Aster Wood and the Blackburn Son Read Free Page A

then became sunset, and then disappeared into the purple of dusk. And for all that while I thought of nothing but the grass, the clouds, the wind. I wondered, if I listened hard enough, if I could hear the grass grow. Slow and certain, it pushed its way up to the sky from the depths below.
    As twilight fell, I rose. I felt as though I had been sleeping for days, and was now just emerging from some illness that had kept me down. I shivered as the heat from the sun disappeared into the night. I looked around at the landscape, choosing a direction.
    But I didn’t run. Instead I pulled the link from beneath my shirt and pointed it. Three jumps and the grassland had become dotted with heavy oak trees. In the distance I could just make out the groves clumping together, as if a stream were nearby. My tongue moved over my dry lips, and I started down the hill.  
    I was walking absently, still hazy, when I heard it. Cracking. I froze, listening. For a moment, I couldn’t put my finger on the sound. It was so familiar, somehow, but what was it? From the corner of my eye a flicker of light flashed, and suddenly I understood. I fell to the ground, instantly disappearing into the deep field, grateful for the darkness.  
    Two hundred feet away, behind the cover of the trees, but no, they weren’t trees , a fire crackled.  
    I hugged the ground, barely daring to breathe, and peered from between the blades.
    Other sounds joined it as night fell in earnest. Grunts of men, clanking of metal, the low snort of a horse. My heart leapt. Long shadows fell from those near the flames. I craned my neck, trying to get a better look, part of me excited at the prospect of finding some companions again.  
    But then I realized what I was looking at.
    Those hadn’t been trees clumped together. They had been men. Thousands of men. I hadn’t stumbled upon some lone traveler’s campfire.  
    I had stumbled upon an army .

CHAPTER THREE

    Behind the fear of my frozen body, thoughts raced. Curiosity fought with caution. Fear with loneliness.  
    I could get closer.  
    My heart pounded at the thought. But my fingers closed over Kiron’s rock, steadying me. I had an escape if I needed one. I moved forward, my limbs still stiff from panic. On all fours, belly to the ground like a snake, I approached the camp.
    “Where’s the meat, boy?” one man bellowed. I kept my head down, not daring to raise it above the tips of the grass.  
    “There is no more,” came a small voice. A kid was there? I lifted my head slightly, trying to see him.
    “No more?” the man boomed. Then a smack rang out in the night, and the sound of a body hitting the ground. Several men, unseen to me, chortled loudly. “Well, I guess I’ll take yours then,” the man said.  
    The hairs on the back of my neck rose, my skin prickling. Why was a kid here, in the middle of an army?  
    “When are we gettin’ outta here?” a different voice asked. “I’m sick of sittin’ around doin’ nothin’. I wanna go rip those fools apart!”
    Laughter rang out, mixed with the grumblings of others who appeared to hold the same opinion.
    “Seriously, Dormir, how much longer?”
    “You can shut your mouths, all of ya,” came the first man’s voice, angry now. “It ain’t my place to be talkin’ about the boss’ plans.”
    “Well, somebody oughta. He made us promises, all of us.” The crowd grumbled in agreement. “I want the blood he promised!” Several men cheered, followed by a clanking sound as their armored bodies collided. I raised my head higher, too curious to stay low.
    A tall, thick man stood up from his seat and slowly began walking around the circle. Dormir. They all fell quiet, their eyes on the ground as he passed. He unsheathed his sword, tapping it against one armored boot with each step he took around the fire.  
    “You’ll have your blood.” His voice was low and dangerous. “You’ll have it when he says it’s time.” He approached one man and stood