Ascent of the Aliomenti by Alex Albrinck Read Free Book Online Page A

kind. I... I don’t know how to repay you.”
    “One day, you’ll have the chance to help somebody else, and you will,” Will said. “That will be all the repayment necessary.” He glanced at her. “I never asked your name, though.”
    “Rachel,” she said. “My name is Rachel. My daughter’s name is Miriam.”
    “I wish you well, Rachel,” Will replied. “Take care of Miriam.”
    “I will, good sir,” she said. “I will.”
    Richard gently cradled the girl in his arms, and walked away with Rachel, chatting. His face had taken on a gentle look, one Will recognized. He’d become quite smitten with the young widow and the little girl he held. Will smiled. He could think of nothing more noble than becoming that missing void in a family torn apart by senseless violence.
    “I’ll take my leave then, doctors.” He nodded at Eva and Hope, and walked away, leaving the women to tend to their next patient.
    He meandered through the structures built in their haphazard fashion, wondering how the residents were able to find anything. While the Aliomenti village was relatively small, especially compared to a thriving city like Abrecan, the planned layout was one Will would insist upon in future building activities. Given that Arthur and Adam had been part of the group of ten that oversaw construction of the original village, a layout planned for maximum security and utility, he doubted that would be a problem, regardless of the length of his absence. Will realized, even though he’d just left in anger, that he was already thinking of his future return, and planning enhancements to the layout of the neighborhood.
    He occupied his time by tracing the Energy trails left by Eva and Hope, using it to trace a path back to their humble residence. It was, like much of this large city, crammed into a space that would have been better served providing a function other than housing. They lived above a bakery, and while Will suspected the aromas were far superior to what they might experience elsewhere, it seemed a room better suited to housing a baker working in the shop below.
    Will found a small pub nearby, and was able to secure a warm meal and wine. He wasn’t accustomed to drinking so much wine, but the city had no ready source of fresh water, unless one wished to hike a significant distance to a point upriver from the town itself. And there was simply no way he could know if other cities, upstream, might be dumping refuse into the water he’d eventually drink. The wine, though not nearly as refreshing as the clear waters of the Ealdor, was clear of most impurities.
    He wandered about the city again after his meal, and found an inn where he could lodge until he found more permanent quarters, and used the time to contemplate what he’d do next. Even now, only a few hours after arriving in this city, he found himself wanting to leave. Entry hadn’t been easy; exiting would be a greater challenge, especially for someone like Will, a man who had arrived earlier that day. A city founded on suspicion and under constant alert for attacks would believe him part of an advance scout group for such actions.
    He could simply teleport away, or turn invisible and fly out of the city under the cover of darkness. That approach would work if it was just him, but he worried about the impact his actions would have on Hope and Eva. Rachel might recall him mentioning that he’d heard of Eva’s medical prowess that morning, and if it was ever revealed he’d made that comment only minutes after entering the city, others might question his motives. That would bring Hope and Eva under suspicion as well, for it would associate them with a suspected future troublemaker. Will wasn’t concerned that they’d be hurt in an actual fight, one in which they had the chance to observe their attackers and leverage their Energy skills to their advantage. Yet those under suspicion in a city such as Abrecan would not be given a fair fight. It was far more