Fulcrum of Light (Catalyst Book 2) C.J. Aaron (unputdownable books .TXT) 📖

nearest to the end of the line, Andr heard only fragments of the conversation between the phrenics.

The Horde had scattered; dwindling in numbers, yet an overwhelming contingent remained.

The uneasiness among the cloaked figures was obvious.

From inside the forest, Andr couldn’t tell whether the sun had cleared the horizon before the procession commenced its march. His legs were stiff, and his muscles were sore from the strenuous events of the past several days. He'd taken advantage of the calm after the confrontation with Kaep to rest. It was only moments after closing his eyes that slumber found him; his head balanced on his arms wrapped around his knees.

Even the brief rest was a salve to the extreme exhaustion that weighed on his body. The company, while not the most outgoing or openly pleasant, had lifted a monumental burden from his shoulders.

In the clearing, in the face of the overwhelming numbers of the Horde, he’d given up. If only for a moment.

He had failed.

Yet somehow through it all, Ryl had saved him again. Until recently, he had viewed the boy as one possessed with inconceivable luck. Having witnessed the remarkable skills hidden within him first-hand, he now doubted that luck was the only factor. What other secrets had Ryl kept hidden away?

Their movement through the forest was sluggish, slowed by Ryl and their recovering companion. To his credit, Andr kept the pace without complaint as they weaved their way through the woods. They traveled on what appeared to be narrow game trails that zigzagged across the forest floor. Even without a direct view of the sun to judge their direction, Andr had the distinct impression that the path they followed to their destination was not direct.

A careful deception for his benefit.

Kaep and Paelec had raised their hoods back over their heads before leaving the clearing. None of the others had shown their faces since he’d met them and not a soul spoke a word to him as they made their way deeper into the forest.

One of the phrenics had separated from the group, disappearing into the woods soon after they’d started their trek. Andr caught glimpses of the stealthy form as the cloaked figure reappeared from time to time, speaking in brief, hushed tones to one who he thought was Paelec. There was never a sound as the scout melted back into the forest.

Ryl’s condition, while it had shown a glimmer of improvement upon entering the forest, had deteriorated with the coming of the day; he cried out in pain and ranted in delirium; his body racked with chills and burned with an uncontrollable fever; the rash spread across his body, and his hands were lashed to the litter to prevent him from scratching himself raw.

Andr wiped the sweat from his brow as the party stopped briefly in another small clearing. The sky above them was cloudless; the sun beat down on them from its position directly above their heads. Nestled against the jagged wall of the mountains, a small waterfall rolled down from above, splashing into a small pool at its base.

The narrow stream that poured out hugged the outer edge of the clearing before snaking its way into the forest. He watched the others refill their skins from a tiny offshoot of the falls, no bigger than a trickle, before quenching his own thirst. The water was bitterly cold, almost freezing, likely the product of the melting snowcaps high above. The chill shocked his system, providing a much-needed boost of energy. As the day had stretched on his thoughts had often wandered to dreams of a warm meal and a soft bed.

Andr knelt down, pouring drops of the refreshing liquid carefully down Ryl’s throat. Afterward, he sat next to his charge, watching the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest; his mind lost in thought. The sound of soft footfall from behind broke his daze, and he turned his head to greet the approaching figure.

“How is he today?” Kaep's soft voice no longer brimmed with the fire it had the night before.

Even in the daylight, the hood cast a dark shadow over the majority of her face. Her lips were frozen in an emotionless expression. A small lock of brown hair escaped from the side of her hood, standing out against the drab grey of her cloak.

“He suffers more and more with every passing moment,” Andr said with a hint of scorn. “Is there nothing you can do to help him?”

“Sadly, there is not,” she admitted. “Each of us have our own set of skills. I’m afraid the skills of a mender are not among them.”

Andr inhaled a deep breath, stretching out his upper back, rolling his head from side to side with an audible pop.

“How long until we reach our destination?” he inquired. “Wherever or whatever that may be.”

The last statement was added with another touch of scorn.

“We will make our destination before nightfall,” Kaep acknowledged.

“How much sooner would we arrive if we stopped traveling in circles?” Andr chanced a guess given the winding paths they’d taken. “I know we travel to the west, yet without knowing where we made landfall or where we are in relation to the palisades, I'd never hope to retrace the steps.”

He thought he caught the minuscule hint of a smile flash across the exposed section of her face.

“Here. Eat,” she said, tossing a small parcel of food wrapped in cloth his direction. His hand reached out, catching the food without taking his eyes off the phrenic.

“We leave shortly,” she said with an abrupt turn, before stalking back to the group gathered at the other side of the clearing.

“Thanks,” Andr grumbled as he unwrapped the rations.

He consumed the modest portion of bread and dried meat within moments; the food rapidly filled his shrunken stomach.

Breaking their short respite in the clearing, the group moved back into the trees. He recognized the massive figure, and warhammer, of Ramm. He had relieved one of the two carrying Ryl's litter. The mountain of a man passed him without