen the shadow for quite some time until about midday when he started looking for the spot he had in mind for the picnic. He spotted the shadow rushing between two pines. “Kell,” he whispered, “do you see that shadow in the trees?”
“What are you talking about?” she asked.
“Not so loud,” he warned. “There is something out there.”
“Devyn, you’re scaring me. I don’t see anything.”
He picked up the pace by lightly kicking Old Blue with his heels. The horse, already giddy from being out in the open, bolted, and Kelle’s grip tightened. Devyn tried to slow the horse down, but it only moved faster. He strained to look behind him to see the shadow that passed in the corner of his eye. Something significant and black crossed the road behind them. Devyn quickly realized that Old Blue was not responding to his commands; the horse was spooked. Kelle held on tighter as Devyn gritted his teeth and leaned forward. The air rushed in his ears, and a swooshing sound like someone swinging a rope around came from behind. On the road ahead and parked to the side, Devyn noticed a wagon. As they neared, he made out that it was a peddler’s wagon.
“Fadral,” Devyn said. “Hang on, Kell, I think that wagon is Fadral’s.”
Devyn began to rein in the horse, pulling as hard as he could. The horse responded and slowed. He led Old Blue behind the wagon and searched the road again to see what pursued them. Nothing was there.
Devyn turned in the saddle and comforted Kelle. “Are you all right?”
Kelle looked shaken. “What was that?”
“You saw it too?”
“Just the shadow of something running across the road.”
Devyn snuggled Kelle in closer. “It’s gone now.”
“Ho there, young ones,” came a voice from the other side of the wagon. Devyn reined Old Blue and trotted around the wagon. Fadral was strolling leisurely from a copse of trees. “I thought I saw dust on the road.”
“Fadral, what are you doing out here? I thought you were not coming up here for two more days.”
“I stepped up my visits due to all the activity. With the king’s men heading to the outposts, I hear the inns up here are low on provisions.”
“Aye, I was heading to Soldier’s Bluff to find you.”
“Ah yes, you are the innkeeper’s son from Brookhaven. The Tiger’s Head, am I right?”
“Aye, and this is—”
“The lovely Kelle from the kitchens,” Fadral interjected.
“I suppose you see her more often.”
“Yes, indeed. How is your mistress?”
“She is fine,” Kelle replied.
“And how are you, my dear?” Devyn did not like the look in his eyes.
“I have been better.”
“Oh?” Fadral replied inquisitively.
“Something was just chasing us!” Kelle blurted out.
Devyn swiftly added. “We think something might have jumped out of the evergreens. It could have been anything. It frightened our horse.”
“A bear, perhaps?” Fadral offered. “They’re out and about now, and that would explain your h
orse.”
Kelle braced to object, but Devyn was quick to intercept her. “Aye, that was probably it, a bear.” He grabbed Kelle’s leg and squeezed slightly. She must have gotten the hint because she didn’t react.
Fadral lifted himself onto the wagon. “We best be heading back into Brookhaven, then.”
“Back? I thought you were coming from the opposite direction?” Devyn pointed out.
“Figure of speech, master. I meant we should all be on our way to Brookhaven.”
“Thank you, but we have other business to attend to before we head back.” Devyn pointed at the picnic basket. “We have more time now that we don’t have to ride to find you. You do have plenty of salted pork for the inn?”
“Aye, I have overstocked my wagon for this special trip.” He paused. “I think you should put off any picnics if there are bears around. You should come back into town.”
“Devyn, I think he is right. We should go back to town. I would not feel comfortable trying to have a picnic out here now.”
Devyn studied Kelle’s face. “If that’s what you want.” Kelle nodded.
Fadral motioned toward his wagon. “You two should ride with me where it is more comfortable. Tie your horse to the back.”
Kelle dismounted, followed by Devyn. Devyn caught Kelle and whispered in her ear while Fadral wasn’t looking. “You trust him?”
“I trust him enough. He has been out to the inn quite a bit, and he has always been a gentleman. Why? What’s wrong? I think traveling with him is safer than being alone on a horse. Especially if there is something out there, and it was no bear.”
“You coming?” Fadral asked while climbing aboard the wagon.
“Aye, Fadral.” He took Kelle’s hand and patted it in hopes of reassuring her, or himself. “Go ahead and climb up while I tie off Old Blue.”
Kelle went around the peddler’s wagon and climbed up halfway, waiting for Devyn to come around to sit next to Fadral. After a few moments, Devyn appeared and climbed up ahead of Kelle. She sat down on the edge beside him.
“Here we go,” Fadral said as he snapped the reins, causing the wagon to jolt forward.