self-respecting bird would sink to such behavior for a handout and a pat on the head.
-
“What you going to call her, Saxthor?” Bodrin asked. “How about Duchess or Countess?”
“How about Delia?” Saxthor said. “I don’t want another courtly reminder, and she’s not exactly regal. Will Delia do girl?”
The name stuck. She followed right behind Saxthor as he returned to poling the boat.
“She must’ve been someone’s pet once, but got lost, or they abandoned her,” Tournak said.
“Saxthor will take care of her now,” Bodrin shook his head amid the rhythmic pace of poling.
“Yes, I will.”
Delia licked Saxthor’s leg, then went and stood in the bow as a figurehead pointing the way, nose to the gentle wind. She kept checking back, verifying Saxthor was nearby. She’d bark once if she spotted anything she thought everyone should see. Creatures along the bank were favorites.
“Her vigilance will prove useful. She’ll make a nice addition to the crew,” Saxthor said.
“Another mouth to feed,” Tournak said.
Bodrin grinned. “I hope she likes fish.”
The companions moved on upriver past forests. Broad-footed cypress trees stood as sentinels at the water’s edge, their mossy veils waving in the gentle wind as if to entice mariners with their charms. Behind the cypress stood tall, green pines. Oak, chestnut, hickory, and willows splashed autumn colors through the forest. Broad sweeping limbs extended out, supporting wild grape and jasmine vines that rambled through them like playful children. Great hawks and owls watched the land for rodents, while speckled-white ospreys watched the water for fish from the best branches high above the river. Wild ducks migrating south flew along the river, stopping at adjacent bogs to snack on duckweed. Muskrats and other small rodents scurried along the banks when passing traffic disturbed them. Saxthor savored the old familiar landscapes and the musty river scent, while Delia watched for danger as they approached Heedra, where they stopped briefly for supplies.
The trip up to Lake Pundar was otherwise uneventful. They spent much of the travel time planning their way past the ever-watchful Favriana Fortress and onto Lake Pundar.
3: Lake Pundar Passage
About midmorning some days later, the party rounded a bend in the river to see the intimidating Favriana Fortress looming above the treetops. The forest greens and autumn colors obscured its massive base, but the keep’s dark-gray, granite battlements and towers’ spires thrust up as if supporting the clouds. The great Nhy, that bisected the Powterosian peninsula, seemed a mere stream beneath the colossal structure.
“That great castilyernov was Neuyokkasin’s northernmost outpost before assimilating Talok-Lemnos. Your grandmother brought them into the kingdom when she married your grandfather,” Tournak said. He watched his stunned companions. “It’s meant to impress, a statement warning all not to challenge this kingdom. The castilyernov guards the Nhy’s source where it flows from Lake Pundar. Do you remember it from your studies?”
“Seeing it loom up in front of you is very different from seeing it as a dot on the court maps,” Saxthor said.
“All trade with the northern states has to pass under the fortress and by the town of Favriana snuggled at its base,” Tournak said. “The flow of agricultural wealth from the northern Vos Plain converges here. The consolidated bulk shipments then sail down the Nhy to Olnak and on to Tixos and the Powterosian Empire. Favriana’s massive fortress proclaims the site’s strategic importance.”
“I thought Olnak’s Castilyernov Fortresska was impressive, but this is just as intimidating,” Bodrin said.
“Look out Saxthor; the boat is drifting back down the river,” Tournak said.
Saxthor strained to steer the bow back upriver, and they sailed on toward Favriana.
“Nothing like a good first impression,” Tournak said. “Trying to avoid
-
“What you going to call her, Saxthor?” Bodrin asked. “How about Duchess or Countess?”
“How about Delia?” Saxthor said. “I don’t want another courtly reminder, and she’s not exactly regal. Will Delia do girl?”
The name stuck. She followed right behind Saxthor as he returned to poling the boat.
“She must’ve been someone’s pet once, but got lost, or they abandoned her,” Tournak said.
“Saxthor will take care of her now,” Bodrin shook his head amid the rhythmic pace of poling.
“Yes, I will.”
Delia licked Saxthor’s leg, then went and stood in the bow as a figurehead pointing the way, nose to the gentle wind. She kept checking back, verifying Saxthor was nearby. She’d bark once if she spotted anything she thought everyone should see. Creatures along the bank were favorites.
“Her vigilance will prove useful. She’ll make a nice addition to the crew,” Saxthor said.
“Another mouth to feed,” Tournak said.
Bodrin grinned. “I hope she likes fish.”
The companions moved on upriver past forests. Broad-footed cypress trees stood as sentinels at the water’s edge, their mossy veils waving in the gentle wind as if to entice mariners with their charms. Behind the cypress stood tall, green pines. Oak, chestnut, hickory, and willows splashed autumn colors through the forest. Broad sweeping limbs extended out, supporting wild grape and jasmine vines that rambled through them like playful children. Great hawks and owls watched the land for rodents, while speckled-white ospreys watched the water for fish from the best branches high above the river. Wild ducks migrating south flew along the river, stopping at adjacent bogs to snack on duckweed. Muskrats and other small rodents scurried along the banks when passing traffic disturbed them. Saxthor savored the old familiar landscapes and the musty river scent, while Delia watched for danger as they approached Heedra, where they stopped briefly for supplies.
The trip up to Lake Pundar was otherwise uneventful. They spent much of the travel time planning their way past the ever-watchful Favriana Fortress and onto Lake Pundar.
3: Lake Pundar Passage
About midmorning some days later, the party rounded a bend in the river to see the intimidating Favriana Fortress looming above the treetops. The forest greens and autumn colors obscured its massive base, but the keep’s dark-gray, granite battlements and towers’ spires thrust up as if supporting the clouds. The great Nhy, that bisected the Powterosian peninsula, seemed a mere stream beneath the colossal structure.
“That great castilyernov was Neuyokkasin’s northernmost outpost before assimilating Talok-Lemnos. Your grandmother brought them into the kingdom when she married your grandfather,” Tournak said. He watched his stunned companions. “It’s meant to impress, a statement warning all not to challenge this kingdom. The castilyernov guards the Nhy’s source where it flows from Lake Pundar. Do you remember it from your studies?”
“Seeing it loom up in front of you is very different from seeing it as a dot on the court maps,” Saxthor said.
“All trade with the northern states has to pass under the fortress and by the town of Favriana snuggled at its base,” Tournak said. “The flow of agricultural wealth from the northern Vos Plain converges here. The consolidated bulk shipments then sail down the Nhy to Olnak and on to Tixos and the Powterosian Empire. Favriana’s massive fortress proclaims the site’s strategic importance.”
“I thought Olnak’s Castilyernov Fortresska was impressive, but this is just as intimidating,” Bodrin said.
“Look out Saxthor; the boat is drifting back down the river,” Tournak said.
Saxthor strained to steer the bow back upriver, and they sailed on toward Favriana.
“Nothing like a good first impression,” Tournak said. “Trying to avoid
Similar Books
Long Overdue (River Jewel Resort Book 3)
Madison Sevier
Ring
Kôji Suzuki
Ghost's Sight
Morwen Navarre
The Secret Servant
Daniel Silva
The Worker Prince
Bryan Thomas Schmidt
Eats to Die For!
Michael Mallory
Cheryl: My Story
Cheryl Cole
YURI (Her Russian Protector #3)
Roxie Rivera
Meant to Be
Melody Carlson
Becoming the Alpha
Ivy Sinclair