Branded Mage by D.W. Read Free Book Online Page B

and rubbed the horse’s neck. He hadn’t named it yet but he was already fond of the animal. It wasn’t very tall only about four foot, but she was a lovely bay with a small but rather heavy head, with small ears, and large eyes. She had a long thin neck and her soft flowing mane seem to dance in the morning breeze.
    “Are we ready?” He asked keeping his tone jovial.
    Eloen nodded and spurred her horse forward. Thad and the rest of the men followed along, quietly falling into position. Eloen rode at the tip and four men rode on each other’s flanks, and the last man followed at the rear. He thought it was a little silly, how many people would know to look for them, but he doubted that would be their main concern.
    The ride was quiet and peaceful. Thad was thankful for that. It had been a very busy and emotionally draining night. As soon as they were out of sight, the princess had acted like a two year old throwing a tantrum, going so far as threating to have him whipped if he so much as looked in Eloen’s direction. Then, he had said his goodbyes to Shariel, who had cried for hours until she finally fell asleep. He had figured she would take it much better than she had. She had taken his incarceration very well. Thinking about it, started to make sense. She hadn’t seen him or the effects the dungeon had on him, but the sight of him riding in from the woods with an arrow in his back was still fresh on her mind.
    He had spent what little time remained of the night preparing for the trip. His staff, rune necklace, and magical sword were must have items. One of his magical tomes for reading, a few changes of clothing, his sleeping mat, and some enchanting supplies were the next things to go into his pack. After that it got hard to decide what he would need and what he would leave behind. When everything was said and done, he had only left himself a few measly hours of sleep before he had to leave.
    He had been excited the night before , but now the enthusiasm was wearing off and his lack of sleep was making his eyes heavy. Not wanting to fall asleep in the saddle, he scanned the countryside for anything that could keep his mind occupied. The area surrounding the capital was mostly farmland, but it was late in winter and a light frosting of snow still covered the ground.
     
    Whether she noticed the occasional jerking in his saddle as he jolted awake, or to alleviate her boredom, about halfway through the day Eloen dropped back and rode next to him. When she did, the other soldiers of their party readjusted their position flawlessly so one couldn’t even tell she had moved.
    “So Thad , what really made you decided to join us?” Unlike her normal flirty attitude her face remained deadpan, and her voice serious. It made Thad second guess himself for a brief moment.
    “It seemed like the right thing to do.” He answered simply , not haveing a better one and for the most part it was true. He wasn’t being completely altruistic, he did have many new spells he wanted to try out and using them on an invading army seemed like a good idea.
    Eloen let out something between a laugh and a giggle as she looked at him like he was a simpleton. “I should have known. While I’m glad to have you on our side, there is something I want you to think about. Life isn’t black and white, and even the colors of gray intertwined are so convoluted most the time that the wisest don’t know how to tell them apart. I promise you the other side believes it is just as right as we do. Better to think on it now, and make your resolve. We can’t afford for your naivety to wear off in the middle of a battle.”
    Thad thought about what she had said as the y continued down the road and talked. She asked about the princess, and tried to twist every other word he said into her own sordid meaning, but no matter what she said, his mind kept wondering back to what she had said about his naivety.
    He had been tutored and trained by high quality