The Troven (Kingdom of Denall Book 1) Read Free Page A

begging for air. “I thought I heard something in the woods.”
    “It’s probably one of Jeff’s mice,” Edgar responded in a tone that was beyond indifferent.
    Not knowing how much longer he could wait, Dune began moving again, hoping they thought he was a mouse.
    “There it is again,” she said. Firelight danced around as she pulled a burning log from the fire and began moving in Dune’s direction. He took longer strides, trying to quickly get away, but he knew she would reach the clearing before he could escape it. Not knowing if he was outside the magically defended area, and with his head throbbing from the lack of oxygen, he dropped to his knees, silently released his breath, then began gasping for air, as quietly as he could manage.
    As he knelt low to the ground, the female seeker came into the clearing with a piece of wood in her hand. It had a small flame on the end, but it cast very little light, and went out when she waved it around searching for Dune. Dune remained completely still. Not only was it the best way for him to remain hidden, but his breath had sprung the magical trap and now it held him in place. He watched the seeker as she stalked around the clearing. She was not looking into the trees, but pausing every few yards to listen. Dune calmed his breathing until it was completely inaudible.
    With his robe covering him, and his inability to move, he was quickly overlooked as the seeker checked the clearing. While she was searching, he reached out with magic and touched the trap that held him. Although it was serving a purpose for him at the moment, he knew he would need to escape as soon as the woman was gone.
    The magic that held him was not overly complicated. It was air that had been hardened into an invisible barrier around his body. What was interesting about this trap was that it was still connected to the object Edgar held. By connecting his magic to the hardened air around him, Dune could manipulate the object and it’s magic. For a brief moment he considered reversing the magic so it would capture only the people who were touching the object when it was activated, but that would ruin all he had worked for. Instead, he patiently waited until the female seeker was done looking through the clearing, took a deep breath, and then he touched the hardened air with a weave of magic that unraveled the spell.
    He quietly stood up, looked out into the night, and teleported away as far as he could see into the woods, landing a safe distance from the clearing and the camp. When he was sure he was safely out of the range of the trap, he began breathing like normal. He looked out to the north, the direction the seekers were heading. He didn’t know why they were going, or how long they would be gone, but after several months of waiting, he felt like this trip might bring him to their leader.
    But first he needed to get one thing from his booby-trapped house, the one thing that he couldn’t have while standing next to a group of seekers. The Magic Stone.
     
     
    Chapter 2
     
    From his vantage on the roof of the Dungan Inn, not much escaped Kaz's keen eyes. From the moment he climbed up onto the roof in the early hours of the morning, he watched the sun come up, spreading shades of reds and oranges across the clouds. With his enhanced vision he scanned the distant forest line and watched squirrels dodging about on trees as if they were excited to see the morning. He looked up into the sky, watching as swallows flew in erratic patterns, catching insects as they made nearly impossible turns in the sky.
    Now with the sun rising into the sky, the villagers began to appear on the packed dirt streets. The tall young man shifted slightly to ease a cramp in his leg, then rubbed his hands quickly through his short, light brown hair, and over his face to keep from falling asleep during watch duty. Like most people he observed walking through the small village, Kaz wore sturdy, undyed wool clothing that was a mix