Bone Magic by Brent Nichols Read Free Book Online Page A

shrug.
    The oak door
swung open and a stocky figure came out. He was just under five
feet tall, though thick-soled boots and a steel helmet made him
look taller. Long, curly dark hair spilled out from under the
helmet and framed a weathered, homely face that was mostly obscured
by a dark brown beard. Broad shoulders were made even broader by a
shirt of thick chain mail that hung to his knees. He wore a sword
belt over top of the chain mail. His thick-fingered hands were on
his hips, and he was doing his best to frown at them, but he
couldn't quite hide an amused grin.
    "Are you a
dwarf?" Mikail blurted.
    "What an odd
question," the stranger said, and sketched a mocking bow. "I am
Yanil Ironholder, at your service. I am a soldier, and a baker, and
a teller of tall tales." He smirked up at Tira and said, "I'm
primarily known as a lover of the ladies." He chuckled at his own
wit, and nodded to Mikail. "I am also a dwarf."
    Mikail blushed.
"I didn't mean to be rude. Only, I thought dwarves weren't
real."
    Yanil gave a
snort of laughter. "Well, I never. But I forget my manners. Welcome
to Willan's Crossing. All who come in peace are made welcome. All
others are chopped fine and dumped into the river. You'll find the
town just ahead, and I'm sure they'll be glad to provide a roof
over your heads." He patted the stone wall beside him. "I'm afraid
you won't be able to spend the night in my hut."
    Tira thanked
him, and he bowed again in reply. She could hear him chuckling to
himself as they rode past and continued up the road.
    "Was he really
a dwarf?" Sari asked.
    No one bothered
to reply.
    The trees ended
and the town appeared before them. It was a small settlement, but
well-defended. A stone wall about eight feet high surrounded the
town, with a tower at each corner. The town gate had a steel
portcullis and a tower on each side, each with a dwarf in chain
mail standing guard. As they rode closer Tira saw the rest of the
town's defenses, a low ditch just outside the wall, the bottom and
the inner side lined with sharpened stakes. An athletic man could
have cleared the ditch with a leap. It was scaled for goblins.
    The bridge was
built of stone as well. It spanned the river in three graceful
arches, connecting to a road that vanished into the forest on the
far side. On the near side of the river, the end of the bridge was
within the stone walls.
    The five of
them rode through the town gate, a handful of dwarves watching them
from the top of the wall. Tira was expecting to see more stone
inside, but the walls she saw were whitewashed plaster. There were
dwarves everywhere, most of them men, and they watched the
strangers with idle curiosity. A short street paved with crushed
gravel led to an open square in the middle of the town. There, a
graying dwarf woman in a long green dress came striding over to
meet them, flanked by a pair of soldiers.
    Tira swung down
from her saddle and nodded a greeting. The dwarf woman bobbed her
head in reply. "Welcome," she said. "I'm Mayor Tandis."
    Tira introduced
herself and the others. "We're passing through," she said.
    "Perhaps," the
mayor replied, and ran a critical eye over them. "Five people, four
animals, and a cart. I think five silver crowns should cover the
bill."
    Tira felt her
jaw drop. "Five crowns? For what, exactly?"
    The mayor's
lips thinned, but her voice remained calm. "For the privilege of
crossing the river on our bridge, of course."
    "That's
outrageous!" She regretted the words as soon as they were out of
her mouth, but the mayor shrugged, unfazed.
    "You don't have
to pay, of course." She smiled. "There is a ferry crossing, back
the way you came. You can reach it in about three days." She
gestured over her shoulder. "There is another bridge, about two
days that way. Of course, when we drove the goblins out of this
town, that was the direction they were headed. But maybe they will
let you pass."
    Tira glared at
her, then made herself relax. There was more than one way to cross
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