Beyond the Hell Cliffs by Case C. Capehart Read Free Book Online Page B

from the cart, the other Faeir was sitting cross-legged and resting his back against a tree.  His eyes were closed and he paid no attention to his companion toiling away at the set up.  Hemmil and Zakk already had taken off to scout around the area and it did not look as if Boram, Tavin or Ebriz were too concerned with setting up a tent and they certainly weren’t helping out the woman.  Raegith eyed her, contemplating going to aid her, despite the weariness in his feet and shoulders.
    “Don’t”
    Raegith looked down to where Tavin was sitting, a pipe glowing near his face.  Boram and Ebriz were doing something with their gear that seemed overly noisy, but Tavin simply sat on a log and puffed his pipe, looking over to the Faeir woman, as well.
    “Don’t what?” Raegith asked, playing dumb.
    “I know what you’re thinking,” the man said, staring forward instead of looking up at him.  “I’m telling you not to act on those thoughts.”
    “Is no one going to help her?  Is she some kind of slave or something?” Raegith asked.
    “It’s just a different culture,” Tavin said.  It seemed like his voice never changed inflection.  Everything he said was given calmly, in an even tone, as if he were stating facts.  “The Faeir are not like us.  They don’t like mingling and they don’t have any compassion for those they consider inferior.”
    “You said they are not like ‘us?’” Raegith asked.
    “ Saban.”
    “You may have noticed, I’m only half Saban,” Raegith replied.
    “ Half isn’t too bad,” Tavin said, continuing to puff on his pipe.  “Besides… you can’t hunt, you can’t run on trees and you probably couldn’t even fit in those dinky tree houses they live in out in the West.  You’re a Saban with a little Twileen in ya.  But you sure as hell aren’t Faeir, so keep clear of them.”
    Raegith turned back to look at the female Faeir.  She had her gear out of the cart and was busy setting it together to raise the tent.  Her companion had not moved from his spot and may have even been sleeping.  Raegith wondered what the relationship between the two was.  Was it a master and servant, or something more intimate?  He briefly thought about disregarding Tavin’s suggestion that he keep away from the woman, but before he could make a decision on his own, Hemmil and Zakk had returned and were already calling for him.

Chapter 4
     
    Ebriz had not been joking in the slightest when he talked about how boring it got on the road.  Raegith was accustomed to down time, having lived most of his life in a keep with nothing but the walls and some books to entertain him.  He tried to keep his body fit during that time, knowing that someday he might be released or, at worst, he would have to escape.  However, doing calisthenics that his mother taught him in an old dungeon and walking all day in second-hand boots were two very different exercises and Raegith was doing the latter for as long as the sun was out, every day.  His morning training began before dawn each day as Hemmil barked out commands and Zakk assisted by continually out-performing him.  Then he would help pack everything up and load the cart only to walk beside it the entire day.  As soon as they found a spot to camp, he would unload the cart, set up their tent and eat his evening meal before passing out on a cot across the tent from Zakk.
    Ebriz was the official entertainment of the journey, singing songs and telling tales during the cooler times of the day, but hiding out under a tarp in the back of the cart through midday.  Boram was a close second in keeping the attention of the group, having nearly as many stories as the Bard.
    The huge Saban was an ex-soldier of the Fifth Regiment and now spent his time leading the local militia of his home in the East and running around with Tavin.  He was a veteran of the Stampede War, where a group of ungodly hideous monsters crossed into Rellizbix from beyond the World Edge