Etchings of Power (Aegis of the Gods) Read Free Page A

meant a lot to him, but so did the rest of Carnas. He couldn’t dream of sacrificing one for the other. Both needed him. As harsh as it sounded to himself, right now, staving off whatever malice resided in Carnas must take precedence. He needed to rely on Sakari and the others to find the tracks in time.
    Torn, Ryne pulled his arm away from the scoutmaster. “Fine, fine,” he whispered, his voice hoarse. “You two go. Gather the others. I’ll inform the elders and settle the people down before I come. Sound the horn when you find the tracks. Sakari.” Their gazes locked. “Do not fail.”
    “Thank you, Master Waldron,” Dren said reverently.
    Without a word, Sakari bowed and ran off with Dren following on his heels. Sakari weaved his way amongst frantically pointing villagers who’d crowded the hard-packed dirt road surrounded by Carnas’ wooden homes. As he raced by, he gestured to two men in armor that matched his. One was a gray-haired, wiry man with a horn at his hip, and the other, a grizzle-faced hunter whose arms were all sinew. They ran after Sakari toward the woods.
    Broad back and legs stiff from fighting the urge to chase after them, Ryne turned and stalked in the opposite direction toward Hagan’s Inn. Villagers still pointed and a few young boys had climbed onto a roof and were gazing out toward the Fretian Woods. Concerned chatter flowed among the throngs on the road. The door to Hagan’s Inn burst open. Mayor Bertram, Hagan, and several other members from Carnas’ village Council rushed outside the three-storied sandstone building. Ryne strode to meet them.
    “What’s happening?” Bertram’s scarred face was gaunt and grim. His one good eye scanned the panicked crowd. His left arm, which ended at the elbow, moved on its own accord.
    Hagan waddled just behind him, chest heaving, shirt so tight about his barrel-shaped belly it appeared as if it would burst open with his next breath. “Has another body been found?” He popped his pipe into the corner of his mouth and kneaded giana leaves into the bowl.
    A flurry of questions spilled from the other Council members. Ryne lifted his hand, and a reluctant silence followed as villagers gathered in a respectful band around the elders.
    “No, there hasn’t been another body,” Ryne said, feeling a great weight on his chest as he thought about the boy’s small shape hanging from the beast’s jaws. “But an infected lapra took Kahkon.”
    Gasps sounded from all around. Standing well over everyone, Ryne took in their wide-eyed expressions and animated gestures.
    “An infected lapra?” Bertram repeated. “Here? You certain? How…What’s it doing here? The Rot is hundreds of miles away. And the wards…”
    Several other elders seconded Bertram’s opinion.
    Ryne shook his head. “It doesn’t need to make sense. That’s what took the boy. You can ask anyone who saw.” Some Council members did as he suggested. In turn, Ryne graced them with a glare. “Listen, you can stay here and continue to squabble about Mariel’s intentions. Or who or what killed those men we found near the kinai orchards. Or about what took the other eight villagers. I’ll have none of it. Before Kahkon ends up like them, I’m going after the boy. I’ve already sent Sakari to gather a few others for the task.”
    A gravelly voice called from the crowd, “Mariel sent the beast.” All eyes shifted to the baldheaded man. Baker Forian wiped greasy hands on an apron dark with stains. “She took those who we be missing too.”
    Ryne raised his brow. “You have proof of this?”
    Forian sucked in his paunch as he held himself erect. “I seen her speak to plains lapras with my own two.” He pointed at his beady eyes. “They ran off without bothering the woman once. If that not be proof then what be?”
    Several people gave doubtful grumbles, while others sounded as if they expected such an occurrence. Forian’s face flushed, but from his eyes, Ryne could tell the man