Halfstone: A Tale of the Narathlands Read Free

chance, yet he couldn’t shake the
thought that the beast had been lurking there for a reason. Why else had it
been troubled enough to enter a crowded forest that constricted its passage?
This had been the reason it did not easily catch up to him while he fled—it had
found sprinting between the trees more trying than he.
    Phelvara left the window and made to exit. “I’m going to check
upon Bree and wait for the others. You stay and rest. We will eat later.”
    He wanted to wait with her. He feared for Braem and Kaal and
needed to know that they were safe, that the ka-zchen had indeed perished. Not
only that, but he wanted the reassurance of knowing they had witnessed the
beast with their own eyes and did not doubt his far-fetched and nightmarish
tale of encountering it. Phelvara’s instructions to remain put were wise,
however. He was in no state to leave. He made himself comfortable and closed
his eyes.
     
     
    Aldrick heard the front door open and close, then voices. Braem
and Kaal had returned. Phelvara was with them in the living room. Feeling a
sudden spurt of energy, he pushed himself to his feet and made his way to them.
They stood together by the fireside, talking in hushed voices but grave tones.
Bree was watching them with one eye from behind her door.
    “Was it there?” he asked nervously.
    They turned to him.
    “Yes, it was,” replied Kaal, looking rather daunted. “It’s dead.”
    He felt relief sweep through him. He nodded. “Good.”
    Braem and Phelvara continued to stare at him, their faces both
pale. Something was wrong.
    “What?” he asked anxiously.
    “Aldrick,” Braem began. “I don’t believe the ka-zchen was here by
chance… it had been branded with the sign of a master on its chest.”
    His heart leapt. “It… had a master? What was the sign?”
    “A blue butterfly.”
    “A blue butterfly,” he repeated. “Blue? But brands aren’t
coloured. Do you mean it was inked on?”
    “No, it had been branded… with magic.”

 
     
     
     
     
    2
    SUN
AND RAIN
     
     
     
    When Aldrick opened his eyes in the morning it was as if he had
woken into a dream. Usually his first thoughts were of the long day of work
that lay ahead of him, either helping Braem on the farm or hunting in the
forest. Today though, he found his mind occupied by giant beasts, magic and
unsolved mysteries. Excitement brimmed within him. There was a dull ache in his
shoulder but it would not impede him. He had to get up and go to where the
ka-zchen lay. He had to see it—confirm the world in which he lived really was
one of fantasy, that all those childhood stories were true. He sprang upright, threw
on some worn trousers and a cotton shirt, then made his way through the house
whilst still buttoning it. At the door he jumped into his boots, socks absent,
and ran outside, oblivious to his slapdash appearance.
    It was a fine day. The view was stunning but presently he had
little interest in sightseeing. He made straight for the base of the cliff. Dew
had settled over the farm in the night and his trousers were dampened to the
thighs as he made his way through the fields. It didn’t bother him. He scrambled
over one last wooden fence and up a small rise from where he could look down
upon the stream.
    There it was—a black mound upon the rocks. Kaal stood by it. Aldrick
made his way down to him and stopped at his side. Neither of them spoke a word,
only staring in awe. Up close, the ka-zchen was even more terrifying than he
remembered. It was huge. Though now limp and lifeless, razor-sharp claws
remained fully extended from its padded feet. Its head lay on one side, the
rocks around it stained by black blood. He had at first likened the beast’s
sleek body to that of a cat, but now saw that the head shared similarities with
a wolf’s. It was elongated with flared nostrils at its snout. Its mouth hung
open on a slant revealing huge, jagged fangs rooted in strong jaws. Its ears
were stiff and pointed at the tips.