Descent Into Darkness (Book 2) by James R. Vernon Read Free Book Online Page B

and the entire caravan came to a stop. Leaping down, he walked over to them at a brisk pace, stopping right in front of the two of them and leaving little space.
    Standing slightly taller than Ean, the man was as thick as Ean was lanky. He was covered from head to toe in leather and fur, which was strange for how warm it was, with the clothes sitting tight enough on his arms and body for Ean to be able to tell the man's bulk came from muscle and not fat. He wore a small hand ax at his side, the blade the same dark black color as his curly beard and short hair. A large, bulbous nose stuck out over his beard, and made his brown eyes seem sunken into his face. When he spoke, his voice sounded like rocks tumbling down the side of a mountain.
    "You don't look like bandits," he said gruffly. "And I'm sure even if the two of you were, you wouldn't be stupid enough to attack a caravan the size of ours."
    "No sir," Azalea replied. "We're not bandits, just simple travelers making our way to Lurthalan."
    Her usual sensual and alluring voice was all innocence now with a touch of breathlessness that Ean often heard from the less intelligent girls in his village. The personality she had taken on matched her appearance, and even Ean had trouble keeping in mind that there was a Yulari underneath her illusion. He did his best to keep his face straight as she continued.
    "We were traveling, and my brother got us lost in the forest to the south." Of course she would stick to that story. "We luckily made it out and found our way to the road."
    "An unfortunate story," the man replied. "But thankfully you are only a three-days walk from the capitol. If you are short on supplies, I can happily trade you enough to get you there." He paused for a moment to scratch at his beard. "For the right price, of course."
    "We have what I would assume are enough supplies in terms of food," Azalea said, her eyes wandering to the sky as she spoke. She really was playing up the part of a vapid hick. "But no money. What we really could use is a ride so we could rest our tired feet."
    "A ride would be more expensive than the supplies, I'm afraid, lass, and you've already said you have no money. I can't see how you could go about paying for a ride on one of my wagons."
    Ean watched as something about Azalea...changed. It was hard to pinpoint exactly. It wasn't anything in her appearance or the way she spoke. It was as if the air around her grew thicker, but even that wasn't a proper description of what he noticed.
    "I'm sure a trader as rich and powerful as you, someone in charge of such a large group, could handle carrying us along without payment," Azalea said softly, her gaze lowering. To Ean's amazement, the man slowly began to nod as he scratched at his beard.
    "I suppose for a few days journey, money wouldn't be necessary." The man's voice had changed now too. It was still rough, but the words seemed more drawn out as he spoke, like he was struggling to get them out. "You have your own supplies as you said, after all, so you won't be costing me anything. I'm sure some room can be made amongst some of the workers."
    "Oh, that's ever so kind of you, but we couldn't accept your hospitality without offering you something." Placing a hand on Ean's back, Ean couldn't help but cringe as that smirk appeared on Azalea's face for an instant before disappearing. "My brother will be happy to pay you back by providing free labor. Wouldn't you, Ean?"
    Ean nodded dumbly although in his mind he pictured himself throttling her.
    "Well, we can always use shovelers to keep the offal from the horses and bulls off the road. The temples take great pride in their roads, and it's a trader's responsibility to keep those roads clean of their own wastes."
    "That sounds like an excellent job for my brother."
    "Think nothing of it," the man said and then gave a shake of his head. Whatever had changed about Azalea was suddenly gone. When the man spoke again, his voice had returned to its