smile. He turned somber as he continued. “Caleb needs this. With Hector still on that search of his and Gabriel away from the village for such a long time, Caleb is going to be very lonely. Getting away from the village and doing what he loves is the best idea that I could come up with. I’m more concerned at to what we will do after he returns than anything else. The closest girl to his age is eight years younger than he is. I just don’t know how everything will work out for him down the road.”
Sophie looked at him curiously. She could see most of his points, but the last part surprised her. “Are you suggesting that we find someone for him?”
“Stars above, Sophie,” Michael said as he fiercely shook his head. “I’d never do such a thing to my only son. I’m just thinking that we might want to think about taking him out of the village for a trip later on. I’m sure you’d like to get some more cloth from Caldreth.”
“Maybe he’ll meet someone?” Sophie speculated.
“Hopefully,” Michael said with a sincere smile. “I still remember when we met back when I first arrived in Zabryan.”
“I do too,” Sophie said with a sparkle in her eyes. “You looked so lost in the grand city of Zabryan.”
“Can you blame me?” Michael asked with a hearty laugh. “Lucas never stopped teasing me for it. I had never seen such a magnificent city. I suppose I would have been even more shocked if we had not served in Caldreth together beforehand.”
His wife nodded her head with a smile. “I think your idea is a good one, but I doubt one trip will be enough.”
“Then we’ll just have to make it into more than a single trip,” Michael countered with a smile.
Sophie nodded, but a small frown formed suddenly. “You never addressed my concern.”
“I didn’t,” Michael agreed without a hint of hesitation. The look in his eyes made it clear that he had expected her to bring it up again. “You fear that something bad will happen during the trip.”
“I do,” Sophie said, the frown upon her face growing ever so slightly.
“I do not fear that he will come to harm. His mentor has taught him well,” Michael said, laying a reassuring touch on her right hand. “Besides, he’s got the blood of Kirakath on his side.”
A slight look of confusion became apparent in Sophie’s eyes at those last words as it always did when Michael said them.
Following what she had learned from past experience, Sophie said nothing further. Michael had made it clear many times before that it was not a question he could answer.
Releasing a heavy breath, Sophie’s eyes went to the dancing flames in the hearth.
Chapter 3
Caleb sighed as he began to walk through the forest with a rabbit held by the feet in his right hand and his longbow held in his left hand.
It had been three days since he left the village for his hunting trip, and the only game that he had encountered as of yet was the brown rabbit that was in his hand.
Glancing at the brown rabbit, Caleb sighed. It could not have weighed any more than two pounds. There was no way that it would be a filling meal for the night, but even a small rabbit would be more filling than the berries that he had eaten the night before.
I guess it’s too late in the year to catch anything good, Caleb thought as he continued walking back towards his camp. I’ll give it one more day. If I don’t find anything more, I’ll return home. Dad said there would be no repercussions if this hunt was a failure, after all.
That was about as far as his train of thought managed to go before he felt pain shoot through his body, spreading from his chest.
He was forced to his knees on the leaf-covered ground by the intensity of the pain that spread throughout his body. He only barely managed to stop himself from dropping his bow and the rabbit as his knees met the ground.
What in the dark abyss was
Sophie looked at him curiously. She could see most of his points, but the last part surprised her. “Are you suggesting that we find someone for him?”
“Stars above, Sophie,” Michael said as he fiercely shook his head. “I’d never do such a thing to my only son. I’m just thinking that we might want to think about taking him out of the village for a trip later on. I’m sure you’d like to get some more cloth from Caldreth.”
“Maybe he’ll meet someone?” Sophie speculated.
“Hopefully,” Michael said with a sincere smile. “I still remember when we met back when I first arrived in Zabryan.”
“I do too,” Sophie said with a sparkle in her eyes. “You looked so lost in the grand city of Zabryan.”
“Can you blame me?” Michael asked with a hearty laugh. “Lucas never stopped teasing me for it. I had never seen such a magnificent city. I suppose I would have been even more shocked if we had not served in Caldreth together beforehand.”
His wife nodded her head with a smile. “I think your idea is a good one, but I doubt one trip will be enough.”
“Then we’ll just have to make it into more than a single trip,” Michael countered with a smile.
Sophie nodded, but a small frown formed suddenly. “You never addressed my concern.”
“I didn’t,” Michael agreed without a hint of hesitation. The look in his eyes made it clear that he had expected her to bring it up again. “You fear that something bad will happen during the trip.”
“I do,” Sophie said, the frown upon her face growing ever so slightly.
“I do not fear that he will come to harm. His mentor has taught him well,” Michael said, laying a reassuring touch on her right hand. “Besides, he’s got the blood of Kirakath on his side.”
A slight look of confusion became apparent in Sophie’s eyes at those last words as it always did when Michael said them.
Following what she had learned from past experience, Sophie said nothing further. Michael had made it clear many times before that it was not a question he could answer.
Releasing a heavy breath, Sophie’s eyes went to the dancing flames in the hearth.
Chapter 3
Caleb sighed as he began to walk through the forest with a rabbit held by the feet in his right hand and his longbow held in his left hand.
It had been three days since he left the village for his hunting trip, and the only game that he had encountered as of yet was the brown rabbit that was in his hand.
Glancing at the brown rabbit, Caleb sighed. It could not have weighed any more than two pounds. There was no way that it would be a filling meal for the night, but even a small rabbit would be more filling than the berries that he had eaten the night before.
I guess it’s too late in the year to catch anything good, Caleb thought as he continued walking back towards his camp. I’ll give it one more day. If I don’t find anything more, I’ll return home. Dad said there would be no repercussions if this hunt was a failure, after all.
That was about as far as his train of thought managed to go before he felt pain shoot through his body, spreading from his chest.
He was forced to his knees on the leaf-covered ground by the intensity of the pain that spread throughout his body. He only barely managed to stop himself from dropping his bow and the rabbit as his knees met the ground.
What in the dark abyss was
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