Hunters of Sian - Book 2. The Užaren Canyon

Towards a Blazing Sun

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Chapter Eighteen

Towards a Blazing Sun

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'Morning,' Derek greeted sleepily as Nell and Sallos entered the stables. Marshall already had his drack out and saddled near the main gates. Even at this distance, he looked pale.

'Morning,' Nell said, opening the door to Thorn's stall. The young dracks would no doubt be on their best behaviour this morning. With the demons so close and the need to leave the cramped stables, all the animals were unusually quiet. Even Dagger was behaving for Marshall, though the beast was growling. Nell gave Thorn's mottled white pelt a pat.

'You ready to go?' he said quietly. Thorn huffed, head bobbing. Nell led him out as Derek took out Scorch. Nell could already feel the familiar flutters of excitement in his stomach. The wanderlust that lay dormant over the long summer at the stronghold was quickly flaring to life in his blood. He swung easily into the saddle. Derek and Marshall did the same. Sallos and Arawn were talking quietly with Marshall's master. Artimel's beast was much like himself. It was a huge pale drackina, covered in thin spines and most unfriendly looking. It had a long whip-like tail that was lashing back and forth like an impatient cat.

'Hey!' A familiar voice made Nell turn Thorn around. Jeremy raced towards them, waving madly. Nell grinned. 'Come to see us off?' Jeremy had mentioned the night before that he and Furcus weren't leaving until tomorrow, so he got a nice lazy sleep in. Jeremy wasn't even fully dressed. He obviously just wanted to make sure he didn't miss them leaving.

'Yep! And to tell you not to die.' The joke fell flat on an unhappy Marshall, but Nell and Derek both chuckled.

'That is the plan.'

'Bring me back something cool,' Jeremy demanded.

Nell snorted. 'Only if you do the same.'

'You three, let's get a move on. The sun won't wait,' Arawn called. The demons had mounted up and were ready to leave. Nell waved to his friend.

'Stay safe,' Nell said.

Jeremy's smile slipped a little, showing a hint of the worry and fear beneath the surface. 'Yeah. Yeah, you too.'

The apprentices turned their dracks about and followed the demons out through the stronghold gates. Nell forced himself to look forward and ease his grip on the reins. He wanted to relax as much as he could, enjoy the thrill of traveling through the open countryside. There was so much of the world that he hadn't seen. The demons allowed their beasts to break into a rolling canter. Nell and the others followed suit. It wasn't the breakneck morning gallop, but they were all heavily weighed down with packs and supplies.

Sallos had told Nell that they wouldn't need the wagon they had used for the trip to Hoarfrost Forest. They wouldn't be bringing back entire beasts and they would be able to forage for food rather than relying solely on food they had to bring with them. They were still bringing a few things such as bags of coffee, rice and lentils. The load was easily distributed among the animals. Whilst Nell was glad not to have to eat a steady diet of kimchi, mushrooms and beans, he wasn't sure they would be able to scavenge as easily as he had in the forest. Especially if they couldn't go anywhere alone.

Nell breathed in a lungful of cool air, feeling his muscles relax. Thorn cantered easily over the track. The roads were busy with people going home from the festival. Wagons and beasts cluttered the traffic until the hunters were forced to leave the cobbles to canter along the thick grass. Thankfully, most people who heard them coming shifted aside as best they could. It took most of the day for them to find a quieter road. They camped that night off in a neat clearing not far from a small farm.