The Exodus Sagas: Book I - Of Spiders And Falcons Read Free

wrapped around the ruins for as far as he could see to the west. The young man, barely twenty-three seasons, felt fear mixed with his eagerness, hearing the rest stir behind him. A thousand men here, assembled to regain control of the Western Waste which was formerly the district of Teirinshire and the city of Arouland belonging to the kingdom of Chazzrynn over four hundred years prior. It was lost they say, in a great war with the Northern kingdom of Altestan. Then there came the great deluge from Saint Tarumin, and then the ogre.
    The ogre came by the hundreds from the untraveled Misathi Mountains to the far north, tribes and legions of them. In those times there was only a weakened and divided kingdom incapable of keeping them out of the ruined west. James thought of the ogre he had seen in his training, nearly ten feet tall, thin, muscled, glaring dark eyes, and dark yellow, blotted skin. Vicious creatures they had been, though he had only seen them in numbers of up to four, usually scavenging for livestock or terrorizing small villages. They reeked of uncleanliness from the rancid pelts they wore to their braided, dirty black hair. The ogre possessed mouthfuls of yellow and brown teeth and the strength of two men for sure. The young knight had battled a few, and recalled the brutal combat with a seriousness that pulled his head out of the clouds and fog for a moment. The visions in his mind filled with glory and battle and leading men of his own one day against the ogre hordes that polluted the kingdom he served. His dreams had all led to this day, the reclamation of half of the kingdom with his hundreds of brothers of Southwind and a thousand of Chazzrynn infantry from the capital in Loucas. It had taken years of strategizing, petitioning, organizing, and scouting that claimed the life of many a brave soul from the Keep in Southwind. His home, the mighty western border watchers, the elite trained of the kingdom were all orphans. A family of those left on doorsteps and foyers in the south, that is the way it is in troubled times and has been for centuries. The families of Southwind Keep were all given away at some point in their lineage, stayed together, trained together, and none knew neither heritage nor birth name but were raised as knights or soldiers to protect their kingdom. All orphans were bestowed with a surname of one of the seven families in a ceremony that occurred at the age of fifteen. Service and more service that is all they knew, James Andellis and his siblings.
    The Lord of the keep, a tall, dark bearded man of great renown in all of Chazzrynn, Arlinne T’Vellon stood next to James, also admiring the sunrise. His family, the T’Vellons of Southwind Keep, were held in great regard and admired by all for their leadership and devotion to king and country. James’ family of Andellis was likewise devoted to God Alden and the church.
    James felt safe next to such a man at that moment, and all his fears cast away. “Good morn my Lord Arlinne.”, the young knight gave a slight bow and then straightened up a bit. “Sleep well?”
    “James of Andellis, I slept like a baby with dreams of victory and an enemy fleeing us before my very eyes. Twill be a good day for the kingdom. Get your horse young man, the regular army stirs and needs our constant pressure to get moving and keep up with Southwind Keep.” At that Lord Arlinne turned with a solid pat on James’ shoulder guard and began raising the men from their tents.
    James had been on several excursions with Arlinne T’Vellon and had fought alongside him against the ogre outside of the trade city of Hurne. His confidence was no façade, and the young knight saw his blade run through two of the four ogre that day, while it took five knights to take the other two. James looked at his crisp, long, white tabard with the red feathered cross of Alden on the chest. The youth said a silent prayer to the God of forgiveness and mercy and asked for blessings for all